Chapter Sixty-Three: Strife Anew

After they left, Yao Minzhi remarked, "I heard that your mother-in-law just had surgery. She must be in urgent need of care right now, shouldn't she?"

Shang Wende was already deeply worried about Yu Xiufen lying in her hospital bed. Hearing Yao Minzhi bring it up only intensified his anxiety. Being an honest and upright man, his concern was immediately written all over his face.

Yao Minzhi continued, "I have already arranged for the hospital to provide the utmost care for your mother-in-law."

"There's no need!" Shang Wende refused flatly. He had no intention of accepting such petty favors at the expense of his daughter's well-being.

At that moment, Luo Yichen and Shang Qi emerged from the room. Noticing the clothes she was wearing, Shang Wende asked, "Qi'qi, why are you dressed like that?"

Luo Yichen answered, "Dad, she drank too much last night and vomited all over herself. Her dirty clothes haven't been washed yet!"

Seeing the fury in her father's eyes, Shang Qi did not dare to sit down. She stammered, "Dad... I..."

Shang Wende grabbed his daughter's arm and pulled her toward the door, saying, "Come home with me."

Just as Luo Yichen moved to block them, Yao Minzhi intervened. "In-law, they are holding their wedding tomorrow. What on earth are you doing? If word gets out, people will laugh at us."

"If I let them get married, that's when everyone would truly laugh. You all know very well what your son did. For him to still have the audacity to register a marriage with Qi'qi is the height of shamelessness."

When had Yao Minzhi ever been scolded to her face with such pointed accusations? Yet, for the sake of the entire Luo family enterprise, she had to endure it temporarily. Wearing a forced smile, she smoothed things over: "Yichen certainly made mistakes. But everything he did was driven by his desire to take responsibility for Shang Qi! Our whole family would be thrilled to have someone like Qi'qi as a daughter-in-law."

Seeing his mother humbling herself and forcing smiles for his sake left a bitter taste in Luo Yichen's mouth. He chimed in, "Dad, Qi'qi agreed to register the marriage. We stayed together last night, as you saw for yourself."

These words turned Shang Wende's face crimson with rage. The thought that his daughter had suffered another loss last night made him feel as nauseated as if he had swallowed a fly. Unwilling to waste any more breath on the Luo family, he grabbed Shang Qi and prepared to leave.

Suddenly, Shang Qi shook off her father's grip and declared, "Luo Yichen and I have already registered our marriage. It's too late to say anything now."

Hearing this, Shang Wende flew into a rage. He shouted, "You... you... you're going to be the death of me!"

Shang Qi knew deep down that there was no turning back now. Steeling her heart, she said, "Dad, now that we're married, all the turmoil will settle down. Isn't that for the best? Things have reached this state—who else could I possibly marry now?"

Shang Wende tried to reason with her: "Qi'qi, I know you must be in agony after suffering such humiliation. But you can't just throw yourself away like this! What kind of a good life could you possibly have with a beast like him?"

Luo Shuxun spoke up, "In-law, our Luo family is not some chaotic, disordered household. What Yichen did was the result of someone else's scheme. He has already learned his lesson."

Luo Yichen reached out and took Shang Qi's hand. "I will treat Shang Qi well from now on," he said. "She is my wife now, and I cannot let you take her away."

Yao Minzhi inadvertently noticed that her son's arms were covered in scratches. Upon closer inspection, she saw them on his neck as well. However, with so many people present, she refrained from asking how he had sustained these injuries.

Shang Wende glared at Shang Qi and ordered, "Go file for divorce with him right this instant!"

Hearing them argue endlessly, Shang Qi's complexion turned terribly pale. Her heart struggled in a whirlpool from which she could find no escape. "Dad, I'm not leaving," she said. "Tomorrow is our wedding, and I hope you both will come."

Gasping for breath in his fury, Shang Wende snapped, "If you insist on marrying him, don't ever step foot in this house again!" With that, he stormed out.

Watching her father slam the door and leave, Shang Qi felt an indescribable anguish. Though Yao Minzhi held her in low regard, for the sake of the Luo family, she put on a warm, matronly smile and said, "Qi'qi, your father was just speaking in the heat of the moment. You're going to be a bride tomorrow, so you should be happy and cheerful."

Luo Shuxun kept exchanging glances with Luo Yichen, signaling him to hurry up and properly comfort Shang Qi. However, Shang Wende's hostile attitude had left Luo Yichen feeling thoroughly disheartened as well. For a moment, he genuinely didn't know what to say.

Luo Shuxun had no choice but to intervene. "Shang Qi, your father just hasn't come around yet. Tomorrow is the wedding, and we truly hope they will attend. Tonight, why don't you accompany Yichen to go make amends with them? I'm sure they want to see you walk down the aisle happily."

These words struck a chord in Shang Qi's heart. No matter how chaotic things were between her and Luo Yichen, she deeply wished her parents wouldn't worry about her. Her father's abrupt departure had left her feeling somewhat helpless and adrift. At the same time, she worried that if Luo Yichen had another confrontation with her father, it might adversely affect her mother's recovery.

Yao Minzhi pulled Luo Yichen aside out of earshot and asked in a low voice, "What's going on with those scratches on you?"

Caught off guard, he felt embarrassed and reluctant to reveal the truth. Besides, if his mother found out, it would only worsen her impression of Shang Qi. Seeing her son's sheepish expression, Yao Minzhi guessed most of it.

"Did Shang Qi do this?"

"Mom, how do you expect me to answer that?" he replied, flashing a provocative, suggestive smirk that clearly signaled to Yao Minzhi that these were the marks of their "intense battle" the previous night.

