The Counterattack of a Wealthy Family's Substitute

"Have you heard? The young master of the Xiang family in Yuncheng is getting married in the next few days. I didn't hear anything about it before. Why is he getting married so soon?"

"Who knows what's going on in wealthy families? I've only heard that Young Master Xiang's wife is Xu Xinya, the daughter of Hengyuan Group."

"Tsk, I heard that Young Master Xiang has been pursuing Xu Xinya for quite a while. It's rare to find a marriage between two people who are truly in love, even within a wealthy and well-matched family. I've also heard that the heiress of Hengyuan has a good reputation and abilities..."

In the slightly noisy private room, several middle-aged men who had drunk too much compared themselves to each other for a while before suddenly bringing up this matter.

Xi Yuanchen sat to the side with a cold expression, appearing out of place. However, his aura was so powerful that it could not be ignored.

Before the person on the other end could finish speaking, this person scoffed, "Good reputation? How can you believe everything you hear? That young lady studied abroad; do you really think she's a clean person?"

"It's because she hasn't offended anyone. If she had, with a little effort, they could dig up all her secrets."

Xi Yuanchen remained hidden in the darkness. He hadn't originally planned to attend this social event, but the person in charge of this collaboration had insisted, so he felt obligated to give them face. However, after a day of meetings, he had a headache and was losing patience. After a while, he was already thinking of getting up and leaving.

Upon hearing this, he turned his head to look at the other end, his slightly cold and hard expression softening.

The man who answered scoffed, "Don't talk nonsense. You need to provide evidence to support your claims, you know?"

The man, indignant, retorted with a sneer, "I'm talking nonsense? I even have video evidence!"

"Then take it out."

Amidst the commotion, Xi Yuanchen turned his gaze away and looked at his secretary beside him: "When is the Xiang family's wedding?"

The bodyguard gave a specific date.

Xi Yuanchen got up from the sofa and walked straight to the door. Before the bodyguard could open it, he asked, "Is Yao Yingxi going?"

The project manager, who had been delayed by other matters, arrived just now. He walked in from outside and paused for a few seconds when he saw Xi Yuanchen about to leave: "Mr. Xi, are you leaving? Let me see you off."

Xi Yuanchen didn't stand on ceremony; the person in charge escorted him downstairs to the private room.

After getting into the car, the driver started the engine, and Xi Yuanchen said, "Wait..."

The driver glanced at Xi Yuanchen in the rearview mirror and turned off the car.

It wasn't until the celebration banquet ended and the people left the club tonight that he signaled to his secretary.

Upon hearing this, the secretary got out of the car and stopped the man surnamed Wang.

…………

On the day of Xu Xinya's wedding, Yao Yingxi got up very early.

She picked out a trench coat and a white skirt from a row of new clothes from a certain brand. Standing in front of the mirror, she applied a delicate and appropriate makeup before changing her clothes, putting on her high heels, and carrying her bag in her left hand as she walked out the door.

When Yao Yingxi arrived at the apartment building, she saw the driver who had brought her the invitation earlier.

The driver happened to see her and quickly went to the back seat to open the door: "Ms. Yao, Mr. Xu asked me to pick you up."

“No need.” Yao Yingxi stopped and looked at the driver, refusing outright.

She promised Xu Xinya she would attend her wedding, but definitely not to offer her blessings. Everything about the Xu family was disgusting to her; just looking at them made her uncomfortable, and of course she wouldn't ride in their car.

The driver hesitated, then stepped in front of Yao Yingxi to block her way: "Miss Yao, please get in the car. Mr. Xu meant well. He said it wouldn't be good for you to be late for your wedding, so he asked me to come and pick you up early."

"Ms. Yao, Mr. Xu said that if I can't pick you up today, I might as well quit my job..." The driver's tone was pleading. "Ms. Yao, I have elderly parents to support and young children to raise. My daughter is in her final year of high school and will be taking the college entrance exam next year. I can't rely on him."

Yao Yingxi looked at the driver and finally felt a little compassion, so she didn't raise her hand to stop the car.

Upon seeing this, the driver quickly opened the car door and said gratefully, "Ms. Yao, thank you, thank you."

Yao Yingxi remained silent. The driver closed the car door and, as he went to the driver's seat, a glint of shrewdness appeared in his eyes.

A moment after Yao Yingxi got into the car, her phone rang. She swiped to answer, and Xu Xinya's voice came through: "My dear sister, you're not going to change your mind at the last minute, are you?"

Yao Yingxi sneered and retorted, "Didn't your driver report to you whether I got in the car or not?"

"I'm just checking it again." On the other end of the phone, Xu Xinya's voice inexplicably contained a hint of a smile.

Yao Yingxi sensed something was wrong and was about to say something when Xu Xinya hung up the phone.

Xu Xinya should have known very well that her going to her wedding wouldn't be to bless her, and might even be an opportunity to do something. Yet Xu Xinya had insisted on her attending her wedding from the very day of her own marriage…

Yao Yingxi looked up, and the driver happened to be looking at her in the rearview mirror. When their eyes met, he looked away for a moment.

The car had been driving for about twenty minutes when it suddenly stopped on the side of the road.

Yao Yingxi looked around, frowned, and before she could speak, the driver unbuckled his seatbelt and said awkwardly, "Excuse me, Ms. Yao, my stomach is a little uncomfortable, I need to use the restroom."

