After hearing Xu Shiyue's words, Aunt Sun asked the maid to bring in Aunt Xu and Xu Minjun from outside.
Both mother and daughter wore expensive silk scarves around their necks, but they didn't seem to be decorations; rather, they were concealments, concealing their identities.
—These were originally meant to be worn on their heads, along with sunglasses to cover their strikingly beautiful faces. Beneath the glamour lay a deep sense of desolation.
They used to desperately want people to remember them and recognize them.
They desperately want no one to recognize them right now.
Although she was in an unfamiliar environment she had never been to before, Aunt Xu was not particularly nervous.
Her hand was gripping the handle of her handbag, and she was also carrying something quite heavy—a large black box.
Lu Shizhen was rather curious about what this thing was, since it wasn't hard to guess why they had come to see Xu Shiyue today.
Could it be other jewelry and ornaments that Xu Shiyue's mother was robbed of by this mother and daughter?
But could simply returning the item to its rightful owner shake Xu Shiyue's desire for revenge?
Compared to the disdain and arrogance that Lu Shizhen saw at the banquet entrance, Aunt Xu, who was invited in, had a smile on her face.
She even managed to exchange a knowing smile with Lu Shizhen when she noticed Lu Shizhen looking at her.
The smile was extremely obsequious, tinged with humility amidst her dejection, leaving Lu Shizhen unsure how to respond. She simply turned her gaze back in silence.
The financial news had finished broadcasting the incident involving Xu Shouxian's land, and then started playing something that Lu Shizhen couldn't understand.
She watched as the protagonist of the news from the previous second walked into her home's conference room, marking the question that had been on her mind with an "X".
That's impossible.
Whether it's humility or flattery, unless they bring a miraculous medicine to revive Xu Shiyue's parents, no one can let go of the hatred for killing their father and mother.
Thinking this, Lu Shizhen noticed that Xu Shiyue was still sitting opposite her without moving, and couldn't help but wonder: "Aren't you going?"
Xu Shiyue slowly ate the breakfast on her plate and said, "I'll finish breakfast with you."
Upon hearing this, Lu Shizhen raised an eyebrow, her mouth beating her brain: "Looks like I'm ahead of them in the order."
“Yes,” Xu Shiyue answered smoothly, nodding almost the very next second after Lu Shizhen said those words.
The morning sunlight streamed into the restaurant through the windows, reflecting a sense of serenity in Xu Shiyue's raised eyes.
The light was so bright that it seemed to illuminate everything hidden in the shadows, forcing people to lower their heads.
Lu Shizhen knew, of course, that compared to Aunt Xu, she held a higher position in Xu Shiyue's heart. But for some reason, when Xu Shiyue responded to her words, the tone seemed to change.
Knowing something in your own heart and having it acknowledged by others seem to be two different things.
Words are always so interesting.
Simply speaking from the heart, ambiguity arises from the very bones of the words.
What was originally just a joke has now been twisted by such a calm reply.
Lu Shizhen didn't know why her heart was beating so fast; it just kept pounding against her chest.
I was speechless and didn't know what to say next.
Lu Shizhen lowered her head and took a bite of the sandwich, stuffing her mouth full of the source of all evil.
Xu Shiyue glanced at the person opposite her, but paused for a moment at the ear hidden under the person's long hair.
Sunlight streamed through the tangled strands of hair, casting dappled shadows, and the tips of the ears glowed a distinct red.
She was the one who said those things first, but in the end, she was the one who felt embarrassed.
Xu Shiyue lowered her eyes and took a sip of coffee, her eyes curving slightly without her noticing.
The second half of breakfast was eaten in silence. Xu Shiyue only got up from the table and went to the living room after finishing breakfast with Lu Shizhen.
Having learned from Lu Shize's previous experience of talking to Xu Shiyue, Lu Shizhen moved precisely from the dining table to a single sofa on one side of the living room.
Fifteen minutes had passed since Aunt Xu's second arrived at the reception room, but Xu Shiyue's pace remained calm and unhurried. Lu Shizhen, watching from the sofa, couldn't help but feel worried. "Qiuqiu, do you think something will happen to Xu Shiyue? Will her second aunt make things difficult for her?"
Qiuqiu disagreed: "How could that be, host? They need our help right now. If they offend Xu Shiyue and the others again, do they even want to live? Li went in too, didn't he? His combat power is the highest in the entire text."
