When Jiao Yuyin and Lu Yu walked back to the old villa, the dining room was already packed with people, some standing and some sitting.

Lu Yu linked arms with Jiao Yuyin, her smile slightly stiff.

A cacophony of voices entered my ears.

Mi Yang was having a lively conversation with a lady dressed in a purple cheongsam.

[This Mi Yang looks harmless, but who knows what he's up to with the old man behind our backs? He's definitely closer to Yu Chen.]

The elegant lady glanced up at the restaurant entrance and nodded with a smile to Mi Yang. Then, she said loudly with a beaming smile, "Little Yu, come in quickly." As she spoke, the elegant lady took Lu Yu's hand and led her to sit down on a wooden dining chair. "That Yu Yin, he didn't even help introduce her."

Jiao Yuyin sat down beside Lu Yu and spoke softly, "Big Sister."

"Big sister," Lu Yu greeted, mimicking Jiao Yuyin.

She had heard Jiao Yuyin mention that his eldest sister, Jiao Hua'an, was a smiling tiger, gentle and kind to everyone. If it weren't for Jiao Hua'an looking after him, Jiao Yushen wouldn't have the great situation he has today.

They had only exchanged two words, but Jiao Hua'an's every move perfectly captured the air of a noblewoman; even the smallest strand of hair exuded elegance and grace.

"If you ask me, athletes are just great. Look at their figures, they look good in anything." As soon as Jiao Hua'an finished speaking, the restaurant immediately fell silent.

Jiao Cheng, the head of the family, walked slowly into the restaurant, like a lion about to fall ill, with sharp eyes but difficult steps.

Mi Yang invited everyone to sit down and then sent someone upstairs to call the children down for dinner.

The rectangular wooden table was filled with people.

Jiao Cheng sat in the main seat.

To Jiao Cheng's right are Mi Yang, Jiao Yuwei, and his elder brother Jiao Yushen, a family of four.

To Jiao Cheng's left are, in order, his eldest sister Jiao Hua'an, his second brother Jiao Yuchen and his family of three, and Jiao Yuyin and Lu Yu.

Jiao Yuyin leaned back in his chair, one hand resting on the table. "Across from me is Mi Yang, my fourth brother, and my eldest brother and sister-in-law." He then leaned back slightly, making room for the people in the same seats. "This is my eldest sister, and my second brother and sister-in-law."

Mi Yang is too young, only thirty-one years old. The Jiao family can't call her "aunt" according to seniority, it's not feudal society anymore.

It's just that Jiao Cheng married too many women, and his children don't treat Mi Yang well, calling her by her first name as a matter of course.

Following Jiao Yuyin's rhythm, Lu Yu greeted everyone one by one.

Before Lu Yu could even breathe a sigh of relief, Jiao Yushen across from him looked rather dissatisfied and said to Jiao Yuyin, "You're quite the show-off. You make your whole family wait for you to have lunch."

Yesterday, Jiao Yuyin described his elder brother with four words: "a treacherous face." Jiao Yushen had deep frown lines between his eyebrows, and his eyes were always darting around, never missing a single detail.

It's common for the Jiao family to dig a hole with just a few words.

Jiao Yuyin scoffed, "Is it wrong for me to take my fiancée for a stroll in the poplar grove?"

...There was no movement at the dining table.

But a surge of emotions welled up within me.

[It's like bringing up a sore spot.]

[He's eating, and then he starts talking about his mother again. How unlucky!]

This spectacle might just scare the young star player away.

[...]

"I hope they won't find anything."

Lu Yu listened to the whispers coming from the dining table, and felt a chill run down her spine... She couldn't tell who was sending those whispers; the various thoughts were too chaotic, making her anxious and flustered.

"Eat properly!" Jiao Cheng's voice was deep, and he gave Jiao Yushen a warning look.

A gentle voice rang out: "Have Yu Yin and Xiao Yu set a date?"

