"He, how could he have come to Jinling City?!"
"Could these jades be a gift sent by Shi Tianqi?!"
"What on earth is he doing in Jinling City?"
Just as everyone was murmuring in discussion, Shi Tianqi walked up to Ye Chen and Xia Qingyue step by step with a respectful expression!
With every step Shi Tianqi took, Jiang Feichi and Xia Ziwei's hearts sank heavily... At this moment, they seemed to have guessed something, but deep down they felt unwilling and refused to believe it!
*No, we must have guessed wrong. The Jade King would only help this brat bring wedding betrothal gifts!*
*Impossible! Absolutely impossible!*
Jiang Feichi and Xia Ziwei roared frantically in their minds at the same time.
Then, he bowed respectfully and said, "I didn't expect Master to be here as well. The betrothal gifts have been delivered, and I wonder if Master and Madam are satisfied?"
Whoosh!
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone froze in place.
It turned out that these betrothal gifts were actually for Xia Qingyue!
It turned out that the Xia family pearl they kept talking about was Xia Qingyue!
"Hiss..."
"If these betrothal gifts came from Shi Tianqi's hands, their value is far beyond tens of millions!"
"Right, right, I heard that the Jade King's collections are all made by master craftsmen. For just any master's work, the carving fee alone runs into six or seven digits..."
"Wouldn't the finished piece be even more expensive?!"
After the members of the Xia family drew in a sharp breath, the way they looked at Ye Chen had completely changed.
What on earth is the background of this young man?!
"You have my thanks."
Faced with these betrothal gifts worth tens of millions, Ye Chen only gave a calm three-word reply.
Xia Qingyue was so shocked she didn't know what to say. Her delicate hand tightly covered her mouth, her long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her alluring peach-blossom eyes were filled with shock and a sense of disbelief in her happiness!
After a long while, she finally came to her senses and asked, "Are... are these really for me?"
"They are yours."
Ye Chen nodded and said, "Three days from now is the anniversary of when we first met... Wait for me for three days, and I will definitely marry you in a proper, formal ceremony, giving you and Xiao Ningning the status you deserve."
"Okay!"
Xia Qingyue held back the happy tears welling in her eyes and smiled brightly.
Three days!
As soon as these words were spoken, Xia Lingwei's and Jiang Feichi's complexions instantly turned pale as paper.
Three days later was also their wedding!
Seeing the grand scale of Ye Chen's setup, they were terrified that their own wedding would be completely overshadowed by the wedding of Ye Chen and Xia Qingyue!
"This bitch is definitely doing this on purpose to humiliate me!" Xia Lingwei said, grinding her teeth in hatred.
"Weiwei, don't be afraid... This fellow is merely relying on having a disciple. I refuse to believe Shi Tianqi can keep helping him," Jiang Feichi said, fuming with rage and suppressing his fury.
"Hmm?"
Hearing these words, Shi Tianqi's gaze turned icy.
Who were these two dogs, daring to discuss his Master and Madam?
He was about to make a move when he heard Ye Chen say calmly, "Tianqi, stand down. Don't make trouble."
Making a fuss at a time like this would only put Xia Qingyue in a difficult position.
If not for considering Xia Qingyue's feelings, Ye Chen would have already made his move before Shi Tianqi even arrived...!
"Yes!"
Shi Tianqi hurriedly bowed and said, "Your disciple was inconsiderate. I beg Master and Madam for forgiveness."
Ye Chen gave a slight nod and said nothing more.
Xia Qingyue, however, was filled with a mind full of question marks, "???"... How on earth did this Ye Chen manage to take Shi Tianqi as a disciple? Clearly, Ye Chen was a dozen or twenty years younger than Shi Tianqi!
And those other disciples from before didn't seem like ordinary people either!!
Before Xia Qingyue could speak, another resounding voice suddenly arrived: "Betrothal gifts have arrived... The Jiang Clan of Jinling comes to present gifts to the Xia family pearl!"
As the voice faded, a wretched-looking middle-aged man walked proudly to the entrance of the Xia family estate and said, "Why haven't you found someone to come receive the betrothal gifts... Our Jiang Clan has prepared sixty-six thousand in cash, along with gold and silver jewelry worth several hundred thousand..."
The members of the Xia family, "..."
At this moment, everyone's hearts were tangled, unsure what expression to make!
If there were no betrothal gifts from Ye Chen, the Jiang family's sixty-six thousand in cash and hundreds of thousands worth of jewelry would have been extremely enviable!
However, compared to Ye Chen's 8.8 million in cash, tens of millions in pure gold jewelry, and the Emperor Green jade, the Jiang family's betrothal gifts paled into complete insignificance!!
With pearls and jade presented first...!!
While everyone sighed inwardly, the wretched middle-aged man looked puzzled and snapped angrily, "What are you all standing around in a daze for? I'm here representing the Jiang Clan to deliver—"
"Second Uncle!!"
