Chapter 162 She should call her Aunt Zhou.

Before Old Master Mo arrived, Zhou Xiao's mother had already accompanied the head of the Mo family to the meeting. Upon seeing Shi Jingsheng and Lin Yiluo seated at the table, the head of the Mo family exchanged a few warm greetings, his words tinged with a probing tone.

"Yi'an has raised this younger sister to be even more beautiful; Yi Luo is getting prettier every day. Jing Sheng is still the same as ever, as handsome as ever, but he's getting on in years, shouldn't he be thinking about settling down?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than he casually asked, "Yi Luo and Jing Sheng, did you two come together?"

Shi Jingsheng nodded with a smile, but there was a hint of understanding in his eyes.

He picked up his glass, took a sip, and slowly drank.

"Uncle Mo knows that Yi'an, Ziyuan, and I are very close, so close that we can share the same pants. I've been staying at Ziyuan's place for the past few days. Yi'an isn't home, and Ziyuan was worried that we'd have to make do with what we have, so he brought us over along."

The Mo family patriarch choked, his smile froze slightly—he was just casually probing, but this kid had said so much in one breath, even bringing up Mo Ziyuan as a shield, as if the two of them could really starve at home.

Little did he know, Shi Jingsheng had seen right through him. The Mo family head simply wanted to pair him up with Lin Yiluo, but Lin Yiluo was Ziyuan's person, and he couldn't let outsiders speculate.

After a pause, the Mohist leader changed the subject, asking in a seemingly casual manner.

"I see. By the way, isn't Ziyuan here? The banquet is about to start, where did that child go?"

"Hey, Uncle Mo, you don't know yet? Old Master Mo just called Ziyuan over, probably to talk about dividing the family property!" Shi Jingsheng said casually, but Lin Yiluo secretly glanced at him—how come she had never heard of this before?

The smile on the Mo family leader's face instantly faded, and he only maintained a superficial calm as he continued to ask questions.

"When were you called away?"

"Hmm, it's been a while." Shi Jingsheng picked up the wine glass on the table again, his fingertips tracing the rim of the glass, his tone unhurried.

These words struck Mo Ziyuan like a stone, causing him to suddenly realize that Mo Ziyuan had long since lost his heart. If the old man really gave all the inheritance to that kid, what place would he, as the head of the family, have left?

Thinking of this, he could no longer sit still. He stood up and forced a smile, saying, "Excuse me, Ziyuan and my father must have gotten along so well that they forgot the time. I'll go and call them over to start the banquet."

Watching the Mo family patriarch's hurried departure, Shi Jingsheng's smile deepened. This was exactly the effect he wanted—hurry, the more anxious the better, ideally making the old man restless and uneasy.

The Mo family patriarch had just lifted his foot to the threshold when footsteps sounded behind him—Mo Ziyuan was steadily helping the old master Mo in. His gaze fell on their clasped hands, and the Mo family patriarch's heart clenched with anxiety, his already pounding heart sinking even further.

He quickly stopped and greeted them with a smile.

"Father, Ziyuan, you've finally arrived."

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Master Mo's gaze swept over with a hint of meaning, making the head of the Mo family feel a tightness in his back and even subconsciously soften his breathing.

"Let's begin the banquet." Old Master Mo spoke calmly, his tone devoid of emotion, yet exuding an undeniable authority.

"Yes," the Mo family leader hurriedly replied.

As soon as the old man sat down, everyone present quickly stood up to exchange pleasantries, and the scene instantly became lively. However, Old Master Mo waved his hand, his voice not loud but clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"It's a family banquet, no need for formalities, please sit down."

As soon as everyone sat down, Old Master Mo's gaze swept over the head of the Mo family and he asked, "Where are your sons and daughters?"

The Mo family patriarch knew that the old man was asking about Zhou Xiao and Zhou Li, so he quickly gave Madam Zhou a wink. Madam Zhou only belatedly realized that her children were not there, and was about to call the steward to look for them when she saw Zhou Xiao and Zhou Li slowly walk in.

Zhou Xiao had clearly dressed up carefully; her dress made her stand out, a stark contrast to her appearance that afternoon. She stepped forward and softly called out, "Grandpa."

Grandpa Mo merely glanced at her indifferently, without any further reaction.

Madam Zhou quickly smoothed things over, her tone tinged with reproach: "Why are you so late?"

Zhou Xiao, however, remained calm and explained with a smile.

