Almost as soon as Xu Zifan finished speaking, Qi Xiangheng stood up, his face grim, and questioned him, "What do you mean by this? The mix-up was just an accident. Ya Lin is innocent. Didn't we agree that everything would be the same as before? How could you treat Ya Lin like this?"
Qi Xiangheng, as the original owner's best friend, was the first outsider to know that the Xu family had switched the babies. However, he had gone to another city to help with the funeral arrangements after his grandfather's death and only returned this afternoon.
He tried calling Xu Zifan but got no answer, and Wang Yalin's phone was off. He was originally going to visit the Xu family, but after learning that Xu Zifan was bringing his sister out for a gathering, he came to the party instead. He was also the only one there without any sisters. His purpose in coming was to see Wang Yalin, but not only did she not come, Xu Zifan also said that he only recognized Xu Mengyao as his sister. What exactly happened while he was gone?
Xu Zifan glanced at him, and considering his brotherhood with the original owner, decided to say a few more words, "Wang Yalin is indeed innocent in that matter, but after Yaoyao came home, she bullied Yaoyao behind our backs, instructed the maid to lie and frame me, used a self-inflicted injury to win favor, and even colluded with her friends at school to ostracize Yaoyao. She is not as innocent and cute as you think. I think it is not an exaggeration to say that she is scheming."
"Zifan! You've gone too far!" Qi Xiangheng's face turned cold, his eyes blazing with anger.
In that instant, Xu Zifan knew that their values were incompatible, and smiled, "Then you can leave. This is a gathering I organized for my sister. I just want to have a good time eating, drinking and having fun. I have no interest in arguing. Please."
Qi Xiangheng was stunned, never expecting Xu Zifan to ask him to leave.
Everyone else fell silent, the private room so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Qi Xiangheng, who was always closest to Xu Zifan among them, couldn't bear being stared at by so many people. He grabbed his phone and strode out of the room without even glancing at Xu Zifan again.
Xu Zifan clapped his hands and called to everyone, "Let's eat, let's eat, don't let it get cold."
Xu Zifan's friend, who was sitting next to him, tentatively offered some advice: "Brother Fan, Xiang Heng has always had a good impression of Ya Lin, and he just came back from out of town, so he probably hasn't figured out the situation yet."
Xu Zifan waved his hand dismissively, "I only befriend people with clear heads. You'll all see what kind of person Wang Yalin is when you have the chance. If Qi Xiangheng can't see it, then let him hang out with Wang Yalin. Come on, let's have a drink. I'm going to open some rocks this weekend. Guys, pray for me. I want to finally get my revenge in front of the old man."
"Opening stones? Brother Fan, you're going to gamble on stones? Take me with you, take me with you!"
"Brother Fan, you're amazing! You haven't touched a stone in over ten years, have you? You've got guts! I'll toast you!"
"Brother Fan, this is a moment of great pride! Once you're in charge, we'll be the chairman's brothers too! Cheers!"
The guys' attention was diverted, and even the ladies chimed in with their own chatter. Not everyone had ever dabbled in jade gambling; most were just curious. Plus, Xu Zifan had said he'd bring Xu Mengyao along, making the scene even more lively. Some even looked up information on the spot and sent it to Xu Zifan.
Qi Xiangheng's departure was just a small ripple on the sea, passing by without causing any waves. However, Xu Mengyao's status rose again in everyone's eyes. For Xu Zifan to disregard even Qi Xiangheng's feelings and even say things like "we can't be friends anymore," it was definitely a case of fiercely protecting her own. It also showed that Wang Yalin must have offended Xu Zifan to the point of no return.
Xu Zifan is the heir to the Xu family business. What future can Wang Yalin possibly have? They all understand who to be close to and who to distance themselves from.
After a satisfying meal, the group hired several drivers to take them to an entertainment club. There, they played billiards, bowling, and card games—all relatively simple and easy to learn. Xu Mengyao picked them up quickly and had a great time with the other girls.
Xu Zifan even taught Xu Mengyao how to open a few bottles of champagne, spraying everyone until they were soaked. This was the first time Xu Mengyao had ever tried something like this, something she had only ever seen on TV before. She was both curious and excited, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her face.
Xu Mengyao played and joked with everyone for two hours, going from being reserved and afraid of making a fool of herself at the beginning to feeling relaxed and happy later on. She realized that her brother's friends didn't look at her with disdain or contempt, and even if she didn't understand or made a mistake, they would kindly remind her. Only then did she relax and realize that the friends her brother had introduced her to were all trustworthy.
At 10:30 p.m., Xu Zifan called a driver to take him and Xu Mengyao home. Xu Mengyao already had all their phone numbers and WeChat accounts, a considerable gain, and she kept scrolling through their WeChat Moments after getting in the car.
Their daily lives were mostly things she had never seen before, like an ordinary person peeking into the lives of a group of super-rich second-generation heirs—it was all very novel. She also learned what these young ladies did on a daily basis, and gained some insight into their lives.
When the two arrived home, Xu Zifan told Xu Mengyao to rest early, and then called Xiao Qing into the room to explain in detail the taboos related to Xu Mengyao's physical condition, as well as the methods of taking medicinal diets.
Xiao Qing, like a high-level secretary, quickly jotted down the keywords in every sentence he uttered and filled in the blanks when he paused, without missing a single one.
"Is there anything else you need to tell me, young master?"
