Volume One, Chapter Four: Here for Xiao Yue
On the day of the engagement banquet, the members of the Chi family rose early, each meticulously preparing their appearance. Their concern was not for Chi Xingwan, but for the Xiao family.
Since Xiao Yue had fallen ill and lost his wits, the Xiao family had never issued any official statement. Thus, on the surface, Xiao Yue remained the heir to the Xiao family.
The heir’s engagement was an event not just for the elite of Yanjing, but for influential families across the country. For this reason, even with her twisted ankle, Chi Qianyu insisted on dressing up and attending, limping all the while.
Ironically, among them all, it was Chi Xingwan, the bride-to-be, who dressed most simply. She wore a light purple, high-waisted gown with a design reminiscent of ancient styles. Her hair was swept up with a single hairpin, and at her neck hung not a jewel or diamond, but a jade pendant.
These were her own choices. The dress was an internet purchase that caught her eye, while the hairpin and jade pendant she had taken from her own private collection.
Yang Jing forced a smile, her expression stiff. “Xingwan, why aren’t you wearing the dress I picked out for you?”
“I don’t like it,” Chi Xingwan replied, her face expressionless.
A flash of displeasure crossed Yang Jing’s face. She had been unhappy ever since she first saw Chi Xingwan’s photograph—her beauty far surpassed that of both Chi Qianyu and Chi Yueyao. Yang Jing was determined that her own daughter would be the one to shine at this engagement, not Chi Xingwan. So, although the dress and jewelry she had chosen for Chi Xingwan were from luxury brands, the colors and styles were mismatched and garish. No matter how good her natural looks, in those clothes, Chi Xingwan would become a laughingstock. At that time, Yang Jing planned to claim that Chi Xingwan had chosen the outfit herself—after all, what taste could a girl raised in the mountains possibly possess?
But to her surprise, Chi Xingwan refused to wear anything Yang Jing provided. The ensemble she had chosen herself, though simple, outshone both Chi Qianyu and Chi Yueyao.
“That dress of yours must be some off-brand thing—how could you wear it out in public? You should change into what I picked for you. Otherwise, the Xiao family might think we aren’t taking the engagement seriously and take offense.”
“If they’re displeased, let them break off the engagement. I don’t care,” Chi Xingwan replied coolly.
Yang Jing nearly choked on her own anger. She wanted to say more, but Chi Zhenghua cut her off.
“All right, if she won’t change, she won’t change. If we don’t leave now, we’ll be late.”
Yang Jing had no choice but to drop the matter.
The Xiao family's estate was a manor-style villa in the heart of Yanjing, where every inch of land was precious. The engagement banquet was to be held there. Even after passing through the gates, there was still a drive before reaching the villa.
Chi Qianyu and Chi Yueyao were no strangers to the Xiao residence, yet no matter how many times they visited, the grandeur and opulence of the Xiao family never failed to awe them.
Sitting in the car, Chi Qianyu gazed out at the sprawling estate, her eyes openly filled with envy and jealousy. Chi Yueyao’s feelings were more complicated. Had Xiao Yue not lost his mind, she would have been the one getting engaged today, and the one destined to live here in the future. Though she did not regret passing the marriage on to Chi Xingwan, she could not suppress a pang of bitterness in her heart.
As they stepped out of the car, they saw only the Xiao family’s butler waiting at the door—none of the family came out to greet them. Chi Zhenghua’s face darkened at the slight, while Yang Jing secretly delighted in it; the less welcome Chi Xingwan was in the Xiao family, the happier she felt.
Inside the villa, a girl immediately came up and took Chi Yueyao by the arm.
“Second sister-in-law, you look so beautiful today.”
The girl was Xiao Jin, the only daughter of the Xiao family’s second branch, who was very close to Chi Yueyao.
Her mother, Min Ying, looked embarrassed as she tried to pull Xiao Jin back. “Xiao Jin, you’re confused. Yueyao isn’t your second sister-in-law—the one engaged to your second brother is someone else.”
