Chapter 6 — Called Off Right on the Spot

As I stepped across the threshold, every eye in the grand parlor converged upon me. The aged patriarch of the household spoke first, his tone measured and smooth: "Qing He has arrived. Take a seat."

I remained standing, my posture rigid. "Elder Shen, I am here today to settle the matter of this engagement once and for all."

The gentle smile on the old man's face withered slightly. "Young people inevitably quarrel and exchange heated words from time to time; there is no need to blow a minor incident completely out of proportion."

I turned my gaze toward Shen Zhi Xing. "Does Master Shen share the same sentiment?"

Zhi Xing deftly evaded the question, his eyes shifting away. "Mian has already learned her lesson this afternoon. Her car was towed as well."

Hearing this, Lin Mian instantly leaped to her feet. "Miss Xu, I am truly sorry." She picked up a delicate porcelain teacup from the low table and walked over until she stood directly before me. "It was entirely my fault today. I should never have contested that parking space with you, nor should I have spoken such unseemly words." She extended the teacup, pressing it toward my hands. "I beg you to be magnanimous and not hold a grudge against me."

I made no move to accept the tea. "You should not have been driving under the influence, you should not have caused a collision, you should not have slanderously lied, and above all, you should not have snatched my phone."

Lin Mian bit her lower lip, her eyes shimmering with feigned distress. "Miss Xu, can we not let the past remain in the past?"

I countered sharply, "Who on earth told you this was over?"

A middle-aged woman belonging to the Shen clan slammed her teacup down onto the table with a harsh clatter. "Miss Xu, let us not push things too far. Mian has already offered a sincere apology; just what more could you possibly demand?"

"I demand that this be handled according to proper regulations and the law."

"Regulations?" The woman let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Some upstart little girl from out of town dares to lecture the Shen family about regulations?"

The patriarch tapped his ornate walking stick heavily against the marble floor, cutting through the rising tension. "Qing He, your father and I crossed paths many years ago, which is precisely why I agreed to foster this union between our families. If you insist on making a scene, you will only succeed in bringing public disgrace to both our houses."

I stared unblinkingly at him. "Elder Shen, are you truly certain you had good intentions in arranging this match?"

"What exactly are you implying?"

"Three months ago, you sent intermediaries to approach my father, claiming that the Shen Corporation was desperately seeking to push a new batch of pharmaceuticals onto the provincial procurement list, and you begged my father to act as your intermediary and broker."

The entire living room plunged into an icy, suffocating silence. Shen Zhi Xing’s expression darkened into a scowl. "Xu Qing He, watch your tongue."

I ignored him entirely. "My father refused your overture, stating only that he would allow the two younger generations to meet and see if we were compatible. Yet the moment your back was turned, you went about spreading rumors that the Xu family was shamelessly trying to climb a social ladder, forcing the Shen Corporation into a marriage alliance."

The hand gripping the silver-headed cane tightened until the old man's knuckles turned stark white. "Who put these words into your head?"

"No one had to."

"Did your father tell you this?"

"My father simply instructed me to come and see for myself whether the Shen family was a house worth associating with." I pivoted to look directly at Shen Zhi Xing. "Having now seen the truth with my own eyes, I can say with absolute certainty that it is not."

At that dramatic juncture, Lin Mian suddenly burst into loud, theatrical tears. "Elder Patriarch, please do not let this anger you; it is all my fault. Since Miss Xu finds me so utterly intolerable, I shall simply leave." With those words, she spun around as if intending to hurl herself out the door.

Shen Zhi Xing moved with practiced swiftness, catching her by the arm. "Where do you think you are going?"

Lin Mian wept all the more pitifully, burying her face. "I cannot bear to see you caught in the middle. Miss Xu is your rightful fiancee, and what am I compared to her?"

The middle-aged Shen relative scrambled to her feet in a flurry of agitation. "Zhi Xing! Mian has stood by your side through thick and thin all these years. Even without a formal title, she has devoted her heart and soul to you. To cast her aside and humiliate her for the sake of some woman who just walked into your life—you have truly lost your mind!"

Hearing this grotesque display, the fog cleared, and I finally understood. This dinner was never meant to be an apology; it was a carefully orchestrated trap designed to force me into quietly accepting Lin Mian's permanent presence.

The patriarch abandoned all remaining pretense of civility. "Qing He, for a successful man to have a capable woman by his side to assist with affairs is hardly a matter of grave consequence. Once you marry into this family, you must learn the virtue of broad-minded tolerance."

I repeated coldly, "Are you suggesting that I am expected to share a roof with her?"

The old man replied with an air of absolute entitlement: "She is merely a secretary and assistant."

Lin Mian lowered her head, her voice dropping to a fragile whisper. "I promise I will never compete with Miss Xu for position. As long as I am permitted to continue caring for Director Shen, I ask for nothing more."

I turned my piercing gaze back to Shen Zhi Xing. "And you? Is this your wish as well?"

He remained silent for several agonizing seconds before answering in a flat tone: "Lin Mian’s professional capabilities are exceptional. The Shen Corporation simply cannot function without her."