Chapter 231 Ying Tianlu: Zijing is my real sister [1st update]
This dessert shop is run by a husband and wife team. Everything is handmade and they only make a limited quantity each day, so it's only available in the city next to Shanghai.
But because of its excellent taste, many people line up every day.
A family in Shanghai once offered to help the couple expand their shop, but they refused.
Ying Tianlu went at noon and queued for three hours before he could buy anything.
He's been thinking a lot these past few days.
What he could do was so late, and he couldn't make up for anything. He could only try to compensate in various ways.
He may not be a good older brother, but he will do his best.
Ying Yuexuan's ears rang, her hand froze in mid-air, and she just narrowly missed Ying Tianlu.
The smile on her face gradually faded, turning her face pale.
It was both uncomfortable and embarrassing.
Ying Yuexuan stared blankly at Ying Tianlu, her eyes reddening.
Even if she was slow to react, she realized that Ying Tianlu's avoidance of her these past few days was not because he was too busy with work, but because he knew she was not his biological sister.
It turns out that Ying Tianlu really did hear it outside the door that day.
But he deliberately didn't tell her, allowing her to hold onto a sliver of hope.
Zhong Manhua hadn't expected that Ying Tianlu was going to see Ying Zijing, and she even gave the dessert that was meant for Ying Yuexuan to Ying Zijing as well.
Her expression was grim, her face ashen, but she did not directly reprimand her.
Ying Tianlu was her son, so of course she knew what kind of person he was.
Very stubborn, very upright.
If she were to clash with him right now, he would definitely confront her.
Perhaps, it will even let the guests at the banquet know that Ying Yuexuan is the real adopted daughter of the Ying family.
Even if she doesn't admit it, the guests will still have doubts, which is bad for Ying Yuexuan's reputation.
How could Zhong Manhua not know what Ying Tianlu meant by doing this?
He was making it clear that Ying Zijing was his biological sister.
Zhong Manhua clutched her chest, furious.
Especially when they saw Ying Yuexuan's pale face, they felt even more heartbroken: "Xiaoxuan, don't be sad, Mom and Dad are always on your side."
"Your older brother is only like this temporarily. He still loves you the most."
"No, I'm not sad." Ying Yuexuan quickly lowered her head, her voice trembling, but she smiled. "I should be happy. I was never your biological sister. My sister has suffered a lot. How could you not love her?"
Even though she said that, she still couldn't hold back her tears.
She raised her hand to wipe it, but the more she wiped, the more there was.
She could accept the change in Grandpa Zhong's attitude towards her.
After all, she knew that as a granddaughter, she was naturally no match for Zhong Zhiwan, who shared the surname Zhong.
Of course, in the past, Grandpa Zhong treated them no differently.
However, Ying Yuexuan always gave herself a mental buffer.
In this way, even if Grandpa Zhong favors Zhong Zhiwan in the future, she won't feel any sense of loss.
But Ying Tianlu is different.
Ying Tianlu only has one younger sister, so naturally he spoils and pampers her in everything.
There was no one to share this family affection.
That's why she's afraid.
But what she feared most still happened.
Ying Yuexuan took a few slow breaths and said softly, "Mom, I'm going to the restroom."
Zhong Manhua knew she was upset, so she put down her wine glass and said, "Mom will go with you."
Fortunately, there weren't many people at the banquet at that time, and only a few young masters and ladies saw this scene.
They found it strange, but they didn't ask.
Ying Zijing looked at the bag that Ying Tianlu handed over and remained silent for a moment.
She has never known how to refuse other people's sincere kindness.
Because of her physical disability, she will repay anyone who is kind to her a hundredfold.
However, Ying Tianlu has no intention of accepting him at the moment.
Fu Yunshen leaned against the dining table, his long legs slightly bent, his handsome face and playboy demeanor on full display.
He reached out and took the bag of desserts, a smile playing on his lips. "It's really troublesome for Young Master Ying to come all this way. The little girl is shy and doesn't know you well yet, so I carried it for her."
Ying Tianlu paused, his gaze deepening.
Of course he knew that Fu Yunshen had become very close to Ying Zijin after returning from O Continent.
But he really didn't do anything out of line; on the contrary, he helped her a lot.
Even though everyone in Shanghai says that Fu Yunshen is a playboy who only knows how to flirt and please women.
But Ying Tianlu never took it seriously.
If Fu Yunshen were truly a spoiled young master, how could he have survived until now in the turbulent Fu family, even with Old Master Fu's protection?
The most terrifying people are those who cannot see through things.
Ying Tianlu also knew that it would take a long time for Ying Zijin to accept him.
He was even prepared to spend his entire life making amends.
He still left the dessert bag with Fu Yunshen, but before leaving, he warned, "She's young, don't bully her."
