CHAPTER 164: CHAPTER 164: HUO FEI’S CONSPIRACY

Meanwhile, at the far end of the banquet hall, another kind of drama was quietly brewing.

"I didn’t know it was your brother’s wedding," Huo Yan said, her tone light and teasing as she looked up at Song Yun.

Song Yun chuckled, raising his champagne glass to his lips. "I didn’t think it mattered. Honestly, I didn’t even want to come. Damien dragged me here."

He gestured lazily toward the stoic man standing a few feet away, arms folded behind his back.

Huo Yan followed his gaze and blinked. "Does he ever smile?"

Song Yun laughed softly. "Not that I’ve seen. I’m starting to think he was born frowning."

"Poor thing," she murmured, her lips curling into a grin.

Song Yun leaned a little closer. "Let’s forget about him and talk about something more interesting — you."

Her eyes flicked back to him, amusement flashing in them. "Flattery already?"

He tilted his head, studying her hands and frowned immediately. "You shouldn’t be holding that."

Before she could react, he gestured to a passing waiter. In one smooth motion, he switched her champagne flute for a glass of cranberry juice.

"There," he said with an annoyingly satisfied smile. "That suits you better."

Huo Yan glared at him, her lips twitching in irritation. He simply raised a brow.

"Go on, drink it."

With a huff, she obeyed, biting the straw out of sheer defiance.

"Why do you look so angry?" Song Yun asked after watching her for a moment, his eyes dancing with amusement and teasing.

"You’re seriously asking that?" she snapped, slamming the glass onto the nearby table and folding her arms.

Song Yun laughed under his breath and reached out to smooth a stray strand of her hair. "I’m just doing what’s best for you. You don’t need alcohol."

She met his gaze head-on. "And you do?"

He smiled—his smile was slow and filled with infuriating calmness. "There’s a difference. I’m a man. You’re a lady."

Huo Yan gasped, half-offended and half-amused. "You—!"

Song Yun raised both hands in mock surrender, laughter leaving his lips. "Relax, princess. I was joking... mostly." He added the last word as a teasing light flashed through his eyes.

Her glare softened, but her cheeks had turned a soft shade of pink.

And just like that, the noise of the banquet faded around them leaving only the spark of something new, bright, and dangerous.

Meanwhile, Huo Fei stood just a few meters away from them. She angrily sipped the wine, anger simmering beneath her expression.

"How could she! How... could she be happy when I’m suffering?" She seethed through gritted teeth.

Her eyes focused on Song Yun whose attention was solely on Huo Yan. Her eyes flashed, and her lips curved slowly.

"This would be interesting." She muttered, an idea slowly forming in her head.

Giving them one final glance, she walked away not wanting to see Huo Yan’s smile again.

As the night deepened, laughter and music mingled beneath the glittering chandeliers.

Glasses clinked, cameras flashed, and for a moment, everything seemed too perfect. It felt like trouble was brewing.

Yue Ning sat quietly beside Huo Feng, her hand resting in his. He’d been unusually protective all evening, his gaze never straying far from her.

Across the room, Xu Yuelan and Song Kai moved through the crowd like the perfect couple — smiling, greeting, and charming the guests with their most practiced smile. But beneath those smiles lay ambition sharp enough to cut.

When the final toast was raised, Huo Feng glanced toward them, his expression unreadable but strangely calm.

And as the crowd erupted in cheers, something inside him whispered that peace like this never lasted.

Soon, the lights began to dim. Guests started to leave, and the night’s warmth gave way to a strange, creeping stillness. It was the kind that came right before everything changed.

-----------------

Madam Xu sat in her lounge, reeling from joy. Her daughter had married, and to such a decorated man. As a mother, this was her proudest moment.

But her shoulders slumped when she remembered her brother — Lu Jiang hadn’t attended. None of the Lu family had. Only Lu Yue Ning was present, though she came not as the Lu’s daughter, but as Huo Feng’s wife.

Her eyes dimmed, her smile fading from her lips. She wondered silently if what she had done twenty years ago even mattered now.

The sharp ring of the phone cut through the silence, snapping her from her thoughts.

Her brows knitted as she picked up the phone. The moment she saw the caller, her expression soured. Regardless, she still picked the call.

She forced a polite smile. "Madam..." She said as soon as the call was connected.

"You didn’t bother inviting me to your daughter’s celebration," the voice said smoothly.

Madam Xu laughed awkwardly, a little too quickly. "I didn’t think you’d want to attend."

A short, amused chuckle came through the line. "You’re right. I’m not interested in public events."

Madam Xu let out a soft sigh of relief, though her fingers still clenched the phone tightly, betraying a faint edge of unease.

Madam Xu’s brows knitted. "Who?" she asked cautiously.

"Lu Ning. Lu Jiang’s daughter. She looks so much like her mother. Her face... magnificent."

Madam Xu’s heart skipped. There was a cold edge to the voice. It was filled with immense malice which made her stomach churn.

"Too bad," the woman continued, sharp and deliberate. "I want to destroy that face. Hers and her mother’s. I want them gone."

Madam Xu gasped, slapping a hand over her mouth.

"What? Anything to say?"

She shook her head, muttering three consecutive, shaky "No"s. Her face was pale, and she trembled, a sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead—she could barely breathe.

"Good. See me tomorrow." The woman on the other end instructed.

"Why?" Madam Xu asked, her voice trembling.

"To make plans. What did you think?"

"Madam... is it right for me to be involved?" Madam Xu asked carefully once again.

The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating. Her breath caught in her throat and her grip tightened around her phone.

"Aren’t you willing? Remove Lu Ting and her daughter, and your brother is all yours."

Madam Xu’s eyes widened. The same tactic from twenty years ago. But would she make the same choice again?