Chapter 57: Three Days Before the Wedding

His icy voice suddenly rang out once again.

"I will, I'm willing! You've got a blade right at my throat, I'll agree to whatever you say."

"As long as you let me live, I'll do anything."

"Good. Since that's what you say, I'll trust you for now."

With that, Wen Yun'an crouched down and whispered something to the three of them.

He Lingfeng drove his car while his mind raced through every possible scenario.

In the briefcase on the back seat, alongside a large tennis bag next to it, lay ten million yuan in cash.

Everything had happened too abruptly and the time was desperately short; he simply had no space to think things through.

Suddenly, Shen Qing's call came through.

"Oh, my dear son-in-law, when are you getting to the restaurant? It's already past noon. I even made a special trip to the company earlier, and they said you had left. I thought you would have arrived at the hotel by now, but you should have been here ages ago, shouldn't you?"

Shen Qing's smiling voice came from the other end of the line.

"Ah, Auntie, I completely forgot because you didn't mention it, but I have some urgent matters on my hands right now. Could you please help me host and greet everyone first?"

He Lingfeng suddenly remembered that the wedding was only three days away, which was why he had invited all of the company's business partners and family relatives to a banquet at Cloud Dream Space today.

Yet this entire matter had slipped completely from his mind; ever since the morning's farce, he had utterly forgotten about it.

"How can I do that? Son-in-law, you're the guest of honor today! No matter what, I can't take over for you. After all, I am neither your parent nor Qiuya's parent. You know how cowardly her uncle is; in such a solemn occasion, he stammers when he speaks. If we were to wait for him to host, the guests would mock him from start to finish."

Shen Qing's words were correct, and He Lingfeng knew it all too well. Yun Jiannan was timid and afraid of trouble; on such an important occasion today, not only would he be unable to help, but he might even ruin everything and turn the banquet upside down.

"Auntie, I really have matters to attend to today and cannot make it on time. I must ask you to help smooth things over for me."

Frowning, He Lingfeng pleaded with a serious expression once more.

On the other end, Shen Qing could detect his repeated evasiveness. "Lingfeng, what is going on? Nothing has gone wrong, has it? At such a critical juncture, you must make sure things are handled properly!"

Shen Qing's tone abruptly shifted.

"Rest assured, Auntie. When have I ever handled things poorly? It's just that some issues have cropped up at the company, so I cannot pull myself away," He Lingfeng said, feigning calmness.

"Alright, alright, since my dear son-in-law says so, Auntie won't meddle in the company's affairs. After all, I'm just an ordinary citizen who knows nothing about corporate strategy and can't be of any help, so I won't cause you any extra trouble."

After hanging up the phone, Shen Qing turned around with a beaming smile and glanced at the guests behind her.

Today she was wearing a red cheongsam, looking very much as though she were the guest of honor. Yun Jiannan sat quietly in the corner of a table near the stage, his head lowered and his eyes fixed unblinkingly on his phone.

Shen Qing cast a sidelong glance at him, displaying utter dissatisfaction.

She then snatched the microphone from the host's hand.

"Respected guests, I presume none of you are strangers to my face," she said, her smile full of an expression that was both hypocritical and earnest.

"That's right, I am Qiuya's aunt. Today is the pre-wedding banquet for Qiuya and my son-in-law. Originally, Lingfeng said he would come, but the company is simply too busy, and he was caught up in a sudden emergency, making it impossible for him to break away. Thus, he had to ask me, her aunt, to stand in for him."

"The journey that Lingfeng and Qiuya have walked together has not been easy. I've watched them both grow step by step. From childhood, Qiuya was cherished like a princess in the palm of a hand, living in luxury and abundance. She has always been the apple of the Yun family's eye and has never suffered any hardships since she was little—the only hardship she ever endured was the passing of my brother and sister-in-law three years ago."

As Shen Qing spoke, a sound of sobbing came through the microphone, and she whipped out a handkerchief from somewhere to dab at her eyes.

