Fiancée Eloped at the Engagement Banquet?

"Qin Yan, I never liked you. If it weren't for your Qin family forcing my Liu family, I would have broken off this engagement long ago."

Inside the grand hall of the Qin family estate, a young woman, around eighteen or nineteen years old, stood proudly. Dressed in an expensive evening gown, her delicate features were flawless, her skin as smooth as jade, and her figure was both graceful and alluring.

She held the hand of a young man of similar age. He was plain-looking, dressed in simple clothes, yet his dark eyes brimmed with unwavering determination.

"Qin Yan, the one I love is Xiao Fan. Today, in front of everyone, I officially annul our engagement!"

Standing opposite them was a tall, broad-shouldered young man, his posture as straight as a pine tree. His features were strikingly handsome, exuding an air of strength and confidence.

Qin Yan gazed at the two of them expressionlessly, his eyes slightly vacant. At that moment, unfamiliar memories surged in his mind, rapidly coming back to life.

The surrounding guests were stunned, whispering among themselves:

"My god, did I hear that right? The young master of the Qin family just got dumped?"

"Is Liu Xinyao insane? Qin Yan has everything—status, looks, talent—he's at the very top, and she's throwing that away?"

"Qin Yan has always treated her like a queen, giving her anything she wanted. And now she's leaving him?"

"This is a blatant slap to the Qin family's face. They won't just let this slide."

Suddenly, Qin Yan furrowed his brows, a trace of darkness flashing in his eyes.

Through his newfound memories, he realized something shocking—he was living inside a novel.

And the so-called protagonist of this story was none other than this ordinary-looking young man, Xiao Fan. The first female lead was Liu Xinyao. Meanwhile, he himself? He was just the novel's designated villain.

A year ago, Liu Xinyao had traveled to Xiao Fan's city for some business. She was drugged by an enemy but, by chance, ran into Xiao Fan at the critical moment.

The two ended up in bed together.

Before parting, Liu Xinyao revealed her true identity to him, telling him that their worlds were too far apart and warning him not to have unrealistic expectations.

But Xiao Fan was the so-called "Child of Destiny"—he swore he would come to the capital and marry her.

And sure enough, he later arrived in the imperial capital and reunited with Liu Xinyao at Daxia Empire's top academy, where he began his relentless pursuit of her.

Deep down, Liu Xinyao had complicated feelings toward the man who had taken her virginity, and before long, the two fell in love.

How cliché. How disgustingly melodramatic.

To make things even more ridiculous, in order to "prove the greatness of their love" and advance the story's plot, the novel needed an obstacle between them—and that obstacle was none other than Qin Yan.

Liu Xinyao was originally engaged to him. Qin Yan had doted on her, showering her with countless resources and even lifting her struggling family from ruin.

But in her heart, she only had eyes for her beloved Xiao Fan. Not only that, she had secretly been using Qin family's resources to support Xiao Fan from the shadows.

And despite supposedly loving Xiao Fan, she refused to break off her engagement with Qin Yan—choosing instead to go through with the engagement ceremony.

The protagonist, of course, wouldn't stand for this. And so, on the day of the banquet, Xiao Fan barged in before the entire crowd and took Liu Xinyao away.

This act utterly humiliated the Qin family, making them the laughingstock of the entire capital.

Qin Yan, consumed by hatred, sought revenge. But in the end, he was killed by Xiao Fan and Liu Xinyao together.

After his death, the Qin family became the ultimate villains in the story. Driven by the desire to avenge Qin Yan, they constantly tried to kill Xiao Fan and Liu Xinyao.

But under the protection of the so-called "protagonist's plot armor," Xiao Fan always managed to escape, growing stronger each time as he stumbled upon hidden opportunities and power-ups.

In the end, he wiped out the Qin family completely, leaving no survivors.

At this moment, Qin Yan felt a mix of anger and amusement.

His grandfather, Qin Qi, was one of the Three Great Martial Gods of Daxia.

His father and second uncle were both Martial Saints. On top of that, the Qin family had more than thirty Grandmasters, over a hundred Masters, and an uncountable number of elite warriors at the sixth and seventh rank.

Even the emperor of Daxia had to show respect to a family of such power.

And yet, this mighty force was ultimately destroyed by Xiao Fan, this so-called "Child of Destiny"?

The novel had portrayed him and the entire Qin family as complete morons—throwing themselves at Xiao Fan one by one, serving as stepping stones for his growth.

So this was what they called "plot armor"?

