The heartless beauty is addicted to being licked by a seemingly obedient and loyal dog.

Song Yunxi, holding a champagne glass, slowly walked to the floor-to-ceiling window on the west side of the banquet hall.

Through the spotless thick glass, the setting sun cast his long shadow across the marble floor.

The loudest part was in the center of the hall.

Lu Jinci was dressed in a suit and tie, with a fine ruby ​​brooch pinned to his lapel, refracting tiny sparkles under the light. Surrounded by several uncles and younger relatives, he was listening intently to what they were saying, a flawless, polite smile on his face.

Seemingly noticing the gazes directed at him, he turned his head slightly, his gaze piercing through the crowd and landing precisely on Song Yunqi in the corner.

Their eyes met briefly in mid-air.

Lu Jinci's smile deepened as he raised his wine glass, offering a toast to Song Yunqi across the void. His eyes lacked the concern a brother should show his younger brother; instead, they were filled with an air of unwavering determination.

Song Yunxi withdrew her gaze expressionlessly and took a sip of champagne.

"Yunqi, why are you drinking alone here?"

A cheerful voice came from the side.

Song Yunxi turned around and saw that the newcomer was a cousin of the second branch of the Lu family. The man was in his early fifties, overweight, swirling a half-full glass of whiskey in his hand, and his eyes were filled with shrewd scrutiny.

"Cousin-in-law." Song Yunxi nodded politely, her courtesy impeccable.

"It's been a while since I've seen Yunqi. He's become more and more successful."

My cousin leaned to the side casually, lowering his voice as if making small talk: "I heard that the Song family signed a framework agreement with that foreign company in the north of the city last month? That's a pretty big project."

"Your cousin owns a logistics company with all the necessary qualifications and a fleet of vehicles. Why don't you hand over your business to him? We're all family, it's much easier than finding someone outside."

He spoke casually, as if he were just asking on behalf of his own child. But his tone was so matter-of-fact that he didn't even give him a chance to refuse.

Song Yunxi knew perfectly well that these people would curse him as a bastard and a slut in private, but when a real money project was presented to them, they would still approach him without batting an eye.

"The project in the north of the city has already started and cannot be changed."

He placed the champagne glass on the wooden windowsill behind him, coldly refusing.

"If my cousin is interested, he can send his letter of intent to the company email. He can participate in the bidding if needed. We will follow all the procedures."

My cousin paused, his hand holding the wine glass still smiling, but the eagerness in his eyes cooled noticeably.

He had thought that, given his seniority, he could at least get some face from Song Yunqi if he spoke politely. He never expected the other party to remain so unyielding.

"Hehe, of course there's no problem following the procedure."

My cousin took a slow sip of his wine, his tone neither warm nor cold:

"But Yunqi, procedures are procedures. Sometimes, how a project is divided and to whom it's assigned is ultimately decided by the person in charge. Since you're in charge of the Song family, surely you can make decisions on this kind of matter?"

He spoke politely, but his meaning was clear: he wanted to use this back door, and he was determined to succeed.

Before Song Yunxi could speak, the cousin who had been surrounding Lu Jinci suddenly came over.

He held a glass of red wine in his hand, his steps unsteady, clearly having drunk quite a bit. He glanced sideways at Song Yunxi, then smiled at his uncle:

"Uncle, what's the point of telling him all this?"

"It's obvious they don't want to give it to him. He's just an adopted son who's not worth much, and he's very possessive of his food. You should just talk to Brother Jinci. Once he asks, do you think he won't agree?"

After saying that, he slowly took a sip of wine, his gaze lightly sweeping over Song Yunqi as if he were looking at an insignificant decoration.

These words landed on the air, and a few low laughs could be faintly heard from the surroundings.

"That's true."

Upon hearing this, my cousin's eyes lit up, then he smiled indifferently, picked up his wine glass, and turned back into the crowd.

But his cousin wouldn't let this opportunity pass, and continued to mock him relentlessly.

Song Yunqi's expression remained unchanged; he didn't even have the desire to refute, treating them merely as two clowns. Even if Lu Jinci personally expressed his desire to participate in Song's projects, he wouldn't agree, let alone this so-called cousin.

He raised his wrist and looked at the time on the watch face.

5:45.

There was still a quarter of an hour before Lu Qingyuan came downstairs.

"Are you done talking?"

Song Yunxi spoke coldly, her phoenix eyes devoid of warmth as she looked at her cousin.

"If you're done talking, move aside. You're blocking my light."

"you!"

His cousin clearly hadn't expected his punch to land on cotton. Song Yunxi's nonchalant and aloof demeanor only fueled his anger. Just as he was about to lash out, the double mahogany doors at the front of the hall were suddenly pushed open slowly from both sides.

