Xu Jianguo forgot that Liang Yufeng was still in the inner room. Startled by her shout, he knew she had a bad temper and didn't want to provoke her. He said in a deep voice, "Liang Yufeng, this is a family matter and has nothing to do with you!"

"Xu Jianguo, your family's affairs have nothing to do with me. Why did you call me here?" Liang Yufeng was furious and rushed out, pointing her finger at Xu Jianguo's nose and cursing, "You bastard, Qingning is my own niece. If you think she's an eyesore, you should have said so earlier. I'll take her away right now and make sure she gets married in style. She won't have you as her father anymore!"

Liang Yufeng's voice was too loud.

The onlookers in the hallway heard it all clearly.

With a stepmother comes a stepfather; it seems Xu Qingning's life at home isn't easy.

“Auntie, what are you saying?” In front of the Xiao family mother and son, Jiang Yumei tried to raise the corners of her mouth, stepped forward and took Liang Yufeng’s hand, and said with a smile, “Qingning is the daughter of this family, of course we will not mistreat her, it’s just that the incident happened so suddenly, we were not prepared.”

"Stop pretending to be a good person. Do you think everyone else is a fool?" Liang Yufeng rudely shook off her hand. "You only care about your own daughter. How can you tolerate Qingning? Otherwise, why would you be in such a hurry to send her to the countryside to work while letting your own daughter get married in the city?"

“Liang Yufeng, today is a special day for my two daughters. I don’t want to argue with you.” Xu Jianguo was furious, but he didn’t want to lose face in front of the Xiao family, so he had to hold back. “Qingning is my daughter. I will make her own decisions. If you ruin her wedding, you will be letting your sister down.”

"Fine, you two continue your talk." Liang Yufeng sat down in the chair angrily. "I want to see how you two plan to treat your two daughters equally."

Damn it, if Xu Jianguo mistreats Xu Qingning, she'll fight him to the death.

What the hell!

"Dad, whether you agree or not, I'm going with him." Xu Qingning stood at the bedroom door, her gaze lingering on Zhao Jingyu. Zhao Jingyu met her gaze, stood up, and said, "Then let's go get our marriage certificate now!"

Since you've decided to take responsibility, cut the Gordian knot quickly.

He was pressed for time and didn't have the extra time to dwell on these matters.

Are you getting your marriage certificate so soon?

Xiao Tingshen looked at Zhao Jingyu with a puzzled expression, then glanced at Xu Qingning. He knew that Xu Qingning liked him, and he had always been used to rejecting and ignoring her.

Zhao Jingyu knew that Xu Qingning liked him.

But how come he didn't know when Zhao Jingyu and Xu Qingning started dating?

"Wait a minute, marriage is a serious matter, how can you just leave like that?" Xu Jianguo was caught in a dilemma after Liang Yufeng disrupted things. He took a deep breath and said to Zhao Jingyu, "Sit down, let's talk things out first."

If Zhao Jingyu were to take Xu Qingning away in front of the Xiao family mother and son, wouldn't his family be seen as an unruly household?

“Okay.” Zhao Jingyu sat down again. Two young men stood behind him, looking at everyone in the room with wary expressions, as if they were ready to make a move at any moment.

The room fell silent instantly.

Everyone stared at Xu Jianguo.

Xu Jianguo's face flushed red and then turned pale. He didn't know how to start, so he said awkwardly, "Wenya is the older sister, so let's talk about Wenya first."

He can deal with Xu Qingning after the Xiao family leaves.

That brat is making him so angry he has a headache.

Jiang Yumei understood, smiled, and said to Liu Yuzhen, "Mother-in-law, since the two children want to get married before taking the college entrance exam, we, as elders, are happy to see it. We will accept the betrothal gifts, and you can decide on the wedding date."

“Ting Shen said the same thing.” Liu Yuzhen felt angry just thinking about the betrothal gifts Zhao Jingyu had given her. She even felt that Xu Jianguo and Jiang Yumei were deliberately making things difficult for them. She said in a lukewarm tone, “Let’s go back and check a date properly before we talk about it!”

She never thought much of Tang Wenya, believing that Xiao Tingshen would definitely find a better girl than Tang Wenya after going to university.

Who knew that Tang Wenya was so promiscuous, she was pregnant beforehand.

She wouldn't have bothered sending betrothal gifts if it weren't for her son's reputation. Her father was so angry when he found out that he refused to show his face.

"Then it's settled." Seeing Liu Yuzhen's long face, Jiang Yumei didn't say anything and started to prepare the meal. Liu Yuzhen couldn't eat anymore and suddenly stood up, saying to Xiao Tingshen, "Tingshen, let's go!"

"In-laws, please have a meal before you leave. Everything is ready." Xu Jianguo sincerely invited them to stay, and according to custom, they were also expected to stay for a meal.

Liu Yuzhen curled her lip: "No need, you have other distinguished guests to entertain, so we won't disturb you any longer."

Tang Wenya noticed Liu Yuzhen's displeasure and secretly tugged at Xiao Tingshen's sleeve. She had to explain things to him clearly today; she truly didn't know Zhao Jingyu would come to deliver the betrothal gifts.

Xiao Tingshen hesitated for a moment, but still followed Liu Yuzhen out. If it were only their family who came to deliver the betrothal gifts, he would definitely have stayed for dinner.

He simply couldn't eat this meal.

"Then come again when you're free." Knowing Liu Yuzhen's temperament, Jiang Yumei quickly took the return gift she had prepared in advance and went out to see her off.

Xu Jianguo also took his coat and went out to deliver it.

Tang Wenya watched Xiao Tingshen's retreating figure, her eyes reddening.

"Ting Shen, wait a moment, I have something to ask you." Zhao Jingyu then called out to Xiao Ting Shen.

Liu Yuzhen paused, looked back at Xiao Tingshen, said nothing, and walked away without looking back.

The stairwell was still full of neighbors watching the spectacle, all discussing the bride price between the two families.

Liu Yuzhen was so angry that she didn't even take the return gift. With a sullen face, she squeezed out of the crowd and stomped downstairs.

"Mother-in-law, slow down and wait for me." Jiang Yumei quickly caught up with him; she couldn't leave without receiving a return gift.

Xu Jianguo awkwardly followed them downstairs to see the guests off.

"What is it?" Xiao Tingshen asked Zhao Jingyu from the doorway.

“Zhao Jingyu, he knows nothing about what happened that night. Don’t make trouble for him,” Tang Wenya said first.

Zhao Jingyu briefly mentioned what happened that night, looking at Xiao Tingshen expressionlessly: "If Tang Wenya did this alone, we might still be able to continue our friendship, but if you were involved, we can't even be friends anymore."

"I really don't know." Xiao Tingshen looked at Tang Wenya in utter shock. "Wenya, is what he said true?"

"Ting Shen, don't believe him, he's wronging me!" Tang Wenya's eyes instantly reddened, and she said pitifully, "Qing Ning is my sister. Even if I knew she liked you, I wouldn't do that. I believe in your character."

"Xiao Tingshen, if you think we've wronged Tang Wenya, then go and investigate at the guesthouse yourself." Xu Qingning looked at Xiao Tingshen, the so-called male lead, and said disdainfully, "Therefore, Tang Wenya and I will no longer have any contact, nor will we have any further interaction with you."

Xiao Tingshen is the male protagonist of the book. He is handsome, comes from a good family, and his parents are both leaders in their workplaces, which makes him the object of many girls' affections.

But for Xu Qingning, all of that was irrelevant. Love and romance were not as important as her current reality of having enough to eat and wear.

She also disliked Xiao Tingshen.

Xu Jianguo and Jiang Yumei returned after seeing Liu Yuzhen off. The two of them stood outside the door and overheard their conversation clearly.

Xu Jianguo grew angrier as he listened, and upon entering the room, he immediately berated Xu Qingning: "Your sister is always showing weakness, but you keep pushing her. What exactly do you want?"

"What I want is to seek justice for myself," Xu Qingning retorted. "Should I just let her frame and bully me?"

"You..." Xu Jianguo was so angry that he was about to raise his hand to hit her.

“Uncle Xu, you can investigate Tang Wenya’s matter at your leisure. If you have nothing else to do, I’m going to take Qingning to get our marriage certificate right now.” Zhao Jingyu stood up and walked up to Xu Jianguo, saying each word clearly, “I have neither the time nor the interest to watch you discipline your daughter.”

"Get a marriage certificate? What certificate?" Xu Jianguo was enraged by Zhao Jingyu's attitude. "I don't agree to your relationship!"

Dear readers, please add my new book to your favorites, recommend it, and vote for it! Also, I'd like to recommend Qingqing's completed historical fiction, "Back to the 90s, All I Want Is to Make Money," the link is below: