I started out with seven husbands, and I worked hard to support my family while crying.

Chapter 566: It seems I was overthinking it.

When Fang Xiaoxiao saw Li Wan'er's pitiful appearance, her anger flared up instantly.

She already had no liking for Liu Ruyan, a pampered and domineering daughter of an official who relied on her family background, and now she was completely enraged by Liu Ruyan's unreasonable behavior.

She straightened her back, like a lioness ready to fight, her beautiful eyes fixed on Liu Ruyan, her gaze flashing with anger and disdain.

"Liu Ruyan, you have absolutely no manners!"

Fang Xiaoxiao spoke without any politeness, her voice clear yet full of intimidation, "This is a private residence, and no one invited you. You just barged in like this and spouted nonsense. Don't you care about disgracing the Prime Minister's residence?"

As she spoke, she took a step forward, meeting Liu Ruyan's gaze without the slightest fear. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides, as if she were ready to teach Liu Ruyan a lesson at any moment.

"You keep saying that Wan'er and Li Renyi are engaged, so what? Li Renyi ran away from the wedding and even spread the word that he wants to break off the engagement. Why don't you go and settle the score with him? What kind of skill is it to bully Wan'er here!"

Fang Xiaoxiao's words came out like a machine gun, one after another, leaving Liu Ruyan's face turning pale and then red, momentarily speechless, unsure how to refute her. The air in the room seemed to become heavy because of this intense confrontation, and everyone could hear their own rapid heartbeats.

Liu Ruyan was so angry at Fang Xiaoxiao's sharp retort that she was practically fuming. Her chest heaved violently, and her hands clenched into fists until her knuckles turned white.

She thought to herself, "Who would dare to speak to me like this normally, the daughter of the Prime Minister? This Fang Xiaoxiao is nothing but an ignorant and arrogant wild girl, how dare she humiliate me like this!"

His eyes widened, staring fiercely at Fang Xiaoxiao as if he wanted to devour her alive, muttering incessantly, "You... how dare you say that to me!"

Fortunately, at this moment, Zhao Wuji quickly stepped forward and gently stopped Liu Ruyan with his hand.

While he was trying to stop Liu Ruyan, he was secretly lamenting to himself, "Ruyan is always so willful, and she's caused such a mess today. If we let her continue like this, this situation will be impossible to salvage."

With an apologetic smile, he cupped his hands to Fang Xiaoxiao and said, "Madam Fang, I am truly sorry. My sister Ruyan has been spoiled by her elders since she was a child and is quite pampered. She does not know how to behave properly. I hope you will not hold it against her."

When he spoke, he nodded slightly, his attitude was humble and polite, and his voice was gentle and steady, which made people feel comfortable.

Seeing that Zhao Wuji had already said that, Fang Xiaoxiao realized that continuing to dwell on it would only make her seem petty.

After weighing the options in her mind, she thought, "Zhao Wuji has already apologized. For his sake, let's just let this matter go. If we make a fuss, Wan'er will be even more upset."

She sighed softly, took a few steps forward, leaned closer to Li Wan'er, gently patted her shoulder, and tenderly comforted her, "Wan'er, don't take this to heart. She's just deliberately trying to cause trouble. Let's ignore her." Then, she turned and glared fiercely at Li Renyi, thinking to herself, "If it weren't for you running away from your engagement to break off with Wan'er and causing such a commotion, we wouldn't have this opportunity to cause trouble today!"

When Li Renyi saw his wife's fierce gaze, he trembled all over like a frightened little mouse.

He was panicking: "Oh no, oh no, my wife is really angry this time. It's all my fault for being too impulsive. I've caused a huge disaster."

She quickly shrank back, retreating hastily towards Murong Changqing and the others, occasionally stealing glances at Fang Xiaoxiao, fearing she might cause trouble again.

At this moment, no one noticed Zhao Wuji's unusual behavior.

His originally gentle gaze gradually turned extremely gloomy, like a bottomless, icy pool, staring intently at Li Renyi.

Recalling how Li Renyi had flaunted the valuable jade bracelet in front of everyone and humiliated him, Zhao Wuji's anger flared up.

He thought to himself, "Li Renyi, you're just a spoiled brat who relies on your family background. How dare you humiliate me like this? I'll settle this score with you sooner or later!"

I've risked my life on the battlefield, achieving great feats; you can't just provoke me like that. I'll let you off the hook for now, but you'd better watch out in the future!

However, he maintained that gentle demeanor, making it difficult for people to detect the turmoil within him.

When Liu Ruyan saw her brother come to her rescue, she instantly seemed like a different person.

She was overjoyed: "My brother is the best. He resolved the matter in just a few words. My brother is so capable and protects me so much. I must listen to him more in the future."

Her angry expression vanished instantly, replaced by adoration. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Zhao Wuji like a little fangirl. She affectionately took his arm and said sweetly, "Brother is so good to me. If it weren't for you, I would have been bullied terribly today."

Zhao Wuji shifted his gaze from Li Renyi to Li Wan'er, a hint of expectation in his eyes, his voice softening slightly: "Sister Wan'er, is what Sister Ruyan said all true?"

His expression seemed gentle, but his slightly furrowed brows betrayed his inner tension, and his hands unconsciously clenched slightly at his sides, as if awaiting a judgment concerning his fate.

Upon hearing this, Li Renyi instantly perked up. Before Li Wan'er could even speak, he took a step forward like a rooster eager to show off, puffed out his chest, and loudly proclaimed, "That's right! Princess Wan'er and I are indeed engaged. This is something the entire capital knows!"

As he spoke, he glanced at Zhao Wuji smugly, his eyes seeming to say, "Now you don't have a chance!"

His smile stretched almost to his ears, as if he could already see Zhao Wuji slinking away in disgrace. He even fantasized about reconciling with Li Wan'er and becoming a couple that everyone envied.

However, just as Li Renyi was immersed in his beautiful dream, Fang Xiaoxiao calmly stepped forward.

She first gently straightened her sleeves before raising her head and looking calmly at everyone, saying, "Wan'er and Li Renyi did have a marriage agreement before, but it was dissolved some time ago."

The voice was clear and melodious, neither hurried nor slow, each word like a reassuring pill, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wuji's previously tense face instantly lit up with joy.

His eyes lit up instantly, the gloom in them vanished, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up, revealing a genuine smile.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, "So that's how it is. It seems I was overthinking things." His shoulders relaxed slightly, and he looked much more relaxed. His eyes rekindled his fervent pursuit of Li Wan'er.