Chapter 35 You Are Always the Star
Just like that, Qiu Mu-Ying and her family spent the night at the public security bureau.
They were only released the next morning, when the eldest Qiu brother, Qiu Guang, went over to clear things up for them. After that, he took Qiu Mu-Ying and her family back to the Qiu's family house.
The rest of the Qius had already gathered at the family house. After all, the arrest of Qiu Luo and his family was considered a rather big deal among the Qius, so they had to pay a visit to the family house and find out what happened.
The family of four looked demoralized when they returned, and their expressions were terrible to behold. Especially Qiu Luo, whose face was an unhealthy shade of green.
Qiu Luo was a prominent member of the Qiu family after all, so his recent arrest was especially humiliating for him. Meanwhile, Wang Qiao-Yu was standing quietly, with her head bowed. One side of her face was still swollen. And her daughter too, was looking more subdued than usual. It was obvious that last night's misadventure had frightened them badly.
"Qiao-Yu, are you alright?"
All at once, their relatives crowded them and solicitously enquired about their wellbeing. Qiu Mu-Cheng's mother, Han Li, was also among the group of concerned relatives. "Get lost, stop putting on an act here!"
"If it weren't for your horrible daughter, and that bastard son-in-law, we wouldn't have gotten into that mess."
"It's all your family's fault!"
"Your family must be our natural-born nemeses."
Wang Qiao-Yu was so angry that she started gnashing her teeth. Her daughter was also looking at Qiu Mu-Cheng and Ye Fan, with an expression full of hatred. As if she wanted to cut up the couple into thousands of pieces.
"Enough, you stupid bitch. Haven't you embarrassed me enough?" Qiu Luo roared angrily, and his wife was frightened into silence.
After all, what had happened to Qiu Luo and his family last night was all their fault. They had no one else to blame but themselves.
Leaving aside the fact that Wang Qiao-Yu was the culprit responsible for giving the Phaeton to Qiu Luo, their family had already violated company rules by using a company car for their own pleasure trip to Yunwu Lake.
And Ye Fan had not told a single lie last night. They really had not spent a single cent on the Phaeton.
Therefore, they really could not place any blame on Ye Fan and Qiu Mu-Cheng.
"Alright, stop fighting. Let this incident be a lesson to you. It is better to be self-reliant. There is no such thing as a free lunch." "Qiu Luo, you and your family had better go home and change." "Don't miss this afternoon's appointment."
"Mr. Shen has invited us to a banquet. That means he thinks we are worthy of his attention. But we must not be unappreciative of his good will. Let us reach the venue earlier and wait for him there." "Especially Wen-Fei. You will be the star at the banquet. Don't lose face."
Master Qiu managed to stop the fight with his timely instructions.
And Qiu Luo's family was also reminded of the upcoming banquet appointment with the Shens. At the same time, the familiar haughty countenance returned to Wang Qiao-Yu's and Qiu Mu-Ying's expressionless faces.
"That's right, Wen-Fei. You will be the star at today's banquet. If it weren't for you, we would never ever get the chance to have a meal with Mr. Shen."
Wang Qiao-Yu spoke loudly, as if she was afraid that nobody would know how awesome her son-in-law was.
Meanwhile, Qiu Mu-Ying pulled Chu Wen-Fei's arm and leaned against his body, presenting a picture of domestic bliss. It was as if she was showing off her husband.
Soon, Qiu Mu-Ying and her family had finished changing into their formal wear. Chu Wen-Fei was dressed in a suit, and his waxed hair was combed backward. The leather shoes on his feet were polished till they gleamed with an oily sheen. By his side, Qiu Mu-Ying was wearing a bright red long dress and black high heels. Her ensemble helped to bring out her sexiness and, as she drew her husband close to her, she looked as proud as a princess.
"You two look like a perfect couple!"
"It's thanks to the good-looking genes of our Qiu family."
"Those who don't know better will think you two are a celebrity couple on their
holiday."
The assembled Qius engaged in a round of flattery for the power couple, and their hearts were filled with respect for Chu Wen-Fei.
"Wen-Fei is capable indeed. Mr. Shen Jiu-Yi actually personally invited him to a banquet. We are basking in your reflected glory."
And then Master Qiu ordered his family to start moving to the hotel, because it was nearly ten in the morning. Since he wanted to leave a good impression on Shen Jiu-Yi, he reasoned that it was better to reach the destination earlier rather than later. The Qius did not dally and started to move out right away.
