Chapter 176: A Princess Cannot Be Wronged

Cheng Li did not know when he had arrived.

He was usually serious and stern, with sharp facial features and a tall, upright posture. Just standing there, he naturally exuded a heavy sense of authority.

The crowd instantly quieted down, and even Father He and the sobbing He Mengting fell silent in a flash.

It was precisely because she had just witnessed President Cheng Senior's indifferent attitude toward Lu Qingyue that He Mengting had dared to target her so fearlessly.

Yet right now, although President Cheng Senior hadn't even spared Lu Qingyue a direct glance upon his arrival, his stance unmistakably chose to side with her.

The phrase "daughter-in-law" undoubtedly carried immense weight.

Lu Qingyue was slightly stunned. Before she could recover her senses, her fingertips were gently clasped by the man beside her, who shielding her by his side without a trace of fuss.

Seeing President Cheng Senior speak thus, He Mengting knew she had offended the Cheng family. She lowered her head in a panic, not daring to utter a sound, terrified that the Cheng family would demand an accounting from her.

After a few silent seconds, Father He braced himself and walked toward Cheng Li, pasting an awkward, full smile on his face in an attempt to smooth things over.

"Old Cheng, this is just kids playing around, nothing major."

People in business always valued harmony above all else.

Yet today, President Cheng Senior refused to save face at all. With a cold and stern expression, he said in an unquestionable tone,

"My DianDian is eighteen, truly still a child. But your Mengting, if I recall correctly, is already twenty-two this year, right?"

He had called her DianDian.

To be precise, my DianDian.

President Cheng Senior had been serious his entire life, never bending to anyone or taking the initiative to show goodwill. Yet at this moment, without even realizing it, he had quietly drawn her into his own circle of protection.

Lu Qingyue had been feeling anxious on the side, terrified that taking the matter to the elders would surely bring her no good fortune.

Hearing this, she blinked in bewilderment, wondering if she had misheard.

Cheng Xingye, who had been shielding her the whole time, also paused, looking at his father with some surprise.

Cheng Li did not even look at them, keeping his gaze fixed solely on He Mengting as he spoke in a cold, deep, and unquestionable tone,

"It's fine to be twenty-two and still lack sense, but if you dare to provoke someone from the Cheng family, you damn well better have the awareness and preparation to bear the consequences."

Father He felt a thin layer of cold sweat break out across his back under those words. With so many people watching, he was losing face, and could only vent his anger on his own useless daughter, scolding her in a deep voice,

"Why aren't you apologizing already?!"

Even her own biological father had to bow before the Cheng family; no matter how foolish He Mengting was, she knew she had provoked a catastrophe. She could only lower her head resentfully and shuffle awkwardly over to Cheng Xingye.

"Brother Xingye..."

Before she could finish, Cheng Xingye calmly and smoothly interrupted,

"Was I the one you just talked back to?"

He Mengting: "....."

Mortified, she raised her gaze to look at Lu Qingyue. Despite her extreme reluctance, under the pressure of all the surrounding gazes, she still had to slowly shuffle a bit closer.

"...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said those things just now."

Lu Qingyue had never been one to push people to extremes. Having vented her anger, she simply wanted to let the matter rest to avoid ruining the wedding banquet.

Therefore, though she didn't want to bother with He Mengting, she still reached out and tugged at Cheng Xingye's sleeve.

Feeling the timid little girl tugging at the corner of his garment, Cheng Xingye turned his head to look at her. Disregarding the surrounding gazes of gossip and curiosity, he raised a hand to stroke her head, his voice instinctively carrying a coaxing tone,

"Satisfied now?"

How could Lu Qingyue not be satisfied?

She hadn't expected a few harsh words to escalate to this point, especially with President Cheng Senior being drawn into it. At this stage, making a big issue small and a small issue nothing was the best way to avoid causing trouble for everyone.

Yet Cheng Xingye stroked her head, saying with casual nonchalance,

"If someone bullies you in the future, you have to speak up. My DianDian is a little princess no matter where she goes, and a princess is never allowed to suffer grievances."

...

The small interlude in the garden was quickly brushed past.

Watching Cheng Xingye once again protect Lu Qingyue without a second thought, Xu Qian felt a stifled, resentful surge of reluctance and squeezed her way out of the crowd.

Before she could even calm her emotions, she saw Luo Kai standing by the railing not far away with his hands in his pockets, looking lazily in her direction.

Xu Qian felt her heart skip a beat for no apparent reason, a bad premonition welling up within her. Still, she feigned composure and walked over to him.

"Why are you here?" She smiled brightly and looped her arm through his, her demeanor intimate and ambiguous.

Luo Kai was notorious for being unruly in their social circle. Normally, he was a sucker for such spoiled acts, but this time he merely glanced at her faintly, withdrew his arm without a trace, and offered a casual, nonchalant compliment,

"You play the game of using a knife to kill quite well."

Xu Qian was startled. Never expecting her petty tricks to be seen through completely, her expression became somewhat awkward. Forcing a smile, she stubbornly put up a front and said,

"What do you mean? I don't understand."

Luo Kai said, "Today is a great day of celebration for the Luo family, yet you went and incited that brainless He girl to stir up trouble. Are you still hung up on Cheng Xingye, or are you deliberately setting yourself against my family?"

Xu Qian was pierced to the quick by his words and panicked for a fraction of a second.

Yet she quickly regained her composure and attempted to defend herself,

"I haven't had anything to do with him for a long time..."

Unmoved, Luo Kai offered a faux, mocking smile,

"If you have nothing to do with him, why did you go out of your way to make things difficult for his girlfriend?"

Though he went through girlfriends frequently, he never engaged in two-timing. Therefore, he found it all the more unacceptable that his girlfriend still harbored feelings for someone else in her heart.

Panic gripped Xu Qian's heart, and she forced a defense, "I didn't..."

Before she could finish, Luo Kai coldly interrupted,

"I feel that if you truly can't let go of him, there's really no need to use me as a spare tire."

He paused for a second, touched his cufflink, and hooked the corner of his lips into a sarcastic curve,

"Our Luo family may not measure up to their Cheng family, but finding a girl with a pure heart and a clean family background is still an easy task."

Xu Qian finally understood. As if receiving some kind of signal, the expression on her face stiffened into a blank stare. Incredulous, she asked,

"What do you mean by this? Are you breaking up with me?!"

Luo Kai no longer looked at her. He turned his head away, made a polite gesture indicating "after you," and quietly issued a silent dismissal.