Xinyan sighed before opening up her suitcase and beginning to organize her things.
Two hours later, a maid came up to her room and told her it was time for dinner. He Xinyan walked down the stairs in a white nightgown and saw that everyone had already sat down.
The dining table was a rectangular, wooden table and Bai Jiawei sat at the very front, signifying his position and power in the family.
Li Huiran sat to his right, in the seat that used to belong to He Yuxin, He Xinyan's mother. To the left, Li Yuyan was also seated and was watching He Xinyan right now.
Xinyan put on a smile and walked over to Li Yuyan, "Older sister, can I sit here?"
Li Yuyan's face fell, "This is my seat!"
In the past, this seat had always belonged to He Xinyan, but ever since she left for college, Li Yuyan had stolen this seat from her.
Disappointment flashed past He Xinyan's face as she looked away pitifully, "But I want to sit next to dad. . . It's okay then."
He Xinyan walked over to the second seat down the table and pulled the chair out. However, before she could sit down, Bai Jiawei spoke.
"Yuyan, let Yanyan sit in her spot. That seat was originally hers anyway."
Li Yuyan's face turned green when she heard that. She unwillingly stood up from the chair and moved down a spot, making her seem like a guest in the house.
One corner of He Xinyan's lip turned up into a sly smile before she quickly lifted the other side up too, "Thank you, older sister!"
He Xinyan sat down happily and picked up his chopsticks. The beginning of the meal was normal as everyone ate their food silently.
Bai Jiawei would ask He Xinyan some questions every now and then, and Li Huiran would also pretend to be a good stepmother and insincerely talk to her once in a while.
Li Yuyan was upset the whole time as they were eating and Bai Jiawei noticed, "Yuyan, why are you still upset? Can't you learn to get along with your sister?"
He Xinyan raised one eyebrow before looking up from her plate with an understanding smile, "It's okay, dad."
She then picked up a piece of chicken and placed it into Li Yuyan's bowl, "Older sister, don't you love this dish?"
Bai Jiawei smiled to see that Xinyan was finally more accepting of Yuyan now.
Li Yuyan shot He Xinyan a quick smile before picking up the chicken to eat it. However, before the chicken entered her mouth, Li Yuyan noticed something.
She took a deep breath and glared at He Xinyan, who was eating happily now.
'She did it on purpose!' Li Yuyan thought. He Xinyan had given her the chicken butt piece which was not edible!
"You -" Li Yuyan began.
"Older sister, why are you not eating the chicken? Do you not like it?" In the past, Li Yuyan had always pretended to be the good daughter and the white lotus. Now, she was only using her trick against her. Li Yuyan wasn't the only one that could act.
"I -" Li Yuyan turned to look at He Xinyan but was met with her mother's piercing glare. Li Huiran had instructed her to behave well during this time He Xinyan was home.
Li Huiran was not a simple and innocent person, or else how would she have climbed up all the way to this position?
She was cunning and definitely had a few things up her sleeve. She knew that her position still wasn't stable with He Xinyan around. After all, He Xinyan was Bai Jiawei and He Yuxin's daughter and also the only person in the family that was truly part of the 'He' family line.
Therefore, her card in the game right now was her daughter with Bai Jiawei, Li Yuyan. Li Yuyan had to prove to Bai Jiawei that she was the better daughter in order for her position to become more powerful.
She married Bai Jiawei mainly for the money and the He Corporation. So there was no way she was going to let it fall into the hands of another person!
Li Yuyan's breathing quickened as she looked back down at the disgusting piece of chicken. Under the eyes of He Xinyan, her father, and her mother, Li Yuyan slowly took a bite of the chicken butt.
Bai Jiawei's expression wasn't as happy as it was a second ago, but after seeing Li Yuyan take a bite, he looked down and continued eating.
Li Yuyan swallowed the bite and quickly moved the piece of chicken onto a napkin after seeing that her dad wasn't looking anymore.
He Xinyan swung her hair to her back and licked her lips to hide a smile. This was just the beginning and Li Yuyan couldn't stand it already. . .
So weak.
He Xinyan stood up from her chair and wiped her lips with a napkin, "Dad, I'm done eating. I'm tired, so I'm going to go to sleep now."
Bai Jiawei nodded his head and He Xinyan walked away. Li Yuyan's chopstick stabbed through the food that was on her plate as her eyes shot daggers into He Xinyan's back as she walked up the stairs.
After He Xinyan had turned a corner, Li Yuyan's grip on her chopsticks loosened a little. Did He Xinyan really think that her little clown tricks were going to work? Just wait for tomorrow. . . Everything is going down tomorrow.
---
The next morning, He Xinyan woke up to a phone call.
"Hello?" He Xinyan said as she slowly blinked her eyes open.
"Yanyan! Are you okay?" Wu Minger jumped up from the couch when the call finally went through.
"Of course I'm okay. What's wrong?"
Wu Minger gasped, "You didn't see the news today yet?"
"What news?"
"Hurry up and open up any news website. It's everywhere."
He Xinyan sat up on her bed and rubbed her eyes, "Okay."
She hung up the phone and opened up a news app. The hottest article immediately popped up on the screen, and He Xinyan usually ignored it.
However, her eyes landed on the title of the article and she clicked in.