4 – Charming Little Sister, Long Time No See
The next day, the Xie family held a welcome banquet.
Amidst the dazzling lights and clinking glasses, nearly every prominent family from high society who could be named was in attendance.
As soon as Xie Yurao entered the venue, she overheard the lively discussions among the guests at the entrance.
“Everyone here is a big shot. Second Young Master Xie sure knows how to make an impression.”
“Of course. Even though he’s an illegitimate child, among the chaebol heirs, the second young master has the highest chance of winning.”
Xie Yurao paused in her steps, halting her intended path.
Without hesitation, she leaned against a pillar and began openly eavesdropping, not forgetting to pull Tan Shen along with her.
Tan Shen: “…”
Someone asked curiously, “How so?”
“Think about it. Although the eldest young master is highly capable, he’s not a biological child. Who would trust handing over the family fortune to an outsider?”
“The second young master may have a lowly status, but he is, after all, flesh and blood.”
The guests all nodded in agreement.
That was indeed the logic—no matter how close a foster child might be, they could never compare to one’s own flesh and blood.
“What about the eldest young lady of the Xie family?” Xie Yurao asked leisurely from the side.
With her striking beauty and eye-catching appearance, those who saw her recognized her instantly.
The guests hadn’t expected their gossip to land right at the doorstep of the person in question and were immediately terrified.
Only the one who had been earnestly analyzing the situation remained unaware, scoffing disdainfully.
“A mere woman—how could it ever be her turn?”
“…”
The atmosphere instantly fell into an eerie, dead silence.
A friend patted his shoulder. “Brother, take care.”
“?”
“You won’t die unjustly for this one.”
“??”
The man turned around and came face-to-face with a delicate, stunningly beautiful visage, a pair of fox-like eyes gazing at him with a playful smile.
Xie Yurao smiled gently. “Oh, really? Then tell me, will it ever be your turn?”
The man gasped sharply, nearly fainting on the spot.
Stammering an apology, he said, “E-Eldest Young Lady, I’m sorry!”
Xie Yurao didn’t respond. Instead, she turned her gaze to Tan Shen.
Blinking her eyes pitifully, she said, “Tan Shen, he looks down on me.”
Tan Shen took a long stride forward.
His cold, sharp eyes fell on the man as he leisurely rolled up his sleeves. His voice carried no emotion as he spoke.
“Choose.”
“Will you leave on your own, or shall I throw you out?”
His lowered forearm was taut and defined, with visible tendons and veins, exuding an intense sense of strength.
With just one glance, the man’s legs went weak with fear.
Stammering, he said, “N-No need to trouble yourself.”
“I can leave on my own. I’ll leave on my own.”
Resigned to his misfortune, the man slunk away, only to bump into a man right at the entrance of the banquet hall.
“S-Second Young Master?”
Hearing the commotion, all the guests turned their eyes in unison.
Even though Second Young Master Xie had been away for years, everyone could still recognize him at a glance.
After all, his appearance… was far too striking.
The handsome, almost devilishly charming man stood at the entrance of the banquet hall, his unruly silver hair complementing his half-unbuttoned shirt, loosely revealing a glimpse of his collarbone.
The corners of his eyes tilted upward, and his entire being exuded an air of languid, carefree decadence.
“The two heirs have crossed paths! They’ve crossed paths!”
Everyone present loved drama and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. No one expected their first meeting to turn into such a battlefield.
In the face of family fortune, there is no kinship—let alone between a legitimate heir and an illegitimate son.
Fight!
Let the fight begin!
“The eldest young lady of the Xie family has always been arrogant and domineering. She was already furious earlier, let alone now, face-to-face—”
Before the words could finish, a soft, melodious voice tinged with laughter suddenly rang out.
“Hey, my dear second brother~”
Xie Yurao raised her hand with a smile, waving at the silver-haired man, her fox-like eyes curved and charming.
“…”
Xie Jingchuan’s slightly upturned, smiling eyes slowly settled on her face.
