"Mr. Feng, I have no interest in you. You're old enough to be my father, so don't even think about pursuing me. I could never like you. I already have someone I like, so just give up. If you have any sense of shame, don't contact me again. Never! If you try to reach out again, you're a dog."
Nolan couldn't help but touch his face, glancing at Grayson. "Do I look old?"
If he remembered correctly, he had just turned thirty!
A thirty-year-old with a daughter that old?
Grayson assured him, "Not old at all."
"What did you say to her that gave her that impression?"
Grayson looked innocent. "I just told her you wanted to meet her."
That was all he said! He didn't hint at anything!
He had no idea why Zuri would think that way.
Grayson added, "Young people think differently than we do."
Nolan squinted, "Young people?"
Realizing his mistake, Grayson quickly clarified, "Teenage girls have a different mindset from us adults. There's a saying online, 'Three years is a generation gap.' You can imagine how many gaps we have with her."
"Contact her again."
"Alright."
After Nolan left, Grayson suddenly realized something.
Boss, didn't you see the last part?
If you contact her again, you're a dog!
She was openly insulting him!
Wait, no! He was the one who had to contact her.
Grayson helplessly rubbed his nose and tried calling again, but the line was blocked. He dialed twice more, his lips twitching.
He'd been blocked.
Switching to another number, he tried again, but no one answered.
After three attempts, he decided to deal with other matters first.
Zuri returned from the courtyard and immediately noticed a faint scent in her room. It wasn't hers, nor did it belong to Arianwen or anyone else.
The familiar, nauseating scent filled her with disgust.
Zuri narrowed her eyes and scanned the room. Everything seemed untouched, except her phone on the bedside table.
She picked it up, seeing five missed calls, all from Megapolis.
Zuri dialed back, and after two rings, the call was answered.
"Miss Zuri, please hear me out. Mr. Feng has no inappropriate intentions toward you. He simply wants to meet and discuss something."
Zuri paused.
"What did I reply earlier?" Zuri asked.
Grayson immediately understood—someone was causing trouble.
"You sent a message. I'll forward it to you. The previous number has been blocked," Grayson explained concisely.
"Alright."
"When would you be available to meet?" Grayson asked.
"New Year's Eve is the day after tomorrow. We have guests at home. Let's meet after the New Year. I'm flexible; it depends on your availability."
After agreeing on the details, Zuri hung up and read the message, her eyes gleaming.
Saira still hadn't learned her lesson.
Zuri thought, she still hasn't learned her lesson.
This light punishment must have been too easy!
Did Saira think she was safe without surveillance? Even if Zuri knew, she couldn't do anything?
So naive!
Dealing with her didn't require evidence. There was plenty from their past lives!
Zuri set down her phone and stretched, feeling like she hadn't moved in ages.
She opened a drawer, retrieved a packet of white powder, and with a flick of her wrist, it vanished. Another flick, and it reappeared in her hand.
At 2:15 PM, relatives from Dalia's side of the family began arriving at the Lin household. These were relatives of the Qin family.
The Lin family had a tradition of gathering relatives from both sides before New Year's Eve. On the 28th, they hosted the Qin family. On the 29th, it was the Lin family's turn.
During the New Year, Aaron mainly entertained business partners and various leaders, leaving no time for family.
Today, the Qin family was visiting. Cars streamed into the courtyard, mostly mid-to-high-end vehicles rather than luxury ones.
Though Dalia was the daughter of the Qin family's patriarch, the Qin Group had declined since Dalia's elder brother took over, year by year.
The Qin family used to be wealthier than the Lin family, and Aaron had to be cautious around them. Now the tables had turned, and the Qin family had to cater to Aaron.
As Zuri descended the stairs, the women in the living room lit up. They quickly surrounded her, showering her with flattery.
"Zuri, do you remember your Auntie? I couldn't make it to your last birthday because I was abroad. Finally, we meet! Oh, and my son is here too. You haven't met him yet, have you?" Zuri's third aunt pulled her aside, chatting non-stop.
"Oh, speak of the devil! There he is," she called out to the young man entering the living room. "Damian, come meet your cousin."
Damian entered and immediately spotted Zuri, his eyes widening.
Just as he was about to say something, Zuri subtly shook her head at him.
Third Aunt beamed with pride as she addressed the gathered relatives, "My son has been trading stocks lately and made quite a bit of money."
Someone, unable to resist teasing, asked, "Really? Is he as good as that Little Stock God? I heard that person is amazing, buying the right stocks every time."
Third Aunt's smile grew even more smug. "Haha, actually, Damian is the Little Stock God. But honestly, it's all just rumors. Who knew people would take it seriously?"
For the past few days, Third Aunt had been basking in the glory of Damian's reputation among the relatives.
Second Aunt, the one who had just spoken, was left speechless and annoyed.
The surrounding relatives began to praise Damian, elevating him to almost mythical status. Damian, embarrassed, glanced repeatedly at Zuri, knowing that the credit really belonged to her.
Third Aunt pushed her son towards Zuri. "You young ones should go have fun together."
Damian glanced at the quiet Saira. "Saira, why don't you join us?"
Ever since he first laid eyes on Saira last year, Damian had been captivated by her. Their family relationship had kept him from expressing his feelings, but now things were different.
She wasn't Aunt's daughter, so he could pursue her freely. However, the gap in their social status was significant. His father was just a low-level manager in the Qin Group, not the company's head.
Damian believed that once his financial career took off, Zuri's father would approve of him.
The title of "Little Stock God" suddenly seemed more important than ever.