"Moreover, according to the plot, this matter is enough for Xu Shiyue to bring down Xu Shouxian, so there won't be any problems."
As she said this, Qiuqiu flew to Lu Shizhen's head with a piece of crispy toasted bread in her arms and happily began to enjoy it.
As Lu Shizhen was pressed down by it, she seemed to recall some things from the original text, and murmured, "So Xu Shiyue really brought down Xu Shouxian with just this one thing..."
Lu Shizhen's inner voice wasn't very loud, but her sighing tone carried a hint of melancholy.
She's been busy with final exams these days and hasn't had much interaction with Xu Shiyue. She didn't even participate in such a landmark event in the book.
A sense of regret and melancholy, as if something was missing.
Lu Shizhen seemed unwilling to be absent from the events happening around Xu Shiyue.
But.
In the original storyline, her character is the one who is to be excluded and deliberately concealed.
Because after all this, she will...
Lu Shizhen's eyes dimmed as she thought of this, and she called out in her heart, "Qiuqiu."
Qiuqiu was still munching on the crispy edge of the bread it was holding, and mumbled a reply, "Host, what's wrong?"
"In that case, does that mean the plot is about to reach... my ending?" Lu Shizhen asked softly.
Qiuqiu, oblivious to Lu Shizhen's emotions, nodded: "Yes, host. If nothing unexpected happens, we should indeed pack up and prepare to leave if something does happen."
"I have some more good news!" Qiuqiu said excitedly, her voice rising in elation.
It pulled up its calculation data from the past few days and analyzed it for Lu Shizhen: "Host, don't worry about the points bug not being fixed yet. A few days ago, I built a mathematical model and compared it with our points before the data loss to simulate the original owner's points deduction. The result is: even in extreme points deduction situations, the points we have steadily increased over the past few days are enough to offset it, and there may even be a surplus!"
"At that time, the host can also exchange a pair of healthy and beautiful long legs with the main system!"
Qiuqiu excitedly shared the result with Lu Shizhen, its tail dangling from Lu Shizhen's finger.
However, Lu Shizhen's reaction was not as intense as Qiuqiu's.
She listened to Qiuqiu's words, her gaze drifting towards the reception room where Xu Shiyue was.
The joy of getting what you want, the success of achieving your goal.
All the indicators suggested that her mission was about to be a perfect success, but she seemed to have lost the excitement she had felt when she first imagined the outcome.
The morning sunlight shifted slightly upwards, brightening the entire small hall considerably.
Two glasses of water on the table slowly steamed in the winter sun. Aunt Xu sat on the sofa with the suitcase she had brought, but Xu Shiyue did not come for a while.
Xu Minjun couldn't stand such neglect, and she never had much patience. She gradually became impatient: "Ugh, is she even coming? How can this be..."
Seeing that Xu Minjun's words were getting increasingly outrageous, Xu's second aunt frowned and glanced at her with great displeasure, then lowered her voice and questioned, "So what do you want? You don't want your father anymore, do you?"
"Only if she raises her hand can your father get through this hurdle. Didn't you see those people coming to the house and causing trouble this morning? Your father went out, didn't you know? Haven't I told you that bowing your head temporarily doesn't mean anything? Don't you understand?"
As Xu Minjun listened to what her second aunt said, everything that had happened at home that morning came flooding back into her mind.
The men's unfriendly voices terrified her like never before, and the sight of her father being pushed to the ground made her feel humiliated.
Xu Minjun knew that if her family couldn't get through this, she would be the one pushed to the ground as well.
She had ridiculed Xu Shiyue, who considered herself superior, countless times with her friends, only to see her pushed into the dust. She absolutely could not suffer the same fate.
She is more noble than Xu Shiyue; she will not experience what Xu Shiyue went through.
Seeing that Xu Minjun had calmed down, Aunt Xu Er reminded her, "When Xu Shiyue comes later, say a few nice words to her, okay? You two used to play together quite well when you were little, how come she..."
As Aunt Xu was speaking, before she could finish, the door to the small hall was pushed open from the outside.
Li leaned against the door, his crisp black clothes exuding a particularly imposing aura.
Aunt Xu immediately shut her mouth and watched as Xu Shiyue walked in unhurriedly, saying to her, "Aunt Xu, I've kept you waiting."
Xu Shiyue's voice was calm, devoid of any apology, and instead filled with distance; it was merely a polite formality.
