Chapter 88: Such Matters

In this setting, Yang Chen, having learned the reason behind the situation, could probably guess who the person An Xin mentioned was.

From the two Mercedes cars, several men in black suits stepped out first, followed by an older man and a younger man.

The older man looked to be in his early fifties, with black and white hair neatly combed back, his rugged face showing no wrinkles, indicating he took great care of himself, showing few signs of aging.

The younger man wore a white suit with a red tie. He had a lively spirit and a handsome face with a sunny smile. He stood slightly behind the older man, showing respect while being close, creating a harmonious aura between them.

"Is that your dad? He's aged well. He might have been even more handsome than me when he was younger. Seems like your genes are indeed excellent," Yang Chen pointed at the middle-aged man walking towards them with an ashen face.

An Xin couldn't see any panic on Yang Chen's face and asked strangely, "Aren't you leaving? My dad probably wants to tear you apart right now."

"Of course, I'll leave. But since your dad is right in front of me, if I leave without saying anything, I'll be labeled as fleeing. I don't like that word," Yang Chen said with a smile.

Before An Xin could persuade him further, An Xin's father had already spoken, "You won't be able to escape!"

"Dad, if you want to settle the score, settle it with me, it has nothing to do with him." An Xin stepped in front of Yang Chen, facing her father calmly. "I seduced him. Your daughter An Xin is now a fallen woman, and it won't take long before it appears in some tabloids. Everyone will know that An Xin, the daughter of An Shi Group's Chairman An Zaihuan, seduced a stranger in a nightclub before marriage and spent the night in a hotel owned by her fiancé's family."

"Slap!"

A loud slap landed on An Xin's fair cheek, leaving a red mark.

"You... you unfilial child... you... you want to kill me..." An Zaihuan widened his eyes, his bloodshot eyes trembling. His right hand, which had just delivered the slap, hung in mid-air, as if it might strike again at any moment.

An Xin didn't dodge, nor did she show any sadness. She chuckled lightly, gracefully smoothing her disheveled hair. "If that's not enough, you can hit me some more. After all, you brought me into this world. You have the right to hit me, and I don't mind."

"You shouldn't have done this. From childhood to now, you've never disappointed me. You've always been obedient... why..." An Zaihuan looked at his only daughter, his heart aching.

An Xin looked straight at her father, then glanced at the emotionless man in white beside him, and smiled bitterly, "Yes, I've always followed your instructions since I was young because you said I was the hope left by Mom in this world.

At seven, you asked me to learn the piano, and I won the national first prize for children in less than a year. At nine, you enrolled me in ballet classes, and at thirteen, I performed with the Russian National Ballet in Vienna. I learned drawing, flower arrangement, everything that aristocratic children should learn. Whatever you expected of me, I did my best to achieve it, and I worked hard to excel.

When you were torn between Oxford and Cambridge, I worked tirelessly to obtain master's degrees from both universities... From childhood to now, whenever you mentioned my deceased mother, urging me not to disappoint her expectations, I would do my best..."

"But..." An Xin's eyes were slightly moist, glistening. The smile at the corner of her mouth carried a hint of bitterness. "But my deceased mother wouldn't force me to marry someone I don't want to marry! You want me to marry him!"

An Xin pointed to the man in the white suit who had remained silent the whole time and sneered, "He's just your lover's relative. You completely disregarded my feelings for the sake of your lover's words, to make me marry a completely unfamiliar man whom I don't like. I'm your own daughter, but you listen to her completely, ignoring everything I've done... Is this also for the sake of my deceased mother?!"

"Enough!" An Zaihuan shouted loudly, then began coughing violently, pointing at An Xin but unable to say a word.

The man in the white suit beside him showed a hint of nervousness, frowning, and said, "Uncle An, don't get agitated. An Xin is just momentarily upset. She's young and rebellious; she'll make mistakes. Let me talk to her."

An Zaihuan, upon hearing the man's words, looked somewhat relieved and nodded laboriously. "Liuyun, it's our fault, the An family owes you, and An Xin is unfilial..."

"I didn't owe him anything. I never promised him anything. It's my freedom to sleep with any man I want." An Xin said sternly.

Liuyun didn't mind, soothing An Zaihuan before turning to An Xin with a smile. "An Xin, don't be stubborn. Your uncle and aunt are really worried about you after this incident. Come back home with us."

"This is our family matter, what's it to you?" Anxin turned her head away, ignoring Liuyun.

Liuyun remained unruffled, smiling warmly as he advised, "Alright, it's your family matter indeed, but even as a friend, I wish for you and your father to sit down and talk things out properly. Anxin, I understand you might not be entirely pleased about marrying me. We haven't known each other for long, but my feelings for you are genuine. Ever since I laid eyes on you, I couldn't forget you. Please give me time. After we get married, I'll show you how right it was to choose me."

"Are you crazy?! You still want to marry me?!" Anxin couldn't believe it, looking at Liuyun incredulously. "You want to marry a woman seen as a loose woman in others' eyes, the young master of Biyun Group. Have you lost your mind?"

On the sidelines, Yang Chen was somewhat surprised to hear this. This young man Liuyun turned out to be the heir of the Biyun Group. Anxin, this little troublemaker, was quite ruthless. Not only did she ruin her own reputation, but she also wanted to disgust her fiancé's family. It's likely that if he hadn't taken her to the Biyun Hotel last night, Anxin would have suggested it herself.

