Chapter 150: Chapter 136: Anger_1
“What’s wrong with you?”
Seeing Xiao Yeyang’s tightly pursed lips and his angry, frowning eyes, exuding an aura of furious restraint, Daohua was somewhat frightened, spilling the tea she was holding onto her skirt.
Ever since she’d known him, although his temper wasn’t the best, at most he would mutter complaints or spout some harsh words. This was the first time she had seen him emanating such hostility.
It wasn’t just Daohua who was scared, Dong Yuanxuan’s face also turned pale.
He had been talking with Yan Wenxiu and hadn’t paid much attention to the stage until he heard the actor’s singing and realized it was “The Play of Divorcing the Husband”.
“What’s the matter with you?”
Zhou Chengye had been talking with a few other young masters when suddenly, he felt a heavy slap on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw it was an anxious and indignant Dong Yuanxuan.
“Big Brother Dong, what happened?”
Dong Yuanxuan bit back a low growl, “Who asked you to choose ‘The Play of Divorcing the Husband’? Go stop those actors right now!”
Being hit for no reason, scolded, and commanded in no uncertain terms made Zhou Chengye feel very uncomfortable.
Indeed, the official positions held by the Dong Family were higher than those of the Zhou Family, but his Zhou Family was an aristocratic family that yielded nothing to the Dong Family. Because Dong Yuanxuan was the Little Prince’s study companion, he usually showed him considerable deference, but today was his grandfather’s birthday celebration. In front of so many people, Dong Yuanxuan’s behavior was unacceptable. How could he act like this?
Seeing that Zhou Chengye remained silent and motionless, Dong Yuanxuan, in his urgency, couldn’t help but push him, “Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and stop the play on the stage.”
This push made Zhou Chengye’s face darken. As the eldest son of the Zhou Family, he had been raised with the utmost care and even his father had never laid a hand on him. “Big Brother Dong, if you don’t like the play on stage, you could have just said so. Why resort to violence?”
“You…”
Dong Yuanxuan wanted to say more, but at that moment, a commotion erupted from the side.
Everyone turned to see Xiao Yeyang standing up with a grim expression. His abrupt movement knocked over the table and chairs beside him, causing the teacups to tumble and fall.
The sound of the teacup shattering made everyone’s heart skip a beat.
Especially when they saw Xiao Yeyang’s face darker than a stormy sky, they all felt increasingly anxious.
Without a word, Xiao Yeyang left, followed closely by a trembling and extremely anxious De Fu.
“What’s wrong with you, picking such a play without any regard for taboos!”
Dong Yuanxuan shot a fierce glare at Zhou Chengye, then immediately jumped off the platform and quickly followed after Xiao Yeyang.
Due to Xiao Yeyang’s sudden departure, the area around the stage went quiet, and even the actors, sensing the mood, wisely shut their mouths and stopped.
It was a while before sounds slowly started to fill the space again.
“This is a disaster, I think Yan Yishuang has offended the Little Prince!”
Qian Bilan said to Yan Yihuan and the others, her voice uncontrolled in her shock, loud enough that everyone around heard her words, and suddenly, all eyes turned towards Daohua.
At that moment, Daohua sat, a picture of blank astonishment, motionless in her seat.
She truly couldn’t comprehend why Xiao Yeyang had suddenly become angry.
She hadn’t said anything inappropriate!
Below, the young ladies from various families glanced at Daohua, with more or less a look of schadenfreude on their faces.
Among so many present, only she had been able to speak with the Little Prince, which made many high-born ladies from families of better standing and higher official rank quite discontent with her.
“Coming from a small household, her manners and etiquette are lacking. She managed to drive the Little Prince away with her behavior!”
“Isn’t that the truth? In the end, it’s a matter of upbringing. She thought just because she caught the eye of the nobility, she could forget her place and overstep her bounds.”
“Exactly! Did you see how smug and arrogant she was just now? She was only sitting next to the Little Prince but insisted on having him explain opera to her, the shamelessness.”
Yan Yihuan listened to the murmurs of the young ladies around her and looked anxiously towards Daohua.
Yan Yishuang glanced at Daohua too, but without concern. Instead, there was an obscure smile on her lips.
The auntie was right after all. The eldest sister dares to talk back to our father at home and lacks quietness and tenderness. Such a temperament is bound to cause trouble.
And sure enough, she managed to offend the Little Prince at the Zhou residence, and today was Old Master Zhou’s birthday no less.
Now that the Little Prince has left, the Zhou Family must be embarrassed.
The eldest sister has managed to offend two households at once. Now, shouldn’t our father consider her less important?
The surrounding murmurs brought Daohua back to her senses. At this moment, the people around her had left, and Zhou Chengye and others had quickly followed Xiao Yeyang as he left.
Confronted with the scrutinizing gazes and the soft sneers of other young ladies, Daohua’s brows furrowed tightly.
…
“What exactly happened? Did you have another conflict with the Little Prince?”
Zhou Jingwan rushed over in a hurry. Dinner was about to be served, and grandfather was waiting for the Little Prince to start the feast, and now he’s gone!
Upon hearing these accusatory words, Daohua, who was already perplexed, felt a surge of anger. “You think I drove Xiao Yeyang away too?”
“I…”
Zhou Jingwan hesitated. “I didn’t mean that. I just want to know what exactly happened just now?”
Daohua’s anger subsided as she slumped her shoulders. “I don’t know either. Things were fine. He talked about opera, I listened, and then we both shared our views, but suddenly he got angry.”
“I had no idea he could change his expression so quickly. Even if I misspoke and offended him, if he pointed it out, I’d change what I could, and for what I couldn’t, I’d simply not mention it again in the future. What sort of behavior is it to storm off in front of so many people?”
The more she spoke, the angrier Daohua became at Xiao Yeyang; the embarrassment she was facing now was all because of him.
Zhou Jingwan knew that Daohua wasn’t without tact, it was just that sometimes her behavior and words lacked a certain reverence for the Little Prince. Seeing Daohua so upset, she didn’t push further and instead offered consolation.
“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. My brother and your three brothers have already gone after him. Maybe the Little Prince will come back with them soon?”
Daohua shook her head. “He won’t come back. You didn’t see the fury on his face. He looked as if someone had stepped on his tail.”
Zhou Jingwan became anxious. “If the Little Prince doesn’t come back, what about my grandfather’s birthday celebration?”
Hearing this, Daohua’s face showed a growing sense of guilt. Although she didn’t think Xiao Yeyang’s sudden anger had anything to do with her, she was the only one near him when it happened; it surely must be related to her in some way.
“I’m sorry, if I had known, I wouldn’t have sat next to him!”
Zhou Jingwan moved her lips, unsure of what to say. In the end, she let out an exasperated sigh.
Who is Xiao Yeyang? Raised in the Imperial Palace, a man who doesn’t even consider Princes important—how could he possibly return in anger to celebrate an outsider’s birthday?
Zhou Chengye and the three brothers from the Yan Family hurried after to the docks, only to catch sight of the distant boat already underway.