The Counterattack of a Wealthy Family's Substitute

Yao Yingyue stopped on the steps, looking down at Yao Yingxi. Today, Yao Yingxi was wearing designer clothes she had never worn before, her hair was styled with curled ends and draped behind her head, and she wore light makeup. Her overall demeanor was quite different from before.

Yao Yingyue tightened her grip on the armrest and smiled as she spoke, "Sister, you're here."

Yao Yingxi stared at her in a daze for a moment before she came to her senses: "What are you doing here?"

"Come home with me first." From the moment Yao Yingxi saw Yao Yingyue, she had many questions in her mind, but the Xu family was not the right place to ask those questions at this moment.

As Yao Yingxi spoke, she walked toward Yao Yingyue. Yao Yingyue took a step back and stopped.

Yao Yingyue's smile turned somewhat awkward. She looked at Yao Yingxi without saying a word, and only after a while did she start walking again.

At this moment, one of the Xu family's servants came over and said, "Sir, Madam has prepared the meal."

He Qinfang glanced at Xu Hengyuan and smiled kindly: "Yingxi, Yingyue, the food is ready. It's a rare opportunity for our family to have a reunion dinner together, so let's do it?"

Xu Xinya glanced at Yao Yingyue, who met her gaze and looked at Yao Yingxi with a hint of hesitation in her bright eyes: "Sister..."

Yao Yingxi knew Yao Yingyue well; she only showed this expression when she was asking for help.

"Aunt Zhang, go and prepare the bowls and chopsticks," Xu Hengyuan instructed the servants before Yao Yingxi could even speak.

Xu Xinya chuckled softly and headed towards the kitchen first. Passing Yao Yingyue, she stopped and said, "Little sister, shall we go to the dining room first? It seems Dad and my sister have something to discuss."

Yao Yingyue tightened her grip on her hands in front of her, looked at Xu Xinya, and then at Yao Yingxi.

Yao Yingxi could be ruthless towards the Xu family, but she couldn't do the same to Yao Yingyue.

Once only the two of them were left in the living room, Yao Yingxi looked at Xu Hengyuan and asked, "Xu Hengyuan, what do you want to do?"

Yao Yingyue is now Xu Hengyuan's source of confidence. With that confidence, he naturally regained his refined and gentle demeanor: "Xiaoxi, what can Dad do? All Dad wants is for everyone in our family to be safe and healthy, and for the company to grow bigger and bigger with everyone's efforts."

Yao Yingxi watched him finish speaking with a cold eye, a sneer curling at the corner of her lips: "That's your wish, it has nothing to do with me, Yao Yingxi."

Xu Hengyuan narrowed his eyes and looked at her: "Really? Then what does Yueyue have to do with you?"

"Xu Hengyuan!" Yao Yingxi hissed in a low voice, staring at him with a cold expression: "You're threatening me with Yueyue?"

Xu Hengyuan didn't answer, but his smile grew wider and wider.

Yao Yingxi clenched her fists at her sides. She was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed: "Xu Hengyuan, what else do you think you can threaten me with?"

"You should know very well whose woman I am now, right?"

"Xi Yuanchen, are you sure you can afford to offend him?"

After Yao Yingxi finished speaking, Xu Hengyuan's expression remained unchanged; he simply smiled and said, "Xiaoxi, we're family. What threats are you talking about?"

"You loved reading so much when you were little, your mother must have told you about the principle that we all prosper together and suffer together, right?"

"Don't mention my mother!" Yao Yingxi looked at Xu Hengyuan, filled with anger. If she could, she would like to slap him twice. How could he still have the nerve to mention her mother?

Seeing Yao Yingxi's angry expression, Xu Hengyuan could no longer hide his smug smile.

He Qinfang came out of the restaurant and looked at the tense atmosphere between the two men as if she hadn't noticed it: "Hengyuan, Yingxi has prepared the bowls and chopsticks. Why don't you two talk while you eat?"

"Xiaoyue and Xiaoya spent the afternoon shopping, they must be hungry now."

Xu Hengyuan grunted in agreement, glanced at Yao Yingxi, and headed straight for the restaurant.

Yao Yingxi stood there for a while, but eventually went to the restaurant.

At the dinner table, Xu Hengyuan and He Qinfang were incredibly warm and affectionate, acting like a loving father and mother.

Yao Yingxi held her chopsticks without moving, watching their performance with cold eyes. Yao Yingyue looked somewhat uncomfortable, but she also had a smile on her face.

Apart from Yao Yingxi, the meal seemed to be going very well for them.

After finally finishing their meal, Yao Yingxi pulled Yao Yingyue to leave, but Xu Xinya stopped her: "Sister, what are you doing?"

"Get out of the way!" Yao Yingxi's voice was cold and devoid of any warmth, and her eyes were filled with warning as she looked at Xu Xinya.

Xu Xinya was startled for a second by the coldness emanating from her, but quickly regained her senses and said meaningfully, "Things are really different now."

Upon hearing this, Yao Yingyue glanced at Yao Yingxi.

“Sister, if you want to leave, I won’t stop you, but if you’re taking your sister with you, have you asked her opinion?” Xu Xinya looked at Yao Yingxi with a smile on her face, then slowly shifted her gaze to Yao Yingyue’s face.

Yao Yingxi looked at Xu Xinya, who continued, "Before you came, Dad apologized to my sister and promised her that he would make up for everything he owed her over the years. My sister also agreed to give Dad a chance."

"Isn't it too arbitrary of you to take her away without asking her opinion?"

"Sister," Yao Yingyue spoke up at this moment, looking at Yao Yingxi, "I've decided to stay here."

After hearing Yao Yingyue's words, Yao Yingxi looked at her in disbelief. After about ten seconds, she finally spoke: "Yueyue, do you know what you're saying?"

Yao Yingyue smiled at Yao Yingxi, but there was a hint of sarcasm in her smile, perhaps because Yao Yingxi had misunderstood it: "Of course I know what I'm saying, sister. I'm an adult now. I know exactly what I've said and done."

“Didn’t Dad say he wanted to make it up to me? If he wants to make it up to me, I’ll give him the chance. I don’t think I did anything wrong.”

"Yue..." Yao Yingxi wanted to say something, but when she saw Xu Xinya standing aside smiling at them, she swallowed all her words.

After finishing their meal, Xu Hengyuan and his wife went upstairs, as if they already knew that Yao Yingyue would never leave with Yao Yingxi.

Yao Yingxi remained silent. Yao Yingyue glanced at Xu Xinya, then reached out and grasped Yao Yingxi's hand: "Sister, I know what you're worried about."

“They treated me so badly when I was a child, are you afraid they will bully me or hurt me?”

“I’m scared too, but… I want a home.” Yao Yingyue said, then paused, her eyes reddening as she looked up: “I’ve always envied children who have parents, but I don’t have one.”

"You're very good to me, but... there are some feelings you can't give me alone."