"I-I…" Now that the effect of the spirit rum was gone, Zhou Lan couldn't help but hesitate.

Grip…

However, her attention was soon pulled by Xie Rou's cold hands, which were gripping hers tightly. Turning towards her, when she saw how anxious her expression was, fear started to leave her body.

Unlike her, Xie Rou had a simple background.

Therefore, if she were to back down now, then she wouldn't dare to imagine the fate that awaited Xie Rou.

'I can't let that happen to her!' Zhou Lan thought while gritting her teeth and tightening her grip on Xie Rou's hand as well.

The next instant, she faced her father with defiance apparent in her eyes.

"There's no need for any explanation, Father. It's just what you've heard earlier. I love Xie Rou, and I'm going to marry her,"

"But she's a girl!" Zhou Tian lost his patience and roared the very next instant.

"So what?! I've never found any man attractive in my life. Even Mother knows that. Don't you mother?!" Zhou Lan asked while directing her gaze towards Zhou Fei with a subtle hope apparent in her eyes.

"This…" an uncomfortable expression formed on Zhou Fei's face the next instant.

"Fei'er?! Did you know about this?" Zhou Tian couldn't help but exclaim in shock.

"I thought that she would change with time…" Zhou Fei answered with her eyes lowered.

She felt that it was something that would change with time, and eventually her daughter would finally find a man she liked.

Little did she know that it would snowball into the current situation.

"So, you've been hiding something this important from me all this time? Heavens!" Zhou Tian rubbed his temples in frustration when he heard this. He was finding everything too hard to digest.

"I-I…" Zhou Fei was at a lack of words as she was unable to justify either her own or her daughter's actions.

Seeing that even her mother was not taking her side, Zhou Lan felt a piercing pain in her heart as she screamed in anger.

"Just what is the problem here?! Didn't I step down from the position of the royal representative of the clan? My actions no longer represent those of the clan, so why can't I just do what I want to?!"

"Y-You! Did you step down from that position just because of that flimsy reason? Do you realise that your impulsive actions had almost cost your younger sister her life?" Zhou Tian hollered the next moment with reddened eyes.

"This…" Zhou Lan was at a loss for words as she, too, felt guilty about it.

She glanced toward Zhou Mei, who was standing next to Yi Chen with a worried look in her eyes and felt a choking sensation in her heart.

"Enough of this nonsense! If you have any conscience left, then obediently attend the Groom Selection Ceremony tomorrow.

As for the debacle which you did today, I'm willing to look away from it," Zhou Tian said with a snort as he glanced towards Xie Rou hatefully.

"As for you," Taking a breath, Zhou Tian continued, "I don't know what you did to my daughter, but I'm warning you to keep your distance from her from now on otherwi-"

Stoked by her father's words, Zhou Lan shouted in rage, "I refuse! I'm going to get married to Xie Rou no matter what!"

"Stop acting like a child, Lan'er! Father only wants what's good for you…" Zhou Fei tried to convince her daughter, but her words only added fuel to the fire.

"No, he doesn't, and it's the same with you! You know what…? If the two of you can't accept my relationship with Xie Rou, then we have nothing left to discuss! I'm leaving!"

Tightening her grip on Xie Rou's hands and pulling her closer towards her, Zhou Lan started walking towards the exit.

"If you take even a step out of this hall, then I'll forget that I ever had a daughter like you!" Zhou Tian declared with a stern voice.

However, the words which he had said to stop his daughter ended up angering her further, and she yelled with fury.

"Then I'll also forget that I ever had a father like you!"

The next instant, she left the banquet hall with Xie Rou in tow.

Hui Min and Huang Bo hesitated for a few seconds before exchanging a similar glance and rushing after Zhou Lan.

With that, there were only four people left in the banquet hall.

Zhou Tian, Zhou Fei, Zhou Mei and…Yi Chen.

'Why the hell am I still here…' Yi Chen thought bitterly while glancing towards Zhou Mei, who showed no signs of letting go of his sleeves.

"This stubborn girl!" Zhou Tian gritted his teeth while seething in anger as he saw Zhou Lan leave.

"Father, why can't you just agree?!" Zhou Mei, who had been controlling herself all this while, finally opened her mouth with tears welling up in her eyes.

"Has Sister Lan ever demanded anything from you till now? She's been obediently doing whatever was asked of her all this time.

