A wave of annoyance welled up from the bottom of his heart.
Flicking his phone away impatiently, Xu Qiduo stuffed it into his pocket.
He turned around, only to see Zhou Mengxing standing not far away.
The tall, slender youth was leaning against the wall, watching him. As their eyes met, Zhou Mengxing told him, “It is time to eat.”
Xu Qiduo murmured an acknowledgment and walked over to Zhou Mengxing.
“Did you come out here specifically to wait for me?” Xu Qiduo asked as they walked, his irritation fading away quite a bit simply from looking at that face.
So having good looks really made a difference. Just staring at a pretty face could genuinely lift someone’s mood.
Zhou Mengxing didn’t answer, merely slowing his pace to wait for Xu Qiduo so they could enter together.
Since it was Saturday, the household was livelier than usual.
All the younger generation members were home on break.
The company had also given out holiday leave, which meant several uncles who were normally invisible on workdays were actually present.
With everyone gathered, the massive round table in the dining hall wasn’t big enough to seat them all. The domestic staff had calculated the head count in advance and set up two separate tables.
The younger generation sat at one table, while the elders occupied the other, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere.
Xu Qiduo was technically one of the oldest among the younger generation, but since he hadn’t graduated yet and wasn’t working, he naturally had zero desire to squeeze himself onto the adults’ table.
However, his lack of ambition didn’t mean everyone was happy to watch him lounge around in peace.
Sure enough, the moment the third aunt saw the two of them walk in, she waved them over and called out, “Come, come, Xu Qiduo, bring Xiao Xing and sit over here. We saved seats specifically for you two.”
Although those two vacant spots were right next to each other, the one on the right sat directly beside the main seat of the elder’s table, while the one on the left sat next to second uncle Xu Min.
Xu Qiduo took one look and deduced that because his eldest brother Xu Qizhi was home this Saturday, Old Master Xu had a very high probability of dining in the main building’s dining hall.
The third aunt’s seemingly enthusiastic invitation was nothing more than a trap set to test them.
Xu Qiduo wasn’t an idiot. Even though he had never watched imperial harem dramas, he had stumbled across enough online video commentary recaps before his transmigration.
He could guess the hidden agendas of these wives with a single glance.
“No need, you guys go ahead. Xiao Xing and I will sit at the kids’ table,” Xu Qiduo said with a polite, modest smile on his face.
Because he knew his father had also flown back from abroad last night, this meal practically represented a full attendance of the entire main branch of the Xu family.
“We saved those seats specifically for you, why are you being so polite?” Acting entirely like a loving elder filled with concern for the younger generation, the third aunt waved at them again.
Xu Qiduo had initially wanted to let a small matter slide, but the third aunt insisted on dancing right into his crosshairs. In that case, she only had herself to blame.
He grabbed Zhou Mengxing’s wrist and flashed a bright smile toward the third aunt. “Well, you see, I’m just going to sit at that table with Xiao Xing. He said he has something he wants to ask me.”
“What kind of matter can’t be discussed while sitting right here?” The main table wasn’t even fully occupied yet, and the third aunt remained stubbornly dedicated to digging a hole for them in front of everyone.
Look, she was the one who started the provocation; he was merely taking the opportunity to steer the conversation straight into his home turf.
“Oh, he said he wants to learn how to drive and asked me where he could find a reliable driving school. I told him I know an instructor named Li who is extremely thorough and teaches everything hands-on.”
Seeing the third aunt’s complexion instantly turn pitch black, Xu Qiduo narrowed his eyes, smiled at her warmly, and finally pulled Zhou Mengxing over to take a seat at the table.
Ah, pure satisfaction.
“Heh, you really have nothing better to do than go poke Third Aunt, don’t you…” The mockery in the fourth aunt’s soft chuckle was impossible to disguise.
The third aunt clamped her mouth shut with a rigid expression and said nothing more.
Zhou Mengxing cast a thoughtful look at Xu Qiduo.
Xu Qiduo raised a brow at him, leaning in close and whispering right against his ear, “Latest intel: her youngest daughter was caught dating her driving instructor. It happened just last night.”
“Fourth one to your left.”
Sharing gossip wasn’t enough; Xu Qiduo even pointed out the exact target of the gossip.
Lifting his eyelids slightly, Zhou Mengxing spotted a young girl staring daggers right at them.
The girl looked to be around thirteen or fourteen… and she was dating her driving instructor?
Even now, hearing about the bizarre happenings within the Xu family still felt surreal to him.
These people possessed a starting line that ordinary folks could only dream of reaching in a lifetime. They came from affluent backgrounds, lived in wealthy households, never worried about food or clothing, and rode around in chauffeured luxury cars without ever having to stress over making a living.
People who grew up in that kind of environment…
Suddenly, Xu Yemeng slammed her hands against the table and leaped to her feet.
The bowls and chopsticks rattled noisily from the impact. Everyone in the dining hall turned their gazes toward Xu Yemeng in unison.
Xu Qiduo’s subtle insinuation earlier had been painfully obvious, and Xu Yemeng had caught every single word!
“Brother Qi and I are in true love. What did we do wrong!” she shrieked, refusing to accept reality.
She was just trying to date someone, yet her family kept using every conceivable tactic to force her into a breakup and cut off all her ties! Why did they have to be like this?
The suffocating atmosphere and cold indifference of this household were genuinely driving her insane.
Seeing her daughter suddenly lose control over at the adjacent table, the third aunt immediately stood up to soothe her.
Unfortunately, her intervention only served to push Xu Yemeng closer to a complete meltdown.
Pushing her mother’s hands away, Xu Yemeng pointed directly at Xu Qiduo and challenged her mother tearfully, “Why is he allowed to chase after another man, and why can’t I be with the person I love!”
The woman tried desperately to calm her daughter down, begging her not to make a scene in front of so many people.
“He’s been running around trailing after some other guy since he was a teenager, and the whole family knows about it! Why didn’t anyone oppose him? Even Grandpa shows favoritism toward him! Just because he’s the eldest brother’s biological younger brother?”
“Xiao Meng, stop talking!” Watching Xu Yemeng spiral completely out of control, the third aunt shot a furious glare straight at Xu Qiduo.
Instead of backing down, Xu Qiduo met the glare and offered a provocative shrug.
“Why shouldn’t I say it? Am I wrong for fighting for my own happiness? And look at him right now! His eldest brother openly arranged for some guy to be brought into the Xu family, and none of you dare say a word about it! Well, I’m going to say it!”
Whatever happened in each courtyard of the Xu family estate never stayed a secret past nightfall.
Xu Yemeng swung her finger away from Xu Qiduo, pointing it aggressively at Zhou Mengxing instead as she sneered, “What do you think you are? Just some toy his eldest brother brought home to amuse him and cure his boredom! You managed to worm your way into the Xu family door, but you dropped your dignity entirely to do it!”
“Dignity is something you earn for yourself.” Just then, a steady, calm voice resonated from the entrance of the dining hall.
The dining room fell instantly silent.
Xu Yemeng stiffened, trembling as she slowly retracted the finger she had been pointing at Zhou Mengxing.
Leaning on his cane, Old Master Xu tapped the floor with a rhythmic, measured cadence as he walked forward slowly. “Do you know why he was able to enter the Xu family? He was the top scorer on the Nancheng college entrance examination last year. What are you?”
Xu Qiduo stared at Zhou Mengxing in shock.
What! What?! The top scorer on the national college entrance exam! You really couldn’t judge a book by its cover… He never imagined that while Zhou Mengxing possessed a face that deadly, his brain worked just as brilliantly!