Xu Yanyan gritted her teeth, secretly touching her earlobe and clenching her earring in her hand. She then pretended to search for something, bending over and turning her gaze toward Guo Cheng and Tang Wan who was sitting next to him.
Tang Wan’s foot slowly moved up Guo Cheng’s suit pants leg, while Guo Cheng, either intentionally or not, leaned his thigh toward hers, responding to her teasing. They were clearly exchanging flirtations.
Xu Yanyan closed her eyes in pain.
Who would have thought that two people who had only nodded at each other for three years would be so intimate behind closed doors? And this was a family dinner!
If they could be so unrestrained in front of everyone, what about in private?
She suddenly thought about how, over the past year, Guo Cheng had constantly worked late and traveled for business for over 20 days each month under the pretense of striving for a promotion.
Was all of this for…?
Xu Yanyan dared not pursue it any further. She only felt as though her heart had been pierced by someone, with cold winds constantly creeping in, freezing her to the bone.
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Slyzkgkdt vbl hynydv plyv dlmv vs bla, Qws Ubldt pweeldzu nyxl cynj vs bkp pldplp, iwknjzu alvaynvkdt bkp zlt qasx oblal kv bye naspple vbl zkdl. Tl zssjle yv bkp okql, obs oyp cldekdt shla, yde ypjle kd y zso hsknl, “Ebyv’p oasdt?”
Dw Zyduyd iwknjzu yefwpvle bla xsse, rknjle wr vbl lyaakdt, yde pbsole kv kd vbl ryzx sq bla byde, pktdyzkdt, “R oyp zssjkdt qsa xu lyaakdt.”
“R’zz blzr usw rwv kv sd,” Qws Ubldt pyke, alynbkdt swv vs vyjl kv, cwv pbl nzlhlazu yhskele bkx. “Ls dlle, vbkp lyaakdt kp byae vs rwv sd. Rv’p clvvla vbyv kv qlzz.”
Qws Ubldt, okvb y tldvzl vsdl, pyke, “Mbld R’zz ts cwu usw y dlo sdl vsxsaaso, sjyu?”
“Yx.” Dw Zyduyd pxkzle, cwv vbl ckvvladlpp kdpkel bla xswvb zkdtlale ldezlppzu.
Ebkzl Dw Zkdukd oyp ldtaspple kd lyvkdt, vbl pupvlx nsdvkdwle vs casopl tsppkr, oykvkdt qsa kvp sodla vs qkdkpb lyvkdt yde alpwxl vbl ralhkswp vsrkn.
Gv vbl pyxl vkxl, kv eked’v qsatlv vs scplahl vbl pkvwyvksd yaswde vbl vyczl. Ebld Dw Zyduyd pvsse wr qasx wdela vbl vyczl, bla qynl hkpkczu ryzle, yde pbl oyp pweeldzu pvyavzle.
“Bb-sb, eke zkvvzl ywdv fwpv pll uswa plnsde ywdv yde zkvvzl wdnzl qzkavkdt wdela vbl vyczl?”
“What?! Flirting? Who with whom?!”
The news was so shocking that Xu Yinyin abruptly pulled her fork away from the food, her face showing astonishment.
“I was in the middle of telling you, but you started eating. This little uncle is having an affair with second aunt.”
“Pfft! Cough, cough–” Xu Yanwen, who was least good at hiding her emotions, immediately choked upon hearing this gossip.
Xu Yinyin quickly handed her father a tissue. “Dad, slow down.”
Jiang Xin was also startled, but she knew better than to show any sign of doubt in front of her precious daughter. Otherwise, they might never get to hear any more shocking news.
She quickly said in a reproachful tone, “Oh no, seems like your pneumonia has gotten worse. You’ve been coughing frequently. Let’s go to the hospital tomorrow for a checkup. If you’re sick, we’ll treat it; if not, we’ll just do some maintenance.”
“Mm, mm, sorry, everyone. I was rude,” Guo Cheng apologized.
The old man remained calm and said, “It’s fine, but remember to go to the hospital tomorrow for a full checkup.”
“Okay, Father.”
Xu Yanrui, his face dark with anger, reluctantly added, “I have a doctor I’m familiar with. When you go, just let me know, and I’ll have him attend to you.”
“Alright, thank you, second brother.”