"No, Dad will decide, or my second brother can decide if he wants to," Jiao Yuyin replied indifferently.

Jiao Yuyin was basically like a hedgehog in his family. As long as others didn't provoke him, he wouldn't deliberately embarrass them, except for his father, of course.

Jiao Yuchen chuckled: "Dad will definitely be willing to choose a date for you, I won't compete with him."

Jiao Yuchen's capable wife, Wang Hui, chimed in, "Yuyin and Xiaoyu can go about their business as they please. My sister-in-law and I are usually free, so we'll make sure you two have a perfect wedding. A good wedding is a way of showing respect to Dad, who dotes on Yuyin the most, so he can finally rest easy."

Lu Yu sighed, no wonder Jiao Yushen, despite having all the advantages of timing and location, couldn't smoothly take over the baton as the head of the Jiao family.

Jiao Yuchen appeared humble and gentle, with the demeanor of a refined gentleman. His wife, Wang Hui, was even more perceptive in her words and actions. With just a few words, she pleased Jiao Cheng and even won over his sister-in-law, inexplicably causing Mi Yang to become angry with Jiao Yuyin.

Lu Yu finally understood: on the surface, the Jiao family was a power struggle among the three brothers, while Mi Yang and his youngest son were watching from the sidelines.

In reality, the eldest and second eldest brothers were vying to win over people's hearts, while the others either took sides clearly like the eldest sister Jiao Hua'an, or like Jiao Yuyin and his mother and sons Mi Yang and Jiao Yuwei, they tried to find the right side or break away.

Jiao Yuyin was weak; whether from the outside or the inside, he was no match for his two older brothers.

[What's wrong with Yu Chen's wife? She promised to help Wei Wei, but now she's trying to please Yu Yin.]

Mi Yang's thoughts were very clear, and Lu Yu just lowered her head and drank her soup, not daring to make any move.

It seems Mi Yang has also chosen his team. Jiao Yuchen is indeed more popular than the eldest brother, Jiao Yushen.

Lu Yu was unaware of Jiao Yuyin's political leanings, and whether there was some hidden meaning behind his mother's death...

Lu Yu had just suppressed her chaotic thoughts when her sister-in-law Meng Qin's words showed her what it meant to be cunning and shrewish.

"Dad, how could I not do my best for Yu Yin and Xiao Yu's wedding? Who knows, the young couple might even give you your first grandson. Xiao Yu would be a great contributor to our family."

A single sword strike to the throat.

Lu Yu had heard Jiao Yuyin say that in the Jiao family genealogy, the name "Qi Jia" was used for three generations. The daughters used the character "Jia" and the sons used the character "Qi". The eldest grandson's name had already been decided in advance: Jiao Qi Xian.

Jiao Qixian has not yet been born. Jiao Yushen is thirty-nine years old and has two daughters. Jiao Yuchen is thirty-two years old and has one daughter.

In fact, the title of eldest grandson is a rather useless title and is of little importance in the selection of the Jiao family's successor.

But Meng Qinfei's words were like a veiled insult to everyone at the table. Lu Yu became the target of everyone's criticism for no reason.

Jiao Yuyin's laughter was chilling: "The wedding hasn't even taken place yet, and you're already dreaming. Do you even know what an athlete is? Playing basketball, for example. I don't know where you got all this nonsense from."

Jiao Yuyin brought up the phrase "athlete" that his elder sister Jiao Hua'an had used as a polite greeting, and stared at Meng Qin with sarcasm and ridicule.

Jiao Hua'an glanced at Meng Qin sideways.

The lunch was quite eventful.

Lu Yu also understood why Jiao Yuyin didn't like to stay at the old house for meals.

Who could possibly eat this? It'll make you suffer from indigestion after just one meal.

Lu Yu had barely eaten a few bites of rice when her mind became preoccupied. She was filled with worry about Jiao Yuyin's situation and the mystery surrounding his mother's death...