Chapter 193

Chapter 193: That Boomerang Really Hit!

It had to be said: where there are people, there is excitement. Where there is excitement, there is gossip. And humans are, at heart, all melon-eating spectators.

After hearing that the legendary lovesick Ninth Master Du had finally found the lover he had been separated from for half a century, and that they would soon hold a grand wedding, even some out-of-towners who had never met Ninth Master Du were very curious. At the same time, they were even more curious about this Miss Du’s true identity and her relationship with Ninth Master.

“I heard that the Old Madam was found near City B and had lived in City B for a long time before this. Could this Miss Du be her descendant, and Ninth Master is taking care of her for her sake…”

“But she clearly just said her surname is Du.”

“What’s so hard about that? It’s just changing a surname. When some people marry again and bring a child from a previous marriage, doesn’t the child often change their surname?”

“You do have a point when you say that.”

Forced to be treated like she had changed her surname, Du An Rao: “…”

Seriously, could these people not lower their voices when gossiping about the person involved? She could hear everything!

But…

[After all that, they came up with such a low-level story, saying I’m some drag-along child from a second marriage. This is your method? It’s way too childish.]

Jiang Chang Bin almost burst out laughing.

[No wonder you people couldn’t squeeze a single coin out of Granduncle after all that effort, and in the end he wiped you all out in one go. It feels like he kept you late-season grasshoppers around only because he was bored and wanted something to scratch his itch. Otherwise, he would have pinched you all to death long ago. Being unbeatable is really lonely sometimes!]

Xi Jing Yue had just stepped into the exhibition hall when he heard this whole exchange: “…”

[This little girl is humble-bragging again?]

“So you’re the Sister from Second Grandfather’s branch. I hadn’t seen you before. I was rude just now,” Du Tian Ci said.

What he said again proved that, in his eyes, Du An Rao was not a true Du Family member, at least not someone from the close bloodline of Du De Sheng.

Du An Rao blinked and pretended to be puzzled: “Second Grandfather? You and my Grandfather are relatives?”

She asked like this, but her eyes were not on Du Tian Ci. Instead, she looked at A’Wen, who stood less than three steps behind her.

A’Wen immediately stepped forward and said: “Ninth Master did indeed have a brother before, and he had a son and a daughter, it’s just…”

“Just?” Du An Rao prompted.

“It’s just that I heard that the son married a young lady of the Yao Family in City B and had one son and two daughters. When I went to banquets with Ninth Master before, I saw that father and son once. They didn’t seem to be this Mr. in front of us.”

“Oh, really?”

Du An Rao folded her arms and looked at Du Tian Ci with great interest. She did not speak again, but anyone could see she was waiting for him to explain.

Du Tian Ci’s face stiffened for a moment, but he soon returned to normal and smiled lightly: “I am my father’s… adopted son. My father pitied that my parents died early and my family background was pitiful, so he brought me home as a foster son, changed my name and surname, and raised me.”

“Oh, I see. So we don’t actually share the same surname then.”

Du Tian Ci’s face turned green, and Jiang Chang Bin almost could not hold back his laughter.

Haha, that boomerang really hit! One throw and it shut him right up.

“But you can’t say it like that,” Du An Rao added with a bright smile, as if she still was not satisfied. She casually dropped a heavy bomb: “After all, this foster son of yours could also be an illegitimate son.”

“???”

Jiang Chang Bin and Xi Jing Yue stared.

“???”

The surrounding onlookers were also dumbfounded.

Du Tian Ci had never imagined that Du An Rao would say this. His face was full of disbelief.

Only his father, his birth mother, and himself knew that he was his father’s illegitimate son. How did she know?

But that was not the main point. The main point was that today he had come with his papa and his brother…

When Du Tian Ci turned his head, he saw the two of them walking over from a distance. He was so scared that he shivered all over and instinctively raised his voice to protest: “What nonsense are you talking about?”

Startled by his shout, Du An Rao raised her hand to cover her mouth and said with an innocent face: “Oh, this is something that can’t be said? That’s true. A foster son at least has a proper title, but an illegitimate son doesn’t, and it’s something shameful. Sorry. If you don’t want others to know, I won’t talk about it.”

“You… you… you…”

Du Tian Ci pointed at Du An Rao for a long time. As he watched his father and brother getting closer and closer, he finally could not take the pressure. He turned around and fled.

Watching his back as he ran away, Du An Rao even felt a bit regretful.

[He’s running already? His mental strength is really weak. No wonder his brother’s people could nudge him a little and get him to be the first bird testing me. And with this level, he still wants to play mind games and fight for the family property? It would be good if he doesn’t get sold by someone.]

“…”

True. Although his Little Cousin’s attacks were a bit strong, she had only said two sentences and already scared the guy away. Jiang Chang Bin felt like he had used a cannon to hit a mosquito. What a waste.

But since his brother had pushed him to come and pick a fight with Cousin, did that mean the one behind this was his brother? Then…

Before Jiang Chang Bin could think more, a middle-aged man walked over with a young man a bit older than Du Tian Ci and greeted A’Wen first.

“Isn’t this A’Wen? Why are you not with Second Uncle today?”

Du Wei Shuai had wanted to give Du An Rao a slap in the face, using A’Wen’s attitude toward him to show off his presence as Du De Sheng’s blood relative.

But he had clearly forgotten that Du De Sheng had already cut ties with most of these so-called blood relatives, and the people at his side would not treat them like they treated true descendants.

So his question, which he thought gave a lot of face, was completely ignored.

The atmosphere froze in an awkward silence. Du Wei Shuai’s facial muscles twitched hard from the cringe.

“You must be the Sister from Second Grandfather’s side, right? I heard Second Grandfather was worried that the soon-to-be Second Grandmother wouldn’t get used to life in City B, so he specially invited a Sister from distant in-laws to keep her company. That must be you, right? Since this is your first time in City B, if there’s anything you don’t understand, you can contact Brother. Brother grew up here and knows City B very well.”

Du An Rao glanced at this father and son and only felt that they were very funny.

[Oh-ho, is he declaring his territory now? And saying he grew up here since he was a child, does he mean City B or my Granduncle’s courtyard house? Also, are you a dog? You’re even marking territory everywhere. Do you really think that just because you lived somewhere and left your mark there, that place becomes yours?]

At first, Jiang Chang Bin had been angry that this Du Family eldest young master kept mocking their Little Cousin between the lines, treating her as an outsider who was only temporarily brought in thanks to the old Grandmother. But when Du An Rao’s inner line of “Are you a dog?” flashed across, he almost could not hold it in.

He had to admit, his Little Cousin’s way of complaining was as sharp as always.

Even leaving the facts aside, were these people not in the wrong?

He and his sister had come happily to attend an auction, but first someone came to pick a fight, then someone mocked them. These people even relied on their age and spread rumors, trying to use their status to crush them.

Even without setting the facts aside, it was all these people’s fault. His Little Cousin had not done anything wrong at all!