Wang Na, standing nearby, said with some pride, "Steward Li is the most famous in the country, a graduate of the Hongyuan Butler Academy. His professional skills are beyond reproach."
"Oh."
Tang Xiaomin looked as if she had never seen the world before.
"Aunt Xue also graduated from the Hongyuan Butler Academy, and she was in the same cohort as Steward Li. Steward Li, you should know each other."
*Snap!*
The chopsticks in Aunt Xue's hand dropped, and her face turned ashen.
This drew everyone's attention. Tang Zhongcheng quickly reprimanded Aunt Xue.
"You're not feeling well after just being discharged from the hospital. You can go down."
"Yes, sir."
Aunt Xue quickly stood up, lowered her head, and left in haste.
Steward Li did not answer Tang Xiaomin's question, appearing unwilling to respond.
Tang Xiaomin felt that Tang Zhongcheng's reaction was a bit too intense, as if he had deliberately made Aunt Xue leave.
Tang Xiaomin didn't want to press the issue, so she ate in silence.
After the meal, Tang Yiyi and Zhang Meiyu chatted with Wang Na. Tang Xiaomin, seizing the opportunity when no one was paying attention, quietly called Steward Li aside and asked,
"Steward Li, you still haven't answered my question. Did you know Aunt Xue at the Hongyuan Butler Academy? Or, have you seen her?"
Steward Li was not one to meddle in affairs. He knew what should and should not be said.
Steward Li said respectfully, "Miss Tang, since you are suspicious, why not investigate yourself? There will always be clues."
Steward Li said nothing, yet implied everything.
Tang Xiaomin didn't want to trouble him further.
"Thank you for the reminder."
Steward Li said, "This is the first time in my more than ten years of work that I've been able to sit at the table and dine with the hosts. I am very grateful for Miss Tang's thoughtfulness. I hope you can find your answers soon."
Simply inviting him to sit and eat a meal with them, and he would still feel grateful and thank her.
She thought of her family. She worked hard every day to cook for them, but they didn't appreciate it.
Her family was not as considerate as an outsider.
After the Wang family left.
In the study, Aunt Xue, looking flustered, came to Tang Zhongcheng.
"Sir, Tang Xiaomin deliberately asked Steward Li such a question today. Is she investigating me? What should we do?"
Tang Zhongcheng appeared quite calm.
"Tang Xiaomin is meticulous. You should speak less in front of her from now on."
"I know, but what if she investigates me? I'm really scared."
"She's a girl not even twenty years old. What can she find out? Behave yourself from now on, and don't give her a reason to keep an eye on you."
Although he said this, Aunt Xue still felt uneasy.
But no matter how uneasy she was, there was nothing she could do.
The Tang family had partnered with the Wang family.
Upon receiving the news, Qian Xingde was dumbfounded and blamed Qian Lili.
"You said you were good sisters with Tang Yiyi, so why didn't she tell you about her engagement with the Ye family?"
"Now look, so many people want to cooperate with the Tang family, and we've missed out on it for nothing. You even helped her discipline Tang Xiaomin, only to get yourself into trouble. And her? Did she treat you as a sister?"
...
Qian Lili was bullied by Tang Xiaomin at her own banquet because she wanted to help Tang Yiyi discipline Tang Xiaomin.
Afterward, Tang Yiyi repeatedly said that she would personally apologize to Tang Xiaomin at their doorstep for the sake of the family's orders, but she never did.
Now, Tang Yiyi was engaged to the Ye family but deliberately kept it from her.
Qian Lili's current feeling was that she had been used by Tang Yiyi and then discarded.
Qian Lili personally called Tang Yiyi: "Yiyi, congratulations! Why didn't you tell me about your engagement to the Ye family?"
Tang Yiyi apologized on the phone, "Lili, I'm sorry. My father told me not to announce the engagement and be a laughingstock."
"Tang Yiyi, I considered you a good friend and stood up for you, only to be humiliated by Tang Xiaomin. And you! Do you consider me your friend?"
"Now that you've hitched yourself to the Ye family, you look down on my family and don't want to cooperate with my company anymore, right? Tang Yiyi, I've truly misjudged you!"
Tang Yiyi explained, "Lili, it's not what you think. My father is in charge of company matters. How about this, I'll go talk to my father and ask him to reconsider cooperating with your company."
"Heh, Tang Yiyi, do you think I'll believe your nonsense after all this? I'll give you a piece of advice: everyone eventually pays for their actions. I chose my friends poorly, and I've already paid my price. I'll just wait and watch you pay yours!"
*Snap!*
Qian Lili hung up the phone, breaking off all ties with Tang Yiyi.
Tang Yiyi sneered at the phone.
"Hmph! She's just a friend. So what if I lose one? Do you really think you're that important to me? So many young ladies are eager to be my friends now. Who do you think you are?"
However, Tang Yiyi didn't realize that once betrayal begins, it often snowballs. SudenXS.
Since being slapped by Tang Xiaomin, Aunt Xue now avoided Tang Xiaomin whenever possible, taking detours to bypass her.
Tang Xiaomin had asked Steward Ye to help her investigate Aunt Xue, but it would take time.
In the blink of an eye, it was the start of the new school year.
Tang Yiyi also went off to college. Tang Xiaomin had only gone for registration day and hadn't returned since. She had already learned the college curriculum once and didn't want to waste time on it again.
Tang Zhongcheng and Zhang Meiyu didn't care about her and let her skip school.
One day, their eldest brother, Tang Yu, returned.
Tang Xiaomin volunteered to pick him up at the airport.
Tang Yu, the eldest son of the Tang family, was twenty-seven years old, stood at 1.8 meters tall, and possessed a handsome yet steady demeanor.
He had joined the Tang family's company after graduation and had recently been sent abroad on a business trip by his father for a month.
At the airport, Tang Yu recognized the sports car he had given to Tang Yiyi.
When he saw Tang Xiaomin driving it, his face instantly darkened.
"How can it be you? How dare you drive Yiyi's car? This was my eighteenth birthday gift to her. Do you know what that means?"
As an older brother, Tang Yiyi's eighteenth birthday gift was a million-dollar sports car.
And what about her?
To ensure her brother could have a delicious bowl of pig's trotter soup, she had to wake up at four in the morning every day to buy fresh pig's trotters from the slaughterhouse.
On her nineteenth birthday, what did he give her?
He told her that no matter how much she did, she could never replace Tang Yiyi, and she shouldn't waste her effort.
Thinking of this, Tang Xiaomin said coldly, "Get in the car."
"You still haven't told me why you're driving Yiyi's car!" Tang Yu was very insistent on this matter.
The more insistent he was, the more Tang Xiaomin showed him a cryptic smile.
"Get in the car, and I'll tell you once you're in."
Tang Yu reluctantly got into the passenger seat and said coldly, "Now you can tell me why you're driving Yiyi's car."