Zhou Xiao, the dean, Mrs. Lu, and Qin Yuheng were all baffled.
A better omega right in front of him?
Who?
Both Mrs. Qi and Qi Lian turned their gaze to Qin Yuheng.
Qin Yuheng: “???”
He took a frightened step back.
The next second, Qi Lian asserted, “Yuheng is outstanding—well-educated, from a good family, lively and adorable, and righteous! Xiao Xiao, with such an excellent omega like Yuheng, how could you prefer Xu Yin? Your taste is lacking!”
She spoke with a sense of righteous indignation.
Mrs. Lu and Qin Yuheng’s faces turned pale.
Mrs. Lu forced a smile, “But, Xiao Xiao doesn’t like our Yuheng…”
“This is your fault!” Qi Lian cut in, serious and stern. “You knew Xu Yin’s character was questionable, yet you allowed Xiao Xiao to harbor such feelings. You should have corrected him as soon as you noticed! Yuheng is so exceptional; why would Xiao Xiao not like him?”
Mrs. Lu and Qin Yuheng looked as though they had swallowed something bitter.
Zhou Xiao and the dean trembled.
They wouldn’t dare covet Qin Yuheng; doing so would jeopardize the dean’s standing in the small town, not to mention risking expulsion.
The dean trembled and quickly declared, “Our Xiao Xiao is not good enough for Yuheng…”
Zhou Xiao also stammered, “Yes, I’m not good enough…”
“Nonsense!” Qi Lian retorted righteously but then seemed to remember something. She covered her mouth, lowered her voice, and cautiously said, “Wait, Mrs. Lu, you mentioned Yuheng has high standards. Could it be that he…doesn’t like Xiao Xiao either?”
Mrs. Lu’s face twitched.
Qin Yuheng blushed, his chest heaving, unable to find words.
Qi Lian slowly added, “Well…then what right does he have to criticize Xu Yin for not liking Xiao Xiao?”
Her words struck, and the expressions of everyone changed dramatically.
They realized that Qi Lian had been deliberately stirring the pot all along!
Mrs. Qi took another sip of tea and coughed lightly.
Qi Lian, done with her act, started examining her nails lazily, “So, not liking someone varies by status? Qin Yuheng’s high standards make it normal for him to dismiss all local alphas and only consider Yuanchu, but Xu Yin not liking Xiao Xiao is considered offensive?”
She scoffed, “Why assume Xu Yin met Xiao Xiao before he was disfigured? How can you be sure Xu Yin would have liked him if he were unharmed?”
“People often have unreciprocated feelings. Why should rejecting someone with facial scars be deemed as prejudice? This isn’t just moral coercion; it’s solely targeting Xu Yin!”
The dean and Zhou Xiao were dumbfounded.
They had never encountered someone like this!
Usually, such topics were avoided to prevent offending anyone or being accused of bullying vulnerable individuals. Most would tactfully ignore inappropriate comments. Who would blatantly discuss such matters?
And the dean had even researched Qi Lian’s background, knowing her father—Qi family’s second uncle—had a long scar from an accident. Shouldn’t Qi Lian empathize with Zhou Xiao? Why was she retaliating?
Qi Lian noticed their speculations and smirked, “Oh, right, I might come across blunt, but my father has a scar too. He was somewhat disfigured, and he hates being treated differently. If anyone showed him pity, he’d lash out, so I got used to this approach—if you prefer me to treat Xiao Xiao differently, can I soften my tone?”
The dean and Zhou Xiao were left speechless, their faces turning red from frustration. Mrs. Lu and Qin Yuheng also turned pale with a mixture of anger and embarrassment.
Mrs. Lu, who had never met Qi Lian before, was astonished by how sharp-tongued this young lady from the Qi family could be. Her hands trembled slightly with anger.
Qin Yuheng, flustered by the unexpected turn of events, quickly interjected, “Xu Yin despises Zhou Xiao. He even lied about Zhou Xiao sexually harassing him—”
“Yuheng!” Mrs. Lu scolded in a low voice.
Qin Yuheng instantly fell silent.
“Sexual harassment? What’s this about?” Qi Lian squinted.
Mrs. Lu, having anticipated Xu Yin would bring up these issues to the Qi family, tried to maintain her composure. She hadn’t expected Qi Lian to be so relentless, which made her uneasy. She took a deep breath and explained, “Xiao Xiao likes Xu Yin, so he would follow him around, but Xu Yin always felt harassed and caused several disturbances over it.”
She exhaled slowly, keeping her tone stern, “It was a bit exaggerated.”
“Is that so?” Qi Lian asked with a smile, “If it happened multiple times, there must be surveillance footage, right? Or did the cameras conveniently malfunction each time?”
