Shadow and Light: The Bride Who Clicks Her Way to Love-Chapter 306 - 319: Declaration on the Stage

Zhuang Heng took the microphone, stood up with her most graceful posture, and smiled calmly, "Sorry, Shifeng, may I interrupt you for a moment?"

Lu Shifeng raised his eyebrows slightly, not expecting the host to suddenly hand the microphone to Zhuang Heng, but he only nodded slightly, indicating for Zhuang Heng to speak.

All eyes focused on Zhuang Heng.

Zhuang Heng’s smile deepened. Under the crystal-clear lighting of the gala, her light champagne dress made her look like a dignified queen. She spoke gently, "Shifeng, I ask a favor of you, please don’t criticize Xingyu, okay? In front of so many people, as a girl, she would find it hard to bear."

Lu Shifeng said, "I don’t think she’s in an unbearable situation."

The room was abuzz once again, with many spectators feeling that Su Xingyu was truly pitiful—was the boss going to turn against her mercilessly?

Su Xingyu, standing beside Lu Shifeng, felt on the brink of tears, sensing that things were starting to spiral out of control. "Shifeng..." she too called out, pondering how to hint to him about the meaning in Zhuang Heng’s words. She understood that Zhuang Heng thought Lu Shifeng was going to dump her, but Lu Shifeng hadn’t grasped that. This emotional intelligence-negative boss probably genuinely didn’t understand what was unbearable about it.

Sure enough, Zhuang Heng spoke more gently, "Xingyu is just a young girl who has just stepped into society. It’s normal for her to be a bit eager for quick success. Didn’t you say she didn’t want her status issue to hold her back, so she tried desperately to be your girlfriend? You tolerated her for so long, why expose her in public today? These things can be discussed in private after the gala is over."

Lu Shifeng slightly furrowed his brows at her, as if he didn’t understand the meaning in her words.

The host misunderstood, thinking the boss was moved by Miss Zhuang’s gentle magnanimity.

The host seized the opportunity to interject, "Miss Zhuang, you are truly understanding, not bearing any grudges."

Zhuang Heng smiled slightly, "A young girl just entering the workplace, she wants to grab at everything good she sees. If I were to fuss over every detail, where would that end?" With that, she turned to look at Su Xingyu, a trace of a victorious smile emerging at the corner of her lips, her expression more gentle and kindly, "Xingyu, you may step down now, don’t be afraid, I won’t blame you."

The employees in the gala hall all watched this scene unfold.

They felt that today’s annual gala was worth the price of admission. The entangled relations between the boss and the two beauties were filled with twists and turns, indeed worth the ticket price.

"Looks like being well-matched is indeed the most important thing. No matter how hard Su Xingyu tries, she still can’t be with Mr. Lu for the long haul." someone sighed.

"Yeah, it’s just that Su Xingyu has bad luck. I heard she’s the granddaughter of the Mu Family that went bankrupt over a decade ago. If the Mu Family hadn’t gone bankrupt, she would be like Zhuang Heng, a rich young lady."

"Yes, what a pity." Many of them had a good impression of Su Xingyu; she was likable, from her appearance to her demeanor to her abilities.

Looking at everyone’s complicated and regretful expressions, Su Xingyu only smiled, then looked at Zhuang Heng, her voice faint, "In front of me, it’s not your turn to speak."

!!

What?!

The staff were once again shocked; there were too many surprising moments in this gala.

With Mr. Lu having clearly denied that she was his girlfriend, where did she get the confidence to speak to Mr. Lu’s future partner like that?!

Even Zhuang Heng, who hadn’t expected her to be so audacious, couldn’t help but change her expression. However, her face quickly returned to normal. She was already the victor—why bother with a loser? So she turned with gentle magnanimity to Lu Shifeng, "Then Shifeng, why don’t you have Xingyu step down? You’ve already exposed her pretense of being your girlfriend, why let her embarrass herself further?"

"Is being my wife so embarrassing?" Lu Shifeng’s voice was icy as he uttered these words.

Zhuang Heng’s face suddenly froze.

Everyone at the scene was stunned.

"Wha... what?" It took a while for someone to come back to their senses, asking their neighbor as if sleepwalking, "What did Mr. Lu just say? Su... Su Xingyu is his wife?!"

Even Mr. Yang and others at the photographer’s table seemed as if they’d seen a ghost—god, did they hear that right?

"Quick, pinch me," said Fang Luohua to a colleague beside him, "Am I dreaming?"

However, he was not dreaming.

Lu Shifeng’s gaze slowly swept over everyone present, finally landing on the pale and tottering Zhuang Heng, "I said, Xingyu is my wife. We registered for marriage a few months ago, and the reason we haven’t announced it publicly till now is because she wanted to make a place in her career based on her own ability, not just as the young mistress of the Lu Family. Now she has done it, having taken so many excellent photographs and becoming the Photographer Center’s Best Employee of the Year, so I take this opportunity to announce her identity."

Zhuang Heng stared at him in disbelief. The man’s expression was indifferent, with no trace of a joke.

Beside him, Su Xingyu was still wearing that long rose-red evening dress with embroidered taffeta and a fishtail silhouette; the shimmering lights sparkled like stars against her skin, which was as fair as snow, her features as vivid as a painting.

Together, they were so well matched.

Zhuang Heng, who had previously mocked Su Xingyu’s dress as being too grand, now felt a blow to her heart, suddenly realizing her ignorance.

Yes...

That dress must have been picked out by Lu Shifeng for Su Xingyu, undoubtedly.

Because he wanted to announce her identity in front of everyone at this gala, so he chose such a grand outfit!

Sadly, it was Zhuang Heng who was the most clueless, even ridiculing Su Xingyu’s attire!

She was the one who deserved to be laughed at the most...

Zhuang Heng’s body was trembling, the light champagne dress making her look dull and sallow, "No, I don’t believe it...!" she mumbled into the microphone, "Shifeng, how could she be your wife?"

"Why not?" Lu Shifeng retorted, not wanting to belabor the point, and looked down slightly at Su Xingyu, "From now on, you will walk in the sunlight as the young mistress of the Lu Family."

Su Xingyu’s heart was in chaos, a mix of emotions swirling within her. She maintained the posture of looking up at him, as if unable to speak or move.

She was angry, angry that he announced their status without consulting her, but she was also moved, joyous, and even... relieved.

Now she could rightfully stand beside him; any Zhuang Hengs, any covetous miscreants would have to retreat before her.

He declared his dominion over her, and at the same time, declared her dominion over him.