Chapter 144 - The Engagement (3)

Ying Yue felt as if thousands of knives were flung at her. She was embarrassed to the core. Her plans were failing. She gave one last try. "Yang Xinyu, don't be a fool. You cannot marry a girl who is a bastard child. Moreover her father is a man of disrepute. You should leave her before things go out of hand," she said almost threatening him.

Yang Xinyu lifted his head and turned towards her. "Ying Yue it is you who must leave," he shouted menacingly. It made her shrink in fear. She stopped speaking. Who was she messing with? Seconds later she felt someone tugging her hands and then pulling her towards the exit. When she looked at that hand and traced it to the face, she saw that it was the Chairman who was pulling her out of the room. He just pushed her out of the entrance and closed the door. He had a huge smile on his face. He asked the staff to get the mic on which he announced, "Lets begin with the celebrations. The dirt has been thrown out!"

Everybody in the room burst out into a laughter. Yang Xinyu left Wu Lina and circled her shoulders with one hand while wiped her tears with another. He said softly, "Baby, why were you so late?"

"I was hesitating. Ying Yue had texted me that if I would come to the party she would tell everyone about my father. I thought… I thought you would hate me… your family will never accept me…" she said through tears.

Yang Xinyu's heart saddened for her. "I am sorry I should have told you earlier that I know about your father. Please don't cry. You know I hate to see you sad. Next time don't hesitate about anything. Just let me know anything that bothers you and I will remove that botheration for you. That's all I want from you. I don't want anything else from you."

Wu Lina looked into his eyes through her tears, kept her hand on his face and said, "What else do I have to give you Yang Xinyu except my craving for you? I will spend everything that belongs to me on you, my dear. I don't know what future holds for us, but I have fallen for you irrevocably. With you next to me I am not afraid of the world. Without you I don't relish a day. I am entangled with you crazily. I love you Yang Xinyu."

"Be mine," he whispered passionately. Yang Xinyu wiped her tears with his hands. She nodded. All those who were watching them could feel the love in the air. It was a blissful moment that people rarely witnessed. They all wanted them to get engaged as fast as possible.

Just as Yang Xinyu held Wu Lina's hand and started walking towards the main stage, they heard glasses chinking. All his young cousins were smiling or laughing and chinking glasses encouraging them to kiss. But Wu Lina was too embarrassed. She started looking down. Yang Xinyu lifted his hand and brought it to her chin. Just as he lifted her face Wenqian and the Chairman started coughing loudly.

At that time Yang Xinyu remembered that Mrs. Wu was standing beside Wu Lina. He left Wu Lina much to the disappointment of his cousins and greeted her. After greeting her he asked her to come along with them to meet his father.

When they were going to meet his father the entrance door opened again and people saw a couple entering the room. The man's clothing was so colorful that he resembled a rooster while the woman was decently dressed.

Wu Lina looked at her best friend and Bo Xilai with a kind smile and signaled them to come near her.

Zhou Zhili and Bo Xilai were wondering that they had missed the ceremony but were happy when they came to know that they made just in time.

Although Bo Xilai had been there managing arrangements all the while, he was called by Zhou Zhili to accompany her to the party as a couple. So he had left at 5pm. He was so tired when he reached home that he slept off. Zhou Zhili woke him up at 7:30pm and somehow they managed to reach the party on time.

After the formal introductions the engagement ceremony took place. Yang Xinyu took out the beautiful diamond lotus ring from his tuxedo pocket and slipped it on its rightful owner. Without thinking twice he took Wu Lina's hand to his lips and kissed her inviting a loud 'Booooooo' from his cousins. Wu Lina shyly slipped the ring she had bought for him on his right hand's ring finger.

Entire audience erupted into a loud clap. Champagne was poured into glasses that were kept as a Champagne tower. Everybody surrounded the couple and gave them blessings. The younger crowd started teasing them, "Where will you go for your honeymoon?"

The older crowd went a little ahead, "When will we see our grandchild?"

While the celebrations were going on, the lights of the house suddenly went off. Darkness enveloped the entire area. People panicked. Wu Lina caught Yang Xinyu and hugged him tightly. Mischievously he told her, "If a light out means this kind of a tight hug, I will disconnect all the lights in our house forever." Wu Lina pinched him on his arm.

In one corner of the hall, blue lights unexpectedly lit up. The beams of the light were falling from overhead over some women who were dressed in Brazilian style bikinis. They had feathers around their head and their makeup was glittery. Music started and the women started moving their bodies in sync.

The blue lights merged into red ones and then into green. The effect was spellbinding. All the guests looked at the whole sequence totally entranced. The rhythmic movements made by the women while dancing were so magnificent, that it made some of the young boys drool. The dance lasted for fifteen minutes. The hall was lighted all over again in bright overhead lights.

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When Ying Yue exited the house she saw a familiar figure leaning against his car smoking and forming rings in the air.