Jiang Tianzong acted swiftly and decisively, and yesterday he had already arranged for people to prepare invitations for the family reunion banquet and send them to prominent families in S City's high society.

This morning I gave him a task: to arrange a nice dress for Nan Yuanman to wear to the banquet tomorrow, so that she wouldn't have to continue wearing those tattered shoes and embarrassing herself.

Jiang Lixuan pursed his lips, tightened his grip on Nan Yuanman's wrist slightly, and said to her, "Of course, not just the little dress. Tell your uncle what you like, and your uncle will buy it for you."

Nan Yuanman is five years old and has never been to a shopping mall.

In the past, there were no good conditions in the countryside. Even if there was an opportunity to go to the city, it was to help my grandfather run the coffin shop business.

Occasionally, Grandpa Nan would take her to the supermarket to buy some snacks that kids like. As for clothes, as long as she has something to wear, that's fine.

Hearing Jiang Lixuan say this, Nan Yuanman was quite interested and happily went to the mall with him.

When Nan Yuanman arrived at the mall, she discovered that the people there were not only her and Jiang Lixuan, but also Jiang Yueyao and her daughter, whom she disliked.

Jiang Xinxin was also unhappy to see Nan Yuanman. When she saw Jiang Lixuan holding her hand and not even glancing at her, she became even more unhappy and gave her a loud snort.

Jiang Lixuan paused for a moment, then frowned slightly: "What are you all doing here?"

Jiang Yueyao's smile faltered slightly, concealing her displeasure at Jiang Lixuan, and she said calmly, "Young man, Dad said that you're a grown man, and you probably don't know what kind of girls like, so he asked me to bring Xinxin over to help Yuanman choose one."

As she spoke, she seemed to have completely forgotten all the unpleasantness that had happened with Nan Yuanman before. She squatted down in front of her and asked her with exceptional gentleness, "Yuanman, what kind of little dress do you like? Auntie will help you choose one."

Jiang Xinxin pouted, grabbed Jiang Yueyao's skirt unhappily, and glared at Nan Yuanman: "No! Mom, you have to choose for me first!"

Jiang Lixuan frowned slightly, then led Nan Yuanman inside first: "You help Xinxin choose first, I'll take Yuanman in to browse around."

Nan Yuanman followed with her short legs, but before she could take two steps, Jiang Xinxin got anxious, ran forward, and spread her arms to block Jiang Lixuan.

Jiang Lixuan: "?"

His expression darkened slightly: "Jiang Xinxin, what are you doing?"

“Uncle.” Jiang Xinxin was startled by his expression and shrank back slightly, but she still stubbornly refused to leave. She looked at him and said, “You help me choose one too.”

Before Jiang Lixuan could refuse, Jiang Xinxin hurriedly said, "You always helped me choose my little dresses before. Uncle, now that you have a new older sister, you don't want me anymore?"

Jiang Xinxin has been feeling very frustrated these past few days. Her uncle, who used to love playing with her and teasing her, is now ignoring her and treating her very coldly.

On the contrary, his growing interest in Nan Yuanman made Jiang Xinxin very anxious, and she couldn't help but say it now.

Jiang Yueyao also sighed and looked at Jiang Lixuan with a slightly sad expression: "Brother, if you still have a grudge about what happened that morning, Xinxin and I can apologize to Yuanman again."

“It’s just that Xinxin is still young and she’s very sensitive. Don’t treat her coldly, or she’ll be sad. I…” Jiang Yueyao’s eyes reddened slightly. She blinked and said softly, “I will too.”

Jiang Xinxin felt a pang of sadness and couldn't help but step forward to grasp Nan Yuanman's hand, her voice trembling with tears as she said, "Sister Yuanman, what happened before was my fault. I shouldn't have treated you like that. I'm sorry. Can you please stop taking my uncle away and give him back to me?"

"I'm begging you."

The mother and daughter's singing, recitation, and acting quickly attracted the attention of nearby sales assistants, who pretended to be very busy but actually listened intently to the gossip.

Upon hearing Jiang Xinxin's tearful words, the sales assistants looked at Nan Yuanman with a strange expression.

Jiang Lixuan also felt a little uneasy.

No matter what, Jiang Xinxin was someone he had watched grow up since childhood. Jiang Lixuan couldn't be too cold to her, but...

He can no longer treat her with the same wholehearted devotion as before.

Looking at Jiang Xinxin's red eyes and pitiful appearance, Jiang Lixuan felt a pang of tenderness. Just as he was about to speak, Nan Yuanman, with a confused expression, asked, "When did I steal your little uncle?"

“My mother is Jiang Lixuan’s biological sister, and I am his niece. He is my uncle, so there’s no need for me to compete with you for him.”

Jiang Xinxin's tearful expression faltered slightly, and Jiang Yueyao's expression also stiffened for a moment.

Jiang Lixuan quickly realized what was going on. Recalling what Jiang Xinxin and Jiang Yueyao had said earlier, he felt something was increasingly off. He looked at Jiang Xinxin with a serious expression: "Xinxin, who told you that Yuanman stole your little uncle?"

Jiang Xinxin's eyes glanced at Jiang Yueyao for a moment without her noticing. She opened her mouth but didn't dare to say anything.

Jiang Lixuan: "Listen carefully, you and Yuanman are both your uncle's nieces, so there's no question of you fighting over each other."

Jiang Xinxin shrank back in fright, and said in a low, aggrieved voice, "I know..."

Jiang Lixuan glanced at Jiang Yueyao, who couldn't help but clench her fist, her sharp fingertips digging into her palm. She took a light breath and said, "How about this, little brother, why don't you let Xinxin take Yuanman to see them? With two girls, Xinxin should know better what kind of dress Yuanman would like."

"Perfect, it'll also give the two girls a chance to calm down."

Jiang Lixuan listened and thought it made some sense. He looked down at Nan Yuanman and asked for her opinion: "Yuanman, what do you think?"

Nan Yuanman had no objection to this: "Either is fine." Even without Jiang Xinxin accompanying her, she could shop by herself.

Where is Xinxin?

After being scolded twice by Jiang Lixuan, Jiang Xinxin dared not show any more hostility towards Nan Yuanman. She forced a sweet smile and said, "Okay, I will help Sister Yuanman choose one."

Jiang Lixuan felt relieved, released his grip on Nan Yuanman's hand, and gently pushed her back: "Go."

Nan Yuanman glanced at Jiang Xinxin, ignored her, and ran inside with small steps. Jiang Xinxin pouted, looked at her longingly, and then reluctantly followed.

As soon as the two children left, Jiang Yueyao couldn't hold back anymore. She stepped forward, her soft, slightly cool fingertips grasping Jiang Lixuan's hand, and said with a wronged tone, "Brother, why have you been so cold to me lately? Did I do something wrong?"

"If Yao Yao does anything wrong, please tell me, okay? I'll change..."

Jiang Lixuan stiffened, coldly pulling his hand away from Jiang Yueyao's, and asked her in a complicated voice, "You really don't know what you did?"

Jiang Yueyao looked completely innocent: "I don't know."

She had been spoiled by the Jiang family for years, and Jiang Lixuan had always been very accommodating to her. She was also confident that she could keep her tail between her legs, so she never expected that Jiang Lixuan would take the initiative to investigate her.

Looking at Jiang Yueyao's innocent expression, Jiang Lixuan felt a sudden chill and anger rise in his heart. He could no longer control himself, staring intently at her and lowering his voice: "You're still pretending to be stupid!"

"Jiang Yueyao, do you really not know how my tendons were severed back then?"