Before he could finish, Jiang Feichi hurriedly pulled the wretched middle-aged man aside with a sheepish expression and laughed awkwardly, "Just have someone carry the betrothal gifts inside. There's no need to read out the gift list..."
"Why not?" the middle-aged man asked with a puzzled look.
Why not?
What else could possibly be the reason?!
Because we've been utterly outshined by someone else, that's why!!
Jiang Feichi felt like dying. He exchanged a fierce look with the middle-aged man and quickly said, "Let's not talk about this anymore... The betrothal gifts have been delivered. Weiwei, three days from now, I will definitely come to take you home! Our new home will be at Youlong Villa!"
Youlong Villa was the newest villa development in Jinling City, and also the most high-end villa district in the entire city, with no exceptions.
This project covered hundreds of acres, backed by mountains and surrounded by water. Located in the new urban district of Jinling City, stepping outside the villa area immediately brought one into the bustling city!
It could be said that whether in terms of location, grade, or greenery and environment, Youlong Villa was the absolute top-tier villa district in Jinling City, with the cheapest villa starting at ten million.
Let alone those prime king-of-the-hill villa plots.
"Youlong Villa..."
Xia Lingwei finally felt she had recovered some face and said excitedly, "Thank you, Hubby! Hmph hmph... Xia Qingyue, where is your new home?"
"I..."
Xia Qingyue started, shook her head gently, and said, "I don't have a new home... I, I rent a place."
"Pfft!"
"Hahaha!"
"Looks like your man is useless, he has nothing at all... The car was borrowed, and even the betrothal gifts were borrowed!"
Feeling that she had finally won for once, Xia Lingwei laughed until her shoulders shook. "Favors always run out eventually. Three days from now, let's see what you have to compare with me!"
At this moment, Xia Qingyue's mother, Zhang Lan, finally couldn't help asking, "...Um, Ye Chen, do, do you really not have a house?"
Xia Qingyue's parents hadn't spoken up earlier because they wanted to test Ye Chen's capabilities.
If he truly had a car and a house, and decent connections—even if he couldn't compare to Jiang Feichi—it would still be a good destination for Xia Qingyue!
Now, hearing Xia Lingwei harp on the housing issue, Zhang Lan and her husband could finally hold back no longer.
"A house? I seem to have a villa estate... I haven't been there yet, though," Ye Chen said, gently scratching his head.
When Ma Huayun left, he had given Ye Chen two keys—one was the key to the Pagani sports car, and the other was said to be the key to Youlong Villa... Ye Chen hadn't paid much attention to it at the time.
A villa estate?
There is only one villa estate in our Jinling City...
That is Youlong Villa!
Youlong Villa was built in the center of the Youlong water, carrying the auspicious meaning of a dragon cruising through the green waters. However, ever since Youlong Villa was completed, it had never been put up for sale... Because the value of this estate was simply too astronomical!
Even Shen, the wealthiest man in Jinling City, hadn't bought it, so who else would dare spend so much money to purchase a villa estate worth hundreds of millions!
Upon hearing Ye Chen's reply, everyone unconsciously froze.
Then, an immensely terrifying thought popped into their minds... Could the villa estate Ye Chen mentioned actually be Youlong Villa?
If that were the case... wouldn't, wouldn't this young man take a leap straight to the heavens?!
*Xia Qingyue, oh Xia Qingyue... what kind of man on earth have you chosen?*
Once this thought surfaced, everyone's gazes snapped straight toward Xia Qingyue in unison!!!
"Um... you have a villa estate... how big is the area?" Zhang Lan asked, suppressing her racing heartbeat while feigning calmness.
"I don't know, I haven't been there yet," Ye Chen answered honestly.
As soon as these words were spoken, the members of the Xia family frowned in unison, all thinking that Ye Chen was joking with them!
Who doesn't know how big their own home is?
Nor do they know their own home's address and name?
Please, even a three-year-old child knows those things, alright!
"Alright, alright!"
At this moment, Old Master Xia made the final ruling: "Since the weddings are both in three days, let everything be revealed after three days..."
Old Master Xia was an old and cunning fox. Seeing how respectful Shi Tianqi was toward Ye Chen, not to mention the Pagani worth over a hundred million and the betrothal gifts worth tens of millions, he decided to take a gamble!!
The Xia family could not afford to offend a person like Ye Chen...
Even if it turned out three days later that Ye Chen was merely a fraudulent swindler living on borrowed fame, it didn't matter! They could just chase him and Xia Qingyue out of the Xia family together then.
With that, the Old Master walked up to Shi Tianqi respectfully and said, "The Jade King's personal presence truly brings great honor to the Xia family. If you don't mind, please stay for a cup of wine..."
