DASFAM_65
On the large screens surrounding the banquet hall, what first came into view was an intimate bedroom photo.
The girl in the photo had only half of her face showing, while the naked, sleeping man was none other than the male lead of the engagement banquet, Shang Qishun!
One look and it was clear the two shared an unusual relationship.
The Bai couple sitting in the front row saw the photo, their expressions instantly souring, "This girl isn't our Xiao Hui. Who is she?"
Old Madam Shang was also quite taken aback, "Keyi, what is going on here!"
Shang Keyi had never once pried into her son's personal life, believing from the bottom of her heart that he was a well-behaved, clean-living child. Now that this photo had suddenly 'exploded' onto the screen, she was momentarily stunned.
Shang Songming muttered under his breath, "What else could it be? Either a lover or a mistress, obviously."
Fang Yuhua watched the drama unfold with delight, barely able to suppress the smile tugging at the corner of his lips, "Songming, don't go talking nonsense. Today is your eldest brother's engagement banquet."
"We're all men here. Who doesn't understand how these things work?"
Shang Songming's mouth spared no one, and he deliberately glanced over at Shang Yanxiao beside him, "Don't you agree?"
Shang Yanxiao wasn't going to take that bait, and openly shifted slightly toward Bai Xu's side, "I'm different."
"......"
Shang Songming, having been shut down, muttered vaguely, "Oh, aren't you two just something special."
What started as a marriage in name only had somehow turned into a genuine couple, and they flaunted it in front of the whole family every single day!
Shang Le'er laughed quietly to herself and gave her loose-mouthed brother a light nudge with her elbow, "Brother, be quiet. Don't go stirring up trouble for yourself."
The commotion inside the banquet hall grew louder and louder.
Shang Keyi forcefully suppressed her shock and quickly gestured to her husband beside her, "What are you standing there in a daze for! Hurry up and get someone to turn off the screens!"
With that, she quickly stepped up onto the stage, "Everyone, and our in-laws to be, please remain calm. There must be a misunderstanding here! Someone must have deliberately set this up to sabotage the union of our two families!"
"A misunderstanding? I think not!"
Bai Hui, who had been hiding in the shadows, spoke up again, "Everyone, you must be wondering who the girl on that screen is. I only got to know her recently myself."
"Miss Wu has known Shang Qishun since she was seventeen. He coaxed her into their first intimate encounter, and at that time, she was still a minor."
"......"
Shang Qishun heard this opening statement, and his expression instantly darkened.
"Over the nine years that followed, Shang Qishun never once acknowledged her as his real girlfriend. Instead, he maintained a 'lover' relationship with her, subjecting her to long-term psychological control and physical harm!"
All of this had been arranged in advance and meticulously planned.
As Bai Hui's revelations continued, enlarged photos began appearing one after another on the large screens.
There were wounds on a woman's body. Beyond the unspeakable ligature marks on certain areas, there were also bruises from beatings, and even a hospital-issued receipt for an abortion procedure.
One incident after another, each one leaving the guests present utterly speechless.
"How could Young Master Shang be this kind of person?"
"You can know a person's face but not their heart!"
"He had relations with an underage girl and then forced her to have an abortion. This man is absolutely despicable!"
"I always say, no one is perfect. He walks around with the face of an upstanding gentleman, yet behind closed doors he's been living like this?"
"This engagement banquet looks like it's about to become a laughingstock."
Watching the scene grow more and more chaotic, Shang Qishun could barely hold onto his gentle and refined facade.
A loud bang!
Wu Wei walked to the main control panel at the back and forcibly cut the master power to the screens. Only then did the venue fall into a brief moment of silence.
Old Madam Shang was so shaken her breathing became unsteady, and the prayer beads in her hands turned faster and faster, "If... if this is true, it is simply sinful!"
Shang Keshu patted Old Madam Shang's back to calm her, while glancing over at the second and third branches of the family sitting at the table, watching the drama unfold with relative composure. She had a fairly good guess as to who was behind all of this.
"Mother, don't be upset. This mess was caused by the first branch. Let them sort it out themselves."
Old Madam Shang waved her hand, too disappointed to say a word. On the other side, the Bai couple could no longer remain seated.
The husband and wife rose to their feet, barely containing their fury, "Well then, Shang Qishun. To think I actually believed I had found a decent and upright son-in-law. I never imagined you could be like this behind closed doors!"
Among the guests present, there were also relatives and friends from the Bai family's side.
The elder Bais were people of the world. Faced with a situation like this, though furious, they remained relatively composed, and their first instinct was naturally to preserve their family's dignity.
"Xiao Hui has been watched over by many people as she grew up. She has always known right from wrong and conducted herself with restraint!"
"If she were not one hundred percent certain this was all true, she would absolutely never have chosen to make a scene on a day like today!"
As parents, the Bai couple naturally believed their daughter without question.
Shang Keyi had originally intended to clear up the 'misunderstanding,' but upon hearing these words that were essentially throwing mud at her family, her expression instantly turned ugly.
She cut in to argue first, "In-laws, there is no need to speak like that! You know your daughter, and I know my son!"
