Jin Yuanyuan's Top-Tier Life

Chapter 56: The Old Father's Ramblings and Grievances

Jin Yuanyuan did it on purpose.

She stood there confidently, with an upright posture and a bright smile.

Jin Yuanbao, caught off guard, was stunned. He was helping an elderly person to find a seat when Jin Yuanyuan shouted, startling him so much that he trembled and his eyes were filled with surprise and embarrassment.

The middle-aged woman standing behind him, supporting an elderly woman, looked at Jin Yuanyuan with a hesitant expression. The younger woman, however, frowned and looked at her, saying, "What did you say?"

"And who are you?" Jin Yuanyuan's smile widened, almost excessively friendly.

Zhao Zhuoran had already quietly stood next to Jin Yuanyuan, and was even thinking to himself, if they were to fight and pull each other's hair, which side should I take?

The restaurant was still filled with laughter and cheerful conversation.

On the shores of West Lake, a New Year's Eve banquet, a time for the whole family to gather in joy.

Wanghu Pavilion boasts a superb location, offering panoramic views of West Lake, and was once a favorite spot for scholars and poets to discuss poetry, enjoy tea, and dine. Now, is a drama about to unfold where the legitimate daughter and the illegitimate daughter are about to clash?

Even Cao Xiaoyu jogged over, smiling and calling out, "Uncle Jin!"

Jin Feiyan followed closely behind Cao Xiaoyu, shouting loudly, "Uncle Jin!"

"Oh, Xiaoyu, Feiyan!" Upon seeing the two, Jin Yuanbao's expression shifted to one of surprise and delight. He reached out to pull Cao Xiaoyu along, and Cao Xiaoyu, ever the smooth talker, quickly joined in, saying, "Uncle, please take it easy..."

"I'm not seventy or eighty years old, don't be like that." Jin Yuanbao laughed, his eyebrows and eyes relaxing. "I didn't expect to see you guys at a different restaurant."

"We were dragged here to help, and we haven't even been given a meal yet," Jin Feiyan said with a broad smile, intending to stand in front of Jin Yuanyuan. However, Jin Yuanyuan seemed determined not to let Jin Yuanbao have an easy time, and stood there smiling as she asked, "Dad, aren't you going to introduce me? I don't know if you've seen me before? Anyway, I'm Jin Yuanbao's daughter, Jin Yuanyuan. It's a pleasure to meet you on New Year's Eve, and you're welcome to have dinner at Wanghu Pavilion."

"Sister Yuanyuan." Zhao Zhuoran couldn't help but tug at her apron quietly.

"It's alright, we're all family." Jin Yuanyuan still looked at Jin Yuanbao with a smile, feeling as if she were possessed by Zhu Hongying at this moment.

"Oh, Yuanyuan, this is my daughter." Jin Yuanbao had regained his refined demeanor. "Yuanyuan, this is my master... someone you met when you were little... but I doubt you remember him much..."

"Hello, Master Grandpa." Jin Yuanyuan said politely.

Zhao Zhuoran quickly followed suit, saying, "Hello, Master Grandpa."

Cao Xiaoyu and Jin Feiyan, not wanting to be left behind, immediately called out, "Greetings, Master Grandpa!"

The old man was so startled that he immediately asked Jin Yuanbao, "With so many children, I didn't bring any red envelopes!"

"Master, don't mind Yuanyuan, she just likes to cause trouble." Jin Yuanbao chuckled and patted his master's hand. "Let's sit down first, it's windy by the door."

"Let me do it, let me do it." Zhao Zhuoran was kind, easy-going, warm, and polite. He took his master from Jin Yuanbao's hands and slowly escorted him to his seat.

Jin Yuanbao looked at Jin Yuanyuan before saying, "This is your Aunt Hong, Aunt Hong's parents, and that is Aunt Hong's daughter, Xiao Juanjuan, and her husband and children."

"Oh." Jin Yuanyuan didn't greet anyone, she just nodded and made way for her. "Welcome to Wanghu Pavilion!"

Her shout was intentional, prompting the welcoming staff at the door to also shout, creating an awkward and quiet atmosphere.

Jin Feiyan glanced at Jin Yuanyuan, then gestured to Cao Xiaoyu to help guide them to their seats. Only Jin Yuanbao stopped and asked, "Why do you always work as a waiter here at Zhao Zhuoran's place?"

"A friend helped." Jin Yuanyuan didn't stop and led Jin Yuanbao to his seat. However, Jin Yuanbao still pulled Jin Yuanyuan to a less crowded side of the restaurant to talk. This was the entrance to the kitchen, and only employees passed through here. Today, Zhao Zhuoran had everyone use small carts to deliver dishes, so after a few carts of dishes had passed by, it would become quieter, and no one would pass through here.

"You've studied abroad, come from a big company, and are now a boss. It's not good for your clients and friends to see this..."

Whenever Jin Yuanbao is in front of Jin Yuanyuan, he immediately transforms into a chatterbox, nagging and giving all sorts of advice.

"Didn't Xiao Juanjuan go abroad to study? How come she already has a baby?" Jin Yuanyuan didn't want to hear about those things; she only wanted to know what she wanted to know. "Does my mom know? Did you give her the money?"

"Yuanyuan, why are you just like your mother, all you ever talk about is money?" Jin Yuanbao complained. "Xiao Juanjuan knew Hansen before she went abroad to study, so naturally marriage and having children came first, and her studies could be put on hold. Unlike you, you're over thirty now and don't even have a boyfriend..."

"Don't talk about me. I am me, and she is her. She has a shrewish mother who steals other women's husbands. I can't compare to her." Jin Yuanyuan's words were laced with sarcasm and implied something.

Jin Yuanbao's face had turned completely dark, and he hissed in a low voice, "Jin Yuanyuan, don't talk nonsense."

"What did I say?" Jin Yuanyuan's smile remained, but her eyes were now filled with annoyance. "I don't know about your affairs, and I don't want to know. All these years, you've had a lively family, but do you know how we've been? Do you know how my mother has been? Every Spring Festival, she can only travel abroad. Over the years, she's been to countless countries. She can't come back for the holidays because she doesn't know how to talk about her relationship with you, or how to explain it."

"Jin Yuanyuan! This is a problem between your mother and me." Jin Yuanbao suppressed her anger. "Don't interfere."

"I don't care, and I've never thought about it all these years. But since I've run into this today, I just want to tell you how we spent New Year's Eve, that's all." Jin Yuanyuan didn't know why she couldn't control herself, and her eyes reddened.

"Yuanyuan." The nagging old father couldn't bear to see his daughter like this, so he sighed and said, "I have my reasons. It's your mother who hasn't let me go back all these years."

"You have another woman now, how could my mother possibly let you go back?" Jin Yuanyuan's voice was filled with resentment. "I haven't spent New Year's Eve with you for over ten years..."

"Yuanyuan." Jin Yuanbao looked at Jin Yuanyuan's pale face, and his heart began to ache.

"Uncle Jin." Zhao Zhuoran navigated through the crowd and spotted the two of them precisely. "They've all taken their seats, please come over too."

"Oh." Jin Yuanbao looked at his daughter and asked, "Would you like to have dinner with us?"

"No!" Jin Yuanyuan said firmly.

(End of this chapter)