Chapter 137: Absurd Offering
The entire hall became oppressively quiet.
Master Shen’s face gradually paled. He had expected Wang Gege to relent.
After all, she was always a kind one... but this time, she refused.
Master Shen slowly turned toward Xie Rong and cupped his fists once more.
"Young Master Xie, If an apology is insufficient... Then please... Tell this humble one what the Shen family must do before Young Master is willing to forgive us."
Everyone’s gaze immediately fell upon Xie Rong.
Xie Rong remained silent. His expression revealed nothing.
The longer he remained quiet, the heavier the pressure inside the hall became.
At that moment, Madam Shen suddenly seemed to think of something.
Her eyes widened and she immediately turned toward Shen Yurou.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, she bowed deeply toward Master Xie.
"If..." Her voice trembled. "If Young Master Xie is still dissatisfied... the Shen family is willing..." She clenched her teeth before forcing herself to continue, "to send Yurou into the Xie Residence."
The words had barely fallen when several people in the hall abruptly changed expressions.
Madam Shen hurriedly continued, afraid someone would interrupt.
"After all... Yurou was originally meant to marry Young Master Xie. Now that she has already severed all ties with the Lu family... If Young Master is willing... she may enter the residence as a concubine."
Silence... Utter silence.
No one had expected such words to come from Madam Shen.
Master Shen slowly turned his head toward his wife, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Wife..." His voice rose involuntarily. "Have you lost your mind?"
Even he had never entertained such a proposal.
Meanwhile, Shen Yurou stood frozen where she was.
"Concubine?" She unconsciously repeated the word under her breath.
For a brief moment, her heart tightened painfully.
She... The legitimate eldest daughter of the Shen family, who had once looked down upon Wang Gege for becoming Xie Rong’s wife, would now enter the Xie Residence merely as a concubine?
The thought alone should have been unbearable.
But... like almost immediately, another thought quietly surfaced within her mind.
’So what?’
Her marriage to Lu Wenyuan had already become the greatest joke in the capital. Her reputation had long since been ruined. She had nothing left to lose.
If entering the Xie Residence as a concubine meant remaining by Xie Rong’s side, if it meant correcting the mistake she had made, then... Was it truly unacceptable?
Her breathing gradually steadied. The unwillingness in her eyes slowly transformed into something almost desperate. She slowly lifted her head and her gaze fell upon Xie Rong.
’Mother... Perhaps... your idea isn’t bad at all.’
The thought had barely crossed her mind...
When a cold voice shattered every fantasy she had begun to build.
"Master Shen."
Master Shen immediately turned toward him. "Young Master."
"There is something this one does not understand." His voice was unusually composed, without the slightest trace of anger, yet something about that very calmness caused Master Shen’s expression to stiffen.
"If your family has come today seeking forgiveness, then this one is curious..." He paused briefly, "what exactly do you believe you are offering me?"
Madam Shen’s face changed.
"Young Master, Yurou is our eldest daughter. She was raised carefully since childhood, and although her marriage with Lu Wenyuan did not end well, she—"
"Precisely." Xie Rong interrupted her calmly, "She chose Lu Wenyuan herself."
His calm voice rang across the main hall, sending the temperature down immediately.
"She abandoned the marriage arranged with this one because she believed another man would have a brighter future. She married him willingly, remained his wife, and when the future she expected failed to appear..." His voice lowered ever so slightly, "she discarded him."
Shen Yurou’s complexion gradually whitened.
Xie Rong did not spare her reaction another thought.
"And now that she has returned to the Shen family divorced and with her reputation damaged, Madam Shen wishes to offer her to this Lord as compensation?"
Madam Shen opened her mouth, but Xie Rong continued before she could defend herself.
"Then perhaps this Lord should ask more clearly." He slowly lifted his chin toward the Shen couple, "How lowly does the Shen family think of me?"
The question instantly froze the entire hall. Even Master Shen’s breathing seemed to stop.
Xie Rong remained perfectly composed. "You refused to give her to me when you believed she still had better choices. But after another man has taken her as his wife, after that marriage has failed, and after she has returned to your residence with nowhere else to go... Only then do you remember this one?"
A faint curve touched the corner of his lips, carrying not even the slightest hint of amusement.
"Master Shen... Do I appear to you as a man who collects what others have already cast aside?"
Shen Yurou’s face instantly drained of its remaining color.
"And more importantly..." Xie Rong’s hand moved beneath the table until his fingers calmly closed around Wang Gege’s.
"I already received a better wife." His thumb gently brushed across the back of her hand. "So why... would I exchange jade for something another man no longer wanted?"
Master Shen’s face had long since turned ashen, while Madam Shen’s body trembled uncontrollably. Even Shen Yurou stood rooted in place, her lips quivering as though she wished to refute him, yet unable to find a single word.
Xie Rong slowly withdrew his gaze. "There is nothing further to discuss."
His voice remained calm, carrying the same unwavering authority as before.
"The Shen family has offered their apology. This one has heard it. As for whether this Lord chooses to accept it..." He paused briefly, "that is this one’s decision. No amount of pleading will change it."
The words fell lightly but they were enough to completely sever the Shen family’s last sliver of hope.
Master Shen’s shoulders visibly slumped. He finally understood. No matter what the Shen family offered today and how many times they lowered themselves, there was nothing left to negotiate.
The matter had already reached its conclusion.
Xie Rong no longer spared them another glance. Instead, he quietly turned toward the woman standing beside him.
The coldness that had filled his expression moments earlier seemed to soften almost imperceptibly.
"Furen." His voice was gentle. "So?"
A faint smile appeared in Wang Gege’s eyes. "Hm?"
"Has Furen become tired from standing?"
The unexpected question caused everyone in the hall to freeze.
After everything that had just happened, the first thing Young Master Xie asked was whether his wife was tired.
Wang Gege blinked before the corners of her lips unconsciously lifted. "A little."
Xie Rong gave a slight nod. "Then let us return."
He turned toward Master Xie and Old Madam Xie before respectfully bowing.
"Father. Grandmother. This son shall take Furen back to our courtyard."
Master Xie gave a slight nod. Old Madam Xie merely waved her hand with a faint smile.
"Go."
Without another word, Xie Rong naturally reached for Wang Gege’s hand. Their fingers intertwined effortlessly, as though it had always been the most natural thing in the world.
The couple slowly walked out of the main hall, neither sparing the Shen family another glance.
Only after their figures disappeared beyond the doorway did the silence inside the hall finally return.
Shen Yurou remained standing where she was. Her eyes stayed fixed upon the direction they had left.
The image of their intertwined hands refused to leave her mind. Her nails dug deeply into her palms until they nearly drew blood.
"Shen Taotao." She slowly gritted her teeth. The name escaped between them with unconcealed hatred.
"Why..." Her voice was barely above a whisper, "Why is it always you?"