Chapter 865 You're Together

"What a pity."

"With Xia Ningxi gone, there's a lot less excitement to watch."

"I wish I hadn't come. I didn't get enough sleep today, and now I have to watch a bunch of little people jumping around. It hurts my eyes just looking at them."

Duan Rongrong couldn't help but complain.

Some onlookers overheard their conversation and were all puzzled.

They regretted it too!

Before the banquet had even officially started, some people were already thinking of running away, but since Huo Nanxiao was still there, they had no choice but to stay.

Zhou Fenglin counted the distinguished guests who came today, but didn't see anyone from the Ling family. She took the initiative to ask Huo Nanxiao, "Young Master Huo, haven't you been cooperating with the Ling family recently? Why didn't they come to the banquet?"

Huo Nanxiao raised an eyebrow: "What does your birthday have to do with the Ling family?"

"To be honest, I sent the invitation under Wanwan's name. I thought the Ling family would come to the capital city because of you, but I didn't expect them to take it so lightly." Zhou Fenglin said slowly, with a hint of regret in his voice.

But her words were clearly intended to sow discord.

Because she knew that if the Ling family protected Xia Ningxi and sowed discord between Huo Nanxiao and the Ling family, Huo Nanxiao would no longer protect Xia Ningxi and would only devote himself to Xia Wanwan.

Unexpectedly, Ling Xiao, who had just stepped into the banquet hall, overheard these words. He laughed and said, "I never knew that Madam Zhou was such a gossip."

Zhou Fenglin froze, turned around abruptly, and was completely flustered when she saw Ling Xiao. She was so embarrassed that she didn't know what to do.

Inside the banquet hall, everyone's eyes lit up!

"Xia Ningxi?"

"It's Xia Ningxi! She's back in the capital!"

"My God, she's so brave. She dares to come back to the capital at a time like this and even attend the Xia family's banquet. She has so much courage."

"I wouldn't dare show up here either."

Many people were shocked by Xia Ningxi. As Huo Nanxiao's original wife, she still managed to let the mistress take her place. If it were any other woman, she would be so ashamed that she would not be able to lift her head. Even a wealthy heiress like them would feel ashamed and would not dare to attend the banquet.

Xia Ningxi has quite the nerve.

A murmur arose, and Xia Ningxi and Ling Xiao heard it all clearly.

Ling Xiao did not let Xia Ningxi resolve the matter. Instead, he took the initiative to walk up to Zhou Fenglin and said, "I don't know who your daughter is. I naturally won't look at the invitation you sent me. As for why I am here today, I am simply accompanying my wife on a side trip."

The implication is: Who do you think you are? Even if you kneel down and beg me, you're not worth my condescension. I'm only here to give Xia Ningxi face; it has nothing to do with you.

Zhou Fenglin couldn't understand what Ling Xiao was saying, nor did he know that Ling Xiao was mocking her behind her back. He thought that Xia Ningxi was afraid of losing face and asked Ling Xiao to come with her to save face. He smiled and said, "What President Ling said is true. Our two families do not know each other, but we know Xia Ningxi."

"She is Wanwan's younger sister. Now that Wanwan is married to Huo Nanxiao, she should call Huo Nanxiao her brother-in-law."

When Zhou Fenglin said this, his smile almost reached his ears, and his words were full of boasting.

Everyone could tell that Zhou Fenglin was deliberately humiliating Xia Ningxi.

Ling Xiao was so smart, how could he not understand? He reached out his hand to Xia Ningxi in front of everyone.

Xia Ningxi smiled gently and gracefully placed her hand in Ling Xiao's palm.

The two held hands tightly, and though they didn't say a word, it spoke volumes.

Zhou Fenglin was completely devastated.

Ling Xiao very gentlemanly took Xia Ningxi's hand and politely said to Zhou Fenglin, "I've heard about your family. It's said that even Master Huo doesn't like you very much. Ningxi has already severed ties with the Xia family. There's no need for this 'brother-in-law' title. Not just anyone can be so high up as to be associated with her."

