Seventeen Again: The Sweet Life with My Family

Chapter 106: Gold-digger

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Wei Lai was chatting with Jiang Ning. When he saw Wen Nian coming to his birthday party, he frowned slightly.

Jiang Ning followed Wei Lai’s gaze and the smile on her face faded a lot. “If I had known that your family would invite her, I wouldn’t have come.”

Wei Lai was on good terms with Jiang Ning, so he naturally knew how she felt about his cousin. He hurriedly comforted her. “Sister Jiang Ning, she has already broken off the engagement with my cousin. Why are you still arguing with a poor person like her? I guess after the engagement was broken off, she was unwilling to lose the golden son-in-law she had. She wants to catch another rich second-generation heir for my birthday. Just you wait, I’ll help you vent your anger.”

As the engagement was only known to his family, it wasn’t widely publicized. In order to save face, Wei Feng didn’t mention that Wen Nian had taken the initiative to break off the engagement.

Wei Lai held the belief that Wen Nian was merely seeking wealth and influence by trying to gain favor with the Wei family. Naturally, he assumed that Wei Xiao had also recognized Wen Nian’s true intentions and had mustered the courage to bring it up with their grandfather. Reluctantly, Wen Nian had no choice but to acknowledge the situation.

Jiang Ning had initially met Wei Xiao when he came to the old residence in search of Wei Lai. This encounter had ignited a sense of romantic longing within Jiang Ning, being a young girl yearning for love. It was because of this connection that Wei Lai had confided in Jiang Ning about the complicated relationship between Wen Nian and Wei Xiao.

One of the main motivations for Jiang Ning seeking out Wen Nian was her interest in Wei Xiao. However, as time went on, Jiang Ning discovered that Wen Nian had ended her engagement with Wei Xiao and that he had departed overseas. With no grounds for confrontation, Jiang Ning ceased troubling Wen Nian and let the matter rest.

Hearing Wei Lai’s words, she only said weakly, “Forget it. Your cousin isn’t around either. So what if I win?”

Wei Lai said disapprovingly, “If it weren’t for her, you might have already gotten together with my cousin.”

Jiang Ning let out a soft sigh and gently gripped Wei Lai’s arm. She expressed her frustration, saying, “If only I had met you earlier. Then, I wouldn’t have become acquainted with your brother after Wen Nian did. I’ve been attempting to persuade my parents to allow me to go abroad, but they refuse to grant me permission. It’s so exasperating.”

Wei Lai exclaimed with indignation, “Perhaps my cousin went overseas to escape the menace of Wen Nian. No, I must expose her in front of everyone and humiliate her!”

Wei Jiang’s wife, Li Bing, felt a slight surprise upon seeing Wen Nian. Although she couldn’t recall extending an invitation to Wen Nian, her smile remained unchanged. Approaching her, Li Bing warmly clasped Wen Nian’s hand and said, “Wen Nian, it’s been a while. Welcome to my daughter’s birthday party.”

Wen Nian also smiled and replied, “Hello, Third Madam Wei.”

Li Bing felt a hint of surprise upon hearing this form of address. Previously, when she first met Wen Nian, Wen Nian had sought favor with Wei Xiao and referred to her as “Third Aunt.” This occurred before the engagement ceremony took place. Li Bing’s seemingly insignificant presence had become the subject of mockery from her second daughter-in-law on multiple occasions.

Li Bing carefully observed Wen Nian and noticed that her demeanor had undergone a significant transformation during the few months they hadn’t seen each other.

However, Li Bing believed that the broken engagement was a way to make Wen Nian understand the true meaning of a perfect match. It was only then that she regained her clarity.

At that moment, Wei Lai approached the reception area near the entrance and confronted the receptionist. He questioned, “Those who enter should possess an invitation. You allowed them in with just a few words about knowing the Wei family. Is this how you earn your salary?!”

The three people in the reception area were stunned. Then, they immediately explained, “Miss, we’ve all checked. We all have invitations.”

Observing her daughter’s behavior, Li Bing understood that she was intentionally targeting Wen Nian. Since their initial meeting, Wei Lai had held the belief that Wen Nian was conceited and enjoyed causing trouble for her.

However, Li Bing quickly assessed the situation and realized the nature of the occasion. Thankfully, her previous words hadn’t attracted much attention, and the commotion at the door had gone unnoticed. She shot a discreet glare at Wei Lai and instructed him, “Go and socialize with your best friend. I’ll keep an eye on the reception area.”

Wei Lai remained skeptical of the staff’s explanation. Observing his mother siding with Wen Nian, he concluded that she didn’t wish to argue with Wen Nian at the birthday party. He believed that Wen Nian had managed to enter surreptitiously because she wanted to save face.

With these thoughts in mind, Wei Lai grew even more displeased. Deliberately raising his voice, he said, “Mom, I know who I gave my invitation to. Would you give your invitation to someone unrelated to our family? The attendees tonight are all respected upper-class individuals. I’m just concerned that someone with ulterior motives might have snuck in, so I wanted the reception staff to verify.”

Li Bing didn’t want to escalate the situation. She felt a tinge of anger towards her daughter’s stubbornness and gently tugged at Wei Lai’s arm.

As the commotion near the door caught the attention of the nearby guests, they began to turn their heads to see what was happening. In contrast, Wen Nian remained composed and entered the venue calmly, unaffected by the disturbance..