The once noisy and bustling banquet hall fell silent in an instant.

Everyone seemed to have been choked, instantly falling silent and spontaneously standing upright on both sides of the aisle according to seniority.

Lu Jinci also put away his nonchalant expression and stood properly in the position closest to the door.

Amidst the watchful eyes of the crowd, Lu Qingyuan, leaning on a black dragon-patterned cane, entered the hall with the help of the butler.

He was dressed in a modified black Tang suit. Although he was over fifty years old and his temples were slightly gray, his hawk-like eyes still carried a terrifying pressure that made people afraid to look directly at him when they swept across the room.

"Master Lu."

"Uncle."

Greetings echoed softly in the hall.

Lu Qingyuan didn't nod, but as he passed by Lu Jinci, he raised his hand and patted his son's shoulder twice.

His gaze then swept across the crowd, finally settling precisely on Song Yunqi, who was standing at the very edge.

"Yunxi, come here."

Lu Qingyuan's voice was slightly hoarse, yet as heavy as a great bell.

The cousin who was originally standing next to Song Yunxi turned pale and hurriedly took several steps back, afraid of being caught by the head of the family.

Song Yunqi didn't know why her father suddenly called her. She took a step and slowly walked to Lu Qingyuan's side.

"Father." Song Yunqi bowed slightly.

"Um."

Lu Qingyuan glanced at him, noticing the faint dark circles under his eyes, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"I was worried you weren't getting enough rest, so I had Lao Li pick you up yesterday. Why do you still look so pale? No matter how busy you are at work, you need to take care of your health."

"Come and sit down."

Lu Qingyuan settled into the main seat and pointed to the first seat on his left.

That seat was always reserved for Lu Jinci, and Lu Jinci didn't seem to mind that his seat was taken, even taking it for granted, and walked straight to the seat to his father's right.

The atmosphere in the hall became extremely strange in an instant, and many people were wondering what Master Lu meant by this.

The family dinner officially began.

One after another, exquisite and luxurious dishes were served on the long table, but in this place, no one was truly there to fill their stomachs. The elders clinked glasses and exchanged toasts, while the younger generation cautiously observed the expressions of the three people at the head of the table.

Song Yunqi kept her eyes down, mechanically cutting the food on her plate, only occasionally offering a brief and concise answer when Lu Qingyuan asked about company business.

The cool light from the crystal chandelier shone on the snow-white bone china plates, reflecting a halo of luster.

Lu Qingyuan, who was sitting at the head of the long table, wiped the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief and put down the white porcelain spoon in his hand.

His subtle movement instantly silenced the elders who had been whispering and flattering each other while holding their wine glasses. The chewing and laughter on both sides of the long table fell into dead silence within seconds.

"I've called everyone here today not only for a casual meal, but mainly to announce some family matters."

Lu Qingyuan rested his hands on the lion's head of the dragon-patterned cane, his hawk-like eyes sweeping over everyone on both sides of the long table, finally lingering for a moment on Song Yunqi's delicate face.

"Yunqi and Jinci are not young anymore."

"The two of them grew up together and have always had a great relationship. I've decided to get them engaged tomorrow night."

"Clatter".

My cousin, who was sitting in the middle to back, was struck dumb. The silver spoon he was holding fell directly to the floor with a dull thud, which was particularly abrupt and jarring.

Just as Song Yunqi was about to put a piece of beef into her mouth, her wrist froze in mid-air upon hearing this.

Those usually calm phoenix eyes suddenly widened. Her long eyelashes trembled violently, and her lips lost all color at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning deathly pale.

"Father, you..."

His throat felt like it was stuffed with pebbles, his voice was terribly hoarse, and just as he was about to stand up, Lu Qingyuan raised his hand and pressed him back down.

"Today is a small gathering of our own family. Tomorrow night, many business partners will be attending the banquet. As elders and juniors, please don't be absent and don't fail to show respect to the Lu family."

Lu Qingyuan's tone was calm, as if he were instructing the butler to trim the shrubs in the garden, leaving no room for argument.

"Uncle, this...this isn't quite appropriate, is it?"

A man sitting to Lu Jinci's left couldn't contain himself any longer and stood up, his face turning pale. He glanced at Lu Qingyuan in the main seat, then gave Song Yunxi a strange and absurd look.

"Yunqi and Brother Jinci... they are both men."

"If word gets out that two men are engaged, who knows what those families in Beijing who are at odds with us will say about us behind our backs. Besides, the matter of offspring is of utmost importance; who will take over the Lu family business in the future?"

As soon as my cousin said this, a chorus of agreement erupted around the long table.

