Mrs. Lu’s expression soured slightly.
Having known her for so many years, she knew that Yao Chunling was not a woman with low emotional intelligence. It was impossible for her not to know that it was rude to interrogate someone about their family background on such an occasion.
Clearly, Yao Chunling was intentionally making things difficult for Xu Yanxia.
Of course, Mrs. Lu could guess the reason. It was either related to her eldest son, or the woman wanted to use Xu Yanxia’s background as a foil to show off her own daughter.
But regardless of the motive, Mrs. Lu would not allow anyone to hurt her "grand contributor" or damage the Lu family’s reputation at tonight’s banquet.
She was just about to step in and stop her.
Unexpectedly, Xu Yanxia answered Yao Chunling with poise and grace. "My father passed away early, and my mother left home a long time ago. I suppose I don't really count as a 'left-behind child.'"
So that was it.
The guests nodded one after another, maintaining a polite silence without prying further.
However, Yao Chunling spoke up again. "Your mother remarried? She hasn't looked after you all these years?"
Xu Yanxia remained polite as she replied, "I was quite young back then, so I don't know much about the situation."
Yao Chunling sighed with feigned emotion. "That mother of yours is certainly heartless."
As she spoke, she glanced left and right, seemingly seeking agreement from those around her.
Unable to bear it any longer, Mrs. Lu spoke up. "Everyone has their own difficulties. It’s better if we don't comment on other people’s family matters."
Yao Chunling paused, finally falling silent.
Mrs. He, on the other hand, smiled and said to Xu Yanxia, "Xiao Xu, don't laugh at me, but at my age, I’m a bit out of touch with the times. I rarely find common ground with young people, but I felt an immediate connection with you. If you don't mind, shall we add each other on WeChat? I’d like to ask for your advice on cooking and calligraphy in the future."
"You’re too kind," Xu Yanxia said with a smile. "It is I who should be learning from you."
With that, she took out her phone and added Mrs. He on WeChat.
This scene filled the others with envy!
One had to know that Mrs. He’s WeChat was not something just anyone could get. And it was her private account!
The Lu family had truly won big this time!
Mrs. Lu also laughed and said, "Speaking of which, I haven't even added our Xiao Xu yet. During this trip to Europe, I had to go through my son, Jingming, several times just to reach her."
She took out her phone and said to Xu Yanxia, "Let’s add each other too. We won’t need a middleman anymore."
Xu Yanxia agreed and added Mrs. Lu as well.
Immediately after, the other ladies began to ask, "Xiao Xu, can we add you too? If we don't know how to cook a certain dish in the future, we can ask you directly."
"Yes, let us add you too!"
"No problem at all."
Xu Yanxia opened her QR code and passed it around for everyone to scan.
Her good friend, Lu Jingxi, took the opportunity to promote her. "By the way, our Xiao Xia recently became a blogger. She often posts food videos on Douyin. You can follow her there; it’ll make learning much easier!"
"Great idea!"
After adding her, the ladies asked, "What is Xiao Xu’s Douyin name? We'll search for it."
Xu Yanxia replied, "It's Xuxu Xiaoxia. I'll share the digital business card with everyone on WeChat in a moment."
Mrs. Lu suggested, "You could start a group chat and add everyone. We can all chat together in there."
"That would be wonderful!"
Everyone expressed their approval.
Even if they couldn't get Mrs. He’s private WeChat for the time being, being in the same group chat was the next best thing.
Xu Yanxia nodded and agreed, promptly setting up the group.
Seeing her become the center of attention in the banquet hall, Yao Chunling’s face turned pale as she stood outside the bustling circle.
After a moment of thought, she spoke up. "I’m so full from dinner. Why don't we go for a stroll?"
One of the ladies agreed. "True. Aren't we supposed to hear Zhiyue play the piano for us? Let’s head downstairs for a walk."
Mrs. Lu nodded. "Very well. The moon is lovely tonight. After the piano performance, we can enjoy the moonlight for a while."
"Sounds good."
The group rose and began walking out of the banquet hall.
Lu Jingxi proactively took Xu Yanxia’s arm and asked, "Xiao Xia, how is your foot? Let me help you."
Xu Yanxia smiled and said, "It’s fine, I can walk on my own."
