"Clatter!"
Ye Xi dropped her chopsticks onto the table.
This meant that Liu Jingyue had known all along that she was her daughter!
But what did she mean by saying she only had Ye Xi and Yun Qi as children? What about Yun Qianying!?
Something flashed through Ye Xi's mind, but she failed to catch it.
However, the fact remained that Liu Jingyue knew Ye Xi was her daughter but refused to recognize her and always avoided her touch.
"How can a grown - up drop her chopsticks?"
Liu Jingyue, of course, had no idea that Ye Xi had heard all her innermost thoughts. She thought Ye Xi had just dropped the chopsticks carelessly. She lovingly gave Ye Xi a reproachful look and said to Lu Qiong behind her,
"Quick, Qiong Niang, go and get a new pair of chopsticks."
She refused to recognize her, yet on the surface, she pretended to be so caring. This was no different from the Ye family before.
A wave of grievance welled up in Ye Xi's heart. She stubbornly pursed her lips and said hoarsely,
"No need. I'm done eating."
The look of anger in her eyes was very obvious.
All the guests here today were good friends, and they all knew Ye Xi's personality well. It was the first time they had seen Ye Xi throw a tantrum out of the blue, especially when Liu Jingyue had been kind to her and there was no grudge between them. The happy atmosphere came to a halt, and everyone was a bit confused.
"Hehe... Coincidentally, I'm also done eating,"
Caught between her aunt and her friend, Liu Mengxian forced a laugh and was the first to break the awkward silence. She tried to smooth things over and said,
"The chopsticks on the table are just in the way. Why don't we just take them away?"
Realizing she had overreacted, Ye Xi lowered her head slightly and said in a low voice,
"I'm sorry. I... I'm not feeling well. I've spoiled everyone's mood."
"Everyone, keep eating. I'll be back soon."
With that, she rushed off without waiting to see what the others would say.
Jiang Ning, who was a bit more familiar with the Prince Yu'an's Mansion than the others, saw Ye Xi leave in a hurry. She knew that Ye Xi must have read something that made her lose her composure like this.
So she immediately took on the responsibility of the host on Ye Xi's behalf. She said a few words to ease the situation and invited everyone to continue eating.
Everyone was very cooperative and pretended that nothing had happened.
Only Qiao Yan, who was a bit naive, quietly nudged Liu Mengxian's arm and whispered,
"Xiao Xi has never been like this before. Shouldn't we go and check on her?"
Liu Mengxian picked up some vegetables with her chopsticks and put them into Qiao Yan's bowl. With a smile still on her face, she lowered her voice and said,
"No need. She just lost her composure, and it's obvious that she has something on her mind. She needs some time alone right now."
"There are no outsiders today, and everyone really cares about Xiao Xi. But no one followed her because we want to give her some space."
"Moreover..."
She glanced at the door and gently put down her bone chopsticks.
"We're in the Prince Yu'an's Mansion. There must be someone to accompany her. It would be in the way if we went."
"Got it—"
Even though Qiao Yan was a bit slow - witted, she understood what Liu Mengxian meant. She winked and didn't say anything more.
While others didn't notice anything amiss, Liu Jingyue, as Ye Xi's mother, was very sensitive to Ye Xi's mood change.
Ye Xi had been fine before, but she suddenly got angry after asking about her children. So this mood swing was obviously related to her children.
Liu Jingyue didn't think that Ye Xi had found out about her origin for the time being. She just thought that maybe Yun Qianying had had another conflict with Ye Xi.
These days since they returned to the capital, she had asked her son about the relationship between the two. Only then did she understand how deep the grudge between them was.
It wasn't that she was partial to her own child, but in these matters, it was Yun Qianying who was in the wrong.
This was an undeniable fact.
Liu Jingyue was really worried.
Yun Qianying had always been well - behaved and obedient in front of her, but the person who did these things was completely different. Especially in her relationship with the Second Young Master Shen, Yun Qianying wouldn't listen to anyone. She was determined to see Shen Zhou secretly.
Liu Jingyue even began to suspect that Yun Qianying had been possessed by some evil spirit.
She tidied up her clothes, said a few polite words, and asked Jiang Ning to convey her message. Then she said goodbye and led Lu Qiong out of the room.
"Has the Second Miss had another conflict with Ying'er recently?"
Walking slowly on the garden path, Liu Jingyue frowned slightly and asked.
After a brief thought, Lu Qiong replied,
"I haven't heard of it. I only know that a few days ago, the Second Miss provoked a fairy in the palace. She is the junior sister of Master Hunyuan. Master Hunyuan was very angry at that time. It almost made it to the emperor's ears."
Liu Jingyue's eyebrows furrowed even deeper. Her gentle voice unconsciously carried a hint of anger,
"She even dared to provoke the disciple of Master Qingyi. She is becoming more and more unruly."
"I shouldn't have let Xiaoying and Xiaoqi return to the capital first. They should have come with me. Otherwise, they wouldn't have caused so much trouble. Master Qingyi is such an important person, and he has done us a great favor. I even saw Hunyuan when she was a child. Well, she managed to offend them all in one go..."
Shaking her head as she spoke, Liu Jingyue unconsciously quickened her pace,
"Forget it. Let's go back quickly. I have to talk to Xiaoying about these things properly."
As the mistress and the maid talked, they gradually walked away.
In the back garden, Yi Yuan had listened carefully to the whole story that Ye Xi had told him.
"Come on,"
He took Ye Xi's hand, who was squatting aggrievedly in the corner of the rockery, and said simply,
"Let's go and ask her for an explanation."
"Ah?"
Ye Xi was a bit slow to react. She was pulled up by Yi Yuan and took a few steps forward.
She quickly broke free from Yi Yuan's warm palm, crossed her arms behind her back angrily, and said sulkily,
"I'm not going. If she doesn't recognize me, I won't recognize her either."
"Anyway, I just wanted to know which family I really belonged to, so that I wouldn't always feel like a spy. Now that I know, I can live well without them. Why should I try to curry favor with someone who is cold to me?"
These angry words were too obvious.
It was the first time Yi Yuan had seen Ye Xi being so inconsistent. With her pouting lips and crossed arms, she was really cute.
He couldn't help but pull her into his arms and nuzzle her affectionately. He patiently coaxed her,
"Okay, we won't recognize her."
"But I don't think Lady Yun is a cold - hearted person from the way she saved you and got along with you. We don't have to recognize her, but we have to figure out the reason for all this."
"Don't you also think there are many things that don't make sense? For example, how come no one knew that the Yun family had lost such a big child? When you asked Liu Mengxian before, she even found out about the Lou family. How could she not think that a young lady was missing from the Yun family..."
He helped her tuck the loose hair behind her ear, rubbed the tip of his nose against Ye Xi's delicate nose, and said softly,
"Since there are doubts, we should find out the truth. Otherwise, misunderstandings will surely arise. Isn't this what you always teach Yaofeng? You can't just ignore it when it comes to yourself."
Ye Xi's nose tickled, and most of her anger faded away. While avoiding Yi Yuan, she couldn't help but bend her lips and compromise,
"Fine, fine. As a half - teacher, I should set an example."
Yi Yuan gave Ye Xi a loud kiss on the face. With a smile on his eyes and eyebrows, he took her hand and led the girl he loved so much to find his future mother - in - law to figure out the truth of that year.