Li Xing’er waved her hand and ordered the bodyguards to drag him away. Unexpectedly, this man swept his gaze around the venue and rushed toward Qiao Xi as if she was his target.

The man’s hair was greasy, and he was wearing a set of tattered clothes. He looked dirty. He tried to take Qiao Xi’s hand, but she stopped him.

“Who are you?! What are you doing?”

The sloppy man did not pay attention to Li Xing’er. He directly hugged Qiao Xi’s legs and tightly pulled the corner of her gown as he loudly shouted, “Wifey! I finally found you!”

Everyone widened their eyes in shock and instinctively looked at Gu Zheng who was not far away.

This man actually called Qiao Xi… his wife?

Gu Zheng’s eyes darkened. His slender fingers caressed the wine glass as if he was thinking about something. Then, his gaze landed on Xu Anran.

When the man saw that Qiao Xi didn’t respond, he immediately became fierce. “Wifey! You’re so cruel! Now that you’ve become an heiress, you look down on me, your husband? You’ve been with me since you were 16. We even have a child together. Have you forgotten all of this?

“Even if you’re already the daughter of a rich family, it can’t change the fact that you’re my wife. Hurry up and come back! I beg you to stop running away. I can’t live without you!”

The man reached out to pull on Qiao Xi’s gown.

Everyone gasped.

Regardless of whether this was true or not, they were very clear in their hearts that this man wouldn’t appear here for no reason. Someone wanted to take advantage of the fact that all the guests were present to completely ruin Qiao Xi’s reputation.

She got together with this man at the age of 16 and even had a child with him. For the sake of being the daughter of a wealthy family, she abandoned her ‘husband’. If this matter were to spread, Qiao Xi’s reputation in Li City would be ruined.

“Xi Xi, we’re childhood sweethearts. When you were bullied when you were young, I was the one who stood up for you. You said that you would marry me when you grew up and promised to take good care of your husband and children. But we were only married for a short while before you abandoned me! I had so many beautiful memories with you, but you actually abandoned me for money!”

He said tearfully, “You’ve been gone for so long, and I’ve been looking for you. So… So you…”

Xia Yunlou spoke first, “Xi Xi grew up in the countryside. The girls there get married very early, and she didn’t have anyone to discipline her either. It’s not strange that she started relying on men at an early age, but it’s not right for her to just come back to the Xu family without acknowledging her husband!”

“Madam Xu! Are you Xi Xi’s mother or not?!” Li Xing’er rebuked angrily. “This man’s words alone are not conclusive proof! I really don’t understand. You clearly know that these words will ruin Xi Xi’s reputation and destroy her current family, yet you still can’t wait to label Xi Xi. What are your intentions?!

“If a mother who truly loves her child knows that something like this had happened to her daughter, regardless of whether it’s true or not, the first thing she would do is defend her daughter and minimize the harm done to her. She wouldn’t want it to affect her daughter’s future and life, but you directly convicted Xi Xi of what this man is accusing her of! Moreover, it’s Xi Xi’s birthday today, but you’ve always been by Xu Anran’s side. Could it be that an adopted daughter is more important than your biological daughter?

“Oh~ I know. Are you afraid that Xi Xi will return to the Xu family and become the eldest daughter of the Xu family, replacing Xu Anran and blocking her path, so you want to use this opportunity to destroy Xi Xi?”

The entire venue was in an uproar.

Xia Yunlou’s entire body stiffened. Then, she roared crazily. “Shut up! Xi Xi is my daughter. How could I harm her?! It’s just that Xi Xi grew up in the countryside. It’s possible for such things to happen to her!”

Li Xing’er felt like her head was about to explode. It was fine to have a mother like Xia Yunlou, but she even went as far as to help her adopted daughter to frame her own daughter.

Xu Zhi looked up at the Xue family, and his heart skipped a beat. If those guests thought that the Xu family framed Qiao Xi, it would be bad.

He waved his hand and ordered, “Men! Drag this man who’s spreading rumors out! Call the police and arrest him! I want to sue him for defamation!”

Xu Anran frowned.