“What? Wang Cheng actually dared call me a shrew?”
Dressed in a white wedding gown, Wang Xiaoyan slammed the table and shot to her feet, her face twisted with rage. Standing in front of her was one of the Wang family relatives’ children, Wang Xiaoyan’s younger paternal cousin, Wang Yuru. When Wang Cheng and Wang Ningkai had been talking, Wang Yuru had been standing behind them. Although Madam Li had lowered her voice, Wang Cheng himself had not cared whether anyone overheard him. Wang Xiaoyan’s family was the wealthiest among the Wangs, and after becoming rich, Wang Xiaoyan had become quite generous. As long as someone pleased her, she would buy them clothes, jewelry, and similar things. Wang Yuru was one of the people who flattered Wang Xiaoyan most eagerly. If anyone dared say anything bad about Wang Xiaoyan, she would immediately run and report it.
Wang Yuru’s eyes turned as she echoed indignantly, “Cousin, that Wang Cheng really doesn’t know what’s good for him. We have to teach him a lesson. Why don’t you leave this to me? He dared insult you, so I won’t let him have an easy time.”
“This…” Wang Xiaoyan was not completely brainless. A wedding banquet was different from an engagement banquet. If things got too out of hand, her parents would definitely be unhappy.
Wang Yuru knew exactly what her cousin was worried about without needing to guess. She immediately said, “Cousin, don’t worry. I’ll do it discreetly. No one else will find out.”
Wang Xiaoyan was tempted by her words and finally agreed. “All right. If you pull it off, I won’t treat you badly.”
“I definitely won’t disappoint you, Cousin.” Wang Yuru looked excited, already imagining all the benefits her cousin had promised her.
Wang Yuru closed the door behind her as she came out. Wang Ningshan stepped out from around the corner of the corridor. He had not heard clearly what she and Wang Xiaoyan were discussing, but he had vaguely heard Wang Cheng’s name. Considering how much Wang Xiaoyan disliked Wang Cheng, it definitely could not be anything good.
There were only a few minutes left before the auspicious hour. Madam Li and the others were so busy that they had no time to keep causing trouble for Wang Cheng. Seating arrangements at a wedding banquet were even stricter than at an engagement banquet, but Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng chose a table in a corner. Everyone else at the table was an adult, and some even took the initiative to chat with them. President Chen and President Li, whom Wang Hongwei had mentioned, sat at this table because the two families were too busy to entertain them personally.
As the only two young men at the table, Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng naturally drew some attention without seeming out of place. Wang Xiaoyan’s father came over once, intending to invite them to sit farther toward the front, but they refused. Wang Xiaoyan’s father could only leave with an ugly expression.
How could Wang Cheng not understand what the two families were trying to do? Still, he was perfectly happy to embarrass the Wang family and his Eldest Uncle. That was one of his main reasons for attending the wedding in the first place. The auspicious hour arrived, and the bride and groom appeared. With makeup on, Wang Xiaoyan looked passable enough, and standing beside Wang Ningkai, the two could be called a handsome couple. President Li, who did not know the full story, casually offered a compliment.
“Uncle Li is right. My eldest cousin really is fortunate to marry a woman as candid as Wang Xiaoyan, someone who can casually call another person a bastard. Other people couldn’t get such a blessing even if they begged for it. I’ve only just realized that having no filter can actually be rather cute. Don’t you think?”
President Li and the others looked at one another. Chu Yifeng cooperatively added a sentence.
“Isn’t that just bad manners?”
Wang Cheng laughed. “Being badly brought up and still acting so proud of it is a talent too.”
Then the entire table fell silent. Someone looked behind him, and Wang Cheng turned to see Wang Ningshan, a cousin he had barely interacted with before. With everyone at the table looking at him, all of them elders, Wang Ningshan appeared a little awkward.
“Cousin, why are you sitting all the way over here?”
“It’s nice here. If you need something, just say it, Cousin.” Wang Cheng and Wang Ningshan were the same age, though Wang Cheng was two months younger.
Wang Ningshan glanced at the others, stepped closer, and whispered in his ear, “It’s like this. I accidentally overheard Wang Xiaoyan talking with her cousin just now. It sounded like she told her cousin to make trouble for you. You’d better be careful.”
Wang Cheng looked at him with an amused half-smile. He had not expected there to be someone in the Wang family who actually had his head screwed on straight, and that person was Wang Ningshan, the one with the least presence of all.
Among the younger members of the Wang family, Wang Ningshan was usually the one everyone overlooked. Whether in school or his career, he had never accomplished anything worth mentioning. Wang Ningkai might not have been good at studying either, but at least he had a company. Wang Ningshan had been idle all this time. After Wang Cheng rejected Madam Zhang’s request last time, he had assumed Wang Ningshan would dislike him.
“Then thank you, Cousin.”
“No need to be polite with me. We’re family. Eldest Sister-in-law may be about to marry into the Wang family, but she’s still an outsider in the end. How could an outsider be closer than your own family? Other people might not acknowledge you, but my parents and I do.” Wang Ningshan grinned.
Wang Cheng realized he had truly underestimated Wang Ningshan. Anyone capable of saying something like that was definitely not stupid. “I’ll remember this favor, Cousin.”
