The male protagonist of a sweet romance novel went on a killing spree in the world of angst novels.

noon.

Yan Family Hall.

As Yanting walked down the spiral staircase, Yanshan and the others had already taken their seats.

Li Qian glanced at the sumptuous dishes on the table and said with a hint of displeasure, "Don't make mushrooms next time, Xiao Rou doesn't like them."

The private chef specially hired by the Yan family immediately replied with trepidation, "Miss Yanting likes to eat mushrooms, so I prepared this dish."

Li Qian replied, "It's just a plate of mushrooms. Not eating it won't make me lose any meat, and there are so many other dishes."

"Mom, it's okay." Xu Rou said with a sensible look, "Since my sister likes to eat it, it's understandable that the chef prepared this dish. If my sister sees it later, she'll probably be angry with me again."

Li Qian snorted coldly: "She wouldn't dare!"

Yan Nan glanced at the maid beside her and asked, "Where is Miss? Hasn't she come down yet?"

The maid was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "We've already sent someone to call her. Miss Yan should be here soon."

"What a temper! Making us wait for her all by ourselves." Li Qian's sarcastic words pierced Yan Ting's heart.

It made her feel a slight pang of sadness.

"Miss Yan." The nanny, Zeng Ma, was the first to spot Yan Ting.

Yan Ting nodded in response.

She walked to the dining table and sat down.

His expression was flat, revealing nothing of his thoughts.

As the head of the family, Yanshan naturally sat in the main seat. Looking at Yanting, who arrived late, he asked with unusual concern, "I heard you were in the hospital before? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

Yan Ting said in a cold tone, "It's the same as always."

"I see." Yanshan nodded, looking like a loving father, and said, "When your brother gets to Hong Kong, I'll have him specially invite a highly skilled traditional Chinese medicine doctor from Hong Kong to come and take a look at you."

Yanting was momentarily bewildered by this sudden display of paternal concern.

But how could a heart that had long since grown cold be warmed back by a few words of concern from Yanshan?

Yan Ting regained her composure: "Thank you for your kindness, Father. As for finding a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, there's no need to trouble you, Elder Brother."

Upon hearing the title "elder brother," Yan Nan's gentle gaze gradually faded, slowly darkening.

He said in a calm and unhurried tone, "It's just traditional Chinese medicine; I'm not so bad that I can't invite someone."

Yan Ting raised her eyes, her gaze seemingly gentle but actually cold: "Thank you, elder brother, but you needn't trouble yourself with my health." Regardless of Yan Shan and Yan Nan's motives for caring about her, she didn't want to owe them a favor right now.

In particular, she owed a favor to the brother she had once genuinely loved and respected.

Debts of money are easy to repay, but debts of life are hard to repay.

Looking at Yan Ting's expression, Li Qian felt furious: "Fine, you don't appreciate it, but you two don't care whether she lives or dies."

That was a very harsh remark.

But Yanting seemed not to hear, and quietly began to eat.

Yanshan immediately glared at Li Qian and scolded, "Shut up and eat your food." He still needed Yanting, so how could he let Li Qian kick Yanting out?

Although Li Qian usually appears feisty and spoiled, she actually fears more than she likes her husband, Yanshan.

She immediately became much more well-behaved.

Xu Rou's eyes darkened upon seeing this.

He couldn't help but feel a little contempt for Li Qian.

She had been trying to curry favor with Li Qian in the hopes that Li Qian would help Yanshan place her in the upper echelons of Feihong.

Fei Hong is a major entertainment company owned by the Yan family. It has signed many well-known movie stars and celebrities in the entertainment industry, as well as some top idols.

When Xu Rou was an unknown, obscure 18th-tier star, she dreamed of joining an entertainment company like Fei Hong.

Unfortunately, it's not easy for ordinary people to get into Feihong.

Every artist signed by Fei Hong receives top-tier resources.

The company provides all the top-notch staff, including agents, assistants, makeup artists, stylists, and photographers.

But who would have thought that Li Qian had absolutely no say in matters concerning the company in front of Yanshan? Thinking of this, Xu Rou couldn't help but feel resentful.

However, she did not come away empty-handed.

Since Xu Rou became Yanshan's daughter, her fashion resources in the industry have suddenly increased. Many scripts from big directors that she couldn't access before are now being handed to her by her agent one after another.

The entertainment industry is inherently a place of extravagance and debauchery, where people fawn over the powerful and belittle the weak.