Originally, the Qius had not thought about attending the banquet.
After all, Shen Jin-Yi had only invited both Mr. and Mrs. Chu.
But Chu Wen-Fei, who had a weakness for showing off, told the Qius: "No problem, everyone should come along. I will talk to Mr. Shen. It's just a simple matter of adding some extra utensils to the table. It's a small matter."
"Guang, your family will take this car."
"Sis, your family will take this one~"
Since they were only able to attend the banquet because of Chu Wen-Fei, it was only natural that the other Qius followed Qiu Luo's arrangements.
However, Qiu Mu-Cheng and her family were left standing outside even after everyone else had already boarded a car. No one invited them to share a vehicle.
"Qiao-Yu, which car will we be taking?" When Han Li saw that everyone else was ready to depart, except for her family, she could not help but ask Wang Qiao-Yu for directions.
The latter patted her head and said, "Ai, just look at me. How could I have forgotten your family?"
"Let me see, which car you should take."
Wang Qiao-Yu pretended to look around and then laughed. "Han Li, this car is already full. Why don't you take a bus? If you really can't bear to spend all that money, you can ride an e-bike for your return trip." "I am sorry~"
Wang Qiao-Yu smiled indifferently. She looked like she was bound and determined to humiliate Han Li and her family.
"Mom, let's go. Why bother with them? They will only embarrass us if they show up."
Qiu Mu-Ying's disgusted shout came in from the front, and Wang Qiao-Yu boarded the car.
Soon, the Qiu's car fleet disappeared over the horizon. But Qiu Mu-Cheng and her family were left behind at the departure point. They stood listlessly by the roadside, looking very embarrassed indeed. "This Wang Qiao-Yu is too much."
"She wants us to take the bus? She is humiliating us. She doesn't want us to go!"
"Let's not go then. Who gives a damn about a bit of food?"
Qiu Lei's face had already turned green from anger.
Han Li also thought that they were in an especially embarrassing position. She did not want to hang around, so she turned around angrily and left for home.
"Get lost, don't block my way."
"We have two men here, but both are useless. Because of them, I have to get humiliated as well-"
"Why is my life so difficult^"
As she walked away, she continued to scold the men in her life. Meanwhile, Qiu Lei hurried to catch up with her.
And then, only Qiu Mu-Cheng and Ye Fan were left standing at the spot.
Qiu Mu-Cheng stood quietly as the sunshine rained down on them. As she looked in the direction of the departed cars, she felt unpleasant. Once again, she had been ignored. The feeling of being looked down on was very awful indeed.
Self-deprecation filled Qiu Mu-Cheng's eyes, even as an ineffable sense of dejection filled her heart.
She would only feel so dejected at times like this, when the feeling of being abandoned by the world overwhelmed her.
"Perhaps, this is my fate."
"Ordinary and insignificant, like a speck of dust."
"Let's go home."
"There's no need to attend this banquet." "If I show up, I will just be a redundant supporting character, and a foil for my cousin."
Qiu Mu-Cheng stopped looking and, as she turned around, she cut a desolate figure. It was time to go home.
She felt terrible, but nothing could be done about it. The moment Qiu Mu-Ying had married Chu Wen-Fei, Qiu Mu-Cheng knew that she would never be able to surpass her cousin in this lifetime.
But, just as Qiu Mu-Cheng was about to leave, a hand suddenly reached out silently from behind her and grabbed her wrist.
"Who said you are a redundant supporting character?"
"No matter where you are, as long as you are my woman, you will always be the star."
Ye Fan's tone was restrained and his words, accompanied by the wind, rang out softly beside Qiu Mu-Cheng's ear.
The latter was promptly stunned. She tilted
her head to look at the man standing in front of her. A small breeze lifted the fringe of hair covering her forehead and, for some reason, she thought she could see the whole world reflected in his eyes.
Vroom-
Just then, a luxurious looking Benz cruised slowly toward them and came to a stop.
The door opened and an attendant stepped down from the car. As he faced Ye Fan and Qiu Mu-Cheng, he greeted them in a respectful voice. "Mr. and Mrs. Chu, the banquet is ready. Mr. Shen has instructed me to pick you up."
"Will sir and madam please board the vehicle?"
The restrained voice and the very respectful words, rang out softly in front of Ye Fan and beside Qiu Mu-Cheng's ears.