NFBE Chapter 254 An Awkward Dinner (2)
Chapter 254 An Awkward Dinner (2)
Sure enough, a familiar car soon pulled into the military compound, and a woman dressed head-to-toe in designer brands stepped out. Upon seeing Chi's mother, she addressed her as "Auntie" with exceptional intimacy. Chi's mother immediately took a liking to this woman; she was elegant and poised, exuding a fashionable and intellectual grace in every gesture.
"Zuo Zuo, I didn't expect to see you here." Tong Shili reached out to greet Yan Zuo Zuo.
Yan Zuozuo was completely dumbfounded. She never expected that the woman who could keep Chi Moqing out all night would actually be at his house now, chatting happily with his mother.
She suddenly felt a pang of sadness, or rather, a desperate lament. It turned out that she wasn't irreplaceable; if Chi Moqing wanted, any woman could replace her at any time.
And Tong Shili is the best proof of that...
She smiled and greeted Tong Shili, but felt her heart was already dead. She suddenly realized how ridiculous she had been; she had actually been worried about whether Chi Moqing would be sad after she left. Yet, even before she left, someone had already taken her place. Wasn't that pathetic?
Chi's mother was pleasantly surprised: "So you two know each other! That's wonderful." She held Tong Shili's hand and chatted about this and that. Meng Xinyu occasionally chimed in with a few words. Yan Zuozuo suddenly felt superfluous, as if she had been abandoned at the ends of the earth.
She stood up: "Mom, Shili, you two chat first, I'll go help in the kitchen."
"Then go ahead. Shili likes to eat dace with fermented black beans, remember to make it for her." Meng Xinyu ordered arrogantly, as if she were the mistress of the house and Yan Zuozuo was just a maid.
Yan Zuozuo nodded, but the moment she turned around, she could no longer manage a smile.
In the kitchen, the nanny looked at her curiously. "Young Madam, why aren't you chatting in the living room? I can manage here."
Yan Zuozuo shook her head: "It's okay, I'll still help out in the kitchen." She couldn't fit into that kind of laughter.
The nanny glanced at the lively atmosphere outside, then at Yan Zuozuo's forlorn look, and couldn't help but comfort her, "Young Madam, don't blame Madam. Miss Meng was raised by Madam from childhood, and it's inevitable that she would show favoritism sometimes."
"I know, I'm not overthinking anything, don't worry." Yan Zuozuo smiled, then glanced at Tong Shili and Chi's mother chatting and laughing in the living room, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart.
At noon, Chi's father and Chi Moqing returned. When Chi Moqing saw Tong Shili, he couldn't help but frown. "What are you doing here?"
Tong Shili walked over warmly: "President Chi, I'm here as a guest, are you welcome?"
Chi Moqing glanced at her and said perfunctorily, "Welcome." After saying that, he glared at Meng Xinyu warningly and asked, "Where's Zuo Zuo?"
"I saw Shili in the kitchen. She volunteered to make the black bean dace, but no one forced her," Meng Xinyu said nonchalantly.
Chi Moqing's face darkened, and he walked straight to the kitchen, where he saw Yan Zuozuo busy at work. His heart ached as he remembered her mentioning Tong Shili. She clearly cared about her so much, so why was she forcing herself like this?
He reached out and took her hand: "Stop doing this, let's go outside and chat."
Yan Zuozuo was taken aback, a look of sadness flashed across her face, and then she shook her head and said, "Go outside and talk, I'll be done soon."
Seeing her stubborn expression, Chi Moqing felt a pang of sadness. He didn't leave, but just quietly watched her. If he had known Meng Xinyu would be here today, he wouldn't have brought Yan Zuozuo back. Meng Xinyu was someone who thrived on chaos, but his mother was fiercely protective of her, which gave him a headache.
Chi Moqing was originally going to help Yan Zuozuo cook, but she seemed to be sulking and refused to let him help. Adding fuel to the fire, Meng Xinyu's voice came from the living room, "Shili is a guest, she's sitting here. Cousin, you two are not strangers, come out and chat with her."
