The truth about what Xin Wenwen told her that day has been lingering in her mind ever since.
Realizing that Wu Yun might know something, Xin Hailan was stunned for a moment, and suddenly felt a little overwhelmed.
She forced herself to stay calm and replied softly, "I just came back for the New Year."
Wu Yun responded with two "ohs" sounds, then quickly changed the subject, saying, "Don't you know any of these people here? Let me introduce you."
As soon as she finished speaking, Wu Yun began to introduce the identities of the people attending the party to Xin Hailan one by one.
Suddenly, the glass door in the hall was pulled open, and a boy with a buzz cut shouted into the courtyard, "Wu Yun! A friend of mine is coming in a bit!"
"Okay! Got it!"
An hour later, the sound of a chair being dragged could be heard from inside the hall.
Xin Hailan was sitting in a chair, quietly playing on her phone. Hearing the noise, she looked into the hall and saw that the people inside had probably finished playing cards and had all stood up.
After introducing the identities of the people attending the party to Xin Hailan, Wu Yun busied herself entertaining her own friends. Xin Hailan and Lin Zhipeng couldn't fit into the atmosphere, so they sat quietly in their chairs playing on their phones.
Suddenly, the glass door to the back hall was pulled open.
The short-haired boy who had been talking to Wu Yun earlier ran to the courtyard gate, quickly opened it, and ran out.
A dozen minutes later, two figures walked in from outside. The boy with the buzz cut looked back and saw a girl wearing a black t-shirt and wide-leg jeans walk in.
The boy was smiling and talking to the girl when she reminded him, "We're in China now, so let's speak Chinese."
The boy nodded: "Okay."
"Xiao Ai, let me introduce you. This is Wu Yun. Her father is the chairman of Zhong Sheng Group."
The boy had already reminded Wu Yun that a friend was coming, and she greeted him with a smile.
The girl smiled and introduced herself, "Hello, I'm Liu Ai."
The boy next to her quickly added, "Her sister is the president of the Ruien Group in China."
Wu Yun asked curiously, "Are you two boyfriend and girlfriend?"
Liu Ai smiled and said, "No, he and I are classmates."
The boy nodded in agreement: "Didn't I go to study in England in junior high school? Liu Ai and I went to the same school from junior high to high school and university."
Wu Yun said "oh," and the two exchanged a few pleasantries before quickly leading Liu Ai inside.
Everyone else was very curious when they saw a new person appear.
Wu Yun introduced Liu Ai to everyone.
Liu Ai wasn't really interested in these kinds of occasions where people introduced themselves and exchanged pleasantries.
She was just passing by today, but her male classmate kept inviting her to come and have some fun, so she couldn't refuse and came over.
Wu Yun quickly introduced Lin Zhipei.
"This is Lin Zhipeng, a child from the Ji family of Huanling Group."
Liu Ai, who had been listless, paused for a moment upon hearing Wu Yun's introduction: "The Ji family of Huanling?"
Lin Zhipei looked at the girl in front of her who kept staring at her, and she pursed her lips without saying a word.
Soon after, the girl asked, "Do you have an older sister?"
Wu Yun spoke first to answer for Lin Zhipei: "She does have an older sister, but her sister never attends our gatherings. Her family is very protective of her sister, and we don't even know what her sister looks like."
Liu Ai frowned, quite surprised.
Liu Ai learned from Lin Leyao's older sister that Lin Leyao was a member of the Ji family.
Was this identity a secret all along? Did her sister specifically investigate Lin Leyao's background?
There must be a special reason why Sister Leyao is unwilling to reveal her identity, so she should keep it a secret.
Liu Ai, who had originally intended to ask Lin Zhipei about Lin Leyao, gave up on the idea.
She nodded politely to Lin Zhipei.
The party started in the afternoon and lasted until the early hours of the next day.
Liu Ai originally planned to leave after a short while, but unexpectedly ran into Le Yao's sister here.
She stayed a little longer, and in the evening everyone moved from the courtyard to the indoors.
Inside the karaoke room, everyone was clutching their microphones and wailing, while Lin Zhipei and Xin Hailan sat in the corner of the sofa, not participating.
Liu Ai took a sip of beer and started chatting with Lin Zhipei.
Meanwhile, Xin Hailan, who grew up abroad, shared some of her thoughts with Liu Ai, and the three of them soon sat down together and chatted happily about many things.
Before Liu Ai left, the three exchanged contact information.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, time flew by on set.
After finishing filming, Lin Leyao returned to the hotel and called her grandfather, Ji Hongchen.
On the phone, Lin Leyao asked, "Grandpa, what did you have for dinner?"
Ji Hongchen replied with a smile, "For dinner, we had ginseng chicken soup made by Auntie. It was very delicious. When you come back, I'll ask Auntie to make some for you!"
Lin Leyao obediently replied, "Okay."
