Chapter 51: Absolutely Cannot Lose to Lin Xianxian!

Shang Yang felt somewhat helpless as well. Could it be that she had simply taken a fancy to his physique?

Li Tiantian had always been on Qin Xinxia's side, firmly believing that her good friend and Shang Beiming were a match made in heaven. After all, apart from their family backgrounds, everything else about them was an absolute fit.

Yet at this moment, upon hearing Lin Xianxian's inner thoughts, Li Tiantian subconsciously cast her gaze toward Shang Beiming...

In the past, she only had a vague impression of Shang Beiming, knowing him to be a top student who was handsome, possessed an exceptional family background, and had eyes only for her good friend.

From a purely visual standpoint, Shang Beiming and Qin Xinxia were an absolute match. Standing together, the two of them were simply a feast for the eyes.

Because he was her good friend's boyfriend, Li Tiantian had never dared to look at Shang Beiming too closely, feeling it would be improper.

But now, having overheard Lin Xianxian's inner voice, Li Tiantian instinctively stole a few extra glances at Shang Beiming.

With this look, Li Tiantian discovered that she was inexplicably agreeing with Lin Xianxian's assessment!

It seemed... compared to Shang's younger uncle—who was mature and steady, practically radiating the aura of someone who looked slender in clothes yet possessed a muscular build beneath, carried a chillingly stern presence, and was rumored to have served in the military...

Was Shang Beiming, who had been pampered by his family since childhood...

A little on the delicate side?

If his shirt were to be lifted up, would he even have an eight-pack?

Deep suspicion instantly took root in Li Tiantian's mind.

Indeed, quite a few people were casting such bizarre glances at Shang Beiming, and in the end, almost all of them arrived at the exact same conclusion as Li Tiantian.

Although Shang Beiming was accustomed to attracting attention wherever he went, this was the first time he sensed that the gazes fixed upon him were not filled with admiration, but rather with...

Bewilderment?

Contempt?

There were even a couple of foreigners who, after looking at him, glanced down at their own abdomens or arm muscles and smiled smugly.

Shang Beiming's face was a mask of utter confusion.

Naturally, he had no way of knowing that a large number of these foreigners had only just learned today that Lin Xianxian was ostensibly required to be fond of Shang Beiming.

Those unfamiliar with Shang Beiming were inquiring everywhere about what he looked like.

As for those who knew him, they stared at him with bewildered expressions, as if trying to puzzle out:

Where on earth did this tall and handsome young man get the charm to make Lin Xianxian like him? And why on earth must Lin Xianxian be obsessed with him?

***

Madam Shang was also among the crowd at this moment. As the eldest sister-in-law, she sat in the family seating area surrounded exclusively by members of the Shang family, so she remained completely oblivious to the odd atmosphere outside.

After all, her initial fondness for Lin Xianxian—once she accepted that the girl was going to marry Shang Yang—had transformed from a slight liking straight into sheer hostility!

Although Madam Shang had been exposed for having an affair, and harbored deep resentment toward her own brother for failing to save her husband, leading to the true cause of his death and resulting in her completely cutting ties with her maiden family, she remained fiercely protective of the rights and privileges due to her own son and daughter.

In her eyes, Shang Yang still posed the greatest threat as her son's primary competitor.

Therefore, Lin Xianxian, by marrying Shang Yang, had automatically become part of the opposing camp in her eyes.

Since Madam Shang now rather loathed Lin Xianxian, she naturally had no way of tuning into the girl's inner thoughts.

Even so, Madam Shang felt a lingering sense of depression at the moment.

She knew how deeply the Lin family doted on Lin Xianxian; among six elders, Lin Xianxian was the only child, and in the future, everything belonging to the Lin family as well as her maternal grandparents' estate would belong entirely to Lin Xianxian...

Furthermore, having spent these past years living abroad with her parents, the network of friends Lin Xianxian had cultivated must be immense.

In the past, Madam Shang had viewed all of these factors as immense advantages, believing they would all serve to assist her own son.

But things were different now. All those qualities of Lin Xianxian that she had previously found so desirable now belonged to Shang Yang!

In other words, they would all transform into stumbling blocks for her own son!

Watching the vast array of guests invited by Lin Xianxian, Madam Shang felt a heavy depression weighing down on her.

[Damn it, why does Lin Xianxian have so many friends? And if I'm not mistaken, aren't those the prince and princess of a certain oil-rich nation? I caught a glimpse of them once in a luxury brand's VVIP lounge...]

[And who is that? The heiress of some major conglomerate, right? The kind who is heavily favored by her family and already holds real power in the family business.]

[That person over there is a titan in the fashion world, and right beside him is his partner—a superstar with hundreds of millions of fans across Europe and America...]

[Right next to them is the daughter of a prominent American politician. It seems Lin Xianxian attended the same high school as her.]

[And that one over there looks like a female countess from the Foggy Kingdom? I've seen that ring on her hand before—it's worth eight figures...]

[Not to mention all those heavyweights from the domestic business world, many of whom came simply because of Lin Xianxian's parents, grandparents, and maternal grandparents...]

The more familiar faces she recognized, the more Madam Shang felt as though her heart was bleeding.

She had known that Lin Xianxian's background meant she possessed extensive connections, but she had never imagined they would be *this* vast!

The mere thought that all these people would eventually become Shang Yang's pillars of support made Madam Shang's heart ache, worrying herself sick over her son's future.

With that, the look Madam Shang directed toward Qin Xinxia instantly grew even more unkind.

***

If it weren't for Qin Xinxia, someone of Lin Xianxian's pedigree, vast connections, and devotion to her son should have been her daughter-in-law in the first place!

Instead of ending up as her sister-in-law and a formidable source of backing for her son's rival!

Shang Beiming and Qin Xinxia naturally caught the look in Madam Shang's eyes.

Qin Xinxia bit her lower lip. Everything Madam Shang had just noticed, she had actually noticed as well...

"Beiming, do you have any regrets?"

For the first time, Qin Xinxia voiced such an insecure question:

"If you had married her... right now, all those people on the right would have become your pillars of support. While I... can't help you with anything at all."

Shang Beiming looked at her with a heart full of distress, his gaze infinitely gentle.

"Xiaxia, how can you say something like that? Am I that kind of pragmatic person? In my heart, having you by my side is my greatest support!"

"Only with you by my side do I feel the drive to work harder and give you a better life... If I don't have you, I wouldn't want the Shang Corporation at all!"

Qin Xinxia wore an expression of profound emotion, while simultaneously making a resolute vow in her heart:

To be worthy of Shang Beiming, she must also work hard and transform into a more exceptional person!

She absolutely... absolutely could not lose to Lin Xianxian!

That's right, so what if Lin Xianxian had extensive connections? Those were merely privileges granted by her birth.

If she, too, had been born with such a background, she would have had just as many formidable friends!

One's birth was something unchangeable, but the only thing she could choose was to make herself stronger!

This wedding served as the catalyst for Qin Xinxia's fierce determination, driving her to work even harder thereafter.

This actually mirrored the original plotline precisely.

However, in the original narrative, Lin Xianxian had married Shang Yang with reddened, tear-filled eyes out of sheer spite after suffering rejection from Shang Beiming at the very end.

Unlike now, as she exchanged lifelong vows with Shang Yang, Lin Xianxian's eyes were practically glowing with brilliance.

[Wuwu! System, did you hear that? Shang Yang said that regardless of poverty or wealth, sickness or health, he will love me forever and never leave me!!]