But Fatty was still suspicious. He watched as the tall, imposing man slowly stood up. When he rose, he wasn't overly tall, but his frame was exceptionally stout and powerfully built. The man slowly turned, clasped his fists in a gesture of respect, and then boomed out a hearty laugh that seemed to shake the rafters: "Are you the Jun Family’s Third Young Master Jun, and the Tang Family’s future husband, Tang Yuan? I am Sun Xiaomei!"

Tang Yuan, the eldest son of the Tang family, was instantly dumbfounded, his eyeballs nearly popping out of his head, his jaw nearly hitting the floor. Looking at this woman before him, who possessed a spirit more straightforward and rugged than any man, with thick eyebrows and large eyes—well, she wasn't ugly, granting the standard of a Shandong strongman.

This woman had her hair tied up in a heroic knot, wore not a speck of makeup, and not a single piece of jewelry adorning her head. With every gesture and every bow, she exuded an aura as profound as a towering mountain, steady as Mount Tai! When she spoke, her voice was like a massive bell, resounding and deafening. She truly possessed the bearing of a great lady.

"Fatty, I told you, this is exactly your type. The Old Master was right, you two are truly a match made in heaven, a perfect pair."

Young Master Jun didn't know what to say for a moment, settling only for a few awkward chuckles, cupping his hands stiffly, and then muttering a low, strained "Congratulations" to Fatty.

"Oh, heavens!" Tang Yuan’s eyes widened, his entire body seeming struck by lightning. His usually narrow eyes had ballooned into the eyes of an ox. His large mouth split wide almost to his ears, drool dripping down, and then he let out a sudden groan, followed by a noise in his throat like a rooster whose neck was being squeezed—a few strangled "Hoo, hoo, hoo..." sounds—before his eyes rolled back like someone being hanged. Suddenly, he collapsed backward with the force of a falling pillar, his massive body crashing onto the floorboards. His head bounced off the ground twice before he finally passed out cold.

The gap between this Miss Sun Xiaomei and the vision Fatty had nurtured for years—the refined lady of a noble household, the Minister's daughter, the ideal fiancée—was simply too vast. Poor Tang Yuan, struck by such a sudden, massive shock, could not possibly withstand such cruel reality, finally collapsing onto the ground, foam trickling elegantly from his mouth, utterly unconscious.

"It seems I have truly frightened my fiancé," Sun Xiaomei let out a self-deprecating laugh, a flicker of pain crossing her eyes before she swiftly concealed it. She studied Tang Yuan for a moment, nodding slightly. "My future husband is a bit too fat. He really needs to trim down."

With that, she robustly clasped her fists, extended her hand in a gesture of invitation, and said, "Third Young Master Jun, please, have a seat."

Although Young Master Jun had guessed the truth earlier than Fatty, his first impression of the Minister's daughter was certainly not favorable. One must remember, even though Fatty was flawed, he was still the designated heir of a prestigious, powerful family; his wife, by any measure, should not be a woman of Miss Sun Xiaomei’s bearing. This was not meant to disparage women—but in the specific context of this era, women were invariably appendages to men. No matter how unbearable or ugly a man was, his flaws were considered minor; but if a woman possessed even a single imperfection, it was a catastrophic flaw, let alone the "heroic" nature of Miss Sun!

Yet, despite their brief interaction, Young Master Jun had developed a considerable fondness for this Minister's daughter, his eyes showing genuine admiration. This was because, apart from her appearance and figure being somewhat lacking, everything else about her was flawless.

It truly proved the saying: A woman’s mettle is no less than a man’s!

From just a few words, one could tell that in both disposition and execution, she was decisive and sharp, surpassing most men! If not for being born female, this woman would undoubtedly be a heroic figure!

If anyone was ill-matched, it was Fatty who was unworthy of this Miss Sun. If Fatty let her go, he would truly be losing a treasure!

But this innate deficiency was, without a doubt, what sealed her tragedy.

After all, the vast majority of men look only at a woman's outward appearance!

A woman's inner brilliance, no matter how outstanding, holds little meaning for the majority of men!

To put it plainly, although Young Master Jun felt admiration now, it was because he was an outsider. If Minister Sun were to approach Young Master Jun and say, "Third Young Master, since you think so highly of my daughter, I shall give her to you in marriage!" Young Master Jun would undoubtedly flee in panic and never dare to look at Miss Sun again for the rest of his life. He would gladly pass up such a "treasure"!

"Brother Mo Xie, although Sister Sun's appearance is not outstanding, she is kind-hearted, intelligent, and supremely clever. Among all of us close female friends, Sister Sun is the most exceptional. Sister Sun’s temperament is the most straightforward and generous; she never dwells on trivial matters. We all love her!" Dugu Yi said with a smile, gently stroking the little white creature in her arms.

"Very good!" Jun Mo Xie praised sincerely.

