After Song Yuan finished speaking, she still remembered to tell her empress and Nuo Mi every single word, asking them to help review whether she was worth Xiao Yu's high salary offer!
When Xiao Yu came out, he noticed his mother's expression was very displeased.
Without asking, he knew his mother had been angered by Song Yuan again.
In contrast, Song Yuan shrugged innocently.
She really hadn't.
Xiao Yu, however, smiled and didn't take it to heart.
He knew his mother's temperament. If she were willing to yield even a little, she wouldn't have been separated from his father for so long.
It was true that Father Xiao was a philanderer, but he wasn't a complete scoundrel. Later, he had shown signs of wanting to reconcile, but Xie Wenhan was adamant about not getting back together. However, she couldn't truly be carefree. Seeing Xiao Yu had a new girlfriend only deepened her resentment, which also destined her own romantic life to be less than smooth.
Over time, her son became her sole focus, and she even concerned herself with his romantic affairs.
As the food was ready, Xiao Yu invited his mother to the table. "Mom, please taste it. Xiaoyuan made all of this."
Song Yuan: "..."
Cheating so obviously, she could barely handle it.
Fortunately, having spent time with Xia Weiliang, she had learned to adapt to circumstances.
Xie Wenhan shot her son a glare. "My eyesight isn't failing."
Xiao Yu smiled. "That's because Mom is so young!"
Xie Wenhan didn't want to talk to this useless son anymore.
Seeing a plate of blackened dish on the table, she frowned. "What is this thing?"
Just as Xiao Yu was about to speak, Song Yuan couldn't let him take the blame. She immediately said, "You can also consider it not a thing."
Xiao Yu glanced at her, his lips twitching slightly.
Xie Wenhan pursed her lips. Her upbringing prevented her from exploding at a stranger. She turned and berated her son, "You can't even cook a dish, what else can you do? Are you expecting me to serve you in the future?"
"Uh..."
Xiao Yu was extremely embarrassed. Anyone could see that his mother was directing her anger at someone.
But when he looked up, he saw Song Yuan diligently eating her own plate of food.
He was startled and quickly stopped her. "Xiaoyuan, don't eat that."
Song Yuan shook her head. "A practitioner of martial arts isn't so particular. As long as it's food, it shouldn't be wasted."
Xie Wenhan looked at her.
"Then give it to me, I like to eat it," Xiao Yu immediately took the plate and started eating.
"You won't get used to it, give it to me instead."
"It's fine, I'll get used to it as I eat."
"Then together."
Song Yuan simply sat next to him, and the two quickly finished the plate of food.
Xie Wenhan sat there, holding her teacup and slowly taking a sip of water.
After putting down the cup, she picked up her chopsticks. "Let's eat."
The meal was eaten harmoniously, and she didn't provoke Song Yuan anymore.
Finally, even Xiao Yu noticed and quietly said as they were leaving, "My mom seems to be accepting you a little."
Song Yuan glanced at him emotionlessly. "A good thing?"
"How could it not be a good thing! She rarely approves of anyone! Really, I always worry about my future wife, how hard her life will be under my mom's watch!"
Seeing the man's concerned expression, Song Yuan said bluntly, "Don't forget why you sought me out. Make her dislike me so she'll let you go. If she thinks I'm fine, then the problem is with you."
Xiao Yu didn't say anything, just stared at her blankly.
Song Yuan raised an eyebrow. "What, you want your money back? And then have me look down on you with my fists?"
The man chuckled. "No, no, I just feel like you're quite talkative today."
Song Yuan merely raised an eyebrow slightly, not agreeing with the word "talkative."
"That was the empress, not me."
She turned and walked away.
Xiao Yu smiled and followed. "You're also very good when you're not talking."
Song Yuan glanced at him sideways, then thought for a moment and said, "Don't get too invested in the role."
She didn't truly believe he had any feelings for her, but such rich young masters were often fickle and prone to self-deception.
"I'll give you a ride."
"No need."
"My mom is watching."
"..."
After seeing her back to her apartment complex, Xiao Yu politely got out of the car and opened the door for Song Yuan.
"Thank you for your hard work today."
Song Yuan didn't say anything but stared at a car across the road.
Following her gaze, Xiao Yu also saw it.
"That's..."
"Your brother's car."
Song Yuan knew exactly which of Xiao Yi's cars were which and their license plates.
"Heh, probably came to find the empress."
Song Yuan didn't care and turned to go inside.
Xiao Yu glanced at his fourth brother's car again. Just as he was about to leave, someone got out of the car opposite.
"Sixth Young Master, over here, over here..."
Yan Zhi waved his small hand at him.
Xiao Yu smiled and quickly walked over.
"Where's Fourth Brother?"
As the car door opened, Xiao Yi sat inside and glanced at him. "Get in."
Once Xiao Yu got in, he said, "I say, Fourth Brother, are you really past your prime? Before, you were too busy to be seen, but now, as long as I come to the empress's place to find you, I'm guaranteed to catch you."
Xiao Yi slowly said, "What have you been busy with lately?"
Xiao Yu leaned into his ear, deliberately lowering his voice to create a sense of mystery. "A major life event!"
Xiao Yi raised an eyebrow. "Finding a girl to conspire with to trick your mom?"
"You already know all about it!"
Xiao Yu said helplessly, "In short, I'm not going to go on blind dates with the women she arranges, let alone marry them. If possible, I'd rather pick a man."
"Well, I look forward to your feat."
Xiao Yu frowned. "Fourth Brother, if you really have no more acting gigs, maybe I can invest in one for you."
He was too idle!
So idle that he came to watch his younger brother make a fool of himself.
Xiao Yi put away his jest and asked, "We're going back to the old house tonight, you're coming too."
"Why?"
Xiao Yu was not very willing. "Grandpa is too scary."
Once caught, he would lecture incessantly, with that air of wanting to pass on the throne. All the Xiao brothers dreaded it.
"So, isn't it strange for me to go back alone?"
Xiao Yu was taken aback and looked up at his Fourth Brother. "Is something going on?"
"We'll talk about it when we get there."
That evening, Xiao Yi returned to the old house.
As soon as he entered, he saw Xiao Yu sitting in the garden, idly playing with a dog.
Xiao Yi's expression showed satisfaction. "Let's go in."
Xiao Yu resignedly followed his Fourth Brother.
Upon entering, the butler Lin Guanyan greeted them. "Fourth Young Master, Sixth Young Master, why do you two have time to return today?"
Xiao Yi stepped aside, yielding the center position to Xiao Yu. "He said he met a girl recently and insisted on coming back to tell Grandpa. It's fine that he came back, but he insisted on dragging me along."
Xiao Yu: "?!"
Are brothers meant to be sold out like this?
He felt so cheap!
Could they perhaps slightly increase his value?
Lin Guanyan looked at Xiao Yu again. He took a deep breath and smiled. "Yes!"
"Heh heh, I heard before that the Sixth Young Master was very close to a certain young lady. I thought it was just a rumor, but I didn't expect it to be true. The Old Master will surely be very happy when he finds out."
Xiao Yu chuckled. "I've only just taken her to see my mom, and you already know?"
Xiao Yi lowered his gaze and said unhurriedly, "Uncle Lin's news is always very well-informed."