Chi Moqing wanted nothing more than to strangle Meng Xinyu. He turned around and looked at her with hostility, "If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute! If you're so bored, go run three laps outside!"
He spoke without any mercy, which terrified Meng Xinyu. The next second, she burst into tears, "Auntie, look at my cousin! He's bullying me! You have to stand up for me!"
Chi's mother glanced at Chi Moqing and gently scolded, "She's your cousin, how can you talk to her like that?"
Chi Moqing's temper flared up: "Besides causing trouble, what does she do all day long?"
"Auntie, look, my cousin doesn't like me anymore. I'm never coming here again..." Meng Xinyu said aggrievedly, burying her face in her mother's arms and crying.
"Mo Qing, apologize to Xin Yu!" Mother Chi said sternly.
Chi Moqing's face turned cold: "If anyone should apologize, it should be to Zuo Zuo. Mom, she's done so many wrong things, do you see any remorse in her eyes?" After saying that, he looked sharply at Meng Xinyu, "I'm warning you, you're not a child anymore. You're the same age as my wife. If you cause me any more trouble, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Meng Xinyu shrank back, frightened by Chi Moqing's cold demeanor, and instinctively leaned into Chi's mother's arms, "Auntie..."
Although Chi's mother was somewhat unhappy with Chi Moqing's attitude towards Meng Xinyu, she had to admit that Meng Xinyu had indeed been quite rude to Yan Zuozuo. They were the same age, so how could there be such a big difference?
Just as Chi's mother was about to scold Meng Xinyu, she heard Yan Zuozuo call out that it was time to eat. She glanced at Meng Xinyu, shook her head helplessly, and got up to walk towards the dining room.
Meng Xinyu originally wanted to act coquettishly, but seeing that Chi's mother seemed a little unhappy, she didn't dare to say anything more. However, old habits die hard. During the meal, she seemed to be deliberately ignoring Yan Zuozuo, always putting Chi Moqing and Tong Shili together, chatting and laughing.
Yan Zuozuo understood Meng Xinyu's thoughts, so she didn't say a word and just ate quietly.
Chi Moqing felt a pang of pain in his heart when he saw Yan Zuozuo's submissive appearance.
"My cousin's cooking is far inferior to that of the nanny. It's terrible in terms of color, aroma, and taste. I really don't understand how my cousin puts up with it," Meng Xinyu said critically.
Mrs. Chi frowned slightly. What was wrong with this child? She was becoming less and less likable. But with so many people around, she couldn't very well refuse a girl's request, so she simply said in a low voice, "I think it's quite delicious."
Chi Moqing snorted coldly: "If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it. Nobody is forcing you to eat it!"
Meng Xinyu was stunned, her lips trembling as if she was about to cry, "Auntie, look at my cousin..."
“Since you think Zuo Zuo’s cooking is not good, why don’t you go to the kitchen and cook a couple of dishes so we can all try them?” This time, Chi’s mother did not take her side and said calmly, “Go ahead, we’ll all be waiting for you.”
Meng Xinyu was completely stunned. She had no idea how to cook; in fact, she'd hardly ever even stepped foot in the kitchen. Hearing her mother's words, she blushed, bit her lip, and whispered, "Auntie, cooking is all manual labor; I have no idea how to do it..."
"If you don't know how, then talk less. Nobody thinks you're mute!" Chi Moqing glanced at her sideways.
Meng Xinyu gritted her teeth in anger, but seeing that no one at the table was helping her, she became even more frustrated and blurted out, "Why are you all targeting me? Do you really think Yan Zuozuo is some kind of good person? She slept with Young Master Ou, she's a slut..."
"Slap!" A crisp slap rang out, and the entire restaurant fell silent.
Meng Xinyu looked at Chi Moqing with trembling eyes, her eyes quickly reddening. "You hit me?"
"I wish I could kill you right now!" Chi Moqing's forehead veins bulged, and he looked as if he really wanted to kill Meng Xinyu.
