Beneath the Marriage Pact

Chapter 9: Live Clarification, Counter-Army (1)

Just after the clock in the living room struck ten o 'clock, Shen Zhixia was rubbing her temples in front of the phone screen -- the hashtag # Shen's adopted daughter takes over the nest # was still in the third place on the hot search list, and eight out of ten clicks were about scolding her for "not letting go of Mrs. Ling's position", along with the "Starlight Project" being brought up, saying she "gets resources from men".

"Stop browsing." Ling Xu 'an encircled her from behind, his chin resting in her shoulder, with the air conditioning he had just returned from the company. "If you brush again, your eyes will pop out."

Shen Zhixia stuffed her phone into the sofa crevice and turned to shake his arm: "What should I do then? Shen Yuwei's "clarification" Weibo post almost turned her into a victim in the comment section.

Ling Xu 'an didn't say a word. He walked straight to the TV cabinet, picked up the black box that Chen Mo had just sent over and opened it. Inside were neatly folded physical invitations, with a verver-red cover gilded and a lacquer seal of the Ling family's old residence pressed on the upper right corner. When he opened it, the characters "Bride: Shen Zhixia" were written neatly by the calligraphy teacher.

"Take this to the live broadcast." He stuffed the invitation into Shen Zhixia's hand, took out his phone and clicked on the live streaming platform. "The account is already prepared by Chen Mo. It's called 'Ling Xu 'an', no V, but the backstage has already informed the platform and pushed the homepage."

Shen Zhixia held the invitation for a moment: "Now? Open it directly?

"Or wait for Shen Yuwei to call the white black?" Ling Xu 'an adjusted the Angle of the camera, placed the handle on the flower stand in the living room, facing the open space in front of the sofa, "Don't panic, just stand beside me. If you want to say something, say a few words. If you don't want to say something, look at me."

He tapped on the screen with his fingertip and the live broadcast began instantly.

In less than five minutes, the number of people online had soared to 100,000. The barrage rolled like a waterfall:

- "Oh my God? Is it really Mr. Ling?

- "Wasn't it said to be engaged to Shen Yuwei? What's going on?"

- "What about Shen Zhixia? Why don't you see her? Could it be that you were really kicked?"

Ling Xu 'an didn't look at the comments. He picked up the physical invitation on the table, turned to the pages in front of the camera, and tapped the three words "Shen Zhixia" with his fingertips: "My fiancee, from beginning to end, only this one."

The voice was not loud, but it had an overwhelming presence. The barrage paused for half a second and then exploded even more fiercely:

- "Physical invitations! The one written by the calligraphy teacher! I've seen the sample!"

- "So the previous version was fake?"

- "Didn't Shen Yuwei say it was a typesetting error?"

Ling Xu 'an didn't answer, turned his head to look at Shen Zhixia, his eyes softened a little: "It's your turn."

Shen Zhixia took a deep breath and took two steps forward, standing right in the center of the camera. "Perhaps Miss Shen Yuwei was so eager to marry into the Ling family that she made a 'pen mistake' and wrote the name wrongly," she said, without the script.

It was said in a casual way, but the word "intentional" was clearly defined. Immediately someone was bombarding the comments:

- "Hahaha 'I really want to marry into the Ling family'! Sister is so talkative!"

- "Shen Yuwei said she would help run errands before, but now it seems she wants to do it herself?"

Shen Zhixia didn't respond. She took the phone from Ling Xu 'an's hand, opened the photo album and pulled out a screenshot - it was the bill sent to her by Chen Mo in the early hours of the morning. Shen Yuwei bought a limited edition bag with the public funds for the engagement. The credit card was clearly recorded and the remarks column read "Engagement flowers purchase".

"By the way," he said. She held her phone up to the camera and laughed even more sweetly, "the budget for the engagement was pooled by the old professors in the lab. We intended to do it sparingly, but Miss Shen used the money to buy a 38,000 bag - the old professors were waiting to use the remaining money to replace the lab's centrifuge."

Now the comments are completely reversed:

- "Oh my god! Embezzling funds to buy a bag? This is just too disgusting!"

- "Lab donation? How dare you touch this money? Is Shen Yuwei crazy?"

- "Before you pretended to be pitiful and said you were wronged in the Shen family, and then you were using someone else's money to pretend to be rich?"

Ling Xu 'an took the hand and turned off the camera, and the live broadcast had just reached fifteen minutes. He stuffed his phone back into his pocket and pinched Shen Zhixia's face: "All right, leave the rest to Chen Mo."

Shen Yuwei was woken up by her best friend's call. She had been drinking with Lin's vice president until midnight last night and had a severe headache. When she picked up the phone, she heard her best friend scream: "Yuwei, look at the hot search!" Ling Xu 'an has a live stream! Shen Zhixia even dropped your bill for the bag!"

Shen Yuwei woke up in an instant, grabbed her phone and opened Weibo - # Ling Xu 'an live-streamed clarification # # Shen Yuwei Misappropriated Engagement funds # # Shen Yuwei Fake Invitation # three entries dominated the top three of the hot search list, all of which were scolding her.

