For almost a week, she had no contact with the Xia family. In the blink of an eye the day of the engagement ceremony arrived. This was the marriage of the Xu family and the Xia family, so all the distinguished political and business figures in the city were present.
Mr. Xia stood at the door to welcome the guests himself. Realising that the scheduled time was approaching, he hurriedly told Xu Hao to go inside and see if Xia Xingyan was ready.
“Xingyan and her mother have suffered a lot in the past,” said Mr. Xia with a sigh. “Now that I have entrusted her to you, you must live up to my expectations. If you don’t treat her well, I won’t let you off.”
Xu Hao nodded solemnly, and immediately promised, “Don’t worry, I will take good care of Xingyan and never let her suffer any grievances.”
Mr. Xia was very satisfied with his attitude. He patted Xu Hao on the shoulder and suddenly thought of something. He turned to the door and said, “That unfilial girl will come today, won’t she?”
“Certainly she will,” replied Xu Hao.
“I hope she won’t bring me any trouble.” A trace of annoyance suddenly rose in Mr. Xia’s face. “I finally managed to invite Mr. Sheng to attend. I couldn’t afford any disturbance. We have to ensure that the party will go ahead perfectly.”
If he could grab this opportunity and curry even a little bit favour with Mr. Sheng, then there would be no problem for the future prosperity of the Xia’s and the Xu’s.
As they were talking, Xia Xingyan had already dressed herself up and walked downstairs. She was clad in a champagne gauze skirt against her milky skin. Her curly brown hair was tied into a bun next to her ear, revealing her long pale neck. Her debut caused quite a stir, and all the guests present nodded their heads and praised her, saying that the bride was extraordinarily beautiful.
Xia Xingyan was quite pleased with herself in the heart, but she just walked to Xu Hao as usual and reached out to put her arm in his.
Mr. Xia looked at them and said, “I entrust you with my dearest daughter. You must treasure her.”
Xu Hao reached for Xia Xingyan’s hand and they smiled at each other. Then he turned his head and said with poise, “I will live up to your expectations.”
When the nearby guests saw this scene they couldn’t help praising it. “Oh, this is really a lovely pair made for each other. I have almost shared their sweetness.”
As soon as she finished her line, someone somewhere raised their voice. “I think there is an elder Miss Xia in Xia Family, right? She hasn’t been seen in public for years. If I remember correctly, the groom used to be her fiancé, didn’t he?”
Her words were like a depth charge which suddenly shook the whole hall.
Someone who knew the inside story said in a low voice, “She’d rather not show her face in public. It’s said that the elder Miss Xia was secretly sent out of the country because she had done something undignified. No one even knows if she has returned or not.”
“Who really knows what the truth is,” someone immediately retorted sarcastically. “Wasn’t Mr. Xia’s current wife a homewrecker in the past? Who knows whether or not her daughter inherited her legacy and stole her elder sister’s fiancé?”
For a while opinions were bandied around and Mr. Xia’s face became increasingly gloomy from the turmoil of public opinions. This was the engagement ceremony of Xia Xingyan, not a gossiping party for digging out Xia Xingcheng’s past. By no means could he bear to see that this woman became the talk of the town.
As he glanced across the hall with annoyance he saw Xia Xingcheng and Bao stepping into the banquet. Although she hadn’t appeared in this circle in five years, her brilliance was still the same. Both her looks and her genteel composure had perfectly matched the name that she used to be called—“The First Lady”. Now, however, she seemed to be more mature and steady, and had restrained her slight perverse mood, presenting a more unique temperament.
“Look, I said that the elder Miss Xia was not an ordinary person. Her mere elegance makes others envious.”
Some who had just said that Xia Xingyan was not so inferior to Xia Xingcheng felt kind of ashamed and lowered their heads.
Mr. Xia’s face was completely frozen. He stepped up to Xia Xingcheng and lowered his voice, trying his best not to shout at her. “What’s the matter with you? Didn’t I say you’re not allowed to bring the kid?” He felt that Xia Xingcheng was determined to be defiant toward him and had to create a scene at Xia Xingyan’s engagement ceremony, in order to prevent them having it peacefully. He raised his hand and pointed at the door. He was so angry that he didn’t show a trace of sympathy. “Get someone to send him away, or I won’t be merciful to you!”
Mr. Xia’s avoidance of Bao was like a piercing needle, which made Xia Xingcheng’s heart ache.
“In that case…” She held her child in her arms and looked coldly at Mr. Xia with her back straight. “Why did you ask me to come back all this way just to make you unhappy? Don’t worry. I’ll leave with Bao’er right now.”
Seeing that she was going to leave, Xia Xingyan began to panic, and hurriedly squeezed out a smile to calm her down. “Xingcheng, don’t leave. Dad was just acting on impulse. In fact, in the past five years he has never forgotten you.” She held Mr. Xia in one hand, Xu Hao in the other and smiled at Xia Xingcheng with her head tilted. “Don’t be angry. Today is my engagement ceremony with Xu Hao. I really hope you could wish me happiness.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at her and couldn’t help sneering. This kind of silent showing off was much more convincing than those grand words on her lips. She just wanted to display how well she had been doing, and to prove that she had replaced her position in the Xia’s.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t reply, but turned to look at her father, who was still sullen. “Why? Do you still want me to stay?”
Mr. Xia looked at her, feeling that she was nothing less than a jinx. He waved his hands impatiently and shouted coarsely, “Stay around the side, away from us!”
She didn’t have the heart to argue with him. Holding Bao’s hand, she found a corner and sat down.
The hall was bustling with noise and excitement, but Xia Xingcheng was already tired of watching this scene. Five years ago she was sent abroad ruthlessly. Five years later, she had to attend the engagement ceremony of Xu Hao and Xia Xingyan in such disgrace.
What her father had in his mind was unknown to her. The more she thought about it, the more headache she felt. With the relapse of her old disease and the jet lag rushing up at the same time, he was so overwhelmed that she held her forehead.
“Mummy.” Bao noticed her discomfort and asked carefully while holding the handrails of the armchair.
He didn’t wait for Xia Xingcheng’s reply but ran to a waitress and asked politely for a glass of warm water in a sweet little voice. The waitress looked at this considerate little guy and found him nothing but cute, so she said she’d bring a glass of warm water very soon.
After half a glass of warm water washed down to her stomach, Xia Xingcheng felt better in her heart. As she was rubbing her temples and finally managed to relax, she looked up and saw Mr. Xia bringing a man in his late forties over in her direction.
