When Yu Ningyan came to pick up his younger sister, he noticed that Yu Nianqing looked rather uneasy. “Nianqing, what’s wrong?”
“N-nothing.” She smiled. Yu Ningyan glanced thoughtfully toward the place she had just come from: the research lab.
After returning to the Yu family home, Feng Yue chatted warmly with Yu Nianqing, asking her about the details of the birthday banquet the following day.
“You didn’t come home yesterday, so I didn’t get a chance to ask you. What kind of dress would you like?”
Once she pulled up the pictures on her smart terminal, Yu Nianqing could tap on any dress to see how it would look on her. Even in this interstellar era, where even genetic information could be falsified, Yu Nianqing was undeniably a beauty.
However, she was far more interested in what would be served at tomorrow’s banquet than in what she would wear.
Unfortunately, this era had no wide variety of foods. She had watched videos of various banquets on the Star Network.
They served nothing more than different kinds of fruit juice and nutrient solutions.
Fortunately, Yu Nianqing had prepared in advance. She had already made taro balls and milk tea.
Yu Tiancheng walked over and gave a slight cough when he saw Yu Nianqing. “Nianqing, Yarou was in the wrong about what happened before. She’s apologized to you, so as her older sister, you should let it go and not hold it against her.”
“We’ll talk about it after she apologizes.” Yu Nianqing didn’t mind Yu Tiancheng’s tone in the slightest. After all, she wasn’t really his daughter.
Yu Yarou hadn’t even apologized yet, and he already expected her to forgive her? As if that would ever happen.
‘Even if she apologizes, I’m still not forgiving her,’ Yu Nianqing thought.
To everyone else, however, her words sounded like a compromise, as though she was willing to let the matter go. As a result, the Yu family spent the evening in a harmonious atmosphere.
On the day of Yu Nianqing’s twentieth birthday, she didn’t wear the dress Feng Yue had prepared for her. Instead, she chose a designer brand she had found herself on the Star Network. Ever since Yu Ningyan learned what had happened earlier, he had transferred a large sum of money to her.
Combined with the star coins she had earned from livestreaming, she had more than enough to buy a dress.
However, even after waiting for quite some time, the dress had already arrived, yet she still hadn’t received any payment notification. Not a single coin had been deducted from her account, either. Just as Yu Nianqing was wondering what was going on, she saw a message from Bo Chen.
Bo Chen: Let me know in advance whenever you need anything.
Yu Nianqing: ?
Bo Chen: You’re at most a size S. I’ve already had it altered for you. It should fit.
Yu Nianqing: ??
Bo Chen: I estimated it by eye.
Only then did Yu Nianqing realize that the account used to pay for the dress wasn’t hers. But how could she spend money from someone else’s account?
Given the advanced technology of interstellar society, that shouldn’t have been possible.
Yu Nianqing guessed that the account belonged to Bo Chen. Otherwise, how could he have arranged to have the dress altered to fit her?
“Why can I spend your money?”
“When Butler Lin set up your permissions last time, he linked my supplementary card to your account as well.”
Yu Nianqing’s feelings became rather complicated upon learning the truth. She had married Bo Chen because she owed him money, yet after getting married, she had gained access to his supplementary card and could shop to her heart’s content.
The dress was a black velvet strapless bodice with golden vines winding around the waist. Its enormous skirt featured a subtle patterned satin in Morandi blue. Once Yu Nianqing put on the hoop skirt underneath, she looked utterly magnificent.
The dress Feng Yue had picked out for Yu Nianqing was one Yu Yarou had rejected. The mother and daughter had intended to use this occasion to show off Yu Yarou to Kloss Star’s elite, making it clear to everyone that Yu Nianqing was no match for her.
Yu Yarou was wearing an elegant white gown that emphasized her purity without sacrificing grace. The moment she stood beneath the crystal chandelier, she became the center of attention at the entire banquet.
