Inextricable

Early the next morning, Xu Xingyuan drove to the Zhou house to pick them up while Xu Xingxing went with Lin Meihui to Yihai Pavilion.

When Xu Xingxing and her mother arrived at the hotel, the hotel manager in charge of the engagement party, surnamed Wu, personally welcomed them.

“The engagement is being held in the Gongxin Hall on the second floor. Will you be going up now?” She asked with a kind smile.

The hotel had already hung up a signboard that said “Xu Xingyuan and Zhou Tongtong’s engagement banquet. We wish the two newcomers a happy marriage for a hundred years”. The signboard was on the side of the pillar near the elevator in the lobby, a very eye-catching position. Xu Xingxing glanced at the time and said to Manager Wu, “We still have to meet some people here. Can someone help take these things up first?”

“Yes.” Manager Wu readily agreed.

Lin Meihui went upstairs with a waiter to keep the boxes and bags, while Xu Xingxing sat on a sofa in the lobby. Suddenly, she heard someone calling her, “Xingxing.”

The familiar voice made Xu Xingxing smile. She looked up to see a few familiar people walking towards her.

The woman in the lead looked to be in her forties, she sported short hair and a thin body, and was wearing a red down jacket accompanied with a smile on her face. That was her little aunt, Xu Shiting, and the honest-looking man beside her was her husband, Yang Dansheng. Xu Xingxing and her family didn’t have a good relationship with her father’s relatives, except for her little aunt. 

“Little aunt, uncle,” Xu Xingxing called out with a smile, held Xu Shiting’s hand, and said, “Sit down first, Tongtong’s family hasn’t arrived yet.”

“It’s been a long time since I saw you.” Xu Shiting smiled and grabbed Xu Xingxing’s hand, her eyes full of love.

It had in fact been a long while since they had seen each other, so they had a lot to talk about.

“It has been too long. Let’s see if my sister has managed to make a lot of money after going to the big city,” stated another voice soon. When Xu Xingxing looked up, she saw Xu Mingyi, her second uncle Xu Shifan and her second aunt Hou Jingfang, none of them wearing a good look on their faces as they walked towards them.

Xu Shifan’s family had opened a waste treatment plant, but that was only in name, for it was actually a small waste management factory. When business was good a few years ago, they had made some money, hence they always regarded themselves as a rich family, wearing famous brands all the time. Although this uncle said that he was rich, he was actually very stingy, and would always pick up mineral water bottles when he went out for work on weekdays. Xu Shifan was fifty years old this year, but due to being regularly exposed to the wind and sun, he looked like a skinny old man in his sixties.

Compared to him, his wife, Hou Jingfang, looked much younger. The powder on the face was too thick, and her newly painted eyebrows gave her an unnatural look. Hou Jingfang was a gossipmonger, and her mouth was very famous in the small city of Huaicheng. When Xu Xingxing and her ex-husband, Wang Shunsheng, were together, Hou Jingfang had wished to let the whole of Huaicheng know that Xu Xingxing was her niece. After these two got divorced, she didn’t even bother mentioning her name anymore. Later, when they learned that Xu Xingxing got a house, a car and money as alimony, they tried to introduce people to her. However, since she didn’t act as they wished, they didn’t pay attention to her anymore.

This uncle had a son and a daughter. The son, Xu Minghui, was a gangster. Before Xu Xingxing’s divorce, he worked as a small supervisor in Wang Shunsheng’s company. Their daughter Xu Mingyi, who turned nineteen years old this year, was studying in a nursing school.

After gaining some money, Xu Shifan pampered Xu Mingyi more. In reality, Xu Mingyi resembled her older brother. She wore a lot of makeup and branded clothes and played with men behind the doors. Wearing a miniskirt, stockings, a pink down jacket and a jumper with a puff collar, she didn’t look like a person who was about to attend an engagement party, rather looking ready for the nightclub.

“What’s the point of earning money? It’s enough to earn a husband and come back,” Hou Jingfang said eccentrically, “But if she doesn’t like the ones I introduced, it is estimated that few people will be able to fall into your sister’s eyes.”

Hearing her mother’s sarcastic words, Xu Mingyi laughed, took out her mobile phone and said while playing, “Mom, don’t talk about my sister like that. My sister will definitely find a man she likes.”

“Mingyi!” Xu Shiting couldn’t take it anymore, and scolded.

Xu Shifan glanced at his younger sister and said, “We are saying this for Xingxing’s sake. My elder brother has passed away, and as his brother, it’s my duty to help his family. Look at the way she is living now. Can a girl live her whole life alone?”

Xu Shiting grew up in Huaicheng, amidst traditional thinking people. Her brother’s words made her feel angry, but also worried. She didn’t want Xu Shifan and the others to mock Xu Xingxing, but what they said was indeed correct.

However, Xu Xingxing didn’t take these words to heart. She knew what kind of people they were and didn’t feel anxious or worried about her future. She had faith in herself and knew that she had the ability to live well even if she stayed alone forever. 

Today was Xu Xingyuan’s engagement, so she would not fall out with the Xu family and make Xu Xingyuan and Zhou Tongtong lose face. So Xu Xingxing just smiled, patted Lin Meihui, who had returned by this time, on the shoulder, and said, “Mom, I’ll go to the door to see if they’re here.” After speaking, Xu Xingxing got up and left.

It was eleven o’clock in the morning, the sun had fully risen, and it shone through the revolving door into the hall, warming the surroundings.

Xu Xingxing walked out of the revolving door and stood on the highest step in front of Yihai Pavilion. She glanced at the road, and none of the vehicles coming and going were heading here. At this moment, she saw a row of cars stop in the parking lot in front of Yihai Pavilion. Seeing the licence plate number of the first car, she frowned, and strode toward the front desk. “Have all the other banquet halls in your hotel been booked out?” she asked.

Thinking that Xu Xingxing wanted to change the banquet hall, the person at the front desk pulled out the list of banquet halls and replied, “Our largest hall, Mingjun hall, has been booked out…”

Xu Xingxing asked, “Who booked it?”

The lady at the front desk looked up at Xu Xingxing and replied with a smile, “It’s Mr. Wang from the Shunxing Company. His daughter is having her full moon banquet today.”

[TL Notes: This is how Chinese people traditionally celebrate the birth of a child. When a child turns one month old, a “Full Moon” or full month celebration is held. ]

The words ‘Shunxing Company’ caused Xu Xingxing’s eyes to tremble slightly. This name had been chosen by Wang Shunsheng when he was starting his business. When thinking about a name, he combined the word “xing” from her name with the word “shun” in his name.

‘His daughter is having a full moon banquet?’ Xu Xingxing pursed her lips. ‘It seems that Wang Shunsheng cheated much earlier than I thought.’