Xu Yanwen said “thank you” while looking at her second brother with a deep sympathy in her eyes, as if silently adding: thank you, my green-hat brother. 🙂
Xu Yanrui had lost count of how many times he wanted to twist Xu Yinyin’s head off. How can she be so lively? There’s so much food, and she still can’t keep quiet. Eating gossip, eating gossip—watch out, you’ll choke on it!
He muttered curses inwardly but didn’t fully lose his conscience. He pushed a plate of sweet and sour pork to Xu Yanyan, saying softly, “Yanyan, this is your favorite.”
Xu Yanyan, looking at her second brother, who couldn’t control his wife, couldn’t pretend to be indifferent and act like everything was fine.
She glanced at the plate of food and said softly, “I don’t like it anymore.”
“…”
Great, now she’s angry with him too. But this was the first time he realized that Tang Wan actually played around with someone from their own family!
Xu Yanrui glared at Tang Wan, who didn’t care and casually rolled her eyes, continuing to eat her meal.
This family secret, no one wanted it to be exposed. Tang Wan had taken advantage of the rich family’s obsession with maintaining face to boldly flirt with Guo Cheng.
Moreover, Guo Cheng wasn’t innocent either. After all, it takes two to tango.
If there’s anyone to blame, it’s Xu Yanyan’s incompetence for tolerating Guo Cheng’s cheating again and again.
The old man, though saddened by his daughter’s situation, was also powerless. As Xu Yinyin had said, once Guo Cheng’s true nature was exposed and Xu Yanyan gave up, everything would fall into place.
What he needed to do was wait patiently for his daughter to break free from her cocoon and emerge as a butterfly. He didn’t believe that his daughter was so naive that she didn’t notice anything.
Xu Yanyan wasn’t stupid. She had already grown suspicious of Guo Cheng’s increasing distance from her by the second year of their marriage.
To find out more, she hired a private investigator at great expense, and she knew everything he did outside. But she chose to ignore it, rationalizing that his occasional cheating was just a way of relieving stress.
She knew she was conservative in some ways and couldn’t give him a perfect experience, so she tolerated his infidelity.
In her view, he was in a high position, and many social events were inevitable. In this glamorous and indulgent environment, occasional indiscretions were normal.
What man hasn’t cheated? As long as he comes home, it’s fine.
But as the private investigator’s photos came in more frequently, from once a month to once a week recently, she started avoiding them and didn’t even want to open them because she knew they weren’t what she wanted to see.
The evidence of his misbehavior had already piled up, yet she had been waiting for him to settle down on his own.
She even hoped to conceive quickly, hoping that a new life would bring vitality to their dead relationship.
But things didn’t go as planned. They had been trying to conceive for years, but there was no result.
She tried everything—doctors both domestic and abroad, health supplements, everything. Her body was fine, but she still couldn’t get pregnant. The doctors said it was due to stress and told her to relax.
But she was almost thirty, and the older she got, the less chance she had of getting pregnant. How could she not be anxious?
After a small interruption, Xu Yinyin resumed eating her food.
“It’s fine, continue, continue.”
“Just now, while you were eating, second aunt and little uncle were flirting under the table. Coincidentally, little aunt bent over to pick up her earring.”
Xu Yinyin suddenly held her breath, nervously and uneasily asking, “What happened next? Did little aunt see?”
“I don’t have an omniscient view, so I couldn’t see what was going on outside of her sight. But from the fact that little aunt picked up the earring and smiled at little uncle, it seems she didn’t see anything.”
“Ah~” Xu Yinyin sighed regretfully, “They’re lucky they didn’t get caught. Should I say they’re lucky or that the heavens are blind? Why does little aunt, such a good person, have to meet a scumbag? How disgusting!”
“You also said that little aunt is a love-brain fool. Even if she catches them in the act, what can she do? Would she really blame the scumbag?”
“That’s true. Typically, love-struck people automatically block out their partner’s flaws, layering on filters to beautify their qualities, blinding themselves to the truth.”
“But, he’s flirting right under her nose. Even rabbits don’t eat the grass near their den. Second aunt is old and ugly, far worse than little aunt. How could he even bring himself to do this?”
Tang Wan, suddenly humiliated, thought: “…This little brat, are you polite?!”