"We hadn't seen Grandpa in a long time, and we were worried that he was still upset about the broken vase this afternoon, so Lili and I went to prepare a gift for him."

As they spoke, the two presented a delicate walking stick.

Upon seeing this, Madam Zhou's face instantly lit up with a smile, and she quickly took over the conversation.

"Our Xiaoxiao and Lili are so sensible; they still remember Grandpa's feelings!"

Seeing this, the people around also began to flatter her—"Madam Zhou is so lucky to have raised such thoughtful children!" "This cane is just what the old man wanted; it's obvious that he put a lot of thought into it!" The flattering words rose and fell, and the atmosphere in the banquet hall became lively again.

As soon as the butler put the cane away, Zhou Xiao leaned forward, his tone deliberately concerned.

"Grandpa, please don't take it to heart that the vase broke this afternoon. Miss Lin is young and may not know how much you cherish that item. When I have the chance, I will definitely find you a better one to replace it."

These words were ostensibly meant to advise the old man, but subtly aimed at Lin Yiluo. Before Mo Ziyuan could speak, Shi Jingsheng interrupted, his tone tinged with coldness.

"Since Yi'an isn't here, I've always treated Yi Luo like my own sister. Feel free to speak your mind."

He looked up at Zhou Xiao, his eyes sharp: "Miss Mo, you say that Yi Luo broke the vase, do you have any evidence? Don't make baseless accusations."

Zhou Xiao's face turned pale, her eyes instantly reddened, and her voice trembled with tears.

"Brother Jingsheng, I...I'm your sister too, how can you say that to me?"

"My sister?" Shi Jingsheng scoffed, his gaze sweeping over the head of the Mo family beside him. "Uncle Mo is here too. Logically speaking, I shouldn't disrespect the Mo family, but I've always been straightforward—Yi Luo can be my sister because her brother is my brother, but what about you?"

He paused, his tone growing colder.

"You want to be my sister? I wouldn't dare accept that. First of all, you and Ziyuan are not related by blood. Secondly, I don't know you at all. Don't you agree, Miss Mo?"

These words were like a slap in the face to the Mo family. Everyone present had mixed feelings, but Old Master Mo sat upright, his expression unchanged.

Madam Zhou clenched her handkerchief tightly, her chest aching with suppressed anger, but she dared not vent her anger in public and could only force herself to speak.

“Young Master Shi is right, Xiaoxiao is being immature, but it is a fact that Miss Lin broke the vase.”

After a long silence, Mo Ziyuan suddenly lowered his head, a soft laugh escaping his lips: "Heh."

The laugh wasn't loud, but it instantly drew everyone's attention. He raised his eyes and swept across the room, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable power.

"She's just a pretty face, there's no need to make a fuss about it, but since someone insists on bringing it up, let's make it clear: although there's no CCTV there, there were a lot of people at the banquet today, surely some of the waiters saw what happened?"

He looked at the butler, his voice clear.

"Butler, why don't we just ask the waiters here? That way we'll know the truth."

The color drained from Zhou Xiao's face instantly, and her eyes filled with panic.

"Brother, isn't it a bit unnecessary to make such a fuss? It's just a vase. Grandpa didn't even pursue it, so why should we make a fuss?"

As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Grandpa Mo, hoping he would speak up and smooth things over. But Grandpa Mo remained seated, his eyelids slightly lowered, and he didn't say a single word of reconciliation.

The butler stepped forward and respectfully replied, "Miss, it's no trouble at all. I'll go check right away."

Shi Jingsheng leaned back in his chair, casually draping his arm over Mo Ziyuan's chair back, a playful smile in his eyes.

"Miss Mo, you can't say that. It's not right to wrong someone for no reason. We should find out the truth soon enough."

Madam Zhou noticed her daughter's strange expression early on. She knew her daughter too well; this flustered look clearly indicated that she had something to hide. Zhou Xiao also became anxious and secretly gave her mother a pleading look before gently shaking her head.

Madam Zhou was both angry and anxious, but she could only pretend to be calm and suddenly stood up.

"You guys chat first. I see the dishes from the kitchen haven't all been served yet, so I'll go and urge them."

She had just turned to leave when Shi Jingsheng's voice caught up with her: "Mrs. Zhou!"

Mo Ziyuan turned his head to look at him, a smile in his eyes, and gently corrected him.

"Jing Sheng, you've got the wrong name. You should call her Aunt Zhou."