Looking at the driver, Yao Yingxi sensed something was wrong, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. She nodded indifferently.

The driver got out of the car, and she looked around warily.

About three minutes later, when she tried to go out for some fresh air, she found that the car windows were closed.

Her heart leaped into her throat, and she looked around in fear at the passing vehicles.

She tried to reassure herself that because it was winter, the driver was just keeping the doors and windows closed.

The Xu family won't lay a hand on her; she has Xi Yuanchen behind her.

Ten more minutes passed, during which Yao Yingxi endured immense suffering. This time, she no longer assumed the driver was simply going to relieve himself.

The Xu family wanted to kill her; it was all pre-arranged.

"Help! Help!"

She shouted, but her cries for help went unheard. Yao Yingxi looked pale, took deep breaths to calm herself down, and pounded on the car window.

After about a minute, her hand started to hurt terribly. Even the slightest touch in winter can cause pain.

She stopped hitting the car and looked around in fear, only to find that there were no tools in the car.

She only remembered her phone then, took it out, and saw that her phone, which had been receiving a strong signal just moments before, now had no signal at all.

A wave of fear washed over her.

"My wedding is about to start in twenty minutes, and you are the first gift you will give me."

A sound suddenly came from inside the car. Yao Yingxi looked around blankly and then noticed that there was something that looked like a camera in front of the car.

Her eyes were bloodshot as she stared intently at the camera, enunciating each word clearly: "Xu Xinya..."

Xu Xinya laughed: "You can only call me by my name now, hahaha... Yao Yingxi, in eighteen minutes, the car will 'bang' loudly, more intense than firecrackers."

Yao Yingxi was furious. She clenched her fists tightly at her sides, bent over, leaned down to the driver's seat, and smashed the camera with her phone. The camera was quickly reduced to rubble.

But the camera was smashed, and the fear of her life being threatened gripped her completely.

She couldn't die, and she didn't want to die, but the car was locked, and she had no tools or keys, so she couldn't get out!

Yao Yingxi turned to the side and tried to smash the car window with her phone. When she hit the hardest part, she hit her own palm but didn't feel any pain.

A faint "beep" sound became exceptionally clear inside the carriage. She turned around and saw something that looked like a clock starting to count down.

Even if Yao Yingxi was stupid, she knew what this was. She started to tremble and feel cold.

With a loud bang, the car window shattered from the outside, and a pair of hands suddenly grabbed her waist. Yao Yingxi screamed in fright, "Ah..."

"I."

As the familiar voice rang out, Yao Yingxi's tears, which she had been holding back, suddenly fell.

She quickly shrank back. Xi Yuanchen moved his hand from her waist to her calf, and supported her back with his other hand.

Yao Yingxi was carried out of the car by Xi Yuanchen. Breathing in the fresh air, she shivered a little as the cold wind blew.

Suddenly realizing something, she shouted, "Quick, quick, get out of here! The car is going to explode!"

Xi Yuanchen put her back in his car and drove less than ten meters.

"Bang" sound.

The car Yao Yingxi was riding in just now was engulfed in flames and then burst apart, with thick gray smoke spreading all around.

Xi Yuanchen's face immediately turned even uglier.

Yao Yingxi's face turned pale as she looked at the wreckage of the car, feeling a lingering fear in her heart.

Xu Xinya actually wanted her dead! The Xu family actually wanted her dead!

They used underhanded methods to kill her mother before! And they're still using underhanded methods to kill her now!

Only this thought was clamoring in Yao Yingxi's mind!

She hated the Xu family! She wanted them to get what they deserved! She hated them! She wished they were all in hell! But she never truly wanted them dead!

If I had been in that car just now, would I have ended up like it, burned to a wreckage?

She shrank back. Xi Yuanchen held her hand, his deep, cold voice carrying an unprecedented sense of comfort: "It's alright."

Yao Yingxi was trembling; she couldn't help but be afraid and couldn't calm down quickly.

She grabbed Xi Yuanchen's hand, met his deep, unfathomable eyes, regained her composure, and then her gaze turned filled with hatred. "Xi Yuanchen, I will make the Xu family pay the price!"

Xi Yuanchen looked at her, his voice still calm and cold: "What do you want to do?"

"To the wedding venue."

Anan glanced at them in the rearview mirror, his gaze falling on Xi Yuanchen. He quickly understood and started the car.

It took Yao Yingxi a long while to calm down. She moved her stiff body and realized that she was sitting on Xi Yuanchen's lap, her back against his hard chest, her hand holding his warm hand.

At this moment, she was like a child being protected by an adult.

Still feeling somewhat uncomfortable, Yao Yingxi looked awkwardly at Xi Yuanchen and whispered, "Put me down."

Xi Yuanchen glanced at her coldly, neither speaking nor letting go of her hand, and continued to hold it like that.

After a long pause, Xi Yuanchen spoke, "Instead of thinking about these things, you should think more about how to avoid being so impulsive next time and getting into other people's cars so casually."

Yao Yingxi remained silent. She had indeed acted impulsively; she shouldn't have agreed to attend Xu Xinya's wedding after being provoked.

Furthermore, since Xu Xinya confirmed her arrival three or four times, she should have suspected that something was amiss.