It was all that brat Bai Le's fault for dragging her and her daughter down with him.
"Where's Xiao Yin?" Bai Huizhang glanced around and asked with a slight frown.
"I don't know where she's run off to." Chen Suqiu also looked for her in the crowd, complaining, "Every last one of them is infuriating."
Just as she was about to launch into a long tirade, Bai Yin appeared from somewhere.
"Where did you go? Why are you running around everywhere?" Chen Suqiu scolded with a frown as soon as she saw Bai Yin.
For some reason, Bai Yin seemed to be in an excellent mood. Her cheeks were rosy, and she paid no attention to Chen Suqiu's disgruntled scolding.
Chen Suqiu reached out and straightened her gown again. She had taken special care to dress her up today, and the gown she wore was a new-season haute couture piece Chen Suqiu had gone out of her way to buy.
"Bai Huizhang!"
A woman's angry shout rang out. Bai Huizhang and Chen Suqiu looked over and froze. Why was Wu Xueying here?
Wu Xueying strode up to them in her high heels. She first looked Chen Suqiu up and down and gave a cold snort, then demanded bluntly of Bai Huizhang, "What exactly is going on? Where's my son?! What do you have to say for losing my son?!"
Bai Huizhang glared at her. "Was I the one who lost him? His legs belong to him. He ran off on his own."
Wu Xueying said impatiently, "Don't you even know your own son? Do you think he's the kind of debauched good-for-nothing people say he is?"
Bai Huizhang fell silent at once, as though she had struck a nerve.
Seeing this, Wu Xueying continued, "If I heard anyone talking about my son like that, I'd go right up and tear their mouths apart. And Lele lives with you. Can you honestly say you didn't notice anything unusual? Do you even care about him?"
"And do you care about him?! Yet here you are, criticizing me."
That hit a sore spot. Wu Xueying's face immediately darkened, and she said coldly, "Back then, you said Lele should stay with you because I traveled all over the world year-round and had no fixed home, which wouldn't be good for him growing up. That's the only reason I gave up custody. Otherwise, do you think I could have borne to leave my son for you to raise?"
The two were on the verge of an even fiercer argument, and the atmosphere was growing tense, when the guest of honor finally made his belated appearance.
Xi Yan was slowly pushed into the hall, dressed in a spotless white top, his eyes dark and piercing beneath his wispy fringe.
Instead of greeting everyone as he usually did, he headed toward Bai Huizhang and his family.
In the crowd, Xi Defeng concealed the complicated look on his face. He had just received Old Master Xi's instructions, and no matter how dissatisfied he was, he could only cheerfully help receive the guests and draw their attention over.
"Chairman Bai." Xi Yan inclined his head slightly in greeting to Bai Huizhang, then made sure to turn and greet Wu Xueying as well.
Chen Suqiu's expression soured. Was he deliberately ignoring her?
"Fourth Master, you're here." Somewhat flattered, Bai Huizhang hurried to shake his hand.
Xi Yan reached out and lightly returned the handshake. His fingers were long, with prominent joints, but they were excessively pale, so much so that faint blue veins could be seen beneath the skin.
"I also invited Ms. Wu here today because there's something I wanted to tell you."
Everyone looked puzzled at his words. Only Bai Yin seemed to have known what he was going to say and showed no surprise at all.
Xi Yan spoke slowly, his tone calm. "The one marrying into the Xi Family is your eldest son, Bai Le."
"What?!"
Apart from Bai Yin, the three spoke in unison, unable to hide their shock.
Chen Suqiu wondered if something was wrong with her ears. Her face drained of color as she exclaimed, "Fourth Master, what do you mean?"
For once, Wu Xueying shared her thoughts. She forced a smile. "Has there been some mistake?"
How could it be Bai Le? What had Bai Le done? It clearly should have been her daughter, Bai Yin.
Xi Yan shook his head and said mildly, "There's no mistake."
He paused, then looked at them. "He's carrying my child."
Chen Suqiu swayed, and her vision went black. She nearly fainted, only managing to steady herself by grabbing Bai Yin.
"What did you say?"
The moment Xi Yan had said he was marrying Bai Le, the thought had begun to form in Bai Huizhang's mind. Otherwise, why would he say such a thing at precisely this time? But he still hadn't dared believe it was true, and now the truth was right in front of him.
"...How is that possible? You... how could he be carrying your child?"
Xi Yan frowned slightly, apparently unsure how to explain it to him. Unlike when he faced Old Master Xi, he was debating whether to tell him the truth, but remembering that others were present, he said nothing.
Wu Xueying still hadn't recovered from the enormous shock. "How could this happen?" she murmured. She had never expected things to turn out this way.
It had never once occurred to her that Bai Le would have a relationship with Xi Yan, much less become pregnant with his child.
Bai Huizhang forced himself to calm down and said gravely, "What if I don't agree?"
Xi Yan's expression remained impassive, and he seemed unconcerned by his words. "You can also take this as me simply informing you," he said mildly.
Bai Huizhang stared at him for a long while before finally sighing helplessly. He knew that if things really were as Xi Yan had said and Bai Le was already carrying a Xi Family child, the Xi Family would never let go.
"I understand. If we find Lele and he agrees, then we'll do as you wish."
Chen Suqiu's face alternated between livid and pale. Biting her lip, she shot a resentful glance at Bai Huizhang for agreeing, but she also knew that no matter how unwilling or dissatisfied she was, she couldn't challenge Xi Yan's decision. That made her feel even more stifled.
She turned to look at Bai Yin and saw that she was completely unaffected and even seemed very happy. Anger overwhelmed her, and her vision went black again.
At the banquet, Bai Huizhang personally clarified the matter of Bai Yin marrying into the Xi Family to everyone. The others exchanged looks, unsure what was going on this time.