At this moment, Liuyun shook his head. "I mean it. I'm sincerely telling you this."

An Zaihuan was deeply moved. He thought that with this incident, the marriage would fall through. Unexpectedly, Liuyun was so magnanimous. Immediately, he said, "Liuyun, you're such a good kid. Anxin doesn't know how to appreciate it. She's being disobedient and doing such dirty things. Yet, you're willing to overlook it and still want to marry her. I didn't misjudge you, Anxin! Apologize to Liuyun now!"

Anxin snorted coldly and turned her head away.

"You..." An Zaihuan was about to get angry again. "Do you want to make me angry to death before you're satisfied?"

Just then, seeing that nobody had paid attention to him, Yang Chen, who had been ignored all along, couldn't help but speak up, "Um... if you have no business with me, I'll leave first. I'm already late for work today; I can't afford to delay anymore."

Only then did everyone remember that the main character causing the trouble was still standing there.

An Zaihuan, treating Yang Chen, whom he saw as the "villain" who had relations with his daughter, even worse, naturally wore an uglier expression. He sneered, "Trying to run away? Do you think you can walk away unscathed after seducing my daughter and leading her to such a big mistake?"

"Uncle, then what do you suggest?" Yang Chen forced a smile. "The deed has already been done. I can't exactly turn back time and make your daughter a virgin again."

"You... you beast!" An Zaihuan hadn't expected Yang Chen to not only be unafraid but also to appear utterly unfazed, as if it were all perfectly reasonable.

Liuyun's expression changed slightly, and he spoke gently to Yang Chen, "What's your name, sir?"

"I'm Yang Chen. Mr. Liu, if you're upset that I took your fiancée's virginity, feel free to say so. You can curse me out if you want. Um... I know, men generally don't like others stealing their daughters, even though she's not yours yet." Yang Chen scratched his head, feeling unsure about how to handle this. This whole situation was a mess.

Liuyun smiled and said, "Mr. Yang is a sensible person. But I have no intention of retaliating against Mr. Yang. I hope this matter can be settled peacefully. Anxin is my beloved fiancée, and this mishap was caused by my lack of attention. I'm to blame. If Mr. Yang doesn't mind, we can resolve this matter amicably. All you need to do, Mr. Yang, is keep quiet. When someone asks about this incident, simply deny everything."

"Deny it? What's the use when the reporters are already here?" Yang Chen said.

Confidently, Liuyun smiled, "Mr. Yang probably doesn't know that our media industry under the Biyun Group is quite influential. Most of the information obtained by the media this morning has already been controlled. So Mr. Yang can rest assured, there won't be any negative news or images affecting your reputation. All we need to do is deny everything, and then, neither Anxin nor Mr. Yang will have any more trouble."

Yang Chen finally understood. The young CEO of the Biyun Group indeed had some skills to be able to control even the media channels of the Zhonghai region.

An Zaihuan clapped his hands happily. "Liuyun, my wise nephew, you indeed have a way. The Liu family is indeed not comparable to us ordinary small families. With this, I can rest assured. Let me tell you, this girl, by doing such a foolish thing and tarnishing her reputation, even if she marries into the Liu family next time, she'll still be looked down upon!"

"Uncle, rest assured, if anyone dares to speak ill of Anxin, I, Liuyun, will do my utmost to protect her from harm," Liuyun said, his eyes full of affection once again turning to Anxin.

Anxin finally softened, but not because of the love-filled gaze from Liuyun. It was Liuyun's methods that caught her off guard. If her plan to ruin her reputation through the media failed, then she would definitely have to marry into the Liu family, with no other choice. Now, the only hope was that Yang Chen wouldn't deny everything and would truthfully recount what happened that night. In that case, the blocked information would be useless because the words of the parties involved were the most convincing!

However, if Yang Chen told the truth, it would mean he had to bear the stigma of being an adulterer, affecting his reputation...

Given a choice, who would willingly bear such a despised label?!

Anxin's face turned somewhat pale as she turned to look at the silent Yang Chen. This man, whom she had only known for less than a day but who had taken away her cherished chastity of over twenty years, would he still be the brave knight who would lead her through the thorns like he did last night?

Yang Chen, at some point, had already taken out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it up, and was puffing smoke rings with a furrowed brow, looking like a seasoned farmer, a far cry from the successful and confident Liuyun standing before him.

Liuyun's face was filled with self-assured smiles, proud yet gentle, as if this handsome young man was meant to be like this. Seeing Yang Chen hesitate to speak, seemingly considering, he wasn't in a hurry. "Mr. Yang, do you feel wronged in this matter? If Mr. Yang doesn't mind our interference, I'm willing to offer some compensation to Mr. Yang. All you need to do is keep quiet and protect the reputations of my fiancée and yourself..."

"No need," Yang Chen waved his hand, flicked off some ash from his cigarette, glanced at the anxious Anxin, and then smiled at Liuyun, who seemed to have everything under control. "I'm not a great person, nor am I particularly brave. But... sleeping with a woman and then claiming it never happened afterward, that's something I can't do."