Chapter 33
The Yu family villa received an unexpected guest.
An elegantly dressed middle-aged woman, carrying an expensive handbag, stepped into the entrance with a look of disdain, her silver high heels clicking loudly against the floor.
“Can’t you even tidy up the house? Tsk, this place has no sense of style at all.” Zhai Yan scanned the room, clearly displeased with the decor that didn’t match her taste.
If it weren’t for needing to reconnect with her son after failing to reach him through various other means, she wouldn’t bother coming here personally.
Housekeeper Zhang, standing beside her, glanced at the spotless floor, the gleaming windows, the newly replaced sofa covers, and the meticulously trimmed flowers in the garden, gritting his teeth inwardly.
This was all his hard work.
“When is Yu Congyan coming back? He wasn’t even here to greet me after being informed of my arrival.” Zhai Yan sat down on the sofa with a dissatisfied huff, looking like she wouldn’t leave until she saw him.
Their mother-son relationship had been quite good before. She had even patiently played the role of a good mother.
Unfortunately, her patience quickly wore thin. By the time she regained interest in playing the part, Yu Congyan had become the cold and distant person she despised.
But she didn’t mind too much. She and Father Yu had been living separate lives for years. For her, marriage was just a business arrangement, the financial benefits far outweighing any emotional attachment.
“There’s no need to let irrelevant people in next time.” Yu Congyan finally arrived, instructing Housekeeper Zhang.
He showed no intention of speaking to his mother, whom he hadn’t seen in a while.
“I know you’re not happy to see me, but do you have to be so obvious about it? Still the same temper after all these years, I wonder who you learned it from.” Zhai Yan drawled.
She showed no sign of getting up from the sofa, even grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds, as if planning to stay for a while.
“I’m still your mother, show some respect.” Zhai Yan said with displeasure.
She never came here to bond with Yu Congyan. Even if he was unhappy, he couldn’t completely sever ties with the Yu family.
Yu Congyan frowned, putting down the strawberry daifuku, a new product from his company, and gesturing for Housekeeper Zhang to put it in the refrigerator.
Housekeeper Zhang quickly retreated, relieved.
Yu Congyan sat down on the sofa furthest from Zhai Yan.
Zhai Yan had visited before, and he had foolishly thought she was just here for a casual chat.
But every visit ended with an assessment of his current value.
And regardless of his wishes, in public, everyone attributed his achievements and abilities to his parents’ upbringing, even though it had nothing to do with them.
“What do you want?” Yu Congyan asked perfunctorily.
He didn’t expect anything serious from Madam Zhai Yan.
She seemed to enjoy using his hardships as conversation starters, as if reclaiming some lost power through him, every word dragging him back into painful memories.
“You haven’t seen me in so long, and the first thing you do is give me attitude, not even asking how your mother is doing, you heartless child.” Zhai Yan tossed a piece of orange into her mouth, her glittery nails digging into the white pith.
She wasn’t in a hurry to leave; she had to settle the family dinner matter today.
“…” Yu Congyan’s expression darkened. He made a move to leave, not wanting to waste his breath on her.
“Alright, about the family dinner, I’ve already boasted to the old man, you can’t go alone. I’ve found you a date, Miss Li, the eldest daughter of the Li family.” Zhai Yan said smugly,
“You wouldn’t have this opportunity if it weren’t for me.”
Zhai Yan was a typical, profit-driven businesswoman. In her world, everything had a price.
As long as the two families’ interests were aligned, marital happiness or whether Yu Congyan actually liked the person was irrelevant to her.
“I’ll attend the dinner, but I don’t need a date.” Yu Congyan didn’t budge.
He knew what she was up to, seeing he wouldn’t agree to an arranged marriage, she was trying to subtly influence him.
“This is a valuable connection, you better behave. We both know the importance of the family dinner, don’t try to bargain with me.” Zhai Yan’s tone turned threatening.
She knew her son’s stubborn nature. He was willing to negotiate calmly now because he didn’t want to jeopardize his career by openly defying her.
So, it was better to push his buttons and maximize her gains.
“Does the old man really need you to make a good impression? Or are these his instructions?” Yu Congyan asked irritably.
This seemingly harmless act sent a strong message to Old Man Yu, implying he was ready to settle down with a wealthy heiress, contributing to his so-called business empire.
As for his own wishes…who cared?
“Yu Congyan, don’t be naive, you didn’t achieve all this on your own. If it weren’t for the Yu family’s influence, you wouldn’t have secured those deals.” Zhai Yan raised her voice.
Then, after the stick, she offered a carrot, softening her tone, “This is also a chance to see your family, Miss Li is looking forward to seeing you, don’t break the poor girl’s heart.”
She knew how to manipulate Yu Congyan. By involving an innocent person, she could influence his decisions, making him realize he couldn’t always prioritize his own feelings.
But this time, Yu Congyan didn’t remain silent and give in.
“If she’s looking forward to it, it’s because you misled her, it has nothing to do with me.” Yu Congyan didn’t budge, “I won’t go.”
He no longer cared about Zhai Yan’s opinions. She always came here under the pretense of catching up, but she never truly intended to have a proper conversation with him.
And now, he had someone more important to care about.
“Think this through, this opportunity only comes once a year. If you don’t attend, Yu Xuan will steal the spotlight, and you won’t get any investments in the second half of the year.” Zhai Yan, losing her patience with this charade, her eyes turning icy.
She was thinking about what it would take to sway Yu Congyan.
