The next day.
Early in the morning.
It’s just past 5 o’clock.
Xia Xingchen was woken up to put on makeup and change into a dress. She sat in front of the dressing mirror like a lifeless rag doll, being manipulated by someone.
Lan Ye sat aside with her arms crossed as she watched the whole time. Xia Xingchen knew that she wanted to appreciate her despair and embarrassment.
Just as the headdress was put on, the door of the room was suddenly pushed open.
"lady!"
The servant's panicked voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone looked up and saw Madam Lanting coming in weakly from outside.
Her condition did not improve, and she was so weak that it was difficult for her to even walk. However, even so, at this moment, even Lan Ye did not dare to get close to her.
because…
She was holding a pistol in her hand. This special pistol was exquisite, but its lethality should not be underestimated. Lan Ye was very clear about it.
All the servants were so shocked that they took a few steps back, and the scene suddenly became chaotic.
"Mom." Xia Xingchen immediately stood up and walked towards her quickly, "Why are you up?"
"Come with mom." Madam Lanting tightly grasped Xia Xingchen's hand. Her hand was cold, as if it had no temperature at all. "Even if I die, I won't let you be used by them!"
Xia Xingchen's eyes were swollen.
At this moment, Madam Lanting was obviously very weak, but she was very strong in pulling her. Xia Xingchen was pulled out by her and took two steps. The long skirt of the white dress dragged on the carpet.
"Aunt!" Lan Ye would never let her go like this, so she followed her and said, "The Yu family's car is already on the way! If you take your bride away like this, how will you save the Yu family and our Lan family's reputation..."
Before he could finish his words, Lan Ting pointed his gun at Lan Ye.
Everyone took a breath.
Lan Ye was usually brave and used to seeing guns, cannons and bombs, but at this moment, when the cold muzzle of the gun was pointed at her, she was still frightened for a moment and subconsciously raised her hands.
"I don't want to hurt you, but don't stop me from taking Xingchen away!" Lan Ting's tone was unstable, but his momentum was very intimidating.
After making sure that Lan Ye would not come forward, she turned around and dragged Xia Xingchen to continue walking out. However, before they reached the door, a group of bodyguards carrying guns suddenly filed in with expressionless faces.
The footsteps were heavy and the momentum was terrifying.
The atmosphere in the entire room suddenly became cold and depressing, making it hard to breathe.
Immediately afterwards, Lan Zhan walked in.
He glanced at the gun in Lanting's hand, and there was no sign of horror on his face. It was as if what she was holding was just a toy.
He just coldly ordered his men: "Carry the second young lady of the Lan family into the car!"
What a great second lady of the Lan family!
Xia Xingchen only felt it was ironic when he heard it.
"How dare you!"
Lanting raised his gun.
Those three words were so powerful, as if he had used up all his strength, that the bodyguards were startled and hesitated to step forward.
Lan Zhan's face was icy cold. "What are you still standing there for?! Get up here!"
This shout forced everyone to move forward. Lan Ting loaded the gun neatly and pulled the trigger.
That moment...
Everyone held their breath, and some timid servants covered their ears in fear and hid in the corner screaming.
But…
Surprisingly, the scene was very quiet...
Surprisingly quiet.
The terrifying gunshot did not happen.
Lan Ting did not give up and knocked a few more times, but all he heard was just the empty sound of metal colliding.
Lan Ye was the first to breathe a sigh of relief, "There are no bullets."
Lan Zhan sneered, "Sis, do you think I can still keep bullets in your pistol?"
Lan Ting was so angry that he took a deep breath and threw the gun down, but he still held Xia Xingchen tightly and refused to let go.
After the false alarm, the men in black under Lan Zhan were naturally no longer afraid. They swarmed forward and tried to carry Xia Xingchen down the stairs.
"Wait!" She, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke.
She pushed the bodyguards' hands away, supported Madam Lanting, who was obviously exhausted, and turned to ask the servants to help her into the room to rest.
"Xingchen!" Lan Ting was reluctant to leave and looked at her with pain. "Even though engagement is not marriage, it's not a joke!"
"Mom, don't worry, I know what's going on." She whispered soothingly. At this point, there was no choice.
Lan Zhan didn't give them any chance to say anything else, and asked the servants to help Lan Ting leave. Xia Xingchen then followed Lan Zhan's men downstairs.
The New Year and the engagement were supposed to be a joyous occasion, but because of the bride-to-be's sad mood, the entire Lan family had no lively atmosphere. The servants seemed to be infected and dared not say a word of congratulations.
Xia Xingchen sat on the sofa in a dress, waiting for the Yu family's car to arrive.
Although the temperature inside was kept constant during this kind of winter, she was still feeling cold and shivering even though she was wearing very thin clothes.
She never took off the ring on her finger, holding it tightly, just like holding his hand, which gave her a little more strength.
Yun wanted to sit with her, but he was still uneasy. After a while, he found a topic and asked, "You don't look very well. Are you feeling unwell?"
"No." She replied briefly.
Yun Xiang sighed, took off his fur coat and put it on her shoulders. "It will be cold outside if you wear so little."
Lan Ye frowned and reached out to pull the fur away. Yun Xiang looked at her reproachfully, "Ye Ye, what are you doing?"
"I bought this for you. Why would you give it to someone irrelevant?" Lan Ye put the fur coat back on Yun Xiang's shoulders, glanced at Xia Xingchen, and said coquettishly, "Mom, I will be jealous."
How could Yun Xiang blame her for being so coquettish? He sighed and said helplessly, "You, when will you be more sensible?"
Xia Xingchen sat aside, listening to the conversation between mother and daughter, and felt it was ironic.
Even after forcing her to this point, Lan Ye could feel so at ease.
As she sat, her eyes gradually closed, and she felt extremely sleepy.
"Here it comes, here it comes! Master, Madam, Master Yu's car is here!"
I don’t know how long it took, but a shout came from outside, and then a huge convoy drove directly to the Roman columns of Yu’s manor.
Xia Xingchen sobered up a little, and the Lan family finally became lively again. However, as the person involved, she still sat there without moving, and the expression on her face did not change at all.
Yu Zenan came in person.
He was dressed very formally today. A black suit, a white shirt, and a bow tie. He looked handsome and more mature than his usual sloppy look.
Xia Xingchen looked up and smiled at him.
But it was a bitter smile.
Yu Zenan walked over and held out his hands in front of her like a gentleman. Her eyelashes trembled, and she gently gave him her hand, supporting him to stand up. He looked at her, and a flash of surprise flashed in his eyes.