After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the family members sat down one by one. Old Master Xu gestured for Xu Yinyin to sit at his left side.
This action shocked Xu Yanrui and his wife.
That seat had always been reserved for their son Xu Yao. Even the elder brother and sister-in-law had never been treated that way. Normally, when Xu Yao couldn’t attend due to class, the seat was left empty.
That seat was equivalent to the position of heir, so now that Old Master Xu had given it to Xu Yinyin, how could they not be nervous?
Not only that, Old Master Xu personally served Xu Yinyin food, asked her what she liked to eat, and showed her extra care—more than he showed to Xu Yao.
So, what did this mean?
Xu Hongshan easily noticed the panic in his second son’s expression and the unease in his elder son’s face. He also saw the suppressed displeasure in his son-in-law’s eyes.
This was exactly the effect he wanted.
From the reactions just now, he could basically confirm that everyone in the room could hear his granddaughter’s thoughts, and she was unaware of it. This was interesting.
The true feelings that accidentally leaked out were the most precious and sincere.
Now that the family was at a crucial moment of splitting the inheritance, no matter how good someone was at hiding their intentions, they would not be able to hold back at this point.
He had been worried about how to divide the assets in a way that wouldn’t let the three troublesome children ruin his hard-earned family fortune or let others take advantage. He had almost met with the King of Hell over this.
But now, suddenly, there was a savior who could effortlessly solve all his long-standing worries, how could he not feel overjoyed?
Of course, he planned to make good use of his granddaughter’s “superpower” to carry out a sweeping reform.
Xu Yinyin sensed the unfriendly looks from the people around her and couldn’t help but complain.
“Xiao Qi, don’t you think Grandpa is stirring up hatred for me? My second uncle and second aunt look at me as if they want to tear me apart. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I stole their lovers.”
Xu Yanrui and his wife: “······”
The couple quickly adjusted their expressions, diligently serving her food, and began trying to lighten the mood at the table by coming up with topics to talk about, afraid that Xu Yinyin would continue to expose their thoughts and turn them into the “dish of the day.”
After all, her thoughts could be heard by everyone.
“Oh wow, this couple sure knows how to keep the atmosphere lively. They can’t talk about anything without mentioning their son. What, are they deliberately trying to provoke me because my rich parents didn’t have a son?”
“Even though my rich parents don’t have any ambitions for Grandpa’s business, the way you two are eating is downright ugly. Do you really think Grandpa can’t see through your intentions after his recent illness?”
“Please, Grandpa is a self-made billionaire business magnate. Trying to play tricks in front of him? You’re not even qualified, okay!”
“Tsk, another day of feeling sorry for Grandpa. None of his three children inherited his wisdom. Sigh!”
The smiles on Xu Yanrui and his wife’s faces froze, and their teeth clenched tightly.
If Xu Yinyin could hear their thoughts, she would be greatly shocked at how foul-mouthed the rich could be when insulting others.
“Huh, why aren’t they smiling or talking anymore? There’s no bitter melon on the table, so why do they look so miserable? Strange.”
Old Master Xu casually glanced at Xu Yanrui and his wife, leisurely took a sip of wine, and then served his attentive granddaughter a spoonful of shrimp and morel mushrooms.
“Eat more, don’t be shy.”
“Mm, thank you, Grandpa. You should try this, it tastes really fresh.”
Xu Yinyin cleverly used the serving chopsticks to give Old Master Xu a piece of braised sea cucumber, her crescent-shaped eyes sparkling with joy.
Old Master Xu rarely smiled, and the more he looked at this granddaughter, the more he liked her.
It had been a long time since anyone had dared to speak the truth around him. It often made him feel as if his senses were being obscured.
But now, things were different. His granddaughter would surely bring him endless surprises.
“Xiao Qi, this grandpa is quite amiable. I almost got scared by his authoritative appearance.”
“People who have been in power for a long time often keep their emotions hidden. If others can see through their thoughts, how will they maintain their authority?”
“Yes, that makes sense. It’s like an emperor who owns the whole world but lives in misery and loneliness. How pitiful.”
Old Master Xu smiled knowingly, took a small sip of wine, and then looked at his son-in-law, whom he had never particularly liked. He raised his glass and said, “Ah Cheng, I know you’ve been working hard on the North Ji development project. I’ll drink to you.”
Suddenly being called out, Guo Cheng froze for a moment, then quickly raised his glass with both hands, respectfully and humbly drinking it all in one go. “Father, you overestimate me. It’s our duty as children to share your burden. I’m grateful that you—”
“Oh wow, look at this smooth talker. Half of my aunt’s infatuation with him is probably thanks to that mouth. Grandpa treats you so well, yet you’re secretly hooking up with someone at the manor’s gate behind her back? Aren’t you ashamed?”
Hearing the thought, Guo Cheng stopped in his tracks and subconsciously glanced at Old Master Xu. Seeing him calmly staring back, waiting for him to continue, Guo Cheng stiffened and forced himself to continue, “I’m grateful that Father doesn’t mind my shortcomings and has allowed me to manage such an important project. I should be the one drinking to you.”
After saying that, he quickly refilled his glass and, while raising it, accidentally revealed a faint lipstick mark on the cuff of his shirt.
“Oh my, did I just see what I think I saw? Is that a hot lipstick mark on his sleeve?”
