Chapter 46
Yuan Er looked at Gao Yinxi with some nervousness.
Gao Yinxi kept a cold face. She really wanted to walk away. Even though there was apology and longing in Yuan Ergeng's eyes, she didn't want to compromise.
The Yuan family did something wrong, so why should she tolerate them?
Seeing that Gao Yinxi's expression was not right, Meng Wan walked over to Yuan Ergeng and gently coaxed her son, "Baby, Daddy wants to sit with Aunt Gao, how about you sit with Mommy?"
Yuan Lang was still throwing a tantrum, "Mom, tell Dad to come with us and let Aunt Gao sit somewhere else."
Now, even Mr. and Mrs. Yuan looked a little embarrassed.
"Baby." Meng Wan put on a stern face, pretending to be unhappy, "You need to be sensible and not make things difficult for Daddy, okay? Come down."
She reached out and took the child from Yuan Ergeng's arms.
What a gentle and considerate ex-wife.
Gao Yinxi stood aside without saying a word, not wanting to be a good person or say that she wanted to quit.
What a joke, she's never the one who should have stepped down.
With the Yuan family pulling in one direction, the time for the wedding to officially begin arrived.
Two emcees, dressed in formal attire, took to the stage, began singing enthusiastically, and invited the guests to take their seats.
Gao Yinxi was seated at the table with Yuan's relatives and friends, with Yuan Ergeng sitting next to her, directly opposite Meng Wan and Yuan's parents.
People around them recognized them, and many were secretly observing them. Some of the guests at the same table looked at Gao Yinxi and smiled.
Gao Yinxi would smile if she wanted to, and play on her phone if she didn't. She didn't care what people around her thought of her. The main thing was that she didn't want to marry Yuan Ergeng right now. Of course, the fact that Meng Wan was sitting next to Yuan's parents also made her very unhappy.
Therefore, even though Yuan Er was taking better care of her than usual during the entire ceremony, she barely paid any attention to him. Apart from watching the bride and groom, she focused her attention on observing the interactions between Yuan's family and Meng Wan.
She saw Yuan's mother naturally serving food to Meng Wan, Yuan's father's kind smile as he talked with Meng Wan, Yuan Lang occasionally running to his mother's side to act coquettishly, and Meng Wan's respect for Yuan's parents.
Gao Yinxi felt like she was acting in an absurd drama.
She was the outsider who intruded into a harmonious family gathering.
Every laugh and every glance exchanged by that family reminded her that Meng Wan's relationship with the Yuan family was a past she couldn't participate in, and a present she couldn't sever ties with.
Halfway through the wedding banquet, the newlyweds began the toasting ceremony.
Because Yuan's parents and Meng Wan's table was near the front, Gao Yinxi noticed that the bride was hugging her affectionately, and the others were also chatting and laughing with Meng Wan.
"Sister Wanwan, it's so good to have you here!" The bride held Meng Wan's hand affectionately. "Langlang has grown so much taller."
She gently stroked her nephew's head.
Meng Wan smiled and offered her blessings, "Happy marriage, and may you be happy forever."
When it was Gao Yinxi's turn, the bride smiled elegantly and politely, but she lacked the same warmth she had shown to Meng Wan. "Thank you, Miss Gao, for coming."
The subtle difference in treatment finally made Gao Yinxi unable to suppress her anger, but she still maintained her smile and said, "Happy wedding!"
After the bride and groom finished toasting and moved on to the next table, Gao Yinxi turned to Yuan Ergeng and said, "I'm going to the restroom."
Yuan Ergeng immediately stood up as well, saying, "I'll stay with you."
As soon as they left the banquet hall and reached a quiet corner in the corridor, Gao Yinxi shook off Yuan Ergeng's hand. "Is this what you call 'just a normal invitation'? Look who the bride is being more affectionate with! Yuan Ergeng, is your whole family ganging up on me to humiliate me?"
Yuan Er shook his head helplessly, "Yinxi, how could that be? Don't you know how much our family values you? Ahua and Meng Wan are college classmates, so they naturally know each other better."
"So you mean I'm talking nonsense?" Gao Yinxi lowered her voice, her eyes filled with anger. "Your ex-wife sits with your parents and son like a family, while I'm like a third party! Let me tell you, Yuan Ergeng, from now on, in any occasion like this at your Yuan family's house, it's either me or her. You can decide for yourselves. If this happens again, we're breaking up."
After she finished speaking, she couldn't help but swear in English.
It's easy to imagine how angry she was.
