Chapter 39 - Decisive Moment.
Everyone was stunned into a dominating silence.
"Brother Li are you high?" Li Yuan voiced out meekly in the total shut out silence. In the shock, no one could even hear his words.
"What the nonsense you are spouting!" Li Fu Tong was loud; his infuriated tone that held so much anger that it almost made Li Yuan jump in fright. Li Yuan quickly rushed to hide behind his mother like a child. "I'm scared." Things were really going in the wrong direction.
Li Luxian stood his ground firmly; not a single ripple of reluctance or wavering appeared in his countenance.
"I'm not spouting nonsense grandfather. I came here to introduce my wife to everyone. How cruel of you to call this nonsense." Li Luxian merely shrugged. Even in the heated atmosphere, he was still playful. A slight smile was playing on his lips.
"This woman; is she your wife?" Li Fu Tong finally glanced at Chen Yi. His glare was strong as if trying to intimidate her with it.
But unexpected to him, Chen Yi didn't duck away or looked down at his glare. Instead, she faced him with firm expressions on her face. The woman had a strong character. Li Tu Fong observed that thing about her. Li Tu Fong didn't like the white lotus sort of women who cried to seem pitiful. 'So what if she is strong? They still defied me!'
"Presumptuous!" Wang Zhihao slammed his arm on the table and rose. His face was twisted with anger. "Is this some kind of joke? Is my family a joke to you guys?" It felt like he was losing it. And why wouldn't he? He was so close to his objective then suddenly everything crumbled down. "Proof, Where is proof that you are married?" He demanded.
Wang Zhihao thought that Li Luxian married so suddenly against his parent's approval. He must be lying to get rid of the engagement.
Wang Hualing was also shocked into silence. She was frozen to her spot. She had spent countless hours shedding fake tears in front of Li Fu Tong to make him agree to come and personally arrange the engagement. Everything had been settled and even Li Guang conceded to Li Fu Tong, agreeing to not annul the engagement.
She was so happy just a moment ago. Everything was perfect.
It looked like Li Luxian was finally hers. She wouldn't have to wait for more than a week.
"I'm saying it. Isn't that enough of proof? Why would you want a proof" Li Luxian voice was light. Unlike Wang Zhihao, whose voice was loud and enraged, Li Luxian voice was breezy and indifferent.
"You are trying to trick us. Isn't that obvious?"
Li Luxian lips curled up; mock appeared in his eyes. "What reasons do I've to trick you?"
Wang Zhihao opened his mouth then closed it. Damnit!
Everyone knew that Li Luxian never wanted to get married to Wang Hualing. But Wang Zhihao couldn't mention that reason out in open. Because that would be equal to insulting his own daughter.
Li Luxian laughed. "Elder Wang, if you so dealy desire a proof, here it is" Li Luxian grabbed a red certificate that was secured in a frozen Chen Yi hands and threw it on the table.
Wang Zhihao was speechless. They had never expected such a situation.
However, it was a different story for Wang Hualing. When her eyes fell on that certificate, she finally broke out of the trance. The next moment, she lost her calm.
She had been able to keep her calm until now because she had been too shocked to act or say something. When she saw Chen Yi standing by Li Luxian side with her hand in his hand and the way he looked at her, she completely lost it.
"This is a lie!" She screamed. Tears were brimming in her eyes. Her breaths came shallower and faster. "You..." Her bloodshot eyes met Chen Yi. She was blinded by fury. She didn't waste a second to rush in Chen Yi's direction. She raised her hand, mindless of the consequences and lost in the moment.
"I won't let you off!"
Chen Yi was astonished. Was it the same calm and elegant Wang Hualing as portrayed in the media. They said she was as delicate as a flower a couldn't withstand any sort of violence.
"So this is what Li Luxian meant when he said she is a bit eccentric."
Wang Hailing was fast. Li Luxian rushed to stop her but before that, Wang Hualing's hand reached Chen Yi. It looked like Chen Yi was going to suffer a hit.
However...
Before anyone could think about doing something to stop Wang Hualing, Chen Yi's hand reached out with unexpectedly fast speed and gripped her elbow firmly. She effectively blocked her attack. Her lips slowly curled up into a smile.
"Let me go, you bitch!" Wang Huailing screamed.
Chen Yi's smile turned colder and colder. She lowered her eyes and twisted Wang Hualing's arm at a certain angle. For an onlooker, it didn't look damaging at all. But only Wang Huailing knew how much it hurt.
She screamed and pulled back with all her strength. When she was done, there wasn't a single handprint on Wang Hualing's arm. But the pain she had just felt was tremendous.
"What kind of witch you are. You!" Wang Huailing eyes filled with tears and she inspected her elbow to find proof of being abused. But she was stupefied. There wasn't a single mark.
"I just protected myself. Now am I to blame for even blocking your attack to protect myself? Should I just let you hit me instead?" Chen Yi laughed lightly.
"Y-You purposely hit me. You grabbed my arm and twisted it! Everyone saw it...", Wang Hualing looked around with pitiful eyes but she didn't find sympathy for her in anyone's eyes. Rather the looks everyone gave to her was completely different.
Shock and disgust appeared in their eyes.
Wang Hualing was at a loss about what to do now.
Her thoughtless move had made her image suffer a lot in the Li family eyes. Under normal circumstances, Wang Hualing would have kept her cool. But when she had seen another woman by Li Luxian side, she had lost it.
"Enough." Wang Zhihao realized they were at a disadvantage in the situation. He grabbed his daughter to stop her from doing something stupid again. "This is enough of insult we have endured so far." He harrumphed. "I never could have imagined elder Li would go back on his words. Guess I was wrong about you all along."
"Wang Zhihao stop." Whatever it was, Li Fu Tong had given Wang Zhihao his words. "Pardon us for the negligence of my grandson. That child is young and foolish. Ease your heart on that account. I'll compensate you for this." Li Fu Tang was aware if they bore hard feelings between these two families, the Li empire would suffer. His objective was simple. Resolve the matter with the least loss.
"Compensate me?" Wang Zhihao had a contemplative face. He smirked. "Would you kick out that whore right now from this manor and have her stripped?"
"Wang Zhihao!" Li Guang burst. No matter what the girl was now his daughter-in-law. Insulting her now was insulting the Li family.
"I won't settle for anything else." Wang Zhihao shot back coldly at Li Guang.
"You!"
"Silence!" Li Fu Tong's grave voice rose above everyone.
The man had some authority because after he rose his voice, no one defied. Chen Yi observed that and silently contemplated. 'Seemed like she had to be careful of him in the future'.
"What do you decide elder Li.." This time Wang Zhihao ignore Elder Li and put forth his conditions directly. "Do you choose this ignoble woman or three generations of the alliance of our Wang family?"