"Hey Cousin Wenbin, how old is Aunty turning today?" Xue Jinxu inquired from the backseat.

"She's turning fifty four today."

"I see." Xue Jinxu was all smiles. This would be the first Chen family gathering that she would be able to attend as Chen Linyun's wife.

"Will there be a lot of guests?" Xue Jinxu asked more.

"Quite a number. Some are old friends of the elders, mostly from the government. It's just a casual gathering." Mo Wenbin shared.

"Are you nervous?" Chen Linyun asked from the driver's seat.

"No. I'm excited." Xue Jinxu kept on smiling.

When they alighted from the car, Aunty Mo herself greeted them. There were a few servants following her around.

She hugged all of them, while scolding them lightly. "Oh, the children are all here! You should visit more often! It's good that you were able to come!"

"Happy birthday, Mother!" Mo Wenbin returned the hug then planted a kiss on her cheeks. He was grinning ear-to-ear.

"Happy birthday, Aunty. We wish you good health." The Chen couple also greeted her.

"Thank you for the well-wishes. Come in! Come in!"

The Chen courtyard was vast. It had a garden with manmade pond at the east side of the property. The terrain in the east up to the south was sloping similar to a golf course. The landscaping was neat and kept well. At the left side there were gazebos for resting.

The guests were scattered all over the property. Although they said that it's a small family affair, they had invited quite a few family friends whom they cannot afford to be slighted. These were long-time friends from when Chen Lingfang and Chen Lhingyu were still young. Most were from the government circle.

Xue Jinxu wore her hair into a high ponytail. She was wearing a modest beige qipao. She thought that it was most suitable to wear to an elder's birthday. Mo Wenbin and Chen Linyun both wore tuxedos. They looked magnificent.

With intertwined hands, the Chen couple entered the humbe abode to greet Father Chen. The couple was eye-catching. The guests could not help but look into their direction.

"Who's that adorable young couple? They look good together."

"Don't you know, it's the Minister's son! He returned from Country D!"

"Rumors had it that he's married already at such a young age! The lady must have been the wife."

"If my wife is as pretty as that lady, I would've done the same! I would've married my wife at first sight!"

They were the talk of the guests. Some also talked about Mo Wenbin.

"Who's that young bachelor out there? It's rare to see him around. I don't recognize him."

"Even if you don't recognize him, look closely at his features! It's the same as the late Mr. Mo! It must have been Chen Lhingyu's fine son.

"What a great household this is with two strong fine and capable sons!"

"They should attend more gatherings such as this in the future."

"Is Mo Wenbin taken already? My grand daughter would have liked him." There went the matchmaking of the old folks.

Mo Wenbin easily mixed and mingled with the crowd. One in a while his boisterous laughter was heard. It added to the lively atmosphere.

Chen Linyun never let go of Xue Jinxu's hand. Xue Jinxu felt secured amidst the sea of unfamiliar faces. Even if she's part of the elite circle, this group of people was unfamiliar to her. The business group and the government circle were two separate caste in society which never really intersected, except when business people try to make a good relations.h.i.+p with some government officials to curry favor. And it had been an urban legend that the government sector had always been in an upper rank than the business sector in the societal hierarchy. Therefore, even if Xue Jinxu was there at the top of the business elite, she was almost unknown in the government circle.

Whereas, another fine young lady was the star of the night. Everywhere she went she was talked to and praised by all the guests. Everyone knew her and made small talk with her. It was Hw.a.n.g Meilin.

"I thought Hw.a.n.g Meilin is going to be the daughter-in-law of the Chen's."

"She's almost a real daughter to the Chen's!"

"Yes, I thought she's supposed to marry the minister's son…"

The guests could not help but get intrigued by the family's internal issues.

"Well, no matter how close she is, she's still an outsider to the Chen Family!" Other envious ladies retorted.

Upon hearing these chitchats, Hw.a.n.g Meilin clenched her fists in humiliation. She had lost face in front of the guests. There she was acting as if she's one of the hosts of the party, like a real Chen daughter, but at her back, this was what the guests thought of her!

At the other side of the room Hw.a.n.g Meilin saw the couple silently observing the crowd. She decided to approach them.

"Yun-ge! Jinxu-jie! You're here already! Why are you seated so dejectedly in a corner?" She greeted them.

Then she seated herself beside Chen Linyun, at his vacant right side. She clung to his arm.

"Yun-ge, were you uncomfortable in this kind of events? Don't worry, Meimei is here!"

The actions were so sudden. Chen Linyun froze in place. As if he had acquired a stiff neck, he could not even glance at his wife seated at his left. Although not looking, he could sense fire blazing at his left side. The volcano must have erupted!

Chen Linyun abruptly stood up. Consequently, Hw.a.n.g Meilin's arm untangled itself from his. Hurriedly, he said, "My wife and I are fine, we can get on with ourselves. Excuse us."

He grabbed Xue Jinxu's hand and turned towards the gazebos in the courtyard. He was literally dragging Xue Jinxu with him in a brisque walk. Xue Jinxu almost tripped with her heels while trying to keep up. She would have, after all they were connected by their hands.

'What was that Hw.a.n.g Meilin doing, sending me to the darkest deepest layer of h.e.l.l?!'

Chen Linyun stopped. His heart drumming with too much nervousness. It's time to face the wife's wrath.