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

Chapter 358 What is the biggest difference between you?
Li Qianxi's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, her face contorting for a moment.

Although it was only for a moment, Du Anrao still noticed it.

[Here she comes! Judging by that expression and demeanor, I don't need to guess to know that this little green tea heroine is probably thinking all sorts of things about me right now. Let me guess what she's thinking? It'll probably be the same old stuff: calling me a country bumpkin from some remote area, saying I don't know any manners, don't know how to socialize, and am not as elegant, composed, noble, and generous as her.]

Before Du Anrao could even finish his self-deprecating joke, his mother, who was hiding in a corner pretending to be a customer, almost couldn't hold back and rushed over to beat him up.

Seeing this, Mr. Du quickly pulled her aside, saying, "Calm down, calm down."

"Calm down? How can you expect me to calm down? How dare she look down on An'an? Why is our An'an living on the streets and suffering so much? Isn't it all because of her heartless human trafficker mother?"

As Du's mother spoke, she grew angrier. The things that had happened to Du Anrao while he was away had always been a source of worry for her. The reason she usually appeared calm and composed was simply because her two daughters were kind and considerate, and their sisterly bond greatly comforted the pain in her heart.

However, this does not mean that she can remain indifferent when others bring it up again, especially when the person bringing it up is a beneficiary of the event.

"If it weren't for her and her selfish mother, our An'an wouldn't have had to suffer so much. Every time I think about it, my heart aches unbearably. And she, instead of feeling guilty, even dares to secretly mock our An'an..."

Mr. Du was also angry, but now was not the right time to rush out and settle scores: "I understand, I understand. Calm down first. After An'an finishes talking to her, I will personally accompany you to find her. Then you can do whatever you want with her, whether you want to hit her or scold her."

After much persuasion and gentle coaxing, Mr. Du finally managed to appease his wife temporarily.

The situation in the private room next door was similar. Du Junyan, who was pretending to make coffee at the bar, looked at the freshly brewed, piping hot coffee in front of him and even secretly wondered if it would violate his morality and manners to pretend to fall and spill the coffee on someone.

At that time, Li Qianxi was completely unaware that Du Anrao had seen through her thoughts the moment they met and had secretly spread them, causing her to incur public wrath before she could do anything.

After a brief moment of embarrassment, Li Qianxi quickly regained her composure, put on a gentle, fake smile again, and took the initiative to start a conversation: "Miss Du, this is our second meeting. The last time we met was at my aunt and uncle's dinner party. I never imagined that things would be so different now. I am no longer Miss Li, and you..."

"I am still the daughter of the Du family, nothing has changed."

Du Anrao's interruption successfully made Li Qianxi pause for a few seconds. It took her a while to remember what she wanted to say. Just as she was about to continue, Du Anrao interrupted her again.

“Miss Li, did you invite me here today just to reminisce about the past? If that’s the case, I won’t keep you company. Although I don’t have much to do besides eating, drinking and sleeping, my time is still precious and I don’t want to waste it on nonsense.”

In all her life, Li Qianxi had never met someone as unpredictable as Du Anrao. All the prepared rhetoric she had put into trying to get close to him was now useless, and her polite smile almost faltered. "I... I'm just feeling a bit sentimental."

Du Anrao silently admired her change of expression and said with a smile, "Indeed, we should sigh. Things in this world are unpredictable. No one can say for sure that one day a sparrow will become a phoenix, or that a phoenix might fall into misfortune and become worse than a chicken."

"Of course, what's real is real, and what's fake is fake. This fake phoenix and real sparrow has stayed in the phoenix's nest for too long and seen too many phoenixes, so they think they've become a phoenix too, glamorous and pampered, and deserve to be admired and followed by thousands."

Little did they know that a phoenix unable to withstand the heat of the fire would ultimately become a roasted chicken. But the ugly duckling, however plain it may be, will one day rise from the ashes and transform back into the swan it was meant to be.

Du Anrao's words may seem incoherent, but they are actually packed with information. At least Li Qianxi felt offended after hearing them.

"You don't need to be so hostile towards me. The person who took your place is Du Yuxi. I heard that you have suffered a lot and been criticized a lot over the years. You didn't even get to go to school and were looked down upon wherever you went. Meanwhile, Du Yuxi enjoyed so many resources that originally belonged to you in the Du family and monopolized so much of the favor that should have been yours. Don't you really feel any resentment towards her at all?"

Du Anrao was gesturing to her older brother, who was not far away, asking him to quickly bring her a cup of coffee to help suppress the strong aroma of tea wafting towards her, otherwise she was really afraid that she would not be able to resist making a fuss in front of this person.

Upon hearing Li Qianxi's words, Du Anrao paused in his actions.

Sitting next door, Du Yuxi could clearly hear what Du Anrao was saying through her phone. Even though she believed that Du Anrao wouldn't be easily swayed by Li Qianxi's few words, her heart still couldn't help but race.

[Tsk tsk tsk, I see now. This person invited me out to sow discord between my deep sisterly bond with my fourth sister. She even wants to use me as a tool to kill each other, so she can reap the benefits.]

Although I was mentally prepared for this before coming, I didn't expect her to be so blunt, without any beating around the bush. Do I look that stupid? Or does she think that people from remote mountain villages who haven't gone to school and haven't seen the world are all dumb, and that whatever she says is the truth?
This is a huge misunderstanding. I just didn't have a proper school education, but I never said I was illiterate. Our family's Taoist temple has at least eight hundred or a thousand books in its collection. I wouldn't say I've read them all, but I've at least read most of them.

In addition, my master's one-on-one private tutoring covered all subjects. He usually memorized the Four Books and Five Classics, read the Three Pure Ones' Taoist teachings, and occasionally learned music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and antique appraisal—the idea being that having many skills is never a burden. But when I came out, it turned out I was treated like an illiterate person who knew nothing. If my smug master knew this, he'd probably cry himself to sleep in the bathroom.

The Du family members were taken aback when they learned for the first time that Du Anrao had learned so much on the mountain, and they became even more curious about Du Anrao's mysterious master.

Seeing that Du Anrao remained silent for a long time after hearing her words, Li Qianxi assumed that Du Anrao had taken her words to heart. A hint of contempt and mockery flashed in her eyes as she patiently awaited Du Anrao's reply.

Unexpectedly, the first thing Du Anrao said to her when he turned around was...

Do you know what the biggest difference is between you and my fourth sister?