But then she thought about it again. With her brother around, this kind of opportunity was definitely better. Besides, Xu Jingzhi treated Xu Yao very well. As long as this matter was kept from Old Master Xu, there was no need to worry about her brother giving it away.

Maybe they can even help her deal with Nan Zhi.

When Nan Zhi and Shen Xingmian arrived at the Shen family.

Before even entering the door, I could hear Xu Yao's intermittent, pitiful sobs.

Shen Xingmian looked down at her and reached out to ruffle her hair. "Don't worry, Grandpa is very protective of his own."

It's impossible to make things difficult for a granddaughter-in-law just for the sake of a goddaughter.

Nan Zhi raised her head, gave Shen Xingmian a sweet smile, and her clear, bell-like voice rang out:

"I'm not worried at all. You just watch how I make her suffer in silence."

After saying that, he went inside first.

When Xu Yao saw Nan Zhi come in, she cried even harder.

Nan Zhi had no intention of giving her time to explain; she spoke with a somber expression:

"Cousin, you're back already! I've been looking for you everywhere in the city. My feet are practically blistered."

As he spoke, he walked with a limp, pretending to be quite the convincing person.

Shen Xingmian took a few steps forward and reached out to support Nanzhi.

Nanzhi looked up and winked at him. Not bad, you have good taste.

Old Shen had originally planned to try and reconcile Xu Yao if she had truly been wronged, but when he saw Nan Zhi limping in, he quickly stood up and anxiously asked:

"Zhizhi, is your foot alright? Should we call the doctor?"

Xu Yao: "......"

Xu Jingzhi: "..."

Nan Zhi was helped to sit down on the sofa by Shen Xingmian. She looked up at Old Master Shen and quickly shook her head, saying:

"Grandpa, don't worry, you'll be fine after a night's rest."

Hearing this, Old Master Shen was relieved and was helped to sit down by Butler Cai. Nan Zhi sat facing Xu Yao, who bit her lip and retorted:

"Cousin, I only let you go because you said you were going to the restroom. Who knew you would abandon me and run away? And now you're trying to frame me?"

Xu Yao wiped away her tears and argued sadly with Nan Zhi. She didn't believe that Grandpa Shen would abandon her for the sake of this so-called girlfriend of Shen Xingmian. Moreover, Xu Yao felt that with the connection of Old Xu, Old Shen wouldn't be too biased.

Ironically, she had just called Nanzhi "cousin," which surprised Old Shen.

"Zhizhi, are you and Yaoyao cousins?"

Nanzhi nodded indifferently.

Old Shen laughed even more heartily and looked at Xu Yao, saying:

"Yaoyao, since Zhizhi is your cousin, you're related by blood, so don't hold it against her."

After saying that, she looked at Nanzhi and said, "You too, don't hold it against your cousin. She might have misunderstood you, that's why she's crying so much."

Nanzhi's face was like a blooming peach blossom, her smile full of joy. "Since Grandpa says so, I won't hold it against my cousin, right, cousin?"

Xu Yao: "......"

She hadn't expected Old Master Shen to be so kind to Nanzhi, and his words even made it sound like she was being unreasonable.

Biting her lower lip, Xu Yao suddenly felt that she had suffered a great injustice. Xu Jingzhi, who was standing next to her, originally did not intend to say anything, after all, they were in the Shen family.

But now, he can't stand seeing his sister being targeted like this.

“Mr. Shen, although they are cousins, what you did was somewhat biased. When I arrived at the mall, it had been an hour since Nanzhi went to the restroom, and Yaoyao was standing there alone, being pointed at and talked about by everyone. We don’t intend to pursue this matter, but shouldn’t Nanzhi apologize to Yaoyao for leaving her without a word?”

Xu Jingzhi was simply stating the facts. He felt heartbroken whenever he thought about the look on Xu Yao's face when he saw her on the verge of tears.

Old Shen hadn't expected this, so he looked at Nan Zhi with a slightly troubled expression, and then at Xu Yao.

“Cousin, I don’t know what you mean by that? My cousin is being pointed at and gossiped about? Why should she be pointed at and gossiped about? She should just stay there quietly. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of people talking about someone while she’s in a shopping mall.”

Nan Zhi raised an eyebrow, looking at Xu Jingzhi with obvious confusion.

Xu Jingzhi frowned, and just as he was about to speak, Xu Yao stopped him, shook her head at him, and said that all the things she had bought were already at the hotel where Xu Jingzhi was staying.

If I were to say it out loud, Old Shen would definitely have a bad impression of her.

Xu Jingzhi had obviously thought of it, so he said:

"Don't change the subject. I'm asking where you went during that one hour."

Nan Zhi sighed sadly, "It was my fault for not thinking things through. Lin Youyou and Qin Xier, who are my friends, were both tired and hungry. I had no choice but to take them to the food court to buy some food. But the food court was too crowded, and we queued for a long time. By the time we got back, more than an hour had passed. Who knew my cousin had already left? I even bought you a lot of food, but in the end, it all went into the trash can. What a pity."

Xu Yao: "..." She gritted her teeth. Nan Zhi was simply despicable; she was subtly mocking her.

"Cousin, I... I definitely called you."

The girl looked at her innocently, tears still glistening in the corners of her eyes. Nanzhi was taken aback for a moment, then looked puzzled.

"You called me?"

Xu Yao's eyes reddened. "I did call. Your phone must have a record of it."

Nanzhi suddenly realized, "Oh, so that unfamiliar number was yours. I was buying snacks and didn't hear it. When I finally turned it on and saw it was an unfamiliar number, I thought it was a scam call and ignored it."

Hearing Nan Zhi's words, Xu Yao trembled with anger. She was filled with resentment, but Nan Zhi's explanation made sense. If she continued to argue, she would be making a scene.

After a long silence, under Elder Shen's watchful gaze, Xu Yao gritted her teeth inwardly before finally apologizing:

"I'm sorry, cousin, I thought you had left. I misunderstood you."

Nan Zhi smiled and acted magnanimous, "Cousin, you're overthinking it. Even if you almost ruined my leg, I won't blame you. After all, I'm your cousin."

Xu Yao: "......"

There was something stuck in her throat, unable to come up or go down, which shows how frustrated Xu Yao was at that moment.

"Since it's all a misunderstanding, don't hold it against us. Since everyone's here, let's have dinner here tonight. Jingzhi, you stay too."

Old Shen's aged eyes brightened instantly; as long as the harmony wasn't damaged, that was fine.

"Yaoyao, get along well with your cousin from now on, especially since you two are now even closer relatives."

His face was wrinkled from his bright smile, and his sudden words left Xu Yao momentarily stunned.

"What do you mean by 'marrying into a family'?"

Unable to resist asking, Old Master Shen, who was worried about not having a chance to speak, turned his head and glanced at Butler Cai behind him.