Since the Xia family members had been so rude to Ye Chen, Shi Tianqi naturally wouldn't give him any face, and coldly refused, "No need, I have other matters to attend to."
Having said that, he simply stood quietly behind Ye Chen without moving an inch.
Did he look like someone with pressing matters to attend to anywhere?
Seeing this, Old Master Xia was so angry he wanted to vomit blood. Fortunately, Xia Qingcheng smartly chimed in, "Elder Sister... Brother-in-law, it's almost time to eat, you should stay and have a meal!"
Hearing these words, Xia Qingyue's delicate body trembled, and she looked with expectant eyes toward her parents and Old Master Xia.
She had once been cast out of the Xia family. Today, without a nod from the Old Master, Xia Qingyue would never dare step foot through the Xia family's gates again.
Seeing this, Old Master Xia's expression darkened slightly as he said, "We're all family, come inside and eat."
Ye Chen turned his head to look at Xia Qingyue, and seeing that her alluring peach-blossom eyes were filled with anticipation, he finally nodded and said, "Alright."
Seeing his Master nod, Shi Tianqi then followed Ye Chen inside.
Although the Xia family was only a second-rate family, the place they lived in was still a standalone villa with a courtyard worth seven to eight million!
The courtyard was very spacious. Because it was only an engagement banquet, the attendees consisted solely of the Xia family members and Jiang Feichi's group... so the scale of the banquet wasn't very large.
The banquet was held directly in the open air of the courtyard. At a massive table, Old Master Xia sat in the seat of honor, flanked by Xia Junyuan and his wife, Xia Tianqi, Xia Lingwei, and Jiang Feichi!
As for Xia Qingyue's parents, because they weren't favored by the Old Master, they sat at tables further off to the side.
Seeing that the seat of honor filled up shortly, Xia Qingyue didn't fight for a place at the main table and instead very consciously chose a side table to sit quietly.
"Mommy, I want to eat meat..."
After sitting down, Xiao Ningning looked longingly at the sweet and sour pork ribs and braised pork meatballs on the table and said.
"So ill-mannered!"
Sitting at the main table, Xia Lingwei let out a soft snort. "The banquet hasn't even started yet, and Grandfather hasn't picked up his chopsticks either... Can you little brat keep quiet!"
"The child is just craving food, besides, Xiao Ningning hasn't even eaten yet," Xia Qingcheng retorted sharply.
After Xia Qingyue took her seat, Xia Qingcheng sat right beside her—Ye Chen could see that the bond between these two sisters ran quite deep.
The reality was indeed so. After Xia Qingyue was cast out of the Xia family, Xia Qingcheng had secretly helped her sister all along. The pocket money she saved up over the years was either stealthily slipped to her sister or spent on various toys and snacks for Xiao Ningning!
Yet right at this moment, a companion who had come accompanying Jiang Feichi suddenly spoke up: "Young Master Jiang, I just checked clearly—Youlong Villa hasn't been sold yet!"
His name was Yang Rui, and his father was the sales manager at the Youlong Villa sales department.
Just moments ago, receiving a subtle hint from Jiang Feichi, Yang Rui had made a phone call to his father. After inquiring, he learned that Youlong Villa had not been sold to this day!
"Hehehe, you don't even need to think to know that Youlong Villa definitely hasn't been sold!! As for the villa estate in that person's mouth, I'm afraid he's just bragging to puff up his own ego!!" Jiang Feichi sneered.
Just moments earlier, the gift list of Ye Chen's betrothal gifts had trampled his own gift list firmly into the dirt.
Now, having verified that Youlong Villa had yet to be sold, Jiang Feichi immediately launched a counterattack. "I wonder what the name of Mr. Ye's villa estate is?"
"It seems... it's also called Youlong Villa." Ye Chen thought for a moment before replying calmly.
When Ma Huayun gave Ye Chen the keys, he had indeed mentioned the four words "Youlong Villa," but Ye Chen had spent the last two days staying at the hotel with his wife and daughter and hadn't been over to take a look at the estate!
"Hahahaha!!"
Hearing these words, Jiang Feichi laughed even more smugly. "Can you have some shame? My brother Yang Rui's father is the sales manager of Youlong Villa. He just asked, and Youlong Villa hasn't been sold to this day!!"
"Ah?"
"Sure enough, we overthought it!"
"Thinking about it, it didn't seem right either. This young man dresses so ordinarily; add up everything on him, and it's probably only a few hundred bucks, right?"
"Who's saying otherwise? Look at Young Master Jiang, that's what someone truly wealthy looks like. That Patek Philippe watch on his wrist alone is worth sixty or seventy thousand!"
"Heh, Youlong Villa... what a stubborn mouth!!"
The members of the Xia family started murmuring and discussing again. Compared to the mysteriously backgrounded Ye Chen, they felt it was far more practical to cling to the Jiang family's coattails.
