Chapter 25 The Banquet 5 Is a private marriage proposal really going to such lengths?

Xie Jiaoyue noticed Chu Xingjin when he left, and without a second's hesitation, she decided to follow him.

In order to avoid others noticing her departure, she quickly altered the exaggerated outfit and put it on Hua Yi.

Hua Yi was utterly helpless: "Miss, is it possible that you can only look good in clothes because you're good-looking?"

Wearing such flamboyant clothes, she would be recognized in a second.

Xie Jiaoyue tore off a piece of cloth and gave it to Hua Yi as a veil.

Hua Yi was still worried: "Miss, I've never been a beautiful woman before, I'm nervous."

Xie Jiaoyue shared her secret: "When you get back to the banquet, just ignore whoever comes."

Xie Jiaoyue demonstrated: "Just be like this, arrogant and disdainful, and they will all praise you as a top-tier, icy beauty cultivator."

Xie Jiaoyue understood everything.

After arranging things here, Xie Jiaoyue changed into an inconspicuous outfit and secretly followed them.

According to her understanding, every step Chu Xingjin took was guided by the "Way of Heaven," and all of them would lead to a direction that was beneficial to her.

But how did we end up going further and further astray?

In such a remote place, with so little spiritual energy, it's impossible to expect any extraordinary encounters.

Then, Xie Jiaoyue watched as Chu Xingjin roasted a chicken and approached Feng Qianqian with the chicken neck in his hand.

Isn't this the female lead?

Xie Jiaoyue, who followed, finally understood mission three. Good heavens, no wonder she was only asked to bring the person to the banquet, it turns out it was to meet the female lead!

Looking at Chu Xingjin's greasy appearance, Xie Jiaoyue felt baffled.

You scoundrel, do you even remember you have a fiancée?

The system has urgently added four tasks: [You must not proactively tell Feng Qianqian about your relationship with Chu Xingjin.]

Xie Jiaoyue had no choice but to retract her leg and squat down to eat the melon.

She was indeed very curious, curious about why the phoenix clan descendant who was cherished by her clan in the original work would fall in love with Chu Xingjin.

If it's truly a matter of personal preference, then she respects other people's fates. But if there are other reasons, even with a system, there's still room for maneuver.

It all depends on human effort.

The result was even stranger. Feng Qianqian seemed quite normal at first, but after saying a few words, she seemed to have lost her intelligence.

Feng Qianqian's intelligence had indeed been diminished; the doubt and hesitation in her eyes gradually disappeared, and she accepted the slightly cool roasted chicken neck.

It's not very long, about the length of a finger, and it's not seasoned at all. It's not even a wild chicken; it just has the simplest, most original flavor.

Feng Qianqian took a small bite, and tears streamed down her face.

"It's delicious."

Feng Qianqian said with a sob in her voice, "You are so good to me, even better than my mother. My mother never cooks even one meal for me."

Chu Xingjin felt sorry for you and quickly comforted you: "Not everyone is qualified to have children. You are so cute and lovable, it's their problem if they don't realize it, not your fault."

Feng Qianqian took another bite of the chicken neck: "We've only just met, why are you being so nice to me?"

Chu Xingjin said, "Although this is the first time we've met, I feel as if we've known each other for many years."

He felt that this was probably because he also had parents who didn't love him, which was why he was able to empathize with the woman in front of him.

Because of this common ground, he reluctantly took a wing tip and handed it to Feng Qianqian: "If you're unhappy, eating something delicious will make you happy."

Feng Qianqian picked and chose, taking a few bites of the wing tips and chicken neck, but didn't seem full.

Her gaze drifted to the other parts of the roast chicken.

Chu Xingjin quickly defended her, saying, "This is what I wanted to eat, and I'm not full yet. You girls have small appetites, so you'll be full after eating a little."

The little phoenix actually nodded!

Xie Jiaoyue, who was watching from the sidelines, was deeply shocked.

Although it's unclear what conflict Feng Qianqian had with her family, judging from her innocent and pampered appearance, her fair and chubby fingers, her rosy cheeks, and her well-fitting and comfortable robes, she seemed to have been pampered and raised by her family.

How could it be taken down by just a chicken neck and a wing tip?

"Those wing tips don't look appetizing either."

The sudden sound startled Xie Jiaoyue.

It turned out to be Xin Xiuying.

Xie Jiaoyue was utterly speechless: "What are you doing here?"

Whose birthday party is it today?

Xin Xiuying rolled her eyes at Xie Jiaoyue: "Do you think you're the only one who can come?"

She had been keeping a close eye on Xie Jiaoyue all day; how could such a simple trick of changing clothes possibly escape her sharp eyes?

Anyway, the beginning of the birthday banquet has little to do with her; it's mostly her father's social event, so there's no point in her sitting there.

Xin Xiuying continued to look at the gossip in front of her, and even took it upon herself to introduce it to Xie Jiaoyue: "You rarely come out, so you may not recognize her. This woman is Feng Qianqian, the little princess of the Phoenix Clan who is cherished and protected. How could she be moved by a piece of chicken?"

Her gaze swept back and forth between Xie Jiaoyue and Chu Xingjin: "Besides, if I remember correctly, isn't that your fiancé? In broad daylight, he's getting all entangled with another woman, and you don't even care?"

Xie Jiaoyue rolled her eyes at Xin Xiuying: "They didn't do anything, why would I rush up there now? Are you suggesting I go and tell Chu Xingjin," she raised her voice, "that I followed you because I care about you? That I don't want you to talk to other women because I'm jealous?"

It's disgusting to think about. Wouldn't that make her a pervert?

Xin Xiuying thought about it and agreed. She took out a bag of sunflower seeds: "Want some?"

