Chapter 257

Chapter 257

As Ming Yue's popularity grew, "The Legend of Ye Xiangyang" also reached its final chapter.

Lu Mingzhu wrote a miserable ending for Ye Xiangyang: he was left with a crooked mouth, squinting eyes, completely paralyzed, suffering from incontinence, and barely able to speak. His young bride, who had married into the family, was utterly disgusted with him. While she appeared to treat him well in front of others, she mistreated him in every way possible when Ye Xiangyang's children, grandchildren, and servants were not around. Since Ye Xiangyang's descendants were all occupied with their own lives, they didn’t visit the old patriarch every day.

This almost killed Mr. Ye!

How utterly vile!

To wish such a fate upon him—a living death.

Dong Cuijun didn’t dare to say a word.

She didn’t wish for Mr. Ye to suddenly end up in such a state. As long as he drew breath, there was still a chance.

A sudden death would be different.

Without a will prepared, Dong Cuijun would be the primary heir, but she believed Mr. Ye still had life left in him. Despite all the gossip outside, his health remained stable, and he continued to eat and drink as usual.

Though he seethed with anger, it didn’t take a toll on his health.

While Dong Cuijun was deep in thought, Ye Mingzhu entered, sobbing.

She was dressed in vibrant colors, her style eerily reminiscent of Lu Mingzhu's. She wore a red square-neck dress that accentuated her graceful figure, adorned with a string of white pearls around her neck instead of the jade necklace Lu Mingzhu often wore.

The Ye family’s wealth paled in comparison to the Lu family’s. Even if they possessed a few rare Qing Dynasty jade treasures, they were all in Mr. Ye's possession and not given to his granddaughter.

If he passed them on to his granddaughter, others would undoubtedly protest.

Recently, the Ye household had been particularly fraught with tension. Mr. Ye's children and grandchildren often came to complain about the cold treatment they faced in Hong Kong, a far cry from the glory and adoration they once basked in.

After the eldest grandson’s marriage ended in divorce, even the twins had lost their former admirers.

A few wealthy playboys had even taunted Ye Mingzhu, saying that if she were willing to change her name, they might consider taking her as a second or third wife.

When Ye Mingzhu returned crying, it happened to be right after Mr. Ye finished reading the finale of "The Legend of Ye Xiangyang."

Mr. Ye’s expression darkened. "Stop your weeping!" he bellowed.

Ye Mingzhu immediately fell silent, and Dong Cuijun hastily cleared away the newspaper and teacup.

"Grandpa!" Ye Mingzhu, who had always been pampered, was startled and couldn’t help feeling a bit resentful. "You're the smartest. Please find a way to get us out of this mess. None of the young ladies from wealthy families want to play with me anymore."

"Leave Hong Kong," Mr. Ye spat out through gritted teeth.

Dong Cuijun was startled. "Where to?"

Mr. Ye said, "Aren’t you of British descent? You must be familiar with the environment there. Let’s go to Britain. We’ll leave the properties here for now since they’re hard to sell quickly. We’ll deal with them in a couple of years when no one is paying attention anymore."

He didn’t want to end up like Chen Feng.

If it weren’t for that so-called Sun Dasheng writing "The Legend of Ye Xiangyang," and if it weren’t for that so-called righteous old lady exposing the truth, with the money he had earned in Hong Kong over the past two years, he could have easily taken over Chen Feng's shipping company and the shares of HSBC.

What a pity.

But there was no choice. Hong Kong was practically under the control of He Yun and others, and Xie Junhao also had good relations with the British.

Mr. Ye did not expect Xie Junhao to be so easily provoked. He had merely made a few probing remarks, genuinely concerned about the Xie family's legacy, and this was the thanks he got. "The Legend of Ye Xiangyang" must have been written at his behest.

He had thought Dong Cuijun's status as a British-born Chinese would be useful, but it turned out to be of little use, unlike Xie Junhao, who truly had the power to manipulate situations at will.

Once the decision to leave was made, the whole family moved quickly.

The Ye descendants had never been treated so coldly before and decided to start anew elsewhere.

They held an inexplicable admiration and trust in Mr. Ye.

He was old in years but young at heart.

Having made a name for himself in Hong Kong, he could do the same abroad.

After all, the assets they could take with them now were much greater than when they first came to Hong Kong. It was a pity that the two buildings hadn't been sold, or they could have recovered tens of millions in funds.

By the time Lu Mingzhu heard the news of their departure, it was already July.

The weather was extremely hot, so she stopped accompanying Xie Junyao to work.

On this day, Xie Junyao didn't go to work either, as a typhoon was approaching, bringing fierce winds and heavy rain.

Having received advance notice of the typhoon, he decided to give all employees the day off, especially at several construction sites, which were all shut down to prevent casualties that could affect hundreds of families.

Lu Mingzhu asked Xie Junyao, "Has the Ye family really left Hong Kong?"

"Yes, they left by plane the day before yesterday, not a single one remained," Xie Junyao said as he arranged the flowers he had given Lu Mingzhu in a Ru ware vase.

Lu Mingzhu clapped her hands and laughed, "With those nuisances gone, the air in Hong Kong feels fresher."

Not long ago, Lu Changsheng came to get the ending of "The Legend of the Great Ming Chivalrous Hero" and mentioned this, worried that Madam Guo, Pingan, and Lu Ning might be recognized by Mr. Ye if they came to Hong Kong. But as luck would have it, the Ye family left on their own.

Thank goodness.

Amitabha.

Lu Mingzhu clasped her hands together and said a Buddhist prayer.

Xie Junyao guessed a bit of the situation, "It must be said that Ye Shengxuan is quite shrewd, not the type to knowingly walk into danger. His success is no accident."

Lu Mingzhu also acknowledged this, "It would be great if he could suffer a stroke and become paralyzed like I wrote in my novel."

"That's unlikely," Xie Junyao told the truth, "After reading your novel, he would definitely pay attention to his health and be cautious."

Lu Mingzhu exclaimed, "Then did I inadvertently remind him?"

Xie Junyao comforted her, "It's alright, life is full of uncertainties, no one can predict what will happen tomorrow. Perhaps he will encounter an accident at some point, and no amount of health care will help."

At this moment, as they chatted, they never imagined that Xie Junyao's words would come true.

Of course, that was not something for now.

Amidst the sound of heavy rain beating against the window, Lu Mingzhu heard Xie Junyao ask her, "Mingzhu, what kind of wedding do you want? A traditional one or a Western-style one? I should start preparing in advance."

Lu Mingzhu threw the question back at him, "What kind of wedding do you want?"

"I like the traditional wedding with the three bows: to heaven and earth, to the parents, and to each other," Xie Junyao said. Although he had many wedding dresses and formal attire custom-made for Lu Mingzhu, he hoped that the wedding day would be filled with joyous colors.

The color that best represents such joy is undoubtedly red.

Lu Mingzhu's thoughts coincided with his, her eyes curving into a smile. "I also really want a traditional wedding, wearing a phoenix crown and cape, sitting in an eight-person sedan chair, and you riding a tall horse to fetch the bride, okay? Let's record it, and show it to our descendants in the future, making them envious."

"Great!" Xie Junyao was very happy.

According to the customs of their hometown, when he and Lu Mingzhu were dating, his elder brother had commissioned skilled craftsmen to create a Wan Gong Bridal Sedan for them.

Originally thought it wouldn't be used, but it turned out as they wished.

When the wind stopped and the rain ceased, Lu Mingzhu told her father about this.

Lu Pingan smacked his forehead. "Xie Junyao's hometown emphasizes 'a ten-mile red carpet and an eight-person sedan chair entering the door.' We originally didn't plan to display the dowry, but now we have to prepare it well."

"The dowry you and my godfather give me will definitely be a ten-mile red carpet." Lu Mingzhu was not worried.

