Xu Zifan greeted the guests at the entrance with Xu Mengyao. He wore a well-tailored bespoke suit, and with his outstanding looks, he attracted more attention than the top young male celebrities in the entertainment industry.
Unlike celebrities, he exudes nobility and arrogance as a young master from a prominent family in every gesture. His invisible aura is also impossible to ignore. Everyone who sees him clearly realizes that the heir of the Xu family is different; he is now a businessman!
Whenever guests arrived, Xu Zifan would greet them and then introduce Xu Mengyao to them, asking her to greet them. Xu Mengyao stood gracefully beside him, wearing a white off-shoulder dress, her hair flowing over her shoulders, her makeup fresh and simple, looking elegant and youthful.
Xu Mengyao smiled politely and occasionally joined in the conversation. In a short time, the guests had a good impression of her and no longer thought that Xu Mengyao, who grew up in the countryside, would become a laughing stock in the Xu family.
Qi Xiangheng came with the Qi family and found the harmonious scene between the siblings extremely jarring. He still couldn't understand why Xu Zifan had changed so suddenly, abandoning both him as a brother and the sister he had once cherished.
He stood in front of Xu Zifan, his eyes filled with complex emotions, his words laced with sarcasm, "This is the scene you wanted: to draw a clear line and completely plunge Ya Lin into the abyss. You've succeeded. Congratulations."
Xu Zifan slightly curled her lips and glanced at him without any emotion. "I did it, with my own abilities."
Qi Xiangheng clenched his fists instantly, understanding the implication in his words. He had succeeded, unlike himself, a good-for-nothing who couldn't even protect the person he loved.
When Qi's mother realized he hadn't followed, she turned around and called to him. He gritted his teeth and went into the hall.
Wang Yalin witnessed this scene from the corner, and her heart sank. As long as Qi Xiangheng still loved her, she had a way to make him devoted to her!
The banquet hall was filled with the clinking of glasses. Xu Zhenhua went on stage and said a few words, after which Xu Zifan invited Xu Mengyao to dance the opening dance.
Xu Mengyao had been learning from Xiao Qing for a long time. At first, she thought she would be nervous, but as soon as she saw her brother's smile, she was no longer afraid. Her brother was right; she had only been back for a short time, and it didn't matter if she made a few mistakes.
Even if some people laugh at her, as long as she learns what she needs to learn, those who laugh at her will shut up. Even if she doesn't want to learn, as long as she stands in a higher position than others, they won't dare to show their mockery.
Xu Mengyao felt that the principles Xu Zifan taught her were a bit arrogant, but who cares, her brother is always right!
Wang Yalin had been waiting for Xu Mengyao to embarrass herself, or at least show signs of nervousness, restraint, or timidity. But she waited and waited, and Xu Mengyao didn't make a move. Instead, she saw Xu Mengyao chatting with everyone with ease and confidence. When she encountered something she didn't understand, she didn't seem embarrassed at all. Instead, she smiled and said that she hadn't encountered this area before, which made many people admire her even more.
Wang Yalin then realized that Xu Mengyao had learned so much without her noticing.
It turns out that Xu Mengyao went to the Xu family's every day not because she didn't want to go home, but because she genuinely wanted to learn. Xu Mengyao even got first place in her grade! How did she learn so much in such a short time?
Before she could recover from her shock, Xu Zifan walked onto the stage.
He gestured for everyone to be quiet and smiled, saying, "I am very honored that you all could attend this banquet. I have brought some of my treasured jade stones with me to share with you all. This was my first time gambling on jade stones, and I never expected that I would win a jade stone worth 700 million with a budget of less than 15 million!"
I really have to thank my sister for this. I just wanted to take her to Myanmar for fun. My sister had never seen jade gambling before, so she tried it out of curiosity and won a small amount. However, she didn't like this kind of gambling activity and didn't continue. But it piqued my curiosity. I was incredibly lucky for the first time in my life, and I think it was all thanks to my sister.
"Yaoyao, come here."
Xu Mengyao smiled slightly and walked confidently onto the stage to stand next to Xu Zifan. Xu Zifan continued, "I imagine everyone is a little curious about why my sister has changed. Is it really necessary to hold a press conference to announce such a family matter? Since everyone is here today, I'd like to take a little time to briefly explain."
Xu Zifan gently took Xu Mengyao's hand and smiled, "When Yaoyao was born, she was mistakenly switched with a child from the Wang family in the countryside of Linhe Town. It wasn't until a few months ago that we discovered the truth and took Yaoyao back. Yaoyao has suffered a lot over the years, but fortunately, she is optimistic and cheerful and has not been affected by others. She has adapted very well to her new life since she came back."
Or perhaps it shouldn't be called a 'new life'; this was always meant to be Yao Yao's life. This mistake has been corrected, both families are reunited, and going back to where they belong is the best ending.
He smiled again, as if showing off, and said, "This time, Yao Yao got first place in the elite class of the international school. I am proud of my sister's intelligence and hard work."
To be honest, I'm so happy Yaoyao is back. Maybe it's the blood connection, but I only feel this sense of responsibility as an older brother when I'm with Yaoyao. And since Yaoyao came home, everything at home has been getting better. I think Yaoyao is our family's little lucky star.
He paused, then smiled and said, "I hope everyone won't laugh at me. I really love my little sister so much! Yao Yao has just been found, so please forgive me if there's anything I've done wrong."
