novelraw Chapter 41 - Shattered Into Pieces
Chapter 41 - Shattered Into Pieces
Chapter 41. Shattered Into Pieces
At the doorway, under the weight of so many stares, Mingyue remained utterly unfazed.
She nudged Bai Xiyi with her elbow, whispering excitedly, “See? The moment we walked in, all eyes were on us! We’re the stars of the night!”
Bai Xiyi, however, stiffened like a deer in headlights. Every muscle in her body screamed at her to flee.
“Let. Go.” She gritted the words through clenched teeth.
Mingyue, still basking in the attention, didn’t notice her friend’s distress. “Relax! This is nothing. Remember back in the day when you, me, and Xiaozhu would turn heads just walking down the street? Hundreds of stares daily—this is child’s play!”
Bai Xiyi wanted to melt into the floor.
Especially when she caught the horrified expressions of her own friends—their widened eyes, their barely suppressed gasps.
She was this close to crumbling into dust.
“Let go right now!” she hissed.
Mingyue, misinterpreting her panic as stage fright, tightened her grip. “Come on, Xiyi! Two years as a housewife didn’t dull your sparkle, did it? This is nothing!
Look, there’s the host and hostess. Let’s greet them, then just… exist beautifully.”
Before Bai Xiyi could protest, Mingyue hauled her inside and shut the door with a soft click.
“Mr. Ye, Miss Bai, apologies for intruding!” Mingyue beamed, her grip on Bai Xiyi unrelenting. “This is my friend Bai Xiyi—she’s a bit shy, forgive her!”
She shot a sideways glance at Bai Xiyi, who was now trying to twist away, and awkwardly extended the gift with her free hand.
Ye Chen’s lips twitched. He accepted the present with both hands, then turned to Bai Xiyi. “Sis, since you’re here, you might as well hand over yours too.”
Mingyue nodded vigorously. “Yes! Xiyi, give him the gift already!”
Then—
She froze.
Her head swiveled back to Ye Chen.
“Wait.”
“‘Sis’?”
“Xiyi… this is your brother?!”
She whirled on Bai Xiyi, scandalized. “Oh my god, Xiyi! Since when do you have a brother this hot?!
Why didn’t you introduce us?! Ugh, you’re the worst!”
Bai Xiyi covered her face with her hands. If the ground didn’t swallow her whole, she’d have to jump out the window.
Bai Xiyan hesitantly stepped forward. “Um… she’s my sister. My husband is her brother-in-law.”
Mingyue blinked.
She studied Bai Xiyan—noticing the resemblance, the slight edge in beauty—and finally connected the dots.
“Ooooh!”
“That’s why you looked familiar! You’re Xiyi’s little sister!”
She smacked Bai Xiyi’s shoulder. “Xiyi! What’s wrong with you? Your own sister’s housewarming, and you’re acting like a stranger?!”
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
Every word from Mingyue’s mouth felt like an arrow to Bai Xiyi’s knees. She was this close to collapsing.
“Mingyue,” she growled, “shut. Up.”
Mingyue gasped. “You’re telling me to shut up? After all these years of friendship?!
What did I even say wrong?”
Bai Xiyi’s soul was halfway out of her body from sheer exhaustion.
Meanwhile, the rest of the room—fully aware of the real reason for Bai Xiyi’s distress—bit their lips to keep from laughing.
Holy shit. Of all the parties to crash…
Poor Bai Xiyi. Dragged here by her clueless bestie.
This is the most savage unintentional roast I’ve ever witnessed.
Bai Cheng couldn’t take it anymore. He stepped in, gently pulling Bai Xiyi aside. “Alright, alright. Now that you’re here, come sit with me for a bit.”
He nodded at Mingyue. “You’re Xiyi’s friend, right? I’m her father. Mind if I borrow her?”
Mingyue immediately released Bai Xiyi and bowed. “Of course, Uncle! I think I’ve seen you before.”
Bai Cheng guided his daughter to a quiet corner.
Bai Xiyi exhaled—only to meet her father’s stern frown.
“Dad—”
He sighed, too soft-hearted to scold her. “Just… eat something, okay? What do you want? I’ll get it for you.”
Bai Xiyi’s appetite had long since evaporated. “I’m not hungry.”
Bai Cheng’s expression hardened. “You will eat. Today’s not about you. It’s about your sister.
Those are her friends over there. Whatever resentment you’re holding, swallow it for tonight.”
He marched off to fill a plate, leaving Bai Xiyi on the verge of combustion.
“Pretend?! Who am I fooling?!
Everyone here—except that idiot Mingyue—knows exactly what went down!”
Her chest tightened. She stood abruptly, needing air—only for Lin Meizhi to materialize beside her.
“Xiyi… you made your choices. Now live with them.” Her mother’s voice was gentle but firm. “Ye Chen’s your brother-in-law now. If not for him or Xiyan, at least behave for your father and me.
Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
Bai Xiyi: “…”
What could she even say?
Hey Mom, everyone here already knows I divorced Ye Chen and he married my sister?
Yeah. That’d go great.
Slumping back into her seat, she stared blankly at the overloaded plate Bai Cheng returned with.
“Eat up,” he urged.
Every bite would taste like humiliation.
And the final twist of the knife?
Mingyue—her dear, clueless Mingyue—was now hovering around Ye Chen and Bai Xiyan.
Apologizing on Bai Xiyi’s behalf.