The Yan Family's New Year's Eve dinner was eaten in silence. With Stepfather present, Daohua always remembered the slap she received in the pavilion. To say nothing of lifting the atmosphere, the fact that she could restrain herself from leaving was already a great display of self-control.
Even now, she could still remember the ringing in her ears and the fiery sting on her face.
If her stepfather had shown even a little bit of fatherly affection at that moment, he wouldn't have hit her so harshly.
For such a father, she did not want to expend any more emotion than necessary.
Yan Zhiyuan did attempt to liven up the atmosphere at the table, but Old Lady Yan wasn't in high spirits, and Madam Li didn't join in the conversation. The younger ones, namely Daohua and Yan Wenkai, who were usually witty and humorous, were both silent tonight. Yan Yile was lively, but what she said simply couldn't pique everyone's interest.
