Chapter 056: The Autumn Chill Breaks the King, Part 22

Le Yixian felt that her little darling had been acting a bit different these past few days. Sometimes, she would catch him pressing his lips together, secretly smiling to himself like a weasel that had just stolen a few plump chickens.

“What’s going on with you?” Le Yixian poked him.

Huangfu Shang snapped out of his daze and shook his head. “No, it’s nothing.”

But after a moment’s thought, he leaned in and whispered in her ear, “We’ll be drinking wedding wine soon.”

“Hm?”

“My cousin is getting married,” Huangfu Shang’s eyes sparkled, “to Ouyang.”

“So soon?”

“Is it soon? I don’t think so—they already have a child, so of course they should give the child a proper family. That’s what my aunt said.” Huangfu Shang was overjoyed, amazed at how effective his aunt had been after returning to the country, arranging the wedding in one fell swoop.

“They’ve already gone to try on wedding dresses. I’m sure we’ll get their invitations soon. What kind of wedding gift should we get for my cousin and Ouyang?”

Le Yixian listened to Huangfu Shang chattering on, knowing that with the protagonists getting married so quickly, he must have played a part behind the scenes. Still, she felt no anger. In the original story, her little darling was the devoted second male lead—let the two main characters get married as soon as possible.

Everything was calm and peaceful. With Huangfu Shang acting as her little informant, Le Yixian, though never directly involved, knew all about Huangfu Lie and Ouyang Zining’s situation.

For example, Ouyang Zining had initially refused to get married, but was eventually persuaded by the aunt. Their wedding photos were already taken, the date selected, and invitations were being prepared.

On this day, Ouyang Zining was about to be married. As her only two close friends, Le Yixian and Wei Wan’er naturally accompanied her to the wedding banquet. This trip was for selecting the bridesmaids’ dresses and Ouyang Zining’s dress for the toasts.

“I really didn’t expect Zining to be the first one to get married,” Wei Wan’er gazed longingly at the dreamy wedding gowns and dresses in the shop, giving her friend’s back a few hearty thumps.

“Honestly, I didn’t even notice when you managed to steal away my idol.”

“Wan’er,” Le Yixian grabbed her hand before she could land another blow, raising an eyebrow at her. “Stop being jealous. Go find one for yourself.”

“I want to, but unfortunately, there’s only one President Huangfu,” Wei Wan’er rested her chin in her hands, not noticing anything amiss.

“All right, enough talking. Time to try on the dresses.”

When Le Yixian came out of the dressing room, changed into her gown, only Ouyang Zining was sitting on the sofa.

Seeing her, Ouyang Zining smiled. “Thank you.”

She unconsciously touched her gently rounded belly, her face softening with a hint of maternal warmth. “If you hadn’t stopped her, Wan’er’s strength might have made me cough up blood.”

“She doesn’t know?” Le Yixian was surprised.

Ouyang Zining shook her head and sighed. “It’s not exactly something to be proud of. Am I supposed to tell her I’m getting married because I’m pregnant with his child?”

“Huangfu Lie doesn’t even like me; if it weren’t for his mother’s pressure, he’d never have agreed to this marriage.”

“But he’s… no, he’s good to the child. He treats the child well.”

“I don’t think it’s so bad, having a child and then starting a family. Though that domineering CEO is so annoying, always wearing that sour face.”

Le Yixian thought: … How come, according to Huangfu Shang, his cousin had been in high spirits lately and even stopped scolding people in high-level meetings?

Well, let them sort out their misunderstandings. In the end, everything would work out as it should.

“Wow, look at me! I feel like I’m becoming a fairy!” Wei Wan’er burst out, twirling in her pink dress and startling the other two.

“Not a fairy, a great beauty,” Ouyang Zining laughed.

—

“What did you say?!” Le Yixian shot to her feet.

“Someone posted a video from the back kitchen of the Ailice Hotel on social media. In the video, a chef picks up a dessert that fell on the floor, repackages it, and serves it to a guest,” Manager Chang adjusted his glasses, looking exhausted. “The video was posted in the middle of the night and has since gone viral.”

Le Yixian frowned, opened her computer, and searched the internet. Countless articles about Ailice Hotel and accusations of food tampering flooded the screen.

In the background, the busy kitchen of the Ailice Hotel could be vaguely seen.

On the screen, the back of a chef in uniform appeared, a pair of elegant hands crafting a delicate cake. Soon, the cake was finished, plated, and the chef turned it, clearly satisfied with their work.

Suddenly, the chef, holding the cake, stumbled as if bumped into by something.

The cake toppled from the plate to the floor.

The scene shifted: the squashed cake was placed back onto a plate. A hesitant voice said, “Zining, we can’t serve this. Let’s throw it away.”

“No need. I’ll add some cream and make it look beautiful again. No need to waste it,” came another voice.

With skillful hands, the deformed cake was transformed into a delicate new dessert.

The cake was soon packaged and placed in the refrigerator.

Comments poured in online:

“Gross! They picked up a cake from the floor?!”

“I know the Ailice Hotel—it’s an old, reputable place here, always had the best food. I can’t believe the kitchen is like this.”

“This is terrifying. If this is how they handle cakes, what about the other dishes? What if they spit in your food if you annoy them?”

“How scary.”

“Never eating at the Ailice Hotel again.”

Le Yixian closed the website and looked up at Manager Chang. “That angle isn’t from our surveillance cameras. Someone filmed this on purpose.”

“Yes, we’re already checking the security footage, but…” Manager Chang rubbed his brow, “Ouyang Zining worked here for three months, but no one knows exactly which day this happened. Could you ask her to come in for questioning?”

Ouyang Zining had resigned after deciding to get married. She no longer worked in the kitchen at the Ailice Hotel.

“All right, I’ll ask her.” Le Yixian nodded.

She made several calls, but no one answered. After thinking for a moment, she called her little darling. “Shang, do you know where Zining is? I need to talk to her.”

“Last night, my sister-in-law fell in the mall elevator. She’s still unconscious in the hospital.”

Le Yixian’s heart skipped a beat. “And the baby?”

“The baby…” Huangfu Shang’s voice was heavy through the phone. “Gone.”

In that instant, a series of images flashed through Le Yixian’s mind.

Of course. In the previous world, she hadn’t gone to kidnap the female lead; the kidnapper turned up on their own. As for her own fate, she’d died after eating pesticide-laced roses, entirely by accident.

Now, she hadn’t caused any trouble, and Ouyang Zining’s child was lost all the same.

And…

Her eyes drifted to the computer screen. So, the Ailice Hotel was fated for bankruptcy after all?