Chapter 27: Yun Manxia Fiercely Defends Her Husband

“There’s a limit to how full of yourself you can be!”

Yun Manxia shoved him away in disgust, looking at him as though he were a pile of garbage.

“Who’s throwing a tantrum? Do you think I’m still the same naive, ignorant girl who was hopelessly obsessed with you?”

“Wake up. I’ve seen enough of the world now to know better. My husband is so outstanding that even looking at you for another second hurts my eyes!”

After finally speaking her mind, Yun Manxia felt immensely satisfied. She turned and strode away without looking back.

Bai Chengxuan stared after her in shock.

He could not believe those words had come from the Yun Manxia who used to be shy and soft whenever she was around him.

His expression shifted uncertainly.

How had Yun Manxia become like this?

Had she been possessed?

“Chengxuan!”

His mother, Liu Wei, came looking for him.

When she saw his pale face, the cold sweat covering his forehead, and the awkward position he was standing in, she froze before rushing forward.

“What happened to you?”

Bai Chengxuan endured the pain and forced himself upright.

“It’s nothing. I’m just feeling a little unwell…”

Liu Wei fussed over him briefly, but she clearly had something more important on her mind.

After looking around and confirming no one else was nearby, she asked, “I heard you came here to meet Yun Manxia?”

“Chengxuan, you can’t be foolish! What kind of background does Yun Manxia have? How could she possibly be worthy of you?”

Her expression filled with contempt.

“That woman probably dreams about marrying into our Bai family every night. She should take a good look at herself first! Does she deserve it? A woman like her is only fit to marry some nouveau riche!”

Then she smiled arrogantly.

“Our family is different. Ever since your Ninth Uncle came to Yangcheng a year ago, our status has risen with his. Look at all the people outside trying to curry favor with us.”

“Perhaps our family will even move to the Imperial Capital one day! With a family background like ours, how could Yun Manxia ever be worthy of you?”

She hurriedly urged her son, “I heard your Ninth Uncle is here. Go spend some time with him and make sure he becomes familiar with you as his nephew.”

“And remember, if any girls try to seduce you at the banquet, you can fool around with them, but don’t take any of them seriously. You’ll choose your wife after we move to the Imperial Capital. Only girls from families there will be worthy of you!”

Remembering Yun Manxia’s drastic change in attitude, Bai Chengxuan became distracted and irritable.

“I know!”

...

Yun Manxia returned to the banquet hall through the back entrance, her steps light and cheerful.

“Tsk. That Ninth Master Bai is old and ugly. I heard he’s also a violent lunatic. Apparently, his previous wives were beaten to death or driven insane by him…”

“I heard he married a fourth one. How long do you think it’ll be before she’s carried out?”

The moment Yun Manxia heard Bai Hedu’s name, she stopped walking.

Several wealthy ladies and their daughters had gathered nearby. Their expressions and voices were exaggerated as they gossiped, occasionally letting out suggestive laughs.

Yun Manxia narrowed her eyes, changed direction, and walked toward them.

They were still talking.

“I also heard he’s disabled. Ninth Master Bai must be in his forties or fifties by now, right? What good is money when a man is like that? I certainly couldn’t bear to marry my daughter off to him!”

The girl beside her immediately looked disgusted.

“Mom, don’t say something like that! I would never marry a man like him. Don’t even mention my name in the same sentence as some old man. It’s disgusting!”

Yun Manxia approached just then. Anger surged through her, and she gave an unrestrained sneer.

“Before dreaming about marrying him, perhaps you should ask whether you’re even worthy. Do you think Ninth Master Bai accepts just any piece of trash?”

The group instantly fell silent and turned toward her.

An astonishingly beautiful young woman stood before them, glaring at them with open hostility.

Jealousy flashed through the eyes of the girl who had spoken earlier.

“We’re having our own conversation. What business is it of yours?” she sneered. “From the way you’re talking, do you actually want to marry that old, ugly man?”

The girl’s mother, Madam Liu, studied Yun Manxia carefully.

When she could not match Yun Manxia to anyone from an influential family, she assumed the girl had no respectable background and had somehow slipped into the banquet.

Perhaps she was the disreputable companion of some man attending the event.

Madam Liu mocked her openly.

“She has a point. No respectable young woman would willingly marry a man like Ninth Master Bai. But there will always be women greedy for money and power. Women like that will do anything for wealth.”

Yun Manxia laughed coldly.

“You’re describing him in such vivid detail. I assume you’ve met Ninth Master Bai before?”

“I haven’t, but who hasn’t heard the rumors?” Madam Liu replied. “Everyone says the same thing. Could they all be lying?”

The others immediately echoed her, their expressions filled with ridicule and contempt.

“That’s exactly what Ninth Master Bai is like. It’s hardly a secret. Everyone knows.”

“He’s already that old and disabled, yet he keeps marrying one wife after another. Maybe he’s an old pervert too…”

“Ah!”

Screams and chaos suddenly erupted.

Furious, Yun Manxia grabbed a glass of wine and flung its contents over them.

The commotion instantly attracted everyone else in the banquet hall. Heads turned from every direction.

“You were gossiping so confidently that I assumed you had all met him!”

Yun Manxia launched into them without pause, fury written across her beautiful face.

“You’re nothing but vicious gossips! Your mouths are so big that you have an opinion about everything. If you’re so brave, why don’t you go say all of that nonsense to Ninth Master Bai’s face?”

Her expression made it clear that anyone who continued would receive a slap next.

How dare they insult her husband?

They could not blame her for refusing to tolerate it!

“You… Where did this crazy shrew come from?”

“Call security! Have security throw her out!”

Yun Manxia had moved quickly and had not stopped after splashing the first glass. By now, seven or eight people were drenched and trembling with rage.

“What is going on here?”

The elderly Madam Bai arrived, surrounded by a large group of attendants.

She was Bai Jiangong’s mother and the woman whose sixtieth birthday they were celebrating.

“Grandma Bai! There’s a crazy woman here!”

Miss Liu burst into tears and ran over to complain.

Having spent years as a wealthy man’s mistress, the elderly Madam Bai took excellent care of herself. Despite being sixty, her hair remained black, making her appear much younger.

She adopted the dignified air of a powerful family matriarch and frowned at Yun Manxia.

“Which family do you belong to?”

With a soft thud, Yun Manxia set the empty wineglass down. She leisurely pulled out a tissue and wiped the droplets from her fingers.

Bai Chengxuan was already a piece of trash. How good could his grandmother possibly be?

Even looking at these so-called members of the Bai family made Yun Manxia feel as though her eyes had been contaminated.

Her complete disregard infuriated the elderly Madam Bai.

At that moment, Yun Yiyi, who had followed behind the older woman, cried out in surprise.

“Ah… Manxia! Why is it you?”

The elderly Madam Bai immediately turned toward her.

“You know her?”

Yun Yiyi glanced at Yun Manxia and hesitated theatrically. Her face reddened with embarrassment.

“Old Madam, this is my younger sister, Yun Manxia. I’m sorry. She can be rather immature…”

Yun Manxia’s beautiful eyes turned cold.

Yun Yiyi had taken it upon herself to apologize before Yun Manxia had even spoken.

“Yun Manxia?”

Recognition immediately dawned on the elderly Madam Bai, and contempt filled her face.

“So this is what you’re like. As expected of someone who grew up without a mother to teach her—you have no manners whatsoever!”

“I heard you recently got married. Didn’t you marry some old, ugly cripple?”