At exactly seven o'clock in the morning, in the main dining room of the Ning family villa, the crystal chandelier illuminated the entire space with dazzling brilliance.
Ning Xiwan stood at the door of the restaurant, calmly looking at this extremely unfamiliar environment that she should be familiar with.
"Miss, please take a seat." The butler respectfully pulled out the chair to the right of the main seat.
Ning Xiwan nodded slightly and walked towards the designated location at a leisurely pace.
She could feel the eyes of the other three people in the restaurant focused on her - the scrutinizing gaze of her father Ning Yuanshan, the expectant look of her mother Ji Qinglan, and the undisguised hostility of Ning Xiuheng who was sitting opposite her.
"Where's Xiuyuan?" Ning Yuanshan glanced at his watch with an unhappy tone.
"The eldest young master said there was an urgent matter at the company, so he left first." The butler answered in a low voice.
Ning Xiwan noticed that Ning Xiuheng had a mocking smile on his face, and he was obviously quite dissatisfied with his absent elder brother.
She calmly picked up the napkin and spread it on her knees, her eyes sweeping over the exquisite tableware in front of her - three silver knives of different sizes, four forks of different uses, two spoons, and a row of cutlery she couldn't name.
"Xi Wan, try this blueberry muffin. The kitchen prepared it specially for you." Ji Qinglan pushed a plate of golden muffins in front of her, his eyes full of anticipation.
"Thank you, Mom." Ning Xiwan picked up the smallest fork and was about to start when she heard a sneer from the other side.
"You can't even use the tableware correctly. You must have grown up in the outside world." Ning Xiuheng shook the red teacup in his hand with a look of contempt.
The atmosphere in the restaurant froze instantly. Ning Xiwan's fingers paused for a moment, then she casually switched to a slightly larger fork, picked up a piece of pancake, and put it into her mouth.
"It's delicious." She smiled at Ji Qinglan, completely ignoring Ning Xiuheng's provocation.
Ning Yuanshan frowned and glanced at his second son: "Xiuheng, watch your words."
Ning Xiuheng shrugged and stopped talking, but the hostility in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
Just then, the restaurant door was gently pushed open and Ning Yunmeng walked in.
"I'm sorry I'm late." Her voice was sweet, with an apologetic smile on her face. "I stayed up too late studying last night and got up late this morning."
"Yunmeng, come and sit down." Ji Qinglan's expression immediately softened and he pointed to the seat next to Ning Xiwan.
"Sister, good morning." Ning Yunmeng sat down beside her with an impeccably sweet smile. "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Not bad, thank you for your concern." Ning Xiwan smiled back, and at the same time noticed that Ning Yunmeng's gaze lingered on her plain T-shirt and jeans for a second, and a hint of contempt flashed in his eyes.
Breakfast continued in a seemingly calm atmosphere, with the waiter bringing out fried eggs, bacon, fresh fruits, and various breads.
Ning Xiwan ate quietly while observing everyone at the table.
"Sister, try this shrimp dumpling." Ning Yunmeng suddenly used the serving chopsticks to pick up a crystal clear shrimp dumpling and placed it on Ning Xiwan's plate. "This is the most famous dim sum made by our chef at home."
Ning Xiwan was about to thank him when she heard Ning Xiuheng sneer, "She's allergic to seafood."
Ning Yunmeng's hands froze in mid-air, a trace of panic flashing across her face: "Ah... I'm sorry, sister, I didn't know..."
"It's okay." Ning Xiwan said calmly, and at the same time noticed a hint of pride in Ning Xiuheng's eyes - he obviously knew about this a long time ago.
Ji Qinglan looked at his daughter in surprise: "Xiwan, you are allergic to seafood? Why didn't you tell me earlier? I'll ask someone to change the breakfast right away."
"Don't bother, Mom." Ning Xiwan pushed the shrimp dumplings to the edge of the plate. "I'll just eat something else."
Ning Yuanshan put down his coffee cup and glanced between Ning Xiuheng and Ning Yunmeng: "Xiuheng, how do you know Xiwan is allergic?"
Ning Xiuheng leaned lazily back in his chair. "She said it herself at dinner yesterday. Dad just didn't notice."
Ning Xiwan raised her eyebrows - she had clearly said "I'm not allergic" yesterday, this second brother was lying with his eyes open.
"Is that so, Xiwan?" Ning Yuanshan turned to her.
Ning Xiwan put down her fork and looked Ning Xiuheng straight in the eye: "No, what I said yesterday was 'I'm not allergic.'"
The atmosphere in the restaurant instantly became tense. Ning Xiuheng narrowed his eyes, Ning Yunmeng looked at the two of them nervously, and Ji Qinglan clenched his napkin in worry.
"Xiu Heng!" Ning Yuanshan's voice was stern.
Ning Xiuheng shrugged: "Maybe I heard it wrong."
Ning Xiwan noticed that when he said this, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and it was obvious that he was not sincerely admitting his mistake.
"Okay, okay," Ji Qinglan quickly tried to smooth things over. "Xi Wan, the weather is nice today. Do you want to go to the pool and bask in the sun? You just got back, you should relax."
Ning Xiwan was about to answer when Ning Xiuheng stood up and said, "That's great. I want to go swimming too."
He looked at Ning Xiwan provocatively, with a sneer on his face: "Sister, do you want to come with us?"
Ning Xiwan slowly wiped the corner of her mouth and smiled back, "Okay, I just want to move around."
Their eyes met in the air, sparks flying.
An hour later, Ning Xiwan changed into a loose white T-shirt and black sports shorts and walked barefoot to the outdoor swimming pool in the backyard. The sun was shining, and the pool surface was shimmering. Several comfortable lounge chairs and parasols were placed around it.
Ning Xiuheng was already there, wearing only swimming trunks, sunbathing on the lounge chair closest to the pool. He wore sunglasses, his sturdy figure glowing with health in the sun. He made no move to get up when he heard footsteps.
"Second brother seems quite relaxed." Ning Xiwan chose a recliner two meters away from him and sat down, then picked up the freshly squeezed orange juice on the table and took a sip.
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