"Just think, how old was she back then? Only eighteen! Just after celebrating her coming-of-age ceremony, her parents passed away. During that time, how heartbroken our little Qiuya was! As her aunt, it breaks my heart to see it. But the pain of losing loved ones was more than she could bear. Fortunately, before my brother and sister-in-law passed away, they had already chosen a husband for her, so Qiuya pulled herself together very quickly, took on the role of president of the Yun Group, and managed all the company's affairs, big and small."

As she spoke, Shen Qing's choked voice grew bright again. A gleam of triumph flashed in her eyes as she looked down at the people seated below.

Yet when her gaze fell upon Yun Jiannan, she rolled her eyes in disdain.

Yun Jiannan's mind remained entirely focused on his phone; he did not raise his head nor even spare her a single look.

Down below, the guests whispered among themselves. Some agreed with Shen Qing's words, while others expressed pity for Yun Qiuya's misfortune.

"Qiuya's life has truly been too bitter. If I were Yunting, my heart would ache so much. To shoulder the heavy burdens of the Yun Group at just eighteen—I thought the child's life was getting better and better, and now the Yun Group is indeed thriving under her leadership. One cannot help but praise He Lingfeng; with an able general like him, everything is accomplished with half the effort. The last time I attended an event of theirs, it was their engagement banquet. How is it that only three months have passed, and Qiuya..."

"Alright, alright, don't say such inauspicious things. In any case, isn't Qiuya lying safely in the hospital? As long as she's alive, that's what matters most."

The two of them looked deeply sympathetic toward Qiuya's plight.

"I think He Lingfeng is a truly wonderful son-in-law. Yunting knew how to look after his family while he was still alive. Look at Yun Jiannan—as his older brother, he sits there silently without saying a word, yet he still controls a massive share of the Yun Group. But seeing him today, he's clearly henpecked."

"Indeed, indeed. If it were me, I'd have kicked that freeloader out long ago. Managing a company as large as the Yun Group is no easy task. If you want confidants, they have to be capable. Wanting to help out a family member is fine, but if they can't contribute anything at all, you're better off without them. Besides, his own younger brother is no longer here..."

A woman in a floral shirt whispered covertly, casting a sidelong glance at Yun Jiannan in the front row.

Whether Yun Jiannan was seated too far away from those behind him or had simply blocked them out entirely, he sat there motionless, staring at his phone without any reaction.

"What you said is spot on. That dull, stubborn blockhead—He Lingfeng is being more than generous by not kicking him out."

"By the way, have you heard? Yun Qiuya might remain a vegetable for the rest of her life and never wake up!"

"That news has long since spread in our circle. Ever since the day she fell, we all thought she wouldn't survive. Who would have guessed the child is so tough? Falling from the 27th floor and somehow only ending up in a coma!"

"So I say she has a very resilient fate, and she's fortunate to have met a kind-hearted man like He Lingfeng. If she had run into a heartless scoundrel, who knows, he might have abandoned her long ago."

"Exactly. In the end, He Lingfeng is a good person. Even though Yunting helped him before and set him on the right path, now that Yunting and his wife are gone and Qiuya is in this state, He Lingfeng has the final say in the Yun Group. He Lingfeng is a true man—not only did he uphold his marriage vows, but he is also willing to care for a vegetative person for the rest of his life. It really makes us look at him in a whole new light."

The three women chattered back and forth without inhibition, their voices fluctuating in volume, their eyes filled with adoring admiration for He Lingfeng.

On stage, Shen Qing continued her passionate speech.

Meanwhile, Yun Jiannan kept his eyes glued to the screen of his phone, his hands clenched into tight fists with the veins bulging visibly from the force.

He looked as though he were making a grave resolution.

Abruptly, he stood up and walked out. Shen Qing followed his retreating figure toward the door, her face a mask of annoyance and disgust.