Chapter Thirty-Four: It Could Only Be Her

“Dad, Mom.” Du Xin walked in arm-in-arm with Jiang Yingnan, her voice arriving before she did. In the living room, Du Zhiye was also present. Du Xin frowned, reluctantly calling out, “Sister.”

Du Zhiye turned her head and glanced over the two of them, giving a slight nod in acknowledgment. Noticing Jiang Yingnan’s gaze lingering on Du Zhiye, Du Xin instinctively tightened her grip on Jiang Yingnan’s arm. “Mom, could you ask the kitchen to prepare two extra dishes? Yingnan will be dining here today.”

Du Qi and Yan Xiufang both looked toward Jiang Yingnan. Jiang Yingnan nodded politely, “Sorry for the intrusion.”

Yan Xiufang’s face lit up with joy. “Not at all, Yingnan. Is there anything in particular you’d like to eat? Auntie will ask the kitchen to make it for you.”

“Mom, have Auntie Chen make braised short ribs. Yingnan likes them.”

“Alright, alright,” Yan Xiufang replied, heading happily to the kitchen.

Du Xin led Jiang Yingnan to the sofa, instructing a servant to brew tea. Turning around, she noticed Du Qi holding a photograph and couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Dad, what are you holding?”

Du Qi instinctively turned the photo face down, coming up with a casual excuse, “It’s a picture of your sister when she was young.”

Du Zhiye’s lips twitched upon hearing this. So Du Qi didn’t want to air the family’s dirty laundry and was using her as a shield!

Du Xin pursed her lips; she knew Du Qi was biased. Glancing at Jiang Yingnan, who was still watching Du Zhiye, her discomfort grew.

Du Qi put away the photograph and, seeing Du Zhiye still standing there, frowned, “Stay for dinner tonight before you go back.”

Du Zhiye looked at the three of them, smiled, and nodded, “Of course!”

Du Qi ignored her after that and started discussing business matters with Jiang Yingnan. Du Xin sat quietly beside them, attentive and considerate, occasionally pouring water for the two men.

Finding the conversation tedious, Du Zhiye wandered off toward the kitchen. Auntie Chen and two servants were busy cooking, while Yan Xiufang stood nearby with her arms folded, lost in thought.

A servant noticed her and greeted her. Yan Xiufang snapped back to reality, smiling kindly as she looked at Du Zhiye. “What brings you to the kitchen?”

Du Zhiye strolled in casually, “I thought you might be overthinking things alone, so I came to keep you company and chat.”

Of course, Yan Xiufang understood what Du Zhiye was implying, but in this household, she was a master at feigning ignorance.

“I’m not bored. The kitchen is full of smoke and oil; you should wait outside or take a stroll in the garden.”

Du Zhiye looked at Yan Xiufang with a half-smile, “Aunt Yan, how about you accompany me for a walk in the garden?” Before Yan Xiufang could reply, she lowered her voice and added, “I happen to have a video clip in my possession. I wonder if Aunt Yan would be interested?”

Du Zhiye clearly saw Yan Xiufang’s expression change, though she shook her head, “Another time. Today is Yingnan’s first dinner here, I need to keep an eye on things.”

Du Zhiye’s smile faded. “Aunt Yan, aren’t you afraid I’ll send the video to Dad?”

Yan Xiufang merely smiled. She had pondered for a long time; that incident was more than a decade ago. Even if Chen Dong spoke out, as long as she adamantly denied it, Du Qi would hardly believe a scoundrel like Chen Dong. Even if Du Qi did believe him, he wouldn’t make it public—unless he didn’t want Du Xin to marry into the Jiang family. As long as Du Xin held onto Jiang Yingnan, regardless of what she had done, the role of Mrs. Du would belong solely to her.

At this thought, a smile she could not hide flickered in Yan Xiufang’s eyes. She reached out and patted Du Zhiye’s shoulder, her tone laced with challenge, “If your father needs to see that video, then by all means, show it to him!”