The music continued to drift lightly through the air. At the entrance of the grand hall, Yang Lin stood there, looking utterly disheveled, breathing rapidly, with a slightly protruding belly. She forcefully brushed away the hands of the servants trying to stop her, her eyes scanning the room before she charged toward the brightly lit main stage, screaming as she ran: "Liang Zixiu, you played with me, deceived me, and now you want to silence me and marry Miss Liu? In your dreams!"
Her words sent a shock through the entire gathering.
Yu Shulin took a closer look at the newcomer and exclaimed in surprise, "Yang Lin?"
Liang Zhou glanced coolly at the belly Yang Lin was cradling and said in a low voice, "Yang Lin has been keeping a low profile lately. I thought it was because her last film performed poorly and Ronghua was neglecting her. Now it seems... there's more to it. It appears Zhang Qian's investigation wasn't thorough enough."
Yang Lin's long gown was crumpled, her delicate shawl was askew on her shoulders, and her hair was slightly disheveled. She had likely been crying, her eyeliner smudged, making her look somewhat grimy. She rushed to the edge of the stage, pointing at Liang Zixiu and shouting, "You sweet-talked me into going abroad for prenatal check-ups, while secretly getting engaged to this bitch back home! Have you no shame?! Cheating is one thing—I, Yang Lin, am not worried about finding another man! At worst, I can terminate the pregnancy and focus on my career again! But Liang Zixiu! You shouldn't have tried to blacklist and shelve me! Since you won't let me have a good life, I won't let you have one either!"
The room was silent except for the cheerful music. Yang Lin's voice was sharp and piercing, and everyone heard her words clearly. After a moment of stunned silence, whispers began to ripple through the crowd.
Liu Yufen's face had paled the moment Yang Lin appeared. Now, hearing these words and her gaze falling on Yang Lin's belly, her pupils contracted. She slowly turned to look at the man beside her, her voice trembling, "Zixiu, what is going on?"
Liang Zixiu snapped out of his shock and panic, hurriedly putting an arm around her, explaining anxiously, "No, Yufen, don't misunderstand. This woman is slandering me. She's just a washed-up actress from the company. I don't know why she's doing this to me." He then turned to look at Yang Lin below the stage, his eyes full of threat, "Why are you slandering me and ruining my engagement party? Tell me, who sent you?"
"Hah, sent?" Yang Lin was beyond caring now. She gave him a scornful look, then shifted her gaze to Liu Yufen, offering a smile mixed with pity and mockery, saying quietly, "Miss Liu, do you really think the man beside you is any good? Most of the young actresses at Ronghua have been hit on by him. He's a womanizer, scum! You'd better wake up."
"Shut up!" Liang Jian strode out from behind the stage, bellowing, "Ronghua has treated you well! Why are you smearing the company like this? Servants! Throw this madwoman out!"
He then turned to Liu Qiang, explaining, "This woman is just insane. Please don't misunderstand, in-law. I'll have her thrown out immediately."
Liu Qiang's face was dark as he watched the farce unfold, saying nothing.
"Let's see who dares touch me!" Yang Lin shrieked, dodging the approaching servants. She touched her slightly protruding belly and stared coldly at Liu Yufen, sneering, "Miss Liu, shall I dig out the child in this belly and have someone test if it's your man's seed?"
"No..." Liu Yufen shuddered under the coldness in her gaze, her face growing even paler, lips trembling, "Zi-Zixiu, what she's saying is all lies, right? It's lies! Lies!"
"They're lies, all lies. Don't be upset, I'll have her thrown out right now," Liang Zixiu whispered soothingly, sweat beading on his forehead, his mind in a panic. He felt the gazes from the Liu family and the other guests piercing him like knives, as if they wanted to tear him apart.
Seeing Liu Yufen's stubborn disbelief, Yang Lin's look at her turned completely to pity. She lowered her head, took a stack of photos from her bag, and flung them onto the stage. "Miss Liu, you're just a foolish woman deceived by a scumbag. Take a good look. While pursuing you, Liang Zixiu certainly didn't forget to have his fun elsewhere."
The photos scattered across the stage.