"For the past six months or so, he has catered to Xiao Hui's every wish without complaint. The effort our family has put into this engagement banquet is plain for everyone to see!"
"Photos can be doctored and hospital records can be forged! And as for Xiao Hui, wherever she heard these rumors from, she didn't even bother to come and ask a single question first!"
"A daughter-in-law like this, we..."
Shang Qishun interrupted in a low, firm voice, "Mom! Would you please just stop talking!"
Was the situation not chaotic enough already?
The Bai couple's reaction right now stemmed from anger. If his own family fired back out of pride, then this engagement banquet would truly be doomed beyond saving.
"......"
A harshness in his tone unlike anything she had ever heard before gave Shang Keyi a startled jolt.
Before she could even collect herself, Bai Hui, dressed in casual clothes, walked up with Wu Xinyi, "Auntie, why don't you ask your son whether his feelings for me were ever genuine?"
Everyone's gazes shifted over at once.
Zhang Changning craned his neck forward, "Oh wow, Bai Xu, that curly-haired girl is Miss Wu, right? Things are about to get really interesting."
Bai Xu picked up the untouched little cake from his own plate and passed it over, "Young Master Ning, enjoy it slowly with the cake."
"Mmm, this is too good."
Zhang Changning whispered as quietly as he could, "If it weren't rude to pull out my phone and start recording right now, I would definitely be getting all of this on video for my second brother."
Bai Xu smiled but said nothing in return.
Shang Yanxiao had no interest in the drama on stage throughout the whole ordeal, and took the opportunity to inch even closer to Bai Xu, "Are you hungry? Have some of the dishes on the table."
Bai Xu couldn't hold back a laugh and whispered in his ear, "Can't you see the first branch is in the middle of chaos right now? If I start eating while this is happening, do you want them to see and be livid?"
"Who cares?"
Shang Yanxiao raised an eyebrow with complete indifference and continued, "Do you want some shrimp? The quality looks pretty good. Shall I peel them for you?"
Bai Xu let out an amused snort and allowed himself to be just as carefree, "Then I want another drink."
"Sure."
"......"
Shang Queyan caught the sweet little exchange between his 'brother and sister-in-law' from the corner of his eye, then glanced over at his friend beside him happily nibbling on the little cake, and simply leaned back against the soft leather chair.
Well then. Fully relaxed.
The farce on stage continued.
Shang Qishun looked at Bai Hui and Wu Xinyi, who had appeared together, a raging storm brewing behind his eyes, yet he had no choice but to lie his way through it.
"Miss Wu, we dated normally and broke up normally. After the breakup you have pestered me again and again, and now you come to my fiancée spouting nonsense, trying to provoke and drive a wedge between us!"
"What exactly are you trying to do? Are you going to force me to call the police?"
"......"
Wu Xinyi met that all too familiar cold and heavy gaze, and the most primal fear rose up from within her.
At that moment, Bai Hui stepped forward on her own to shield her, "Shang Qishun! Stop trying to intimidate her! You know full well yourself whether any of this is true or not!"
Shang Qishun put on a wounded expression, bitter and pained, "Xiao Hui, do you really choose to believe her over me? I genuinely love you! Can't you see that?"
Upon hearing the word 'love,' a brief glimmer of moisture flashed through Bai Hui's eyes, "Is that so? Then what is this recording all about?"
She took out her phone and pressed play.
The recording had been processed with special noise reduction, and the voice came through fairly clearly.
"Xinyi, she and I are just playing a game. As long as you're good, I can still give you whatever you want later. The Bai family's connections in official circles matter a great deal to me. Do you understand?"
This phone recording, held up to the speaker, was broadcast once again into every corner of the banquet hall.
"......"
Shang Keyi was at a loss for words this time. After all, what mother would fail to recognize the voice of her own son?
The guests had not expected one wave to barely settle before another rose. Each and every one of them was thoroughly engrossed in the spectacle.
Someone could not help but remark, "The Shang family has already reached this level of wealth and status, and they are still thinking about cultivating connections?"
"When it comes to certain connections, naturally the more the better."
"Though speaking as a joke, back in the day Wu Wei climbed up by relying on his wife, and now Shang Qishun wants to climb up by relying on his fiancée. Like father, like son indeed. What a pity he has stumbled and fallen."
"......"
Shang Qishun could not make out the murmuring from below the stage, but every gaze that landed on him felt laden with contempt, mockery, and scorn.
The mask he had struggled so hard to maintain suddenly shattered. He turned to face the one responsible, "Wu Xinyi! I truly underestimated you!"
This kind of private conversation he had only ever spoken in front of this woman! Yet he never imagined she would dare to secretly record him right under his nose!
Wu Xinyi fought hard to suppress her trembling, her voice breaking, "So what if I secretly recorded you! Shang Qishun, I am not some outlet for you to summon and dismiss at will!"
"I want everyone to see your true face!"
Shang Qishun had assumed she posed no threat, so he would occasionally let his most authentic self show in front of her. Vicious. Volatile. Willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted.