“Little kid, your older brother—” Fu Yunshen placed the dessert bag on the table, paused, and said with a hint of a laugh, “seems to be quite hostile towards me.”
Ying Zijin raised an eyebrow slightly and said slowly, "Then you probably haven't noticed that my grandfather is also quite hostile towards you."
Upon hearing this, Fu Yunshen raised his captivating peach blossom eyes slightly, his alluring gaze piercing: "Because my grandfather stole his snacks?"
“No.” The girl poured herself a glass of juice, took a sip, and said, “Because you want to take his place and be my grandfather.”
"..."
**
After delivering the dessert to Ying Zijing, Ying Tianlu didn't go to find Zhong Manhua and Ying Yuexuan. Instead, he met with Jiang Heng, a young master with whom he had a good relationship.
The Jiang family is also a prominent family in Shanghai, second only to the four major wealthy families.
Jiang Heng was the same age as him, and they were the closest friends.
The two walked to the smoking area.
"Tianlu, what's going on?" Jiang Heng finally managed to ask the question that had been bothering him. "Why did you go to see your adopted daughter?"
"I just saw it, Yuexuan was crying, shouldn't you go and comfort her?"
Ying Tianlu took off his suit jacket and handed it to the waiter beside him, his expression indifferent: "Zijin is my real sister."
Jiang Heng froze, his pupils shrinking: "What?!"
“The baby that my aunt stole and threw away was also Zijing,” Ying Tianlu said. “At the time, my parents didn’t actually find her. In order to prevent the Ying Group’s stock from fluctuating and to avoid being ridiculed by other wealthy families, they adopted Xiaoxuan.”
Jiang Heng took a slight breath: "So that's how it is?"
There are plenty of dramatic stories within wealthy families, but this is the first time he's heard of anything like it.
"I only found out after I came back, otherwise I would still be kept in the dark." Ying Tianlu lit a cigarette and smiled self-deprecatingly. "I demanded that Zijing's identity be made public, but my parents wouldn't allow it."
He paused, then continued, "You know, I called my dad and told him it was okay if they didn't reveal Zijing's identity, and I could help with the paternity test, but do you know what he said?"
Jiang Heng followed up on his question, asking, "What did you say?"
“He said it was no use even if I did it. Even if others believed him, he wouldn’t touch Xiaoxuan’s status as the eldest daughter of the Ying family.” Ying Tianlu said calmly, “You know that compared to my parents, my connections in Shanghai’s elite circles are still very weak.”
"So my parents' generation and my grandmother's generation wouldn't believe it, but their approval is more important."
An unrecognized identity is of no use whatsoever.
Furthermore, the four major families have only ever maintained a superficial relationship.
In reality, there's a lot of backstabbing and infighting going on behind the scenes.
If he comes out to clarify things with Grandpa Zhong, others might think that the two of them conspired to seize the Ying family's property.
This gave some of the collateral branches of the Zhong and Ying families a reason to cause trouble.
“Your parents…” Jiang Heng shook his head, and after a long while, he slowly uttered a sentence, “But it’s not that unusual.”
Most wealthy families only care about profits.
Cases of siblings killing each other are not uncommon.
Ying Yuexuan's excellence is well-known.
Although she wasn't a stunning beauty, she was very approachable and could quickly strike up a conversation with strangers.
Jiang Heng also quite enjoyed spending time with her.
He also heard that Ying Yuexuan had studied at a public school in O continent for a year, but had already joined a research team.
It is said that the leader of this research team is a well-known professor in the academic community.
She's only 17 years old, with unlimited potential.
Not to mention, Ying Yuexuan was raised by Zhong Manhua and Ying Zhenting.
Sixteen years of raising a child will inevitably create a deeper bond than with a biological daughter who has only been found a year ago.
Jiang Heng had met Ying Zijin several times before.
In terms of both temperament and knowledge, she really can't compare to Ying Yuexuan.
However, when he saw her again this time, he was amazed for a long time.
“I need to think of a way.” Ying Tianlu flicked his cigarette ash into the ashtray and frowned. “Find someone more respected to help Zijing clarify her identity, someone my parents can’t deny.”
“That’s unlikely.” Hearing this, Jiang Heng shook his head. “There are no people like that in Shanghai, unless you’re looking for someone like the Mu or Nie family in the capital, and they must be from the generation of Mu Chenzhou’s grandfather.”
But how is that possible?
These powerful families in the capital city would never have the time or inclination to concern themselves with the affairs of the four most powerful families in Shanghai.
As Jiang Heng was speaking, his gaze inadvertently drifted and suddenly fixed on the entrance of the banquet hall.
He paused for a moment, nudged Ying Tianlu's shoulder, and raised his chin to indicate, "Tianlu, look."
"how?"
Ying Tianlu turned his head away.
I'm experiencing writer's block. I'll be posting the second and third chapters together this afternoon. _(:з」∠)_
(End of this chapter)
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