“Little sister Rao Rao, long time no see.”
His hands were tucked into his trouser pockets, his smile lazy. “Did you miss your brother?”
“Of course,” Xie Yurao replied without hesitation.
She tilted her head slightly and answered word by word, “I missed you to death~”
“Whoa—”
It was unexpectedly harmonious.
The onlookers suddenly felt like they were the ones being watched.
Xie Jingchuan nodded with a smile, dotingly saying, “In that case, it wasn’t in vain that I prepared a gift for you upon my return.”
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers crisply.
Two waiters carried a gift covered with a black cloth and placed it in front of the eldest daughter of the Xie family.
Xie Jingchuan slightly lifted his chin, gesturing, “Uncover it and take a look?”
“Alright.”
Tan Shen stepped forward first. The contents were unknown, and he didn’t want her to touch it.
But Xie Yurao stopped him. “I’ll do it.”
She casually glanced toward the second floor. Tan Shen followed her gaze and saw the figures of Xie Zong and Qin Yun.
In front of Xie Zong, Xie Jingchuan wouldn’t dare to cause trouble.
Reassured, he didn’t move again.
Xie Yurao walked forward and briskly lifted the black cloth, revealing a brightly colored deep-sea red coral in full view.
The crowd gasped in admiration.
“This quality of deep-sea red coral is truly a collector’s treasure.”
“Indeed, I never expected the second young master of the Xie family to be so good to his sister.”
“Rumors really can’t be trusted. The bond between these siblings runs deep, and it doesn’t seem feigned at all.”
The guests nodded in agreement.
Xie Jingchuan casually picked up two glasses of champagne from a tray, walked over to Xie Yurao, and handed her one.
“Do you like it?”
Xie Yurao took the champagne. “I do.”
Her jade-white fingertips brushed the red coral, its texture smooth and lustrous—truly a treasure.
“It’s so precious. Where should I display it?”
Xie Jingchuan: “It likes light.”
Xie Yurao tilted her head slightly and let out a thoughtful “oh.”
Then, in a voice only the two of them could hear, she said to him with a smile,
“Perfect. There’s just the right spot in my basement storage room.”
Upon hearing this, a faint, imperceptible shadow of cold gloom flickered in Xie Jingchuan’s long eyes beneath his silver hair.
He quickly concealed it perfectly and smiled again.
“As long as little sister Rao Rao is happy.”
The two exchanged smiles, their glasses clinking softly.
…
At the family banquet.
Xie Zong witnessed the affectionate scene downstairs and was pleased with their harmonious interaction.
Qin Yun used serving chopsticks to place food in Xie Yurao’s bowl. “Your father has always been most concerned about sibling discord.”
Then she served Xie Jingchuan, her smile wise and gratified.
“Fortunately, both of you are more sensible and well-behaved than the other.”
Xie Yurao: “Brother is very handsome.”
Xie Jingchuan: “Little sister is very obedient.”
Both were speaking utter nonsense with straight faces.
Only Xie Zong believed them.
He smiled contentedly and said “good” twice. “I originally thought the two of you would bicker like you did when you were little. It seems I worried for nothing.”
Hearing this, both of them paused.
It seemed to stir up unpleasant memories.
They lifted their eyes to each other.
Exchanging a smile that concealed daggers.
Qin Yun pretended not to notice and said with a smile, “The children have all grown up now. They can’t be as mischievous as they were when they were little.”
Xie Zong nodded and sighed, “Indeed. If they were all like Luowen, I’d have nothing to worry about.”
As soon as he finished speaking, even Qin Yun fell into an eerie silence.
Xie Luowen, who was not present, did indeed appear refined, elegant, and graceful on the surface.
But he was the one who inspired the most fear and dread.
He could smile with scholarly grace while snapping someone’s neck.
The family had a total of 2,399 schemes in their hearts.
Each person had 800, except for Xie Zong, who had -1.