“Apologies, Young Master Qiu,” Stark quickly regained his composure and tried to salvage the situation.
Qiu Zifan, being well-versed in high society, maintained a calm and polite demeanor despite his inner displeasure. He casually asked if Stark was interested in joining the Qiu family.
The Qiu family was one of the top players in the medical field, and no one with any ambition would refuse such an offer. Stark’s friend was frantically signaling him to accept, as this would be a tremendous opportunity for Stark’s entire family.
However, Stark simply shook his head and said he wanted to follow Ye Shaohua.
When people realized which Ye Shaohua he was referring to, their expressions turned complicated, and they began whispering among themselves, questioning if Stark had lost his mind.
No matter how impressive Ye Shaohua seemed now, she was still just one person—and one who had offended the Meng family. How could someone like her grow and succeed in the future? Even if she did, how many years would it take?
With that thought, the crowd stopped paying attention to Stark, and even Qiu Zifan ignored him.
“Bro, are you insane?” Stark’s friend pulled him aside, looking at him as if he were crazy.
Stark wiped his face and replied, “During these two years without energy, I saw through people’s true nature. If it weren’t for Miss Ye, I might still be lingering on the edge of despair. Even if there’s no future, I’m willing to take this crazy journey with her.”
His friend was momentarily stunned, then patted Stark on the shoulder without saying another word.
The marriage alliance between the Qiu and Meng families had been common knowledge among insiders, but the official announcement of the engagement between the widely admired Qiu Zifan and Meng Yuchen still caused an uproar on the Star Network.
Qiu Zifan and Meng Yuchen, along with the Meng family, were all smiles as they greeted their guests. However, no one expected that halfway through the engagement party, several influential figures would leave early.
This left the Qiu and Meng families visibly displeased.
About half of the remaining guests left soon after, while others seemed distracted, either taking calls or listening to their assistants.
Meng Yuchen had imagined this would be a dazzling engagement party, with her as the envy of everyone. But no one could have predicted it would turn out like this.
“What’s going on?” Qiu Ziting, Qiu Zifan’s sister, was also puzzled.
Given the Qiu and Meng families’ long-standing reputations, an old friend of the Qiu family head explained, “Old Qiu, your former daughter-in-law is no ordinary person…”
“Naturally, Yuchen is…” The Qiu family head was about to praise Meng Yuchen, who was indeed talented, beautiful, and well-mannered.
“No, no, no,” the friend quickly corrected him. “I’m not talking about Yuchen. I mean your former daughter-in-law. Don’t you know? She just announced the rebuilding of the Ye family. That’s not all—do you remember the Shu family from the Z Alliance’s First Army twenty years ago? That little demon girl from the Shu family, whose chaotic energy was completely stabilized by her. The entire network is blowing up. Every family has their fallen geniuses, and now they’re all rushing to find Miss Ye. Even the Lu family’s patriarch, who’s usually reclusive, couldn’t resist.”
With that, the friend waved his hand. “I need to head back too.”
The stabilization of chaotic energy was far more explosive news than the marriage alliance of two families. This was unprecedented in the history of the planet.
Meng Yuchen immediately opened the Star Network on her device and saw that the entire platform was flooded with news about Ye Shaohua and the Ye family. Her engagement announcement was barely mentioned.
Her fingers clenched around her phone, her nails digging into her palms, and the forced smile on her face vanished.
What infuriated her even more was that the Qiu family’s attention was now also on Ye Shaohua. The Qiu family head turned to Qiu Zifan and asked, “Zifan, did you know about this?”
Qiu Zifan was equally shocked by the news. He stared at the photo of Ye Shaohua on his phone and shook his head.
He truly hadn’t known. He had been so disgusted with his former wife that he had never paid her any attention. But now, seeing that she had connections with the Lu family—though he didn’t know how—he realized he might have seriously underestimated her.
The Lu family was the Second Army of the Z Alliance. While they couldn’t compare to the Yun family, they still surpassed most first-tier families. The Lu family had always been low-key.