However, Lu Jingxi gave her a playful wink. "My brother specifically messaged me just now, telling me to take care of you. Come on!"
She insisted on acting as her crutch.
As the two were chatting and laughing, Yao Chunling, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned back to ask Lu Jingxi, "Jingxi, why don't you have Zhiyue accompany you for a song? You two used to collaborate often back in university."
Lu Jingxi was speechless.
Was it not enough for this woman to show off her own daughter? Now she wanted to drag her into it?
Second Miss Lu tried her best to remain polite, smiling as she said, "I’m sorry, Auntie Yao, I’m a bit too full from dinner. I don't think I can sing right now."
"Is that so?" Yao Chunling said with a look of regret. "Then perhaps another time."
...
Once the group reached the first floor, a Steinway grand piano stood quietly in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the main hall.
Following Yao Chunling’s earlier suggestion, the club staff had already arranged seating in front of the piano. The guests began to take their seats.
Under everyone’s gaze, Jiang Zhiyue, dressed in a long gown, sat down at the piano.
She took a deep breath and lifted her wrists, but in the next second, her fingers did not land on the keys. Instead, she suddenly covered her mouth and rushed to the side, retching.
This scene left everyone stunned.
The nearby staff quickly rushed over to check on her.
Mrs. Lu also asked anxiously, "Zhiyue, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Her mother, Yao Chunling, went over to check on her, then turned back to the group and said, "This child has a weak stomach. I’m not sure if she ate something inappropriate just now that triggered this."
What?
Something inappropriate?
The guests looked at one another, their brows furrowing secretly.
Those words were quite inappropriate.
The Lu family was the host tonight, and everyone had eaten the same food. Whether the food was delicious or the ingredients were fresh was plain for all to see. Moreover, everyone else was fine; she was the only one retching.
How could she blame the food?
Fortunately, Mrs. Lu was magnanimous. She asked again, "We only got in touch yesterday, and I forgot to ask if you and Zhiyue had any dietary restrictions. Is Zhiyue allergic to something?"
Yao Chunling replied, "Our Zhiyue’s constitution is actually quite good. She has no allergies. It's just that these days, those chemical additives..."
Though she didn't finish her sentence, everyone caught the implication.
She was clearly suggesting that the delicious food tonight had been made by Xu Yanxia using some sort of secret additives.
The blunt Lu Jingxi was about to lose her temper and speak up.
However, Xu Yanxia quietly pulled her back and said politely to Yao Chunling, "Please rest assured. From the moment we began preparing the cold appetizers yesterday, there has been a dedicated staff member recording the production process in the kitchen. We also have full surveillance. Aside from basic traditional seasonings like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, no food additives were used in any of our dishes today—not even MSG or chicken bouillon."
“Regardless of anything else, Miss Jiang’s health is the top priority right now. Rather than engaging in baseless speculation, we should focus on alleviating her symptoms.”
“You’re right,” Mrs. Lu agreed. She quickly turned to a nearby staff member and instructed, “Have the driver get the car ready. We need to take Zhiyue to the hospital immediately.”
However, just as the words left her lips, Manager Wei hurried over and whispered something into Mrs. Lu’s ear.
Mrs. Lu froze for a moment upon hearing the news. She immediately turned back to Yao Chunling and demanded, “Chunling, tell me the truth. Has Zhiyue been feeling unwell lately? Our staff just saw her stepping out to take some medication.”
What?
At those words, every eye in the room instantly shifted to Yao Chunling.
Yao Chunling frowned, her voice defensive. “Our Zhiyue is in perfectly good health. She even performed as usual yesterday. Why would she be taking medicine?”
Manager Wei spoke up with a polite, professional smile. “Please, ma’am, there’s no need to be defensive. Our staff saw your daughter step out of the restaurant with their own eyes to discreetly swallow a few capsules. For safety reasons, we managed to recover the packaging she discarded.”
He continued, “While we respect her privacy, given Miss Jiang’s current condition, we believe it’s best to have a professional examine this to ensure we aren’t delaying any necessary treatment.”
With that, he produced a partially used blister pack.
Though the foil had been crumpled and torn, a few characters printed on the back were still barely legible.
