The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Jealousy gnawed at her heart, and the sight of the pastry in the master's hand was particularly irritating.

Was she having her son bring him snacks? And in a setting like this, what was that woman up to? Was she planning to move into his home?

Don't even think about it!

She was determined not to let that woman succeed, and not to let that man compete with his son for the Liu family's assets!

With a heavy heart, Madam Liu disregarded the many people present and slammed the wine glass in her hand to the ground. "Master, you can't eat!"

The sound of the glass shattering sent a shiver down the spines of everyone present, who began to wonder what had happened.

An Mi's lips curved into a slightly wider smile. Heh, has she lost her composure and composure?

Hmph, the real show is yet to come!

Liu Xuan looked up and met Madam Liu's fiery red eyes. Her usual dignified elegance now appeared ferocious. He was as experienced as he was, and he instantly realized what was going on. She...she knew!

She must have known about his other son and his mother for a long time!

After so many years of marriage, how could he not know her temperament? Outsiders only knew that his wife was dignified and virtuous, but who knew her vicious side?

It wasn't that he didn't want to take a concubine; it was that this woman couldn't tolerate the presence of other women by his side, and every time one appeared, it meant someone's death.

How could he dare to risk letting Yunniang, who was carrying his child, suffer at her hands?

Over the years, Yunniang raised her son alone without ever complaining, but this woman... Hmph, she knew about Yunniang and Jing'er's existence long ago, but pretended not to know. How could he not guess what she was thinking?

She wanted to secretly get rid of Yunniang and Jing'er!

Taking a deep breath, Liu Xuan's gaze towards Madam Liu grew even colder. "Why can't she eat it?"

Madam Liu's heart skipped a beat. Under Liu Xuan's gaze, she became unusually uneasy. "This...this person's origins are unknown. He might have ulterior motives. What if he's poisonous..."

"Hmph." Liu Xuan snorted coldly. Before Madam Liu could finish speaking, he put the pastry into his mouth, chewed it carefully, and turned to look at his other son, Liu Jing. He chuckled and said, "Not bad. I haven't tasted your mother's pastries for several months. I really miss them. They still taste the same. Sweet but not greasy, soft and crispy. In this world, I'm afraid only your mother can make pastries that suit my taste."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt that Master Liu's tone suggested a close relationship between him and the man's mother.

Just then, the man spoke up loudly, his tone full of joy, "I'm glad you like it, Master. I'll go back and tell Mother that you like the pastries she made. She will be very happy."

Liu Xuan frowned, somewhat displeased, and snorted, "What master? What subordinate? Are you my subordinate? You don't need to go back."

The man was slightly taken aback. "Sir..."

Liu Xuan suddenly stood up, smiling at everyone. He had already made up his mind and said loudly, "Everyone, today is my birthday, Liu Xuan's birthday, and also Zhan'er's wedding day. It should be a double celebration, but now there is another one, so it should be a triple celebration!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone looked at each other in shock.

"What is the third joy?" It was Bai Yi who spoke. At this moment, his eyes were full of smiles. As he asked the question, he glanced at An Mi and saw the shimmer in her eyes. He understood.

Madam Liu realized something, her face turned pale, and her unease intensified. "Master, today is Zhan'er's big day, and Xinhe is going to embroider for your birthday. Haven't you been wanting to see it for a long time? Besides, everyone is waiting to feast their eyes on it."

A mocking smile played on An Mi's lips. Was this Madam Liu using An Xinhe's embroidery skills to threaten Liu Xuan? Heh, I wonder what her expression would be when she found out they had married the wrong person!

Meanwhile... An Mi stroked the teacup in her hand, glanced at Liu Xuan, and seeing the determination on his face, she felt even more pleased. It seemed that Madam Liu's threat was probably ineffective!

This is exactly what she wanted, isn't it?

Sure enough, the next moment, Liu Xuan spoke, his voice loud enough for the entire banquet hall to hear clearly, "He is not a subordinate, nor should he call me Master. He is my long-lost son, Liu Jing. The third joy of today is that my son has been recognized by his ancestors!"

These words struck like a thunderbolt in the banquet hall; apart from An Mi and Liu Xuan who spoke, almost everyone was shocked.

That man… was actually the long-lost son of this tycoon? But everyone only knew that the Liu family had a single heir, with only Liu Zhan as their young master, and now…

Everyone looked at Liu Xuan's expression, as if trying to discern the truth in his words. Under their gazes, Liu Xuan's smile deepened. He had originally planned to find an opportunity to have Liu Jing acknowledge his ancestors and bring him and his mother back. Over the years, Liu Jing had gradually demonstrated his talent in business. To prevent Liu Zhan's mother from discovering this, he had even only allowed him to gain experience in the Liu family's businesses outside of Rongjin City. However, this was truly too unfair to him.

His talent is no less than Liu Zhan's, and he deserves better opportunities to hone his skills.

However, he was worried that if they returned to the Liu family, they would be envied and killed, just like the other women beside him more than 20 years ago. Therefore, he had been putting this plan on hold.

Now that his wife knows about Yunniang and her son, it would be even more dangerous to leave them outside. So, he might as well take this opportunity to let Liu Jing be recognized by his ancestors. As for the future... he would find a way to make this jealous woman quiet down.

Seeing the composure on Master Liu's face, everyone understood that what Master Liu said was true. This man was Master Liu's long-lost son, or more accurately, his illegitimate son who had been living away from home!

"Father, you...you must be joking!" Liu Zhan looked at the man, then turned his gaze to Liu Xuan. What had his father just said? That man was his father's son? How could that be? His father only had one son; he was the sole heir of the family!

Liu Zhan couldn't accept this fact at all. He looked at Liu Xuan with expectation, as if hoping to hear a satisfactory answer from Liu Xuan.

However, Liu Xuan frowned. "I'm not joking. He is your younger brother. From now on, you two brothers will work together to manage the Liu family business and make our Liu family's business flourish."

Liu Zhan's heart skipped a beat, and the string of expectation snapped instantly. A younger brother? To manage it together? This Liu family belonged to Liu Zhan; how could he allow another brother to take what belonged to him?

But what should he say? What should he do?

“Master, isn’t this inappropriate?” Liu Jing frowned and spoke in a deep voice. He had been silent for a while, but Liu Xuan’s words brought him back to his senses. Even when he heard his father ask him to acknowledge his ancestors in front of so many people, his feelings were somewhat complicated.