Yao Minzhi didn't buy his nonsense for a second. "When a woman hates a man, her persistence surpasses all bounds," she warned sternly. "Since we have no other choice, we are forced to let you marry Shang Qi. But you must remain vigilant and make sure she doesn't actually harm you!"

"Mom, why won't you believe what I say? These really were just playful marks to add a bit of spice last night. Come on, she's just a woman—if I weren't willing, could she possibly overpower and scratch me?"

Seeing him stubbornly defending Shang Qi, Yao Minzhi felt a surge of irritation. Disregarding her son's pride, she cut straight to the point: "Don't think I'm completely in the dark! You chased her for three years and still couldn't win her over, did you? Shang Qi hates you to the bone right now—do you really think she'll just play along easily? Think carefully about what you need to do!"

Luo Yichen was left speechless. What his mother said was an undeniable fact. If he failed to dissolve the hatred in Shang Qi's heart, his days ahead would certainly be far from peaceful.

Returning to the living room, Yao Minzhi tugged at Luo Shuxun's sleeve and said, "We'll be heading back first. Yichen, take Shang Qi to buy some new clothes. Walking around in your oversized garments looks completely inappropriate! There's a simple press conference this afternoon to announce your wedding news in advance."

With that, they took their leave. Once outside the apartment, Luo Shuxun asked, "The wedding is tomorrow. Aren't you going to stay and discuss the details with them?"

"Under these circumstances, no useful discussion can happen. I might as well just make the decisions myself!"

"With Shang Qi in such an emotional state, what if something happens while she's alone with Yichen? Why don't you have them move into our family home? Having elders around to keep an eye on things would be much safer."

Yao Minzhi curled her lip in disdain. "Do you really think that wild girl is so obedient? If I told her to move in, would she just listen? And your son is no saint either! Don't worry, as long as Yichen doesn't let his guard down out of misplaced softness, Shang Qi is the one who will end up getting the short end of the stick."

"Remind him to keep Shang Qi under control. A mess like last night's cannot be allowed to happen again in the near future. We cannot afford any slip-ups at this critical juncture."

"Can you look beyond just the surface?" Yao Minzhi sighed. "Last night definitely wasn't as harmonious as it looked this morning. Chen'er is covered in injuries, yet he's still shielding Shang Qi. Alas!"

Luo Shuxun frowned in deep thought. After a long silence, he said, "The Luo family has taken a fundamental hit this time, and it will take at least a year or two to fully recover. During this period, Yichen's public image cannot suffer any further damage. Therefore, no matter what it takes, you must ensure Shang Qi stays married to him. Please continue to handle this matter with utmost care."

Yao Minzhi nodded in agreement.

Back inside the apartment, Shang Qi's phone suddenly rang. Glancing sideways, Luo Yichen saw that the caller ID displayed Xi Jingpeng's name. After being forced to leave earlier, Xi Jingpeng had been utterly unable to set his mind at ease. After much deliberation, he still wanted to find out from Shang Qi what had actually transpired the previous night.

Luo Yichen snatched the phone away and pressed the answer button. When Shang Qi tried to wrestle it back, he countered her movement and pinned her arms behind her.

On the other line, Xi Jingpeng's voice came through anxiously: "Qi'qi, did Luo Yichen do anything to you last night? Don't marry him! Let me take you away, please?"

Hearing this, Luo Yichen flew into a blind rage. Adopting an arrogant, pompous tone, he sneered, "Why are you so obsessively interested in another couple's private life?"

Furious, Xi Jingpeng yelled back, "Why is it you answering? What have you done to Shang Qi?"

"Qi'qi asked me to answer the phone. She is utterly sick of your constant harassment. As her husband, it's naturally my job to clear away pests for her!"

Xi Jingpeng was seething with rage. Not believing a word Luo Yichen said, he grew even more terrified that Shang Qi was in danger. Meanwhile, Shang Qi—whose mouth was still muffled by Luo Yichen—struggled violently. Seizing a split second when he loosened his grip slightly, she managed to let out a cry: "It hurts... let go..."

Luo Yichen immediately clamped his hand back over her mouth, reducing her sounds to muffled groans. Taking advantage of the situation, he spoke into the phone in a hoarse, intimate whisper, "Darling, relax! It won't hurt in a little while."

Hearing this, Xi Jingpeng roared through the speaker, "Luo Yichen, let her go!" At that moment, he felt a powerful urge to break in and rescue Shang Qi by force.

Luo Yichen shouted back, "Don't you dare harbor any more thoughts about my wife! Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless."

After hanging up the phone, Xi Jingpeng was consumed by a mix of fury and despair, realizing that Shang Qi was truly drifting further and further away from him. For her to compromise so quickly—could it be because she still loved Luo Yichen? Alas! To prevent Shang Qi from being driven into a dead end, he could only watch helplessly as she was forced to marry him.

Inside the apartment, Luo Yichen finally released Shang Qi.

"Do you think playing games like this is amusing? Why are you so childish?" she rebuked coldly.

"Stop entangling yourself with Xi Jingpeng," Luo Yichen said with uncharacteristic solemnity. "Once you enter the Luo family, the situation will be far more complicated than you imagine. If you stir up other troubles, I'm afraid it won't be something I can shield you from..."

"Enough!" Shang Qi interrupted him flatly, her eyes hollow and dead. "Whether I live or die has nothing to do with you. How many men I choose to see is none of your business either!"

Luo Yichen's eyes darkened, his sharp gaze seemingly capable of piercing straight through Shang Qi. He warned coldly, "Do not test my bottom line like this!"

"Then let's wait and see!" Shang Qi retorted, her defiance far surpassing his own.