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

Chapter 59 Broken Her
Li Zhaoyang stiffly turned to look at Du Yuxi, trying to salvage his brother's precarious arranged marriage.

"It's not what you think. It's just... it's just that Aunt Xie likes Qianxi more. No, no, it's not that she likes Qianxi..."

For the first time, Li Zhaoyang realized how tongue-tied he was. He clearly wanted to say something good about Xie Jingyao, but the more he tried to explain, the worse it got...

Of course, what he didn't know at the time was that someone was secretly holding him back.

[Yes, yes, yes, it's obvious that Aunt Xie really likes Li Qianxi. The way she looked at Li Qianxi was practically drooling; it's the look of someone looking at their future daughter-in-law!]

Du Yuxi thought of the descriptions in the investigation materials about Madam Xie and Su Yingrong being like sisters, pursed her lips, and said nothing.

[Speaking of which, it's one thing for Madam Xie not to know, but Mr. Xie is still... sigh, it seems good advice is useless against a damned devil. The female lead's halo is too strong, he can only wear this green hat.]

Du Yuxi's face turned cold instantly. Thinking of Zhang Ranqi's evaluation of him at the hospital, she realized that he was not wrong at all.

"There's no need to explain all this to me. I'm just an ordinary guest and have no interest in the host's romantic escapades."

After Du Yuxi finished speaking, she turned to Du Anrao and said gently, "Are you hungry? You didn't eat much because you were in a hurry. Let's go downstairs and find a place to sit down. I'll go find you something to eat."

Du Anrao was indeed a bit hungry and didn't want to watch Li Qianxi pretend to be well-behaved in front of her elders any longer, so he nodded hurriedly.

When Li Zhaoyang saw Du Yuxi's attitude, his heart skipped a beat.

Realizing that she hadn't even had a chance to make a good impression on this future ancestor, she dared not say anything good about Xie Jingyao anymore.

"Better to die than me, brother. If you're useless, don't blame me for not helping you. I really tried my best!"
Du Yuxi and her companion were about to go downstairs, and Li Zhaoyang couldn't stop them, so he had to personally escort them down.

Unfortunately, the banquet was hosted by the Li family, and as a member of the host family, he was the center of attention wherever he went.

This was clearly not what the two women had expected for the evening, so unsurprisingly, he was chased away by the two sisters as soon as he got downstairs.

Li Zhaoyang: "..." *sobs* I feel so wronged!!!
This was Du Anrao's first time attending a banquet, and Du Yuxi paid close attention to her throughout, worried that she might feel uncomfortable in some way.

After settling Du Anrao in a corner downstairs, I turned around to get her some snacks to tide her over.

Du Anrao was quite bored being all alone, so he started resting his chin on his hand and counting the small floral patterns on the tablecloth. Halfway through, he remembered the scene he had just witnessed upstairs...

One green hat, two green hats, three green hats...

The three members of the Du family, who had just infiltrated the Li family's gate, and Xi Jingyue, who arrived late due to work: Pfft...

Those who came in with Xi Jingyue looked at him with a "I've seen a ghost" expression when they saw him suddenly laughing so ridiculously.

"Mr. Xi, what's wrong...?"

"I saw someone I know. Excuse me, I'll have to go for a moment."

Du Anrao was unaware that someone was about to arrive at the battlefield. After counting flowers for a while, she became idle again. Just as she was thinking about whether to go and find her fourth sister, a quarrel suddenly broke out not far away.

"Didn't I tell you not to come out? Dressed like this, wandering around like a ghost, people who don't know better will think that our Gong family is raising a poor beggar who can't get enough to eat or wear. It's so embarrassing."

[The Gong family? The Gong family that takes advantage of people as soon as they get a little older, and expects people to call them Old Gong?]

The Du family members, who were subtly moving closer to Du Anrao, were speechless: "..." Husband? What husband? We won't allow it!

Xi Jingyue, who was only a few steps away from Du Anrao, thought, "..." Is he too old? Sometimes he really can't keep up with the ideas of young people.

Du Anrao initially assumed the person being insulted must be dressed sloppily, given the harsh tone of the man's voice. However, when Maomao peeked out, she discovered the girl being criticized was simply dressed casually. She wore a white shirt, a black jacket, and a matching black skirt, with only light makeup on her face. She looked more like someone going to work than attending a banquet.

But to say he looks like a beggar...

Du Anrao glanced down at his own outfit and felt a subtle dig at him.

The person being scolded wasn't angry. She pushed up her slightly bulky black-rimmed glasses and said, "Mom told me to keep an eye on you."

Gong Haoming, however, was unconvinced: "Using Mom to pressure me? Mom told you to keep an eye on me, but did Mom tell you to dress like this for the banquet?"

"The banquet isn't important. I just got off work and didn't have time to change."

Du Anrao was amazed by these words.

[They actually showed up dressed for work, wow! But these two have the same mom, siblings? What kind of brother is this annoying? He'd be beaten to death in my family!]

The Du family members: "..." No way, no way.

"Then go home. I hate seeing you."

Gong Haoming made no attempt to hide his disgust and impatience, but the person being cursed to his face didn't care at all, mechanically repeating his initial statement.

"Mom told me to keep an eye on you."

The cronies following Gong Haoming also joined in the teasing: "Hahaha, Haoming, you're so old already, and your mom still has people watching you. Is she afraid you'll cause trouble outside?"

"Exactly, exactly! Anyone who didn't know better would think you're still breastfeeding, hahaha..."

The others' mockery enraged Gong Haoming, and he uttered even harsher words.

"Why don't you just die when Mom tells you to? I'm an adult now, do I need you to watch over me every little thing? Who do you think you are? Do you really think that just because you joined the company you're recognized as a member of the Gong family? No matter how high you climb or how well you do, you're still just a dog in our family. What right do you, a dog, have to tell me what to do?"

"Because I'm your older sister."

"Gong Jinyuan!"

Du Anrao was startled by the shout and his gaze towards the two people not far away changed.

[Gong Jinyuan? So it's that Gong family, who raise children like poisonous insects. So this foul-mouthed boy is that good-for-nothing who relied on his sister to get into the finals, Li Qianxi's number three simp, Gong Haoming?]

Having already reached the vicinity of Du Anrao, the Du family members, who had been carefully hiding, also perked up. This was... some juicy gossip!

The Gong family is a unique family among the upper-class families of J City. Old Master Gong, who is the grandfather of Gong Haoming and others, married nine wives and had forty-nine children. Of course, this shocking number includes both legitimate and illegitimate children.

Du Anrao glanced at Gong Jinyuan, who was isolated and helpless yet had formed her own protective barrier, with a look full of sympathy.

This woman's family situation can be summed up in one sentence.

A cowardly father, a crazy mother, a spoiled younger brother, and a broken her.

Du family: Pfft? ???
Xi Jingyue had heard some rumors about the Gong family, and upon hearing Du Anrao's summary, he subconsciously glanced at the siblings still arguing in the corner, his brows furrowed.

(End of this chapter)