The young women invited to Yu Yarou’s birthday banquet were also dressed to the nines. By “coincidence,” every single one of them wore a color that matched the dress Yu Nianqing had originally planned to wear.
As more and more guests arrived, everyone noticed that there was a new drink among the Yu family’s refreshments, something called milk tea.
Chen Huan picked up a cup and took a sip. “Yarou, this milk tea is pretty good. Want to try some?”
Yu Yarou frowned slightly. “I wouldn’t drink anything she made.” She then advised, “You’d better not drink too much, either. Who knows if her concoctions have any harmful effects?”
Chen Huan’s family was fairly ordinary, and it was only through her association with Yu Yarou that she had gotten the chance to attend an event like this. Naturally, she wouldn’t dare contradict Yu Yarou. But the milk tea really was delicious, and she took another big sip before finally setting the cup down.
Yu Yarou looked at Chen Huan, who was still chewing the pearls in her mouth, with a hint of disdain in her eyes.
The Yu family’s estate was truly enormous. The guests chatted in small groups while service robots moved back and forth, carrying drinks. It wasn’t until the main attraction was about to make her entrance in the front hall that everyone returned.
They didn’t see Yu Nianqing, but they praised Yu Yarou instead.
“I heard your Yarou awakened her talent at just eighteen?”
“That’s right,” Feng Yue replied, beaming with pride.
“I’m so envious of you. You have two genius daughters like that.”
The other daughter they were referring to was Yu Nianqing. Word of her S-rank mental power during the entrance assessment had spread throughout their social circle.
People couldn’t help wondering whether Yu Tiancheng’s genes were simply too powerful, given how outstanding all his children were.
Feng Yue merely smiled without saying anything. After tonight, the once-genius girl Yu Nianqing would be completely overshadowed and replaced by her daughter, Yu Yarou.
Yu Nianqing, who had finished changing into her gown, had no idea what was happening downstairs. When she descended the stairs carefully, holding up her skirt with both hands, the entire hall fell almost silent.
Feng Yue had been chatting and laughing with a lady when she spotted Yu Nianqing coming downstairs. Her expression turned rather unpleasant, but only for a second.
Yu Nianqing had actually refused to wear the gown Feng Yue had prepared for her. Although that dress was beautiful, it was somewhat garish, which would have made Yu Yarou look even more refined and elegant by comparison.
But the gown Yu Nianqing was wearing now spread out in layer upon layer of fabric, making no attempt to conceal her status as the star of the evening. The long black gloves and black choker added an imposing, queenly aura to her appearance.
At that moment, Yu Yarou not only failed to look more elegant, but was completely outshone by Yu Nianqing.
“Thank you all for coming to my birthday banquet.”
When Yu Nianqing said the words “my birthday,” she stared at Yu Yarou for a full two seconds before looking away. Dressed up so extravagantly, Yu Yarou looked as though she were the guest of honor herself.
Of course, how could Yu Nianqing possibly let her have her way? She had deliberately chosen a gown that was extravagant to the extreme.
“I’ve prepared a special milk tea for everyone. I hope you’ll enjoy it.”
At her words, the guests began picking up cups of milk tea from the tables beside them or taking them from the service robots. The drink received an overwhelming wave of praise.
At that moment, everyone’s attention was focused on Yu Nianqing. Feng Yue gently interrupted her. “Dear guests, today, in addition to celebrating Nianqing’s twentieth birthday together, Yarou also has something she’d like to do. She wants to apologize to Nianqing in front of everyone. Yarou, go ahead and apologize properly to your older sister.”
Her gentle, considerate manner made her seem like the very model of a good stepmother.
Seeing Yu Yarou being asked to apologize to Yu Nianqing in front of so many people, some guests began to think that Feng Yue was being exceptionally kind to her stepdaughter.
With her eyes reddened, Yu Yarou began, “Sister, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have blamed you without first getting to the bottom of what happened.”