Whoosh—

A sense of horror filled the air!

No one expected Ling Xiao to be so bold, daring to humiliate Xia Wanwan's family in front of her. He had such audacity and such arrogance!

Can……

When everyone's eyes were focused on Huo Nanxiao, and they saw that Huo Nanxiao was not angry with Ling Xiao, they knew that the person in front of them was of very high status.

It seems the Ling family is not just a name; they are indeed a wealthy and powerful family. Otherwise, Xia Wanwan would have already jumped up in anger, and Huo Nanxiao would not have allowed him to humiliate Xia Wanwan's family.

Now all the pressure is on Xia Wanwan.

The banquet tonight was originally intended to show off the stability of Xia Wanwan's marriage with Huo Nanxiao and to inform everyone in the capital city of the Xia family's status, but everything changed after Xia Ningxi and Ling Xiao appeared.

The guests who had previously been wary of the Xia family suddenly became excited to watch the spectacle, and some even couldn't help but laugh at them.

"Mrs. Zhou, Mr. Ling is right. Xia Wanwan's position is illegitimate. How dare you ride on Xia Ningxi's head? Look at your precious daughter, she doesn't even dare to say a word." Someone egged them on.

Some people said, "Let Xia Wanwan go down and rest. She's not in good health, and it wouldn't be good if she fainted later."

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

In the past, every time Xia Wanwan got into trouble, she would faint in order to escape punishment. After it happened so many times, no one believed her anymore. They all thought that Xia Wanwan was faking fainting and acting pitiful to gain Huo Nanxiao's sympathy.

Feeling embarrassed, Xia Wanwan blushed and explained, "I'm fine, so please don't worry about me."

Her health has indeed recovered quite well, and she can walk again.

Xia Wanwan took the initiative to greet Xia Ningxi: "I'm very happy that you can come. Today is my mother's birthday banquet. We've had many conflicts before, but from now on, let's put everything behind us and have a good get-together."

She took Xia Ningxi's hand and squeezed it slightly, her eyes filled with an unfathomable darkness.

Xia Ningxi knew that she wanted to consider the overall situation and didn't want any conflict to become a laughing stock for others.

It has to be Xia Wanwan. She didn't get the title of the top socialite for nothing. No matter what happens, she can always swallow her pride for the sake of her reputation.

Even when others slap her across the face, she can still maintain a smile.

Xia Ningxi pulled her hand back without hesitation and said to Ling Xiao, "Let's go inside."

“Okay.” Ling Xiao nodded, took Xia Ningxi’s hand and walked into the venue, ignoring Xia Wanwan’s family.

Fu Mingyan burst into tears of joy and rushed over, exclaiming, "You're finally here! I've been waiting for you for so long!"

She was so upset she almost cried.

Ling Xiao asked in confusion, "Your friend?"

“No.” Xia Ningxi shook her head and politely introduced, “This is the eldest daughter of the Fu family, Fu Mingyan. Her brother is Fu Xiyu. You should know him.”

“So you’re from the Fu family. Our two families have a business relationship. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Ling Xiao extended his hand.

Fu Mingyan pouted, looked at Ling Xiao and then at Xia Ningxi, and asked, "Why did you come with another man?"

Ling Xiao smiled and said, "Is there a problem?"

“No problem, but, well, she should come back alone and tear Xia Wanwan’s face off,” Fu Mingyan muttered under her breath.

Xia Ningxi said in a low voice, "Miss Fu, be careful what you say."

Fu Mingyan retorted, "What are you afraid of? What can a mistress like her do to you?"

Chu Xinran quickly grabbed Fu Mingyan and pulled her behind her, saying, "Ning Xi, she's drunk and not thinking straight. Don't pay any attention to her. A lot of people are watching Xia Wanwan make a fool of herself. If you get into a conflict with Xia Wanwan, they'll definitely join in and watch you suffer too."

"I know I'm not here to cause trouble today, I'm just here to have a meal and leave once I'm full," Xia Ningxi said with a smile.

