"So shameless."
When the voice had just landed, the people inside the hall were the last who were alerted of this person's arrival.
Their heads turned to the direction where the voice had sounded and found a young man in a long black robe with intricate silver patterns leaning against the doorframe with a smile on the tips pf his lips seemingly finding the performance before him entertaining.
"Qu… Qu Xing Xu!" Bai Yu shouted in alarm. His eyes widened at the sight of the man before him.
Similarly to him, Old Patriarch Bai, Bai Shuang, and Madam Yi were shocked at Qu Xing Xu. They didn't know that he would visit them so late at night and even appeared at the right moment when they were speaking about him. This made them look at each other and saw each other's fears in their eyes.
Qu Xing Xu smiled at the young man who shouted and said, "Well, aren't you the confident one?" Qu Xing Xu let his eyes wander over Bai Yu and scoffed, "You don't have the qualifications to become my brother-in-law."
His voice was calm and pleasing to the ears. However, it also produced a palpating and heavy thickness of uneasiness to be born on the listener's hearts as one was unsure of what was the underlying meaning behind that tone and smile on the youth's lips.
When Qu Xing Xu arrived to the Bai residence, his initial plan was to eradicate all of them in one move. But the thought of letting them die without even knowing the reason why and regret what they had done didn't just sit right to him. So, Qu Xing Xu entered the residence in order to see their faces of terror before he torched them all to death.
But he hadn't really thought that the moment he came in, these pathetic family would actually talk about him and their plans without censorship or fear of someone hearing their plans.
Seeing that his grandson was unable to say anything comprehensive, Old Patriarch Bai decided to help the young man and said to the duke, "Duke Qu, it is a pleasure to have you visit our small mansion."
"Small?" Qu Xing Xu chuckled. "The hundred servants staying in your residence and the several courtyards and unused rooms speaks the otherwise, Old Bai."
Still leaning against the doorframe, Qu Xing Xu looked at every person's faces inside the wide room, taking in their look of shock, the terror in their eyes, uneasiness, and to their expensive and clothes made of high quality fabric and to the different varieties of dishes and delicacies spread on top of their tables. One would even think that the Bai family was having a banquet with how much food and sweets they put on top of their tables.
What he said stamped the words that Old Patriarch Bai wanted to say. After all, the Bai family indeed have a hundred servants to use for themselves not including the other hundred of guards stationed inside and outside the walls of their residence, and the other people employed by them.
Old Patriarch Bai glared at the duke, wanting to reprimand him for his words. If others were to hear him, they would think that the Bai family wad eyeing the golden chair where the emperor sat because of how much comfort and people they use inside the Bai mansion. Maybe even one might mention that the Bai mansion was the replica of the imperial palace because of how many people were inside it.
"Duke Qu, please do not say that. There is no hundred servants inside the Bai residence. They are our few servants families who has willingly served us without receiving anything from us."
Qu Xing Xu shrugged, not caring whether it was the truth or not. After all, he already knew that the old bastard was lying through his gritted teeth and do not want to worsen their situation.
But whether their situation will get worst or not was something that only Qu Xing Xu had the right to change and think about.
Prying his body off the doorframe, Qu Xing Xu started to leisurely walk towards the wide path in the center of the room. His shoes clicked whenever it hit the marbled floor - another thing that Old Bai wished for him to not notice - and made everyone's eyes to follow his every move.
"It doesn't matter. The reason I came here for is not to talk about how debauched your lifestyle is nor to speak petty pleasantries. " Qu Xing Xu didn't stop walking as he spoke, "I came here to collect something."
"Came here to collect something?" Bai Shuang said in disbelief. "Young Duke of Xin, aren't you being rude? Barging into another person's residence and saying you want to collect something as if we stole from you is not what a person of title like yourself should do!"
Bai Shuang was so offended at how Qu Xing Xu was acting towards his father. Even though the Bai family hasn't taken a higher position in the imperial court, but they had several people who supported their family and trusted Old Patriarch Bai.
And if it wasn't because Old Patriarch Bai was thinking of bringing the two families together once again by marrying Bai Jia Li to Qu Xing Xu, that young lad should already be dead now and he wouldn't get to live to see him being titled as the duke of Xin. He should be thankful that they let him be until now!
Yet, Qu Xing Xu actually stormed inside the Bai residence and said he's here to collect something! How ridiculous!
Sure enough, Qu Xing Xu's eyes turned colder. He chuckled once and said "I could say the same thing about you. You people sent assassins to take my head several times already for the past few years. Did I say anything about that? Now, you plotted to murder my wedded wife in order to place a substitute bride and duchess. You can't expect me to do nothing."
When they heard him, Old Patriarch Bai's prayer that Qu Xing Xu still hadn't heard of whay they had done tonight was completely crushed and turned into dust.
Since the truth was already out and chances of reconciliation was slim, Old Patriarch Bai started to maliciously speak. "So what about it, Qu Xing Xu? That girl named Lin Xiaofei shouldn't have been able to step inside the Qu residence and marry you. She was destined to die when you announced your betrothal with her. Bai Jia Li should have been your bride. That is your fate and you should just accept it since I put you in that position."
Qu Xing Xu stared at the old man seated on a chair on the dais.
Old Patriarch Bai continued, "You should know that you owe me your place and title as a duke. Now, you should repay me by marrying and making Bai Jia Li the duchess!" His voice was filled with venom and certainty as if he already knew that Qu Xing Xu had no choice but to agree to his words since he owed it to him.
But unfortunately, Qu Xing Xu only smiled slightly, "Repay you and marry Bai Jia Li?" His voice turned chilly and raspy.
He continued with his lips turning up into a wicked smirk, "You wish."
...
To my readers,
Because there was a glitch to the previous chapter where the same chapter was duplicated and doubled the amount of coins for you to pay, I decided to repost the whole chapter again. I will post 2 chapters later to compensate for this error. Thank you for your understanding.
-Poisonlily
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