Whenever there is any negative information about Xu Rou online, Fei Hong's public relations department will immediately step in to suppress it.

This is also the part that makes Xu Rou feel most comfortable.

However, her ambitions didn't stop there. Now that the opportunity was right in front of her, she couldn't just stay an ordinary actress. She had to find a way to get into the upper echelons of Fei Hong, gain a foothold, and then slowly plot her next move.

The food on the table looked delicious, but it was actually very bland.

The tastes of Yanting are completely different from those of the Yan family; one prefers mild flavors, while the other prefers strong flavors.

The chef was hired by Li Qian, so the dishes were naturally prepared according to Li Qian's and her family's preferences.

Yanting has a small appetite; after eating two or three bites, she didn't want to eat anymore.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Yan Nan placing an eggplant into Xu Rou's bowl, turning her head to Xu Rou and saying gently, "Don't you love eggplant? Eat more."

"Thank you, brother." Xu Rou held the bowl, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

Seemingly noticing Yan Ting's gaze, Xu Rou looked at Yan Ting, and the next second, she smiled slightly at Yan Ting, her eyes filled with blatant provocation.

Yan Ting paused, her fingers gripping the chopsticks.

Looking at the plate of mushrooms in front of her, she suddenly remembered that Yan Nan would always put her favorite dishes on her plate during meals, or often push her favorite foods in front of her.

At that time, Yan Nan was the best older brother in the world to Yan Ting.

When she was little, she was her brother's shadow, following him wherever he went.

Back then, wherever Yan Nan was, Xiao Yan Pavilion was always visible.

As a result, many people jokingly say that Yan Nan is a sister-obsessed person.

Yan Nan, however, reacted indifferently.

"Shouldn't an older brother take care of his younger sister?"

Actually, at first, he was a little disgusted with this little tagalong.

Yan Nan is a person who likes to be alone and doesn't like anyone clinging to him, even if that person is his sister.

But perhaps he was used to people clinging to him, used to people calling him "brother" in a childish voice, and used to the little dumpling hiding in his arms whenever there was a thunderstorm.

Yes, Yanting is afraid of thunder. When she was little, whenever there was thunder and lightning outside, she would take tiny, quick steps and knock on Yannan's door.

Although Yan Nan, who is only three years older than Yan Ting, often feels annoyed by this, he will eventually open the door and accept the little glutinous rice ball.

So when did it change?

Yanting had asked himself this question countless times in his heart.

She didn't know, and she couldn't understand.

During that time, Yanting constantly reflected on himself.

She was trying to win back the brother who once loved and doted on her.

But Yan Nan didn't give her that chance.

The gaze directed at her was no longer gentle, but indifferent.

Gradually, Yan Nan and Yan Ting became like strangers.

Unfortunately, after that, Li Qian had already planned to send her away from the Yan family.

"I don't want to see her anymore. Make her leave the Yan family." Li Qian pointed at the bewildered Yan Ting and shouted hysterically, "If she stays in the Yan family any longer, I will die."

Yanshan had no choice.

So, without telling her mother, she arranged for Yanting to be sent to the home of a distant relative of Li Qian.

It is a remote town called Yuewan Town.

Before leaving, Yanting still hoped that her brother Yannan could stop everything and prevent their mother from sending her away.

But Yan Nan didn't utter a single word until she was forcibly put into the car.

Even if it's just saying a single word.

At that moment, Yanting felt utterly hopeless.

……

After finishing her meal, Yanting went back to her bedroom early.

Then, not long after, someone suddenly knocked on the door.

Yan Ting thought it was a maid, so she said, "Come in."

But to everyone's surprise, when the door was pushed open, it was Xu Rou who walked in.

Yan Ting's eyes immediately darkened.

"What are you here for?"

Xu Rou didn't reply. Instead, she looked around Yan Ting's room with a hint of disdain in her eyes. She didn't go any further. Instead, she stood at the threshold and said to Yan Ting, "My mother asked me to come and ask you if Grandma's dowry has been prepared."

Yan Ting seemed oblivious to the disdain in Xu Rou's eyes. Instead, she got up, walked to a cabinet, opened the door, and took out a wooden box.

Yanting opened the box.

Inside were many gold and silver ornaments such as hairpins, hair ornaments, jade jewelry, etc.

Xu Rou squinted, "That's all?"

There was clearly some doubt in his tone.

