After contracting to have a child, the icy female CEO became addicted.

Wen Ling's casual remark deprived her of the right to have dinner with Jiang Ran.

But what can be done?

Wen Ling was the one who paid her a high salary; she could earn 20,000 yuan during her internship, a salary that exceeded that of 90% of other jobs.

Xia Yunxi nodded with a pale face and then put all the food on the table back onto the cart.

The elevator arrived at the first floor.

Jiang Ran, who was still waiting near the dining table for Xia Yunxi to come and eat together, saw Wen Ling and her cousin Chen Jingyu come out.

In just one night, Chen Jingyu seemed to have found her pillar of support, and she even clung to Wen Ling's arm with a completely affectionate expression on her face.

The usually aloof Wen Ling seemed to tacitly approve of her pulling, and simply walked over with a cold expression.

"Brother, my wife and I came down to have dinner with you!"

Chen Jingyu excitedly took Wen Ling's arm and pushed her toward Jiang Ran.

Jiang Ran's eyelids twitched, and he saw Wen Ling walk straight to his side. As Chen Jingyu pulled out a chair, she sat down upright!

No, what's going on here?!

Jiang Ran subconsciously looked at Xia Yunxi, only to see that Xia Yunxi's face was bloodless. She lowered her head and pushed the cart to the vicinity of the dining table, silently moving the food onto the table.

"Maid, let me help you!"

Chen Jingyu proactively stood up and began serving Xia Yunxi the food, saying, "Sister, you should go eat breakfast too. I can help you out here!"

As she spoke, she winked at Xia Yunxi.

Xia Yunxi paused, naturally understanding the meaning behind Chen Jingyu's words.

It's only natural for the couple to eat together. She's just a servant in this household. Even Chen Jingyu is considered one-quarter of her employer, so she naturally has no right to speak.

Xia Yunxi bit her lip, glancing at Jiang Ran out of the corner of her eye with a complicated expression.

Not to mention her, even Jiang Ran is a bit overwhelmed right now!

He was still thinking of asking Xia Yunxi if she was serious about what she said yesterday while he was having breakfast today, but who knew that Wen Ling would actually come downstairs today for the first time ever!

"Xia Yunxi, you should go eat too. We don't need to help here for now."

Wen Ling's voice rang out, but instead of being as cold as before, it had a touch of humanity.

"..."

Xia Yunxi gripped her plate tightly, about to nod, when she finally heard Jiang Ran speak.

"Go to my bedroom after dinner, I have a lot of clothes to wash too."

Jiang Ran's eyes flickered, and he also gave Xia Yunxi a look.

Finally, Jiang Ran spoke, and Xia Yunxi nodded knowingly, "Okay."

After she left, only Chen Jingyu, Wen Ling, and Jiang Ran remained in the restaurant.

No one spoke, and the atmosphere became eerily quiet.

Chen Jingyu's gaze fell on her cousin, Jiang Ran, whose expression remained calm. After serving himself a bowl of porridge, he picked up a spoon and began to eat.

She glanced at her sister-in-law beside her. Wen Ling remained expressionless, picked up the porridge that had already been served, and began to sip it spoonful by spoonful.

In the huge restaurant, the only sound was the crisp "clinking" of bowls and chopsticks clattering together during meals.

What is this if not an argument?!

Whenever my parents have an awkward silence during a meal together, it's definitely because they've argued. They're both holding back and refusing to talk to each other!

My own parents always said it was because of trivial matters or money, but my brother and sister-in-law always said it was because of her.

Chen Jingyu knew this very well, so she took the initiative to speak, breaking the dull atmosphere.

"Brother, my sister-in-law has agreed to let me stay here for a few more days. Tell my mom later that I don't want to go home for the next few days."

The moment her voice rang out, Wen Ling's hands froze. She didn't reprimand him, but glanced at Jiang Ran out of the corner of her eye, seemingly observing his response.

However, Jiang Ran was stunned when he heard this!

He looked at Wen Ling with surprise, then at his cousin, "You agreed to let her stay?"

As if afraid Wen Ling would change her mind, Chen Jingyu quickly added, "Yes! My sister-in-law is so kind; she even had someone bring me food late last night..."

"???"

Jiang Ran was instantly stunned!

He stared at Chen Jingyu with three big question marks above his head, speechless. "Why didn't you say you hadn't eaten when I picked you up yesterday? Now it's her who's been won over by a meal, huh?"

"Brother! How can you talk like that? I was in a bad mood yesterday, and when I got back you just told me to take a shower. I didn't even have time to tell you I was hungry..."

Chen Jingyu immediately felt wronged and looked at Wen Ling, hoping she would say a few words for her: "Besides, my sister-in-law said she'd hire a tutor for me to make sure my studies don't fall behind. Brother, please talk to my mom about it!"

"Looking at her won't change anything!"

Seeing Chen Jingyu's expression, Jiang Ran was immediately furious. "Stop messing around! You're about to take the college entrance exam, such a crucial stage. You're not going to school and want to hire a tutor at home? Can you guarantee you'll still be able to keep up?"

The moment he finished speaking, Jiang Ran saw Chen Jingyu's resistant expression and suddenly realized what was happening!

When did he become the incredibly disappointing adult he used to see?

Before Jiang Ran could speak again, Chen Jingyu retorted, "Who said there's only one path in life: going to university? You graduated from a prestigious university, didn't you? I saw you setting up a stall the other day. If you're like this, what's the point of me trying to get into Peking University?!"

Seeing Chen Jingyu's confident assertion, Jiang Ran had no way to refute her words.

To be honest, there are indeed more than just going to school nowadays. In the world of the wealthy, going to school is just icing on the cake, but for Chen Jingyu and her family, going to school is the only stepping stone.

Looking at Chen Jingyu's rebellious expression, Jiang belatedly realized that over the years, Chen Jingyu, whom he had neglected to communicate with, had somehow transformed from the obedient and sensible girl she once was into the rebellious and defiant girl she is now!

Jiang Ran didn't know how to persuade his cousin, because just as Chen Jingyu said, this Peking University graduate was now setting up a stall on the street. For ordinary people, one wrong step can lead to a series of mistakes. Without any predecessors, he could only keep hitting walls everywhere...

The atmosphere suddenly became quiet.

Seeing Jiang Ran's suddenly serious expression, Chen Jingyu suddenly felt that her attitude was not good. She pouted and was about to apologize to Jiang Ran.

The next second, Wen Ling's voice rang out.

"Getting into a good university is not about getting a certificate, but about learning knowledge and improving your understanding."

"Ding!"

Wen Ling lowered her hand, the spoon in her hand tapping against the rim of the bowl. She watched this scene with gentle eyes, as if disciplining her younger sister...