Whether he liked it or not, she needed the image of a harmonious family, crucial for future collaborations and her own credibility in the industry.
“Let’s not waste each other’s time, name your price.” Zhai Yan clicked her tongue impatiently.
She was calculating how much this would cost her.
“If I must bring a date, I’ll bring my own.” Yu Congyan said.
He didn’t mention money, it wasn’t about that, he simply refused to be emotionally blackmailed by Madam Zhai Yan.
“Your own? Which young lady have you taken a fancy to…” Zhai Yan frowned, thinking he was defying her.
Then, a thought struck her, a forgotten memory resurfacing.
Yu Xuan had planted a celebrity beside him before, intended as humiliation, she had assumed he had been discarded long ago.
Could it be… he was still around?!
It seemed he had even managed to trap him.
“Playing around is one thing, but you’re actually planning to bring him home?” Zhai Yan’s expression darkened with disdain,
“This is a family dinner, not some gathering with your dubious friends, don’t embarrass yourself.”
She realized this was truly unexpected.
“In that case, I won’t go.” Yu Congyan said casually.
He knew Zhai Yan needed him to attend; she couldn’t maintain her image of a perfect family without him.
“You! Don’t be dramatic, you know the consequences. If you bring him and upset the old man, you’ll regret it when he starts targeting you!” Zhai Yan snapped.
She had seen countless celebrities and influencers dreaming of marrying into wealth, their affections mostly an act.
She had once been passionate enough to pluck stars from the sky for someone she loved, but she realized that after all her efforts, she was left alone.
She never repeated that foolishness, only indulging in fleeting romances, owing nothing to anyone.
Yu Congyan didn’t argue, standing up to leave.
He had long realized he and his mother had very different values, further discussion was pointless.
“Since you’re not staying, please leave. Housekeeper Zhang, see our guest out.” Yu Congyan turned to go to his study, not even glancing at the person on the sofa.
Why bother with unnecessary trouble?
Housekeeper Zhang, who had been silently standing by, finally heard a clear instruction and quickly followed, “Alright, this way please.”
He gestured, urging the unwelcome guest to leave.
Don’t disrupt their dinner.
He would have to mop the floor again later, and next time, she would have to change her shoes before entering, or he would quit!
But despite Housekeeper Zhang’s insistent gestures, Zhai Yan remained seated, picking up a lychee.
“So eager to get rid of me, afraid I’ll make things difficult for him?” she said mockingly.
She wanted to see what kind of person had managed to captivate Yu Congyan.
Bringing him to the family dinner, this was too absurd.
“You’re not qualified.” Yu Congyan said coldly.
He didn’t want to waste his time on Zhai Yan.
“Then don’t worry, it’s almost dinner time, why don’t we all sit down and have a meal? Let me see how things are progressing between you two.” Zhai Yan crossed her legs.
“After all, I’m still your mother, this is a good opportunity to meet the parents.” she reminded him.
She never missed an opportunity, shamelessness was the essence of a businesswoman, if this person was truly valuable, perhaps they could collaborate in other areas.
Yu Congyan had been determined not to interact with Zhai Yan any further.
But she was right about one thing, no matter how strained their relationship was, she was still his mother, this could be considered meeting the parents.
“As you wish.” Yu Congyan returned to his study after speaking.
Housekeeper Zhang understood that he had relented and quickly straightened up. Although he was annoyed by Zhai Yan’s shamelessness, he couldn’t just throw her out, after all, she was Young Master’s mother.
Meanwhile, Xia Wansheng, playing games in his bedroom, was oblivious to all this.
The game’s birthday notification had given him a sense of connection in this foreign world, and this game was the closest thing to his favorite game back home.
A perfect substitute!
As he was playing, a notification popped up, or rather, he heard a notification sound but didn’t see a pop-up, then realized the voice was in his head.
[Host! I’m back from virus scanning, did you miss me~]
The system returned with an unexpectedly cutesy voice, completely out of character.
“…”
Had the antivirus software installed some strange settings? He really didn’t like this saccharine voice.
[Host, why aren’t you saying anything? Are you too surprised and happy, spinning around… ]
The system continued its chatter, only to be interrupted by Xia Wansheng, who covered his head weakly:
“Can you speak normally? My head is buzzing.”
He even considered manually running another virus scan on the system.
[Host, so you prefer the cold type? I shouldn’t have installed this soft voice pack, it cost me so much QQ currency QAQ]
Xia Wansheng wanted to throw this strange creature out of his brain.
After a few minutes, the system finally returned to its normal voice. Xia Wansheng breathed a sigh of relief, still a bit uneasy,
“Are you sure you won’t suddenly disappear again this time?”
He didn’t want to experience the heartbreak of a bankrupt client again.
[Don’t worry, host, I was attacked by a super lovesick virus last time. I’ve successfully repaired the main system and added three firewalls, this won’t happen again.] The system assured him confidently.
It had been dumbfounded when it was forced offline. It had been happily watching a drama when it was suddenly thrown into a washing machine on spin cycle, the numbers blurring before its eyes.
Thankfully, it managed to solve the problem by installing multiple antivirus programs, but to be safe, it had also upgraded its database.
[By the way, host, how’s your mission progress? I can access the new module now!] The system was about to open the progress report.
“Wait!!” Before Xia Wansheng could stop it, the system had already opened the mission progress interface.
The newly returned system was still dreaming:
The host must have worked hard while it was away, the mission progress must have improved significantly, right?
It was looking forward to it.
Super lovesick virus?? How suspicious 😳🧐
Thank you for the update!