Any villain who opposed the protagonist had to have their IQ instantly cut in half?

What a ridiculous rule.

But now that Qin Yan had regained his memories, there was no way he'd follow the script.

Qin Yan was curious to see how, under these circumstances, Xiao Fan could possibly turn things around.

Just as he was about to speak, a grand voice echoed in his mind:

[Heaven's Nemesis Villain System has been bound.]

Hearing this voice, Qin Yan's pupils shrank slightly, but his expression remained unchanged.

He spoke in his mind: "Heaven's Nemesis Villain System? What is your purpose?"

[This system exists to strip the Child of Destiny of his fate and ultimately kill him.]

Qin Yan suddenly became interested: "So you need me to eliminate Xiao Fan. And what do I get in return?"

[Host will receive rewards for either stealing the Child of Destiny's fate or killing him. Rewards include, but are not limited to, enhanced physique, martial techniques, divine weapons, and more.]

Qin Yan quickly understood: "I see. You need me to help you seize the Child of Destiny's fate, and in return, you offer me these rewards."

[Precisely.]

Qin Yan smirked slightly. "Then, let's have a pleasant partnership."

[Agreed.]

Just as his conversation with the system ended, a woman dressed in a red evening gown entered the hall. She appeared to be in her thirties, with a curvaceous figure and an air of nobility.

She was Qin Yan's mother—Yun Qing.

At this moment, Yun Qing's face was clouded with fury. She glared at the pair holding hands and shouted angrily:

"Liu Xinyao, you little whore! How dare you humiliate my Qin family at the engagement banquet? Do you think we are that easy to bully?"

Liu Xinyao, however, showed no sign of remorse. Instead, she retorted, "Aunt Yun, I already said I never liked Qin Yan. I will never be with someone I don't love."

Yun Qing trembled with rage. "If you didn't like Yan'er, you could have asked to break off the engagement earlier. But no—you chose to make a spectacle of it today, disgracing my Qin family in front of all these guests!"

Liu Xinyao scoffed. "Aunt Yun, this is all your Qin family's fault. With your overwhelming power, how could I have dared to ask for a breakup before?"

Yun Qing was about to retort, but Qin Yan took a step forward, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Mother, leave this to me. I will make them regret ever being born into this world."

Hearing his words, Yun Qing turned to look at her son. She was somewhat worried—after all, Qin Yan had been utterly devoted to Liu Xinyao before. To put it bluntly, he had been no better than a pathetic lapdog. Would he really be able to let go?

But the moment she saw the sheer killing intent in his eyes, her concerns vanished.

"Alright, son. I'll leave this to you. Remember—the Qin family's honor must not be tarnished."

Qin Yan nodded slightly. "I understand, Mother."

Yun Qing shot one last venomous glare at Liu Xinyao and Xiao Fan before storming out in fury.

Qin Yan didn't immediately address Xiao Fan and Liu Xinyao. Instead, he turned to the assembled guests and spoke in a calm, composed tone:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I sincerely apologize for this unexpected turn of events. I regret that such a spectacle has played out before you."

"From here on, this is a private matter between the Qin family and the Liu family. I must ask everyone to leave in an orderly manner. I deeply appreciate your cooperation."

Upon hearing his words, the guests knew they wouldn't be able to witness what came next, so they all wisely left.

Before long, the banquet hall was empty—except for the entire Liu family.

Oh, and one man still sitting alone at a table, not moving.

Once the guests were gone, a terrifying murderous aura erupted from Qin Yan's body as he turned to face Xiao Fan and Liu Xinyao.

Liu Xinyao had never seen Qin Yan like this before, and she instinctively flinched.

But soon, embarrassment turned to anger. She couldn't stand the fact that Qin Yan—who had always catered to her every whim—was now treating her like this. She shouted in frustration:

"Qin Yan! What's with that face? Who do you think you're scaring?"

Xiao Fan quickly stepped in front of her protectively. "Qin Yan, if you have a problem, take it out on me. Leave Xinyao out of this!"

Seeing the two of them putting on such a "deeply in love" act, Qin Yan's heart turned ice-cold. He said nothing—his expression was utterly indifferent as he called out:

"Qin family guards—where are you?"

The sound of marching footsteps filled the hall, accompanied by the metallic clatter of weapons. A squad of Qin family guards entered, led by a powerful eighth-rank martial artist—Qin Wu.

Qin Wu gripped the hilt of his sword and stepped forward. "Young Master, your orders?"

Qin Yan looked at the two before him, his gaze as cold as death itself.

"Kill them."