Liu Yufen's gaze dropped, as if inflicting punishment on herself, carefully scanning the photos, one after another. She forcefully pushed away Liang Zixiu's supporting hand, took a step back, looked up at his face, and shook her head, "So dirty... so dirty..."
"Yufen, those photos are all photoshopped. Don't believe them. My feelings for you are genuine." With just one glance, Liang Zixiu knew what those photos depicted. Panic and resentment filled him as he offered a pale explanation, reaching out to pull Liu Yufen back into his arms.
"Don't touch me!" Liu Yufen screamed, stepping back several paces. With trembling hands, she took off the ring from her finger and threw it in his face, her voice shaking, unstable, "I must have been blind to fall for you! So you've been deceiving me all along. What those people outside said was true, all true..." Her eyes were full of confusion and pain. She scanned the faces on the stage, blinked, and tears finally fell.
Liu's mother was stunned by the turn of events. Seeing her daughter like this, maternal concern overrode everything else. She shot a hateful glare at Liang Zixiu, rushed over to embrace her daughter, signaled to Liu's father, and led her daughter away toward the restrooms on the second floor of the hall.
The ring hitting him didn't hurt at all, but Liang Zixiu felt as if a piece of his heart had been torn out. He couldn't help but take a step forward, offering a feeble explanation to Liu Yufen's retreating back, "Yufen, it's not what you think, I..."
Seeing this, Yang Lin sneered, her eyes full of grim satisfaction. "Liang Zixiu, stop explaining. Your engagement party is ruined."
Liu Yufen left without looking back. Liang Zixiu stood dazed for a moment, then suddenly whirled around and lunged at Yang Lin below the stage, slapping her hard across the face, his voice full of hatred, "You bitch! Why are you trying to ruin me?! I already agreed to give you money and send you abroad to have the child! Why are you doing this?!"
Caught off guard, Yang Lin was pushed down by him. The slap left her dizzy and seeing stars. She coughed, her hatred reaching its peak. Covering her face, she turned her head and said darkly, "Liang Zixiu, you make it sound so good! The moment you send me abroad, your father sends me a contract, threatening to keep me from returning home, or else he'll blacklist and shelve me! How can you father and son be so heartless and ungrateful?! Hah, and you think you can bring down Liang Zhou? Keep dreaming!"
Her last sentence made Liang Jian's eyebrow twitch. He gave up on explaining to Liu Qiang and said sternly, "Servants! Servants! Throw this woman out!"
However, Liang Zixiu was stunned by Yang Lin's words. He loosened his grip on her incredulously, turning to look at Liang Jian, "Dad? You sent her a contract? Blacklist and shelve her? Why would you do that? When did I ever say she couldn't come back?"
"Fool!" Liang Jian shot him a look of exasperation, his voice harsh, "Children are never reliable in handling matters! This woman is wildly ambitious. Of course, we must cut the weeds and eliminate the roots!"
"Uproot the weeds and eliminate the roots? Is this what you call uprooting the weeds?" Liang Zixiu retorted, his emotions flaring up again. "She's back in the country! And she ruined my engagement banquet! None of this should have happened!"
"Enough! Do you even remember this is an engagement banquet!" Liu Qiang, who had been silent since the incident began, suddenly spoke up. He shot a dark glance at Liang Jian and his son, pushed aside the stunned emcee, swept his eyes over the disgraceful photos on the stage, snatched the microphone, and announced, "We've made a spectacle for everyone today. The engagement is canceled. From now on, my Liu family and Liang Jian and his son are sworn enemies. Servants, throw this father and son pair out for me." After speaking, he turned and went to the second-floor lounge to check on his daughter.
Liang Jian and Liang Zixiu were completely dumbfounded.
Yang Lin glanced at the expressions on the faces of the father and son, got up from the floor, and let out a loud, vindictive laugh.
Liu Hao gave them a cold look, turned, called over the villa servants to continue attending to the guests, personally went to apologize and console the guests one by one, and instructed the butler to return the gift money and presents according to the guest list, along with compensatory gifts.
Having watched the drama unfold, Liang Zhou led Yu Shulin out and found Liu Hao to bid their farewell.
"My hospitality was lacking today, and I even let you two witness such a farce. My apologies." Liu Hao's eyes were full of remorse, unwilling to even mention the Liang father and son. He beckoned a waiter, took a glass of wine, and downed it in one go. "This is my apology. I'm sorry."
"You're too kind, Mr. Liu," Liang Zhou responded politely, unusually offering a word of comfort. "In this matter, the Liu family is the victim. I hope your father can take it easy and find a better match for your sister."
Liu Hao thanked him, sighed, forced a smile, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then excused himself to console the other guests.
A sudden whooshing sound came from behind. Yu Shulin frowned, swiftly turned around, and saw Liang Zixiu lunging at them with a vicious expression. Without hesitation, he lifted his leg and kicked at Liang Zixiu's shin.
"Ah—" Liang Zixiu fell to the ground in a heap, face down.
Liang Zhou turned, pulling Yu Shulin a step back. He glanced at Liang Zixiu on the ground and said quietly, "Next time, just dodge. What if you got hit?"
"It's fine," he shook his head, looking at Liang Zixiu. "My brother didn't ruin your engagement banquet. Why attack him?"
Staggering to his feet while holding his leg, Liang Zixiu looked at Liang Zhou, his expression hinting at madness. "It's you. It must be you who's harming me! A woman like Yang Lin, how could she possibly charge into the banquet? You must have helped her! Tell me, why did you do this!"
"Ridiculous." Liang Zhou gave him a cold look and, holding Yu Shulin's hand, tried to leave.
"Don't you dare leave!" Liang Zixiu rushed forward a few steps, swinging his fist to strike again. Liang Zhou's eyes turned sharp. He turned, shielding Yu Shulin behind him, caught the fist swinging towards him, and forcefully shoved it back. "Try hitting again. So you just take out your anger on others when things go wrong? Pathetic."
"You!" Liang Zixiu's pupils constricted sharply at the reprimand, struggling as if to strike again.
Yang Lin walked over leisurely, smoothing her hair and clothes. She gave Liang Zhou a complicated look, then cast a cold glance at Liang Zixiu, who had lost all composure, and said coolly, "Trash will always be trash, never able to amount to anything."
Then she looked at Liang Zhou, a shallow smile on her face, her tone gentle. "Liang Zhou, this Liang Zixiu has been plotting against you for a long time. You know Wang Chen, right? That newly cultivated starlet at your Glory Entertainment. That woman is also Liang Zixiu's pawn. She's recently been scheming to dig up dirt on your Glory Entertainment. With her brains... it's laughable..."
"Yang Lin, you bitch! I hope you die a horrible death!" Liang Zixiu's eyes were wide with fury.
Yang Lin's smile deepened. She tilted her head to look at him, her voice turning shrill. "Hah, I'd like to see who will die a horrible death! Do you know, all those young talents you ruined at the company, they each want to crush you. Oh, and that foolish, arrogant father of yours too. Hahaha, you father and son are doomed sooner or later! I'll be waiting to see that day... Liang Zhou, I have a lot of secret information about Ronghua. I can give it all to you, as long as you..."
"Unnecessary. I don't need it." Liang Zhou interrupted her, expressionlessly covering Yu Shulin's ears, and said flatly, "I know what you're trying to achieve by saying this. It's useless. Glory doesn't accept artists with poor character."
Yang Lin's smile stiffened on her face, then gradually faded. After a long moment, she snorted. "Everyone surnamed Liang is truly no good!"
Seeing her rebuffed, Liang Zixiu spat in her direction and said venomously, "Worn-out shoes that nobody wants!"
Liang Zhou frowned. He shouldn't have brought Shulin today, exposing him to all this filthy nonsense for nothing.
Yu Shulin watched Liang Zixiu and Yang Lin start clawing at each other again and patted the hands covering his ears—he had certainly broadened his horizons today. The entertainment industry... is really messy.
While Liang Zixiu was running amok, Liang Jian had made his way to the second-floor lounge.
The Liu family butler was guarding the lounge door. Seeing him approach, he didn't even lift his eyelids, saying coldly, "Mr. Liang, please leave. My master does not wish to see you."
Irritated by his attitude, Liang Jian's eyebrow twitched. He said sternly, "What right does a servant have to stop me? Step aside."
