Chapter 340: Chapter 340: One "Old Auntie" After Another
Zheng Zhuli was in her early thirties, and Li Xiaomei in her early forties. So for Zheng Zhuli to call her ’Auntie,’ on top of the whole red wine incident, was an act brimming with malice.
However, Zheng Zhuli was extremely close with her cousin, Du Liya. When she learned last year that her cousin’s divorce was because Shen Zhengfeng had cheated, she was so furious she felt like shooting him.
But that wasn’t exactly legal, so just pouring a glass of red wine and taking a few verbal jabs at the mistress was, by her standards, quite civilized.
She hadn’t laid a hand on her, after all.
Li Xiaomei typically had immense self-control. But ever since becoming Mrs. Shen, she’d gotten a bit full of herself. She had endured the initial jab, and she had endured the glass of red wine, but being called ’Auntie’ was what finally broke her composure.
"Who are you calling ’Auntie’!?"
In reality, she was about the same age as Shen Zhengfeng. But women tended to show their age more, and her life certainly hadn’t helped. Her alcoholic ex-husband had constantly ordered her around and would even beat her when he was drunk. After that, she’d had to raise her son all on her own, and life had been anything but easy.
Sometimes, in the dead of night, she would break down in tears, seething with resentment for Shen Zhengfeng and cursing Du Liya’s name.
After going through all that for so long, how could she possibly have taken good care of herself?
And when people get older and are no longer young, they become particularly sensitive about being called old. Thus, looking at the radiant Zheng Zhuli, Li Xiaomei instantly flew into a rage.
Zheng Zhuli had been worried Li Xiaomei would just keep bottling it up. She smiled. "What, you don’t know you’re old and ugly? If not, there’s a mirror in the restroom to the right of the main hall. Go take a look for yourself. I figured if Shen Zhengfeng was going to have an affair, he’d at least find someone young and beautiful. That way, my cousin could have at least accepted her defeat with some dignity. I never imagined he’d pick an old hag like you."
The repeated ’old hag’ insults nearly drove Li Xiaomei mad. She retorted furiously, "It was Du Liya who was shameless back then! She’s the one who seduced Zhengfeng away from me! Who the hell do you think you are, standing here calling me old and ugly?"
Though the surrounding crowd was small, all eyes turned toward the commotion. Most of the wedding guests were relatives of the Du family. While a few of Shen Zhengfeng’s business associates had been impressed by his flawless tact earlier and hadn’t given it a second thought, they were not happy to hear this woman slandering Du Liya.
Zheng Zhuli let out a delicate laugh. "My cousin seduced him away from you? He’s the one who chose to leave. If he hadn’t, no other woman could have ever tempted him away!"
"That’s nonsense!"
"Ah, it all makes sense now," Zheng Zhuli said, a look of sudden realization on her face. "Shen Zhengfeng was secretly keeping in touch with you all along, while he sweet-talked my cousin into marrying him, having his child, growing his business, and leveraging the Du family’s network. And now that he’s strong enough to stand on his own, he just kicks my cousin to the curb?"
The looks from the surrounding guests gradually grew more and more meaningful.
It was as if Zheng Zhuli had ripped away Shen Zhengfeng’s last shred of dignity, leaving him utterly humiliated and furious!
He had no choice but to offer a quick apology to the person beside him before turning, grabbing Li Xiaomei by the arm, and starting to drag her away.
Li Xiaomei was still whining aggrievedly, "Zhengfeng, look at that bitch! She went too far! She ruined my dress, and then she said..."
"Just shut up!"
The entire reason Shen Zhengfeng had come to this wedding was that he couldn’t afford to let go of the Du family’s network.
All his earlier groveling had been a calculated attempt to continue using the Du family’s connections.
After all, Du Liya was quite naive and not at all scheming. Their son, Shen Yi, though smart, had a bad temper and was still just a kid. It would be years before the boy grew up and finished college.
This interim period was his prime opportunity to consolidate his various relationships.
’Who could have possibly thought it would all be ruined by this stupid woman!’
By the time word of the little commotion at the banquet reached the bridal lounge, Qin Jiao was casually flipping through a book.
