"What—what was that? His wife?"
"So, you were threatened by your old man?" Shi Yan and Qin Yu were both aware of how intensely his grandfather had been pressuring him to marry; they’d thought he would never give in!
In their minds, Xiao Linye was either threatened by a woman or by his grandfather. Otherwise, he would absolutely never willingly dine with a woman.
But then Qin Yu gave Xiao Linye a skeptical look. "Wait a minute. The daughter-in-law your old man always favored is Pei Shan. Even if he forced you to marry, it would be Pei Shan, right? I’ve met Pei Shan!"
It was no secret in high society that the Xiao Family and the Pei Family had always intended a marital alliance.
So, if Old Master Xiao had truly forced this marriage, then the wife had to be Pei Shan!
Xiao Linye lit a cigarette. "You’d better mind your own Qin Family’s business."
Qin Yu was speechless. "..."
This guy! He always knew how to hit a sore spot. The Qin Family’s affairs were as vexing as could be.
Before Qin Yu could speak, Xiao Linye continued, "Did your older brother really run away from his wedding?"
Qin Yu was exasperated. "..." Can we please not talk about this?
Lately, this issue had hung over the Qin Family like a suffocating fog. Everyone wore a gloomy expression.
Shi Yan also looked at Qin Yu. "Have they found him yet?"
"All we know is that he went abroad. He hasn’t been found yet," Qin Yu said, his voice laced with irritation.
Shi Yan let out a surprised "Huh?" "Wasn’t he supposed to be a fool? He actually managed to run away from his wedding?!"
Previously, when the elopement was mentioned, they had all assumed it was just a story the Qin Family concocted to save face.
But seeing Qin Yu’s current demeanor, it was clear the Qin Family had likely spent this entire period searching for their eldest young master.
No wonder the Ye Family is still unscathed! If the Qin eldest young master hadn’t diverted their attention, that family would have been in serious trouble.
"Can we please drop this?" Qin Yu was clearly agitated.
He had just rushed back from a trip abroad the previous day, exhausted to the bone, and still hadn’t found him.
Needless to say, he had definitely received a harsh scolding.
Shi Yan tutted. "TSK, TSK. This Eldest Miss Ye really knows how to stir things up. Just one person getting married, and both the Xiao Family and Qin Family are dragged into it!"
These words made both Xiao Linye’s and Qin Yu’s expressions darken.
Qin Yu, in particular, looked at Xiao Linye with a hint of apprehension.
"Brother Linye, what your third brother and my family have been up to has nothing to do with me. Please don’t hold me accountable!" Qin Yu quickly tried to absolve himself.
This was also why he hadn’t dared to meet Xiao Linye for the past few days. When Shi Yan suggested meeting tonight, he had wanted to come out and clear the air.
The things family elders do sometimes are truly distasteful.
Qin Yu had been constantly worried about this, but Xiao Linye seemed unfazed. "Business is business."
These words immediately set Qin Yu’s heart at ease.
Heaven knew how terrified he had been since learning about the shady dealings between his father and Third Master Xiao.
Hearing Xiao Linye’s reassurance, Qin Yu added, "But rest assured, from now on, our family will definitely have no further involvement with the Ye Family."
Shi Yan chimed in, "I warned you back when your mother wanted to arrange for your older brother to marry that woman. See? Now you know! Whoever gets entangled with her is doomed to misfortune!"
This affair had caused quite a commotion in Upper City.
In any case, high society generally had a poor impression of Ye Yuning, considering her far too troublesome.
Qin Yu, however, shook his head. "It’s not her fault. The entire arrangement was discussed between my mother and Mrs. Ye."
Besides, no sane person would willingly marry a fool.
This matter truly was a result of his mother and the Ye elders’ poor judgment.
Shi Yan, however, disagreed with Qin Yu. "But Mrs. Ye was looking out for her. For an adopted daughter like her to marry your older brother, that was her good fortune."
In short, he felt Ye Yuning was ungrateful.
Qin Yu fell silent. Everyone had their own perspective. In any case, he personally had no issue with the Eldest Miss Ye.
Xiao Linye, meanwhile, listened with an air of detachment, as if it all had nothing to do with him.
Xiao Linye didn’t stay much longer. He just gave a brief instruction: if they encountered his wife in the future, they weren’t to say too much about him, especially anything related to the Xiao Corporation.
Watching him hurry off, presumably to take care of that woman, Qin Yu and Shi Yan couldn’t help the twitch at the corners of their mouths.
Shi Yan mused, "Not to talk too much about his affairs or the Xiao Corporation? What’s that about? Is he even keeping that from her?"
"Seventh Brother always has his reasons for doing things. Don’t ask," Qin Yu replied.
Shi Yan snorted. "What reasons? I bet he’s just afraid the woman is after his money."
Otherwise, why was he so famously averse to women when he was abroad? Now he comes back, gets married, and keeps his entire net worth a secret...
Qin Yu was exasperated. "Seventh Brother isn’t like that!"
Shi Yan fell silent. Alright, so he was the only one with a dirty mind.
"Still," Shi Yan eventually said, "that woman is quite attractive. Very fair-skinned, and her features are delicate."
Because she had been sitting, Shi Yan hadn’t gotten a sense of her height, but she had definitely been eye-catching at first glance.
As they spoke, their eyes kept darting glances in that direction.
However, when Xiao Linye and Ye Yuning finally stood up, both men were utterly dumbfounded.
She’s so short! She doesn’t even reach Xiao Linye’s shoulder?