"By virtue of this villa belonging to my master, and you being nothing but an unwelcome guest," the butler replied coolly, waving over the bodyguards waiting at the corner. "Throw the Liang father and son out. They're an eyesore."
The bodyguards moved at his command.
"How dare you!" Liang Jian roared.
The butler didn't even look at him, urging, "Hurry up. This person standing here is an eyesore."
Seeing the bodyguards closing in step by step, Liang Jian's face twitched as if having a spasm. He turned to leave with a flick of his sleeve. "No need! I'll leave on my own. Just a bunch of nouveaux riches, what's there to be so proud about?"
The butler gave a thin, humorless smile, not intending to spare him any face, and waved his hand. "Grab him now. I said, throw him out."
Without a word, the bodyguards stepped forward, neatly subdued Liang Jian, restrained his hands, and twisted him towards the exit.
"Let go! I'll sue you for assault!" Liang Jian, restrained, was utterly disheveled.
"Feel free to sue. Scum," the butler sneered.
The Liang father and son and Yang Lin were thrown out by the Liu family's bodyguards. In full view of everyone, they lost all face and dignity.
The villa remained brilliantly lit, but the ribbons and flowers decorating the garden now served as a glaring joke. Liang Zixiu looked at all this, which should have been his, remembered the look of pain and hatred in Liu Yufen's eyes when she left, glanced at Liang Jian who was still cursing and grumbling, then turned and broke into a run. He grabbed Yang Lin, who was about to leave, and threw her hard to the ground, kicking her in the stomach.
"Ah—" Yang Lin screamed, her face instantly turning pale, covered in cold sweat. She curled up, clutching her abdomen. "Liang Zixiu, I hope you die a horrible death..."
Liang Zixiu grabbed her hair, dragging her upper body up, and snarled, "You wanted to harm me, didn't you? Let's see how you'll harm me without your life!"
Yang Lin's pupils contracted violently. She kicked at him with her legs. "You madman! Let me go, let me go—"
"Slap!" Liang Zixiu slapped her across the face, his expression deranged. "Be quiet. Yufen is still resting inside. Don't disturb her."
Yang Lin covered her face and stared at him, then after a moment of stunned silence, burst into loud laughter, tears streaming from her eyes. "Hahahaha, you've fallen for her! You've actually fallen for her! The heartless, promiscuous Liang Zixiu has finally met his match! Heaven has eyes, heaven has eyes! This trip wasn't in vain for me, it was worth it, worth it! Hahaha, you'll never get her now! This is all retribution!"
"Shut up! Who says I like her! I was just using her, that's all." Liang Zixiu shook her violently, then let go, slowly stepping back. "I don't like her. How could I possibly like her..."
Yang Lin slumped to the floor, gasping for breath, her voice filled with twisted satisfaction. "No, you like her. Or rather, you're in love with her. Just look at yourself now, hahaha... retribution... it's all retribution..."
Liang Jian, having straightened his clothes, walked over. Without so much as a glance at Yang Lin, who was bleeding and lying on the floor with her voice fading, he gave Liang Zixiu's head a hard smack. "Look at your pathetic self! Haven't you embarrassed us enough? Come home with me! She's just a woman. Next time, your father will find you one with an even richer family!"
The smack sent Liang Zixiu staggering. He steadied himself, clenched his fists, and hung his head, his expression hidden.
"Get over here now!" Liang Jian snapped, his face full of impatience.
Liang Zixiu trembled slightly, then raised his head. Surprisingly, his expression was eerily calm as he nodded. "Alright. Let's go home."
Yu Shulin withdrew his gaze, tugged at the hand of Liang Zhou beside him, and whispered, "Got the car keys? Let's go."
Liang Zhou squeezed his hand in return and nodded. "Alright."
"Wait a moment." Yu Shulin took two steps and stopped. He pulled out his phone, dialed 120, took one last look at Yang Lin lying on the ground, then pulled aside a servant who was seeing guests off and spoke a few words to them. He shook his head and started walking again. "Let's go home."
The meticulously prepared engagement banquet ended in such a dismal fashion.
The very next day, the scandal from the banquet became front-page news on all newspapers, TV, and online media.