The System excitedly said: “Where? Where?”
Everyone in the room turned to look at him, their gaze fixed on his right sleeve.
Guo Cheng, who was pouring wine for Old Master Xu, suddenly jolted, spilling the wine.
Guo Cheng: “…Damn!”
Old Master Xu gave him a meaningful glance. Guo Cheng, pretending to be flustered, quickly wiped the wine off, and with a swift motion, knocked over the wine pitcher, soaking his sleeve, and acted oblivious, focused on wiping it off.
Old Master Xu lightly glanced at Xu Yanyan, who was standing still, her eyes filled with deep pain.
Old Master Xu grabbed Guo Cheng’s wrist and gently said, “Alright, go change your clothes. It’s all soaked.”
Guo Cheng was puzzled at first, then, noticing the soaked sleeve, he apologized, “Sorry, father-in-law, I’ve been rude.”
“It’s fine,” Old Master Xu’s voice was warm.
He turned to the butler standing quietly behind him and ordered, “Take the son-in-law to change, he’ll catch a cold if he stays like this.”
“Yes, sir. Please, sir,” the butler said.
Guo Cheng, ever polite, bowed to everyone and said, “I’ll excuse myself for a moment.”
“Tsk tsk, I’m really amazed. Does he think everyone’s blind? My aunt’s been watching him the whole time, and his efforts to cover it up just make it more obvious.”
“But wait, that secretary is really bold. She knows he’s meeting his father-in-law today, yet she’s being so obvious. She must be crazy to want a promotion that badly.”
“Guo Cheng’s also a fool who doesn’t think things through. How could he be so careless? It’s a total disaster. I feel sorry for my aunt.”
“Hey, Xiao Qi, do you think my aunt will ask him what he was doing today when they go back?”
[Xiao Qi] “She probably will.”
[Yinyin] “I don’t think she will.”
“Why not? The mistress is practically at their doorstep now. How could she ignore that?” The System replied with indignation.
“When you’re brainwashed by love, you can tolerate anything. For my aunt, as long as the man comes home, she’ll forgive everything. She might even convince herself that the other woman was the one who seduced him. It’s not her husband’s fault. He just made the mistake that every man in the world makes.”
The System’s silence was deafening.
Everyone turned to look at Xu Yanyan.
She calmly picked up her glass of red wine, suppressing the tremble in her arm, and elegantly took a sip.
Jiang Xin kicked her husband under the table, and Xu Yanwen gently placed a piece of salt-baked shrimp on her sister’s plate, saying, “Little sister, the shrimp today is very fresh. Eat quickly before it gets cold.”
Xu Yanyan smiled and thanked, “Thank you, elder brother.”
Tang Wan, sitting across from Xu Yanwen, sneered slightly, looking at her with disdain as if silently mocking her stupidity.
“Hey, hey, why is second aunt so gloating? What is she so smug about? Why is she mocking my aunt? Does she even deserve to?”
Tang Wan quickly adjusted her expression, pretending to focus on eating her rice.
The System suddenly got excited again: “Wow, wow, guess what I just saw? This is big news!”
Xu Yinyin’s inner voice rubbed her hands eagerly, “What? What? Tell me!”
The System gleefully whispered, “Our little uncle is really something. Not only is he messing around with the company’s secretary, he’s even fooling around with his own family! He’s actually having an affair with—”
“Yinyin!” Tang Wan suddenly raised her voice. “This is the king crab flown in fresh from Alaska. Would you like some?”
“Ah?”
Xu Yinyin snapped out of her daze and looked at the large crab now on the table.
The crab meat, a pink and white mix, was already perfectly split, and the skilled chef had arranged it in a delicate, scenic display, garnished with exquisitely carved colorful vegetables. The low-key luxury was taken to the extreme.
The steaming, fragrant aroma invaded the air, so rich it practically forced its way into everyone’s noses, making it impossible to look away.
The System commented, “Wow, is this the famous king crab? Ugh, the kid is crying out of desire. I want to wipe the plate clean!”
Xu Yinyin held her bowl with both hands and smiled. “Just a little bit is enough. Thank you, second aunt.”
Tang Wan, seizing the opportunity to keep Xu Yinyin quiet, piled on the king crab, Australian lobster, peony shrimp sashimi, black gold abalone risotto, and a large bowl of steaming hot Buddha jumps over the wall.
The goal was to keep her eating so that her mouth wouldn’t wander.
Having been served so much food, Xu Yinyin, true to Tang Wan’s expectation, focused on eating and momentarily forgot about the gossip.
Guo Cheng, having changed his clothes, returned just in time to see Tang Wan eagerly serving Xu Yinyin. He sighed with relief in his heart.
As soon as he sat down, Tang Wan immediately began rubbing her knee against his thigh.
When he pretended to glance over, she gave him a sly, seductive look, then quickly looked away.
Xu Yanyan saw everything. Not only that, but Xu Yinyin’s unfinished words kept gnawing at her heart, leading her to make the boldest decision of her life.
Sansukini: How shameless. The biggest villain here is Tang Wan, the second aunt, btw. Although there really is no main villain. There are no bad people in the whole Xu surnames, including the fake sister and the second Uncle. Xiao Qi is the name of the system. If you see the dialogue, the one usually dissecting the situations is usually Yinyin, while the one giving/supplying the information is the system.