CHAPTER 34: CHAPTER 34: YUE CHEN’S SHAMELESSNESS

The banquet stirred back to life, but Yue Ning’s gaze drifted once more toward Madam Lu.

As if sensing it, Madam Lu suddenly lifted her head. Their eyes met across the hall.

Yue Ning stilled. Her chest tightened, her breath caught.

In Madam Lu’s eyes, for the briefest heartbeat, something flickered. Surprise, shock, before vanishing behind a calm smile. She turned away as though nothing had happened.

Yue Ning’s hand curled into a fist beneath the table. A chill slipped down her spine. No... it can’t be.

Beside her, Huo Feng had already noticed. His gaze followed hers, then darkened.

Before Yue Ning could think further, the crisp sound of glass tapping echoed through the hall. Lu Jiang had raised his wine.

"Everyone, let us offer a toast to my wife’s health, and to brighter days ahead!"

Laughter and applause rippled through the guests as they lifted their glasses. Yue Ning forced herself to do the same, though her hand trembled faintly around the stem.

Huo Feng’s sharp eyes didn’t miss it.

"System, could there be so much coincidence in this world?" Yue Ning suddenly called out to the system.

’Host...’ The system exhaled. How could it explain it to her?

Yue Ning heard the sigh, and her eyes darkened. "You know the truth, don’t you?" She questioned.

’I do. But Host, it is up to you to find out the truth.’ The system said.

Yue Ning scoffed. As expected.

"Why don’t you just make it a mission for me?" She sneered at the end of her words.

All of a sudden, she heard the familiar chime. Her eyes narrowed while wondering what the system was up to.

’Host, there’s a new mission. Would you like to check it?’ The system carefully asked.

Yue Ning sneered. She had already seen through the host.

"Fine, let’s see what you have for me."

Soon, a familiar white holographic panel appeared, and the mission was already shown.

[Mission: Find about the truth of your real family.]

[Reward: 3000 points, rare medicinal items.]

[Time allocated: Three weeks.]

’The Host can decide to make use of her husband’s power and connections, but you must actively participate in the investigation.’ The system’s voice rang in her mind.

Yue Ning read the mission over and over again. It was just as she expected. She wasn’t a member of the Yue’s. This was probably the reason for her horrible treatment.

"You are really something else. You could just tell me the truth, and save me from all this stress." She complained, but the system played deaf.

Huo Feng, on the other hand, had his eyes on Yue Ning, and he recorded all the changes in her facial expression.

"Are you okay?"

Yue Ning glanced at him, and she chuckled.

"Why are you laughing?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

Yue Ning shook her head, but there was still a smile on her face. "I was just counting how many times you’ve asked me if I was okay since we arrived at the banquet."

Huo Feng cleared his throat in return as his cheeks turned red. He Yuchen burst into laughter seeing Jin that way.

"Sister-in-law, this is the first time I’ll be seeing this iceberg blush. You really did a good job," he praised her while raising his thumbs towards her.

Yue Ning flipped her hair in return. But this happy moment was disrupted when Yue Chen approached them.

"Brother Feng!" They heard a high-pitched voice, causing them to instinctively frown.

He Yuchen stared at Yue Chen, and didn’t bother to hide his annoyance and dislike.

Yue Chen, on the other hand, ignored his gaze, and directly took a seat without waiting for their approval.

Yue Ning was seated on the right hand side of Huo Feng, while He Yuchen was naturally on his left. Yue Chen could only sit beside He Yuchen, against her will.

Huo Feng’s and He Yuchen’s frown deepened seeing her take a seat. Meanwhile, Yue Ning didn’t have any reaction as she tried the pastries which were left on the table.

"Why are you here?" He Yuchen questioned coldly. He hated fake girls the most, and sadly, Yue Chen was a good example.

Yue Chen scoffed. "If you are here, why can’t I be here? Even someone like Yue Ning can be here, so why can’t I be here?" Her last statement was a whisper, but due to their proximity, they all heard her.

Huo Feng stared at her coldly, but she didn’t notice.

He Yuchen, on the hand, sneered. "Sister-in-law has a higher status, so she can be here. As for you, I don’t know what to say."

Yue Ning secretly gave him a thumbs up. She didn’t realize that Young Master He had such a glib tone.

Yue Chen’s face turned red at his words, but one couldn’t underestimate how thick-skinned she was.

"What do you know? She is only in this position because of me," she scoffed, unwilling to stand down.

He Yuchen rolled his eyes at her obvious shamelessness.

Yue Ning didn’t comment on her words. Technically, she was right in her words.

"Brother Feng, we haven’t spoken in two weeks. I also visited your company, but they didn’t grant me entry? What’s wrong?"

Yue Chen turned her attention to Huo Feng who calmly took a sip out of his wine. Yue Ning placed her chin on her hand as she watched her show.

Yue Chen swallowed. She sensed the cold aura emanating from him, and she felt uncomfortable all over.

She turned to look at Yue Ning who had a lazy smile on her face, and she accused her. "You are the reason Brothers Feng is giving me a cold shoulder. Tell me, what did you say to me?"

Yue Ning and He Yuchen were speechless by her baseless accusations. Huo Feng glanced at her, and he wondered about what she would say.

The past few weeks have allowed him to say a side of Yue Ning no one else knew. Compared to Yue Chen’s earlier words about her being weak, he had seen a different side of her.

Tapping her fingers on the table, Yue Ning casually replied, "Are you forgetting that he is now a married man? Do you want to ruin his reputation? Haven’t you done enough?"

Yue Chen froze at her words, color draining from her face before it flushed hot with shame. Her lips parted, but no excuse came out.

Yue Ning leaned back lazily, lifting her glass of wine as if the exchange meant nothing. The silence that followed was thick, broken only by the clatter of cutlery and distant laughter from other tables.

And then...she felt it. A gaze, steady and unyielding.

Slowly, Yue Ning looked up.

Across the hall, Madam Lu was watching her. Her lips curved into a calm smile, but Yue Ning caught it—just for a heartbeat. A flicker of doubt. Suspicion.

Her pulse stuttered. The air in her chest grew heavy, pressing down until it hurt to breathe.

At that moment, the system’s faint chime rang in her mind, cold and clear.

Could it be?