Ji Hongchen continued, "Darling, Grandpa has recently been learning how to use the internet from Secretary Zhang."
Lin Leyao was very surprised: "What internet?"
"It's those Weibo, Douyin, and a whole bunch of other random apps. I'm learning how to use them from Xiao Zhang every day now, so that Grandpa can watch you on them every day once he learns."
Her grandfather is seventy years old. It's kind of him to learn so many software programs for himself, but those things online aren't suitable for the elderly.
“Actually,” Lin Leyao said tactfully, “you don’t need to learn this. Can’t you just have Secretary Zhang help you with it every day?”
"That won't do!" Ji Hongchen refused decisively: "I'll take care of my precious grandson myself!"
"Okay, okay," Lin Leyao quickly agreed. "But you must take care of your health and get some rest every day."
Hearing his beloved granddaughter's thoughtful reminder, Ji Hongchen hummed in agreement and asked, "Have you told the elders of the Xin family about going home for the Chinese New Year this year?"
Lin Leyao replied, "I'll tell them soon."
"Okay, don't make it too difficult for yourself. Grandpa doesn't necessarily require you to come home for the New Year, you know?"
Knowing that her grandfather was worried about putting her in a difficult position, Lin Leyao smiled and replied, "Don't worry, Grandpa."
While Lin Leyao was contacting Ji Hongchen, on the other side, in S City, at the Xin residence...
Xin Ying usually lives in a villa outside and usually goes back to the Xin residence for a meal once a week.
My older brother usually stays in Hong Kong most of the time. In the past, Xin Sinan would come back often, but in the last two months, probably because Xin Hailan came back, he only came back once, on the anniversary of Xin Ting'an's death. He hasn't been home at all the other times.
During this period, only Xin Hailan stayed by the side of the two elderly people.
There were only four people eating at the dinner table that evening.
Grandpa Xin, Grandma Xin, Xin Ying, and Xin Hailan.
No one spoke during the meal; the table was very quiet.
Just as they were finishing their meal, Xin Ying suddenly said, "Le Yao is going back to the Ji family for Chinese New Year this year."
The old lady immediately objected: "How can that be? Once she's married into the Xin family, she's part of the Xin family. There's no reason for a new bride to go back to her husband's family for the New Year!"
Xin Ying explained slowly and deliberately, "This is unfair to Le Yao. She wasn't even given a wedding ceremony, and now she has to spend the New Year at the Xin family's house. How can those relatives look down on her?"
The old lady was about to speak when she was interrupted by Grandpa Xin. He pondered for a moment and said, "You're right. Why don't you go with Le Yao to the Ji family for the New Year this year? There are fewer people at the Ji family, so it will be more lively if you go."
The old lady immediately became anxious: "How can this be! Hailan finally came home for the New Year this year, can't our whole family celebrate together!"
Xin Ying didn't pay attention to what the old lady was saying. She nodded and said, "Okay, Dad."
Neither the father nor the daughter took her words seriously, and Dai Jiaozhi angrily put down her chopsticks and refused to eat.
Xin Hailan witnessed the whole thing. Her gaze slowly slid across her grandfather's and aunt's faces for a few seconds before she lowered her head and covered her eyes.
No one knows what she was thinking at that moment.
Author's Note:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2022-04-05 14:17:12 and 2022-04-06 14:12:04!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: 8845 (10 bottles); 55157345 (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 77
On the 29th day of the Lunar New Year, the crew of "The Palace Prisoner" finally stopped work and went on holiday.
The two-day holiday, though short, was a rare treat for the film crew, who would incur significant additional costs for each day of work stoppage.
Lin Leyao took a plane back to S City after finishing filming on the evening of the 28th of the Lunar New Year.
The next day, Xin Ying, Lin Leyao, and Xin Sinan met together in a private room at a private restaurant in downtown S.
During this period, whenever Xin Ying was busy or unable to be by Lin Leyao's side, Xin Si Nan helped her with many things.
Although it's true that family members shouldn't speak in such formalities, some form of expression is still appropriate.
Therefore, on the day before the Spring Festival, Xin Ying and Lin Leyao invited Xin Si Nan to dinner.
Since family meals don't require social obligations, the meal didn't take long. The three of them left the restaurant only an hour and a half later.
Today is the 29th of the lunar year. I've been finding excuses to stay away from home for a while, but now I have no choice but to return to my residence.
Tomorrow, Xin Ying will accompany Lin Leyao back to the Ji family home for the Lunar New Year, so they chose to return to the Xin residence tonight.
The two cars drove away from the restaurant and headed towards the Xin residence.
Halfway there, Xin Ying's cell phone suddenly rang.
Xin Ying tapped the button, and Xin Si Nan's voice came through the Bluetooth earphone.
"Look closely, I saw a car that looks strange in my rearview mirror. Can you check if there's a car following behind you?"