Returning to the Villain Omega's High School Days - Chapter 20

The family banquet was Western food. A full set of utensils, including a knife and fork, had been placed in front of each seat. When Su Wan reached out to take them, countless gazes focused on her, as if they were all waiting to see her make a mistake.

Fang Manman held back her laughter. Seeing that Su Wan had stopped moving, she turned her head and whispered to Su Xingheng:

“Cousin, is she really your sister? She looks so dumb!”

Su Xingheng gave a light laugh, looking composed as he cut his steak and lowered his head to say to Fang Manman, “Keep your voice down. Don’t let her hear.”

The two sides were seated far apart. Although Su Wan could not hear what they were saying clearly, she could more or less guess the content. She picked up the knife and fork and hesitated before cutting. Beside her, Xie Ning said, “The taste is average.”

That casual, unconcerned way of speaking suddenly made Su Wan realize that this was just an ordinary family banquet. There was no need to be this nervous.

Only those few people wanted to see her make a fool of herself. The others did not really pay much attention to her, and Xie Ning was not watching how she held the utensils either.

She had lived in the Su family for a while and had eaten Western food with them for a few days. She did know how to use a knife and fork. She just was not that good at cutting steak.

When Xie Ning spoke to her, she nodded in response, then used her fork to twirl up noodles and bring them to her mouth. She froze slightly. Wasn’t this quite delicious?

Xie Ning was too pretentious.

Or rather, her own taste was too poor, ten thousand miles away from Xie Ning’s.

Su Wan remained silent, while the people across from her were much livelier.

Fang Manman saw Su Xingheng cut a piece of steak and immediately said, “Cousin, I want that piece!”

“It’s not like you don’t know how to cut it yourself?” Su Jin laughed at her. “Why do you have to take someone else’s?”

“I just want the one Cousin cut!” Fang Manman pouted. “I want to eat that piece!”

She was young, so the adults did not mind her making a fuss. Mother Fang even said, “Manman, I can cut it for you too.”

“I don’t want that. I want Cousin’s. Ah—” Before she finished speaking, Su Xingheng had already speared the beef with his fork and fed it into her mouth.

“Naughty,” Su Xingheng said, touching her head. “You really don’t let people stop worrying.”

Although Fang Manman had been scolded, her heart was blooming with joy. But on Su Xingheng’s left, Su Jin was unhappy and accused Fang Manman in the lowest voice, “Little vixen.”

“She’s only seven. How can you call her a little vixen?” Xie Qingliu suddenly said, and everyone’s gaze instantly turned over.

Su Jin’s left side was Fang Songsong, and beside Fang Songsong was Xie Qingliu. No one expected his ears to be this sharp. Even with a seat between them, he had still heard Su Jin’s quiet complaint, and had even said it aloud in front of everyone.

In an instant, Su Jin’s face turned white.

“Who? Who said that about her?” Jiang Qin followed her son Xie Qingliu’s words and asked despite already knowing.

Xie Qingliu shook his head and refused to speak.

He had always played the obedient role. He was absolutely not the type who liked stirring up trouble, and on an occasion like today, he was merely a younger brother here to join the fun. It was even less likely that he would speak nonsense or deliberately sow discord.

So once he said something, it became especially eye-catching.

The person involved, Fang Manman, still looked completely innocent. Since only she matched the characteristic of “seven years old,” everyone was observing her.

Sensing malice, Mother Fang put down her fork unhappily and frowned at Su Jin. “Xiao Jin, did you say something just now?”

“No.” Su Jin swallowed. “I didn’t say anything…”

“Even if something was said, it was only a joke,” Su Xingheng said. “Auntie, what’s there to mind about something like that?”

Mother Fang’s face was stern. Father Su, Su Yuanfu, said, “Xingheng, even if it was a joke, you can’t joke about Manman like that. Did you hear me?”

That sentence, “Did you hear me?” seemed to be directed at Su Jin. Su Jin felt uneasy, while Su Xingheng took the blame for her and apologized. “I know I was wrong. I won’t joke about Manman like that again. Manman, sorry.”

