Chapter 8: The bride debate.

Thus started the debate. Elder Zhang argued for Zhang Alix. He praised her for her grace, politeness and gentleness which would soothe the hearts of the Shen family. He was certain that it would win over the hearts of the residents of One city.

Back and forth the two elders went, shouting at each other from across the room. Their children could only watch silently while the grandchildren and great grandchildren shifted uncomfortably.

Zhang Alix and Zhang Xifeng remained silent–too silent. It was almost like they did not want to be noticed or asked for an opinion.

Everyone knew that the real decision would not be made until Tai Liwu arrived. All candidates needed to be present, even if the Shen family had declared that Liwu was not an option they were considering.

The doors of the hall creaked open. Men in black and others in uniform entered, paving the way for the President of the country….

“What is he doing here?” someone whispered.

The president waved at the crowd which was eyeing him warily. “Good afternoon, everyone. I am here because this marriage alliance is a matter of national importance.” His hand trembled.

He was not a system host, but many people in this room were. Tai Alix even held more power than him. However, she was not the reason he had come. He had his own interests in One city, so he was there to make sure Tai Liwu was not the chosen bride.

That city would probably experience an earth quake the moment she stepped foot inside!

The doors creaked open again. A gust of wind swept through the hall, extinguishing the scented candles on the walls. A cat cried out.

Liwu stepped inside. She was the last to arrive, her uniform damp from the sudden rain that had fallen only on her path up to the front door. Her beauty was undeniable–soft features, sharp in some areas, eyes dark like a beautiful storm. But her bad luck covered all that. It was all people saw when they looked at her.

As she crossed the threshold, a cat crossed her path, she tripped over her own foot and fell forward. What should have been a simple fall turned into a tumble, and she collided with the President’s legs!

The president fell forward, face first in an orange pie that was sitting on the table next to Tai Fong.

Some people gasped.

Others chuckled.

Agents rushed forward to rescue him and he was whisked away shouting. “Not Tai Liwu, anyone but her.”

Old Tai barked a laugh. “Accidents happen. And you cannot call that bad luck because her face was not the one that left an imprint in the pie. Do not blame the girl.”

Yet the hall was slightly tense. Everyone knew Liwu’s presence meant more events like these were going to happen.

As Liwu whispered apologies and found her seat next to her great grandmother, Old Tai’s wife, the debate resumed.

Elder Zhang spoke up first, frowning at Liwu. “As much as we would all love to see Liwu marry first as the oldest daughter, we cannot deny her shortcomings.”

“She doesn’t have any shortcomings.” Old Tai banged his trident on the floor and the room vibrated.

“She is a bad luck incarnate.” Zhang Lexian shouted. “If we send her, they will say we are not being sincere.”

Alix jumped up. “You are the bad luck incarnate.” She shouted to Lexian. “Your whole family are bad luck incarnates.”

Gasps followed.

“Mom!” Zhang Lanbo, Alix’s oldest one shouted in shock. Had she forgotten that all her children were from that family? Yes, they disliked their aunt Lexian, but she could be put in her place without the rest of the family being dragged into it.

The second Zhang elder, who was ill with a cold pulled the blanket wrapped around his tighter tighter. He preferred to stay silent.

What had started as a lighthearted meeting was descending into a terror zone.

Some of the Zhang’s had scowls on their faces.

The Tai’s were laughing.

“Better bad luck than no luck at all.” Zhang Caishen looked at his cousin Lexian coldly. “And better than no common sense, which is what you are lacking. My daughter is beautiful. Looking at her face can heal wounds and melt exhaustion. She doesn’t need this marriage; this marriage needs her.”

Someone snorted.

“Well said.” Old Tai applauded.

The matriarch’s from both families intervened, bringing attention back to the issue at hand. Old lady Zhang said, “The goal of this marriage is to plant one of our own within the Shen home. The Bureau needs to find out how Shen Weijun recruits and what he looks like. We need Independent hosts to start working with the Bureau again, to follow the laws and become good citizens.”

Old lady Tai nodded. “Yes. We all know that the Shen’s only agreed to this arrangement so that they could send a spy to us. Their intentions are not honest. Instead of discussing which of our girls has the best luck, we should be discussing who will do the mission best. That is why I suggest Zhang Xifeng.” She looked at Xifeng with a gentle smile. “She has beauty, fame and charm. People will be willing to tell her things.”

One by one, the strength of each girl was discussed, and questions were addressed to them. Zhang Alix spoke softly and eloquently, answering questions with wit. Xifeng blushed and nodded, her sweetness winning smiles.

Liwu, however, remained quiet. When asked her thoughts on the marriage, she replied sharply. “You heard the man on television last night; I am not qualified. This is an important mission; I am afraid that I will mess it up before it even begins. With my bad luck, I am bound to remain unwed for life anyway so I would rather not have my name brought up in such meetings or marriage arrangements ever again.”

Her words sent murmurs through the hall. Old Tai frowned. Elder Zhang nodded, like he approved of her words.

But then, as if fate wished to mock her, a small clay dragon that protected one of the windows suddenly cracked. The top half of its body fell down, landing on Liwu’s car.

“Aunt Liwu, your car is broken.” Her three-year-old cousin Zaozao shouted. The girl was playing by another window with a view of the driveway.

Liwu sighed.

“See?” Zhang Lexian hissed. “She speaks and the house breaks. This cannot be a coincidence.”

Old Tai slammed his cup down. “That statue has had a crack for two weeks now. I have been verbal about the need for it to be replaced since then. I will not let you twist fate into mockery to shame my Liwu.”

One of the three water bubbles circling around him flew and slapped Lexian in the face, dripping all over her.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep