“Are a lot of your relatives coming today?”
Xia Yu cautiously peeked around and quietly asked Mo Yidong.
She had thought it would be a simple move—just meeting the elders and having a meal—but she hadn’t expected so many people to show up.
There were no tables or places for gifts set up at the entrance, and everyone was dressed rather formally.
It seemed the Mo family had some local reputation.
“Not many. Today, just my aunt on my mother’s side, my third uncle, and my fifth uncle came from my side. The other relatives live in the neighboring city, too far to come. Mo Yaofei has four relatives here, but you don’t need to worry about them.”
Mo Yidong said this with a gradually darkening expression, a faint trace of displeasure showing on his face.
Because of their parents’ work, they had moved around a lot, and the family’s relatives seemed to have grown accustomed to this lifestyle.
Inviting people over for the move was mostly about parents maintaining local friendships; relatives coming was purely for the sake of joining the gathering.
Mo Yidong probably already guessed what would happen next.
“Oh…”
Just like Xia Yu had things she didn’t want to talk about, Mo Yidong was the same.
Xia Yu stayed silent, trailing closely behind Mo Yidong.
She knew the relationship between Mo Yidong and Mo Yaofei was bad, and the situation with the second marriage family was complicated, so she didn’t want to ask or mention it further.
She was just here to show her face, have a meal, and pretend to be a girlfriend for a day—that was enough.
Entering the house with Mo Yidong, Xia Yu saw a Suiban bamboo plant placed beside the entrance.
Behind it hung a solemn Shuimo Hanging Scroll depicting a mighty black dragon, vivid and lifelike, quite striking.
The wooden floor in front of the door was clean and tidy, emitting a faint scent of sandalwood.
The hallway was very spacious, and from the far corner came the sounds of lively chatter.
Xia Yu stood still for a long time, looking around, until she suddenly heard Mo Yidong say:
“No need to change shoes; there are many people today, and someone will clean up tonight.”
“Oh, that explains it.”
No wonder Xia Yu had looked around and couldn’t find the shoe cabinet.
“The Young Master is back.”
At the doorway, a middle-aged man in a simple brown-gray linen Tangzhuang appeared.
His temples were streaked with white hair, and wrinkles lined his forehead.
Beneath his calm, deep black eyes was a peaceful smile as he warmly greeted them.
“This is Qin Yixia, my girlfriend. She’s come a long way, just treat her as you would me.”
“Understood. Miss Qin, if you need anything, please just tell me. My surname is Dong; you can call me Dong Ye.”
“Hello, Dong Ye…”
Xia Yu slightly bowed to Dong Ye politely.
“Miss Qin, no need to be so formal.”
Dong Ye smiled gently.
“Dong Ye has been with our family for a long time. He’s the most trustworthy person here to me. If you need anything, you can ask him.”
Xia Yu listened quietly as Mo Yidong introduced Dong Ye.
His tone was warm, softer than when introducing other relatives.
“Alright…”
Xia Yu lowered her head, feeling her cheeks warm.
The words echoed in her mind, lingering for a long time.
Her thoughts began to wander again.
Don’t assume someone likes you just because they’re nice.
Your relationship is only temporary.
Coming here with Mo Yidong is just to meet his family’s expectations.
But Mo Yidong wanted to stay…
Could it be for someone?
Suddenly realizing this, Xia Yu caught Mo Yidong staring at her.
“What’s wrong? Is the room too hot? Your face is a bit red…”
Seeing Xia Yu’s flushed face and dazed expression, Mo Yidong lifted his hand and gently touched her forehead, but the next moment she quickly pulled back.
“I’m fine.”
Xia Yu pushed aside her tangled thoughts and asked casually with a key question:
“Are we going to see your father now?”
“No.”
Mentioning this person, Mo Yidong returned to his usual calm demeanor.
“There are too many guests today. He’ll be busy, and he already knows you’re here.”
From Mo Yidong’s indifferent tone, it was clear he wasn’t keen on contacting his father.
Surrounded by expensive yet understated decor and this small villa nestled in the hills by the water in the suburbs—this affluent lifestyle was completely out of Xia Yu’s reach.
She wondered what was so unsatisfactory about this comfortable life that made the Young Master uneasy.
It seemed the poor had their troubles, and the rich had their worries.
The more Xia Yu tried to understand Mo Yidong, the greater the distance she felt between them.
Even holding hands like now, once let go, they might never reach each other again.
Just as Xia Yu felt gloomy, a sorrowful and plaintive voice came from inside.
“Oh no~ Xiao Feifei, how did your leg and foot get hurt like this?”
Xiao Feifei?
Xia Yu came back to herself and raised an eyebrow.
The only person with the name “Fei” at home could only be one.
What was that guy acting up for now?
Xia Yu quietly moved to the corner of the living room, hiding behind some cover to observe.
Tilting her head, she glanced toward the living room and saw three middle-aged women surrounding Mo Yaofei, all anxiously looking at his condition.
Mo Yaofei sat in a wheelchair, his face grim as he looked at his aunt and younger aunt, sorrowfully saying:
“I accidentally fell on the way home…”
This was too much… Xia Yu couldn’t hold back a laugh.
Seeing the tall and imposing guy in a wheelchair called “Xiao Feifei” by name, with Xiao Dongdong surely nearby, the nicknames were just too amusing.
“Why doesn’t he say he got beaten up at school!?”
Suppressing her laughter, Xia Yu pointed at Mo Yaofei’s fake miserable look and whispered angrily to Mo Yidong:
“The family rules are strict—no fighting at school.”
“Oh~”
Mo Yidong’s meaningful reply made Xia Yu’s face flash a mischievous grin.
“So that means when he starts a fight, you can take extra close-up shots and send them to your family?”
“Someone tried that before, but Mo Yaofei intercepted the letters or materials before they reached home. Plus, the family more or less knows about it. As long as it doesn’t get to Grandpa’s ears, they mostly turn a blind eye.”
Mo Yaofei’s tricks were many.
Not only did he use the family’s living expenses to buy strange gadgets to deal with classmates, but he also tried to get involved in everything at home.
Mo Yidong had seen all this, often turning a blind eye and finding Mo Yaofei’s antics boring.
This was Mo Yidong’s first time attending the same school as Mo Yaofei.
Not only had he used connections to get into an advanced class, but he’d also ended up at odds with Xia Yu.
Even though there were better schools in the city, Mo Yaofei deliberately chose the same one.
He must have eavesdropped on conversations between Mo Yidong and his father.
Furthermore, yesterday Shangguan Xiaowan mentioned Mo Yidong hiring someone to pretend to be his girlfriend.
Mo Yidong knew the gossip was spreading nearby.
Since rumors were flying, Mo Yaofei would definitely act on it today.
Mo Yidong had seen too many of Mo Yaofei’s unscrupulous moves to achieve his goals, but the true Mo family members were not easy to mess with.
“Are we going in?”
Xia Yu asked nervously.
“Of course.”
Mo Yidong took Xia Yu’s hand, noticing her act calm but seeming worried about being recognized by Mo Yaofei.
She had to remember, she was Qin Yixia now, Mo Yidong’s girlfriend.