Later that day, Shi Lian got a call from her mother.
She cheerfully picks up the phone and says "Hello." "Am I disturbing you Shi?" her mother's voice is the sweetest voice for her.
The stress she was feeling has vapourised when she heard her voice.
"Mother, how many times have I told you not to say something like this?" Shi Lian gently scolds her.
"Alright alright, my bad" her mother chuckles, "I want to tell you something" her tone changes.
"Is there any problem?" she asks with concern.
"Ah, no, no problem. Your third aunt ringed me earlier and invited us to have dinner with them" she informs her.
"Oh? Dinner? Since when did they become so generous and caring?" Shi Lian asks with mock disgust.
"Shi! They are your elders, you shouldn't talk like this about them!" Mo Sha Sha scolds her from the other line.
Shi Lian groans. 'What relatives? They are inviting only just to talk about the company!'
"Sorry mother" she apologizes nonchalantly. "Did father know about it?"
"I think so. Your uncle must have informed him"
"I see"
"Both you and your father come home soon, alright?"
"Will try mother," she says even though she doesn't want to go, "Gotta go. See you mother."
She hangs up and throws the phone aside in frustration.
'Looks like uncle is not going to stop no matter what. Alright then, bring it on!' She finishes the remaining work to go earlier.
After work, they reach home earlier. Shi Lian goes to her room to get ready for dinner. 'I guess I will meet my two dear cousins' she sneers thinking about them.
She walks into her big closet to find the perfect dress for tonight.
Her closet is like another room for her; it contains every kind of clothes for her, from shorts, casualwear to fancy and luxurious dresses.
Looking around every corner of her closet she finally set her eyes on the classy and sophisticated red wine knee-length dress. She matches it with diamond earrings, a chic diamond necklace that sits perfectly on her skin, and ching simple diamond bracelet.
Coming out of the closet she walks to the dressing table for doing her makeup. In the past, she never cared about makeup and looks but now she does. Evelyn was the one who taught her how to do makeup and stuff.
She takes her time to get ready when Mo Sha Sha calls her from downstairs to come down as they don't want to be late.
"There she is!" her mother cries. Shi Lian comes downstairs carefully taking the steps as she is wearing high heels. You look beautiful, darling!" her mother compliments and Mo Zheng Yuan nods with her in agreement.
"Thank you mother" she replies to them.
"Let's proceed then"
"On it"
Mo Zheng Yi's house is not as big as the Mo mansion but still, it's worth more than $ 50 million. On entering inside the gate, there's a big water fountain that looks fanciful at the night with its rainbow color effect. The house is fancy but a bit overdramatic. You can see lights almost everywhere around the house, be it on the walls, the roofs, and the windows, there are fairy lights everywhere! The windows are big and square-shaped with open glass. The big house stood amidst the manicured lawn as if beamed there rather than constructed. The rose gold metals painted on the front door instantly attracted your eyes. It is the complete opposite of Shi Lian's mansion but also not too similar.
Their car enters inside the gate and the driver parks the car in the front of their house, in front of the waterfall.
'Still the same, fancy as hell! Show off!' Shi Lian comments in her mind while getting out of the car. The three of them walk up to the door and Mo Zheng Yuan press the weird-looking bell pasted on the wall beside the massive door.
Within a second the door opens; Hui Yin, her 3rd Aunt opens it with a big smile on her face.
"Oh my, my! How great to see you all!" she exclaims with joy (not a genuine one) and welcomes them inside.
They enter into the big and lively living room and take their seats.
Hui Yin was so curious before to know if the girl that came is Shi Lian or not, as she looked so different that it is hard to recognize; now she finally got the chance to ask and end her curiosity, "Is that you Shi Lian?"
Shi Lian smirks, she already expected to be asked such type of questions often. "Yes aunt, it's me. Have you forgotten me? It is said that with age, a person's memory starts to reduce" she taunts her with an innocent look.
Hui Yin can endure any comment but when it comes to her age, she completely loses it, Shi Lian knows this so she deliberately pokes her. "How can I forget my Shi Lian?" says her aunt, "You look so much different now that I couldn't recognize you! My!" Hui Yin did not say anything about how Shi Lian taunted her, she knows the situation of the company now so she cannot say anything unpleasant to disrespect them.
'This blockhead has got a sharp tongue now! How dare she humiliate me! Just you wait…you bitch! Sooner or later everything will be ours!' Hui Yin plans in her head with an evil smile on her face.
The servants bring refreshments and serve the guests politely.
"Where are Zemin and Caiwei?" Mo Sha Sha asks warmly to Hui Yin.
"We are here, aunt!" both the cousins say in unison as they come from upstairs. They come down and greet the elders, at least Hui Yin has taught something to their children except for planning and plotting.
"Long time cousin!" Caiwei sneers at her and reaches to hug her.
With not having any choice left, Shi Lian hugs her back, "Yeah, long-time."
"How are doing brother Zimen?" she asks, sipping apple juice from the glass.
"I am doing all well Shi" replies Zimen warmly, "How are you doing? I heard you graduated before coming here?"
"Yes, just a day before coming here."
"Sis Shi, how come you changed so much? Is it because of brother Atian?" Caiwei deliberately says this to provoke Shi Lian. 'So what you become more beautiful, you are still that weak Shi Lian that you were!' she smiles her vicious smile.
The room goes silent; Shi Lian's face becomes gloomy and it looks scary.
"Caiwei! Behave!" Hui Yin scolds her.
If it was a normal family gathering she wouldn't mind what her daughter says, but this dinner arrangement is important for them. she and her husband originally thought to manipulate Mo Zheng Yuan and remove Shi Lian from the Chairman position; now her daughter has messed up everything. Caiwei was not aware of anything going on in the company or related to it, she is still naïve to understand everything that has been going on.
"I changed for myself. Living in a big country like America has taught me so many things; the air around there hits different" Shi Lian answers without any sign of frustration or sadness. "But poor you, you never went so won't know how that feels" she continues to mock her.
Caiwei deserved it; she is two years younger than her still she shows like she is the older one.
'An eye for eye….but the show has just started~' Shi Lian smiles as she plots something against those fools. "You…! How-"
"Caiwei! Stop it! It's rude of you to act like this!" Hui Yin jumps in before her silly daughter can say anything inappropriate.
"Apologise" she orders her.
As much as she hates to tell her daughter to apologize to Shi Lian she has no other choice left; if she messed up before Zheng Yi arrives, she is done for. Caiwei snaps her head to Hui Yin like she has heard something shocking; she wants her to apologize to Shi Lian? No way, she is doing this.
"Mother…" "Caiwei" her mother gives her a sign that she has to do it. Caiwei tightens her grip and controls her emotion not to make a scene here as she gets easily angry over small things.
"I am sorry sis," she says through gritted teeth and tightens her grip.
"It's alright dear little cousin" Shi Lian smirks looking at her state.
How ironic to see Caiwei bowing her head before Shi Lian, as she remembers that it was her in her place and Caiwei used to humiliate her a lot, and being the older sister she couldn't say anything. Karma serves right.
"Elder sis, shall we chat for a while?" Caiwei asks her sneering. Childish play!
Both Mo Zheng Yuan and Mo Sha Sha didn't say anything as they know her daughter will handle it well by herself. She is not the same fragile Shi Lian as she used to be.
"Alright" she agrees but she already knows there won't be any simple chat with her.