Tang Qiyun was now quite the hot topic in Shanghai.
This second young master of the Tang family had always been elusive—not many people had actually seen him.
What made it even stranger was that after returning to the Tang household, he hadn’t taken up any military post either. To this day, even his own family had no idea what he actually did.
Ye Junwan only knew that Tang Qiyun had never studied abroad, which was precisely why she’d been so furious when the engagement was first brought up.
She wanted a marriage built on a deep meeting of minds and souls. Tang Qiyun was probably just another one of those superstitious feudal types, just like her second sister.
Still, although she had no interest in Tang Qiyun, after meeting the Tang family’s eldest son, Tang Qihang, she found herself a little curious about his younger brother.
So she, too, turned her gaze toward the door.
Outside, Deputy General Zhang also couldn’t help but steal a glance at Tang Qiyun.
Truth be told, he had complicated feelings about Ye Shaohua. She’d been raised by servants outside the family for sixteen years without ever being brought back. Now that the fourth young miss had turned down the match and the Ye family needed a marriage alliance, her parents had finally brought her home.
Thinking about it, he actually felt quite sorry for Ye Shaohua.
But now, looking at the tall, straight-backed young man beside him, he suddenly felt a little less sympathetic.
Putting everything else aside, this second young master was actually better-looking than the Tang family’s eldest son.
He wore a long cyan robe. Standing tall as he was, the robe only made him appear even more distinguished. With a face that arresting, he’d stand out in any crowd, even from a distance.
Most of the Ye family were taken aback when they saw Tang Qiyun.
He was nothing like the disappointing second son they’d imagined. Even Ye Junwan found herself a little spellbound.
In terms of both presence and looks, she had to admit—Tang Qihang was nowhere near his brother.
But seeing Tang Qiyun in that long robe… she had to admit, he wore it well.
Not just well—he actually changed her entire view of those old-fashioned robes.
Then it hit her—he was the one engaged to Ye Shaohua. And he hadn’t even glanced at her. For some reason, Ye Junwan felt an uncomfortable pang of bitterness in her chest…
After all, in the beginning, the engagement had been meant for her.
“Perfect timing,” Ye Shaohua said, nodding at him. “You should already know the situation.”
Tang Qiyun was aware of the engagement with the Ye family, though he’d never paid it much mind.
His identity was classified, and his marriage was a matter of interest not just to Tang Feng, but to higher-ups as well.
But never in his wildest dreams did he expect that his betrothed would be her—
In fact, he did know of Ye Shaohua’s existence.
When Tang Feng first arranged the engagement, the higher-ups had looked into Ye Shaohua’s background. Though her history was a bit complicated, she came from a clean family line—three generations could be traced clearly.
She wasn’t someone with a questionable identity.
It was just… most of those people felt that someone like Ye Shaohua was simply far beneath him.
But then, just a day later, news from the lab completely flipped their perspective.
She suddenly became a classified figure, her identity heavily encrypted. Anyone wanting to access her records now had to submit documents and pass layers of review before being granted permission—if they were allowed at all.
To this day, Tang Qiyun still had no clue exactly who or what she was.
Nor did he ever expect that the person he was engaged to would turn out to be her.
“Since Miss Ye has made her decision, I respect it,” Tang Qiyun said with a faint smile. “After all… there’s always time ahead of us.”
He said a few more words and then left.
The Ye household didn’t catch the hidden meaning in his tone. They were too busy reeling from the fact that the engagement had actually been called off.
Her father was so furious he nearly struck Ye Shaohua, only to be blocked by Aunt Hong.
Aunt Hong was an old servant of the household, so Ye Shaohua’s father reluctantly lowered his hand and shot Ye Shaohua a cold glare. “Since that’s the case, in a few days, when Deputy General Zhang is free, we’ll send you back to Jinling.”
Meanwhile, Ye Junwan watched as Tang Qiyun actually went through with breaking the engagement with Ye Shaohua.
For some reason, she couldn’t help feeling a little pleased—even a hint of smugness.
But seeing Aunt Hong’s worried expression, she put on a sympathetic face for both her and Ye Shaohua. Though inwardly delighted, she offered some comfort: “Aunt Hong, Second Sister, don’t worry. In a few days, when Father cools down, I’ll talk him out of sending you back to Jinling.”
Ye Shaohua ignored her completely and simply led Aunt Hong away.
After they returned, Ye Shaohua’s mother came by shortly after and scolded her from head to toe. “Just wait and see—who in Shanghai would dare to marry you now?!”
She left with a string of harsh words, thoroughly upset by Ye Shaohua’s behavior, and was helped away by a crowd of attendants.
“Send word to Jin’er,” Ye Shaohua’s mother said, clutching her chest, not forgetting her eldest daughter. “Make sure this doesn’t affect her in any way.”
As for Ye Shaohua, word of what had happened spread quickly through the household, and people kept walking past her room, “accidentally” speaking just loud enough for her to hear.
Aunt Hong watched Ye Shaohua remain perfectly unbothered, as relaxed as could be.
She let out a heavy sigh. Still, she thought, maybe going back to Jinling wouldn’t be so bad—at least the second young miss wouldn’t have to put up with all this mistreatment.
“Is Aunt Hong tired of all these people?” Ye Shaohua smiled. “No need to worry. They’ll disappear on their own soon enough.”
Aunt Hong didn’t quite grasp what she meant.
A few days later, Ye Junqing suddenly returned. His promotion had been blocked—and that wasn’t even the worst of it. Someone had reported that he’d been in contact with some foreigners during his military service, and now he was suspended pending a full investigation.
Ye Junjin also ran into trouble—her in-laws’ bank was in crisis. Most of their funds were tied up, and crowds of depositors were showing up to withdraw their money.
Even Ye Shaohua’s father himself ran into issues. Tang Feng tactfully suggested he temporarily step back from certain matters.
These past few days had been a whirlwind for him. He’d exhausted every connection he had, desperately trying to sort out his son’s situation and running himself ragged over the problems at his eldest daughter’s in-laws’ bank.
But aside from the Tang family, he really didn’t have anyone else to turn to. And Tang Feng—who likely knew more than he let on—didn’t dare get involved.
If even he wouldn’t touch it, no one else would either.
Even Ye Junwan, who always considered herself above everyone else and worshipped science above all, was completely baffled now.
Everyone was too busy worrying about their own problems to bother with Ye Shaohua.
Of course, no one thought to ask Ye Shaohua for help either—after all, if even Tang Feng didn’t dare interfere, what good could this second young miss possibly do?
