Chapter 486: No Interest in Being Attached to the Xiao Family!

Tang Ye and Du Xi returned to Yunhu Courtyard.

Shen Mingcheng sat on the sofa, dejected.

Xiao Fang stood beside Shen Mingcheng with a gloomy expression.

Du Xi took the initiative to greet Xiao Fang.

The other party let out an "mm" as a response.

Not long after, Chen Lan pushed the door open and entered. Seeing that both Shen Mingcheng and Xiao Fang were there, she couldn't help but frown: "Hurry and leave! It's your own family business, don't affect others, okay?"

Xiao Fang retorted coldly: "If she weren't whispering in your ear all day, urging you to divorce, how could you have become so stubborn?"

"When did I ever urge Chen Lan to divorce?" Xiao Qin looked indignant.

Xiao Fang pointed sharply at the tip of her nose and shouted angrily: "Stop playing dumb here! The old saying goes, 'It is better to tear down ten temples than to destroy a single marriage.' Jealousy has made you lose your conscience. You inciting Chen Lan to divorce is truly wicked!"

Xiao Qin was caught between laughter and tears: "Your son-in-law commits domestic violence against your daughter, keeps a mistress, and even angered his own father into a sudden heart attack! I really can't think of anything about you that is worth me being jealous of!"

A burst of hard truths left Xiao Fang frozen in place.

Shen Mingcheng was so embarrassed he wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

It took a long time for Xiao Fang to come to her senses, and she retorted: "It's normal for there to be some conflict between husband and wife. Those baseless rumors outside are all slander and libel!" After saying this, she turned to stare at Chen Lan, "I'll put it this way: you must live your life properly with Mingcheng, otherwise I will sever our mother-daughter relationship!"

A look of shame appeared on Shen Mingcheng's face, and he hurriedly promised Chen Lan: "Wife, I swear to you, I will never make you angry again in the future. Please forgive me this once!"

Chen Lan watched the two of them singing in harmony, her tone calm: "I agree to what you ask. But don't make any more scenes. Actually, Auntie and Du Xi have always advised me to consider things calmly and not make decisions while in a state of emotional instability."

Du Xi did not expect Chen Lan to agree to a reconciliation; she gripped her hand in surprise and looked at her with concern.

Seeing Shen Mingcheng's wilted appearance, Tang Ye felt extremely satisfied.

Shen Mingcheng!

Don't you think you're pretty hot stuff?

Lacking a sense of awe for power and falling to this point is entirely your own doing!

Chen Lan smiled faintly at her: "Du Xi, to tell you the truth, I really envy you. You are lucky to have met someone you like. Don't worry, I will definitely think it over carefully before making a decision."

Seeing that Chen Lan no longer mentioned divorce, Shen Mingcheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

If she were to produce the photos she had secretly investigated right now, his official career would be completely finished.

Leaving Yunhu Courtyard, Shen Mingcheng looked at Chen Lan, who was driving, and mused to himself that he must have been blinded by greed.

Why had he been entangled with Gu Lanping? Whether in terms of appearance, talent, or character, Chen Lan was far superior to Gu Lanping.

Upon returning to their residence.

Shen Mingcheng suddenly hugged Chen Lan from behind and apologized in a low voice: "Wife, I'm sorry, it was all my fault before. Thank you for being willing to forgive me; this time I will truly change."

Chen Lan's expression was calm; she pried his fingers away, turned around, and spoke with exceptional composure.

"Shen Mingcheng, I won't divorce you, but there's no need for you to put on an act in front of me anymore.

I know why you suddenly became so humble.

It's because your father is hospitalized, and the backer you relied on most has fallen. You always looked down on the Xiao Family before, thinking the Xiao Family was in decline. Now you want to use the Xiao Family's connections to protect your future.

But have you thought about it? Without your father as a big tree to lean on, the Xiao Family won't treat you the way they did before either.

Don't look at how my mother is being pleasant to you now; once she discovers you have no more value to be exploited, she will abandon you without hesitation."

A flash of anger crossed Shen Mingcheng's eyes: "I won't be defeated just like this!"

Chen Lan shook her finger at him: "Stop deceiving yourself! You can fail, you can fall, but you must never leave a stain on your record. On this point, you should look to Tang Ye as an example. Although he isn't as old as you, he is much more mature and rational."

"Tang Ye is worthy of that?" Shen Mingcheng was so angry his face turned red.

Chen Lan sneered, thinking to herself that Shen Mingcheng still hadn't recognized the gap between himself and Tang Ye!

"Don't you need to be grateful that Tang Ye stepped forward? If he hadn't stepped in to resolve the Pinghu matter, you would definitely have been dragged into a more complex vortex. I also have to thank him. He vented my anger for me; that woman destroyed my marriage, and she has received the retribution she deserved."

Shen Mingcheng was so angry he lost his reason; he instinctively raised his hand and swung it toward Chen Lan.

Chen Lan gazed at Shen Mingcheng quietly with a smile.

A chill ran down Shen Mingcheng's back; his hand dropped listlessly, and he immediately left without looking back.

Chen Lan watched Shen Mingcheng depart.

Tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes.

She wiped away the tear tracks with her fingers, took a deep breath, and cheered herself on.

From now on, she would live with a different mindset!

Qiongjin, Xiao Family.

Xiao Fang stormed into the study in a rage.

Xiao Guangyi glanced at her indifferently and slowly set down the *Family Letters of Zeng Guofan* in his hand.

"Big Brother, Xiao Qin is becoming more and more outrageous!" Xiao Fang's face was full of resentment, "She actually incited Chen Lan to divorce Shen Mingcheng! I know she wants to take revenge on me. Back then, I helped the old lady stop her from marrying Du Chengfeng; wasn't that for her own good? So many years have passed, and she still can't let it go; she is truly too vengeful!"

Xiao Guangyi's tone was calm: "There is no need to push all the responsibility onto others. The problems in Chen Lan and Shen Mingcheng's marriage are their own business as a couple; including you, no one should interfere too much."

"Brother, why are you taking Xiao Qin's side?" Xiao Fang said urgently.

Xiao Guangyi sighed: "I am speaking based on the facts! From childhood to adulthood, Xiao Qin and I were never close. After she married, I almost cut off contact with her, so how can you say I'm taking her side?"

Xiao Fang sobbed and wiped away her tears.

"Brother, I know you look down on Shen Mingcheng, but he is Chen Lan's husband after all. Now that his father is ill, the Shen Family probably won't value him anymore in the future. You have to help him!"

Xiao Guangyi frowned slightly: "Shen Mingcheng was originally supposed to be transferred back to the provincial level to become a Deputy Department-level Official after grinding for three to five years. I didn't expect him to be so disappointing, having major problems with his personal conduct. I have already tried my best to clean up his mess, but this matter is not that easy to resolve.

It is said that Gu Lanping left some materials with his father; his father not only contacted a Reporter but also posted the ambiguous text messages between the two online. The content was simply too indecent to look at..."

"Is Gu Lanping crazy?" Xiao Fang looked at Xiao Guangyi in shock.

Xiao Guangyi sighed, "His father thought that Gu Lanping being arrested was an order given by Shen Mingcheng, so he wanted to use these materials to threaten Shen Mingcheng into releasing Gu Lanping..."

"Will this matter affect Shen Mingcheng's future?" Xiao Fang asked nervously.

Xiao Guangyi pondered for a moment, not answering directly, "Letting Chen Lan divorce Shen Mingcheng might not be a bad thing."

Xiao Fang stared at her older brother in astonishment, a wave of regret surging in her heart.

She knew she had done something wrong.

Yet she could not figure out where she had gone wrong!

Could it really be as Xiao Qin said, that Chen Lan should never have been allowed to marry Shen Mingcheng?

Xiao Fang left, looking utterly dejected.

Xiao Guangyi stroked his chin and sighed softly.

Shen Mingcheng's performance in Tianling was a complete mess.

On the other hand, it also made Tang Ye appear courageous, resourceful, principled, and ambitious.

It was a pity...

Tang Ye and Du Chengfeng, this father-in-law and son-in-law pair, had no interest in attaching themselves to the Xiao Family.

If they could both be used by the Xiao Family, the Xiao Family could at least maintain its current position for another ten years.