She shook her hand and the phone "clanged" to the ground. How could this happen? How could Ling Xu 'an suddenly start a live stream? Bill... Didn't Chen Mo say it couldn't be found?

"Impossible... It must be fake!" She got up like a mad woman, trying to get the spare phone on the table. Just as she reached the living room, she saw Shen's father standing at the door with a sullen face, clutching a piece of paper in his hand - it was a letter of termination sent by the Ling family.

"You still have the face to sleep? !" Mr. Shen threw the paper hard on her face, his voice shaking violently, "The Ling family just called and said they were going to cut off all cooperation with the Shen family! Your brother's business in Southeast Asia relied entirely on the logistics channels of the Ling family, but now it's all ruined!"

Shen Yuwei covered her face and wept: "Dad! It wasn't me! It was Shen Zhixia who framed me! That bill is fake!"

"Fake?" Shen's father, trembling with rage, pointed at the TV on the wall - the finance channel was rebroadcasting Ling Xu 'an's live broadcast, the camera zoomed in on the physical invitation, "The whole world saw it! You still dare to be stubborn?"

"I just want to marry into the Ling family, so what?" Shen Yuwei suddenly screamed, grabbed the glass on the coffee table and threw it on the ground, "What does Shen Zhixia deserve? She's just an orphan no one wants! If Aunt Zhang hadn't picked her up, she would have starved to death long ago!"

"Shut up!" Shen's father raised his hand and slapped her, causing half of her face to turn red instantly. "Aunt Zhang is someone you can scold? If it weren't for Aunt Zhang staying by your mother's bedside, you would have survived until now?"

Shen Yuwei covered her face and froze for a moment, her tears falling even more fiercely: "Dad... You hit me? You've never hit me..."

"I don't have a daughter like you!" Mr. Shen pointed at the door, his voice as cold as ice, "Pack up for me right now and go back to grandma's house in the countryside! Don't go back to the city without my permission!"

Shen Yuwei collapsed on the ground, looking at her father's back as he slammed the door, and suddenly laughed, laughing until tears streamed down her face. She lost... She lost completely.

In the Ling family's villa, Shen Zhixia was lying on the sofa, scrolling through netizens' apology comments, laughing so hard she couldn't straighten up: "Look at this! Saying, 'I wrongly accused sister before. Sister, hit me,' with a kowtowing emoji."

Ling Xu 'an came over with a cup of hot milk and stuffed it into her hand: "Stop laughing, be careful not to choke." He sat beside her, picked up his phone and flipped through it. "Chen Mo said Shen Yuwei has been sent away by her father to the countryside."

"Um." Shen Zhixia took a sip of milk, which slid down her throat warm. "It's fine. Out of sight, out of mind." She paused and looked up at Ling Xu 'an, "That Shen family..."

"If it's broken, it's broken." Ling Xu 'an pinched her face. "The Ling family doesn't lack the Shen family's cooperation." He paused for a moment, fished out a small box from his pocket and handed it over. "Here you are."

It was a small gardenia brooch, similar to Mother's, but pieced together with small diamonds, shining in the light. Shen Zhixia wore it on her collar, and the cold metal clung to her skin, very warm.

"Right," Ling Xu 'an suddenly remembered something, "the old professor in the lab just called and said the stability problem of the 'Starlight Project' has been solved - they added sea salt as you said, and the conversion rate has increased by two points."

Shen Zhixia's eyes lit up instantly: "Really? "Great!" She threw herself into Ling Xu 'an's arms and kissed him on the face. "I knew Mom's notes wouldn't be wrong!"

Ling Xu 'an held her in his arms and smiled, his chin resting on the top of her hair: "When mass production is successful, let's go to the seaside to hold our wedding." "

"All right." Shen Zhixia, buried in his arms, nodded in a muffled voice, "also invite all the old professors in the laboratory, Lin Yue, Chen Mo..."

"All of them." Ling Xu 'an patted her back, his voice hoarse. "I'll listen to you."

When Chen Mo came to deliver the documents in the evening, he brought a bag of freshly roasted sunflower seeds, placed them on the coffee table and began to crack them: "Miss Shen, you didn't see how Shen Yuwei was sent away, crying like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Mr. Shen's face was so dark that it could drip ink - right, Mr. Shen later wanted to call you to apologize, but I stopped him and put his number on the company blacklist."

Shen Zhixia, who was helping Ling Xu 'an organize the guest list for the engagement, smiled and raised her eyes: "Thanks."

"Of course!" Chen Mo grabbed another handful of sunflower seeds. "And the Lin family, when the vice president heard about the live broadcast, he blocked Shen Yuwei on the spot and sent a message saying that the previous contact with her was just for show and told you not to take it to heart."

Ling Xu 'an's hand, which was flipping through documents beside him, paused for a moment and gave Chen Mo a cold glance: "You talk a lot."

Chen Mo quickly shut his mouth and slipped away with an empty melon seed shell. The living room quieted down again, with only the rustling of pen tips gliding across paper.

"Actually, there's no need to stop Mr. Shen on the phone." Shen Zhixia suddenly spoke up, pushing the written list to Ling Xu 'an, "I just wanted to hear what he could say."

