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

Chapter 97 My Brain Isn't Working
The Du family's birthday banquet wasn't particularly grand, but it wasn't exactly low-key either.

At least some business partners who wanted to get closer to the Du family called the Du couple after hearing the news to inquire about its veracity.

Although Du's mother had promised Du Anrao that she would only invite some close friends and relatives, since they had taken the initiative to ask, it was neither moral nor reasonable for them to turn them away.

Therefore, on the day of the birthday, the area outside the Du family's gate was still bustling with activity, with all kinds of luxury cars filling almost every available parking spot nearby.

Meanwhile, the Du Anrao sisters were still in the dressing room on the second floor, having changed their clothes and makeup, waiting for their mother's final decision.

Du Anrao and Du Yuxi each wore a pink and a blue knee-length mini skirt today. The two skirts looked very similar, but they suited their images perfectly, making Du Anrao look even more innocent and cute, and Du Yuxi look even more aloof and calm. It was easy to tell who was the older sister and who was the younger sister at a glance.

Looking at her two daughters who looked like twins, Du's mother felt her heart was full. She stepped forward and hugged the two children to her left and right.

"My two darlings, you'll be eighteen today. Time flies so fast; it feels like just yesterday you were growing up."

Upon hearing this, Du Anrao unconsciously recalled that he had been switched at birth by Wang Xuehe, and when they met again, he was almost eighteen years old. How could he have grown up in the blink of an eye?
Unexpectedly, this casual thought caused both of them to freeze in place.

But thinking of the banquet to come, Mrs. Du quickly composed herself, took a deep breath, and released the two of them.

"Alright, let's save the sentimental remarks for later. My two birthday celebrants, little princess and prince, it's time for us to go downstairs. You are the stars of the show today, we can't keep our guests waiting."

As she spoke, Du's mother turned her back and stretched out her hands so that the two men could hold her hands on either side.

When Du's mother brought her two daughters downstairs, the area below was already filled with guests coming and going.

Upon seeing the three of them come down, some people who had already gotten wind of the situation immediately began whispering among themselves.

Those guests who weren't whispering to anyone were also secretly pondering the Du family's intentions, trying to discern the Du family's attitude towards their two daughters from Du Anrao and Du Anrao's attire.

The Du family members didn't care what these people thought; as soon as they saw the three of them coming downstairs, they quickly moved closer to them.

Mr. Du glanced at the clothes, jewelry, and light makeup on the two women and nodded in agreement: "An'an and Yuxi's outfits are very suitable for them today."

Du Junyan followed suit, offering a concise and clear comment: "Beautiful."

Du Hexuan wore a flashy bright red suit. Such an exaggerated color might look a bit tacky on others, but he carried it off with ease.

Hearing everyone's praise for the two, he said with a bit of pride, "Anna is one of the top stylists in the industry. If she can't even do this little thing well, wouldn't she be ruining her own reputation?"

That's right, both of Du An and Rao's outfits and styling today were done by Du Hexuan's personal stylist.

This stylist and Du Hexuan are not only employer and employee but also longtime friends; otherwise, they might not have been able to get her to handle such a small matter.

Du Anrao could easily see through her second brother's little scheme to win favor and praise him. She took the initiative to link arms with him and said, "Although Anna arranged the styling and clothing, you helped us choose the jewelry we're wearing today. It matches the clothes and makeup perfectly. What does that mean? It means that you have the same good taste as Anna."

"At least you still have some conscience." Du Hexuan was thoroughly pleased by Du Anrao's flattery, and he raised his chin proudly like a peacock spreading its tail feathers. He was completely unaware that his family members not far away all had subtle expressions on their faces, unable to bear to look at him.

"Alright, it's time to greet everyone. Yu Xi, there are quite a few people here tonight, so please spend more time with An An and make sure no one bumps into her."

Du's mother gave Du Yuxi a wink, and Du Yuxi immediately understood and nodded: "Okay, Mom, don't worry, I will stay by An'an's side every step of the way today and will never let anyone have the chance to... offend her."

Although Du Anrao felt that his family was being overly nervous and making a mountain out of a molehill, he didn't say anything and enjoyed their special affection for him.

The Du family members breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that she did not suspect anything. After Du Lianshuang's family came that day, the Du family members gathered together again to discuss Du Anrao's feelings.

The conclusion is that those who could hear Du Anrao's innermost thoughts must be people who are related to him by blood and have good intentions towards him.

However, the definition of this kinship is not particularly strict. You can hear of people like Du Yuxi, who are not actually related to her by blood, but who recognize her identity and treat her like a younger sister.

Another point is that they were well-intentioned. When Du Xiuyuan and Du Anrao visited before, they were hostile towards her, but even so, they could still hear her thoughts.

On the contrary, Cui Jueyan remained humble and polite throughout, showing no aggression towards Du Anrao, yet he couldn't hear anything.

So, does this "good intention" mean that the person himself has no ill intentions towards Du Anrao and is not inherently bad?
As for someone like Cui Jueyan, no matter how harmless he may appear on the surface, he cannot hide his vicious intention to kill Du Lianshuang's entire family for their money, so naturally he will not be favored by Lady Luck.

But all of this is just speculation among the Du family members. There are many relatives of the Du family coming and going today, which is both a risk and a test for everyone.

In any case, protecting Du Anrao is the top priority, especially preventing her from discovering anything amiss.

Therefore, everyone agreed that Du Yuxi should accompany Du Anrao throughout the day to facilitate dealing with any unexpected situations.

The Du family members exchanged a few words and then turned their attention to the many guests present.

"Thank you all for taking the time to attend my two daughters' 18th birthday celebration. Today is not only the birthday of my two children, but also a joyous day for our Du family. We have found our youngest daughter, Anrao, who was unfortunately lost more than ten years ago."

As soon as these words came out, the scene was in an uproar.

Du's father spoke vaguely, only saying that Du An was their daughter who had been lost, but he did not explain why they had lost her in the first place, or how they had found her now.

Many people were full of doubts and wanted to ask, but they found that the Du couple had already taken Du Anrao to meet their relatives.

This was indeed the first time in Du Anrao's life that he had been surrounded by so many relatives. Looking around, everyone he saw had the surname Du.

Within minutes, she felt her eyes starting to dart around.

[Help! This is the first time I've ever heard of so many people with the surname Du all over the country, and they're all related to me! Oh no, was that my paternal uncle or cousin? Ahhh, what do I do? My brain is starting to overload!]

(End of this chapter)