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Saira looked down on her cousin Damian, who was a university lecturer, though she appeared polite on the surface. "No thanks, you two go ahead," she said gently.
Damian was a bit disappointed but didn't push further.
As they strolled through the garden outside the villa, Damian couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you tell them that you're the real 'stock market prodigy'?"
"I never thought we would have such a connection. As for the title of 'stock market prodigy,' I don't care about it."
"You're really not going to tell anyone?"
"Don't worry. The 'stock market prodigy' is Damian, not Zuri. By the way, Cousin Damian, could you do me a favor?" Zuri asked, blinking her eyes.
"What is it?"
"Don't let anyone know I'm trading stocks, not even my parents or sisters. You know how my father feels about women being at home, tending flowers and doing household stuff instead of navigating the business world."
Damian felt a pang of pity and confusion. "Christian may have been raised as one of us, but he's not really Uncle's child. You have the ability; why can't the company be handed over to you? After all, you are his biological daughter."
In her previous life, she had wondered the same, but in this life, she understood. She was not really their daughter, so how could they possibly entrust the vast Lin family business to her?
"Because I'm a woman, I suppose. It's like how everyone assumes the 'stock market prodigy' must be a man, not a woman."
"If you want, I can step up and tell everyone the truth."
"Cousin, you're so naive. If I cared about such things, I would have already made a name for myself."
Damian realized that she had a calm personality and didn't like being in the spotlight.
"Then you'll have to help me maintain the 'stock market prodigy' title. My future as a billionaire depends on you," Damian joked, half-seriously.
"No problem."
Inside, Saira watched them through a window, feeling both disdain and a competitive urge.
During dinner, the elders sat at one table while the younger generation sat at another. When Zuri took her seat, Damian was about to sit next to her, but Saira's gentle voice interrupted, "Cousin Damian, sit here. It's been so long since we last chatted; there's so much I want to ask you."
Damian looked apologetically at Zuri, who shrugged, indicating she didn't mind.
Zuri watched with interest as Saira actively engaged Damian in conversation, their closeness causing Christian to sulk silently.
Aaron stood up and addressed everyone, "Let's raise our glasses and celebrate the New Year."
Everyone stood and downed their drinks. Zuri tapped her fingers rhythmically on the table, silently counting. When she reached "one," Saira's eyes glazed over as if she were drunk.
Christian noticed and instinctively reached out to support her.
But Saira clung to him, puckering her lips and kissing his face, declaring loudly, "I love you, I really like you, don't leave me."
Everyone at the table was stunned.
The commotion drew the attention of the elders at the main table, who turned to see the Lin family's foster son and daughter embracing and kissing in broad daylight.
Dalia and Aaron's faces darkened.
"Oh my, how scandalous!" said Third Aunt Qin with a look of disgust.
"Shameless, utterly shameless."
Master Lin was so enraged that he nearly blacked out, throwing his wine glass to the ground in fury.
Christian was dumbfounded by Saira's sudden affection. Feeling her soft lips, his mind went blank, forgetting to push her away, standing frozen.
"Separate them at once," someone ordered.
Damian was in shock!
"Disgraceful!" Aaron roared, rushing over to pull them apart. He slapped Saira hard enough to turn her face.
Christian, snapping back to reality, saw Saira in pain on the ground and rushed to help her, only to be stopped by a younger cousin.
"Let go," Christian demanded.
His cousin whispered in his ear, "Do you want to kill Grandpa with rage?"
Grandpa was already slumped in his chair, his sons and daughters-in-law frantically trying to revive him.
Christian glanced at the elder, restraining himself.
Dalia lifted Saira, her face a mix of worry and distress. "Honey, she's just drunk. It's a misunderstanding; she always behaves like this when drunk, clinging to whoever's around. She has terrible drinking habits."
No one believed this explanation, but they stayed silent. The Lin family was too powerful, and they all depended on them.
"Yes, yes, my husband does the same when he's drunk," Second Aunt Qin chimed in.
"This girl's tolerance is awful; just a bit of alcohol and she's like this. We should keep her from drinking in the future."
"Exactly. Making a scene at home is one thing, but out in public, it could be disastrous. Especially for a girl like Saira."
"Right, right. Girls shouldn't drink."
The guests agreed, urging Aaron to not make a big deal out of it. Aaron took the hint, masking his anger with a calm facade, but inside he was seething.
Dalia had Arianwen and others help Saira upstairs, worried.
She knew Saira wasn't that bad with alcohol. How could she be drunk after just one glass today?
Aaron looked at his father. "Dad, please, don't be angry."
Lin's Third Uncle from the Qin family grinned, "Dad, you're overreacting. This is just normal etiquette abroad."
"Young people these days, they like to follow foreign customs. We old-timers just can't understand."
"Exactly."
The Qin family chimed in, backing up Dalia and Aaron.
Zuri watched the farce unfold, noticing the Qin family's hypocrisy. Outwardly polite, they were likely mocking the Lin family inside.
It wouldn't be long before this scandal spread through high society.
Once the Qin family left, Aaron could no longer contain his rage. "Drag that wretch out here. Today, I'm kicking her out of the Lin family. We never should have kept her after Zuri returned."
Dalia quickly intervened, "Honey, calm down. There's really nothing serious. If you kick Saira out now, it's like admitting something happened between her and Christian. It'll ruin her reputation, and Christian's will suffer too."
Friends who like this novel, "The superstar wants to slack off",please add it to your collection, throw a small stone and vote for me. Thank you all for your support!!!
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