Ruan Yiyang also noticed that the atmosphere was off, and quickly intervened to change the subject, "Great uncle, how come our cousin hasn’t arrived yet? Didn’t he say he would be coming over today too?"
"Right! Why hasn’t Yiqian arrived yet?" Ruan’s mother quickly joined in with agreement.
"He should be here soon, he mentioned earlier he had some matters to attend to, so he might be later than us," Ruan Lingyu, being smart too, naturally did not want to have an unpleasant quarrel with He Nan over some unnecessary issues.
In her view, it was completely unnecessary to have a conflict over Shen Mianmian, as Mianmian didn’t yet have that much influence.
"Sorry for being late, there was a bit of business to take care of at the company," Ruan Yiqian’s voice came from the doorway.
"Speaking of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives!" Ruan Yiyang, as if grasping a life-saving straw, knew that Brother Yiqian was the best at handling these situations. With Brother Yiqian here, he wouldn’t have to be caught in the middle, bearing so much pressure.
Ruan’s father and mother saw Ruan Yiqian coming in and both greeted him with smiles, "Better late than never, just in time for dinner."
As for this grand-nephew, both the husband and wife liked him very much and were very proud of him.
Although the Ruan family had few members, each of them stood out as the best of their generation. If the grand-niece hadn’t gone missing, she surely would have been outstanding too.
Ruan Yiqian greeted the three elders with a smile and then looked towards Shen Mianmian, saying with a mild smile, "Mianmian, you and Xiaonan are not being fair, such a big matter and I’m only finding out now."
"Not just you!" Cheng Xining huffed, "I also just found out."
If she had known earlier, she would not have let her cousin acknowledge Shen Mianmian as his sworn sister.
"Why so grumpy? Who has made you angry again?" Ruan Yiqian looked at Cheng Xining, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness, his cousin being like a hot-tempered bun, spoiled by the family.
"Who else could it be?" Cheng Xining glanced at Shen Mianmian.
Ruan Yiqian’s smile faded slightly, "Xining, Mianmian is new to Beijing, and she’s a few years younger than you; as an older sister, you should set an example."
"You’re biased too, I’m not talking to you anymore," Cheng Xining turned away petulantly, refusing to engage with him any further. The most update n0vels are published on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥
"You! You’ve just been spoiled," Ruan Yiqian said helplessly, then turned to He Nan, "Xiaonan, only you can handle her. In this room, probably only what you say will she listen to."
At these words, Cheng Xining’s face immediately blushed with shyness, while He Nan gave Ruan Yiqian a silent look, his eyes full of danger.
Ruan Yiyang quietly revealed a sly smile, he usually feared Ruan Yiqian, but He Nan didn’t, and it was really enjoyable to see the two of them clash.
Ruan’s father scanned the young people and then stood up, "Let’s go have dinner first, and we can chat afterward. Xiaonan, Yiqian, you don’t come by often, be sure to have a couple of drinks with me later."
"I can’t handle my liquor, but Xiaonan can hold his drink," Ruan Yiqian said.
He Nan gave him a sidelong glance, "Bringing that crafty shrewdness from business back home, is that really okay?"
As they chatted, they arrived in the living room, where Ruan’s mother thoughtfully asked Shen Mianmian to sit between Ruan Yiyang and herself, "Mianmian, we’re all family here, don’t be shy, just help yourself to whatever you want to eat."
"Okay," Shen Mianmian smiled and nodded. Only after everyone else had picked up their chopsticks and started eating did she follow suit and begin to take food for herself.
These subtle movements went unnoticed by others, but Ruan’s mother saw everything.