Fang Manman grinned. “It’s okay, I forgive you!”

The girl was charmingly innocent and cute, making everyone laugh. Su Jin had gone through a scare for nothing. Her hand beneath the chair reached over to touch Su Xingheng and rested on his leg.

Su Xingheng put down his fork and held her hand.

Xie Ning watched this wonderful variety of human expressions with delight, while Xie Qingliu worked hard to exchange glances with her, claiming credit.

Xie Ning knew her younger brother was a ruthless character. Before coming, she had also instructed him to pay attention and distinguish which side to stand on.

She had not expected him to immediately figure out who Xie Ning wanted to protect.

Aside from the main courses of steak and pasta, the other dishes were brought one by one to the lazy Susan on the round table for everyone to take in turn.

Su Yuanfu courteously gave way to the guests from the Xie family. Xie Minxian loved drinking and poured cup after cup. Jiang Qin watched from beside him and did not stop him.

Xie Ning sat far away, her brows tightly furrowed, but she did not speak.

Returning to twenty years ago and seeing the old man still so lively made her feel extremely complicated.

She had thought that taking care of him in her last life counted as fulfilling her filial duty, and that she no longer owed him anything. Yet in this life, she still had to watch the old man ruin his own body.

Fine. He still had quite a few years before his stroke. Let him make trouble. She would talk about it again in a couple of years.

When the dish on the lazy Susan turned to Xie Ning and Su Wan, Su Wan wanted to take some food, but someone suddenly spun the lazy Susan hard. Su Wan almost lost her grip and spilled it.

Fortunately, her hand was very steady. She caught the food, and not even a drop of sauce fell.

Although it was only a single slice of white mushroom, she was about to leave it at that.

Just as Su Wan was about to put down the tongs, that dish on the lazy Susan came back toward her in the opposite direction.

Her first reaction was to look at Xie Ning. Sure enough, Xie Ning’s hand was on the lazy Susan, and she made a gentlemanly “please” gesture.

The corner of Su Wan’s lips moved slightly. She continued taking food, her behavior not at all improper.

At this moment, Su Yuanfu asked her, “Su Wan, are you used to eating at home?”

“Mm.” Su Wan nodded and did not continue speaking.

Only after the second and third dishes had all been served did Su Yuanfu remember that he needed to introduce Su Wan to everyone. He picked up his wine glass and said, “The main purpose of everyone’s visit to this humble home today is to welcome this new member of our Su family, Su Wan—”

Everyone applauded. Su Wan stood up slightly and bowed to everyone, which counted as a greeting.

When she sat back down, Xie Ning even picked up the red wine and poured a small half glass into her cup.

Su Wan had never drunk before, so naturally, she did not want to drink it. She reached out to block it.

Xie Ning naturally held the tips of her fingers and smiled at her. “Just a little.”

The tips of her middle and ring fingers were pinched, and Su Wan froze, as if the place Xie Ning had touched was somewhere on the very tip of her heart.

Without a doubt, Xie Ning had a face that could bewitch all living beings. Anyone who looked at it would become “dazed.”

Su Wan said nothing. Only after Xie Ning let go did she slowly move that hand to the wine glass.

Su Yuanfu was still speaking, briefly explaining Su Wan’s situation. But he emphasized that although Su Jin was not of their bloodline, the Su family would still treat her as their biological daughter.

“Uncle is so generous,” Xie Ning said. “If it were anyone else, they would definitely send the switched child back.”

Xie Minxian’s face was flushed from drinking. Leaning against the back of his chair, he laughed. “A Ning, if it were a child you had raised for sixteen years, could you send them away just because you said so?”

“When a mistake is discovered, it should be corrected in time,” Xie Ning said without changing expression. “I just want to ask, does Su Jin’s biological parents’ side not want her back?”

This question made everyone at the table awkward. For a moment, even Xie Minxian did not know how to answer. He only smiled and said, “Good question. Don’t ask it again.”

Xie Ning knew this family was beyond saving. Perhaps only Fang Lingyu was slightly better.

