Mind reading saves the whole family; I'm firmly in the role of a charlatan.

Is Chapter 410 really that absurd?
Before inviting Du Anrao, Xi Jingyue had already prepared himself for the possibility that one or two random passersby, cannon fodder, supporting characters, or even protagonists who might be forced to work in some unknown story might appear among his relatives, young and old.

But he never expected that this moment would come so early, and the first NPC that appeared was not Xi Yanjia, but her own younger brother!
"You said his name is..."

“A banquet.”

"Which two words?"

"A grand banquet for all the officials, hosted by Ding Eryi."

[Holy crap, it really is him!]

Du Anrao was impressed by this name because the character "邒" in Xi Yanyi is not common; few people would use such an obscure ancient place name to name their child.

But that's not the point. The point is...

"His name is Xi Yanying, and his sister..."

“Xi Yanjia, the Yan in wild goose, the Jia in hairpin.”

The moment Xi Jingyue uttered those words, the light in Du Anrao's eyes completely died out.

[Sure enough, I should have thought of that. The surname Xi sounds quite sophisticated; how could no one be interested and publish several books on it?]

Xi Jingyue: "..." For a moment, he didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

To be precise, what is related to Xi Yanjia and her siblings is a modern domestic drama novel that is labeled as featuring a strong female lead.

The reason it is classified as a domestic drama is because the main battlefield of the entire story is in the Xi family from beginning to end, and it never leaves.

The reason for deliberately emphasizing that this article is labeled as a "strong female lead" is that from the beginning, the author gave Xi Yanjia the title of a strong female lead. However, after reading the whole book, Du Anrao found that she could not see any trace of a strong female lead in the book.

The entire story, though described as a power struggle within a family, is more like Xi Yanjia's personal love story. If she loses a fight with a relative over a property left by the main branch, a business tycoon will appear at dawn to lend her a hand.

Tomorrow, she'll take a fancy to one of the properties left behind by the main branch, and a wealthy young man will fall in love with her at first sight, actively pursuing her and bringing her whatever she wants to him.

The day after tomorrow, a relative of hers, in order to seize the property that her family is about to acquire, plots to sabotage her. Immediately, a ruthless outlaw who is interested in her will appear and nip the danger in the bud...

In short, while others rely on their own ingenuity to devise numerous schemes to plunder and seize power, she is different. She simply needs to sit back, maintain her aloof and unattainable demeanor, and wait for her suitors to make daily offerings, thus reaping the empire they have built for her.

Everyone: "..." Is it really that bumpy?

Xi Jingyue couldn't help but glance at this cousin he had never really taken seriously. He never expected that this person had such great charm. What exactly did those people see in her?

Or is it entirely dependent on what An An mentioned before, the female lead's halo?
The true female protagonist: She builds her business empire through her own hard work. Romance is only a small part of her life, not the whole thing. Anyone who can help her expand her empire, advance alongside her, and grow together with her is a true heroine. Anyone who dares to use romance to hinder her career will be the first to be eliminated! The fake female protagonist: She covets other people's wealth, relies on a group of men to fight and vie for it. All she seems to do is date, and it's as if she can't think of any other way to showcase her charm except through a bunch of men who, in the author's opinion, are obsessed with her.

With the help of these people, the female lead achieves final victory, and then feigns arrogance, claiming she considers money worthless and that these gifts were forced upon her by others, which she reluctantly accepted to avoid hurting their feelings. If a few off-screen viewers were to then exclaim, "So sweet! So sweet! I'm dying for this!" it would be hailed as a masterpiece, a true classic.

Everyone: "..." What kind of nonsense is this? Do young people these days like this?
Young people's reputations are being damaged in everyday life...

[Something still doesn't feel right. Quite a few men have been linked to Xi Yanjia, but Jiang Yiming is definitely not among them. Where did things go wrong?]

Du Anrao was still wondering why Jiang Yiming had gotten involved with Xi Yanjia and even became her boyfriend in name only.

But the facts are right in front of us, and there's no point in dwelling on it. We might as well use this time to read more books and figure out the internal situation of the Xi family.

Although the book became padded and poorly written in the later stages, completely deviating from its theme and original intention, and was a mess, Du Anrao still had to admit that the beginning of the book was indeed quite well written.

The story begins with a grand funeral. The only son of the Xi family's main branch, the young master, unfortunately passed away due to illness. Upon receiving the news, all the relatives and friends of the Xi family, young and old, put aside their work and gathered at the Xi family's ancestral home to participate in this unique funeral.

These relatives, who had rushed back from all over the country and even the world, only found upon arrival that the ancestral home was not only decorated with white banners, funeral wreaths, and elegiac couplets, but also with many large red silk flowers, and the large red "double happiness" characters that are only used for weddings. There was even a pair of dragon and phoenix candles placed next to the white candles.

White and red, two extremely pure yet extremely intense colors mixed together, create a huge visual impact, giving people the illusion of having stumbled into a ghostly scene.

Xi Yanjia's family was also among the returning relatives. They were shocked to see this scene. After learning more, they found out that the grandparents of this only son of the main branch had heard somewhere that this man was a virgin who died without ever getting married. Not only would he be lonely and helpless in the afterlife, but he would also likely not be able to find a wife in his next life. He would be all alone and have a miserable old age.

The two elderly people, who had lost their son, were stunned and refused to let their beloved grandson suffer in peace after his death or in the next life.

Seeing that the time was ripe, the conman dog master asked two desperate old people for a huge sum of money and offered a ridiculous suggestion.

The Xi family was instructed to find a deceased woman whose birth chart matched that of their grandson for a ghost marriage. This way, the two would have companionship in the afterlife and could continue their bond in the next life, achieving a match made in heaven.

Everyone: "..." This is so absurd, is this a plot that a normal person could come up with?

Despite the absurdity of the plot, this opening scene immediately sets the tone for the absurd and terrifying funeral, coupled with the ulterior motives of the visiting relatives, creating a truly immersive atmosphere.

Many readers were drawn in by the bizarre and unpredictable opening, expecting to witness a thrilling power struggle within a wealthy family, only to find themselves stepping into an abyss.

It is known that Xi Yanjia's surname is Xi, she is a member of the Xi family, and she is a relative of Xi Jingyue. Therefore, her family's ancestral home is naturally also Xi Jingyue's ancestral home.

Without a second thought, Du Anrao turned to Xi Jingyue and asked, "Mr. Xi, do you know where your ancestral home is?"

"here."