Chapter 59

"Mom, what are you doing?" Jiang Yihao's face darkened immediately. Mindful of the public setting, he didn't shout as he usually would, but his resistance was plain to see.

"The one in red on the left is the daughter of MUT's founder. She's also at Iya, same year as you."

Du Yue's gaze lingered on a young lady in a red dress among the crowd. Her tone was calm, leaving no room for negotiation, a reminder of the fashion mogul who ruled her office with an iron fist.

At Mei'ang, everyone feared Du Yue; no mistake escaped her hawk-like eyes.

The development managers and operations directors under Du Yue were all big names in the fashion world, their noses turned up at everyone. Yet in front of Du Yue, they trembled like fresh graduates entering the workforce.

Bu Chen, standing nearby, let out a soft scoff and took a sip of his drink. As the wine slid down his throat, his prominent Adam's apple bounced slightly against the white collar—seductive, unrestrained.

He drawled with a lazy smile, "Aunt Du sure has good taste, finding you such a fine match. MUT's market cap topped the world this year."

"What's it to you?" Jiang Yihao's eyes shot flames at Bu Chen. He didn't need Bu Chen to tell him that MUT was the hottest tech company right now; every webpage he opened was full of news about MUT's founder meeting with world leaders.

Jiang Yihao's face was darker than a pot bottom. Why did this idiot show up everywhere? And to make it worse, their families were close, so he couldn't avoid him.

Jiang Yihao turned his back to his mother and said loudly, "I'm not interested."

His son's objection was never worth considering in Du Yue's eyes. She continued calmly, "Miss Tang also enjoys sports—she plays tennis and golf often. You two can go together when you have time."

"She'll be seated next to you later. Make sure you talk."

"Mom, why didn't you tell me? Is it fun to force us together?" Jiang Yihao shouted, his eyes full of resentment at his mother's autocracy.

His voice was so loud that nearby guests turned to look. People stared in surprise—mother and son from the Jiang family, the most noble and prestigious in Country A, actually quarreling openly at a banquet.

A thin layer of frost settled on Du Yue's face. She hadn't expected her son to defy her, and the murmurs around them deepened her displeasure.

Du Yue always prided herself on being the duchess. Her son's ridiculous behavior tarnishing the family's reputation was something she absolutely could not tolerate.

"Xiaohao, today is Aunt Bai's birthday. Mind your manners." Du Yue 'kindly' reminded him, her eyes, meticulously made up for the occasion, gradually darkening. A chill swept through the onlookers, and they nervously watched Jiang Yihao's reaction.

Bu Chen's lips curved slightly. He asked a nearby waiter for a glass of wine and retreated to the weathered stone wall, sipping slowly.

Jiang Yihao was like a little tiger ready to pounce—his six-foot-plus frame burning with youthful hot-bloodedness.

"Mom, let me be honest. I'll go along with anything else, but who I date and who I marry is my decision. I won't take that seat; whoever wants it can have it."

Du Yue seemed to hear the wildest fantasy. She lifted a mocking brow at her furious son.

"Xiaohao, Mom's patience has its limits."

Du Yue was so well-preserved that she seemed hardly older than Jiang Yihao; people often forgot they were mother and son.

Her simple sentence made the onlookers shudder. It took a moment for them to realize that the overwhelming intimidation came from a mother's rebuke.

The atmosphere dropped to freezing as mother and son faced off. Discord at a social event was a cardinal sin in aristocratic circles; anyone with status would pretend nothing was wrong to save face.

Now, the Tapay family, one of the three ducal houses, was openly fighting at the Kamu family's banquet—the biggest gossip in the circle. A duchess and the heir apparent, face-off would spread through the circle by the next day, becoming the butt of jokes behind their backs.

At the critical moment, it was the hostess, Bai Fuzhou, who stepped in.

"The kids are grown and have their own minds. Everyone's watching; let it go."

