Chapter 3: Better Off Without It

“Old Madam, I still want to ask you—why are you making my wife marry someone else?” Ye Fei demanded loudly.

“Young man, watch your mouth! Wife this, wife that—when did my daughter Shiyun become your wife?” A regal-looking middle-aged woman scolded him with a dark expression.

She was Li Ruomei, Sun Shiyun’s mother.

“Have you all forgotten about the engagement that was agreed upon with my master years ago?” Ye Fei frowned.

“Engagement?”

As soon as he said this, the faces of the Sun family members changed.

Most of them knew about this engagement. Back then, when the Sun family was facing disaster and their house was on the verge of collapse, the family matriarch fell gravely ill. It was only thanks to a miraculous doctor who cured her that the Sun family survived the crisis and grew increasingly powerful, rising to become one of Hangzhou’s top-tier families.

“So, you’re the disciple of that Doctor Wang? What’s your name?” The old matriarch of the Sun family fixed her gaze on Ye Fei.

“That’s right, I am his disciple. My name is Ye Fei.”

Hearing this, the old lady's anger faded, replaced by an awkward look. The Sun family members also wore strange expressions.

“No way, so the engagement is real?”

“If that’s the case, then Sun Shiyun is indeed his fiancée!”

“What will the Sun family do now? They were about to arrange an engagement with Young Master Wei, and now suddenly another fiancé appears…”

Guests began whispering among themselves.

The old matriarch took a deep breath and spoke earnestly, “Ye Fei, there’s a misunderstanding here. You don’t know the whole story.”

“Oh? What do you mean by that?” Ye Fei raised an eyebrow.

“It’s true that your master saved my life, but as for the engagement, there’s no written agreement. It was just a casual, verbal joke—so many years have passed, it can’t be taken seriously,” the old lady said. “However, since you’re here, the Sun family will naturally treat you as an honored guest. Come, have a seat, and let’s all share a drink.”

Ye Fei couldn’t help but laugh. “My fiancée is marrying someone else, and I’m supposed to sit down with you, drink, and offer my blessings?”

“What else? What do you expect?” Li Ruomei sneered, her words sharp. “Just look at yourself! A country bumpkin like you, dreaming of marrying my daughter? Have some self-awareness! It’s already a favor that we let you sit and drink; don’t be ungrateful!”

“Exactly! Like a toad lusting after a swan!”

“That’s old history—why bring it up now? Even if there was an engagement, you have to be of equal status!”

The Sun family members all chimed in, scolding him.

After all, this engagement concerned the Sun family’s future, and they all stood to benefit. Naturally, they wouldn’t treat Ye Fei with courtesy.

Seeing their arrogant faces, anger welled up in Ye Fei’s heart. They were the ones going back on their word, yet now it was as if he was in the wrong!

His expression grew cold. “So, in other words, the Sun family’s word means nothing—you talk big but act shamelessly! And you call yourselves high society? Not an ounce of shame among you!”

“Insolence! How dare you speak so rudely!”

“Do you think the Sun family is yours to insult? Looking for trouble?”

“No matter what, the Sun family is better than a country nobody. Who are you to point fingers here…”

His words ignited the Sun family’s collective fury, and the joyous atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the hall, a lively young beauty exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, it’s him? I thought he was just bragging—never expected there really was an engagement!”

“Yaoyao, do you know him?” Sun Shiyun turned to her best friend, Li Yueyao.

“I don’t know someone like that! I just happened to be on the same flight as him,” Li Yueyao huffed. “But Shiyun, why aren’t you saying anything? Today’s supposed to be your big day. If this keeps up, how are you going to get engaged?”

“If I can avoid it, that would be perfect! A joyous day? That’s just what everyone else in the Sun family wants to see,” a strange light flickered in Sun Shiyun’s eyes.

“What?” Li Yueyao stared in surprise. “Shiyun, don’t tell me you actually like this penniless guy?”

“How could that be? There may be an engagement, but he’s not worthy of me.” A faint, enigmatic smile played at Sun Shiyun’s lips. “I don’t care for Ye Fei, but I don’t want to marry Gao Yangwei either! So the best thing is to stand aside and let them sort it out themselves. Ideally, today’s banquet will turn into a farce.”

“Wow, Shiyun, you’re ruthless!” Li Yueyao’s eyes widened, then she nodded. “But you’re right—I've already heard that Gao Yangwei is no good, just a notorious playboy. If your family wasn’t pressuring you, you’d never agree to this engagement! Now that Ye Fei has shown up out of nowhere, it’s perfect—he’ll absorb all the trouble! There’s going to be quite a show…”

“Ye Fei, I’m Sun Shiyun’s father, Sun Fenghai. Listen to me for a moment,” said a middle-aged man in a suit. “Actually, I’m the one who knows the details best. The old lady was unconscious back then, so she doesn't know all the specifics. I didn’t want to bring this up, but since you insist on this attitude, I won’t hold back. We never agreed to this engagement from the start—it was your master who forced us, using his life-saving act to coerce us. We had no choice but to give in.”

“So it’s not that the Sun family is going back on its word, but that your master made unreasonable demands!”

“Ye Fei, let me give you some advice—either sit down quietly and have a drink, or leave the hotel at once. The Sun family is not your stage to make trouble. Otherwise, you’ll only bring misfortune on yourself!” Sun Fenghai’s tone was both stern and persuasive. “But the Sun family isn’t ungrateful. Your master did save our matriarch years ago, and I can offer you suitable compensation as repayment.”

“My master made unreasonable demands? You all were forced to give in?” Ye Fei was now thoroughly enraged.

His master had explained it to him very clearly. It was his master’s kindness that saved the Sun family, and afterward, it was the Sun family who shamelessly insisted on the engagement. His master had only agreed out of annoyance and exasperation.

Now, hearing Sun Fenghai twist the story, Ye Fei could only laugh in anger. “What a family head you are, Sun Fenghai—distorting the truth without shame! My master must have been blind to save your wretched matriarch!”

“What did you say? Say that again?”

“Ungrateful cur!”

“Ye Fei, don’t test my patience!” Sun Fenghai’s voice trembled with rage. “One last time—what compensation do you want? Once this chance is gone, you won’t get another!”

“I don’t want any compensation!” Ye Fei’s gaze snapped to Sun Shiyun on the stage. “I’ll ask one last time: Sun Shiyun, what do you say about this marriage?”