For a moment, jealousy, humiliation, and an indescribable sense of loss filled her chest.
Xu Fangmin felt so suffocated she could barely breathe.
Under normal circumstances, Shen Chao would have comforted her with a few words.
But this time, she had offended the daughter-in-law of Commissioner Huo’s family.
Recalling Xu Fangmin’s behavior on the train, Shen Chao was now also feeling irritable.
"Let’s go, we’ll talk in the car."
Since the invitation had not been delivered, Shen's Father remained grim-faced after getting into the car.
He didn’t speak, and Xu Fangmin dared not say a word either.
Shen's Mother, however, seemed to remember something and suddenly turned to look at her.
"Minmin, I recall you used to attend Shanghai’s Third Women’s School, didn’t you?"
Xu Fangmin hadn’t expected her mother-in-law to bring this up.
After hesitating for a moment, she finally nodded.
But then she asked, "Mom, why do you ask?"
"It’s nothing much," Shen's Mother replied. "I just heard that the wife of the Huo family’s third son also attended that school, and she was in the same year as you. Do you know her?"
Xu Fangmin pressed her lips together, clearly unwilling to discuss the topic.
But since Shen's Mother kept pressing, she had no choice but to force out an answer.
"Mom, we were in the same year, but different classes. I wasn’t close to her."
"Is that so?" Shen's Mother was disappointed, but after some thought, she decided it wasn’t a big deal.
"Different classes don’t matter. You were still schoolmates, so you should make an effort to stay in touch."
Since there were no outsiders in the car, she spoke plainly.
"Commissioner Huo is now the top authority in the military. If we can establish a connection with the Huo family, it’ll benefit both your husband and your father."
"Listen to me, you need to take this seriously."
"In a few days, I’ll prepare some gifts. You should take Mingming to visit them, build some rapport. Understood?"
Xu Fangmin didn’t respond.
She and Jiang Si had already torn into each other—what rapport was there to build?
Besides, she had already been humiliated enough at the train station.
Asking her to grovel before Jiang Si now? Impossible!
Her pride and self-respect wouldn’t allow her to lower herself before that woman again.
But she couldn’t say that outright.
After a pause, Xu Fangmin put on a troubled expression. "Mom, you don’t know Jiang Si. She’s incredibly difficult to deal with. Even back in school, she was notorious for being a troublemaker."
"That can’t be right," Shen's Father interjected, a rare interruption. "If she were really like that, the Huo family wouldn’t hold her in such high regard."
"Your father’s right."
Shen's Mother had done her research—she wouldn’t overlook such details.
Though she had never interacted with Jiang Si personally, everyone in their social circle spoke highly of her.
"That’s because she’s a master at putting on an act!"
Xu Fangmin fumed. "Mom, Dad, don’t let her fool you!"
Hearing the resentment in her daughter-in-law’s tone, Shen's Mother frowned.
"Minmin, tell me the truth—did the two of you have some kind of conflict in the past?"
Xu Fangmin didn’t dare admit to that and immediately shook her head. "N-no, nothing like that. I just can’t stand her."
"If there’s nothing, then good."
Shen's Mother sighed in relief. "Whether you like her or not, keep it to yourself. On the surface, you must maintain civility."
"Let me make this clear—no matter who you offend, you must never cross Jiang Si!"
"Why?" Xu Fangmin grew increasingly confused as she listened, and even Shen Chao beside her cast a puzzled glance.
Shen's Mother spoke with gravity: "Because, in the end, the Huo family will still be under her control."
"How is that possible?" Xu Fangmin scoffed, as if hearing something absurd. "The Huo family has four sons—there’s no way authority would fall to a daughter-in-law from the third branch."
As the old saying goes, emperors favor their eldest sons, while common folk dote on their youngest.
Any family with a legacy would naturally support the eldest branch.
At the very least, they’d leave it to the youngest son.
Wasn’t the Shen family’s current situation proof of that?
Shen's Mother hadn’t believed it at first either.
But ever since she learned that Madam Huo had taken a half-year leave to go to Qiongzhou Island, she understood.
The Huo family would undoubtedly be handed over to the third branch.
