It's not time yet; not everyone in the family has arrived.
Lin Leyao checked the time and went out of the courtyard to wait for Ji Rong and Lin Shujun.
The garden fence of the Xin residence was covered with green vines, which looked vibrant in the autumn.
A car was driving towards them from the end of the road, and Lin Leyao immediately looked up.
As the car drew closer, Lin Leyao and the driver made eye contact, both showing expressions of surprise.
When Tang Ran saw Lin Leyao appear at the entrance of the Xin residence, she was first surprised, then furious!
Lin Leyao and Xin Wenwen were together. What does it mean that Lin Leyao is here on the day of the family banquet held at Xin's house?
Tang Ran came to the Xin residence alone today.
A few days ago, Xin Wenwen suddenly revealed her family background to her, saying that she was the daughter of Xin Boliang of the Xin family. After saying this, Xin Wenwen said that her family was holding a family banquet this Saturday and hoped to take her home to meet her parents.
Tang Ran was shocked after hearing these words.
Everyone knows the famous Xin family; she never imagined that Xin Wenwen was a child of the Xin family.
After the initial shock, Tang Ran hesitated greatly about Xin Wenwen's suggestion to go home and meet her parents.
Dating someone of the same sex is one thing, but meeting the parents and confirming the relationship is another.
Perhaps sensing her hesitation, Xin Wenwen suddenly got angry for some reason and stopped answering her calls. When Tang Ran went to Xin Wenwen's house to look for her, she found that she was not home.
After making hundreds of phone calls, Xin Wenwen finally replied and sent an address.
Xin Wenwen said that her father had kept her at home for the past few days, and that Tang Ran should come to this address to see her on Saturday afternoon.
I'm here, but why is Lin Leyao also at Xin Wenwen's door?
It's unclear what Tang Ran was thinking at that moment. Upon seeing this person, Lin Leyao turned away indifferently, wondering why Tang Ran was there, but she had no interest in dealing with this person at today's family banquet.
On the other side, Tang Ran was thinking a lot, her mind churning.
Seeing Lin Leyao standing there at the entrance of the Xin residence, she unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car.
The car door slammed shut with a loud bang, and Lin Leyao couldn't help but turn her head to look, only to see Tang Ran walking straight towards her.
--------------------
Author's Note:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 00:00:00 and 23:50:00 on February 11, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Beiq7 (1 landmine);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: A Jing Doesn't Eat Fish 5 bottles; snower, 55157345, 30392217 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 24
"What are you doing here?" Tang Ran asked with a gloomy face.
Lin Leyao coldly retorted, "Why can't I be here?"
Tang Ran's face turned ashen: "Do you know that today is the Xin family banquet?"
Lin Leyao nodded: "I know."
Tang Ran gritted her teeth, forcing the words out from between them: "So you deliberately showed up here?"
Lin Leyao scoffed, finding it quite amusing: "Tang Ran, you don't actually think Xin Wenwen is worth me going back to eat?"
"I don't care about going back to an old flame," Lin Leyao said solemnly.
Seeing that Lin Leyao's expression didn't seem fake, Tang Ran hesitated for a moment and asked, puzzled, "Then what are you doing here?"
Lin Leyao opened her lips, about to speak, but then she caught a glimpse of a figure approaching from afar and shut her mouth.
"Ranran!"
Tang Ran suddenly heard Xin Wenwen's voice, and when she turned her head, she saw the other person running towards her.
Xin Wenwen had been locked up at home by Xin Boliang for the past two days. Today, she finally managed to sneak out and went to Tang Ran's place first, but found that Tang Ran was not home. She made several calls, but Tang Ran did not answer.
Fearing that she would be late for the family banquet if she delayed any longer, she hurried to the Xin residence.
The taxi she called couldn't get into the area, so Xin Wenwen ran all the way in from the entrance of the villa district.
Unexpectedly, they spotted Tang Ran and Lin Leyao at the entrance of the Xin residence.
When Tang Ran saw Xin Wenwen appear, her expression immediately changed, softening considerably, and her eyes showed a hint of reproach.
Xin Wenwen walked over, and Tang Ran, with a long face, questioned, "Why is she here?"
Knowing who she was asking about, Xin Wenwen's eyes showed embarrassment.
Xin Wenwen's heart sank the moment she saw Lin Leyao's figure appear at the door.
Listening to Tang Ran's questioning, Xin Wenwen looked at Lin Leyao beside her, her mind a jumble of thoughts. She opened her mouth, unsure how to organize her words.
No matter how noble Lin Leyao is, she doesn't want to see her ex and his mistress flirting in front of her.
With a soft hum from her nose, Lin Leyao curled the corners of her lips and looked at Xin Wenwen in front of her, a particularly bewitching smile suddenly appearing on her face.