Xiao Jin refused to let go, clinging to Chi Yueyao’s arm. “I don’t care. I want Sister Yueyao to be my second sister-in-law.”
“Stop fooling around, Xiao Jin.”
Chi Yueyao gently released her hand, a fleeting trace of loneliness appearing in her eyes—noticed by Xiao Jin, who became even more convinced that Chi Yueyao had been forced out of the marriage.
She looked at Chi Xingwan with open hostility. Had Min Ying not been closely watching, Xiao Jin would have spoken out in mockery.
At that moment, Xiao Yue’s stepmother, Zhu Yaru, approached with a smile. “You must be Xingwan. Such a beauty—our Xiao Yue is truly fortunate.”
As she uttered those words—fortunate, even though the man had lost his mind—Min Ying, her sister-in-law, could hardly stand to listen.
Yet Zhu Yaru showed no embarrassment, instead taking Chi Xingwan by the hand to introduce her to the Xiao family.
The current matriarch of the Xiao family was the grandmother, who had three sons and a daughter. The eldest, Xiao Peiyuan, was Xiao Yue’s father. Xiao Yue’s mother had passed away, and Zhu Yaru was Peiyuan’s second wife. They’d had a son together—Xiao Duo—who, though younger in status, was actually older than Xiao Yue. He was the eldest of the Xiao siblings.
The second son, Xiao Peijun, was married to Min Ying and had an only daughter, Xiao Jin.
The third son, Xiao Peiyu, was a notorious playboy, with three children: two sons, Xiao Rui and Xiao Ming, and a daughter, Xiao Yu, each by different mothers. His current wife, Feng Wenjing, was his fifth, and they had been married less than three years.
The youngest, Xiao Peilan, had divorced once and was now dating again.
The Xiao family’s situation was far more tangled than the Chi family’s, but Chi Xingwan paid it no mind.
She had agreed to return to the Chi family with Housekeeper Li to reclaim what had been lost for the original owner. She had agreed to honor the engagement because she had discovered that the intended groom was Xiao Yue.
Yet, among all the people present, Xiao Yue himself was nowhere to be seen.
At that moment, a middle-aged woman in a professional suit approached Chi Xingwan respectfully.
“Miss Chi, hello. I’m He Shuqing, Secretary to Madam Xiao. The Madam requests your presence in the back.”
Madam Xiao referred to the family matriarch. In her younger years, she had married into the family, taken over the family business, and now, well into her seventies, she still had not stepped down.
The main villa of the estate housed the four branches of the Xiao family. Madam Xiao herself resided in a smaller villa at the back. Though called “small” only in comparison with the main house, her residence was in fact larger than the entire Chi family home.
After Xiao Yue’s illness, Madam Xiao had him move in with her so she could personally care for him.
Secretary He led Chi Xingwan into the smaller villa. Just as they entered, Madam Xiao came down the stairs. Her step was steady, her spirit undimmed by her seventy-plus years. Her smile was sincere.
“So, you must be Xingwan. You look so much like your mother.”
Chi Xingwan didn’t know how to respond and could only manage a smile.
Madam Xiao paid it no mind, taking her hand warmly.
“You must know about Yue’s condition. To ask you to go through with the engagement at this time is a hardship for you. But I promise you: if Yue truly never recovers, I will ensure that you are free to break off the engagement.”
“I don’t feel it’s a hardship,” Chi Xingwan replied with a smile.
After all, she had come for Xiao Yue.
Madam Xiao, unaware of her real intentions, felt only greater affection for the girl.
“Come, let me take you upstairs to see Yue.”
The two ascended the stairs, and on the balcony, Chi Xingwan saw Xiao Yue.
The moment she laid eyes on him, she was certain—Xiao Yue was the one she had been searching for. A descendant of the Nalan family, and her benefactor.