Qiu Zifan couldn’t help but wonder: Had Ye Shaohua been deceiving him all along? What was she playing at now? Was she trying to get his attention?
Meng Yuchen, seeing the unremarkable photo of Ye Shaohua on Qiu Zifan’s phone, felt a bit better.
“I wonder what Miss Ye is thinking. First, she humiliated me, then ruined our engagement party, and now she’s celebrating at some base…” Meng Yuchen didn’t say it outright, but her words were clearly meant to provoke Qiu Zifan.
Qiu Zifan, who hadn’t given it much thought before, now felt a chill in his heart.
What was supposed to be a grand engagement had been turned into a joke by Ye Shaohua.
He pushed his chair back abruptly and, after asking for Ye Shaohua’s current location, stormed out.
Meng Yuchen and Qiu Ziting, still in their formal attire, quickly followed.
Ye Shaohua was at her temporary base, surrounded by representatives from various families, including those who had left the engagement party early.
She was calmly announcing her future plans and addressing the concerns many had about energy stabilization.
Qiu Zifan, seeing her indifferent demeanor, pushed through the crowd and stood before her. He thought he was being calm as he spoke, “I thought you agreed to the divorce because you knew your place. I didn’t expect you to stay here and make a fool of me. Ye Shaohua, I really underestimated you.”
Honestly, if a beautiful woman had been pursuing him, he might have felt a bit proud. But with someone he found utterly repulsive, it felt like swallowing a fly.
Qiu Ziting, seeing Ye Shaohua’s calm expression, also lashed out, “Ugly woman! You had to cause trouble on the day of my brother and Sister Meng’s engagement party? My grandfather is furious! You came from a small village, ate our food, used our things, and instead of being grateful, this is how you repay your benefactors?!”
Ye Shaohua had initially planned to have them removed, but their words grew increasingly harsh.
She suddenly laughed. “Qiu Zifan, have you ever asked your grandfather why he insisted you marry me?”
Qiu Zifan was taken aback. Was there some hidden reason?
“Did you agree to marry me? Did the Qiu family ever ask if I agreed?”
“Did I refuse when you wanted a divorce?”
“You clearly…” Qiu Ziting started to interject.
“Who gave you permission to speak?” Ye Shaohua coldly cut her off, then turned back to Qiu Zifan. “Qiu Zifan, you really overestimate yourself.”
The two sides stood in stark contrast. Ye Shaohua, standing on the steps, was calm and composed, her arguments clear and logical.
In contrast, the Qiu family trio came off as petty and bitter.
Qiu Ziting couldn’t stand the strange looks from the crowd.
She wasn’t used to this version of Ye Shaohua, who, despite her plain appearance, commanded respect and seemed to tower over them.
In her memory, Ye Shaohua was weak and incompetent, someone who would grovel for the slightest bit of kindness. This confident, radiant woman before her was completely different. But how could she deserve this?
Qiu Ziting gritted her teeth, and before anyone could react, she lunged at Ye Shaohua.
Shuman and the others moved to intervene, but Ye Shaohua raised her left hand, signaling them to stay back.
Qiu Ziting, seeing Ye Shaohua’s face up close, sneered, “You ugly woman, always hiding your true face. Let everyone see how disgusting you really are!”
To her surprise, there was no resistance. With a single motion, she easily removed the oversized black glasses from Ye Shaohua’s face.
There were no ugly birthmarks or scars, just a pair of mesmerizing eyes.
For a moment, the entire room seemed to freeze.
Even Qiu Ziting was stunned, her mouth hanging open.
She was the closest, and the impact of Ye Shaohua’s striking beauty hit her the hardest.
Ye Shaohua calmly took the glasses back from Qiu Ziting but didn’t put them on. Instead, she clipped them to her collar.
With her other hand, she swept her bangs back, revealing her captivating eyes as she looked from Qiu Zifan to Qiu Ziting.
Her lips curled into a mischievous smile as she asked, “Satisfied?”