Chi's mother felt that Meng Xinyu deserved the slap and did not speak up to defend her. She simply said to Chi Moqing, "Alright, let's eat first. We can talk about it after we finish eating."
"No need, Zuo Zuo and I are leaving now!" With that, he grabbed Yan Zuo Zuo and left, glaring fiercely at Meng Xin Yu. "If I find out you're talking nonsense or causing trouble again, I'll kill you!"
“Mo Qing…” Mother Chi frowned slightly.
"Mom, if Meng Xinyu comes to our house for dinner again, don't call us again. My wife isn't someone she can insult!" Chi Moqing said through gritted teeth, tightly holding Yan Zuozuo's hand as they walked outside.
In the restaurant, Meng Xinyu burst into tears again. Chi's mother was also angry. She slammed her chopsticks on the table and said sternly, "Xinyu, haven't you made enough of a scene? Mo Qing is right. You and Zuo Zuo are the same age. I can't keep indulging you like this. Go home. Since you can't get along with my daughter-in-law, you don't need to come here anymore!"
"aunt……"
"You don't need to call me aunt anymore. I don't have a niece like you who only bullies my daughter-in-law. Get out now!" Mother Chi directly kicked her out, then turned to Tong Shili, "I'm sorry to have made a fool of myself in front of Miss Tong. I haven't been very hospitable today, so I won't keep you any longer."
Tong Shili smiled awkwardly: "Well, I'll be going now. Thank you for your hospitality today, Auntie."
As they left the military compound, Chi Moqing held Yan Zuozuo's hand tightly. Yan Zuozuo remained silent, her head bowed, lost in thought. Chi Moqing tried to comfort her, but she simply smiled and said it was nothing, nothing more.
Chi Moqing said, "Wife, if you're feeling down, just say it. Even if you hit me or scold me, it's fine. Don't stay silent like this, it'll make you sick."
Yan Zuozuo shook her head: "I'm really fine, you don't need to worry about me."
In truth, Meng Xinyu was unlucky. She originally had evidence that could have completely ruined her, but unfortunately, she lost that evidence and could only become a disliked figure. However, this doesn't mean the incident didn't happen, and Qin Yun does indeed still have evidence.
She lowered her eyes. No matter what, once this matter came to light, it would inevitably affect Chi Moqing. Moreover, she could see that Chi's mother favored Meng Xinyu; otherwise, she wouldn't only consider Meng Xinyu and disregard how Chi Moqing behaved in the company. With Meng Xinyu around, she feared that one day Chi's mother would dislike her and might even speak ill of her. Chi Moqing would be caught in the middle, and eventually, she would become exhausted…
She smiled bitterly. She was not good enough for Chi Moqing. Compared with Tong Shili, she was indeed far inferior. It would be better for her to withdraw voluntarily, which would save face for herself.
"Wife..." Chi Moqing felt a pang of panic when he saw her cold expression. He felt like he was about to lose control of her. "Wife, say something. Don't scare me."
Yan Zuozuo looked up and met his anxious expression. She smiled and said, "I'm fine, you don't need to worry."
Chi Moqing would rather she vent than pretend everything is peaceful like this.
"Wife, I really didn't know Meng Xinyu was there today, nor did I know Tong Shili would be there. I apologize to you. It was all my fault for not handling things well. Please don't be angry, okay?" Chi Moqing looked at her closely and held her hand tightly.
Yan Zuozuo chuckled: "I'm not angry, it doesn't matter even if you know..."
"Wife..." Chi Moqing felt that her words were strange, so he quickly said, "Are you hungry? You didn't eat much just now. I'll cook for you when we get home."
Yan Zuozuo lowered her eyes and shook her head: "I'm not hungry, I just want to go back and lie down for a while."
She felt so tired, both mentally and physically; she was completely exhausted.
When they got home, Chi Moqing looked at her with concern, but Yan Zuozuo fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, as if nothing had happened. He felt increasingly uneasy, but all he could do was quietly stay by her side, not knowing what else to do.