Chasing after her husband? Is it even possible to win him back?

"Don't you want to put on a show and retaliate?" Yao Jiangshu asked, looking at Chu Xunfeng's hesitant expression.

"Is it really necessary?" Chu Xunfeng clicked his tongue. "Isn't this just a waste of everyone's time?"

“I think it’s quite necessary,” Ao Hanli suddenly said.

“I also agree with Senior Sister Yao’s idea.” Xu Bailing smiled and immediately voiced her support.

The three women exchanged glances, each seeing the emotions in the other's eyes. They immediately huddled together and began to plot in hushed tones.

On the contrary, Chu Xunfeng, the person in question, was excluded.

All he could do was scratch his head and sigh.

Hopefully, things won't go too far.

Chapter 48, The Banquet

If someone comes to pay respects, then one should go to them; this is called requesting.

You sent the invitation, and I have already sent the invitation to you.

Those who come to the door are called guests, and those who are invited are also guests.

Those who come to the door are uninvited, and those who offer invitations are not sincere.

This is both an exchange and a return of favor.

As the saying goes, an uninvited guest...

"Is there no good banquet at all?" Chu Xunfeng muttered to himself as he sat in the spacious courtyard, glancing at Ao Hanli, who was calling out to the hurried aquatic servants. He sighed helplessly.

The idea came from my senior, Yao Jiangshu.

The venue and invitations were provided by Ao Hanli.

As for delivering invitations and welcoming guests, that was left to Xu Bailing.

Fortunately, these three have gone far enough in their antics; at least they didn't go so far as to suggest joining us for dinner...

Of course, it's also possible that they sensed Chu Xunfeng's resistance to their arrangements for tonight, so they felt it inappropriate to suggest taking things further.

Otherwise, it's hard to say whether they would restrain themselves. At least in Chu Xunfeng's opinion, the young lady really has the guts and the ability to carry them out.

He had a headache and didn't want to think about those three women anymore.

He is now more concerned about his ex-wife who is about to attend the banquet. His clear intention is to refuse her, sever ties with the past, and be free from all attachments so that he can go his own way and pursue his own goals.

He didn't want to humiliate Ning Qiu Ning, nor did he want to talk to her much. He only wanted to express his attitude and then turn around and leave.

In Chu Xunfeng's eyes, this banquet was completely unnecessary, but a single sentence from his senior sister made him abandon his insistence and let the three of them do whatever they wanted...

But at this moment, he began to doubt whether his senior sister was lying to him.

If you want to refuse, you must do so formally and in a formal setting, not just by saying a few words in private. Doing so will not end the relationship cleanly.

But now that things have come to this, is there any room for regret?

The young man picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea.

"They're here! Your Highness, your friend has arrived with his men!" A maid rushed into the courtyard and called out to Ao Hanli.

The maids and servants, who were already busy, heard the shout and quickly finished their work, tidied up everything, and disappeared from Chu Xunfeng's sight before Ao Hanli could even speak.

Only the Dragon Girl, who was staring at Chu Xunfeng from afar at the courtyard gate, and her two senior sisters remained.

Yao Jiangshu gave Chu Xunfeng a thumbs-up and pulled the Dragon Girl out of the courtyard to greet the guests.

Chu Xunfeng didn't know exactly what had happened, but seeing Ning Qiuning, with a somewhat bitter smile, being led to the pavilion by the young lady a short while later, he could guess that his ex-wife had probably been mocked or ridiculed by the three of them.

"Chu Lang, I've brought the person to you. I'll go find Sister Long and Senior Sister now." Xu Bailing said softly and calmly, exchanged a glance with Chu Xunfeng, then left Ning Qiuning behind and turned to leave.

His nonchalant words, the few titles he used, and his indifferent attitude were sharper than any blade, making Ning Qiu Ning tremble all over.

Chu Xunfeng glanced at his ex-wife, who was standing still with her eyes downcast, and remained silent.

The invitation was delivered by Ao Hanli around noon.

It's clear that Ning Qiu Ning carefully tidied her clothes and styled her hair after receiving the invitation. If I'm not mistaken, she might have even applied makeup, drawn her eyebrows, and put on lipstick.

However, it was all in vain.

Ning Qiu Ning twisted her fingers together, lowered her head, and remained silent. Chu Xun Feng also kept silent, wanting to see how long Ning Qiu Ning could hold out. This opportunity tonight was something Ning Qiu Ning had begged for; if she didn't cherish it, Chu Xun Feng wouldn't consider it for her.

"Brother Chu, don't you want to talk to me anymore?" Ning Qiu Ning's voice was very soft and slow. As she spoke, she raised her head and looked at the young man sitting in the pavilion.

In that instant, the two seemed to have suddenly returned to seven or eight years ago, when she had not yet become a disciple and he was just starting out in the business world, full of vigor and ambition.

But illusion is just illusion. After a moment of distraction, Chu Xunfeng returned to reality and realized one thing more clearly: those images were all in the past, and the feelings of the past... had long since vanished.

“I always felt I hadn’t said enough before, that there were many ideas I hadn’t shared with you, many things I hadn’t tried to teach you, but you never wanted to listen, and you became increasingly impatient.” Chu Xunfeng looked at Ning Qiu Ning’s pursed lips, unmoved. “Now, I don’t want to say anything anymore.” “I’m willing to listen.” Ning Qiu Ning stared into Chu Xunfeng’s indifferent black eyes. “Really, I am.”