Chu Xinran breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."

The distinguished guests from the capital were all present, and many of them recognized Ling Xiao, so they came to greet him.

Ling Xiao smiled and responded to everyone, holding Xia Ningxi's hand from beginning to end.

Ji Feibai quickly came up behind Huo Nanxiao and, taking advantage of Xia Wanwan's inattention, whispered, "What's going on with them? Why have they been holding hands since they came in? It's so strange. Does Ling Xiao like this kind of thing?"

Huo Nanxiao's gaze was fixed on the two of them, and the coldness in his eyes could almost be condensed into the shape of a knife.

Jin Mingxi was also curious: "Did you go to Lingcheng this time just to take Xia Wanwan to see a doctor? I thought you went to Lingcheng because you were worried about her."

“Me too.” Ji Feibai nodded repeatedly.

Huo Nanxiao scoffed coldly: "Pretending."

Ji Feibai: "But they don't seem to be faking it. Maybe they really are together. I'll ask them for you."

Before Huo Nanxiao could reply, Ji Feibai had already quickly stepped forward.

"Mr. Ling, it's been a long time." Ji Feibai said with a big smile.

Ling Xiao said, "The last time I saw you was abroad."

"Yeah, that time I booked the whole golf course, and you were there too. We even had a little argument. I never imagined it was your course," Ji Feibai joked.

Ling Xiao smiled and said, "You can come and play next time you have time, it's free."

“Okay, thank you, Mr. Ling.” Ji Feibai readily agreed, his gaze falling on Xia Ningxi, and said, “Dr. Xia, we meet again.”

Xia Ningxi returned a polite smile.

Ji Feibai asked in confusion, "Why did you all come to the capital together? Are you on a business trip?"

“She’s been incredibly busy these past few days, so I brought her on a special trip and stopped by to see her,” Ling Xiao replied.

Ji Feibai was surprised: "Are you two together?"

Ling Xiao smiled, raised their clasped hands, and asked, "What do you think?"

"I understand, I understand." Ji Feibai suddenly realized, and said to Xia Ningxi with a smile, "I didn't expect Dr. Xia to be so sought after. I thought you would study hard after going abroad and might not come back for many years. I didn't expect you to come back after only three months. Is it for Mr. Ling?"

“Yes.” Xia Ningxi did not deny it.

Ji Feibai thought to himself: It's over, Xia Ningxi has really fallen for someone else! Nan Xiao has suffered a huge loss. How can Xia Wanwan compare to Xia Ningxi?

Looking at the two people's tightly clasped hands, and then at Huo Nanxiao and Xia Wanwan not far away, even he, a friend of Huo Nanxiao for many years, felt he had lost out.

After exchanging a few words, Ji Feibai quickly returned to Huo Nanxiao's side.

Jin Mingxi leaned closer: "How's it going? How's the investigation going?"

"I've found out, they really are together. Xia Ningxi really likes Ling Xiao," Ji Feibai concluded.

Jin Mingxi: "Impossible, right? Does Ling Xiao like her?"

Ji Feibai: "How could I not like it when we're holding hands?"

“That’s not necessarily true. Lin Jiangbei is still in Xia Ningxi’s hands. The Ling family has to do things according to Xia Ningxi’s wishes now. Maybe Ling Xiao doesn’t want to embarrass her and is here to support her.” Jin Mingxi boldly guessed.

Ji Feibai said, "Ling Xiao is not Li Yancheng. I feel that this time is different from before. This man gives people an unprecedented sense of security. I feel that women like this type of man very much."

The two of them turned to look at Huo Nanxiao. "What do you think? Do you believe Xia Ningxi and Ling Xiao are really together?"

"Did you come here specifically to see the gossip?" Huo Nanxiao asked unhappily.

The two quickly shook their heads.

Huo Nanxiao: "Since that's not the case, why waste so much time talking? She came to the banquet, so there's no need for wild guesses. There's no way they could have anything going on!"