Ye Qiu almost threw her phone away after getting his straightforward response, but she still replied.
"At a restaurant…" Ye Qiu stopped typing abruptly. She realized this might be a good time to sow discord between them. She cleared her typing box and wrote again:
"I met her at a restaurant. She seemed to have been invited by a male friend. I saw them eating together; I had almost failed to recognize her from a distance."
Seeing the text was ambiguous enough, Ye Qiu proceeded to send it.
She hoped Lu Yanchen would read between the lines. His reply will determine what I'll say next, Ye Qiu thought excitedly.
"Ok." Lu Yanchen responded as coldly as ever.
Ye Qiu continued to send him more messages, but Lu Yanchen no longer responded. In anger, she threw her phone on the bed.
"Why are you angry? You've been in such a good mood lately." A warm voice came from the door.
"Mom," Ye Qiu called out whiningly. In her fit, she hadn't realized the door had been pushed open.
Madam Ye picked up Ye Qiu's phone. Taking a glance at it, she saw the chat with Lu Yanchen still open.
"I've told you repeatedly—the Lu family is out of our Ye family's reach." She pulled Ye Qiu closer.
"The Shi family aren't any better than us. Why does Shi Nian get to be with him?" Ye Qiu retorted.
Seeing her lovelorn daughter, Madam Ye could do nothing but pat her softly as she spoke.
"Although the Shi family aren't any better, Shi Nian's mother is surnamed Cheng. The Chengs are an aristocratic family—they match well with the Lu family."
"What's good about Shi Nian having good parents? Aren't they dead anyway?" Ye Qiu yelled.
Hearing her pampered daughter's crude speech, Madam Ye's face darkened instantly.
Madam Ye had been friends with Cheng Yuemin. Hearing her daughter talk like this made her deeply sad.
She walked out of Ye Qiu's room disappointedly, her face sullen.
Watching her mother leave in such a manner, Ye Qiu felt guilty—but it only lasted briefly.
She had indeed been happy when she heard the news of Shi Nian's parents' demise.
——
Sunlight drifted through the windows and curtains of Shi Nian's room, resting softly on her face.
Feeling the warmth on her skin, Shi Nian's eyes fluttered open.
Drowsily, she checked the time—it was already afternoon.
Fortunately, she had notified Ding Shun about her absence from work today.
Shi Nian looked down at the book held tightly within her arms. She could only sleep soundly and peacefully with it.
"What secret do you hold?" Shi Nian whispered softly.
Hearing Wanwan call for brunch, Shi Nian snapped out of it, stood up from the bed, and walked into the bathroom to freshen up for the day.
During her meal, Shi Nian busied herself with the documents she had received from Ding Shun.
There was no time to waste—she needed to find an investment company soon. BaiYue depended on it.
After doing some research on the investment companies in the market, she finally chose one.
The company she chose was a subsidiary of a large conglomerate. She selected it because she needed a huge amount of investment and a firm that was willing to take the risk with her.
Occupied with her work, Shi Nian didn't notice Wanwan clear the table. Only when her phone rang did she lift her gaze from the laptop.
Shi Nian saw it was a call from the old house. Thinking it was from the same old man, she kept silent until she heard the person speak.
Only then did she recognize the voice—it was the butler's.
"Young Miss, the Old Master still requests your presence at dinner tonight."
"Okay, I'll be there." Shi Nian paused and looked at the time.
Time flew before she knew it, and it was time to leave for dinner.
The butler was already at the door waiting for her.
"Good evening, Grandpa Butler." The original Shi Nian had always respected the old butler. He doted on her more than Shi Weicheng ever did.
The old butler nodded in response as he led her into the house.
"Young Mistress, how have you been?" Not waiting for her response, he lightly whispered, "You shouldn't have come tonight."
Shi Nian raised her head slightly to look at the old butler, smiling brightly in response. "I know."
Seeing her expression, the old butler shook his head lightly. No matter what, he was just a servant and shouldn't involve himself in the family struggles.
Noticing his silence, Shi Nian pondered why exactly she had been invited tonight. The butler's expression made it seem like it was a Hongmen dinner (a setup).
Shi Nian didn't have to think too much, as the butler had already led her to the dining area.
"Grandpa, Dad, Sister Nian is here," Shi Ning's voice broke the silence.
Shi Wang snorted in response. Shi Weicheng didn't even look at Shi Nian; he simply spoke,
"Have your seat," and motioned for the chef and kitchen staff to bring out dinner.
In that brief moment, Shi Nian noticed the presence of Shi Peicheng and Shi Haoran—Shi Wang's oldest and youngest children.
Madam Shi, Su Yan, Shi Wang's wife, was also present.
The whole family was gathered. It seemed the old man was up to something.
Shi Nian didn't say a word to anyone; she sat quietly and began eating.
Seeing Shi Nian's nonchalance, Madam Shi spoke up,
"Shi Nian, don't you know it's against family rules for a junior to eat before her elders?"
Noticing Shi Nian remained in her posture, Madam Shi turned to look at Shi Wang.
"Shi Nian, did you hear what my wife said? Did Cheng Yuemin teach you nothing?" Shi Wang derisively spoke.
Shi Nian didn't want to bother with Shi Wang or his wife, but hearing her parent being mentioned, she didn't want to keep silent anymore.
Inwardly, she thought, I seem to have gotten used to acting as Shi Nian. Even the slightest derision feels unbearable.
"Did someone speak just now? I thought it was just dogs barking." Shi Nian coldly shot them a look.
"How dare you, Shi Nian! You dare call my parents dogs!!" Shi Haoran shouted.
Shi Haoran had inherited Shi Wang's fiery temper. He had been spoiled by the husband and wife duo and never bothered to contain himself.
"Sister Nian, Mom is only teaching you! You weren't like this before. Auntie Yuemin would be disappointed…" Shi Ning added.
Watching them sing along together, Shi Nian smiled coldly as she cut the steak in front of her.
"Then isn't talking during a meal a rude thing to do? You all seem to have lost your manners."
Shi Nian's demeanor as she cut her steak had them overwhelmed—each slice seemed to pierce them.
"Enough!" Shi Weicheng, having had enough of their confrontation, finally spoke up.