Chen Ruanruan found that every time she encountered Chen Liuyue, she seemed to be left speechless.
Moreover, Chen Liuyue's pointed remarks left her with no room for rebuttal.
She could only lower her head with a sorrowful expression and say softly,
"I... I'm not as outgoing as you, Liuyue. I can't adapt to new relationships so quickly."
Chen Liuyue slapped her own forehead and said,
"I know! Sister, you live at the Chen house every day but don't get close to Father Tao and Aunt Jin. How can you possibly adapt?"
"So this time when you go back to your hometown to meet the relatives, just focus on getting along well and don't overthink it."
Seeing that the conversation had reached this point, Chen Ruanruan stopped worrying about what her parents might think.
She said directly,
"Liuyue, you're right. But I'm still scared. Could you accompany me back to my hometown?"
"After all, those people used to be your relatives. Even though you've returned to the Chen family, you should still go back to visit them."
"That way, the Chen family won't seem impolite. What do you think?"
Chen Liuyue looked at Chen Ruanruan inquisitively, wondering why she was so insistent on her going along.
Could it be that she had also looked into the relatives back in the hometown and knew they weren't a friendly bunch?
Was she afraid of being bullied if she went alone?
That must be why she was determined to drag her along.
Seeing this, Wu Peihua couldn't help but chime in, "Yes, Liuyue, you have such a cheerful personality. Why don't you accompany Ruanruan?"
Chen Liuyue didn't respond.
She just turned her head to look at Chen Zhenye.
"What about you, Dad? Do you also think I should accompany my sister back to her hometown?"
She emphasized the last few words.
Chen Ruanruan's face paled.
Chen Zhenye gave Chen Ruanruan a complicated look. After all, she was the daughter he had raised since childhood, and she was also engaged to the Qin family, destined to be their future young madam.
"Liuyue, the two of you sisters going together will put your mother's mind at ease," he said tactfully.
Chen Liuyue nodded with a smile.
"Alright! I understand."
"I'll listen to Mom and Dad. Since you want me to accompany my sister, then I'll go."
"I'll be sure to take good care of my sister when the time comes."
As for how she would take care of her, that would depend on her mood.
Seeing this, Chen Ruanruan let out a long sigh of relief.
The doorbell rang outside the villa.
The butler came in to announce, "Sir, young master Wei is here to visit."
Chen Zhenye asked, puzzled,
"Wei Miao? What is he here for?"
"Haotian has already been assigned to the branch company. If he's looking for Haotian, he should call."
Chen Liuyue unhurriedly swallowed the last bite of her breakfast.
She picked up a napkin and dabbed the corner of her mouth.
With an elegant demeanor, she said,
"Dad, he's here to see me."
Chen Zhenye nodded, "Oh, he's here to see you."
A moment later, the tea he had just sipped nearly sprayed out.
"What?... Wei Miao is here to see you!!!"
Among the unmarried, high-quality young masters from wealthy families in their circle, Wei Miao ranked in the top three.
However, his personality was somewhat peculiar, moody and unpredictable.
He could be smiling at you one second, and coldly kicking you out the next.
His methods were also unconventional, and he wouldn't hesitate to use some irregular tactics when necessary.
Despite only being a junior in university, he had already taken over most of the family business. Apart from the occasional time spent at school, he was busy managing company affairs.
If Wei Miao was your enemy, you'd find it a headache.
For example, the reason Chen Haotian hated Wei Miao the most was that their companies had clashed on two or three consecutive projects, and Wei Miao had successfully won the bids every time.
Chen Haotian was always just one step away from success, which made him deeply resentful!
But resentment was useless; the business world was cruel.
From the perspective of the older generation, Chen Zhenye greatly admired a junior like Wei Miao, and even regretted that his own son lacked such acumen.
"Please invite Young Master Wei in," Chen Zhenye instructed.
"Yes, sir!"
The butler acknowledged and left.
A flicker of dissatisfaction and jealousy passed through Chen Ruanruan's eyes as she looked at Chen Liuyue.
On the surface, however, she sounded very well-meaning:
"Liuyue, how do you know Wei Miao?"
"Do you know that brother hates him the most? Their relationship is very bad."
"If brother finds out about this when he comes back, he'll probably be very unhappy."
Chen Liuyue listened and nodded politely, waiting until Chen Ruanruan finished speaking before replying unhurriedly:
"We met at last night's banquet. I quite like him."
"I can't just dislike Wei Miao because brother doesn't like him."
"Sister, do you know what's most important in life? It's having your own judgment. You can't just follow the crowd. And I think I've heard about why brother dislikes Wei Miao."
A trace of mockery flashed by her lips as she looked up at Chen Zhenye.
"Dad, disliking a competitor simply because you can't beat them—that's not the behavior of a suitable heir."
Chen Ruanruan stared in disbelief.
She... she... This Chen Liuyue was actually taking advantage of her brother's absence to poison their father's mind against him right to his face.
What was she trying to do?
Ruin brother's image in Dad's eyes and plan to meddle in company affairs?
She never imagined Chen Liuyue's ambitions were so great.
Chen Zhenye nodded thoughtfully.
Just then, Wei Miao arrived.
He was wearing a casual light blue stand-collar shirt today, paired with a well-tailored dark brown trench coat, dark jeans, and a pair of deep coffee-colored Martin boots.
His layered bangs fell softly, framing a face with sharp features and slightly uptilted, narrow phoenix eyes.
His pupils were dark and unfathomable, with occasional faint glints of light.
His pale lips were pressed together, exuding an aloof, unapproachable aura when he wasn't speaking.
When Chen Ruanruan saw Wei Miao, her gaze lingered for three seconds before she quickly looked away.
No one knew she had secretly had a crush on him a few years ago. Unfortunately, Wei Miao was so unattainably aloof, surrounded by too many young ladies from prominent families.
She never stood a chance.
Later, due to the marriage alliance between the Chen and Qin families, she realized that a gentle and polite handsome man like Qin Xuanye was more her type.
Wei Miao was too arrogant!
She didn't want to have to humble herself.
Wei Miao greeted them, "Hello, Uncle Chen, Auntie Chen, Miss Chen."
As his gaze moved, finally settling on Chen Liuyue,
a hint of laughter entered his tone.
"Liuyue, little sister."
Chen Zhenye wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him. What had he just heard?
He couldn't help but exchange a look with his wife, Wu Peihua, confirming they had both heard the same thing.
What?
Did the notoriously aloof young master of the Wei family just call their daughter "Liuyue, little sister"?
While they were still lost in self-doubt,
Chen Liuyue had already put on her beige knitted coat, stood up, and raised the corners of her lips in a smile.
She responded,
"Brother Wei, you're a bit late."
"Otherwise, you could have joined me for breakfast. Ah, what a pity."
Chen Zhenye and Wu Peihua exchanged another look.
Thinking to themselves: ...Brother Wei?! Goodness, their biological daughter was quite the charmer. She's already calling him 'brother'.