Over the years, Wu Xinyi both feared and hated him, yet was equally unable to leave him.
She had known all along that she would be cast aside sooner or later, so she had quietly gathered a great deal of evidence and recorded many audio clips over time. In the beginning it was to have more leverage after the inevitable breakup.
Wu Xinyi admitted to herself that she had been living in a deeply shameful and wretched way, a life in which she had lost all sense of her own worth.
But when she saw Bai Hui, radiant and brilliant, capable and confident and generous, she suddenly thought of who she herself used to be.
This was the person she had longed to become back when she was seventeen or eighteen!
Wu Xinyi did not want to see her have her expectations of marriage and the future destroyed by someone like him, so after their so-called 'chance encounter,' she laid everything bare.
"Nothing to say? Overcome with shame and turning it into rage?"
Bai Hui put her phone away and forced back the mist that had gathered in her eyes.
There was a time when she had believed she had found true love, and was willing to build a life and a family with the man before her. But the moment she discovered that everything from the very beginning had been a lie, she understood.
No matter how much pain it caused her, she had to stay far away from someone so two-faced!
"Shang Qishun, let me make this clear. Don't even think about using the Bai family as a stepping stone to advance your career!"
"Every guest invited here today is a prominent figure from the business and political world. The reason Miss Wu and I dared to choose today, willing to sacrifice our own dignity to expose you, was precisely to make sure everyone here knows what kind of person you truly are!"
"So that all of the capital's circles can think very carefully about whether they should still allow themselves, or their daughters, to have any dealings with someone as despicable as you!"
"......"
The darkest side of Shang Qishun was completely forced out of him, and his hand shot up almost beyond his control.
At that critical moment, Old Madam Shang cried out with all her strength, "Shang Qishun! You stop right there!"
"......"
Shang Qishun's fury-driven hand froze in midair, then fell back down as he swallowed his rage.
The Bai couple, terrified their daughter might be hurt, rushed forward immediately, "Xiao Hui, are you alright?"
Bai Hui's best friend was a sharp and hot-headed person who wasted no time. She charged onto the stage and slapped Shang Qishun clean across the face.
—Slap!
"Shang Qishun, what kind of man are you! If you dare lay a single finger on her today, I will call people to come fight you to the death!"
Shang Keyi saw her son's reddening cheek and immediately flew into a panic, "And who are you! What gives you the right to hit my son!"
Bai Hui's best friend could not have cared less about whatever distinguished status Shang Keyi held, and scoffed, "I hit your son because he deserved it! You raised a son like this, and you still have the nerve to ask me why I hit him?"
"If it weren't for the fact that you're an elder, I'd give you a slap too!"
Shang Keyi had rarely ever been berated so directly to her face, and she stood there sputtering, her complexion shifting between pale and flushed.
"Keshu, I'm tired. Let's go."
Old Madam Shang tightened her grip on the prayer beads in her hand. In a rare moment, she had no desire to step in and smooth things over, choosing instead to simply remove herself from the sight of it all, "This mess was made by the first branch. Let them clean it up themselves!"
Shang Keshu was somewhat surprised, but still respected her mother's choice, "Alright."
Shang Yun and Fang Yuhua sensed what was really going on and inwardly laughed at how badly the first branch had fallen this time.
Old Madam Shang had always been sharp-eyed and clear-minded, seeing through everything and reading between every line.
The fact that she chose not to step in and handle the matter meant she had already seen through everything the first branch had done.
This farce was no malicious slander. The first branch had genuinely done wrong, and thoroughly deserved to lose face!
Bai Xu drained the last of his drink, "Third Young Master, what did you think of this little show?"
Shang Yanxiao was sincere in his admiration, "Miss Bai is far more bold and decisive than I ever imagined."
Bai Xu agreed with his assessment, "Indeed. The first branch has really disgraced themselves thoroughly this time!"
This engagement banquet that had cost tens of millions, held with such grand fanfare and so many guests, had in the end become the very birthplace of this scandal and spectacle!
Not only had every penny spent gone completely to waste, but the very thing they valued most, their reputation, had been stripped away entirely!
Most importantly, from this moment forward...
Whenever anyone spoke of the Shang family's first branch, it would no longer be uniform praise. Instead it would be accompanied by all manner of rumors, true or false, with people privately mocking, belittling, and even openly denouncing them.
Bai Xu turned to look at Shang Queyan beside him and suddenly asked, "Queyan, do you still remember how people in the capital's circles looked down on your family when the third branch went through its ordeal?"
Shang Queyan lowered his eyes to look at his legs, which would never feel anything again, and spoke word by word, "Of course I do."
Back then, the ugly rumors that had spread were no doubt fueled by the first branch working against them from the shadows, with the sole purpose of turning people's hearts against the third branch.
Bai Xu drained the last of his drink and set the glass back down on the table with a firm tap, "Mm-hmm."
Shang Yanxiao understood the meaning beneath his words. A cold glint flashed through his eyes and vanished just as quickly, "From today onwards, it is time for the first branch to have a taste of what that feels like."
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