Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 138: New Year's Eve Family Dinner
"Hmph, I don't like this phone at all. I'm just looking at your charm," Yang Xiaoyou said, trying to act tough, her tone revealing that she cared but was too shy to admit it.
"Hehe, since you like this charm, let's talk about it," Qin Yao replied, her eyes twinkling mischievously as if she wanted Yang Xiaoyou to bring the conversation back to the phone.
"Of course! I remember seeing something like this at a stall by our school gate. I wanted to buy one back then," Yang Xiaoyou said, spinning a tale. Compared to the few Freaks she usually hung out with, this fellow was much easier to fool.
"What stall? This was given to my grandmother after she helped repair a temple. The abbot there gifted it to her, and it was personally consecrated! I heard that once a charm consecrated by the abbot of Shaolin Temple sold for over a million. Even if this one isn't as valuable, it should still be worth at least ten thousand, right? That's more expensive than my phone!" Qin Yao exclaimed with an incredulous expression.
"Really? Which temple are you talking about?" Yang Xiaoyou asked, raising an eyebrow in skepticism as if she thought it was all nonsense.
Under her scrutinizing gaze, Qin Yao felt provoked. "The temple doesn't have a name; it's just a temple. But my grandmother and I visited it together. It's located on the north side of the East Yin Bridge by Xicang Bridge. It used to be quite run-down."
"Oh." Having gotten the information she wanted, Yang Xiaoyou responded with a simple acknowledgment before turning her attention back to the fruit in front of her.
This action left Qin Yao momentarily taken aback. She had expected her somewhat awkward cousin to steer the conversation back to her phone.
Although it seemed that the charm was more expensive based on price alone, as a young person, she naturally preferred her powerful smartphone.
However, after some back-and-forth, the fellow returned to munching on fruit, leaving Qin Yao feeling as if she had thrown a punch only to hit air—quite frustrating.
"Hmph, I'm not impressed," she muttered under her breath, and in Yang Xiaoyou's eyes, her status dropped significantly.
In her view, it seemed like the other party had never even heard of such things and had no worldly experience whatsoever.
Meanwhile, Yang Xiaoyou continued munching on an apple while thinking how much easier it was to deal with ordinary "kids."
"Little sister, let me give you some advice. Although your current income is decent, do you really think you can do this job for life? What will you do when you're older and can't move around easily anymore? Come on, I can arrange two easier jobs for you at my company," their uncle Qin Hong said after having a bit too much to drink during the lively dinner.
Perhaps due to the alcohol, Qin Hong's words came out somewhat slurred. Although he meant well, his tone carried an obvious sense of superiority.
It felt as if he was belittling Yang Xiaoyou's parents' current jobs as mere physical labor while suggesting that his easy jobs were far better.
Yang Xiaoyou had encountered such scenes before; there had been times when arguments broke out over similar comments. However, perhaps because of what Yang Xiaoyou had said earlier during their visit, things were different this time.
Yang Kai, who usually had a short temper, managed to hold back his frustration and simply focused on eating. On the other side of the table, Qin Meng pretended not to hear anything at all.
Seeing the two of them silent, Qin Hong seemed even more energized. "Then it's settled. I'll have a word with the manager of the HR department."
As for Yang Xiaoyou's uncle's words, when Qin Meng and Yang Kai didn't respond, no one else picked up on it either. Even Yang Xiaoyou's grandparents, who were seated at the head table, remained quiet.
For Yang Xiaoyou's grandfather, the company was gradually being handed over to his eldest son to manage. If this time he could really persuade the two of them, he would only be happier, so he was following his eldest son in this persuasion effort.
The effect might be better than if he did it himself.
However, Yang Xiaoyou could see that her parents were completely lost in their own thoughts, realizing they weren't paying attention at all. Her uncle was just giving a personal speech over there.
In the past, Yang Xiaoyou had wanted to keep them grounded at home to avoid worrying about this and that.
But after Zhao Liang had spoken with her, she understood that everyone has their own life, ideals, and interests.
Most people ultimately yield to reality and abandon their dreams. If she were to chime in now, it might very well become a done deal.
Yet Yang Xiaoyou only hoped for their happiness. They had finally reached this point after enduring the toughest times together; there was no need for her to disrupt their rhythm.
"And you, Xiao You, your personality is too introverted. You need to interact more with the outside world. Yes, exactly! Our city will host a New Year banquet organized by a business tycoon. You should come with me; you three should join me and get to know some young people over there. It will be beneficial for you." After drinking a bit too much, Qin Hong shifted the topic back to Yang Xiaoyou after his lengthy speech.
Before Yang Xiaoyou could say anything, Yang Kai and Qin Meng nodded decisively.
"I support this."
"Xiao You, go ahead."
Seeing the two of them unhesitatingly throw her under the bus, Yang Xiaoyou felt a bit exasperated. Fine, she had mentally prepared herself for wasting time during the New Year anyway; going to a banquet didn’t seem too bad after all.
With that thought in mind, just as she had finished eating after a long while of snacking, she suddenly felt hungry again and wiped her mouth.
She couldn't help but wonder if Qin Hong would regret making such a decision if he knew what Yang Xiaoyou was thinking.
Meanwhile, sitting next to her uncle was Qin Yu, who was two years older than Yang Xiaoyou. After hearing his father's words, he glanced at Yang Xiaoyou in surprise.
He hardly had any impression of his cousin; he only knew that she barely spoke and was introverted and awkward—a typical nerdy personality.
Deep down, he looked down on her quite a bit. So what if she attended Yuying Middle School? Although he hadn’t studied there himself, he still got into a key university in Beijing. With her low grades from Yuying under such pressure, she probably couldn’t compare to him at all.
He had deliberately scored a few points lower in the entrance exam for Yuying, just to avoid being at the bottom. At this moment, Qin Yu was also pondering over this.
However, he didn't even realize that if it weren't for his cousin, who seemed to be doing worse than him in every aspect yet managed to enroll in Yuying Middle School—something he couldn't achieve—he would have merely laughed it off without harboring such resentful thoughts.
Meanwhile, in a luxurious villa that could almost be described as a castle, Liu Lianyue, who appeared elegant and nurturing, gracefully wiped her mouth and excused herself, claiming she felt unwell before leaving the gathering.
But once she reached her room and heard the familiar message on her phone, "The user you are trying to reach is unavailable," she completely lost her composure.
All the elegance and poise she had displayed earlier were thrown out the window. Grabbing a large Azure Frog Doll from her bedside, she began to pound it against the wall with all her might, as if she wanted to shake the very foundation of the room.
Through gritted teeth, she muttered, "I told you to turn your phone on! You think my words are just empty noise?"
Outside, a passing servant paused for a moment, feeling something strange. Had there just been a slight tremor? After looking around in confusion, she resumed her work.
She was busy making up for the power outage from last night until three in the morning, wiping away tears as she worked.
Comment 0 Comment Count