From Runaway Bride to Global Queen

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: The Spectacle Turns to One of Our Own

Qiao Yi had intended to minimize the problem from the start, so she took on the issue, and when she saw someone smooth things over, she used the opportunity to make a quick exit, taking Lu Yanchuan with her.

Once back in the resting room, Sun Keke had already applied medicine and changed into a new set of clothes, waiting anxiously inside.

Seeing Qiao Yi and Lu Yanchuan come in, Sun Keke hurried over to greet them, but she hesitated slightly and then withdrew her hand, looking towards Qiao Yi cautiously and asking, “How did it go? The situation didn’t escalate, did it?”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine. But you should still break off this marriage arrangement with Ning Yuze first thing in the morning; he’s not good news.”

Sun Keke seemed a bit afraid of Lu Yanchuan, daring to speak only to Qiao Yi and not even glancing at Lu Yanchuan.

Qiao Yi had never seen such a meek person before, like a scared little rabbit.

Her social circle had always consisted of children from prominent clans, and while their personalities varied, none were as timorous. Even Yun Luoluo, who was always bullied, had her pride and never showed such an expression.

Qiao Yi was surprised and couldn’t help but want to tease her a little.

“I heard that Ning Yuze used to get into fights and brawls when he was still in school, indulged in drinking, whoring, gambling, and all sorts of vices. If it weren’t for the Ning Family backing him, he’d probably have been taken care of by others a long time ago!”

Sun Keke trembled with fear at Qiao Yi’s words, unable to imagine what kind of life she would lead if she really married Ning Yuze.

However, although Qiao Yi was trying to scare her, the stories about Ning Yuze were not fabrications but actual events, just not as terrifying as she made them sound.

“But, but I have no way to break off the engagement…”

Indeed, as an illegitimate daughter, being sent off for a political marriage seemed an inevitable fate.

Qiao Yi wasn’t in a position to judge whether such a situation was right or wrong. Her parents were also brought together by an arranged marriage, and so were she and Lu Yanchuan. They all seemed successful, but each had their own hardships.

“This is something you’ll have to decide for yourself. If you’re interested, I can introduce you to a self-defense instructor. At least you won’t be completely powerless in such situations in the future.”

This was the most Qiao Yi could do. She couldn’t meddle in the affairs of the Sun Family and Ning Family. She left Sun Keke with a contact card before she and Lu Yanchuan took their leave.

The Shi Family brothers’ celebration had been overshadowed by such trouble and thus concluded abruptly and awkwardly.

On the way back, Qiao Yi gazed out at the streetscape from the car window, lost in thought.

“Do you think, what would my life be like now if I had married Lu Ming instead?”

Qiao Yi suddenly turned to look at Lu Yanchuan.

Lu Yanchuan frowned slightly and pulled Qiao Yi closer to his side.

“If you’re tired, rest for a while. I’ll wake you when we get home.”

Lu Yanchuan had a faint scent of cologne on him, the smell of DN cologne he often used.

Actually, Qiao Yi wasn’t very fond of the smell of cologne, but the scent on Lu Yanchuan inexplicably made her feel at ease.

After a while, just when Lu Yanchuan thought Qiao Yi might have fallen asleep, she sat up with her eyes sparkling and leaned over to whisper mysteriously.

“Is Ning Yuze not really Ning Changfeng’s son at all?”

“Why are you asking this?”

Lu Yanchuan was curious about why Qiao Yi would come up with such a question. Qiao Yi herself didn’t know why she had such thoughts—it was just that recalling Ning Changfeng’s actions, she always felt they were strange.

“According to what a normal person would think, seeing their own son unconscious, they would definitely rush to the hospital immediately. But Ning Changfeng, he was holding Ning Yuze and crying and yelling, with no intention of taking Ning Yuze to the hospital at all.”

He saw the blood on Ning Yuze’s face but ignored it completely, which really isn’t the reaction a normal father should have.

The more Qiao Yi spoke, the more she felt she was making sense.

Gossiping with Lu Yanchuan wasn’t interesting, so Qiao Yi took out her phone and started sharing her heroic deeds of the night with Feng Siyu.

A woman caught up in gossip is beyond reason. Lu Yanchuan’s hand clenched in the air—a warm and soft beauty had escaped from his arms, leaving him feeling somewhat disappointed.

Feng Siyu happily accepted the gossip shared by Qiao Yi. She first harshly criticized Ning Yuze’s inhuman actions, and then joined Qiao Yi in expressing sympathy for Sun Keke.

Afterwards, she bootlickingly praised Qiao Yi’s righteous actions, to the point that even Qiao Yi couldn’t bear to listen anymore.

In the end, Feng Siyu displayed her otherworldly gossiping skills and managed to concoct an elaborate high society melodrama out of the clues Qiao Yi provided.

Lu Yanchuan watched Qiao Yi, who was shaking with laughter against the car door covering her mouth, and seriously wondered if she had been possessed by some filthy spirit.

Qiao Yi didn’t see Lu Yanchuan’s gaze; she was happily chatting with Feng Siyu, absolutely thrilled by this astonishing piece of gossip.

“So you’re saying, Ning Yuze could really not be Ning Changfeng’s son? And could his extravagant and domineering behavior also be something Ning Changfeng purposefully allowed?”

“There’s a high possibility. Isn’t there a term called ‘fatal indulgence’? Think about how arrogant you were when you were in school. Uncle Qiao still educated you properly, not letting you go too far. But looking at Ning Changfeng, it seems he has never really disciplined Ning Yuze, even one might say he extremely indulged him!”

This was big news, and Qiao Yi savored it with delight. However, Feng Siyu on the other end of the phone fell into an eerie silence, then replied after a long while.

“Gu Ting said, Ning Changfeng’s wife is his cousin!”

Now the gossip had unexpectedly landed on her own relatives!

“How come I’ve never heard of that before? Doesn’t Gu Ting only have a few uncles? When did a cousin appear?”

The Gu Family’s lineage was sparse, and she had met all of Old Mr. Gu’s sons; she had also met a few other relatives from his family, but she had never heard of an aunt who married into the Ning Family.

It was only after asking that she found out, this cousin was the niece of the late Old Madam Gu from her maternal family, and by seniority, indeed Gu Ting’s aunt.

This relative wasn’t too distant, but after Old Madam Gu’s death, the Gu Family hadn’t really been in touch with her maternal family. Thus, not only was Qiao Yi uninformed, even Feng Siyu had not heard of it.

“Let Gu Ting talk to them about this matter. Since it’s our own aunt, we can’t let her be wronged.”

Qiao Yi was the type of person who favors relatives over fairness. Even if her own people were wrong, it should be discussed behind closed doors, and no matter how justified outsiders were, it was useless.

Feng Siyu took quite a while to reply with a sentence. Qiao Yi guessed she was discussing the matter with Gu Ting, so she didn’t bother her anymore and settled back into her seat.

Lu Yanchuan glanced at Qiao Yi, who had finally quieted down, looked at the message he had just received on his phone, then turned to Qiao Yi and asked.

“In a few days, there will be a fireworks festival in Southern City District. Do you want to go?”