"Then I want to eat spicy pig ear slices, braised pork with soy sauce, steamed pork ribs with rice flour, eggplant with fish flavor, twice-cooked pork, and pork rib and tofu soup with bean sprouts. I'd also like some spicy prawns."
Murong Xiao: "None of these either."
Xiang Jin stopped in her tracks: "Then Sichuan-style chicken, steamed fish, and shredded beef with cilantro should be fine, right?"
Murong Xiao: "These are still not available."
"So, are we going to eat or not?" She stopped, let go of his hand, and pouted as she looked at him.
"Only the old man made the dumplings himself, do you want some?"
"Eat, of course I'll eat!" she said with a beaming smile. "Did Grandpa call for Dad and Mom? Are the other relatives from the Murong family here too? This outfit doesn't look good on me, maybe I should go home and change. And this hair of mine, it hasn't been washed in three days..."
Murong Xiao opened the car door and shoved her into the car: "So what if my daughter-in-law is a little ugly? There's no chance to change her. Let them make do with her for now."
Xiang Jin: "...Speak properly."
Murong Xiao said seriously, "Oh, that's not what I meant. It's just what you interpreted it literally."
Xiang Jin: "..."
Things have changed! The bigwigs of Beijing's elite circles have started spouting nonsense. Could they be possessed by some other spirit?
…………
Half a month later, Xiang Qi's news spread throughout the streets and alleys of Huadu.
Xiang Qi was sentenced to ten years in prison for impulsive murder and drunk driving.
The once arrogant and talented young woman has fallen into despair, becoming a despised and reviled convict. To curse someone's family to have a daughter like Xiang Qi is considered more malicious than wishing their entire family to die. The Xiang Group, once again dragged down by her, has begun selling off its shares.
Xiang Deming contacted Xiang Jin several times, but Xiang Jin refused each time.
Until Xiang Deming approached Bai Ningshuang.
Having no other choice, Xiang Jin stepped in and said to Xiang Deming, "I will not help you, nor will I let Murong Xiao help you. This is all your own fault. If you don't want the Xiang Group to die even faster, then come find me."
"Ah Jin, you also came from the Xiang family. The Xiang family has been kind to you, you can't just ignore them, can you? Dad has never mistreated you." Xiang Deming began to play the victim.
“If you hadn’t stood by and done nothing, would my life have been any better? Xiang Deming, do you dare say you did nothing wrong?”
She didn't want to say anything more, and pulled Bai Ningshuang away.
After Bai Ningshuang moved, Sun Yanqing packed her things. Sun Yanqing said that she had an empty apartment and could move in. However, only two days after moving in, Gu Feiyang took her and her luggage away, which made Sun Yanqing furious.
"Ah Jin, is there any way to get rid of these two troublesome pests?" That afternoon, Xiang Jin and Murong Xiao were preparing to attend the Murong family's banquet. On the phone, Bai Ning Shuang was complaining incessantly about what Sun Yan Qing and Gu Fei Yang had done, her voice even changing with anger.
"Why don't you come and live with me? Those two wouldn't dare to cause trouble here."
Murong Xiao, who had overheard the gossip, cleared his throat and coughed several times.
"Forget it, your Lord Xiao would probably kill me anyway. Forget it, I'd better go back to my hometown and hide for a few days."
After hanging up the phone, the two arrived at the Murong family mansion.
Although it was a family dinner, three or four tables of people from the Murong family were present, with adults and children making a lively scene. Xiang Jin felt a little lost looking at these unfamiliar faces, but Murong Xiao took her hand and led her straight to the front.
"Young master, madam."
"Ah Xiao and Ah Jin are back."
"Come and sit down, the old man got a new painting, everyone's talking about it."
Murong Xiao, arm in arm with Xiang Jin, walked up to the old man in full view of everyone. Even Lin Anrong, who usually looked at her with disdain, became much more amiable.
Forget it, what does it matter if she's a lady from a prestigious family or a noblewoman? Her son only has eyes for this penniless nobody, what can she do? The Murong family is basically under his control now, he's a man of his word, why should she make things too difficult for her son over this?
The others were also adept at reading the room and knew that the old man didn't care too much about Xiang Jin's background, so they accepted her on the surface. As for what they really thought, that was anyone's guess.
"Sister-in-law, come here quickly!"
At this moment, a little girl of about ten years old squeezed out from the crowd and pulled Xiang Jin forward.
The little girl walked too fast, and Xiang Jin had no choice but to let go of Murong Xiao's hand. Murong Xiao's expression changed slightly, and he quickly followed. He tapped the little girl's head with a stern face: "Aying, if you're naughty again, your brother will beat you."
Murong Ying stuck out her tongue: "Are you trying to threaten me again? I'm not afraid of your threats at all. I just brought my sister-in-law to see a painting, why are you so nervous? Besides, my sister-in-law hasn't said anything, why are you so upset?"
Looking at the little girl's cute and adorable appearance, Xiang Jin smiled and ruffled Murong Ying's hair: "Exactly."
"Sister-in-law, after we finish looking at the painting, I'll tell you about all the embarrassing things my brother did." Murong Ying's eyes darted around, showing a clever and quick-witted side.
Murong Xiao said in a deep voice, "I'm still here. Murong Ying, you better watch out."
"Why are you being so fierce? Don't scare the child."
Why is Ah Jin siding with outsiders? Murong Xiao frowned: "This is my uncle's daughter, his youngest child, she's always been mischievous. How could such a small noise scare her? Murong Ying, you come here!"
Murong Ying stuck her tongue out at him and pulled Xiang Jin even further away.
Soon, they ran to a painting, and Murong Ying led her through the crowd.
"Sister-in-law, tell me what makes this painting so good."
Xiang Jin looked at the painting in front of her and fell silent.
"Well... I really don't know what's so good about it, I... can't comment." After all, who would praise their own painting?
The painting in front of me is the one that was all the rage in the art world not long ago, "The Umbrella." I never expected it to end up in the Murong family's possession.
“Isn’t Ah Jin from an art background? How could someone in this field not understand appreciation? Could it be that she just doesn’t want to talk about it?” said the wife of the third son of the Murong family.
The old man next to him coughed, his face looking rather unwell.
"Third Aunt, don't say that. Even people who understand art might not be able to appreciate it. After all, everyone's level of appreciation and ability are different." Another wealthy woman chimed in. Her face was kind, seemingly helping Xiang Jin, but in reality, she was mocking her lack of appreciation.
The old man's expression darkened further.
"If Jin'er can't comment, then she can leave." The old man didn't want to lose face. He had bought this painting at a high price, and he liked it very much. Naturally, he wouldn't allow anyone to say that the painting was bad, and he certainly wouldn't allow someone without the expertise to make a random comment on it.
"You're the ones who wanted her to judge the paintings, and you're the ones who said she couldn't. You're all really laughable." Murong Xiao sneered, and the hall immediately fell silent; no one dared to speak.
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