“Lu Yunqi?” Lin Xi looked toward Xu Wantang. “Auntie Xu, what time is she arriving? Should I leave first? She might not be very happy to see me here.”

“Why on earth should you leave?” Xu Wantang asked, squeezing Lin Xi’s hand firmly. “Whether she is happy or not has absolutely nothing to do with me. As long as you are happy, that is all that matters.”

Uh… Based on Auntie Xu’s tone, it was blatantly obvious she didn’t care for Lu Yunqi at all. Lin Xi found herself starting to believe what Song Xu had told her earlier.

When Lu Yunqi arrived at the estate, she carried a rather large designer bag containing Lin Xi’s background file, along with various gifts she had prepared for Xu Wantang and Song Qingshi.

The exact moment she stepped through the outer gates, Xu Wantang received a notification from the staff. “Xixi, you can start assembling the drinks now. Just make whatever simple thing you want for Lu Yunqi. I’ll have my pearl milk tea, and you should make a little something for yourself too.”

“Alright, Auntie Xu,” Lin Xi replied with an obedient nod.

Xu Wantang glided out of the kitchen, taking a seat in the grand living room to wait for Lu Yunqi to be shown inside.

“Auntie Xu!” The moment Lu Yunqi crossed the threshold and saw Xu Wantang sitting on the sofa, she called out with an incredibly enthusiastic, sweet greeting.

Xu Wantang remained seated, simply offering a pleasant wave of her hand. “Oh, Yunqi, you’ve arrived. Come over and take a seat.”

Lu Yunqi strode across the room, settling onto the sofa directly opposite Xu Wantang. She reached into her bag and extracted two beautifully wrapped gift boxes, placing them neatly on the marble coffee table. “Auntie Xu, these are a few gifts I picked up for you and Uncle Song while I was abroad.”

“Thank you, you shouldn’t have,” Xu Wantang murmured, casually pushing the gift boxes slightly to the side.

She could tell what was inside with a single glance—undoubtedly the standard, uninspired perfumes and designer belts. It was a completely thoughtless offering. Xu Wantang honestly couldn’t fathom why Lu Yunqi insisted on dropping by, wasting a perfectly good half of her day.

If anything, she was glad she had summoned Lin Xi over; otherwise, having to maintain a conversation with someone as dense as Lu Yunqi would have utterly drained her patience.

“Yunqi, I heard you enrolled at Jiangcheng University as well,” Xu Wantang remarked conversationally.

Lu Yunqi nodded with a look of distinct pride. “Yes, Auntie Xu. I honestly didn’t expect that I would end up as alumni with Song Xu after all.”

Hmph! What do you mean you didn’t expect it? Xu Wantang thought with an internal sneer. If our family hadn’t pulled strings behind the scenes, you would have never stood a chance at entering Jiangcheng University. You possess neither intelligence nor emotional awareness, yet you actually think you have a shot at marrying into the Song family? In your dreams.

Despite her scathing inner commentary, Xu Wantang maintained a flawless, polite smile on her face.

“Auntie Xu…” Lu Yunqi hesitated, trying to find the right opening to bring up Lin Xi. She stammered for several moments without managing to form a proper sentence.

Losing her patience, Xu Wantang spoke up smoothly. “Yunqi, if there is something on your mind, just speak freely. We’ve known each other for years, after all.”

“Auntie Xu, are you aware that Song Xu has a certain girl staying around him lately?” Lu Yunqi finally blurted out.

“Which girl?” Xu Wantang asked, her brow furrowed in mock confusion.

“Uh… I think she’s just a maid Song Xu hired,” Lu Yunqi said, watching Xu Wantang’s expression closely for any sign of outrage. “Her surname is Lin.”

“Oh,” Xu Wantang said, a look of sudden clarity washing over her face. “You mean Xixi. Of course I know about her.”

Xixi? She calls her by such an affectionate nickname? Lu Yunqi’s complexion soured instantly. “Then… do you actually know the full details regarding Lin Xi’s background?”

“Naturally,” Xu Wantang replied with a warm smile. “Xixi is a stellar student. Her academic achievements have been exceptional since childhood, and her college entrance exam score ranked eleventh in the entire city. The very first time I met her, she was capable of memorizing an advanced English dictionary from cover to cover. She truly is a brilliant, wonderful girl.”

Lu Yunqi felt her nose go crooked with sheer frustration. This old woman only ever cared about grades and studying. What was the point of a useless, book-smart idiot?

“Auntie Xu, but do you know the reality of her family situation?” Lu Yunqi asked, her lips curling into a disdainful pout. “She doesn’t even have parents. She only has a grandmother, and the old woman is currently comatose in a hospital bed.”

