Chapter 404: Never Depend on the Xiao Family!

The night grew heavy.

After "finishing three pages of calligraphy," Tang Ye and Du Xi lay nestled together on the bed.

Tang Ye slowly recounted the matters Du Chengfeng had entrusted to him.

Upon hearing they were to attend a Xiao Family gathering, Du Xi's delicate brows furrowed slightly.

From childhood, she had detested going to her maternal grandmother's house.

The atmosphere there was unbearable—mutual one-upmanship, sycophancy, fawning over the high and trampling the low...

"Hubby, how about we don't go to Big Uncle's birthday banquet? I'm afraid you'll be uncomfortable there," she suggested softly.

Tang Ye pulled his fragrant, soft wife closer in his arms and comforted her gently: "Don't worry, I'm not as fragile as you think. Big Uncle specifically named us to go; as the younger generation, we must show some face."

Du Xi sighed softly, her fingertips tracing his palm: "Then you must promise me, no matter what, you will never become a person like them."

Tang Ye was startled by these words, then rested his chin on the top of her head and promised solemnly: "Silly girl, I will certainly remain incorruptible and keep a clear distance from them; you can rest assured on that point."

Xiao Guangyi's fifty-sixth birthday was not celebrated with great fanfare; only close blood relatives were invited.

The Xiao Family residence was situated at the foot of a mountain southwest of Qiongjin; upon entering the courtyard, one was met with a straight path paved with blue bricks laid on their sides.

On both sides were craggy rockeries and sparse flowers, the twisted branches of several ancient trees contrasting beautifully with the sky.

The courtyard was exceptionally quiet; the sound of tires rolling over the bricks was clearly audible.

Tang Ye parked the car and noticed Chen Lan's BMW parked in the adjacent space.

By comparison, his Bora did indeed look a bit shabby.

Standing at the entrance was a middle-aged woman, none other than Xiao Guangyi's wife, Mo Nianci.

Xiao Qin stepped forward to introduce them: "Sister-in-law, this is Tang Ye."

Mo Nianci's gaze swept over Tang Ye indifferently, and she put on a perfunctory smile: "Hello, please come in."

Xiao Qin was long accustomed to Mo Nianci's coldness and led Tang Ye and Du Xi inside.

Passing through a moon gate, they entered a bright hall.

Outside the wooden lattice windows, plum blossoms and bamboo swayed; the solid wood floor inside glowed with a warm luster, and a faint scent of sandalwood lingered.

In the center sat an ebony tea table surrounded by a circle of carved solid wood sofas, the cushions embroidered with dense scrolling lotus patterns.

Three people were already sitting on the sofas chatting; the tall man in the center was Xiao Guangyi.

His gaze fell on Tang Ye with a scrutinizing air.

Tang Ye noticed that although Xiao Guangyi was nearly sixty, his back remained straight, and his brow retained the rugged temperament of a soldier.

His forehead was broad, and although his hair was thinner than in his youth, it was combed back meticulously, giving him an air of steadfastness and composure.

Shen Mingcheng, sitting beside Xiao Guangyi, stood up upon seeing them, his gaze sweeping over Tang Ye with a proud smile on his lips.

He had not expected Tang Ye to appear at this family banquet and pondered to himself: It seems that with Du Chengfeng's promotion to Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee Member, Tang Ye has also become a figure the Xiao Family needs to win over.

He then thought of the lack of talent among the Xiao Family's younger generation and couldn't help but feel a sense of lament: Marrying Chen Lan was originally because he valued the Xiao Family's foundation, but now, years later, the Xiao Family was showing signs of decline, and it was the Shen Family that had become the party being relied upon.

"Brother, this is my son-in-law, Tang Ye, currently serving as a Deputy County Magistrate in Suiyuan County," Xiao Qin introduced to her brother.

Xiao Guangyi nodded slightly: "I have read your resume; you look even younger in person than in your photo. You've done well working in Suiyuan, and having handled a few good things recently, I hear you have successfully entered the Standing Committee."

Tang Ye's expression was calm as he said with a smile: "Yes, Hanzhou now values the rejuvenation of cadres, which is why I had the opportunity."

Shen Mingcheng interjected from the side with a smile: "I am very familiar with Tang Ye; I previously advised him to come to Tianling County to develop, but unfortunately, he wouldn't. Suiyuan is currently riddled with deep-seated problems; it is too difficult to achieve results there."

These words sounded concerned, but in reality, they carried the air of someone positioning himself as an "older brother."

Xiao Guangyi, however, glanced at Shen Mingcheng, his tone calm but weighty: "Little Tang is still young, not even thirty yet; going to a more complex place to gain experience is not necessarily a bad thing."

Shen Mingcheng was startled; he had intended to do a favor, but Tang Ye didn't take the bait, and even Xiao Guangyi seemed not to agree with his "good intentions," leaving him feeling a bit embarrassed.

Xiao Guangyi exchanged a few brief pleasantries with Tang Ye before inviting everyone to take their seats.

The banquet was traditionally divided into two tables.

One table for the women, one for the men.

Because Du Chengfeng had not arrived, Tang Ye was almost a stranger among the male guests.

Only now did he truly realize the reason for Du Xi's earlier concerns.

The conversation of the group constantly revolved around Shen Mingcheng, while he himself had become a marginalized person who was ignored.

At the women's table, Chen Lan saw that Tang Ye and Du Xi were being given the cold shoulder and felt secretly pleased, so she whispered to her cousin Cao Qianqian: "Qianqian, you are graduating soon; you don't have to be particular about family status when dating, but you must value the other person's background when marrying. If you marry too far down, not only will your parents lose face, but the Xiao Family's reputation won't hold up either."

Although these words did not explicitly name Du Xi, every word and sentence implied that Tang Ye's family background was very ordinary.

Although the voice was soft, it clearly reached Du Xi's ears.

For Du Xi, it was fine to speak ill of her, but to speak ill of Tang Ye was absolutely unacceptable.

She smiled faintly, her tone not at all polite: "Sister Lan, if you are dissatisfied with your own marriage, you can just get a divorce; why force this set of values onto others?"

The sudden retort caught Chen Lan off guard, and for a moment, she didn't know how to respond.

Xiao Fang hurriedly tried to smooth things over: "Du Xi, don't talk nonsense; Chen Lan and Mingcheng have a very good relationship."

Du Xi glanced at her, implying something: "Whether a relationship is good or not, whether one is happy or not, has always been a matter of 'only the one who drinks the water knows if it is cold or warm.'"

This sentence was like a thin needle, precisely pricking Chen Lan's hidden pain.

She and Shen Mingcheng were already sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams; her husband was still entangled with his college girlfriend, and she herself harbored unspeakable worries.

She had wanted to take the opportunity to disparage Tang Ye and his wife, but instead, she had been checkmated by Du Xi.

For a moment, she was red-faced and left in an awkward position.

After the banquet dispersed, Tang Ye rose to take his leave.

Xiao Guangyi suddenly took his hand, patting the back of his hand lightly: "Come visit the house often in the future."

Tang Ye felt a stir in his heart, understanding that this was a signal of goodwill released by the other party, and responded with a smile: "I certainly will."

However, as he turned to leave, he had other calculations in his heart.

He was clear that Du Chengfeng had no intention of clinging to the Xiao Family.

The reason he still maintained the relationship and kept in touch was, firstly, out of consideration for Xiao Qin's feelings, and secondly, to pave the way for his own connections.

But Tang Ye understood the Xiao Family's way of handling affairs; even though the other party frequently showed goodwill, he had never once thought of leveraging their influence.

He had long since made up his mind to forge his own path through his own backbone.

After Tang Ye left, Xiao Guangyi sat alone at the table, his gaze deep and pensive.

He had not expected that this father-in-law and son-in-law would both harbor no desire to attach themselves to the Xiao Family.

At the root of it, it was because Xiao Qin's branch had always remained on the periphery of the family for many years.

The grievances accumulated over many years had long been deeply sown, and it would be difficult to dissolve them in a short time.

Tang Ye drove Du Xi and Xiao Qin back to Yunhu Courtyard.

Xiao Qin returned to the bedroom and dialed Du Chengfeng's phone number.

"Cheng Feng, Big Brother met with Tang Ye today." Her voice carried a hint of surprise, "I originally thought Tang Ye would take the initiative to cozy up to Big Brother, but I didn't expect him to be calm and composed from beginning to end, neither servile nor overbearing. I only found out after asking Xi Xi that Tang Ye is clear about how the Xiao Family treated you before; he said he would absolutely not rely on the Xiao Family and wants to rely on his own ability to forge a path."

Du Chengfeng held the receiver, and it was a long while before he let out a low laugh, his tone full of praise.

"This kid! He understands worldly wisdom yet remains uncorrupted by it! He has ambition! He didn't let me down!"