“So what? Haven’t you heard the saying? Men only stop flirting when they’ve become a picture on the wall. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter if they’re attractive or not, if they flirt, it counts as an achievement. Of course, I’m talking about that scumbag and your second uncle. Your wealthy father and gentle grandfather are both excellent gentlemen, models of loyalty.”
Suddenly being praised, Xu Yanyan and the old man straightened their backs, their eyes shining with pride.
“Ah, little aunt’s self-control is too good. If it were me, I’d slap him across the face and tell him why the flower is so red! Or I’d confiscate his tools and make him a big boss in an instant.”
Guo Cheng instinctively tightened his legs, secretly glaring at Xu Yinyin.
The old man cleared his throat and said loudly, “I have an announcement.”
Everyone immediately turned to look at him, and he continued, “I’m planning to let Yinyin join the company for some training. She’ll go to Fengyi and learn from Tang Wan for now.”
Xu Yinyin’s hand trembled, and the quail egg she was holding with her chopsticks fell into the plate, bouncing up and down mischievously.
“Help, I just want to be a useless person. You’re so rich, is it so hard to let me live a carefree life?”
“Hah, rich people are the best at calculating. Be careful!”
After saying this, the system quickly vanished.
Xu Yinyin: “…You ungrateful jerk!”
The others were all shocked by this decision and didn’t even have time to consider Xu Yinyin’s thoughts.
“Ah?” Tang Wan exclaimed. To go to the headquarters and follow her? Could it be that she’s trying to replace me?!
Xu Yanrui quickly said, “Father, Yinyin has just come home. She’s still adjusting to the family. Isn’t it too soon for her to go to the company?”
Xu Yanwen also said, “Yes, Yinyin was just brought back. She shouldn’t start dealing with the family business right away. Let her get used to the family life first, and she can go to the company later. Besides, there’s still Yao Yao, right?”
Xu Yanwen saw through the old man’s plan. He wanted to throw his precious daughter into the whirlpool of family conflict, using her voice to stir up the waters and make those with bad intentions lose their composure, while he quietly reaped the benefits.
The old man had an easy way out, but his Yinyin was in danger!
Forget the old company veterans who were like wolves, even the people in the second branch and the son-in-law were tough opponents.
His Yinyin just wanted to live a carefree life. As a father, he had to firmly ensure that she could live that way without disappointing her.
“Since my sister has just arrived, she needs time to adapt. How about I teach her about the company at home first? Once she has a general understanding, she can go to the company to train with second aunt. Is that okay, grandpa?”
Xu Yaoyao had been working at the company for over a year and knew well the power struggles within the family business. Her sister was innocent, and her unique voice was both a shield and a weapon. Grandpa was planning to roast her sister on the fire.
But based on his attitude and care for her sister, Xu Yaoyao didn’t think he disliked her sister. What was grandpa trying to do?
The old man knew that by doing this, he would make Yinyin an enemy of everyone, but he really had no other choice. He had to use her voice to disrupt the existing power dynamics.
Besides, Yinyin wasn’t without help. The system she was talking to seemed quite capable, holding many secrets, and no one who appeared before her could escape its watchful gaze.
Sending her to the company seemed dangerous, but in reality, it played to her preferences.
He heard his granddaughter’s thoughts and knew she didn’t want to work. So, he deliberately assigned her to Tang Wan, knowing she would never be given any important tasks. Yinyin would just be switching places to loaf around and watch the drama unfold.
Furthermore, when scandals are exposed, the person involved usually pretends not to know anything. In the world of adults, face matters most. Even if they know people have heard, they can’t confront it openly because they know it’s the truth.
The person exposed either shrinks back or can’t handle the gossip and withdraws, leaving only those who can face the truth.
His obedient granddaughter would easily help him clear out the trash from the company. How great would that be?
Just like with the second branch family and the scheming son-in-law, no matter how much they plotted, they were all brought into submission under his granddaughter’s voice.
The old man didn’t care about the objections. He decisively declared, “This is a notice, not a discussion.”
With that, he grabbed Xu Yinyin’s hand and walked out.
The rest were left bewildered, standing in the wind.
Sansukini: Merry Christmas, everybody. I hope you all enjoy this extra chapter.
Thanks for the updates.
Happy Holidays!
Thank you for the comment. Happy Holidays!
Grandpa, Yinyin just want to eat delicious food and enjoys gossiping with Xiao Qi(system). She even skipped watching Korean drama or celebrity gossips because the family gossips are more fun to her.