That was exactly what Wang Ningshan wanted to hear. “Right, her cousin’s name is Wang Yuru.”
Not long after Wang Ningshan left, Wang Yuru approached their table carrying several bottles of wine and a few glasses. She had a sweet, adorable face and two small dimples when she smiled. Because she constantly flattered Wang Xiaoyan, she dressed much better than her other female cousins. From her appearance alone, no one would ever guess she was full of rotten ideas.
The moment she arrived, she sweetly greeted all the elders at the table, not forgetting Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng either. Her manner was so pleasant that she looked exactly like a well-behaved young woman and certainly made a good first impression. If Wang Ningshan had not come over to warn him, Wang Cheng really would not have guessed that she intended to scheme against him.
“You must be Brother Wang Cheng. I hear people mention you all the time. Meeting you really is better than hearing about you. You’re much more handsome in person than everyone says.” Wang Yuru spoke with reddened cheeks.
Leaning back in his chair, Wang Cheng tilted his head and looked at her. Amused, he said, “The person who talks about me to you is probably your cousin Wang Xiaoyan, right? Are you sure she says I’m handsome instead of calling me a bastard, a cheap bastard, or something along those lines?”
Wang Yuru’s expression stiffened. “Actually, my cousin didn’t mean it. Please don’t take it to heart, Brother Wang Cheng. If you’re still angry with her, then I’ll apologize to you on her behalf.”
Neither servile nor overbearing, and even knowing exactly when to advance and retreat. This woman’s intelligence could completely crush Wang Xiaoyan, that brainless piece of work. And somehow the two were actually relatives.
“To show you I’m sincere, let me toast you, Brother Wang Cheng.” As she spoke, Wang Yuru raised the half-filled glass she had prepared in advance and drained it in one go.
Normally, someone would have praised her straightforward nature. This trick usually worked for her, and many older people were easily fooled by the image she projected. Yet when she held up her empty glass, everyone else at the table remained silent. Wang Yuru found it strange, but Wang Cheng was her target, so she did not think too much about it.
Wang Cheng applauded and said with a smile, “I couldn’t tell you were such a forthright person.”
“Brother Wang Cheng is teasing me. I’m just a young girl.” Wang Yuru replied modestly, then took out the bottle she had prepared in advance. “Brother Wang Cheng, I brought this bottle especially as a token of apology. Once again, let me say sorry on my cousin’s behalf. I hope you’ll accept it.”
“Since you’re being so sincere, I’ll give you face.” Wang Cheng accepted the red wine she handed him.
“That’s wonderful. I still have other guests to attend to, so everyone please keep chatting. I won’t disturb you any longer.” With that, Wang Yuru left.
Wang Cheng watched her retreating back for a moment, then lowered his gaze to the red wine in his hand and said to Chu Yifeng, “Guess what she put in this.”
“Probably something that’ll give you diarrhea,” Chu Yifeng answered smoothly. Neither of them avoided speaking in front of the other people at the table, but President Li, President Chen, and the others were all smart men. They immediately pretended they had heard nothing, drinking if they had wine and chatting if they had someone to talk to.
More than twenty minutes later, the bride and groom finally reached their table after completing the wedding formalities and making their rounds. This time they had no choice but to come over. President Li and the others seated with Wang Cheng were important business partners whom Wang Xiaoyan’s father and the rest valued highly. They absolutely could not afford to neglect them.
Wang Xiaoyan did not know how to weigh consequences, but Wang Ningkai did. He therefore led the reluctant Wang Xiaoyan over. After toasting everyone else, they saved Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng for last.
Before they could speak, Wang Cheng suddenly stood and smiled. “Eldest Cousin, Eldest Sister-in-law, congratulations. I wish you a long life together and many children and blessings. Let the things that happened before stay in the past. To show my sincerity, I’ll toast you both.”
Wang Cheng picked up a bottle and filled an entire glass, then downed it boldly in one go. Seeing the newlyweds frozen where they stood, he looked at their glasses, which contained less than a third of a glass of red wine, and said, “I drank a whole glass. Eldest Cousin and Eldest Sister-in-law wouldn’t refuse to give me this much face, would you?”
“Now that’s a forthright young man.” President Li suddenly praised him, looking at Wang Cheng with obvious approval.
Wang Cheng picked up the bottle and prepared to fill both their glasses. After filling Wang Ningkai’s, however, the bottle ran empty. Without changing expression, he switched to the bottle Wang Yuru had given him and poured for Wang Xiaoyan while saying, “Eldest Sister-in-law is a woman, so I won’t make you drink a full glass. Half a glass will do.”
The two of them froze. “You two aren’t still holding a grudge over what happened before, are you?” Chu Yifeng added leisurely, twisting the knife.
“Of course not. Even if Cousin hadn’t said anything, Xiaoyan and I stopped caring about that long ago. Besides, what happened back then wasn’t Cousin’s fault. I’ll drink this.” Wang Ningkai did not want to leave a bad impression on President Li and the others. He drained his glass, then nudged Wang Xiaoyan when she failed to react.
Although Wang Xiaoyan was reluctant, she still drank. Everyone’s eyes followed the movement of her glass. Some people’s pupils even widened slightly. When they looked at Wang Cheng again afterward, there was a little more wariness in their gazes, along with a faint trace of admiration.