Mengyao wore ten-centimeter high heels, making it easy for Yuxin to dodge and quickly run behind Jintang. Mengyao glared at her fiercely, still wanting to chase her, but Jintang suddenly said, "Mengyao, this is what Daddy bought for Sister Xin, her birthday is coming soon. If you want jade, Daddy will buy it for you. Stop making a fuss, what does it look like?"
Mengyao was very reluctant, her eyes fixed on the redwood box in Yuxin's arms, she bit her lip and said, "But I like this set!"
Jintang immediately felt that Mengyao was being utterly unreasonable. As Yuxin had said, she hadn't even seen what was inside. What was there to like? It was clear she was just throwing a tantrum. He felt very conflicted about Mengyao, his daughter with Zhu Wanxia; he had never been involved with Zhu Wanxia, nor had he ever liked her, yet she drugged him, stole his sperm, and even had a child, shamelessly forcing Qianhe to give up her position!
Every time he thought about this, he felt more disgusted than if he had swallowed a fly! Even though he knew Mengyao was innocent, he couldn't treat her as his own child or give her the same respect and love as he did Yuxin and Yu Yang.
Still, when Zhu Wanxia died, he had taken Mengyao in, let her live in their home, and when Mengyao wanted to move out later, he bought her a high-level apartment and kept it in her name. He tried to fulfill her requests as long as they were not excessive.
However, this time, Mengyao had made an ugly scene! If she truly wanted the jade, he would buy it for her. Why must she snatch it from Yuxin? Jintang deeply loved Qianhe and valued his children, Yuxin and Yu Yang—they were both outstanding, which made him very proud and grateful for how well Qianhe had raised them.
But for Mengyao... she grew up with Zhu Wanxia and was already fifteen when she came to the Fang Family. Her personality was already formed, and sometimes, even if Jintang wanted to guide her, seeing her looking so aggrieved, he ended up saying nothing. After Mengyao moved out, they saw even less of each other, and Jintang had even less chance to advise her.
He regretted it immensely now. Had he known Mengyao would react like this, he certainly wouldn't have taken the item out in front of her. Seeing that Mengyao hadn't relented yet, he had no choice but to sternly shout, "Mengyao! Come over and sit down!" His cold gaze seemed to pierce through her, revealing her innermost secrets. Although Mengyao was reluctant, thinking of her purpose for coming, she obediently went to sit down.
Well, she couldn't get what she wanted this time, but it wasn't a big deal—she could find another way next time! Getting the money was the priority! Perhaps, she could even leverage this situation to get more money from Jintang!
Thinking this made Mengyao feel a little better. Yuxin, on the other hand, went upstairs with the redwood box and returned to her room. Normally, she would have opened it downstairs, but now she had to be cautious of Mengyao, so she suppressed her excitement, went back to her room, locked the door, and carefully opened the box.
The box contained a set of jade jewelry, including a necklace, earrings, a bracelet, and a brooch. The quality of the jade was excellent, with full luster and vibrant green, making it feel very much alive instead of just cold stone. Yet Yuxin couldn't discern anything beyond that.
Remembering Mengyao's words earlier, she couldn't help but want to see if the bracelet was indeed a treasure. But just as she picked up a small knife, she thought of Mengyao downstairs. Mengyao's suspiciously strong attachment to the jewelry set made Yuxin wary of taking a risk that might give away any clues, so she put down the knife, locked the items up, and then gracefully went downstairs.
However, once downstairs, Mengyao was nowhere to be seen. Startled, she couldn't help asking, "Dad, Mom, where's Xiao Yao? Did she go back?"
Qu Qianhe pointed towards the kitchen and said, "She is in the kitchen. She said she made a mistake and wants to cook a dish herself to apologize to you."
Fang Jintang then motioned for Fang Yuxin to sit beside him and asked her, "Xinxin, do you like that set of jewelry?"
Fang Yuxin smiled and nodded, affectionately hugging Fang Jintang's arm, "I really like it, thank you, Dad!"
"As long as you like it," Fang Jintang was pleased to see her happy and thought for a moment before saying, "Mengyao, you know, she was a bit reckless today. Just don't take it to heart."
Fang Yuxin didn't want to put Fang Jintang in a difficult position. She wasn't a child who didn't know right from wrong; moreover, she wasn't sure whether that eerie dream was a real experience or a divine warning. In any case, she wouldn't give Fang Mengyao any chances to exploit, but she felt there was no need to worry Fang Jintang and Qu Qianhe unnecessarily.
So she said, "Dad, don't worry, I understand. I won't take it to heart." After speaking, she casually picked up an apple and a fruit knife from the fruit plate, quickly peeled and divided it into three portions, sharing them with Fang Jintang and Qu Qianhe.
Half an hour later, dinner was ready. Aunt Li brought out the dishes. The dinner was quite rich but not greasy, consisting of easily digestible food with moderate servings to avoid waste. Once the dishes were nearly all served, Aunt Li and Fang Mengyao came out together. Aunt Li was holding a large bowl of soup that smelled quite fragrant, the scent wafting into the living room from afar. Fang Mengyao followed her, smiling, "Dad, Aunt Qu, Sister Xin, this is the chicken soup I stewed myself. You must try it."
She paused and then said to Fang Yuxin, "Sister Xin, I was being unreasonable just now. Won't you please not hold it against me? I made this soup myself as an apology."
Fang Yuxin smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, I won't mind just for Dad's sake." After finishing her sentence, she reached out to take the soup bowl, "Let me take it, you've worked hard, Aunt Li." Aunt Li smiled and remained silent, prepared to hand over the soup bowl to Fang Yuxin. Fang Yuxin was used to helping out, so Aunt Li was accustomed to it.
However, Fang Mengyao suddenly became alert and quickly intercepted Fang Yuxin's hand, "No need, Sister Xin, let Aunt Li do it."
Fang Yuxin was already suspicious, and this action only confirmed her suspicions. She then exerted a bit of force, and the soup bowl fell to the ground. The hot soup splashed out of the bowl, and Fang Yuxin yelped as if scalded, stepping back sharply and bumping into the dining table behind her. She then took the opportunity to sweep her arm across the table, knocking all the dishes to the floor!
Fang Mengyao stared at the mess on the floor, her face livid. She had added a suppressant to the soup, a gift from a game package that was one-of-a-kind. Knowing that the apocalypse was approaching, and after being robbed of a treasure by Fang Yuxin, she bore a grudge and pretended to apologize by cooking, infusing the suppressant into the soup. To be on the safe side, she added some to the other dishes as well, using up the entire batch of the suppressant!
The suppressant would inhibit the awakening of superpowers. Once ingested, these three would not be able to awaken their superpowers! She thought it was a foolproof plan, but Fang Yuxin utterly destroyed it! She glared at Fang Yuxin, unable to suppress her raging anger any longer, "Fang Yuxin! What do you mean by this? Are you deliberately opposing me?"