Finally, after the Simon children mentioned that they were hungry, the visitors reluctantly dispersed.
Old Master Lin led his good friend, Nicholas Simon, to his family’s table.
"This is my family. They can get rowdy sometimes, so please forgive them if they become noisy."
Mr. Simon laughed. "How can you introduce your family like that? I don’t think they are noisy. On the contrary, your children and grandchildren are well-behaved. They waited patiently and didn’t swarm around us like a pack of hyenas."
The guests who had been called hyenas: "...."
Old Master Lin shook his head at his friend’s unfiltered mouth.
Lin Baozhi, the first son, was the first to stand up and introduce himself. Then Old Master Lin’s other sons and daughters-in-law came forward as well. The youngest generation was the last to introduce themselves.
Their greetings were brief, as they could continue their discussions over a meal.
Bei Sangyun glanced at the luxurious food on the table. No matter how delicious they smelled and how appetizing they looked, with these people in front of her, her desire to eat disappeared.
She sighed. How great it would be if Fei Chuan was here.
Bei Sangyun paused at her thoughts. She was really insane that she was still thinking about that damn man at the moment like this.
"Our dear host, may I sit beside you?" Richard asked with a charming smile.
"No," Bei Sangyun replied, her tone firm.
Richard: "..." He did not expect an outright rejection.
Lin Ginxian happened to hear her answer and glared at her.
Bei Sangyun refrained from rolling her eyes and turned to Richard, giving a cold smile. "Your designated seat is beside your grandpa and your sister, near grandfather," she pointed to the left side, near the family head’s chair.
Bei Sangyun’s seat was slightly farther from them, as her status as the third young miss was lower than Old Master Lin’s sons and her other cousins.
Richard disregarded her words and took the seat beside her, which was supposed to be for Lin Xiaoni. "I don’t want to sit across from the oldies. Besides, your French is fluent. With you around, I’ll have a good conversation."
Lin Xiaoni, who had her seat taken, stood close by them. She had disappeared for a minute to introduce herself to Mr. Simon, but when she returned, a handsome blonde man was already sitting in her chair.
She should be angry for someone stealing her chair in front of her face. But seeing the handsome man’s appearance, she couldn’t help but be starstruck.
She had seen plenty of handsome foreigners, but among the foreigners she had seen, this man was the most outstanding!
"H-hi. I am Lin Xiaoni, the youngest granddaughter in the family," she shyly introduced herself in awkward French.
Richard turned toward her and saw another beauty. He found her cute with her awkward French. So he flashed her a charming smile and introduced himself as well.
Seeing the two getting along despite the language barrier, Bei Sangyun used this opportunity to drop this baggage to Lin Xiaoni. She went to the empty seat beside Lin Sanju.
Lin Sanju glanced at her, and Bei Sangyun looked back at him. The two stared at each other quietly for a while before the latter broke his gaze and looked away.
Bei Sangyun raised her brow. Lin Sanju seemed to be the most low-key and normal among her cousins, but he was also the one who seemed to hide the most.
The Simon and the Lin families settled into their seats and started their meal.
Old Master Lin happily conversed with Mr. Simon, while his sons commented from time to time. The younger generation remained silent, except for the flirting Richard and Lin Xiaoni, who replied in awkward French.
Lin Sunji glanced at the two with a strange gaze. She also wanted to get to know the Simon family, but she did not expect the dumb Lin Xiaoni to get to know them faster than her.
Lin Sunji glanced in Bei Sangyun’s direction.
Why did she let Lin Xiaoni get ahead of her when she had this great opportunity to get closer to the Simon children? Didn’t she care that Lin Xiaoni was progressing faster than her? What was the use of being a host if you didn’t take full advantage of it?
If she had been the host, she wouldn’t have allowed anyone to approach the two Simon children and monopolize their attention. She would even subtly criticize the other heirs to the Simon children so that she could get them to her side.
This chance had truly been wasted on Bei Sangyun.
Lin Sunji sliced her steak while pondering. Ever since her defeat against Bei Sangyun, she had started paying closer attention to the latter’s actions, with the aim of understanding her better and outsmarting her in the future.
Her mother had advised her to know her enemy well to gain the upper hand. She had lost the host role this time because she hadn’t gathered the right information about Bei Sangyun’s abilities. That’s why she was observing her closely while staying low-key.
But the more she watched Bei Sangyun, the more confused she became.
Bei Sangyun had the chance to kick them out earlier, but she didn’t. Instead, she had prolonged this feud. She had won the host role but wasn’t taking full advantage of it.
What was Bei Sangyun really after?
"You are Lin Sunji, right?" the beautiful blonde girl caught Lin Sunji’s attention.
Sophia smiled warmly at her. "I heard you have a twin."
Lin Sunji was flattered by Sophia’s approach. She returned the smile. "Yes, I do have a twin. He’s sitting next to my cousin, who brought you here."
"You two don’t look alike at all," Sophia remarked in surprise. Then she looked at Lin Sunji again, equally surprised. "Oh, your French is good."
"I’ve been quite fluent since I was young."
"That’s interesting. I heard from your cousins that you guys are classmates?"
Lin Sunji’s eyes flashed. Had Bei Sangyun already talked about them? How much did she say?
"Well, my third cousin and I are classmates. While my brother is in a different class. To be honest, even though my cousin and I are classmates, we have different circles of friends."
She subtly hinted that she and Bei Sangyun didn’t get along, implying that anything Bei Sangyun had said about her should be taken with a grain of salt.
"I see. Will you tell me more about it later?" Sophia smiled meaningfully.
Lin Sunji also gave a friendly smile. "Of course."
She may not have secured the host role, but she could make friends with the Simon family in another way. She was determined to make a more favorable impression this time.
Just you wait, Bei Sangyun! I’ll win this time!