Aunt Xu could also see that, and replied with a smile, "How could that be? We just came at the wrong time. We didn't know that Shiyue and Miss Lu were having breakfast at this time."
Xu Shiyue looked at her second aunt's long-lost smile, and her lowered eyes curved slightly.
With a slight smile, she walked around the mahogany table in the room, sat down, and said, "Second Aunt, what brings you here today?"
"It was during the last banquet that I discovered the maid had mixed up your mother's jewelry with ours. Your second uncle has been keeping this in mind, so a couple of days ago I sorted out the other jewelry your mother had left with me and came today to return them to you."
As she spoke, Aunt Xu placed the precious box that was on her lap onto the table in front of Xu Shiyue.
The black box was opened from the back, and sunlight peeked in at an angle, instantly making the entire box gleam.
Xu Shiyue watched with a clear conscience as her second aunt showed her these things. Her calm eyes swept over the familiar gemstones, and she smiled while concealing her emotions: "Second aunt, you're too kind. Wouldn't it have been enough to just put them in a simple brown paper bag like at the last banquet? Why did you use such a nice box this time?"
When Aunt Xu heard Xu Shiyue say this, her smile faltered a little, and she forced herself to explain, "Last time it happened so suddenly, we can't be careless this time."
Xu Shiyue was not interested in this explanation and reached out to take out the bracelet that her mother often wore.
The translucent jade reflects a clean, glassy quality under sunlight; beyond its high value, what matters most is the memories it carries.
Xu Shiyue felt both fortunate and disgusted.
This is not considered a loss that has been recovered; it is a return of something to its rightful owner, a sign of surrender and weakness.
Aunt Xu was very perceptive. She got up, stepped forward, and took the bracelet from Xu Shiyue's hand, saying, "You and your mother are similar in build, so this bracelet is just the right size for you. You'll need someone to help you with it."
The jade bracelet has a crystal-clear luster that is not obscured by any impurities.
Xu Shiyue watched her second aunt's obsequious figure, listening to her carefully planned emotional appeal: "Such fine glass-like jadeite is truly rare. It would be such a pity if it cracked from the heat. Thankfully, your second uncle sent many people that day, which is why most of it was preserved intact..."
The jade bracelet seemed unwilling to listen to this person, and with just a gentle push, it slipped smoothly onto Xu Shiyue's slender wrist.
The light fell precisely on this area, and Xu Shiyue raised her hand to examine the bracelet that her second uncle's mother had put on her. She said with a hint of emotion, "So it turns out that my second uncle once went to such lengths to try and salvage the situation."
“Yes.” Aunt Xu thought that her humility and emotional appeal had moved Xu Shiyue, so she nodded repeatedly. “Your second uncle has had a hard time these past few years. You know that what the old man left him is not the best or the most promising. But he will do his best to help the family.”
As she said this, Aunt Xu gestured to Xu Minjun, who was sitting to the side, to follow.
Xu Minjun, unusually quick-witted, hurriedly chimed in, "Shiyue, do you remember when we were little, we watched the characters in cartoons playing on swings and were very envious? Later, my dad found out and built a swing set for us in the back of the yard. You loved it the most, and every time you came, you would ask me to push you around for a long time."
“I remember, how could I not remember?” Xu Shiyue gently turned the bracelet on her wrist, a slight smile playing on her lips. “I remember everything Second Uncle did very clearly.”
Xu Shiyue was still smiling, but the curve of her smile at the corners of her mouth and eyes was not gentle; instead, it had a cold and astringent feel to it.
Aunt Xu stood beside Xu Shiyue, looking into her smiling eyes, when suddenly she clenched her fingers, her palms cold.
Aunt Xu knew she couldn't win against Xu Shiyue with her current hand, so she forced a calm expression and played another card: "Shiyue, there's something I don't know if I should remind you of."
"Second Aunt can decide for herself." Xu Shiyue's voice was indifferent, unmoved by her seemingly important words.
"Many years ago, the Lu family also experienced an accidental fire, which is why Lu Shize cherishes his sister so much." Aunt Xu said, glancing at Xu Shiyue, implying, "There is only one person like Miss Lu in the world. If you want to get something, you might as well take it first."
The jade bracelet hanging on the girl's wrist paused for a moment, and a turquoise light fell on the table.
Upon hearing Aunt Xu's words, Xu Shiyue's eyelashes fluttered upwards like fans.
She raised her hand to prop up her cheek and said, "Continue."
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