Chapter 110: Whose Groom Is This? Take Him Away!

Mai Xi Jun was momentarily stunned, then caught sight of Beautiful Mom’s sly smile. The storm clouds furrowing her brow gathered and dispersed, gathered again, then gently eased away. “Beautiful Mom, no. This man won’t do. He’s unreliable.”

“Why not? Jun Jun, I’ve always treated you well. Surely you can do us this favor and help our Beautiful find a good match. Besides, with so many men around, can you really enjoy them all?” Beautiful Mom growled softly, lowering her harsh tone as best she could. She no longer wore the sly, furtive look from before; her sole focus now was finding a worthy son-in-law for her daughter.

“Well, maybe we can talk about this later, Auntie.” Mai Xi Jun responded politely but found it hard to explain. Character was something that couldn’t easily be put into words. After all, Yu Wen Si, like Shen Yan Lie, was a classic example of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

“Oh, alright then.” Beautiful Mom saw there was still hope and decided not to press the matter for now. After all, this wasn’t something to rush. She needed to find a good family for her precious Beautiful—not necessarily one rich beyond measure, but at least well-off enough to provide a life of ease, free from want or worry. Only then could she rest assured.

Mai Xi Jun said nothing further, but as she stepped forward again, the elder woman suddenly grabbed her arm. “Ah, I just remembered something. The last time you left, a young man came looking for you. He said it was urgent but didn’t say much else. I didn’t ask further—he was in such a hurry that he just asked once and left.”

The aunt felt a bit embarrassed; she hadn’t been particularly friendly to Mo Shao Xing before, but in truth, he was quite good-looking and tall. He’d make a decent son-in-law. After all, the man before her now, with his taste in clothing, was just as well-dressed and presumably as wealthy as the frequently appearing Shen Yan Lie. Mo Shao Xing couldn’t be that far behind. It wouldn’t be a problem to consider him as a backup option.

And who knows? Maybe one of them would truly become the one.

If all else failed, she could observe each carefully. One of these rich men had to be suitable for her daughter.

Mai Xi Jun pondered, brow lightly furrowing. Who could have come looking for her? Counting those she knew, there were only a few possibilities. Yet recently, things had been strange—meeting so many people in such a short span, and so many events unfolding. Sometimes, life’s entertainment felt more bewildering than any show.

“It was a slender, professional-looking man,” Auntie tried to help, noticing Mai Xi Jun seemed at a loss. She offered what little clues she could to jog her memory.

Mai Xi Jun thought long and hard but couldn’t recall anyone fitting that description. Among the men she knew, Mo Shao Xing was unfamiliar to Auntie. If it had been Nian Yu Chen, Auntie surely would have remembered—he had once escorted her home, after all. Even so, the day she left the country coincided with Nian Yu Chen’s engagement ceremony. She hadn’t even sent her best wishes, and he was busy. Even for his mother’s sake, he wouldn’t have risked missing such a major life event to seek her out.

“Ah, if you can’t remember, forget it. He didn’t say anything afterward anyway. But… you just returned from abroad? Why no luggage? You did bring back something to carry luggage with you…”

“Oh, that? It’s with a friend for now. I’ll pick it up later. It’s getting late, Auntie—I’ll head upstairs to rest if you have no other matters.” Mai Xi Jun playfully pointed upwards with her index finger. She had a feeling that her nausea earlier wasn’t quite normal. Could it be…?

“Alright.” Auntie said no more. As Mai Xi Jun brushed past her, she turned her gaze back to Yu Wen Si.

Yu Wen Si didn’t quite grasp the meaning behind Auntie’s look. Calmly, he surveyed himself from head to toe—nothing amiss. Then, stepping forward again, he followed Mai Xi Jun upstairs with long strides.

The two departing figures looked well-matched. Auntie sighed deeply but still believed Mai Xi Jun suited Shen Yan Lie better. Though that was her true feeling, she was also striving on behalf of Beautiful, hoping for Mai Xi Jun to play matchmaker and unite her daughter with a good marriage.

Speaking of which, why was Beautiful less fortunate? Look at Mai Xi Jun—with so many handsome men around her, each driving luxury cars, wealthy and influential. Mai Xi Jun was certainly beautiful, her figure slightly refined, and her talents abundant. Yet could she really attract so many admirers?

