"Second Master, Second Madam, come in quickly. It's quite hot outside today, so I prepared some ice-cold towels for you."
She first handed the towels to Jiang Dinghai and Zhao Guangmei.
"Thank you, Yao Yi. You are very considerate," Zhao Guangmei replied, taking the towel and using it briefly before tossing it back onto the tray.
Yao Yi maintained a smile throughout and said, "No need to thank me. It's my privilege to serve Second Master and Second Madam."
Next, she busied herself bringing freshly squeezed orange juice.
"Master Fengmian, Miss Yuqing, I have prepared freshly squeezed orange juice for you. It's the best way to quench your thirst and cool down," she offered.
Jiang Fengmian and Jiang Yuqing glanced at the juice but didn't seem particularly enthusiastic.
Jiang Yuqing even declined, "I'm on a diet, so I won't have any juice."
"In that case, I'll have someone bring you sparkling water instead, Miss Yuqing. I've heard it's zero-sugar and zero-calorie, perfect for a female star like you," Yao Yi suggested.
Jiang Yuqing then replied somewhat awkwardly, "Thank you, Yao Yi."
Once Yao Yi had attentively served Jiang Dinghai's family, she stood in front of Jiang Moxi, smiling insincerely, and said, "Miss Moxi, the floors have just been cleaned. Your shoes are all muddy; please take them off before coming inside."
Jiang Moxi glanced at her canvas shoes, which had picked up a bit of dirt from walking around.
After observing Jiang Dinghai's family, she noticed that their shoes looked clean on the surface, but there was mud on the soles as well.
Without saying a word, Jiang Moxi shouldered past Yao Yi, walked into the house, and pushed her way through.
Yao Yi, having been pushed aside, dropped the pretense and said without lowering her voice, "Truly a country bumpkin. Not only ugly and useless, but also ignorant of basic manners!"
Her voice wasn't intentionally subdued, so most of the people in the living room overheard her.
Some were chatting, others watching TV, and some engrossed in their phones. But at that moment, they all turned their gazes toward the commotion in the corner.
However, after witnessing the disagreement between Yao Yi and Jiang Moxi, they quickly averted their eyes.
Some concealed it as if nothing had happened, like Jiang Tairan and Old Madam Du Yuke, as well as Jiang Guosheng and Yu Man, who had arrived early.
The first two genuinely didn't care, so it seemed as if nothing had happened.
The latter two felt embarrassed for Jiang Moxi, so they made an effort to steer the conversation elsewhere to cover up the incident.
Of course, there were others who pretended nothing had happened but had a hint of sarcasm in the corners of their lips.
People like Jiang Jianzhong and his wife, Xiao Qingyun, and the youngest sibling, Jiang Ruxin, all secretly mocked the eldest brother's bizarre choice, finding it embarrassing and shameful. It's no wonder they publicly claimed that Jiang Moxi was adopted.
Indeed, it was precisely because the Jiang family treated Jiang Moxi with such indifference that Yao Yi felt emboldened to antagonize her.
However, in the four years since Jiang Moxi returned to the Jiang family, she had attended countless family banquets. Initially, she felt indignant about their attitudes, but as time went on, she stopped expecting anything from them.
As for someone like Yao Yi, who constantly sought validation from others, Jiang Moxi didn't even bother paying her any attention.
After all, these family banquets were just a matter of one meal's time. She didn't want to waste her energy competing with such people.
Thus, due to the Jiang family's disregard and Jiang Moxi's nonchalance, Yao Yi's little incident quickly blew over.
Once Jiang Moxi entered the hall, she greeted everyone.
Some nodded in response, while others simply ignored her.
Even the celebrant, Old Madam Du Yuke, who had specifically asked Jiang Guosheng to call Jiang Moxi over, replied coldly, "Go sit at that table. When you eat, remember to use chopsticks and don't do anything embarrassing."
Jiang Moxi nodded and then proceeded to the corner of the hall, where Old Madam Du Yuke had indicated for her to sit.
"Fengmian, where's Zhiqi? Didn't I ask you to bring her today?"
Zhiqi was Jiang Fengmian's girlfriend, and because of her elite background, as well as her significant role as Chi Jing's right-hand woman, she was highly valued by the two elders of the Jiang family. Therefore, whenever there was a family event, the elders always wanted Jiang Fengmian to bring her along.
"Mr. Chi entrusted Zhiqi with some important work today, so she couldn't make it. However, she specifically asked me to bring you a birthday gift and wishes you a lifetime of happiness and good health."
Jiang Fengmian handed over a well-crafted jade pendant to Du Yuke.
Du Yuke happily accepted the gift, asking Jiang Fengmian to thank Zhiqi on her behalf and reminding him to have Zhiqi visit their home when she has time.
After that, Du Yuke continued to chat with Jiang Yuqing and Zhao Guangmei, inquiring if they had any interesting experiences on the set recently. The three of them laughed and chatted, creating a heartwarming scene.
Xiao Qingyun also took her daughter, Jiang Sibei, and joined the conversation, saying, "Sibei intends to apply to the art college next year. Yuqing had the highest scores in the previous college entrance exams in Yan City. So, I thought it would be great for Sibei to learn from her..."
"Sister Yuqing, I'm struggling with several subjects now. My grades are decent, but I can't seem to improve. I really don't know how to boost my scores."
Guided by her mother, Jiang Sibei immediately opened up.
Jiang Yuqing enjoyed the feeling of being admired and replied, "I'll be free after finishing this advertisement in the next few days. Come find me, and I'll see how I can help you."
Zhao Guangmei added, "That's right, sisters should help each other. By the way, why didn't Jiang Diesheng come?"
Jiang Diesheng was Jiang Sibei's younger brother and was currently preparing for the high school entrance exam.
Because of his exceptional academic performance since childhood and several interviews on television, he was well-known as a child prodigy in Yan City.
Not only did Old Master and Old Madam Jiang have high hopes for him, but even Jiang Dinghai and Zhao Guangmei liked him very much and had a strong intuition that this child would be the most successful among the Jiang family's generation.
Speaking of Jiang Dishi, Xiao Qingyun's face lit up with a smile. "He participated in a small competition today, but he will be arriving soon."
Just as she finished speaking, Jiang Dishi arrived at the door.
Jiang Dishi bore some resemblance to Jiang Fengmian, but his demeanor seemed even more aloof.
When he entered the house, Yao Yi was the one carrying his school bag and water bottle.
Even after entering, he merely nodded at the people present, and he didn't even take the initiative to greet the birthday star, Du Yuke.
On the other hand, the others took the initiative to ask Jiang Dishi about his studies and today's competition.
Though Jiang Dishi answered all their questions, he still maintained a condescending attitude.
However, Zhao Guangmei praised, "Our Dishi has already won so many trophies at such a young age; he's bound to have a bright future. Qingyun, you and your husband can look forward to a comfortable life ahead."
"Fengmian and Yuqing are also outstanding individuals, and you and your second brother don't need to worry either."
Even Jiang Ruxin, his young aunt, joined in the conversation, talking about how her daughter, Li Tinglu, recently received a blue belt in Taekwondo and was going to participate in a Taekwondo competition in Yan City in a few days...
They all basked in the glory of their children, enjoying their lively conversation.
Meanwhile, Jiang Moxi seemed like an invisible person, sitting at the far corner, absorbed in her phone. Yu Man's anger was almost tangible.
Fortunately, just at that moment, Yao Yi excitedly rushed in and said, "Miss Weiwei and Young Master Fu have arrived."