Bai Fuzhou approached her friend and lowered her voice. Du Yue's ornate, heavy-lidded eyes swept the room, but her expression didn't soften.

Du Yue was dazzling in the Tapay family's heirloom colored jewels, outshining every matron present. Yet Bai Fuzhou, in her plain robe, standing nearly six feet tall with heroic bearing, didn't pale in comparison—she even made Du Yue look almost delicate.

Bai Fuzhou sincerely tried to smooth things over: "You know Xiaohao's temper best. The more you push him in public, the more he'll resist. Don't take it to heart with the boy. It's not good for people to hear that mother and son aren't getting along."

She'd grown up with Du Yue and knew her friend was a typical spoiled lady—only others listened to her, never the other way around. So she'd often mediated between mother and son, and was skilled at it.

Du Yue's gaze was icy; she used the wealthy's habitual silence to deal with anything unpleasant.

Bai Fuzhou sighed. A few days ago, Du Yue had suddenly asked to add a few names to the list, and she'd agreed without a thought. Now she realized her friend was using her birthday party to force her son into a blind date—what a move. The seating was already set, and as the hostess, she could do nothing about it.

Bai Fuzhou leaned close to Du Yue and calmly glanced around the hall: "The party hasn't even started, and we're already this tense. How are the kids supposed to get to know each other?"

Hearing this, Du Yue's rigid posture eased somewhat, though her expression remained displeased: "Do you think I enjoy meddling? Why can't he just give me some peace? If only he were like your Xingmiao, who never causes any worry."

"Right, we mothers shouldn't hold grudges against our kids." Bai Fuzhou turned her friend by the shoulders to lead her inside. Mentioning her son, she turned to find that Bai Xingmiao was already gone. Strange, he was just here. Where did he go?

Du Yue was proud and listened to few people; Bai Fuzhou was one of them. As the host, Bai Fuzhou gave her a way out, and she let it go, following her inside to take a seat.

"Since it's clear now, don't arrange any random people for me. Stay out of my marriage," Jiang Yihao shouted after his mother as she left without a word.

Suddenly, a figure flew in front of him, blocking his path, and said in a low voice, "Don't fight her. Think about your football."

Jiang Yihao looked up to see Bu Chen holding a wine glass, squinting at him with a meaningful, warning look.

Jiang Yihao froze for a second, not expecting Bu Chen to voluntarily remind him. It was like cold water over his head, and he calmed down. He stared at him for three full seconds, and Bu Chen looked back at him leisurely.

He'd almost screwed up—if Bu Chen hadn't reminded him, he might have forgotten that football was still a secret from his family. If he angered his mother enough to make her investigate, he'd be done.

Jiang Yihao's emotions surged like waves: one wave of hatred toward Bu Chen for pursuing Ruan Ning, another wave of nostalgia for their childhood. Among the three of them, besides Bai Xingmiao who had a good relationship with his parents, he and Bu Chen had spent their share of time making their parents angry.

He and Bu Chen always covered for each other when dealing with their families. And that cunning Bu Chen—he never got into trouble in public, never openly defied his parents, fooling the elders into thinking he was a filial and upright child. Jiang Yihao's family had no idea that several times he got beaten for Bu Chen's schemes.

The two emotions churned alternately, agitating his heart.

"Move!" Jiang Yihao shouted unkindly, bumping Bu Chen's shoulder as he strode off toward the inner hall with impatient steps.

"Idiot." Bu Chen's lips curled in a faint, mocking smile. One hand in his pocket, he leisurely strolled into the hall.

The surrounding guests, seeing the hostess enter, began to follow in twos and threes. Just then, the butler hurried in to announce: "The Duke of Banting, with his wife, and—the second young master of the Banting family, have come to celebrate the countess's birthday."

Jiang Yihao immediately turned to look at Bu Chen, thinking, Uncle Bu actually dared to do this?

Bu Chen held his wine glass with one hand, his gaze cold and distant...