"It's nothing but a pitiful plea for forgiveness." Ling Xu 'an glanced at the list and drew a circle next to "Professor Zhang in the lab". "If he really cared about you, he wouldn't have let Shen Yuwei ride on your head in the first place."

Shen Zhixia didn't retort. She lowered her head and picked the cap of her pen and smiled - indeed. When she was first taken back by the Shen family, Shen Yuwei deliberately hid her textbook, and Shen's father just casually said, "Little sister, give way to her." Later, when she received the college admission notice, Shen Yuwei tore it up, but Shen's father still said the same thing.

"Right," Ling Xu 'an suddenly remembered something and pulled out an envelope from the drawer, "Professor Zhang asked me to pass it on to you."

It was a yellowed sheet of paper, in mother's handwriting, beginning with "To Xia Xia". Shen Zhixia's heart tightened sharply and she quickly opened it --

"Xia Xia, by the time you see this letter, you must be with that Ling kid, right? Professor Zhang says that guy is reliable and better than those from the Shen family. Don't be stingy with donations for the lab. Make the engagement more lively. Mom is watching from heaven. Oh, I asked Grandpa Ling to keep an eye out for the house by the sea that I told you before. It's in Qingyu Bay and you can see the sea from the window..."

Shen Zhixia's tears "swish" down and hit the letter paper, leaving a small ink stain. It turned out that mom had already arranged everything.

"Why are you crying?" Ling Xu 'an took a tissue to wipe her tears and rubbed his fingertip against her red corner of the eye. "You should laugh."

I'm just happy. Shen Zhixia choked as she folded the letter paper and carefully placed it in the inner pocket of her wallet. "When the engagement is over, shall we go and have a look at Qingyu Bay?"

"All right." Ling Xu 'an nodded and suddenly pulled her into his arms, his chin touching the top of her hair. "Actually my grandfather bought that house long ago and wrote your name on it."

Shen Zhixia was stunned for a moment, then suddenly looked up at him: "Really?"

"Why deceive you?" Ling Xu 'an scratched her nose. "My grandfather said this was your mother's reward for solving the technical problems for the Ling family back then. It should have been given to you long ago."

So that's it. Shen Zhixia buried herself in his arms and laughed, but her tears fell even more fiercely - tears of joy.

Three days before the engagement, the lab called and Professor Zhang was laughing like a child on the other end: "Zhixia! It's done! The stability test of the Starlight Project has been completed! Samples with sea salt can run stably for seven days in a low-temperature environment!"

Shen Zhixia held the phone and almost jumped up: "Really? "Great!"

"Thanks to your discovery of your mom's notes!" Professor Zhang's voice was filled with excitement. "We've contacted the factory to get ready for mass production. The first batch will be sent to the heating station in the north, just in time to install it before winter!"

After hanging up the phone, Shen Zhixia hugged Ling Xu 'an and jumped up and down: "Success! Mom's efforts are not in vain!"

Ling Xu 'an was shaken by her and laughed out loud, firmly supporting her waist: "I know, I know, our Xia Xia is the best." He lowered his head and kissed her on the forehead. "Shall we announce this as a surprise at the engagement?"

"All right!" Shen Zhixia nodded, her eyes shining like stars.

The engagement ceremony was held in the garden of the Ling family's old house, and there were many people present - the old professors from the laboratory, the Ling family's partners, and Lin Yue with her new boyfriend. Grandpa Ling, dressed in a dark blue Tang suit, took Shen Zhixia's hand and introduced her everywhere: "This is my granddaughter-in-law, the daughter of Qin Qingyao. She's amazing!"

Shen Zhixia blushed from the praise and secretly tugged Ling Xu 'an's sleeve: "What's wrong with your grandpa..."

"He's happy." Ling Xu 'an, suppressing his laughter, smoothed her skirt. "I used to talk about your mother, but now I've settled my wish."

As the ceremony began, Ling Xu 'an led Shen Zhixia onto the stage, holding a microphone in his hand, but did not say the engagement vows. Instead, he smiled and looked down at the audience: "There's good news to announce today - the stability problem of the 'Starlight Project' has been solved and mass production is coming soon."

Applause broke out in an instant, and Professor Zhang clapped his hands so excitedly that his glasses slipped to his nose.

This is all thanks to my fiancee. Ling Xu 'an turned his head to look at Shen Zhixia, his eyes so soft they could pinch out water. "It was she who found the key notes left by her mother."

Shen Zhixia's heart skipped a beat. Just as she was about to say, "It's not my achievement," she saw Ling Xu 'an suddenly kneel down on one knee, holding a ring in his hand - not the previous diamond ring, but a plain silver ring with words engraved inside.

"Shen Zhixia," he looked up at her, and his voice spread through the microphone throughout the garden, "this ring was made according to your mother's notes, with 'The stars enter summer' engraved on the inner circle. When the Starlight Project is fully implemented, shall I propose to you again, okay?

Shen Zhixia's tears fell again, and she smiled and nodded: "Yes."

Ling Xu 'an put the ring on her ring finger, got up and kissed her lips. The sun fell on both of them, warm as if it were melting.