Milady's Fine Gentleman 248 Rumor Versus Rumor

The wedding of the century of the two strong social personalities, Chen Linyun, the business tyc.o.o.n, underdog and the super entrepreneur, and Xue Jinxu, the s.h.i.+pping G.o.ddess and princess, the rose among the thorns in a highly man-led industry, had been the talk of the two great sectors in society both in the business and government segment.
Especially in the business segment where meetings start with gossips and catching up to the current trend, it's a topic that was always touched.
As big as the Chen wedding, the attention given by socialites and the elites to it lingered for a little longer, and it never waned in comparison to the hottest current events. And because of this, they had noticed something big in it.
The absence of the Xue prince, Xue Minhe during the wedding sparked such great disappointment to the ladies, and equal inquisitiveness to all. For the ladies, they somehow wanted to capture and captivate with their own charms the attention of the Xue young master, who, by the way, was still an extremely available bachelor up for grabs. Too bad that he was not there, to the dismay of the ladies, and to the great astonishment of everyone present.
News of his absence spread even two to three weeks, no, even months after the wedding. Speculations here and there sprouted like mushrooms to justify his absence. Of course, these are mere speculations by no-name spectators which could not be validated. However, these speculations traveled far and wide, and as it traveled, it was taken as if it's the truth.
One rumor was that there was a big feud between the siblings, specifically between the twins, and that the lady twin overpowered the young master. There's even a version that the youngest sibling, Xue Guangxi took sides with his sister, Xue Jinxu, and the two ruthlessly teamed up against the young master who, by the looks of it, decided to stay as far from Beijing as possible as a result.
It was quite interesting how the rumors spread and how the versions change over time.
There was another version that the young master wasn't even invited to the wedding in the first place, that the parents banished him, too, just like the Xue princess. Some even commented on how cruel the elders were to banish the older twins as if it's already a validated piece of news.
But then, they took note that Xue Minhe was still the CEO and the president of the Xue s.h.i.+pping. And so, the banishment couldn't be held true.
There's been another rumor that's been circulating even before the wedding and which might have started inside the company, that Xue Minhe might have altogether surrendered his birthright as a Xue heir, and that he fled with some dame out of the country and lived a normal life as an ordinary citizen elsewhere. He must have left his family for good, and for what? Perhaps for a woman.
Some speculated that the Xue young master must be the one identified in the previous rumors – the one who had been a womanizer and was such an irresponsible son who only squander the resources of his family onto expensive lavishes his women ask of him, which he readily provided because it fed his manly ego.

Such was how things work. People tend to talk about the person who was not around to defend himself or herself.
By the end of October, two outrageous rumors worked its way onto the ears of the indolent socialites. It started somewhere certainly, but with the a.s.sistance of the excessive blabberings of the female elites, it spread like wildfire.
The first one was that the Xue young master, Xue Minhe, was not at all banished, but in fact, had been dead all this time. It started with the question such as, "who could have withstood his family if he still has a conscience if he's not dead yet?" It must have started yet and another wave of gossip washed the social circle.
"When was the last time we saw the Xue young master?"
"It was a year ago…"
"Yeah, it's during a gala night for a charity event."
"Then who…"
"I heard even in the Xue s.h.i.+pping he's not around. He has not shown his face for a long time. The son-in-law Chen Linyun is micromanaging the company on behalf of the heirs."
"It must be true, then."
"There aren't validations yet from the family."
"Not even news."
"Where is he?"
"Is it even our business?"
"Yes! Because he's one good bachelor out there!" One lady interjected.
The excessive gossip broke out during an auction event for a cause. Out of boredom, they started gossiping.
Teng Man Rui and Zhu Li Qiang were present at the event. She phoned her best friend soonest possible when she was safe in the sanctuary of the ladies' washroom. She sat on the couch at the receiving area of the washroom and sent a notification message to Xue Jinxu who was at home, with her groom, still on honeymoon.
Xue Jinxu replied nonchalantly with a carefree message, "Just let them." Teng Man Rui could not understand her friend's reaction at all.
"At least you did what you need to do." Said Zhu Li Qiang as he pacified his agitated girlfriend when he learned what had happened during the phone call. Both of them was not able to enjoy the event afterward.
By the start of November, another mind-blowing rumor spread. This time it happened not in the socialite circle, but in Xue Guangxi's university.