Xie Jiaoyue looked at her suspiciously: "You wouldn't have poisoned me, would you?" They didn't get along.

Xin Xiuying was so angry that she took one herself first.

The two of them started chewing on it, taking turns.

The story has progressed to the point where they need to open up and share their innermost thoughts.

Feng Qianqian had already leaned on Chu Xingjin's shoulder without realizing it, feeling as if she and the pitiful man were huddling together for warmth.

She got more and more excited as she spoke, venting her frustrations over the past few days: "Mother, Mother is actually trying to force me to marry someone else. I'm so young, and they don't want me anymore. They want to force me to become someone else's wife."

Chu Xingjin was startled. This was the first time he had felt such a clear attraction to someone. Was the woman he had his eye on about to become someone else's wife?

What stage have they reached? Are they already very close?

In that instant, Chu Xingjin felt an urge to push Feng Qianqian away.

Feng Qianqian continued, "I don't want to go for the matchmaking. I didn't even meet the person before sneaking out."

Chu Xingjin leaned against the other person with peace of mind.

He suddenly remembered his engagement with Xie Jiaoyue, and suddenly felt a deeper empathy for Feng Qianqian.

If his elders hadn't arranged this marriage for him, why would he have gone to the Xie family to become a disrespected son-in-law?

At this moment, he deliberately ignored the fact that Xie Jiaoyue had given him a choice, and it was his own choice to go to the Xie family.

He even felt that he was an extremely responsible man, which was why he chose to fulfill his marriage contract with Xie Jiaoyue despite being so unwilling.

Yes, he was extremely responsible. Even after discovering that his true love was Feng Qianqian, not Xie Jiaoyue, he still intended to fulfill the marriage contract.

After all, Xie Jiaoyue was just a vessel, and he had to fulfill his responsibilities.

But he wouldn't let Feng Qianqian suffer. He had already planned out the future in his mind. In the future, he would make them both equal wives, so that neither of them would be mistreated.

However, when Feng Qianqian looked up with her small face and innocently asked, "Chu Xingjin, do you have a lover?"

Chu Xingjin answered instinctively, "I didn't."

Not far away, Xin Xiuying's expression was quite interesting.

Yes, even marriages between prominent families can sometimes result in each family pursuing its own path.

The question is, is the Chu family considered a prominent family? And is the Chu-Xie marriage considered a political alliance?

Is this some kind of backroom deal involving a son-in-law selection? Are they trying to have their cake and eat it too?

She slapped Xie Jiaoyue on the head: "You good-for-nothing."

She's just as pathetic as Feng Qianqian; I don't know what she saw in this guy.

The reason she paid so much attention to Xie Jiaoyue, and why their relationship was so strained, was because she was constantly being compared to Xie Jiaoyue. One was the daughter of the clan chief, and the other was the daughter of the acting clan chief; they were also about the same age, so comparisons were inevitable.

That's how parents are. Even if she feels that she is worse than Xie Jiaoyue in most aspects, her parents will still find a way to criticize her, such as saying that she is not as well-behaved as Xie Jiaoyue.

As a result, the person her parents compared her to every day was so blind that Xin Xiuying felt her own standards were being lowered.

...

Xie Jiaoyue and Xin Xiuying returned to the banquet first, acting as if nothing had happened, obediently serving as decorative vases at the banquet.

Feng Qianqian returned with Chu Xingjin.

Feng Qianqian did not know Chu Xingjin. When she saw the Xie family's pattern on his clothes, she assumed he was a servant of the Xie family or a member of a branch she had never seen before. She did not think much of it and simply thought that she had found a kindred spirit with whom she could get along.

Although the two did not have any physical contact, they seemed to be chatting and laughing happily.

When Xie Jiaoyue saw Xin Xiuying's gaze, she pondered whether, according to her love-obsessed persona, she should show sadness, jealousy, or generously give Brother Chu some space.

Before she could figure it out, the Xin clan chief stood up.

"Today, we have gathered here to celebrate my daughter's birthday, and also to find the most suitable master for the Xin family's Water Pattern Alchemy Furnace."

Master Lu, Xie Jiaoyue wants to eat braised pork again.

The names you cultivators use are really interesting.

While she was away, the Xin clan chief had already announced the search plan.

"The Water Pattern Alchemy Furnace is currently sealed in the dense forest on the west side of the Xin Clan's territory. All children under the age of twenty who have come today are welcome to try it. Whoever can resonate with the Water Pattern Alchemy Furnace will be richly rewarded by the Xin Clan."

Someone jeered, "Is it just a reward?"

The Xin clan chief declared with great pride: "If there are multiple people who resonate with the alchemy furnace, the one whose reaction is the strongest, whoever it may be, the Xin clan will offer up the water-pattern alchemy furnace with both hands."

Xie Jiaoyue's brow twitched, realizing something was wrong.

Xin's intention was quite clear: she wanted to get everyone to support Xin Xiuying, belittle them, and elevate Xin Xiuying.

That's why they sent out invitations everywhere, even inviting the descendants of the phoenix.

It's obvious that they have great confidence in Xin Xiuying. Even if several people can resonate with her, Xin Xiuying is definitely the one who fits best with the Water Pattern Alchemy Furnace.

Is she really that confident? Isn't she afraid of being overshadowed by the male lead when he's around?

Xie Jiaoyue suddenly understood. No wonder the female lead appeared at this plot point; it was to highlight the male lead, make up for the difference in their status, and allow the female lead to fall in love with him smoothly.

This bastard should only hurt one woman; can he please stop being so promiscuous?

Author's note: I learned something new today: male-oriented harem novels require fairness; the male protagonist treats all his harem members equally.

Got it, Chu Xingjin is officially recognizing his wife as a secondary wife!