Those younger generation members who originally looked down on Song Yunxi suddenly seemed to have grasped the key point and started whispering among themselves.

Lu Jinci sat to the side, slowly swirling the red wine in his wine glass with his right hand, the ruby ​​at his collar shimmering with a blood-like luster against the wine.

He showed no surprise whatsoever. Instead, he turned his head slightly and, with an almost greedy and malicious gaze, carefully traced the outline of Song Yunqi, who was trembling slightly with fear.

He already knew.

It could even be said that this seemingly sudden engagement was something he and Lu Qingyuan had planned in private.

"You need not worry about the affairs of future generations."

"In the future, it will be the same to adopt children from the clan or raise a few children with clean backgrounds under Yunqi's name."

Lu Qingyuan's cane slammed heavily on the ground, the dull thud silencing all the whispers.

He didn't reveal the real reason at the dinner table.

After all, the fewer people who know about a secret that can't be brought to light, the better.

As early as when Song Yunqi was sixteen, Lu Qingyuan invited the most discreet doctor from the private hospital to give this excessively beautiful child a full-body examination late at night.

The report hidden in the safe clearly stated:

Song Yunqi not only possessed male physical characteristics, but also had a fully developed uterus hidden deep in her lower abdomen, capable of conception and reproduction.

He is a rare gem, one in a million.

In Lu Qingyuan's eyes, Song Yunqi was just a bird from the beginning. If Lu Jinci liked her, he would keep her by his side; if he didn't, he could do whatever he wanted with her. However, this child was quite promising, and he never expected that she could develop to her current status on her own.

The Lu family is a top-tier wealthy family and doesn't need to rely on marriage alliances to consolidate its family's power. Since his son likes Song Yunqi, it doesn't matter if they get together.

Once they're engaged, they'll lock her completely into the Lu family. If Song Yunqi really gets pregnant with Lu Jinci's child in two years, they'll send her to a private sanatorium abroad to secretly give birth.

Once the child is born, bring him back to China and publicly declare him to be Lu Jinci's illegitimate son.

This way, the Lu family's reputation in the eyes of the world can be preserved, and the pure bloodline of the Lu family can be passed down, achieving the best of both worlds.

Song Yunxi was completely unaware of all of this.

He stared intently at the now-cold steak in front of him.

Under the marble dining table, her hands, resting on her knees, were clenched tightly, her neatly trimmed nails digging deep into the soft flesh of her palms, causing waves of excruciating pain.

He stiffly turned his head to look at Lu Jinci opposite him.

But he met the man's gaze directly. The latter's smile widened, and he even raised an eyebrow provocatively, mouthing two words to him silently:

"baby."

Song Yunxi's chest heaved violently.

He felt as if the blood in his body had been frozen into ice crystals in that instant, so cold that his teeth were chattering.

He always thought that Lu Jinci only had a kind of morbid possessiveness and control over him. As long as he held his bottom line and showed his value to the father and son, he could maintain his dignity.

But he never expected that from the very beginning, he would be trapped in a web woven by the father and son together for more than a decade.

His face was pale, his thin back was ramrod straight, and he sat there exuding a sense of despair and brokenness.

But he couldn't overturn the table, nor could he show weakness or hysteria. Lu Qingyuan's methods were ruthless; in the face of absolute power, any resistance without leverage was tantamount to suicide.

At the other end of the table, Song Yunqi's cousin and uncle, who had just been relentlessly mocking her in front of the French windows, now looked even more displeased than Song Yunqi herself.

My uncle's fingers were trembling slightly as he held the cutlery, and his forehead was covered in a layer of cold sweat.

Just now, in front of so many people, they mocked Song Yunxi as a "disreputable adopted son" and a "dog that guards its food." But in the blink of an eye, this bastard child they trampled underfoot is about to become the rightful eldest daughter-in-law of the Lu family.

Given Song Yunqi's ruthless and vengeful nature, once the engagement banquet tomorrow night is confirmed, dealing with these people will be easier than crushing an ant.

My cousin swallowed hard, instinctively wanting to look up and ask Lu Jinci for help, but Lu Jinci was staring at Song Yunxi, his eyes fixed on no one else.

"Alright, everyone, let's start eating. The food won't taste good if it gets cold."

Lu Qingyuan picked up his wine glass and spoke casually.

The clinking of glasses and plates resumed on both sides of the long table, but the lively atmosphere was gone forever. Everyone harbored their own thoughts, and a sticky, heavy sense of oppression spread throughout the magnificent banquet hall.

Song Yunqi loosened her tightly clenched fist, revealing several dark red bloodstains on her palm.

He took a deep breath, suppressing all his surging emotions, and picked up his knife and fork again.