After all, she was Su Wan’s biological mother. Someone with ulterior motives had secretly switched her child, and she had raised someone else’s child for so many years without knowing anything. Now, she still had to be morally kidnapped by others—

People said things to her like, “Although Su Jin isn’t your biological child, she’s no different from one,” and, “You raised her for so many years. How could you bear to abandon her?” and so on.

She was a woman without much of a mind of her own. Someone like this could not even sense the harm she had suffered, and would blindly whitewash the perpetrator.

Xie Ning observed her expression and only saw her brows tightly furrowed. She did not lift her head to look across from her, and the person sitting opposite her was Su Jin.

Su Jin’s expression was extremely ugly. Every word Xie Ning said jumped directly on her sore spot. It could be said that Xie Ning was completely humiliating her in front of everyone!

Growing up this big, she had never suffered this kind of humiliation before.

Too aggressive!

Although… her brother had repeatedly emphasized that Xie Ning was not such a bad person, how could Su Jin endure this kind of humiliation?

What kind of person would ask, again and again, in front of so many adults, “Why don’t you send Su Jin away?”

This was simply outrageous, bullying too far!

Su Jin’s eyes reddened, tears filling them. Both hands clenched into fists around her skirt, her wronged expression performed to the extreme.

Her mother who doted on her, her brother—so long as they looked at her once, they would definitely feel heartache for her.

Her tears fell onto the back of her hand. What followed was a burst of cheers—

“Wow!” Fang Manman shouted. “Cake! I want cake!”

Fang Songsong also stood up, clapping and screaming along.

What they saw was the French chef pushing in a small cart. On it was an exquisite five-tier cake. Candles were lit on the top tier, and beside it were the words, “Su Wan, welcome home.”

The little cart reached Su Wan. Su Wan was alarmed and at a loss. She stood up, and the chef picked up a paper crown and placed it on Su Wan’s head. Then Xie Ning took the lead in clapping, and the others followed, applauding and cheering.

Fang Lingyu’s face bloomed into a smile. She stood up and went past Xie Ning to Su Wan’s side. First, she held Su Wan’s hand, then hugged her excitedly. Tears flowed out. She covered her face, not knowing what to say, then cried even harder.

Watching this scene, Su Wan’s breathing quickened. She could hardly believe it was real.

Xie Ning picked up a handkerchief and handed it to Su Wan. Su Wan hurriedly wiped her mother’s tears for her. The others were also moved one after another, sighing emotionally. Even the lively Fang Manman said nothing. She licked her lips and turned her head blankly to look at Su Jin.

Su Jin’s gaze was fixed on the plate on the table, her expression numb.

The tears she had held back for so long could no longer be squeezed out. The only emotion left in her now was anger.

She saw the nanny following behind the chef. For some unknown reason, even Nanny Zhang had stood on Su Wan’s side, clapping along in celebration. This was different from what had been planned at the start!

In her imagination, during the banquet, Su Wan would sit beside her brother and lose all face. Nanny Zhang had also promised to help her by deliberately spilling soup on Su Wan.

But none of this had happened. It had been wrong from the very beginning!

From the moment Xie Ning sat down and had Su Wan sit beside her, every plot point had gone wrong!

Xie Ning was helping Su Wan at every turn. She looked as if she had not done anything, but without her, Su Wan would never have had any sense of presence!

Seeing this deep mother-daughter affection, the string in Su Jin’s heart finally snapped completely, as if she had stepped into empty air and was falling down a cliff.

She looked around in panic. The only straw she could grasp was Su Xingheng, but when she turned her head, Su Xingheng was not by her side at all.

He had stood up with his wine glass and gone to toast Su Wan, saying a few polite words.

Then, he toasted Xie Ning. They talked and laughed easily. Xie Ning leaned close to whisper by Su Xingheng’s ear, and Su Xingheng laughed.

Su Jin’s eyes nearly split with rage. She grabbed the cloth beside her hand and yanked it hard. With a crash, plates, knives, and forks fell all over the floor. Everyone failed to dodge in time, and a wave of screams rang out.