“Furthermore…” Before Lu Yunqi could finish her sentence, a tall, refreshing glass beverage was placed squarely on the table before her.

“Furthermore, what?” Lin Xi asked evenly, casting a calm, unbothered look at Lu Yunqi.

“Auntie Xu, here is your milk tea,” Lin Xi said, placing the pearl milk tea directly in front of Xu Wantang.

There was one last beverage left on the serving tray, which Lin Xi picked up for herself.

Xu Wantang immediately reached out, pulling Lin Xi down onto the cushions beside her. “Xixi, come sit right here next to me.”

“Lin Xi?!” Lu Yunqi gaped at her in utter shock. “What on earth are you doing here?”

Lin Xi took a sip of her drink and looked at her calmly. “Why shouldn’t I be here?”

“You—” Lu Yunqi desperately wanted to call her a low-class maid who had no right to cross the threshold of the Song estate, but with Xu Wantang sitting right there, she didn’t dare voice the insult.

Xu Wantang took an elegant sip of her milk tea. “I explicitly asked Xixi to come over today to help me entertain you, Yunqi. Quick, take a sip of yours. Xixi’s craft is truly remarkable.”

Lu Yunqi reluctantly lifted her glass and took a tiny, strained sip. “It’s acceptable, I suppose. So Auntie Xu summoned Lin Xi over to do chores today.”

“Well, Lin Xi is a professional maid, after all. Her work is quite efficient.”

Lin Xi took another slow sip of her homemade green grape sparkling water, finding the flavor perfectly crisp. She set her glass down and offered Lu Yunqi a gentle, placid smile. “Auntie Xu does place immense trust in me. Whether it’s regarding the household chores—or regarding Song Xu.”

“Lin Xi, you don’t honestly consider yourself Song Xu’s actual girlfriend, do you?” Lu Yunqi asked, feigning an expression of deep shock. She then turned a gossipy, eager gaze toward Xu Wantang, practically salivating for a dramatic scene to unfold.

“I don’t care how Song Xu perceives the situation,” Xu Wantang spoke up, her expression turning incredibly solemn and authoritative. “As far as I am concerned, I have already chosen Lin Xi as my future daughter-in-law.”

The moment the declaration left Xu Wantang’s lips, both Lin Xi and Lu Yunqi turned to stare at her in absolute, synchronized shock.

“Auntie Xu!” Lu Yunqi surged to her feet, her voice rising an octave. “Do you have any idea how wretched her background is? She and Song Xu are from completely different worlds! Aren’t you the one who always insists on a perfectly matched marital alliance?”

Lin Xi was equally bewildered, finding herself even more eager than Lu Yunqi to hear Xu Wantang’s reasoning.

“One’s family background is not something Xixi had the power to choose,” Xu Wantang explained with profound patience. “But she chose the path of academic excellence to rewrite her own destiny.”

“For a family of our stature, accumulating wealth is an incredibly simple endeavor. However, securing a woman who possesses Lin Xi’s academic intellect, moral integrity, and sheer capability is an exceptionally rare and difficult thing.”

Lu Yunqi bit her lower lip raw, staring at the two women across from her with unbridled resentment. Every single word coming out of Xu Wantang’s mouth was a pointed, deliberate strike aimed directly at her.

The matriarch was essentially proclaiming that Lu Yunqi had nothing to offer but money—lacking intellect, lacking moral character, and lacking actual capability!

Ultimately, Lu Yunqi didn’t find the courage to pull out Lin Xi’s background files. She merely forced a tight, artificial smile. “Auntie Xu, I only came here today because I wanted you to reason with Song Xu. Lin Xi is entirely unsuitable for him.”

“However, since you’ve already made your stance this explicit, I have nothing left to say. I only hope that you and Song Xu won’t live to regret this choice in the future.”

Lu Yunqi hitched her designer bag over her shoulder. “Auntie Xu, since my business here is concluded, I’ll take my leave.”

Xu Wantang rose to see her out, her tone dripping with polite obligation. “Leaving so soon? Won’t you stay for lunch? I’ve already instructed the kitchen to prepare a meal.”

“I won’t trouble you, Auntie Xu,” Lu Yunqi sneered internally. There wasn’t even a single plate of fresh fruit or pastries set out for her visit; there was absolutely no way a lunch had been prepared. “I’ll eat at home.”

“Very well, then. I won’t force you to stay against your will.”

Xu Wantang looped her arm through Lin Xi’s, guiding her along as they escorted Lu Yunqi to the grand entrance.

The exact second Lu Yunqi’s figure vanished from their line of sight, Xu Wantang let out a sharp, dismissive huff. “What a piece of work. Coming all this way just to drive a wedge between my daughter-in-law and me.”

Lin Xi: Wait, since when did we become mother and daughter-in-law?