"Cash and gold shouldn't be displayed, shares and property deeds can be packed in a box, no one can see them. What can be displayed includes jewelry, antiques, porcelain, gold, jade, and Ruyi. Seasonal clothes, bedding, and furniture are essential. Fortunately, I prepared a set of furniture for you in advance, otherwise, it wouldn't look good." Her father thought at the time, whether it would be used or not, the necessary preparations had to be made. If the Xie family didn't use the furniture he gave as Lu Mingzhu's dowry, it would be placed in the mansion he built for her.

Next, her father threw all the work to Lu Changsheng and a few secretaries, and he himself was busy with Lu Mingzhu's marriage.

Hearing that the two children were going to have a traditional wedding, He Yun and Zeng Mei joined in the fun.

Also, Lu Pingan and Lu Ning, they came back with Madam Guo during their summer vacation, to save time, they took a plane, and as soon as they arrived in Hong Kong, they rolled up their sleeves and started helping her father, only finding time to go to the company.

Only Lu Changsheng was exhausted.

He had to manage his own company, his father's, and his son's companies.

In comparison, Lu Mingzhu was very leisurely.

She slept and woke early, ate and drank well, nurturing skin as tender as tofu, as white as milk, with a faint glow.

When Ming Yue came to see her, she was envious: "What good things have you been eating?"

"Same as always!" Lu Mingzhu laughed back. "Have you chosen your future partner? Whether you have or not, you must get married after me, you have to be my bridesmaid."

"No problem," Ming Yue agreed immediately. "One isn't enough. How many do you plan to invite?"

"Yang Huan counts as one." Lu Mingzhu didn't have many good friends. "I want to have a traditional wedding, preferably six or twelve, I will also invite Chen Jianing, she is not married yet, and my niece Lu Ying, Zhou Wen."

Zhou Wen is now also a grown-up.

Ming Yue calculated, "That's only five."

"Julie should be very willing." Lu Mingzhu said.

"She is quite nice, recently pursuing your seventh brother, I think your seventh brother is a bit shaken." Ming Yue's temperament remained unchanged. "It's just that having a foreigner at your traditional wedding is quite interesting."

Lu Mingzhu smiled. "We're just imitating ancient weddings, not excluding foreign friends."

She called to invite Chen Jianing and others, and indeed no one refused.

Especially Yang Huan, who was extremely flattered.

She was just a small actor in Da Ming Film Company, but she was fortunate enough to be Lu Mingzhu's bridesmaid. "Miss Lu, isn't it a bit inappropriate? My status."

"You are very good, beautiful and outstanding, famous in Hong Kong, more wealthy suitors are pursuing you than those who pursued Xia Lin, it's just that they are not destined to pick this flower from our Da Ming Film Company." Lu Mingzhu really didn't care about her background. "If possible, bring your two sisters to make up eight bridesmaids, it would be very grand."

"Okay, thank you Lu Mingzhu for your kindness." Yang Huan was full of gratitude.

Although she had long repaid the 10,000 yuan she owed Lu Mingzhu, she would never forget the help Lu Mingzhu had given to her family.

Lu Mingzhu's last phone call was to He Yuesheng.

After hearing what Lu Mingzhu had to say, He Yuesheng laughed and replied, "Your godmother and I will accompany Zhou Wen to celebrate your wedding with Young Mr. Xie."

Lu Mingzhu was startled, "Sister!"

"I've moved on, but your godmother thinks I haven't, so I just go along with her," He Yuesheng said. As she climbed higher in the ranks at the pharmaceutical factory, her resolve grew stronger, and she no longer cared about the nightmares she had suffered.

"That's great, I will personally welcome you then," Lu Mingzhu said.

After finalizing the maids of honor, she hung up the phone.

As a result, the news about selecting bridesmaids got out, and many young women called to recommend themselves.

After some thought, Lu Mingzhu chose four ladies from among them.

Their family backgrounds were not necessarily the best, nor were their fortunes the highest, but their characters were good, and their family values were commendable, making them families worth maintaining long-term relationships with.

The four families who received the news were very pleased, feeling honored by Lu Mingzhu's gesture. Although the wedding was still far away, each family began to purchase gifts for her and Xie Junyao's wedding, so they wouldn't miss out on the best items later on.