This was no mere pleasantry. Young Master Jun knew the girl well; she was innocent and pure. She could always discern if your kindness towards her was genuine. A commendation from her lips would never be tinged with falsehood or flattery; it was exceptionally objective, yet utterly true!

Considering the general backdrop of the era, it was rare to find a woman so straightforwardly grand, unencumbered by mundane trivialities. Although Miss Sun’s physical frame presented certain inherent challenges, she was already rare and precious.

Sun Xiaomei smiled faintly, sat down, picked up the teapot herself, and poured a cup for Jun Mo Xie. Raising a thick eyebrow, she looked at him and remarked, "Third Young Master Jun, I confess I expected something different today. You seem quite unlike the rumors."

"Is that so?" Jun Mo Xie raised his teacup, grinning wryly. "How so?"

Sun Xiaomei did not answer immediately, but gave a candid smile—a bright, heroic smile that seemed surprisingly harmonious on her rather "rugged" features.

"To be honest, I didn't come today for Tang Yuan," Sun Xiaomei continued, smiling. "The engagement between me and Tang Yuan was arranged by our parents. As a woman, and an extremely unattractive one at that, I accepted my fate long ago and had no intention of resisting. However, every single thing Tang Yuan has done in the last five years—where he went each day, what he said, what he did, and why—I have meticulously recorded. Every detail is known to me!"

Young Master Jun felt a sudden chill down his spine!

He should mourn for Fatty. The Great Killer Jun could already foresee the tragic life that awaited Tang Fatty.

"Tang Yuan is not only not a good person, he is certainly not a gentleman!" Sun Xiaomei looked down at the prone Tang Yuan and smiled faintly. "To speak plainly, he is a complete scoundrel, a true petty person!"

"Well said!" Jun Mo Xie laughed loudly, clapping his hands. "That assessment is spot on!"

"But this scoundrel has genuine character!" Sun Xiaomei smiled warmly. "What he likes, what he detests, he never hides. When faced with something he dislikes, he dares to speak out loud directly to the person’s face. I admire people with such genuine character! Therefore, even though his reputation is ruined, and the criticism against him is overwhelming; even though he is as fat as a pig, as dull as a donkey, and has numerous other faults—you, Young Master, are his friend and know Tang Yuan better than I do, so I won’t elaborate—I only want to stress one point: at his core, Tang Yuan is still a 'man'! Not a beast!"

"So I have no complaints. Furthermore, my own circumstances aren't ideal. To find a partner like this is perhaps all I can ask for in this life," Sun Xiaomei said with effortless calm. "So, perhaps we two are indeed a match made in heaven, a perfect pairing!"

"Ahem, ahem..." Jun Mo Xie coughed a few times, feeling utterly speechless. Since arriving in this world, this was the first woman he had met who spoke so candidly about her own looks and marriage prospects. Most women would have been mortified into silence, unable to voice even a fraction of what they thought, but Miss Sun Xiaomei spoke with such ease and eloquence. Based on this alone, she deserved to be called a 'heroine among women.'

"Third Young Master Jun, you don't need to cough; one knows one's own business. You can judge for yourself. Besides me, who else could tolerate Tang Yuan?" Sun Xiaomei smiled fiercely. "He is so heavy!"

This time, Jun Mo Xie was genuinely shocked! Staring wide-eyed with his mouth agape, he couldn't speak. This woman was truly formidable; she dared to say anything!

Dugu Yi, standing nearby, covered her mouth and giggled, her delicate shoulders trembling uncontrollably. She knew her close friend's personality very well and was practically used to it by now.

"I have long heard of the Third Young Master’s reputation. I especially received your help recently, preventing the Tang and Han families from suffering public humiliation, for which I thank you first!" Sun Xiaomei lowered her head to pour tea, speaking unhurriedly. "With your wisdom, Young Master, you should easily discern the reason for my meeting with you both today. Firstly, I wanted to see exactly how fat my fiancé has become. Secondly, and this was my main objective, I wanted to see the rumored Third Young Master Jun. Based on my understanding of Fatty Tang, he would certainly drag you along! And indeed, that is what happened."

"Why did you specifically need to see me?" Jun Mo Xie was puzzled. What was going on? This was supposed to be a meeting for them, yet it turned into an inspection of him! How bizarre. If it were just about the "gambling on the wife" matter, Young Master Jun wouldn't believe it even if he were beaten to death.

"Besides thanking you for the previous matter, it is because I have two sisters, my dearest friends." Sun Xiaomei glanced meaningfully at Dugu Yi. "One of them utterly despises you; her level of hatred simply cannot increase further. But the other is deeply, passionately in love with you—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she cannot live without you. I am truly curious: how can this rumored number one rake of Tianxiang possess such immense charm? Enough to elicit such drastically different, yet extremely polarized reactions from my two best sisters?"

As she was speaking, Dugu Yi, standing beside her, blushed deeply, wriggled slightly, and protested with a pout, "Xiaomei..."