Lin Chen felt the warmth from Xue Ying's fingertips and chuckled as he replied, "It's a great honor."
Just now in the car, Xue Ying had shared her story with Lin Chen.
It turned out that Xue Ying once had a happy family, but after her mother passed away, her father remarried.
The stepmother was very cunning, acting one way to her face and another behind her back.
On the surface, she seemed very loving towards Xue Ying, but behind closed doors, she constantly scolded and berated her.
As Xue Ying grew up, the stepmother kept trying to set her up with boyfriends, not caring at all about Xue Ying's feelings, as long as the suitor was wealthy; this was also why Xue Ying had decided to make her own way in the world.
The two entered the hotel, where the banquet had already started.
Most of the guests were young people; the banquet was essentially a matchmaking event for the upper class.
Upon seeing Xue Ying, Xue Li came over with a smile, "Ying, you finally made it."
Xue Ying glanced at Xue Li with a cold expression, "Dad, weren't you having a heart attack?"
"I feel better seeing you. There are many promising young men at today's banquet, all from wealthy families; you should cherish this opportunity," Xue Ying's stepmother Li Qian said.
"Money, money, that's all you ever think about," Xue Ying said coldly, her face showing impatience.
"How can you speak to your mother like that? Do you know how much worry she has put into your marriage?" Xue Li said somewhat displeased.
"Ah, such is the heart of parents worldwide, Ying; you'll understand my good intentions sooner or later," Li Qian said, her face showing a look of grievance.
Suddenly, her gaze landed on Lin Chen standing next to Xue Ying; she frowned upon seeing his attire. "Ying, is this friend yours?"
Xue Ying nodded, "This is my friend, Lin Chen."
"Mr. Lin, what do your parents do?" Li Qian asked while staring intently at Lin Chen.
Xue Li was also staring fixedly at Lin Chen.
"My parents are farmers," Lin Chen said indifferently.
"Farmers?" Li Qian's face showed a disdainful expression upon hearing Lin Chen's words.
"I thought so, dressed so plainly. Ying, haven't I told you before? Choose friends with status. As for this kind of poor bumpkin from the countryside, it's better to keep your distance to avoid him clinging to us," Li Qian said coldly.
"I don't need you to worry about what friends I make; I like Lin Chen," Xue Ying retorted.
"Old Xue, look what I said; you can't just let a girl run wild. I was worried Ying might get entangled by a pauper, and I was right," Li Qian said harshly.
Lin Chen knew that if he stayed, the argument with Xue Ying's family would only get worse, so he suppressed his anger and said to Xue Ying, "Ying, I'll go over there to grab something to eat. You talk with your uncle and aunt first."
As he left, Lin Chen whispered in Xue Ying's ear, "Don't worry, I'll be watching over you from there."
Lin Chen didn't want to cause trouble for Xue Ying, so he chose not to argue with her parents, but if anyone bullied Xue Ying, he wouldn't stand idly by.
Xue Ying nodded, albeit reluctantly, and followed Li Qian to toast with various young heirs of major families.
Li Qian led Xue Ying to a young man dressed in Armani and whispered, "Ying, the Luo family owns DY real estate, and their assets are at least two billion; make a good impression. If you marry into the Luo family, you could live the life of a rich lady in your next life."
Upon hearing Li Qian's words, Xue Ying scoffed. Lin Chen, who had just been ridiculed as a pauper, had made over twenty billion in less than a month. In comparison, this second-generation wealthy Luo Xin was practically worthless.
"What are you smiling at? If you don't perform well later, see how I'll deal with you when we get back," Li Qian glared at Xue Ying and said coldly.
In fact, Xue Ying wasn't afraid of Li Qian. If it weren't for her father's poor health, she would have broken off relations with this stepmother long ago, but for her father's sake, she had to endure this woman.
The two approached Luo Xin, and Li Qian said with a flattering expression, "Young Master Luo, hello. My daughter has always admired your talent and wanted to get to know you, but she has never found the opportunity. Fortunately, we ran into Young Master Luo here today."
Upon hearing Li Qian's words, Xue Ying almost vomited. She had long heard about what kind of person Luo Xin was, using his money to toy with girls. His so-called talent was nothing more than flirting.
Luo Xin's gaze lingered on Xue Ying, sizing her up from top to bottom. He had long heard that Xue Ying was beautiful, and seeing her today, he was indeed deeply attracted by her allure.
"I've long heard that Miss Xue Ying is as beautiful as a fairy, and it is indeed a great fortune to meet you today," Luo Xin said enthusiastically with a smile.
"Xiao Ying, what are you doing just standing there? Go and offer a toast to Young Master Luo," Li Qian, seeing Luo Xin taking a liking to Xue Ying, pushed Xue Ying towards him with great joy.
Xue Ying did not offer Luo Xin a toast but simply said, "Sorry, I have other matters and can't stay with you."
As she was about to leave, Luo Xin suddenly grabbed her.
He had long heard that Xue Ying was a woman with flavor. It wasn't easy for her to fall into his trap , so naturally, Luo Xin was not going to let her go.
"Miss Xue Ying, don't be like that. How about we have a drink and dance?" As he spoke, his hand mischievously pinched Xue Ying's buttock.
Xue Ying was already disinclined to engage with Luo Xin, but seeing this man taking advantage of her infuriated her.
Xue Ying slapped Luo Xin across the face.
The slap was loud and crisp, immediately quieting the noisy banquet.
Many people turned their eyes towards Xue Ying and Luo Xin.
"You bitch, how dare you hit me?" Luo Xin bellowed in anger.
This banquet was full of young people from their social circle, and being slapped in public made Luo Xin both angry and annoyed.
Then Li Qian rushed over in a panic. The Luo family could make the ground tremble in DY with just a stamp of their foot. Offending the Luo family meant that the Xue family would definitely not be able to withstand the Luo family's wrath.
She had never imagined that trying to steal a chicken could end up losing the rice, she screamed at Xue Ying in anger, "Xiao Ying, what are you doing? Have you lost your mind?"
Li Qian blamed Xue Ying without even asking about the circumstances.
"It was him who made improper advances," Xue Ying argued with a sense of grievance.
"What, playing the innocent? What's the big deal if he touched you a bit? Just now I saw you with that village boy, holding hands and looking cheap, and now you come here playing the virtuous lady," Li Qian said angrily.
Xue Ying was truly enraged. Even though she was a stepmother, instead of defending her daughter when she was wronged, she blamed her instead. How could such a person deserve to be called a mother?
"Xiao Ying, you've disappointed me greatly," Xue Li also said coldly.
Seeing Xue Ying's parents taking his side, Luo Xin became even more fearless.
"You whore, daring to hit me, today I will let you truly understand my power," he said as he dragged Xue Ying outside without further ado.
As Luo Xin was dragging Xue Ying away, Xue Li frowned and was just about to intervene when Li Qian grabbed him, "Old Man, are you stupid? Now that Xiao Ying is being taken away by Luo Xin in front of everyone, if they end up together, wouldn't it force the Luo family to acknowledge it?"
Upon hearing Li Qian's words, Xue Li was struck by the thought, but just as he hesitated, Luo Xin let out a scream like that of a slaughtered pig.