Yang Jiahui's outburst effectively shut everyone up. It was the first time that most of these people saw her lose her temper. Sheepish expressions appeared on their faces. They knew that they were part of the "circus" act she accused them of, whether as an active member of the altercation or even just as a passive bystander.
Long Tengfei's eyes softened at his wife. He held her hand and gently squeezed it to soothe her anger. Then his eyes turned cold again when he looked at everyone else. He spoke in a loud and clear voice filled with authority.
"Dear friends, I apologize for letting you witness such an embarrassing family spectacle tonight. Regardless of what happened, I hope that you continue to enjoy yourselves at my birthday party. And also please excuse us as I gather the parties involved for a private talk. We will return later to celebrate the rest of the night with you."
The guests murmured "go ahead", "please don't worry about us", and other such gracious words. They also couldn't wait for Long Tengfei and the others to leave, so that they could freely discuss among themselves what just happened.
Still holding his wife's hand, Long Tengfei ordered a "private family meeting" and motioned for the parties involved to follow him. The Wu family was also invited to join because of their involvement in the situation.
The elders were the first ones to follow him. Next was the Wu family. Long Hui followed next but met with some resistance from Jiang Ying Yue.
"Ying Yue, please. You must come with me. Father says that this is a family meeting. You're now my fiancée. Meaning, you're part of the family. Besides, our relationship will most definitely be the main topic of the meeting. Both of us need to be there," Long Hui told her.
"Hui… Sorry but I-I don't think I can do this," Jiang Ying Yue whispered to him in a desperate tone. "The elders don't consider me as part of your family. You just heard your granduncle, didn't you? He said that he'll never accept me into the family. There are only so much insults that I can take before I break down. I-I want to go home to our son now."
Long Hui took her hand and held it firmly. "Ying Yue, I'm sorry. I know that you're hurting, but I really hope that you'll come with me to the meeting. I'll fight for you and for our son. I'm serious. I'll marry you whether the elders like it or not. I know it's hard but can you please endure it for now? Ying Yue, let's fight together. This is for us, for our son, for our family."
When he said it like this, Jiang Ying Yue couldn't make herself disagree with him. She sighed and then took a few deep breaths to steel herself against the insults that would surely be thrown her way again. She felt like a sacrificial lamb about to walk into a nest of vipers.
"Little sister, stay out of this. It's none of your business," Long Hui told her through gritted teeth.
Anger flared within Iris, powered by the inconspicuous remnant. Fortunately, her calm and rational emotions counterbalanced the remnant's volatility. Iris hadn't realized it yet, but at the moment, a permanent evolution was happening deep inside her. Once the process was complete, she would never be the same again.
"None of my business?" she hissed at Long Hui. "Ying Yue is my friend. You think I'm just going to stand here quietly when I see her hurting? Your carelessness is causing her great pain. Just be honest and say that you want the best of both worlds. You want to be the heir but you also want to marry her and make your son legitimate, even if it means dragging them into the hostile domain of the Long family."
"What's wrong with wanting the best of both worlds? I'm not doing this just for myself. My son will have more opportunities in life as a legitimate child of the Long family," Long Hui countered.
"I agree with your reasons, especially since it's for the sake of Little Jun. But your methods suck, Elder Brother. Too crude and simplistic. You're going to allow Ying Yue and Little Jun to endure the discrimination from the elders and the other branch families, and just hope that the relatives will accept the mother and son in the future? How naïve! That's just plain torture to my friend and my godson. That's why you're a big idiot."
Long Hui opened his mouth to disagree with her, but then it hit him. His eyes widened at the realization. It was as if his vision widened its scope, making him see the situation more clearly. He looked at Jiang Ying Yue and the deep pain in her eyes.
"Y-you're right…" he finally said.
"Hmph. Of course, I'm right."
He took a deep breath and blew it out, as if expelling the idiocy from his system. "What should I do then?"
His eyes widened in alarm at the gravity of her words. Paranoid, he looked around them to make sure that nobody was listening to their conversation. Fortunately, they were speaking in whispers.
Only Meimei, Long Jinjing and Chen Fei could hear them. However, the three were also as shocked as him when they heard what Iris said.
Iris flipped her hair and raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, if you can't do it, just say so. It just means that you're not strong and resolute enough in fighting for Ying Yue and Little Jun. To be honest, I don't give a whit about what happens to you, Elder Brother. Whether you succeed Father's position or not, I don't care. However, I'm not going to allow you to drag my friend and godson into that hellhole of the Long family and subject them to a lifetime of pain and suffering. Do that, Elder Brother, and you'll make me and my darling your mortal enemies."
Long Hui subconsciously shivered at her threat. But at the same time, it also ignited his resolve. He clenched his hands and gritted his teeth. "Fine. I'll figure something out."
"Whatever." She shrugged. "I don't really care about what happens to the Long family. The only Longs who I care about are myself, Little Jun and Father. Even if you fail in dealing with the Longs, Little Jun and Ying Yue will be safe with me and my darling. They don't need the Long family to live happy lives."
"You…" He sighed. "You're so savage. But I understand."
"Good. Now that you've realized what a big idiot you are, Elder Brother Hui, let's head to the family meeting now," she suddenly announced, surprising all of them. "I don't care about the elders, but I don't want Father and Aunt Jiahui to wait for too long, especially since it's Father's birthday today."
"What? After all the things you said, you still want to go to the meeting?" Chen Fei asked in disbelief.
Iris gave her a side-eye. "Of course. It's obvious that the elders favour that Wu what's-her-name. If we don't attend the meeting right now, she and her family of weasels would dig their claws deeper into the Long family. Although I don't care much about the Long family, I don't want those Wus acting like they belong with the Longs. If the elders and the other self-important relatives are weeds, then the Wus are pests. They must be eliminated before they do irreparable damage. That's why we must go."
"What do you mean? You're not staying here. All of us are going. Father said that this is a 'family meeting'. We're family. Let's go," Iris said and started walking, expecting them to follow her.