Yuan Ergeng knew that he had crossed Gao Yinxi's line today, so he immediately apologized, "I'm sorry, baby, it won't happen again. I really didn't know today. If I had known, I wouldn't have come."
Just then, Yuan's mother and Meng Wan also came out of the banquet hall.
Seeing the two arguing, Yuan's mother quickly walked over, "Ergeng, Yinxi, what's wrong with you two?"
What a coincidence!
She and Yuan Ergeng had just left their seats when these two arrived. It seemed that not only had she been watching Meng Wan and the Yuan family's interactions, but the other party had also been watching her and Yuan Ergeng.
Gao Yinxi coldly observed the scene. "Perfect, everyone's here now. I'll be frank, I feel this arrangement is extremely disrespectful to me. If your whole family still has feelings for your former daughter-in-law, you can say so directly, and I'll bring Yuan Ergeng back to your side."
Mother Yuan paused for a moment.
The few soft words she was about to say were all shut down by Gao Yinxi's direct approach.
Meng Wan also looked embarrassed. "Miss Gao, you've really misunderstood. I'm only here today because I'm friends with Ahua and Ahao, nothing more. If this has made you uncomfortable, I can leave now."
"Then leave!"
Gao Yinxi couldn't stand Meng Wan's hypocritical behavior and wouldn't give her any way out.
The surrounding air suddenly became thin.
Meng Wan's face immediately froze, and her eyes showed a brief moment of confusion and blankness.
Mother Yuan subconsciously closed her mouth, her lips pressed into a straight line. She looked at Yuan Ergeng, then at Gao Yinxi, trying to regain her composure, but to no avail.
Yuan Ergeng's cousin married well, and Meng Wan's presence at such events allowed her to get to know many prominent people in Xianghai City. Since she herself didn't have a job or career, maintaining these social circles was an important link for her to enter the social scene.
She was just being polite when she said she was leaving, but little did she know that Gao Yinxi had absolutely no emotional intelligence, and now she's in an awkward situation.
Meng Wan looked to Yuan Ergeng for help, and the latter finally spoke up, "Mom, Meng Wan, are you going to the bathroom? I'm afraid Langlang will look for you later."
"Yes, we need to go to the restroom." Meng Wan awkwardly brushed her hair, which was draped over her shoulders, aside.
After saying that, she lowered her head and took Yuan's mother's arm to the bathroom.
"Yinxi, let's find somewhere to talk." After the two left, Yuan Er took a deep breath.
Gao Yinxi's face was icy. "Say what you have to say here."
"Can't we go somewhere else?"
Gao Yinxi glanced at Yuan Ergeng and said, "If you don't tell me, I'm leaving."
Seeing her impatient expression, Yuan Er quickly grabbed her wrist, straightened her body, and made her lean back in the corner. He lowered his voice and said, "Yinxi, I know today's situation has upset you. I apologize; it was indeed our oversight. But I hope you understand that Meng Wan is just Langlang's mother. I have no feelings for her other than familial affection. My future only belongs to you."
Gao Yinxi looked into his sincere eyes, but her anger had not subsided. "Yuan Ergeng, I'm not an unreasonable person, but what your family did today has made me lose face. Why should I tolerate and understand you, and live in the shadow of your ex-wife?"
Yuan Ergeng gently hugged her, "I know, I understand. Give me a little more time, I will arrange things for Langlang. He is still young, and my parents are reluctant to let him go. Let's hold on for today, okay? Just do it for me and for your cousin's sake."
"I'll leave as soon as I'm done taking the photos."
In the end, Gao Yinxi reluctantly agreed to stay.
After returning to the banquet hall, she ostentatiously took many photos with Yuan Ergeng and the newlyweds, actively participated in the VCR recording, and greeted every relative of the Yuan family, as if asserting her dominance.
And she was indeed asserting her dominance. Yuan Er was her boyfriend, and even if she didn't marry him, she should be the one appearing in the Yuan family, not an ex-wife who shouldn't have much contact with her.
In interpersonal relationships, basic boundaries and respect are essential.
She's not the type to be soft-hearted or learn to be magnanimous. So, in the current environment, making herself as comfortable as possible is the most important thing.
Yuan Er cooperated with all her requests, trying to make up for his previous mistakes.
When she was socializing with Yuan Ergeng and the Yuan family, everyone treated Gao Yinxi with due respect and courtesy. After Gao Yinxi got what she wanted, she immediately made an excuse to leave early after the banquet officially started.
As soon as she left the hotel, she took out her phone and dialed the numbers of her two best friends.
"Wenwen, An'an, let's go out for afternoon tea... Yes, right now... I need to vent about the outrageous things that happened today..."