After the incident, the Liu family moved back to their hometown, withdrew all their investments from City B, and halted their plans to expand into the city's market.
Yang Lin, who had recently been fading from the public eye, suddenly became a hot topic again. As one of the key figures in the incident, she was blacklisted and shelved by Ronghua Entertainment, disappearing from public view. Liang Zixiu, son of Liang Jian, fell from noble young master to prisoner overnight, detained by the police on charges of intentional assault.
Due to the Liu family's withdrawal of funds, Ronghua's capital chain broke. Their popular talent show came to an abrupt halt, shattering the starry dreams of countless young boys and girls. Several films they were investing in and producing announced suspension due to lack of follow-up funding. Talented artists under their label jumped ship one after another, leaving the entire company in a precarious situation.
Liang Jian could no longer make a fuss. There were too many messes, and he couldn't clean them all up. The fallout from the engagement banquet was far worse than he had imagined, consequences he had never anticipated.
Undercurrents surged in the entertainment industry, but Yu Shulin, who had just entered his final year of high school, no longer had the energy to pay attention. He was currently taking the placement exams at the start of the semester.
The placement exams were, naturally, to gauge the results of the summer tutoring sessions. For students in the regular classes, this exam was an opportunity; for those in the advanced class, it was a test.
—The ranking in the placement exams would determine the roster for the final-year advanced class.
In other words, regular class students who performed well could move up to the advanced class and receive instruction from the best teachers. Advanced class students whose rankings dropped would have to pack their things and make way for the high-achieving regular class students.
The rule was harsh, but the final year of high school was too crucial. To boost their university acceptance rates, the school had no choice.
After finishing the last exam, English, Yu Shulin rubbed his ears, handed in his paper, packed up his exam tools, retrieved his backpack from the teacher's desk, and walked out.
The exam venues were randomly assigned, and unfortunately, he hadn't been placed with any familiar faces. Along with a dozen or so other students who seemed to have been "misplaced," he took the exams in the physics lab in the most remote east teaching building.
These dozen or so misplaced students were often truant delinquents who viewed Yu Shulin, bearing the label of top student in his year, with great wariness and outright hostility.
Before the first exam, a bold one had tried to pick a fight. Yu Shulin easily knocked him to the ground, swept a calm gaze over the group, then sat down at his own seat, lowering his eyes without a word. The delinquents were intimidated and dared not trouble him again.
Now, with the final exam over, seeing Yu Shulin leisurely hand in his paper and leave, the delinquents quickly followed suit, turning in their papers and sneaking after him.
To get from the east teaching building to the main building, one had to pass through an arts corridor. To emphasize its literary ambiance, the school had deliberately built it long and winding, making it an excellent spot for cornering someone.
Yu Shulin stood at a corner. Once the group drew near, he strolled out and asked with a smile, "Why are you following me?"
The following boys were startled, not expecting their tailing to be discovered.
"We, we..." The leader averted his eyes guiltily, but seeing they outnumbered Yu Shulin, his courage returned. He raised his voice, "Liu Fen said on the forum that you bullied her! We're here to teach you a lesson!"
"Liu Fen?" Yu Shulin was taken aback, frowning. What new trouble was Liu Fen stirring up now? Since it was related to Liu Fen, there was no point in further discussion. He tossed his backpack to the ground and cracked his knuckles. "Come on then. Let's finish this quickly. If I win, you tell me the forum address."
The leader, offended by his arrogance, retorted, "And if you lose?"
Yu Shulin curled his lips and kicked out. "Then I'll admit I'm unlucky!"
Fifteen minutes later, Yu Shulin shook the piece of paper with the address written on it, rubbed the bruise forming at the corner of his eye, picked up his backpack, and left. Behind him, the delinquents lay scattered on the ground.
After he had gone, one boy who had been feigning injury nimbly rolled over and got up to check on his companions. "Lucky I was smart and just played dead, or I'd have gotten beaten up for nothing. Hey, hey, you guys okay? Can you get up?"
The leader, who had taken the worst beating, glared at him and spat out resentfully, "You... you traitor to the people... Brothers, get him!"
"The traitor to the people" panicked, scrambled to his feet, and ran.
"Don't run! Damn it, you scum, unworthy of being a brother!"