He showed a slight childlike side at this moment, but no one thought he was immature; they only felt he truly resembled a good older brother and possessed the responsibility a man should have. Looking at the satisfied expressions of Xu Zhenhua and Li Xiulan in the audience, Xu Zifan and his sister's status in the industry is about to rise.
The guests were no pushovers; they had already analyzed Xu Zifan's words several times over in their minds. If the current life belonged to Xu Mengyao, didn't that mean it didn't belong to Wang Yalin?
Xu Mengyao suffered a lot but was not affected by anyone. Doesn't that mean the Wang family mistreated Xu Mengyao and were extremely bad people?
Does "everyone goes back to their own place" mean that the Xu family will no longer care about Wang Yalin?
He only feels the responsibility of an older brother towards Xu Mengyao, which means he doesn't treat Wang Yalin as a younger sister.
If you say that things will get better for the Xu family as soon as Xu Mengyao comes home, and that she is a lucky star, then isn't that saying that Wang Yalin is a jinx?
Furthermore, Xu Mengyao achieved the top score in the elite class within just a few months of her return. Comparing Xu Mengyao's and Wang Yalin's learning resources, her intelligence and hard work still surpass Wang Yalin's. Xu Mengyao has made no mistakes since her debut, which suggests she has put in a lot of effort behind the scenes for a young girl just entering high society.
Now, even if someone wants to compare Xu Mengyao and Wang Yalin, they won't say that Xu Mengyao is inferior to Wang Yalin.
Xu Zifan, as an older brother, really went to great lengths. Thinking about it carefully, he probably started laying the groundwork a long time ago, allowing Xu Mengyao to smoothly integrate into the circle and be genuinely accepted by them.
The guests smiled kindly, while also assessing the Xu family's heir. It seemed the Xu family was no longer in decline; perhaps they could even regain their former glory, making them a worthwhile partner to consider.
Afterwards, Secretary Zhang introduced the jade stones on the stage, as well as some drawings created by designers based on the jade. This was a way of announcing the Xu family's renewed journey and revealing some of their future plans, including seeking suitable partners.
Those who were interested watched intently, while those who weren't just there for the spectacle. Only Wang Yalin, sitting in the corner, was deathly pale.
She knew she was finished. Xu Zifan had cut off her path back to the entertainment industry. No one would think that the Xu family had abandoned her without reason. Although Xu Zifan didn't say anything, everyone would just think that the Xu family had saved her face and hadn't revealed her shameful secret.
Looking at the smiling Xu family members, she felt an overwhelming hatred. She set her sights on Xu Mengyao and, while Xu Mengyao was leaving for the restroom, she quickly mixed a drink that looked like fruit juice but had a strong aftereffect.
The waiter strictly checked and prohibited anything from being brought in, so the medicine she had prepared was useless. She was also grateful that she had learned bartending recently to curry favor with Xu Zhenhua; otherwise, she really wouldn't know what to do.
Xu Zifan had Shao Hua scan the entire venue since the start of the banquet, so he already knew where Wang Yalin was. When he saw Wang Yalin making a move, he said "Excuse me" to the people around him and deliberately walked past Qi Xiangheng toward the restroom.
As expected, Qi Xiangheng quickly caught up, lowering his voice to express his anger, "Xu Zifan! How could you say that just now? Do you have to be so ruthless? What heinous thing did Yalin do?"
Xu Zifan stopped as soon as he reached the corner. Qi Xiangheng, who was chasing him, almost bumped into him. He glared at him irritably and asked, "What are you doing?"
Xu Zifan frowned and looked ahead, pointing to something. "Doesn't it look familiar?"
Qi Xiangheng was stunned when he looked over. He had secretly loved Wang Yalin for so many years, and he recognized her from just her back view. But why was Wang Yalin dressed as a waitress? Or was there someone whose back view looked so much like Wang Yalin's?
Xu Zifan was surprised by his reaction. Even family members might not recognize a person from behind when they are disguised. This must be true love. He tugged at Qi Xiangheng to stop him from going out. The two of them stood there, and from a distance, they looked like they were talking, which didn't seem out of place.
Less than a minute later, Xu Mengyao came out of the restroom, and the two saw the waiter walking towards her with his head down, carrying a tray. Xu Mengyao was about to return to the lobby, so she naturally took some juice from the tray and thanked him, but didn't look closely at the waiter and passed by him.
Qi Xiangheng stared wide-eyed at the waiter's retreating figure, trying to convince himself that it couldn't be Wang Yalin, otherwise her behavior was too strange.
As Xu Mengyao walked around the corner, Xu Zifan stopped her, took the juice from her hand, smelled it, then frowned and handed it to Qi Xiangheng, his gaze unfriendly, "You ask me why I'm so ruthless towards her? Tell me what this is?"
How many years have Qi Xiangheng and Xu Zifan been frequenting bars? He could tell what was inside just by the smell. He even took a sip as if to confirm, his face turning extremely ugly, yet he still stubbornly insisted, "It might not be her..."
"Then let's go verify it." Xu Zifan took a step to chase after the person.
Qi Xiangheng felt a sudden pang of panic and quickly grabbed him, "I'll go, it's not good for you to be away from the banquet hall for too long. I'll go, I promise to tell you the truth."
"Okay, she turned left." Xu Zifan hadn't intended to go either, but kindly pointed him in the right direction. Qi Xiangheng, holding the glass of wine, strode after her.
Xu Zifan looked at Xu Mengyao, who had a puzzled expression, and patted her head. "Silly girl, be more careful in the future."