Chapter 136: Anger

 Chapter 136: Anger 

"What's wrong with you?" 

Seeing Xiao Yeyang clenching his lips tightly, his brows furrowed, looking both furious and seemingly holding back his anger, Daohua was startled. The tea she was holding splashed onto her dress.

Since they met, she had noticed Xiao Yeyang’s temper wasn't the best, but at most, he would mumble in discontent or make a few harsh remarks. She had never seen him so angry and filled with a murderous aura before.

It wasn’t just Daohua who was shocked. Dong Yuanxuan's expression also changed dramatically.

He had been talking to Yan Wenxiu and hadn’t been paying much attention to the play, but when he heard the actors singing, he realized it was The Record of the Resting Husband.

"What’s going on with you?"

Zhou Chengye had been conversing with a few other young men when suddenly, he was struck sharply on the shoulder. Turning around, he found Dong Yuanxuan looking both urgent and angry.

"Brother Dong, what’s wrong?"

Dong Yuanxuan gritted his teeth and whispered, "Who asked you to pick The Record of the Resting Husband? Go tell those actors to stop immediately!"

Being struck and reprimanded like that, Zhou Chengye felt quite uncomfortable.

Dong family officials had a higher rank than the Zhou family, but the Zhou family was still influential. Dong Yuanxuan was Xiao Yeyang's companion, and while Zhou Chengye usually showed him respect, today was his grandfather's birthday, and in front of so many people, Dong Yuanxuan’s actions were out of line.

Seeing Zhou Chengye stand still, Dong Yuanxuan, in his anxiety, couldn’t hold back and pushed him, saying, "What are you standing there for? Go and stop the play on stage!"

This time, Zhou Chengye's face darkened. As the eldest son of the Zhou family, he had been raised with great care and respect; no one, not even his father, had ever dared to lay hands on him. "Brother Dong, if you don't like this play, you could just say it nicely. Why do you have to push me?"

"You—"

Dong Yuanxuan was about to say something when a commotion came from the side.

Everyone turned around to see Xiao Yeyang standing up, his face darker than the overcast sky, his movement so abrupt that he knocked over a table, causing tea cups to tumble and crash to the floor.

The sound of the broken tea cup made everyone’s hearts skip a beat.

When they saw Xiao Yeyang's face, even darker than a stormy sky, they felt even more tense.

Without saying a word, Xiao Yeyang left, with Defu nervously following him, looking extremely anxious. 

"You, why don’t you even know the proper etiquette when picking a play!" Dong Yuanxuan glared at Zhou Chengye and immediately jumped down from the platform, rushing after Xiao Yeyang.

With Xiao Yeyang’s sudden departure, the area around the stage grew quiet, and even the actors on stage, sensing the atmosphere, immediately stopped singing.

It was a while before people began to murmur again.

"We’re in trouble. It looks like Miss Yan offended the Young Prince!"

Qian Bilan whispered to Yan Yihuan and the others, and perhaps due to her shock, she didn’t lower her voice enough, and the people around heard her. Instantly, everyone’s eyes turned toward Daohua.

At this moment, Daohua looked completely stunned, sitting motionless in her seat.

She couldn’t understand why Xiao Yeyang had suddenly become so angry. She hadn’t said anything inappropriate!

Below, the young ladies from various families glanced at Daohua, and some had faint expressions of gloating.

In a crowd this big, she was the only one who could talk to the Young Prince, which irked many of the higher-status young ladies from better families, whose fathers held higher positions.

"Typical of someone from a small family. No understanding of proper etiquette, and now look, she made the Young Prince leave!"

"Isn't that right? In the end, it's all about upbringing. She thinks that just because she's caught the eye of a noble person, she can act without any restraint or decorum," someone murmured from the side.

"Exactly! Just look at how smug and arrogant she was earlier. Just because she sat next to the Young Prince, she made him explain the play to her. How shameless!" another voice added.

Yan Yihuan, overhearing the conversation, turned to glance at Daohua with a worried expression.

Yan Yishuang also gave Daohua a glance, but there was no worry in her eyes. Instead, a faint, sly smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

What Auntie said was right. The eldest sister doesn't even respect Father at home, always defying him. She’s neither gentle nor ladylike, and such a temperament is bound to bring trouble.

Sure enough, she offended the Young Prince, and today, of all days, it’s the Zhou family’s grandfather’s birthday.

Now that the Young Prince has left, the Zhou family will definitely lose face.

The eldest sister has offended two families at once. Perhaps now, Father won’t be so lenient with her.

The murmurs around her brought Daohua back to reality. At that moment, she realized she was alone—Zhou Chengye and the others had already quickly followed Xiao Yeyang out after he left.

Surrounded by the curious and mocking eyes of other young ladies, Daohua furrowed her brows tightly.

"What happened? Did you and the Young Prince have a falling out?"

Zhou Jingwan hurried over, visibly anxious. Dinner was about to be served, and Grandpa was waiting for the Young Prince to come and start the feast. And now, he’s gone!

Hearing the reprimanding tone in her words, Daohua’s frustration flared. "You think I’m the one who drove Xiao Yeyang away?"

"I..."

Zhou Jingwan paused. "I didn't mean that. I just want to know what happened."

Daohua exhaled sharply, her shoulders sagging. "I don’t know. Everything was fine. He was explaining the play, I was listening, and we were sharing our thoughts, and then suddenly he just got angry. I didn’t know he could change so quickly. Even if I said something wrong or offended him, if he pointed it out, I would apologize or stop talking about it. But to throw a tantrum in front of everyone—what’s that supposed to mean?"

The more she spoke, the angrier Daohua became. The embarrassment she felt was all because of Xiao Yeyang.

Zhou Jingwan understood that Daohua wasn’t a person without manners, but sometimes her behavior lacked the necessary respect for the Young Prince. Seeing Daohua upset, she didn’t dare ask more and instead tried to comfort her.

"Alright, don’t worry too much. My brother and your three brothers have gone after him. Maybe the Young Prince will come back with them soon." 

Daohua shook her head. "He’s not coming back. You didn’t see how furious he was—he looked like someone had stepped on his tail."

Zhou Jingwan became anxious as well. "If the Young Prince doesn’t come back, what will happen to Grandpa’s birthday?"

Hearing this, guilt slowly spread across Daohua’s face. Although she didn’t think that Xiao Yeyang’s sudden outburst was entirely her fault, she realized that she was the only one beside him when it happened, and her actions must have had some part in it.

"I’m sorry. If I had known, I wouldn’t have sat next to him."

Zhou Jingwan opened her mouth, unsure of what to say. In the end, she sighed deeply.

Who is Xiao Yeyang? He grew up in the palace and doesn’t even care about princes. How could he possibly come back to celebrate an outsider's birthday when he's angry?

Meanwhile, Zhou Chengye and Young Master Dong, along with the three Yan brothers, hurried to the dock. Unfortunately, they only saw the boat sailing away.

(End of this chapter)