
The room froze the moment Sheng Xingmeng spoke.
Feng Xiaoxiao and Shi Yan were left in stunned silence, their minds blank.
Shi Yan managed to stammer, "W-why... why is your whole family coming here?"
Feng Xiaoxiao nodded fervently, deeply doubting if Teacher Shen Meng had misunderstood the theme of this show.
This was supposed to be a gathering where Yinyin and Teacher Qi invited their friends to their home. How did it become an open invitation for guests to bring their own family members here as well?
Sheng Xingmeng avoided his aunt's sharp gaze, unable to answer Shi Yan's question. He stayed silent, the atmosphere in the room growing heavier by the second.
Qi Si pondered for a moment before walking over to Sheng Wenyin. Just as he reached out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, Sheng Wenyin, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shot out of her seat like a rocket! Her whole demeanor screamed fight or die.
Qi Si quickly grabbed her by the collar.
"Let go of me! Let me go!" Sheng Wenyin shouted, struggling violently.
Qi Si pulled her back into his arms, held her firmly, and looked toward Sheng Xingmeng. "Aren't you going to run?"
Realizing the situation, Sheng Xingmeng bolted out of the room, fleeing to the balcony in an instant.
Still struggling, Sheng Wenyin growled, "Let me at him! That brat! I didn’t tell him to bring anyone here! Sheng Xingmeng, get out here!"
From the corner of the room, Gu Jitong raised an eyebrow. "Sheng Xingmeng?" he asked, his tone filled with suspicion.
Feng Xiaoxiao and Shi Yan turned to Sheng Wenyin with puzzled expressions.
Sheng Wenyin froze, words caught in her throat.
Seeing her agitation, Qi Si gently stroked the back of her head. "Calm down, calm down," he said soothingly.
Sheng Wenyin stomped her foot in frustration. "How am I supposed to stay calm? That little punk! Did I ever tell him to bring them here? Sheng Xingmeng! Come out! Now!"
Qi Si, still holding her firmly, smirked slightly. "They’re already on their way. You can’t just send them back, can you?"
"But—"
Qi Si’s relaxed expression silenced her mid-sentence. Unable to argue further, Sheng Wenyin drooped like a defeated kitten. She stared at her shoes and muttered under her breath, "What do we do now…"
Qi Si brushed her hair back affectionately. "I’ll call and ask how far away they are."
Sheng Wenyin pouted, her small fingers fiddling with the hem of his shirt.
Seeing that she’d stopped struggling, Qi Si released her waist with one hand and pulled out his phone with the other, dialing swiftly.
But the call was immediately cut off.
Just then, the doorbell chimed.
Qi Si glanced toward the door. Sheng Wenyin, meanwhile, froze entirely, as if struck by lightning.
The living room descended into another round of awkward silence.
Shi Yan and Feng Xiaoxiao didn’t dare make a sound, while Gu Jitong glanced toward the balcony. From his angle, he could see Sheng Xingmeng peeking through a crack in the door, trying to spy on the situation inside.
"I’ll get the door," Qi Si said, moving toward it.
"Wait!" Sheng Wenyin grabbed his wrist.
Qi Si took her hand in his, raising an eyebrow. "Hmm?"
Sheng Wenyin hesitated, her lips pressing together. Finally, with a resolute expression, she said, "I’ll go."
Qi Si blinked in surprise but then chuckled softly. "I’ll come with you."
She nodded stiffly and walked toward the door, her movements as rigid as a marionette’s. When she reached the entrance, however, she stopped, unable to open it.
Qi Si tightened his grip on her fingers and leaned close to her ear. "Don’t be afraid. I’m here."
Encouraged by his words, Sheng Wenyin closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and, summoning all her courage, swung the door open.
And froze.
Standing outside the door were Tong Shi and Cheng Jiang, carrying a plate of food.
Both parties stared at each other, stunned.
