Chapter 27: Based on What?
Dinner at the Yu household was always warm and pleasant.
Unless he had a social engagement, Yu Wenli would stay home to eat with his wife and children, sharing mealtime together.
Cui Wanning would tell her husband about the children’s recent happenings, and pass along bits of gossip she’d heard from other society ladies.
Yu Jinxin, already a university graduate and newly employed at the family company, would talk at length about his work.
Yu Yuan could always make the other three laugh, sometimes sharing little troubles to be met with family comfort.
But in this warmth between the four of them, there was no place for Yu Xin.
She was like a transparent person — even when sitting at the same dining table eating the same food, she was never part of the conversation.
Normally, Yu Xin would finish her meal early, quietly say, “I’ll go back to my room,” and quickly leave, shutting the laughter and cheer behind her.
But today, she had something to say.
Yu Yuan had just finished sharing a small incident from school, and as the others’ laughter died down, Yu Xin nervously called out:
“Dad.”
The table fell silent in an instant, like a perfectly flowing stage play suddenly interrupted by an outsider.
Yu Wenli’s smile still lingered at his lips, but his eyes had already cooled. “What is it?”
“Tomorrow… Jiang Chuchu invited me to her home. I thought I should let you know first,” Yu Xin said.
She had instinctively wanted to say “Chuchu,” but felt it was too intimate for this moment, so she forced herself to change it.
Yu Yuan had already been irritated by Yu Xin’s interruption, but upon hearing her words, her expression froze.
Of course she knew who Jiang Chuchu was. At a banquet she once attended with her family, the host had also invited the Jiang family, and she’d caught sight of her.
But at such an occasion, given the Yu family’s background, without an introduction she couldn’t just walk up to Jiang Chuchu on her own.
Jiang Chuchu had her own circle and didn’t stay in the banquet hall long — she and her friends had gone off to a private room.
Yu Yuan also knew that while Jiang Chuchu studied at Mingde High, class assignments there weren’t based on preference.
If they allowed such requests, it would not only make trouble for the staff, it would risk turning the school into a marketplace of connections.
If that happened, the more powerful the family, the less likely they’d want to send their children to Mingde High, and the school’s reputation would plummet.
So which class you ended up in was purely a matter of luck.
(As a side note, when Xia He once told Gu Qinghuan that Yan Zhengqing and Lin Xiaoxue were classmates, it wasn’t a guess — he already knew. It was purely coincidence, not Yan Zhengqing’s doing. Xia He had just nudged Gu Qinghuan’s thinking a bit, and since the conclusion was correct, it ended up helping her.)
Back to the point — Yu Yuan had already been annoyed to learn she wasn’t in the same class as Jiang Chuchu, and even more upset when she found out Yu Xin was.
And now what was she hearing? That Yu Xin — the girl who got no affection at home and wasn’t even liked — had been invited to the Jiang family home?
On what basis?!
Unconsciously, Yu Yuan’s hands gripped the tablecloth, and her tone went sharp. “So you and Miss Jiang are on such good terms, huh, sis?”
For once, Yu Wenli didn’t linger on his beloved daughter’s words. He seemed a little excited, and his gaze toward Yu Xin softened into something almost affectionate. “What time tomorrow?”
“Nine a.m. She said she’d arrange for the Jiang family’s car to pick me up,” Yu Xin replied.
She’d actually wanted to take a car herself — if she told her father it was to the Jiang family, he would likely arrange the family car for her.
But Jiang Chuchu had objected, saying that if they were going to “borrow power to intimidate others,” they should do it with flair.
Yu Wenli’s eyes grew even warmer. “Good. Very good. Then make sure you dress up nicely tomorrow morning.”
He thought of the casual clothes Yu Xin had worn around the house during summer break. Even from the few glimpses he’d had, they hadn’t left a good impression.
Frowning, he turned to Yu Yuan. “Yuanyuan, your sister doesn’t have much taste. Pick out a few suitable outfits from your wardrobe for her — don’t let her embarrass our family.”
Since her father had said so, Yu Yuan couldn’t refuse outright, though her agreement was reluctant.
Still uneasy, Yu Wenli gave Yu Xin a few more instructions, and even told Cui Wanning to prepare a gift for her to bring to Jiang Chuchu.
Yu Xin felt a strange unreality.
When she’d first moved into the Yu family, she’d hoped to have conversations with them like Yu Yuan did. But that never happened.
She didn’t know how to use a fork and knife — when she cut steak, the screech of the knife was ear-piercing; when she ate spaghetti, she didn’t know to twirl it on the fork.
Whenever she made mistakes, Yu Wenli would get impatient, Cui Wanning would look disappointed, Yu Jinxin would snicker, and Yu Yuan would chirp, “Let me show you, sis,” before demonstrating the correct, elegant way to use the utensils — and everyone would praise Yu Yuan.
But Yu Xin was actually very good with chopsticks. If she accidentally took food her brother liked, or dropped a piece, her adoptive mother would whip the back of her hand with chopsticks — hard.
It hurt — the skin would welt like an earthworm, burning for a long time before it faded.
She also knew exactly how to wash each type of vegetable thoroughly without wasting water, and she was skilled with a kitchen knife — whether slicing, dicing, or shredding, she could do it quickly and neatly. Otherwise, her adoptive mother would call her “useless trash.”
Luckily, she learned quickly. As long as she copied her family’s movements before eating, she could avoid making a fool of herself.
And then… she stopped getting even that level of attention.
But now, she was suddenly the focus of conversation at the dinner table.
When she returned to her room, Yu Xin shut the door and leaned her back against it in a daze.
This was the attention she’d once wanted so badly — so why now did it not excite her at all?
She pressed a hand to her chest. Her heartbeat was steady and strong — no sourness, no tightness.
Suddenly, the door thumped twice from a kick. Startled, Yu Xin scrambled to open it, revealing Yu Yuan, arms full of clothes and withdrawing her foot.
“I brought all my old clothes. Pick something,” Yu Yuan said, brushing past her straight into the room and dumping the pile onto her bed.
She looked Yu Xin up and down. “Sis, your figure is way too scrawny. You can’t even fill out my clothes.”
Yu Xin’s face flushed red.
After returning to the Yu family, her diet had improved a lot, but a body stunted by years of malnutrition couldn’t recover in just a few months.
She didn’t know this was “body shaming” — she only wanted to end it quickly. “Anything’s fine…”
“That won’t do. Dad said we can’t embarrass our family.” Yu Yuan held up a camisole dress against her, shook her head, then tried an off-shoulder chiffon top — and shook her head again.
“None of these really work… what should we do?” Yu Yuan looked troubled.
“How about this — tomorrow you say you’re sick, and I’ll go to the Jiang family in your place?”