“The past is the past.” Chu Xunfeng chuckled softly, reaching for his teacup. “Unfortunately, this is the present.”

Ning Qiu sighed inwardly, stepped into the pavilion, and gently sat down opposite Chu Xunfeng. Her gaze remained fixed on the young man's face, as if she was reluctant to leave. After looking at him for a while, she suddenly asked, "Brother Chu, are we really... never going back?"

“If you could turn back time, you would naturally go back.” Chu Xunfeng looked at Ning Qiu Ning biting her lower lip, her eyes filled with tears, and suddenly burst out laughing. “Why put on such an act? Ning Qiu Ning, little sister Ning, since you were little, I have tried my best to get you whatever you wanted. Now, aren’t our current situations the result of everything being done according to your wishes?”

"Now that things have come to this, is there anything left for us to talk about?" Chu Xunfeng tapped the table with his finger, looking at Ning Qiu Ning's stubborn appearance, a sense of irritation rising in his heart.

"Fine, but even if we go back to the past, it's just repeating everything. We've come this far, and even if we're both right and wrong, I at least have a clear conscience towards you and the Ning family. As for starting over? Going back?"

"It's just wishful thinking on your part. You want to go back... but have you ever thought about me?"

Chu Xunfeng stared silently at Ning Qiuning's face, his tone unconsciously becoming increasingly harsh, "You are still the same you, never changed, only thinking about yourself."

"They draw near when they like something, and abandon it when they dislike it; their hearts are the most ruthless, and their thoughts are all for themselves."

"Brother Chu, no, I didn't..." Ning Qiu Ning's voice, trembling with sobs, interrupted Chu Xun Feng's words. The young man looked at Ning Qiu Ning, whose eyes were red with emotion.

"Aren't you?" the young man said coldly, "What?!"

"I know I've done a lot of things that I'm sorry to Brother Chu."

"I know it's hard for me to win him back, and it's even harder to get Brother Chu to change his mind."

"but......"

"but..."

As the girl spoke, her voice, initially amplified by excitement, gradually cooled and softened until it became merely the humming of her lips, unable to utter complete sentences.

Because she saw the burning anger and impatience in Chu Xunfeng's eyes, she consciously stopped speaking, but her tears could not be stopped or stopped.

She may have known Chu Xunfeng's attitude all along, but...

She was now even more afraid that if she said a few more words, Chu Xunfeng would stand up and leave.

Chu Xunfeng didn't get up; he just looked at Ning Qiuning and let out a soft breath.

"More than ten years of childhood friendship cannot compare to the ruthless sword you seek."

"Four years of being husband and wife is not as good as the clouds and mud that are different between immortals and mortals."

"There's no 'but' about it. With just a divorce agreement, we'll be strangers."

"There's nothing more to discuss. Goodbye! Don't bother seeing me off!"

Chapter 49, Bad News

With a "Goodbye" farewell, Ning Qiu Ning slowly stood up.

She controlled her emotions because she knew in her heart that the person in front of her was no longer the Brother Chu she remembered; the Brother Chu she once knew had been killed by her.

Everything that has happened now is entirely of my own making.

but……

“Since we can’t go back anymore…” Ning Qiu Ning stopped outside the pavilion. She turned around and met Chu Xun Feng’s calm and indifferent gaze.

“Then, I will find a way to start over. The past… Brother Chu is willing to let go, but I have done many things that I have wronged Brother Chu. I can’t let go… and I don’t want to give up.” Ning Qiu Ning smiled gently, yet with a firm resolve.

This reminded Chu Xunfeng of the little girl who used to follow him around.

“Most of what Brother Chu said is true, except for one sentence.” Ning Qiu Ning stared into Chu Xun Feng’s eyes, as if wanting him to see her determination. “I am no longer the Ning Qiu Ning that Brother Chu remembers.”

However, Chu Xunfeng didn't say anything; he simply withdrew his gaze, his attitude self-evident.

Ning Qiuning didn't expect Chu Xunfeng to respond to her. Rather, Chu Xunfeng's lack of a direct expression of his emotions was far beyond Ning Qiuning's expectations.

With the past behind them, the relationship between the two would now be in a completely new realm, and Ning Qiu Ning was thinking about making a comeback.

But Chu Xunfeng's gaze was no longer on her.

Not long after Ning Qiuning left, the servants in the mansion reappeared and busied themselves tidying the courtyard, pruning the flowers and plants, and finally setting up the candles that could be seen everywhere and hanging up lotus lanterns.

A set of tables and chairs was moved to the center of the courtyard, and steaming hot food was served one by one. The three women reappeared and gathered in the pavilion.

“Sometimes I really can’t tell whether you’re genuinely indifferent or doing it on purpose.” Ao Hanli smacked her lips as she watched the human youth pouring wine and drinking alone.

Rumors about Chu Xunfeng, though seemingly true, had been circulating since the Dragon Gate Gathering, and she had naturally heard quite a few of them.

However, just now, she had clearly heard the complete process narrated from Chu Xunfeng's perspective from Yao Jiangshu and Xu Bailing.

Looking at Chu Xunfeng's indifferent face now, she even felt that this man's temper was so good that it was unbelievable to her.