There was the cold and aloof Shen Yan Lie, clad in black suits; Nian Yu Chen, the silver-gray suited man who drove a sports car; the neighborly handsome youth once mistaken for a villain; and just now, the sly, carefree fox-like man who followed her upstairs.

Add to that her dashing ex-boyfriend Xue Lizan—five men in total. Heaven! Why not share one with Beautiful? She didn’t expect a grand international CEO like Shen Yan Lie, but even one like the neighbor or the fox-like man would be a blessing after countless prayers and offerings.

Mai Xi Jun crouched down and retrieved a spare key from beneath the door crack. She knew Yu Wen Si was still behind her. Just as she stepped inside, a loud ‘bang’ sounded—Yu Wen Si had just been met with the cold shoulder.

“Mai Xi Jun, how can you be so cruel, so deserving of a beating?” Yu Wen Si roared outside, raising his hand, then glancing at the doorframe. It was ironclad. After a moment’s thought, he decided against breaking it down... Otherwise, he’d have smashed it before she got the chance to open.

“Hey, open the door!” Yu Wen Si clenched his fists and rapped his knuckles on the wood. When had he ever been so desperate? All thanks to Mai Xi Jun, no one had dared oppose him like this before.

“Hey, Miss Mai, can you hear me?” He rapped louder, then pressed his ear against the door, listening. Could the poor soundproofing of this shabby park residence be so good? Meanwhile, inside, Mai Xi Jun had already buried her head under the covers, fast asleep.

“I’m telling you... girl, if you don’t come out tonight, I’ll camp right outside your door.” Yu Wen Si shouted again. He truly refused to believe it. Bored for over a month, he had looked forward every day to her return for a sparring match of words. But now she seemed to shun him. What kind of nonsense was this? No matter what, he was determined to banter with her tonight—he hadn’t had such a worthy opponent in ages.

Mai Xi Jun muffled herself deeper beneath the quilt, arms pressing over her ears, striving to block out the noise. Yet, like a recurring echo, Xie Yunting’s voice lingered in her mind. She cared deeply—those precious mementos had once been theirs. She was genuinely jealous.

Just a single sentence from Xie Yunting set her heart aflutter, shaking the confidence she had painstakingly built abroad. In front of someone he once loved, her trust and faith became fragile and vulnerable. Deep down, she feared that, once again, she might lose everything in the end, just like last time.

Moreover, Mo Shao Xing had warned her not to fall for Shen Yan Lie—she would only get hurt. Her heart wasn’t made of glass, not so easily shattered, but she loved so purely that it could tolerate no impurities.

She tried to convince herself these were just his past, that he hadn’t yet shed or changed them. Yet time and again, she asked herself—what if he still couldn’t let go? Then where would her confidence be? Good heavens, it would be utterly destroyed...

She couldn’t close her ears or her heart. Shen Yan Lie’s tender yet ruthless words played like a scratched old record, drifting in her ears and echoing in her soul.

Damn it, she was going mad. With a sudden gasp, Mai Xi Jun sat upright in bed, her hair a tangled mess beneath the covers. Furious, she jumped down and stormed toward the door.

“Yu Wen Si, will you ever give it a rest, you scoundrel!” Mai Xi Jun flung the door open and yelled at the still babbling, self-righteous Yu Wen Si.

Yu Wen Si froze, his expression locked in the exact moment she opened the door, his hand still raised mid-air, motionless.

“Bang.”

The door slammed shut again with a loud noise—Yu Wen Si had just been rejected for the second time today. Damn it! He must have forgotten to consult the almanac before leaving the house.

“Mai Xi Jun, your temper! In ancient times, you’d have been a concubine whipped by your husband... Open the door now! I have something important to tell you!” Yu Wen Si, belatedly realizing, pounded on the door again. Usually quick to react, this time he was sluggish. If not for that moment of stupefaction just now, he might have barged in like a ruffian. Damn, what a day!

“Who’s so impatient? Never-ending...” A figure came running upstairs, breaking into the corridor halfway up the stairs. With a thick Northeastern accent, he looked up and squinted, “It’s almost midnight—whose daughter-in-law and son forgot to bring them home?”