Duan Yarong and An Yue were a little stunned. After exchanging glances with each other, they could not help but let out a chuckle.
Joy looked at them with a quizzical expression on his face. He did not understand why they were laughing at him, despite the fact that he was obviously talking about something serious.
The more Joy thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. Tears began to roll in his eyes.
Today was the weekend. Zhao Youlin would usually bring him out to have fun. Even if Zhao Youlin did not keep him company, there were still other people who would keep him company.
But everyone had been busy since early in the morning. Zhao Youlin and Duan Yarong were tied up with their chores, and even the servants did not have time to play with Joy.
Joy had no choice but to settle for less. He stayed obedient and let them do their chores. He only ran down from upstairs when he got really bored.
When Joy saw An Yue, who was talking to Duan Yarong downstairs, his eyes brightened up. He ran toward An Yue like a small cannonball without thinking much, though he did not expect that even An Yue would mock him. He felt even aggrieved now.
Seeing that Joy was about to burst into tears, An Yue stopped smiling instantly and said hastily, “I will stop laughing. It is my fault. Please don’t cry, Joy. I will play with you now.”
Compared to An Yue’s flustered behavior, Duan Yarong was much calmer. She frowned after hearing their conversation. She reminded him in a disapproving manner. “Joy, you cannot call her Sister An Yue from now on.”
Joy’s attention instantly shifted to Duan Yarong, and he forgot to cry. He asked in a curious manner, “Why can’t I call her sister?”
“Because she is going to be your uncle’s wife soon, so you are going to address her as aunt.”
“Uncle’s wife?” Joy bit his finger and looked at them with a confused expression on his face.
“Oh…” Duan Yarong paused for a moment and turned to point at Han Yichen. “This is your mother’s brother. You will address him as uncle.”
Joy recognized that the man in front of him had come to their house last time and had eaten with them. He nodded once he grasped a basic concept of what she meant and called out politely, “Uncle.”
The boy’s clear voice carried a barely noticeable but cute tone. Han Yichen’s face could not help but soften when he heard him calling him with that title. He nodded his head and uttered, “Good boy.”
Duan Yarong took advantage of the moment and continued to make introductions, “Sister An Yue is your uncle’s fiance. They will be husband and wife after they get married, just like your mother and father, Joy. So, you can no longer address Sister An Yue as sister, you should call her aunt.”
The poor kid was so completely confused by the adults. With confusion in his big eyes, he looked at them. In the end, he finally addressed An Yue in an uncertain manner, “Aunt An Yue?”
An Yue blushed when she heard him calling her aunt, while Duan Yarong hugged and kissed Joy on his cheek happily. “My precious grandson, you’re so clever. Alright now, Yue Yue, take Joy over there to eat something first. You can grab a bite too if you are hungry. Joy, can you give your aunt a tour of our house?”
Joy had wanted to ask An Yue to play with him, so Duan Yarong’s proposal was exactly what he wanted. Joy cheerfully pulled An Yue toward the door.
An Yue touched the bracelet on her hand. She hesitated a little before she smiled and said, “Then… Mom, I will take Joy out and play with him now.”
Duan Yarong knew that she accepted it. She said joyfully, “Go on, go play with Joy. We will go and find you later. If you need anything, you can talk to our servants. I have told them all beforehand. Just make yourself at home.”
An Yue said “yes” in a low voice and turned to leave with Joy, who had grown very excited.
After watching them leave, Duan Yarong turned her head and refocused her attention on Han Yichen. She smiled and lamented. “A month ago, I never dared to imagine being able to sit with you guys like this.”
Han Yichen’s eyes flickered slightly before he said meaningfully, “There will be many of such opportunities in the future. And there will be more and more people to accompany you.”
Duan Yarong was stunned for a while before she understood the underlying meaning in Han Yichen’s words. The smile on her face became warmer and more relieved.
Sun Fengzi and the others arrived when the banquet was at its liveliest. Zhao Yifei walked behind Sun Fengzi in an unenthusiastic manner. Just like he usually did in the past, he was looking for beautiful young girls at the banquet.
Zhao Yifei suddenly stopped walking all of a sudden. His face darkened instantly. A trace of obvious displeasure crossed Zhao Yifei’s eyes as he looked at a young man who was standing not far away talking and laughing.
Sun Fengzi found that her son did not follow her as she kept moving forward. She turned her head to look at Zhao Yifei, who had fallen behind, and voiced her puzzlement. “Yifei, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Zhao Yifei withdrew his gaze. “My stomach is a little upset. I am going to use the restroom. Go ahead with Dad.”
“Your stomach is upset? Is it because you ate something unclean before? Is it serious? Should we go home first and take you to a doctor? In any case—”
“Would you stop?” Before Sun Fengzi could finish, Zhao Yifei had already cut her off impatiently. “Like I said, just go without me first. Why are you nagging me so much?”
The expression on Sun Fengzi’s face stiffened, but she could not get angry, as the one in front of her was her own son. She had no choice but to say awkwardly, “Go to the restroom first then. Remember to meet with us after you come out.”
“I got it. I am not a three-year-old kid. Stop hounding me. Just go!”
Sun Fengzi had no choice but to hold Zhao Shunchang’s arm and walk inside, feeling rebuffed.
As soon as Zhao Yifei saw the two disappear, he immediately turned around and walked toward the direction he was looking at just now.
Zhao Youming was chatting with a few business owners who were somewhat wealthy. These business owners had been charmed by his eloquence and his polite appearance. They were praising him a lot.
At this moment, a mocking sneer suddenly came from behind them. “I was just wondering which peacock is the one who has been attracting attention. Turns out it’s you, Zhao Youming.”
Zhao Youming was a little stunned as well when he heard this voice. A cold glare flickered in his eyes before disappearing instantly. When he looked up, there was already a surprised and happy expression on his face. “Cousin, you are back. When did you return home? Why didn’t you tell us and Grandpa?”
Zhao Yifei slowly walked in front of them. When he heard Zhao Youming’s words, he smiled more and more contemptuously. “Who do you think you are? Why do I have to tell you when I come back here? Also, you called me cousin? Do you think you are worthy of calling me cousin?”
Zhao Youming turned pale instantly. His face was full of pain as he said, “Yifei, I know you have some prejudices and misunderstandings about me, but I am still your cousin. We have a relationship formed by our blood ties, and no one can dispute that. I am your senior. I would not tell Grandpa and the others what you said just now, but it is better not to say things like this in front of others in the future. Otherwise, when Grandpa hears about this, you are going to…”
