Chapter 670: Gift

Chapter 670: The Gift

That evening, Jiang Yu mentioned the banquet to He Tingyue.

He Tingyue caught her drift. "You want to go?"

Jiang Yu nodded. "I do. It's at Zhengyang Lou—we might as well go for the free food."

He Tingyue wasn’t buying her innocent act. He let go of her and sat up.

"Sweetheart, what’s your game?"

Jiang Yu pursed her lips. "Wu Yue found some things in Jiao Zongyao’s room. I want to give them to Wei Xiuru as a gift."

Wei Xiuru had made a special trip to deliver the invitation just to mess with them.

Skipping it would be downright disrespectful.

"You’re coming with me."

If she wanted to go, He Tingyue wouldn’t refuse.

"If you want to go, fine. Now sleep."

On the day of the banquet, Jiang Yu was up at the crack of dawn to prep.

She was a natural beauty but rarely wore makeup.

For this occasion, she even bought cosmetics and put on lipstick.

Yao Xiangling watched her primping with disapproval. "Strangers would think you’re the bride."

Jiang Yu shrugged. "There’s no bride at this banquet."

Wei Xiuru’s no real bride.

After finishing her makeup, she threw on a red dress, looking even more like a newlywed.

Yao Xiangling shook her head. "Watch out or someone might take a swing at you."

Jiang Yu wasn’t worried. "With He Tingyue here, who would dare?"

She nursed grudges and loved payback—Wei Xiuru knew that.

If Wei Xiuru still dared to provoke her, she was asking for trouble.

Yao Xiangling gave up arguing, then turned to He Tingyue.

"Your wife is carrying on like this, and you’re just indulging her?"

He Tingyue smiled helplessly. "Auntie, since when do I call the shots? It’s always me listening to her."

Yao Xiangling threw her hands up. "Whatever. Don’t come crying to me when this blows up."

He Tingyue quickly said, "I’ll keep her in check. Nothing will happen."

Yao Xiangling didn’t believe him—like he could ever control Jiang Yu.

Wei Xiuru’s nonsense was disgusting, they could’ve just skipped it. But Jiang Yu was dead set on revenge.

The moment the couple arrived at the restaurant, they caught the attention of many.

He Jingyi noticed them and hurried over, his face tense with wariness.

"Why are you here?"

Jiang Yu took out the invitation. "Didn’t you invite us? Wei Xiuru said you’d be very disappointed if we didn’t come. We couldn’t bear to disappoint you, could we?"

He Jingyi stiffened, his anger toward Wei Xiuru clear.

He had made it clear earlier that while the banquet was acceptable, no one was to bother Jiang Yu and He Tingyue.

But try as he might, it still happened.

Now that Jiang Yu had arrived with the invitation, he had no grounds to refuse them.

"Since you’re here, just enjoy the meal and don’t cause trouble," He Jingyi warned Jiang Yu with a pointed stare.

He wasn’t worried about He Tingyue—it was Jiang Yu who always acted unpredictably.

Jiang Yu drew out a casual "Oh," then pulled out a red envelope and handed it over.

"Congratulations. A congratulatory gift."

He Jingyi took the envelope, giving it a testing squeeze—it felt thick.

Surprised, he glanced up at Jiang Yu.

Were they actually here in good faith?

Just then, Wei Xiuru spotted Jiang Yu and rushed over.

"Jingyi, what are they doing here?"

He Jingyi snapped, "Didn’t you give them the invitation? You invited them, so they came. What’s the problem?"

Wei Xiuru was speechless, her face burning with embarrassment.

She’d never meant for Jiang Yu to actually come!

Who would’ve thought Jiang Yu and He Tingyue would actually show up!

"Jingyi, have them thrown out. They’re definitely here to make trouble."

He Jingyi scoffed. "They’ve handed over their gift money and taken their seats. What excuse do I have to eject them now? If you didn’t want them here, why provoke them in the first place?"

Wei Xiuru’s gaze fell on the red envelope in his hand—it looked quite thick.

He Jingyi, just as curious, gave in to temptation and ripped it open to see how much was inside.

But as he tore the envelope open, photos came spilling out.

Squinting, He Jingyi bent down to pick them up and studied them intently.

Wei Xiuru, however, went white and made a grab for the photos.

"I told you Jiang Yu was up to no good! This has to be one of her schemes—don’t take the bait!"

He Jingyi’s expression turned thunderous as he thrust his hand at her, his voice tight with suppressed anger.

"Hand over those photos."

"Jingyi, this is our wedding reception! Can’t this wait until later?"

He Jingyi gritted his teeth, suppressing the boiling rage.

"By the time this reception ends, will these photos even exist? Give them to me!"

They faced off in tense silence for a moment before He Jingyi let out a dismissive scoff.

"If you don’t hand them over, then this reception is over."

Only then did Wei Xiuru finally handed over the photos, her heart filled with despair.

Jiao Zongyao had a sick obsession.

He owned a camera and enjoyed taking lewd photos in bed.

At first, Wei Xiuru thought it was exciting and allowed him to take a few.

But she never expected he’d actually get them printed.

The thought that others might have seen these photos made her want to crawl out of her skin.

He Jingyi clenched the photos in his hand, his eyes drilling holes into them.

"Besides him and He Jundao, who else?"

Wei Xiuru’s stomach dropped, and she shook her head repeatedly.

"No one else, truly no one. Jingyi, it was just a mistake with them—my heart belongs only to you, believe me! We fought so hard to make this official. Just forgive me this once, please? So many people are watching!"

He Jingyi coldly shoved her hand off. Precisely because so many were watching, he held back from hitting her.

He tucked the photos away, his face a mask. "Once the banquet ends, we’ll go file for divorce."

With that, he turned to attend to the guests.

Wei Xiuru staggered, only to be steadied by someone behind her.

"Xiuru, what’s wrong?"

The one supporting her was none other than He Jundao.

Knowing she should avoid suspicion, Wei Xiuru jerked back.

But with He Jingyi determined to divorce her, her mind instinctively scrambled for a backup.

Without He Jingyi, where could she go?

He Jundao was her lifeline.

"Your brother wants a divorce."

He Jundao’s expression shifted slightly, though he suppressed a hint of smug satisfaction.

"How could that be? You just got married!"

Wei Xiuru gave him a resentful look. "This is your fault..."

He Jundao's expression fell, "Is this about what happened last time?"

"No."

He Jundao was stunned, "Then why?"

Wei Xiuru bit her lip, "Because he found a photo in my possession—a photo of you and me."

He Jundao felt a surge of emotion, "You kept our photo all this time? I thought you'd long since..."

Wei Xiuru chided, "What are you talking about? What we had—wasn’t it worth holding onto a photo as a memento? Your elder brother found it. Once the banquet is over, he’s divorcing me."

He Jundao almost gave in to his feelings, and grabbed her hand, only to be interrupted by the sudden appearance of Chu Yunmei.

"Jundao, what are you doing standing here? People might mistake you for the groom today."