Yan Ting gently stroked one of the jade hairpins and said in a lukewarm tone, "What is money to you is a memento left to me by my grandmother."

With no one else around, Xu Rou stopped pretending and revealed her true colors: "You should thank God. If it weren't for God's help, you wouldn't have been able to enjoy these twenty-odd years of wealth and luxury."

"You should be content, sister." Xu Rou smiled veiledly and held out her hand: "Give me the things!"

Yan Ting paused for a moment, but did not immediately hand over the box.

Seeing this, Xu Rou sneered, "What? You can't bear to part with it?"

"No." Yan Ting looked at Xu Rou and said in a low voice, "You can have everything inside, but can you leave the box with me?"

The most valuable items are definitely the gold and silver jewelry inside the box. As for the wooden box, it looks like an ordinary box and isn't worth much.

But Xu Rou is a narrow-minded person.

Without a second thought, she replied, "That old man has been dead for years, what's the point of keeping a broken box as a memento?"

Yan Ting's gaze turned cold instantly.

"Please show some respect, that's your grandmother."

Xu Rou pouted.

What grandma?

She knew it perfectly well in her heart.

She is not the true eldest daughter of the Yan family.

Whether the real eldest daughter of the Yan family is alive or dead is still unknown!

That's why Xu Rou always wanted to ruin Yan Ting's reputation and expel him from the Yan family.

For Xu Rou, Yanting was a ticking time bomb, and she never knew when it might explode.

Despite her reluctance, Yanting eventually handed the wooden box to Xu Rou.

Looking at Yanting's dejected expression, Xu Rou felt an indescribable sense of smugness. "Yanting, don't covet anything that doesn't belong to you."

It's a warning, but also a boast.

However, Yan Ting coldly said, "You can leave now."

After achieving her goal, Xu Rou smiled smugly and then left with the box in her arms.

Only Yanting remained, staring blankly at the photo of herself and her grandmother.

-

“They’re already urging us from the port city.” Yanshan looked at his son, who was half a head taller than him, with pride in his eyes.

Yan Nan nodded, her eyes calm: "I know."

As the sole head of the Yan family, he was also a very ambitious and aspiring man. He had no reason to refuse the olive branch extended to him by Hong Kong, and Yanshan would not allow him to refuse either. Therefore, he had no choice but to go to Hong Kong.

at the same time.

Port city.

Yanzhai.

In the courtyard.

"How is the old patriarch's health now? Can the doctor give us a breakdown?"

The attending physician was a middle-aged man with a refined and scholarly appearance. He shook his head and sighed, "To be honest, it's a miracle that Elder Yan's body has been able to maintain itself until now. As for how much longer he can last, I can't say too much."

As the doctor specially invited by Yan Lao to treat the patient, he had the right to remain silent about the patient's condition to anyone.

Even if that person is a patient's family member.

However, even if he didn't say it, Yan Tu could guess.

Judging from the old man's deathly pale complexion, he probably won't even make it to the end of this year.

Since Elder Yan suddenly fell ill at the end of last year, the internal situation of the Yan Group's senior management has gradually become chaotic.

After all, the Yan family was a very large and prestigious clan, and infighting and power struggles among relatives were commonplace in such an environment.

Although the Yan family had many descendants, none of them were able to take over the family business that had lasted for centuries.

Inner room.

"Master." Steward Yan felt a chill run down his spine as he recalled the doctor's words before he left.

Lying on the couch, Yan Laoxu squinted for a while. After a long while, he slowly turned the Buddhist prayer beads in his hand, one after another, and said in a low, aged voice, "The person has come, but he's useless now."

Butler Yan lowered his head and did not reply.

Old Yan sighed.

After a while, he suddenly asked on a whim, "Have you seen Yanshan's son?"

Butler Yan immediately replied, "Yes, I have."

Old Yan asked again, "How do you feel?"

He still trusted Yan's judgment to some extent.

The housekeeper objectively commented, "He is a clear-headed and intelligent person."

Unfortunately, they are very difficult to tame.

In their first brief conversation, he had almost figured out Yan Nan's personality.

He is very intelligent, with both good character and skill; his only flaw is that he is too indifferent to emotions.

Old Master Yan was a cunning old fox who had cultivated himself to perfection, so he naturally understood the hidden meaning in Steward Yan's words.

So he asked with a smile, "What? You think he's not good enough?"

Steward Yan simply said, "Once they arrive in the port city, you'll know once you meet them, Master."