“You—” Mrs. Lu stood up, her patience wearing thin.
Qi Lian’s disbelief stemmed from the blatantly obvious intentions of the day. They wanted to keep Xu Yin and push Qin Yuheng into the Qi family. Their approach was too blatant and illogical, making Qi Lian doubtful of their sincerity.
Sweating nervously, the principal tried to backpedal, “It’s not like that. Xiao Xiao has some mental issues from past trauma, so his behavior can be a bit excessive, but he means no harm!”
Zhou Xiao, playing his part, muttered, “Yin Yin… I like Yin Yin…”
Qi Lian couldn’t help but laugh, “Dean, shouldn’t Xiao Xiao see a doctor? This doesn’t seem like a mere mental issue. It could be brain damage affecting his intelligence. If that’s the case, he should get a disability certificate. Besides, if either the individual or their family has intellectual disabilities, they’re not suited to work in an omega orphanage. You mustn’t jeopardize the responsibilities of your job for personal reasons.”
The dean and Zhou Xiao froze again, utterly at a loss.
Most people would tread carefully around someone with mental issues, but Qi Lian showed no such concern, discussing the matter openly and frankly. Their frustration and disbelief grew.
Mrs. Lu, equally enraged by the poor performance, slammed her teacup down, causing the dean and Zhou Xiao to flinch.
Just then, two figures emerged from the back hall. Qi Yuanchu, seeing the tense atmosphere in the front hall, narrowed his eyes and asked his mother, “What’s going on?”
Mrs. Qi adjusted her collar. Despite the recent heated exchange, she remained poised and composed, her expression calm and serene.
She smiled, “Nothing much, we were just having a lively discussion.”
The supposedly “lively” Mrs. Lu, Qin Yuheng, the dean, and Zhou Xiao all held their breath, feeling utterly miserable.
As soon as Mrs. Qi saw the young man next to Qi Yuanchu, her eyes lit up, and she stood up with a smile, “Are you Xu Yin?”
Xu Yin nodded and smiled, “Hello, Auntie.”
Qi Lian’s eyes widened in admiration, “Wow, you look even better in person than in the photos!”
Xu Yin continued to smile politely.
Both Qi Lian and Mrs. Qi took an immediate liking to Xu Yin. At this moment, they couldn’t help but marvel once again at how reliable the matching system was. Xu Yin was not only good-looking but also exuded a gentle and elegant aura, and his attitude was poised and unpretentious.
In contrast to the dean and even Mrs. Lu, who subtly tried to ingratiate themselves when meeting them, Xu Yin remained composed and graceful, making a very favorable impression.
Since both Qi Yuanchu and Xu Yin had finished their conversation and came out from the back hall, Mrs. Qi eagerly turned her gaze to her son.
Mrs. Lu, the dean, and Qin Yuheng also focused their attention on Qi Yuanchu.
Despite the earlier heated exchanges, if Qi Yuanchu met Xu Yin in person and found him different from his expectations, the matter could still fall through, giving them hope.
Especially Qin Yuheng, whose heart was pounding the hardest. He watched Qi Yuanchu with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.
He believed that Qi Yuanchu and Xu Yin were from completely different worlds. This man, being well-traveled and knowledgeable, might be initially swayed by Xu Yin’s appearance, but after getting to know him, he would surely lose interest. Qi Yuanchu, he thought, would be drawn to someone whose soul resonated with his own.
Nervously clenching his fists, he then saw the man’s expression turn serious. Qi Yuanchu slightly parted his lips and solemnly said to his mother:
“Mom, I want to marry Yin Yin.”
There was a moment of silence in the hall.
Then Qin Yuheng nearly staggered and fell.
Mrs. Qi stood up, covering her mouth, “Ahhhhh!”
Qi Lian exclaimed, “Whoa, whoa, whoa!”
The dean, Zhou Xiao, and Mrs. Lu were dumbfounded.
It wasn’t just that Qi Yuanchu didn’t reject Xu Yin after getting to know him better—
But how did he jump straight to wanting to get married?!
And calling him “Yin Yin”?!!
Xu Yin, somewhat exasperated, turned to Qi Yuanchu, “I told you not to be so sudden.”
He was worried his family might be startled.
Qi Yuanchu shook his head, his expression deep and determined, “I want to marry you!”
Mrs. Qi again shouted, “Ahhhhh!”
Qi Lian echoed again, “Whoa, whoa, whoa!”
The normally stoic and rigid Qi Yuanchu had suddenly become a marriage enthusiast. Mrs. Qi was so excited she almost climbed onto her chair!
With a dramatic gesture, she declared, “Mom approves!!”