After all, Ye Chen's origins were unknown... while the Jiang family was a bona fide first-rate family with assets exceeding billions!
Hearing the discussions around him, the smile on Jiang Feichi's face grew even smugger as he continued to interrogate Ye Chen, "You said your villa estate is also called Youlong Villa?"
Ye Chen's gaze was indifferent as he said coldly, "Youlong Villa, I have already said it three times. If there is nothing wrong with your ears, you should have heard it clearly."
"Ha!"
Hearing this, the members of the Xia family burst into another round of mocking laughter.
"Xia Qingyue, oh Xia Qingyue, look at your man. The truth has already been exposed, and he's still putting up a stubborn front with a dead duck's mouth!" Xia Lingwei said with full-blown triumph.
"Sigh, truly a fraud living on borrowed fame. I suspect that car and those betrothal gifts were actually scammed by him."
"I said so, didn't I? If he were genuinely rich, how could he dress so miserably?"
Listening to these remarks, Xia Junjie and Zhang Lan's complexions shifted. Deep down, they had harbored expectations for Ye Chen at the very beginning.
They had hoped their daughter could finally settle down and find a good match... but looking at it now, this young man Ye Chen had terrible character!!
Even Old Master Xia's expression darkened slightly, and he began to regret inviting Ye Chen and Xia Qingyue inside!
"Go ahead, keep bluffing all you want!"
Jiang Feichi sneered. "Anyway, three days from now, we'll both be getting married. We might as well compare whose wedding is more high-profile... Hehehe, Youlong Villa! The location of our new home happens to have a view of Youlong Villa!! I just wonder if we'll be able to see your house... Hahaha."
"Hahahaha!!"
As soon as these words fell, another roar of laughter erupted.
The gazes the crowd cast toward Ye Chen and Xia Qingyue became even more mocking!
Their provocations were to Ye Chen like ants clamoring to trip an elephant!
Would a giant beast react to the clamor of mere insects? ...Of course not.
"Three days from now, everything will be revealed."
Ye Chen gently stroked the back of Xia Qingyue's hand and said affectionately, "When that day arrives, I will make you the most dazzling bride in the entire world!"
"Mm!"
Looking into that pair of confident eyes, Xia Qingyue nodded under some inexplicable spell... she didn't harbor the slightest doubt that Ye Chen couldn't pull it off!
...
After the engagement banquet concluded, Ye Chen left the Xia family estate alone.
He needed to prepare a surprise for Xia Qingyue on the day of their grand wedding...
"Master!"
As soon as Ye Chen stepped out of the Xia family gates, dozens of Kunlun disciples dressed in white robes immediately bowed in unison.
"Mm."
Ye Chen gave a slight nod. "Leave the spiritual energy array to you all. Three days from now, I want flowers to bloom across the entire city of Jinling, spreading ten miles of red wedding banners!"
"Flowers to bloom across the entire city?"
Shi Tianqi was slightly startled. It was only January right now... where would any plants be blooming?
If someone else had spoken these words, Shi Tianqi would have harshly cursed them for spouting nonsense!
However, these words were spoken by Ye Chen! Therefore, not only did Shi Tianqi believe it, but he also eagerly looked forward to the scene of flowers blooming across the entire city in three days' time!
After receiving their orders, the dozens of Kunlun disciples bowed to Ye Chen once more before quickly departing.
...
Three days later, on the day of the wedding.
Before dawn broke, a procession of limited-edition luxury cars worth tens of millions poured rapidly into Jinling City as if money was no object.
Meanwhile, the Xia family was already bustling with activity.
The makeup artist had arrived at Xia Lingwei's room early in the morning to begin washing, grooming, putting on her makeup, and dressing her in the wedding gown...
Everyone else had also gotten up early, hanging festive lanterns and colorful streamers, decorating every single corner of the house to look overwhelmingly auspicious.
"Weiwei truly is blessed. Early in the morning, Young Master Jiang already sent people over to do your makeup!"
"Unlike certain people... clearly getting married today as well, yet all alone! Not only is there no makeup artist, there isn't even a wedding gown!!"
"Heh, after that wild man showed up for a bit, he vanished completely!"
Xia Lingwei sneered, "Today, who knows if that person will even show up or not. As for certain people, they should stop daydreaming!"
"..."
Hearing these remarks, a trace of sorrow involuntarily surfaced within Xia Qingyue's alluring peach-blossom eyes.
She bit her lower lip tightly, her ten fingers interlocked together, pressing with some force... her fingertips had already turned somewhat pale.
"Weiwei, I heard that countless luxury cars poured into our Jinling City last night—a full hundred of them!"
"Could it be that Young Master Jiang brought in another hundred luxury cars to make the wedding even more grand... Ah, I'm so looking forward to the motorcade coming to fetch the bride from the Jiang family later... I heard some of those luxury cars are worth tens of millions!"