Xu Zifan squinted at the girl in the maid outfit in front of him, wondering, "Is a maid in the Xu family already this capable? Why would someone with this level of ability still be a maid?"
He quickly searched through the original owner's memories of Xiao Qing, but there seemed to be nothing special about her; she was just an ordinary maid who always helped in the kitchen.
They served as servants, either handy or in the hall, without specifically attending to any master. After Wang Yalin left the Xu family, the Xu family replaced their servants, and Xiao Qing left around that time, never being appreciated by the master from beginning to end.
Not expecting anything, Xu Zifan stopped thinking about it. "Get ready, I'm taking Yao Yao to Myanmar this weekend, and you'll come with me to take care of her. That's all, you can go and rest now."
"Yes, young master."
Xu Zifan wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Xiao Qing's gaze towards him was slightly different when she left the room. It seemed warmer than her usual formulaic smile. But there didn't seem to be any deeper meaning; it just felt a little warmer.
He never ignored his intuition and immediately told Shaohua: "[Keep an eye on your surroundings and record every expression Xiaoqing makes when she appears.]"
[Shaohua: Okay, should I connect to the villa's surveillance system?]
[Xu Zifan: Of course, I'll install a few more hidden cameras later for comprehensive surveillance, just in case.]
[Shaohua: Okay, Wang Yalin is coming over.]
Xu Zifan stretched and got up to walk towards the door. Sure enough, there was a knock. He opened the door, leaned against the doorframe, and glanced at Wang Yalin. "What is it?"
Wang Yalin's eyes were red and a little swollen. She looked up at him pitifully and asked, "Brother, can I talk to you?"
"No, I need to rest. Don't disturb my sleep. Besides, I have no interest in your lies. Don't treat everyone like fools. You're not good enough to play the fool in front of me." Xu Zifan slammed the door shut, not giving her a chance to continue speaking.
Wang Yalin gritted her teeth, lowered her head, and hurried back to her room, her hair falling down on both sides to cover her ferocious face.
Why?! Why treat her like this just because she's not his biological daughter? Can't their sibling bond of over ten years outweigh that little bit of blood ties? Why is Xu Mengyao receiving Xu Zifan's protection less than two months after her return?
He hadn't cared for her this much in the past decade or so. Back then, she was his sister, wasn't she? What did she lack compared to Xu Mengyao?!
Wang Yalin went back to her room, lay down on the bed, and curled up, pressing hard on her stomach. Feng Xiangjun and Xu Zhenhua had argued and hadn't come to comfort her, so she wanted to maintain a "sad and aggrieved" demeanor and hadn't left the house, going hungry from morning until midnight.
She thought that if she coaxed Xu Zifan and then pretended to be hungry, she could easily go eat, but Xu Zifan completely ignored her. She was both angry and hungry; she had never suffered such humiliation in her life.
This was all brought by Xu Mengyao; she must get rid of her!
Because Wang Yalin was starving until the next morning, she looked haggard and weak. Looking in the mirror, she gave a malicious smile. If she went to school looking like this, and then became silent, depressed, and cried, her classmates would definitely imagine she had been bullied. And with that idiot Zhang Tingfei helping her, Xu Mengyao was sure to get what's coming to her.
Little did she know that despite her well-thought-out plan, Feng Xiangjun felt deeply guilty for losing to Xu Zhenhua and insisted that she stay home to recuperate. Unable to argue with Feng Xiangjun, she could only reluctantly ask for leave, which further displeased Li Xiulan and Xu Zhenhua.
The Xu family's daughter is so sickly, yet she's been perfectly fine from beginning to end. Wang Yalin has been enjoying a life of luxury in the Xu family, and even the doctors said there was nothing wrong, yet she still looks like this. Isn't this just a psychological problem? What's wrong with her? Isn't it that she can't bear to give up the title of the Xu family's eldest daughter? Otherwise, she wouldn't know why the Xu family wants her to leave, or why she's so sad. She's so insensible!
Without Wang Yalin at school, Xu Mengyao had a very relaxing day. In addition, Xu Zifan provided afternoon tea for the senior students and teachers, and everyone was very friendly to her. She could finally study in peace at this school without worrying about being bullied.
The following day was the weekend, and Xu Zifan planned to catch an evening flight to Myanmar. He had Xiao Qing pack Xu Mengyao's luggage, took her to the school to pick her up, and headed straight to the airport.
Wang Yalin confided her grievances to Qi Xiangheng and persuaded him to come to the Xu family home to find Xu Zifan over the weekend to help the siblings clear up their misunderstanding. But to her surprise, Xu Zifan actually wanted to take Xu Mengyao to Myanmar! She was stunned, feeling as if everything was out of her control, and the unease in her heart made her unable to eat or sleep.
Xu Zifan met up with Secretary Zhang at the airport. Xu Zhenhua, fearing he might act recklessly, had assigned the capable Secretary Zhang to him. Xu Zifan nodded to him, then waved in another direction, and four bodyguards came over.
Secretary Zhang was taken aback. "Young Master Xu, did you all go together?"
"Yes, I hired bodyguards. What if they find something valuable? Without bodyguards, wouldn't we just be waiting to be robbed?"
Secretary Zhang paused for a moment. The chairman had sent him to keep an eye on things and prevent Young Master Xu from losing too much. After all, Young Master Xu hadn't dabbled in jade gambling in recent years, and the chances of losing by relying on luck were too high. He hadn't expected Young Master Xu to be so ambitious. As his secretary, he'd better keep quiet and offer reminders only when necessary.