Tong Shi and Cheng Jiang blinked, confused by the tense expressions on Sheng Wenyin and Qi Si’s faces. Cheng Jiang broke the silence first, saying, "We made some cherry pork for dinner. Shi thought we should share some with our neighbors."
He handed the plate over to Qi Si, who accepted it politely. "Thank you."
Cheng Jiang waved dismissively, signaling it was nothing.
Tong Shi, however, had noticed their clasped hands. Her eyes widened as realization struck—her world cracking apart like shattering glass.
Sensing the awkward tension, Cheng Jiang quickly glanced past Sheng Wenyin and Qi Si into the house, noting the additional guests. "Looks like your friends are already here," he said tactfully. "We won’t disturb you further."
He began to turn away, but Tong Shi remained rooted in place, staring daggers at the intertwined hands in front of her.
"Tong Shi," Cheng Jiang muttered, tugging on her sleeve.
Reluctantly, she allowed herself to be dragged away, though she continued muttering indignantly under her breath.
Closing the door, Qi Si turned to Sheng Wenyin. "Looks like they’re still on their way—"
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang again.
Both Sheng Wenyin and Qi Si froze.
Swallowing hard, Sheng Wenyin forced herself to shake off the mounting anxiety. Steeling herself once more, she gingerly opened the door again.
There, Tong Shi stood with hands on her hips, her face full of righteous fury.
"You listen to me!" she bellowed. "Yin, you’d better pull yourself together! You can’t let anyone take advantage of you like this!"
"..." Sheng Wenyin was speechless.
"Tong Shi, enough!" Cheng Jiang rushed back, grabbing Tong Shi and dragging her away once more.
Tong Shi resisted, yelling as she retreated, "Yinyin, you’re a queen! Be confident! Shine bright! Forget these relationships—solo glory is the way forward!"
Her dramatic exit left Sheng Wenyin in a daze.
With a sigh, she closed the door, utterly defeated.
Before she could fully retreat back inside, the doorbell rang yet again.
Sheng Wenyin’s head drooped as she resigned herself to her fate. Slowly, she opened the door. "I know, I know, Master. Please, just spare me the lecture—"
But her words were abruptly cut off as her gaze landed on the crowd outside.
A swarm of people stood at her doorstep, filling the hallway with their overwhelming presence.
Her jaw dropped, words failing her entirely.
At the same time, in the monitoring room, the director and assistant director, both in the middle of their meals, froze. Their boxed lunches fell from their hands.
The director stared at the screen, muttering, "Am I... am I seeing things?"
The assistant director furiously rubbed his eyes. "No, you’re not. Did Shen Meng really bring his whole family?"
Ignoring him, the director hastily grabbed his phone and began scrolling furiously.
"What are you doing?" the assistant director snapped. "This is no time for shipping wars!"
The director didn’t reply. After a moment, he held up a photo. "Look at this."
The assistant director glanced at the image, then back at the screen. His voice wavered. "Is that... Qiong? The Qiong?"
"Yes," the director replied grimly.
"The entertainment industry’s kingmaker... is related to Shen Meng?"
Before the assistant director could process this revelation, the director showed him another photo.
"And this one," he said.
The assistant director blinked, confused. "Who’s that?"
"An executive from the Sheng Group," the director said. "Their Asia-Pacific CEO and Vice Chairman of the North American Board."
"...What?!" The assistant director nearly jumped out of his chair.
The director wasn’t done. Showing another picture, he said, "And her."
The assistant director’s voice shook. "That’s... no way... is that Zhuang Yanqin? Founder of BX, one of the top three luxury brands in the world?"
"Yes. The only female CEO among the global top ten."
Both men stared at the monitor, where the group at the door continued to grow.
The assistant director stammered, "Sh-Sheng Wenyin’s relatives are... these people?"
The director wiped the sweat from his brow. Staring blankly at the chaotic scene, he whispered, "Just who is Sheng Wenyin?"