She turned to Xin Wenwen and asked, "You've seen me for so long without even saying hello?"
Xin Wenwen's expression immediately changed, and she stammered, "Le Yao..."
Lin Leyao interrupted coolly: "Where did this disrespectful junior come from? Doesn't she even know how to call her 'aunt'?"
As soon as Lin Leyao finished speaking, Tang Ran's expression changed drastically.
She looked at Xin Wenwen beside her, wanting to confirm something, but found that Xin Wenwen's face was ashen.
"Le Yao".
Suddenly a sound came from the villa, and then a figure walked out.
He wore a light blue V-neck striped shirt on top and black straight-leg pants on the bottom, which made him look tall, slender and aloof.
When Tang Ran saw the person's face, a look of surprise instantly appeared on her face.
How could it be her? Tang Ran murmured to herself.
She suddenly gripped Xin Wenwen's hand tightly.
Upon seeing Xin Ying appear, Xin Wenwen lowered her head and whispered, "Auntie."
Her aunt's words left Tang Ran, whose emotions were already in turmoil, completely stunned.
When Xin Ying came out and saw Tang Ran there, she realized that this person was the entertainment industry girlfriend that Xin Wenwen had been dating.
Her face remained calm and expressionless. Walking up to the group, Xin Ying looked at Xin Wenwen and said coldly, "Can't you greet your elders?"
The voice was soft and light, but Xin Wenwen could clearly hear the chill in it.
Xin Wenwen took a deep breath and called out almost inaudibly to Lin Leyao, "Hello, Aunt."
Xin Ying shifted her gaze to Tang Ran beside her, her lips curving slightly as she said, "I'm sorry, Miss Tang, I misspoke last time."
Upon hearing this, Tang Ran was taken aback, but then a feeling of joy welled up inside her.
She apologized to herself for what happened last time; she admitted her mistake!
After this thought arose in her mind, a look of joy slowly appeared on Tang Ran's face.
But then Xin Ying's slow, casual remark instantly plunged Tang Ran back into despair.
“I was wrong when I said we would never see each other again, but I never expected that we would meet again today.”
Tang Ran's heart, which had just begun to rise, sank instantly, only to hear the cool voice continue to ring out.
"Is Miss Tang the person Wenwen was talking to? How should we address us?"
Tang Ran's face turned pale and then red, and she gritted her teeth without uttering a sound.
Xin Wenwen, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but speak up: "Auntie..."
Xin Ying's icy gaze swept over her instantly, and Xin Wenwen felt as if a cold snake was tightly coiled around her neck, all the words stuck in her throat.
Not wanting to delay any longer, Xin Ying slowly said, word by word, "Why is Miss Tang here at today's Xin family banquet?"
The question was addressed to Tang Ran, but the eyes were fixed on Xin Wenwen.
Xin Wenwen swallowed hard.
She suddenly felt an urge to get married after learning that her aunt had married a woman named Lin Leyao, so she wanted to bring Tang Ran home to meet her parents today.
But under Xin Ying's urgent gaze, she couldn't bring herself to speak.
After a short while, Xin Ying finally relented: "Alright, you can talk to your dad about it."
Xin Wenwen looked up abruptly and saw a black Mercedes parked not far away, with the license plate number belonging to her father.
Xin Boliang got out of the car, his face dark and frightening, and slowly walked step by step to Xin Wenwen.
"Come with me." With that, Xin Boliang entered the Xin residence with a stern face.
Xin Wenwen took Tang Ran's hand and followed behind Xin Boliang.
The group disappeared through the doorway. Lin Leyao looked at Xin Ying, her previous cold expression instantly melting away. She asked softly, "Why did you come out?"
Xin Ying lowered her head and held Lin Leyao's slender, soft fingers, casually saying, "I'll stay with you. Who knew I'd see such a dramatic scene?"
The two waited at the door for a while longer. Fortunately, this time Ji Rong knew her limits and arrived at the Xin residence on time.
The two families gathered together for a harmonious dinner, but Xin Wenwen and Tang Ran were not present at the table.
We ate dinner early and got back to the villa early. On the way, we stopped by Lin Leyao's apartment to pick up YOYO.
After Lin Leyao finished showering, Xin Ying sat on the bed, wearing a pair of silver-rimmed glasses, looking down at her computer emails.
Seeing Lin Leyao come out and noticing her own pajamas, Xin Ying closed her laptop and said, "You don't have enough clothes at home. Find some time to move your things over."
"Um."
Xin Ying's phone, which was on the bedside table, suddenly beeped. She opened WeChat and saw a message from Xin Yuan.
He had already told Sixth Brother about his marriage to Lin Leyao, but because of a major conference in N City, he was too busy to attend, so neither he nor Xin Yuan came back for this family banquet.