Half an hour later, the three ladies were already seated in the glass-domed afternoon tea room of another five-star hotel in the city center.
Gao Yinxi recounted her experience of the day in detail, becoming more and more excited as she spoke.
"Can you believe it? His whole family and his ex-wife are living happily together, while I feel like an outsider!" Gao Yinxi stirred the black tea in her hand so vigorously that she almost punctured the cup.
Li Chi'an adjusted his glasses and analyzed rationally, "Judging from the description, there may indeed be some coincidences. But the Yuan family didn't consider your feelings, which is wrong of them."
She hadn't put on makeup before leaving the house, her face was clean and fair, and she wore gold-rimmed glasses.
Wearing a white silk satin dress with a white linen shirt over it, and carrying a canvas bag, she looked relaxed yet intelligent.
Xu Zhuwen was even more direct, "If you ask me, Yuan Ergeng is just clueless. He's already divorced, yet he still lets his ex-wife interfere in family matters? And that Meng Wan, she knew you were going, yet she deliberately showed up with your in-laws. What a green tea bitch!"
Gao Yinxi was still angry from the banquet. Even though she was wearing a pink dress and had exquisite makeup, making her look radiant, she had a sullen face. "What I'm most annoyed about is that his family seemed to know Meng Wan very well. Even his mother, you don't know, they entered arm in arm. If you didn't know, you would think Meng Wan was his daughter-in-law."
Xu Zhuwen gently patted her hand, "Rebuilding family relationships takes time. After all, they have their children as a bond."
"I know, but I'm just so annoyed." Gao Yinxi picked up a piece of cheesecake and started eating. "I was so angry just now that I didn't eat a single bite of food. I'm starving."
Li Chian placed the freshly served chicken salad in front of her, saying, "Then eat some quickly."
She and her cousin had already eaten, so they weren't hungry at the moment.
"It's still more comfortable being with you guys." Gao Yinxi picked up a plate, filled it with some salad and started eating. "What kind of people were at the wedding? They were all disgusting."
"I see you're having a lot of fun taking pictures." Xu Zhuwen was scrolling through her WeChat Moments on her phone when she came across Gao Yinxi's post from her car, which was nine pictures.
"That was to annoy people; my face was stiff from smiling so much," Gao Yinxi said. "It was exhausting; otherwise, why would I be so tired?"
Attending social events you don't like is the most tiring.
Both Xu Zhuwen and Li Chi'an could understand this.
Gao Yinxi turned her head and saw Li Chi'an. She stared at Li Chi'an's fair and rosy face for a long time before asking Xu Zhuwen, "Doesn't An'an look much more energetic?"
"Yes, I thought to myself as soon as she arrived that she looked so healthy."
Li Chian smiled and said, "I've been working out lately and I've lost a little weight."
Wow.
Since the divorce, Li Chian has stopped posting on WeChat Moments. She had previously mentioned working out in a group chat, but since she doesn't post on Moments or share pictures, the two of them don't have any concrete connection.
I met her today and realized she's serious about working out.
"Beautiful!" Gao Yinxi exclaimed.
Xu Zhuwen also became interested, "What do you do when you work out?"
"Four times a week at the gym, half an hour of cardio and half an hour of strength training."
"Have you hired a private coach?" Gao Yinxi asked.
“No.” Li Chi’an shook his head, paused for a moment, and then said frankly, “Yu Shi was correcting my movements.”
Wow!
Gao Yinxi and Xu Zhuwen exchanged a glance.
The two men had teasing expressions on their faces, and their eyes blazed with a light that seemed to burn Li Chi'an through.
"Tsk tsk." Xu Zhuwen clicked her tongue twice, staring at Li Chi'an's face without blinking. "Quickly, tell me, what exactly is going on between you two?"
Gao Yinxi slammed the plate on the table, refusing to eat, and stared sharply at Li Chi'an, determined to dig out something. "Are you two having an affair? When did this happen?! You kept this from us, Li Chi'an, you're something else, a man who gets things done quietly!"
"Do you have to be so blunt? There's really nothing between him and me." Li Chi'an covered his face. "You know, didn't I say I wanted to go skydiving? In order to go skydiving, I found a gym to improve my physical fitness, and that's where I met Yu Shi."
Then, she told us that Yu Shi was also a member of that gym, and about some of the things that happened between the two of them afterwards.
She originally thought that once she revealed everything, Xu Zhuwen and Gao Yinxi would no longer be curious, but to her surprise, their gossipy nature remained undiminished after she finished speaking.
But she couldn't control them anymore. "That's how it is. As for what you want to think about, that's up to you."
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