Uncle Mu, upon hearing his daughter still defending the Zhan family, furiously swept all the bottles and jars off the table. "I think you've gone mad. I'll ask you only one question: Is the woman who wanted you dead the mother of Zhan Yichen?"
Mu Linjing naturally couldn't refute this point and could only nod. "But..."
"No 'buts'!" Uncle Mu interrupted her again. "I've said this marriage cannot happen. You will leave with me immediately."
Wei Yumeng, hearing the argument inside and the sound of things being swept away, knew something had gone wrong. With the situation escalating, she asked Qiao Ningzhi to stall for time while she hurried to find Zhan Yichen.
Zhan Yichen, upon hearing that Uncle Mu intended to break the engagement, rushed over. He happened to see Mu Linjing being dragged out of the room by her parents, with Qiao Ningzhi's attempts to persuade them proving futile.
He stepped forward to block Uncle Mu's path. "Uncle, what are you doing? The ceremony is about to begin."
Uncle Mu was now furious seeing him and his words turned harsh.
"What nonsense ceremony! Let me tell you, my daughter will not marry you anymore. Your Zhan family has bullied us too much. My daughter was bullied by you and almost lost her life. And you still want me to marry my daughter into your family? There's no such logic in this world."
Zhan Yichen also understood. Uncle Mu had learned the truth about Mu Linjing falling into the water. His worst fear had come true.
The Zhan family was indeed in the wrong regarding that incident with Mu Linjing. Uncle Mu's reaction was understandable, and all he could do was offer a sincere apology.
"Uncle, we were indeed in the wrong towards Linjing regarding that matter. But my mother has already been punished for it. I know you may not care about this, but please give me a chance, even if it's just for me to atone for my mother's sins."
"Atonement, some sins can be atoned for, some are unforgivable."
Uncle Mu just wanted to take his daughter and leave. What did the Zhan family's reputation matter to him?
Mu Linjing couldn't bear to see Zhan Yichen so troubled and humble for her sake. She had repeatedly said she couldn't forgive Wen Yulan, and had argued fiercely with Zhan Yichen over it.
But now, when it came to separating from Zhan Yichen because of this, she would rather shake hands with Wen Yulan.
On one side was her father, who was acting unreasonable for her sake. If she were ungrateful, she wouldn't deserve to be a child. On the other side was her lover, who had become so humble, breaking his own mother's freedom to right her wrong. With such feelings, what reason did she have not to forgive?
In this situation, choosing either side was wrong. She couldn't bear to see either of them unhappy.
As everyone in the room remained locked in a stalemate, Zhan Mohan and Old Master Zhan arrived late. Seeing the situation, Zhan Mohan stepped forward to persuade them. "Uncle, today is the engagement ceremony, and guests are arriving. Why don't we complete the ceremony first? We can discuss this matter slowly later. Our family will certainly give you a satisfactory explanation."
However, this time, he miscalculated. Uncle Mu didn't want any so-called explanation.
"Haven't you already given my daughter your explanation? You've won her heart completely, and she's been thinking of you. But today, I am breaking the engagement. Are you going to force the marriage?"
Another struggle ensued. Amidst the chaos, camera shutters clicked. Reporters, appearing from nowhere, swarmed forward to take pictures. The second young master of the Zhan family being publicly jilted by the bride was a headline that would shock the entire Pengcheng.
Seeing the flashes, Zhan Mohan knew things were bad. He immediately ordered the security guards to clear the reporters out.
As expected, Old Master Zhan's face turned ashen. He said coldly, "Yichen, let them go. The ceremony is canceled today. You two brothers go and explain to the guests."
"Grandfather..."
Zhan Yichen wanted to persuade him further but was sternly reprimanded by Old Master Zhan. "Don't you understand what I'm saying? Let them go!"
Uncle Mu grabbed his daughter's arm and dragged her out.
Wei Yumeng quickly followed. "Grandfather, I'll arrange for them to leave through the back door."
Old Master Zhan didn't speak. He turned and led Zhan Mohan and his brother to the front hall, while Wei Yumeng caught up with Mu Linjing.
She knew that no matter what she said now, Uncle Mu wouldn't change his mind, and it might even worsen the misunderstanding between the two families, especially since her current identity was a daughter-in-law of the Zhan family.
"Uncle Mu, there are too many people at the front entrance. I'll take you through the back door. If people see you, it won't be good for Linjing's reputation."
Although Uncle Mu was displeased with the Zhan family, he valued his daughter's reputation. Wei Yumeng's words were not false, and he wasn't unreasonable. He softened his expression slightly and followed Wei Yumeng to the hotel's back entrance.
She had already asked Fang Xun to wait there earlier. Now that reporters had come in and taken photos, the news would spread like wildfire. Having Fang Xun drive them back would be faster than a taxi and would put her mind at ease.
Before they got into the car, she held Mu Linjing's hand. "Go back and comfort Uncle and Aunt. Don't think about anything else."
She didn't dare mention Zhan Yichen's name in front of Uncle Mu. She presumed Mu Linjing would guess what she couldn't say. She would handle things at the Zhan family's end and keep her updated.
Mu Linjing managed a weak smile. "Yumeng, thank you."
She got into the car and closed her eyes, leaning against the seat.
The engagement ceremony she had looked forward to for so many days had been ruined after all.
She didn't know what to say to her parents or what to do next. Thinking of Old Master Zhan's attitude just now, she knew her marriage to Zhan Yichen was largely doomed.
Originally, she thought Old Master Zhan had liked her from the beginning, that she was lucky, and it was a good omen for her relationship with Zhan Yichen.
But unexpectedly, she couldn't escape the fate of being disliked in the end.
She was grateful that Old Master Zhan hadn't cared about her family background, capabilities, or connections, but all of that had vanished into thin air today.
The Zhan family had invited many influential figures and invited many media outlets for the engagement ceremony. Although it wasn't as grand as Zhan Mohan's wedding, in the vast Pengcheng, her engagement was already of unprecedented scale.
Because of this, the Zhan family had lost face this time. How could Old Master Zhan, a man who valued reputation so much, treat her kindly as before?
Perhaps, she and Zhan Yichen were ultimately a crow paired with a phoenix, a dream shattered.
They traveled in silence. Fang Xun drove them directly back to Mu Linjing's home. "You should go and rest with Uncle and Aunt. Mr. Zhan said your leave is still valid, so you don't need to rush back to work."
She nodded. "Please thank Mr. Zhan for me."
She knew that returning to work would also lead to gossip from colleagues, so it was better to handle things calmly at home for a few days.