Then again, given the Huo family’s circumstances, who else could they entrust it to?
Their second branch handled logistics, while the fourth was devoted to research.
The eldest branch had reportedly been found, but they were stationed as soldiers thousands of miles away in Xinjiang.
Listening to her mother-in-law’s layered analysis, Xu Fangmin felt a surge of bitterness.
There was no denying it—Jiang Si was truly blessed by fate!
When she had given birth, her mother-in-law hadn’t even bothered to call, let alone personally care for her.
It was only after she bore a son that Shen's Mother sent over three hundred yuan.
Lost in thought, the car slowly pulled to a stop by the roadside.
Xu Fangmin looked up—it was actually the Jing City Grand Hotel.
And there, standing at the entrance, was a crowd of people, including her own parents.
For a moment, Xu Fangmin was so moved she didn’t know what to say.
She never expected Shen's Mother, usually so frugal, would choose the Jing City Grand Hotel for their welcome banquet.
And she’d even been thoughtful enough to invite her parents as well.
Despite her delight, Xu Fangmin couldn’t help but feign modesty.
"Mom, there’s no need for such extravagance—we could’ve just eaten at home..."
Before she could finish, her sister-in-law Shen Ting came into view.
Shen Ting, visibly impatient, skipped the pleasantries and immediately complained to Shen's Mother.
"Mom, why are you only arriving now? Most of the guests are already here! Big Brother and Sister-in-Law are inside hosting—they’ve been waiting for you!"
Shen's Mother grew flustered. "The train was delayed. Come on, let’s hurry inside."
Then she added, "By the way, have all the seats been arranged?"
"The relatives’ seats are set, but we’re not sure about the main table—some people haven’t arrived yet."
"No rush. Give me the guest list."
As mother and daughter hurried inside, Xu Fangmin instinctively asked, "Mom, what’s this banquet for?"
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Shen's Mother paused just long enough to explain.
"Your eldest brother’s design proposal for the foreign affairs hotel was selected!"
"Since it’s the weekend and everyone’s free, we’re celebrating together."
Xu Fangmin’s heart instantly sank.
So this was a victory banquet for the eldest branch.
No wonder the sun seemed to rise from the west today.
Shen's Mother was too busy to notice her thoughts, but Mother Xu’s voice snapped her back to reality.
"Enough. Your mother-in-law’s favoritism isn’t new. With so many people here today, don’t go around with a sour face."
"I know," Xu Fangmin murmured in reply.
The mother and daughter stood talking for a while when Mother Xu suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, I heard about your classmate—the one named Jiang Si..."
Jiang Si, Jiang Si, always Jiang Si!
Xu Fangmin couldn't stand hearing that name right now. "Mom, can you please stop mentioning her in front of me?"
With that, she shoved the child into Mother Xu's arms and stormed upstairs in a huff.
"What's gotten into you today? Are you looking for a fight?" Mother Xu snapped. "Who do you think I'm doing this for? None of you give me peace even after getting married!"
Just then, Mingming, who was in her arms, suddenly looked up.
"Grandma, I have a little secret to tell you..."
"What secret?"
So Mingming recounted what had happened on the train.
Though some details couldn't be repeated word for word, the gist of it was clear enough.
Because of this little secret, Xu Fangmin was pulled aside by Mother Xu before the celebration banquet even began and scolded relentlessly for over ten minutes.
Her mood was already foul, but when she entered the banquet hall and saw Shen Chao's family basking in their triumph, her heart sank even further.
Before the meal was over, she excused herself, claiming she wasn’t feeling well and wanted to go home early.
Father Xu and Mother Xu didn’t stay much longer either—after all, this was the Shen family’s moment to shine.
Truth be told, they felt somewhat embarrassed by the whole affair.
When the in-laws mentioned they had to leave early, Shen's Father and Shen's Mother didn’t press them to stay. They politely escorted them to the hotel entrance.
The eldest branch of the Shen family also joined in, ensuring the Xu family was seen off with full courtesy.
As the group exchanged farewells, several more cars pulled up in succession outside the hotel.
Recognizing the familiar license plates, Shen's Father and Shen's Mother brightened—
