Chapter 50

As they were talking upstairs, the sound of a car arriving was heard. Old Lady Xue’s excited voice could be heard through the door. “Yanmei, Ruoruo, you guys are finally here!”

Following which, a loud voice was heard. “Mom, why are you crying? Could it be that Sister-in-law bullied you?”

It was clear that the person with that fierce and unreasonable voice was not to be trifled with.

Ye Li frowned intuitively and explained to Xue Xi softly, “That’s your paternal auntie, Xue Yanmei. She...”

Ye Li, who had never spoken behind others’ back, hesitated before reminding Xue Xi, “She got married early. Mhm... So her manners are slightly coarse. Her daughter, Sun Ruoruo, isn’t to be trifled with either. Anyways, Xixi, stay away from them.”

Xue Xi was baffled for a moment before realizing why Ye Li hesitated to speak.

The middle-aged lady supporting Old Lady Xue was tanned and slightly fat. She was wearing a tight-fitting outfit, so her belly was exposed layer by layer, and it would even tremble while she walked.

Following behind was her daughter, Sun Ruoruo. Although her name sounded delicate, she had a stocky figure and was very tanned. The moment she entered, she sat on the sofa and fawned on Xue Yao. “Yaoyao, you’re so beautiful today. You’ll definitely get chosen.”

Xue Yao had just finished playing one round as she put on a pretense. “Nothing is certain. There are still Sister Xue Xi and the Xia family’s young mistress! Moreover, Sister Ruoruo, you know how to play the piano too!”

Sun Ruoruo brushed it off. “What am I? I’m just here to play. As for Xue Xi... I heard that she grew up in an orphanage where the handicapped children stay. I bet her image isn’t great either, so she is just here to join in on the fun...”

Before she could finish speaking, Xue Yanmei cut her off. “Second Sister-in-law, where is Big Sister-in-law? Their Xue Xi is finally back, but why isn’t she meeting me, her aunt? Could it be that she is too ugly so they’re hiding her? We’re all relatives and she should just meet us.”

When she heard these words from upstairs, Ye Li’s expression turned ugly, and she walked loudly on purpose.

Hearing the noise, everyone turned to look.

Xue Yanmei and Sun Ruoruo saw the girl behind Ye Li at once. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her facial features were exquisite and beautiful. She was even more eye-catching than celebrities, and her eyes seemed to be holding mist and were exuding a mystical aura.

Both of them were dazed.

Seeing them like this, Ye Li smiled. “Xixi, go greet your auntie.”

Xue Xi slowly greeted, “Hello.”

Xue Yanmei felt that she had been put in her place, but she quickly saved her face. “Big Sister-in-law is so beautiful, so her daughter mustn’t be too bad. However, looks aren’t the most important. Academics and talents are. Our Yaoyao is formidable in her studies and is one of the top five students in her school! Xixi, you gotta learn from your younger sister!”

The living room’s atmosphere turned strange when she said that.

Liu Yiqiu’s and Xue Yao’s faces darkened.

How could this person rub our noses in it?

Old Lady Xue tugged Xue Yanmei’s arm as well. “Stop speaking.”

When Xue Yanmei had just arrived, the old lady had complained about a lot of things softly. She’d said that Ye Li had overtaken her and become the in-charge of the Xue family. She thought that her mother was afraid of Ye Li, so she sneered instantly. “Mom, why can’t I talk about this? If the child has any shortcomings, we need to raise it up! My big sister-in-law will definitely not mind me saying it, right?”

At this instant, Ye Li felt that she could hold her chin up. She smiled in an especially warm and elegant manner. “I think that you’re very right.”

Xue Yanmei nodded. “Therefore, Xixi, no matter what you’ve done in the past, you’re a student so you should prioritize your studies. You must have taken your mock exam in your senior year, right? Don’t try to compete with Yaoyao right at the start because, after all, there is no way to do that. Don’t you feel stressed? You should set a small goal for yourself, if so. For instance, you can try to be in the top hundred of your cohort. Oh, right, what’s your ranking now?”

Xue Xi remained silent, but Ye Li smiled and replied, “Our Xixi lives up to expectations. She performed alright this time around, so she got first.”

Xue Yanmei intended to lecture them but was flabbergasted. “What?”

Her eyes fell on Xue Xi again. Shouldn’t a beautiful girl like her not focus on her studies?

Or did I hear wrongly?

Old Lady Xue coughed and changed the topic. “For a family like ours, studies aren’t the most important actually. A nerd who receives an examination-oriented education won’t make it big. Look at our Yaoyao, she played the piano so well earlier!”

Xue Yanmei quickly changed the topic as well. “Right, our Yaoyao’s piano skills have no problem at all. Out of the four who are being assessed, three are just accompaniments! Oh, right, has the Xia family’s young mistress arrived?”

Liu Yiqiu responded, “They’ll be here shortly.”

As she spoke, a car arrived outside. Liu Yiqiu and Ye Li went out to welcome them. Moments later, they saw a fashionable and well-maintained lady walking in. She must be Madam Xia, and following behind her was a skinny and timid girl in a white dress.

The girl let her hair down and had on a pearl clip. Her skin appeared sickly fair. When she entered, she kept hiding behind Madam Xia and peering at the rest.

She appeared adorable with a hint of delicateness.

Madam Xia smiled politely. “Our family’s Yiyi loves playing the piano, so when she heard that Mr. Zhou is in Bin City, I had to be thick-skinned and come here. Madam Xue, really sorry about it!”

Liu Yiqiu tried to maintain her smile. “It’s nothing. Long before this, I heard that Yiyi plays the piano well. Later, let Yaoyao have an eye-opener!”

After saying that, she smiled. “There’s so many of us here. Yiyi must be terrified, right? I’ll get Yaoyao to bring her upstairs to play!”

Xue Yao’s eyes flickered. “Sure. Yiyi, let’s go upstairs!”

Madam Xia coaxed Xia Yiyi, “Didn’t you have a problem regarding the piano earlier and wanted to consult Xue Yao? Go ahead and play.”

Yiyi shot a timid glance at Xue Yao and nodded.

Ye Li said as well, “Xixi, follow them.”

The four girls headed upstairs and played in the reception room upstairs.

The moment they entered, Sun Ruoruo spoke. “Yaoyao, why doesn’t this Ms. Xia speak?”

Xue Yao coughed and gently whispered in Sun Ruoruo’s ear. At the same time, the latter exclaimed, “It turns out that she’s mute! Can a deaf and mute person play the piano?”

Xue Yao pulled Sun Ruoruo to the sofa and sat down. They began to whisper among themselves, leaving the guest on her own.

Shooting a glance at Xia Yiyi, Xue Xi found her looking disconcerted, her fingers nervously intertwined.

There was still 30 minutes before Zhou Zhou’s arrival.