So why can't you just support her and let her do what she really wants to do for the first time in her life?!"

Tears began falling down Zhou Mei's face the next instant. Seeing her family fight with each other like this had affected her greatly.

After finishing her words, she didn't wait for her father's reply but instead ran out of the hall in an attempt to catch up with Zhou Lan.

"I-I'll go and calm her down..." Yi Chen awkwardly muttered the next second and went after Zhou Mei, leaving the Zhou couple all alone in the huge banquet hall.

'Just where did she run away, leaving me there all by myself…' Yi Chen thought to himself while looking for Zhou Mei's figure outside the entrance.

Seeing that there was no trace of her here, he began searching around the building and finally found Zhou Mei, who was sitting curled up on a small flight of stairs.

Hearing someone's footsteps, Zhou Mei raised her head with tears apparent in her eyes.

"B-Brother Chen…Sister Lan already left without me by the time I came…" she cried out as tears trickled down her face. It was evident that she wanted to go along with her.

Seeing this scene, Yi Chen took a deep breath and walked towards her until she was right next to him.

Placing his hand on her shoulder, he said, "Your elder sister must have too many things on her mind, so it's understandable for something like this to happen.

There's no need for you to cry for something like this. Moreover, if even you end up leaving your parents' side, then who would help your sister in mending her bonds with your father and mother?"

"B-But didn't Sister Lan say that she was ending the relationship with father as she left…father also said something similar…W-will Sister Lan still be back? Can everything be really turned back to the way it was before?" Zhou Mei asked while sniffling as she tried to stop her tears.

"I-I have no idea," Yi Chen sighed at her question.

He knew that he could easily lie that she would be back, but he couldn't make himself say something he wasn't sure of at the moment.

However, not wanting her to completely break down because of his words, he immediately followed.

"However, even if she doesn't return soon, there's still a way you would be able to actively help in this situation," Yi Chen stated the next moment.

"W-what do you mean, Brother Chen?" Zhou Mei asked the next instant. The eyes that were on the verge of losing hope gained back their light.

"Since she left the banquet hall in anger, there's only one place your sister might return to now, the Heavenly Azure Dragon Sect.

Although we cannot enter and meet her now because we aren't sect members, won't we be giving the entrance test soon?

After we've become sect members, then you can actively try to convince your sister to mend her relationship with your father while doing the same with your father at home.

With time and effort, I'm sure you'll be able to see clear progress, as no effort ever goes in vain."

Yi Chen said in a cheery voice, an attempt to give Zhou Mei a direction in her current confused state.

It seemed to have worked as the next moment, Zhou Mei exclaimed with brightened eyes, "You're right! Even if Sister Lan doesn't return immediately…with time and effort, I'll definitely be able to hasten her eventual return to the family,"

"Exactly! That's what I wanted to say," Yi Chen exclaimed with a forceful smile, not wanting her thoughts to wander in a negative direction.

Thinking of something, he suggested the next moment, "Since the banquet's already over, let me walk you up to your residence then. It will help cool your mind off."

"Mhm," Zhou Mei stood up, and the two of them started walking side by side.

Just like Yi Chen had thought, walking seemed to have further lightened her mood as she soon asked while turning towards him, "Brother Chen, how is your preparation for the entrance test going?"

"Pretty good, I'm focusing on my cultivation, which has recently reached the Second Level, and I'm also working on my comprehension ability…with this much I think I'll be-"

"Wait!" Zhou Mei interrupted all of a sudden and asked in surprise, "Did you just say that you've already entered the second level? It's not even been a month since you entered the First Level, though!"

"It's all a matter of hard work. Didn't I tell you not to slack off a couple of weeks ago? But it seems you did exactly that and are still stuck on the third level."

With a teasing smirk, Yi Chen continued, "At this rate, you really would get defeated by a flick of my finger the next time we meet."

"Impossible! I'll never let that happen!" Roused by Yi Chen's words, Zhou Mei roared with a desire to prove him wrong.

"Hehe, that we'll see," Yi Chen chuckled as the two of them continued walking and, while at it, energetically interacted with each other until they reached the main residence.

"Alright then, you better not slack while cultivating, you lazy bum!" Yi Chen waved his hand from inside the carriage as it left.

"I'm not a lazy bum!"

A piercing voice entered Yi Chen's ears from behind. However, he chose to ignore it with a smirk on his face while glancing outside the carriage's window.

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