Chapter 27: Misfortune Awaits Your Entire Family

Longxiang Grand Hotel stood in the heart of Shu City’s most bustling downtown district. With its hundred stories, it was the only six-star hotel in the city, resplendent in gold and jade, dazzling in its opulence.

The music fountains surrounding the parking lot danced with abandon. Scholars and gentlemen came and went; there was not a single commoner in sight. Even the doormen at the entrance wore immaculate suits.

Ye Tianci and Lin Qingqian entered the hotel. As they waited for the elevator in the grand lobby, a group approached from the side. Security guards and staff all saluted as they passed.

At the forefront was a middle-aged man with a square, imposing face, exuding authority. Beside him walked a young woman, attractive but with thin lips, revealing at a glance that she was not to be trifled with.

The girl’s eyes immediately found Lin Qingqian, and she called out brazenly, “Lin Qingqian!”

“Tang Jiao? Didn’t you go abroad to study?” Lin Qingqian asked in mild surprise.

They had been classmates, but their social standing differed greatly, so their relationship had always been distant and ordinary.

“I just returned two days ago. My cousin is hosting her apprenticeship banquet here tomorrow, so my father and I came early to make arrangements. What brings you here?” Tang Jiao’s face brimmed with a sense of superiority.

After all, being the direct granddaughter of Tang Zhen’guo was enough for her to flaunt her status everywhere.

“This is my fiancé, Ye Tianci. We came here for dinner,” Lin Qingqian replied.

“Tianci, this is my classmate Tang Jiao, the little princess of the Tang family. General Qiong is her cousin,” she added by way of introduction.

Ye Tianci stepped forward and extended his hand to Tang Jiao. “Hello.”

Tang Jiao immediately noticed his limp. She frowned, her face full of disdain. “Who do you think you are, wanting to shake my hand?”

“Lin Qingqian, how did you end up with a cripple for a fiancé? Isn’t that hilarious? If word got out that the reigning beauty of Shu City chose a lame man for a husband, how many people would laugh their teeth out?”

“He’s not the son of some tycoon or a wealthy heir, is he? Did you fall for his money? Because he doesn’t look rich at all!” Tang Jiao rolled her eyes, ignoring Ye Tianci’s outstretched hand, and shouted with utter disregard for the people around them, pouring all her malice into mocking Ye Tianci and Lin Qingqian.

Lin Qingqian’s elegant brows knitted together at once.

Ye Tianci lowered his hand and said calmly, “I’m not rich, but you don’t look rich either.”

As soon as he spoke, a burst of laughter rippled through those nearby.

“Is this guy an idiot? Doesn’t he know Tang Jiao is the granddaughter of the Tang family?”

“If Tang Jiao isn’t rich, the rest of us might as well beg on the streets!”

“Not only is he lame, he must be stupid too. The Longxiang Grand Hotel is managed by Tang Jiao’s family, and he dares mock her for not being wealthy!”

“I bet the Tang family’s money could bury him alive!”

The voices of discussion around them were loud—many deliberately so, hoping to curry favor with Tang Jiao and catch her attention.

If she was in a good mood, she might toss them ten or twenty thousand on a whim. Even if not, gaining Tang Jiao’s favor and forging a connection with the Tang family would be a windfall in itself.

“Did you hear that? My father is the general manager of the Longxiang Grand Hotel. I’m the Tang family’s granddaughter. Even if I did nothing, I’d still get hundreds of thousands a month for pocket money!”

“You penniless wretch, where did you find the nerve to mock me for not being rich?” Tang Jiao rolled her eyes, her face full of contempt.

Ye Tianci flexed his fingers, gazing at Tang Jiao with a look of pity. “Don’t be so pleased with yourself. Soon, you’ll be penniless. Your parents will suffer with you.”

“Probably around this time tomorrow.”

Tang Jiao exploded in fury. “How dare you curse me so viciously? You must not want to live in Shu City!”

“Dad! Did you hear that? This cripple said our whole family is doomed!”

The square-faced man turned, his face thunderous as he glared at Ye Tianci. “You’ve got some nerve to make a scene in my hotel, Ye Tianci! How dare you insult us in the Longxiang Grand Hotel!”

“Guards, throw him out!”

Tang Jiao, delighted, shouted, “Lin Qingqian, I was considering inviting your family to my cousin’s apprenticeship banquet for old times’ sake. But with your cripple fiancé spouting nonsense, forget it! Your family isn’t welcome! Neither of you can eat here!”

“Hurry up and throw them both out!”

Waving her hand like a haughty princess, she ordered. More than a dozen security guards surged forward and expelled Ye Tianci and Lin Qingqian from the Longxiang Grand Hotel.

Outside the hotel, Lin Qingqian’s face was less than pleasant. Still, she didn’t scold him much, only saying, “Tianci, you should avoid reading people’s fortunes in public. Speaking so carelessly offends people.”

Ye Tianci smiled lightly. “Alright, as you wish.”

They found a hot pot restaurant and ate quietly. Just as they finished, Lin Qingqian received a call from her uncle, who spoke harshly and ordered her and Ye Tianci to return home at once.

All the way there, Lin Qingqian speculated anxiously, unsure what new trouble awaited them.

Stepping into the living room, Lin Qingqian was surprised to find all her relatives present, even the distant aunts and uncles she rarely saw. Everyone wore a cold expression, their demeanor unfriendly, as if something serious had happened.

“Uncle…”

Lin Qingqian had only just begun to speak when Lin Changren interrupted her cruelly.

“Don’t call me uncle!”

“Tell me, two hours ago, did you and Ye Tianci go to the Longxiang Grand Hotel for dinner?”

“Yes,” Lin Qingqian nodded.

Lin Changren pressed on, “Did you offend the hotel’s general manager, Tang Yunhao, and his daughter, Tang Jiao?”

“Did Ye Tianci say Tang Jiao would end up broke, and that by this time tomorrow, Tang Yunhao’s whole family would be in trouble?”

“Is that true?!”

Lin Changren looked at Lin Qingqian and Ye Tianci as if they were his mortal enemies, his anger palpable.

Lin Qingqian helplessly admitted, “That’s true. But it wasn’t our fault—it was Tang Jiao who…”

“Enough!” Lin Changren snapped, cutting her off.

He strode over and, with a stony face, rebuked her, “Qingqian, you’ve disappointed me—disappointed the whole family! Do you realize, because of your and Ye Tianci’s offense, the Tang family sent word that the Lin family is not allowed to attend General Tang Qiong’s apprenticeship banquet?”

“Even when I pulled rank as the general manager of Dongliang Group, the Tang family refused, and did so in the harshest terms!”

“Only after I promised them something did we regain the right for the Lin family to attend the banquet.”

Lin Qingqian apologized sincerely, “Uncle, I’m sorry for causing such trouble for the family. If you must blame someone, blame me. Ye Tianci is barely involved.”

Beside her, Ye Tianci felt a surge of warmth. He hadn’t expected Lin Qingqian to shield him, even at the risk of taking all the blame herself.

In her, he saw shades of his three senior sisters—when he got into trouble as a child and Ghost Hand punished him, his sisters had always defended him just like this.

“Qingqian,” Lin Hao came forward, his tone mocking. “Do you know what my father promised the Tang family?”