CHAPTER 289: FULL HOUSE

AiLin sighed.

By evening at seven, she had arrived in the house that she never liked to visit. Grandmother LinLin has always been a wealthy mistress. But her story was different than Mrs Jiang. If Mrs Jiang was born in a family who was wealthy, Grandmother LinLin grew her own empire and became a wealthy mistress by her own dedication.

Therefore AiLin used to admire her, only if not for the fact that Grandmother LinLin would always narrow her eyes when she looked at her, only if not for the fact that Grandmother LinLin’s constant accusation of Mrs Jiang cheating didn’t happen.

Though Grandmother LinLin had never openly discriminate her, it was her action that had caused AiLin to be picked apart by her family even more than ever.

It was why she had turned her admiration into fear, wishing she didn’t have to come to this house or see Grandmother LinLin and feel like a child who wasn’t supposed to be born in this world.

However, the invitation handed out by Grandmother LinLin had felt too... too genuine.

AiLin sighed again as she turned to her phone, trying to dial to reach Li ZiChen but again the call didn’t connect. She had tried sending him even more messages, asking why he hadn’t answered her call and waited for him but now she was sure that Li ZiChen must have been tied with something he couldn’t avoid and as much as she liked to wait for him, Grandmother linLin’s invitation wasn’t something she could push to another day.

Having no choice, Arabella stepped out from her car, looking at YanLan who also stepped out to stand behind her.

He stared at the mansion in a brief surprise, "Your grandmother has a taste."

"She does," AiLin agreed, "She also knew what kind of woman Mrs Jiang was and had never liked her. I suppose that means that she also has eyes."

"Not sharp enough to tell the one innocent and the one who should have been hated though," YanLan chided and she smiled.

"It’s in the past," AiLin sighed again, "Doesn’t mean I have made a complete peace out of it but, I suppose I do not want to care about it anymore."

"But why are we here?" YanLan asked.

"Because she said she will be revealing to me a secret that I desperately need to know," AiLin answered as she stepped into the mansion’s entrance, finding a familiar face that made her frown.

It was the housekeeper who would usually pass her a quarter of rice in her bowl, saying she was too heavy to have more and then a clear soup without a single meat on it.

Oddly the housekeeper had only done that to her, not to anyone else in the family which made her always felt even more left out.

Upon seeing her, it seems that the housekeeper was as shocked, or perhaps even slightly scared as she pursed her lips and looked down to the floor like a guilty person.

Of course she was guilty.

The housekeeper even used to blame her for every single broken plate when AiLin had always wondered if she was the one who had really broke those plates.

Ignoring the woman, she walked through but the housekeeper flung in front of her, stopping her before she could come closer to the door.

"What- why are you here?!"

She seemed scared but seeing how she still dared to stop her, it seemed her fear didn’t come from knowing that she had came from the Hua Family now.

Then... is it because of her prison sentence?

AiLin stepped forward and placed her hand on the housekeeper’s shoulders, smiling wistfully, "Why can’t I be here, housekeeper Xu?"

The woman flinched at the sound of her name. Housekeeper Xu’s hands trembled slightly, her eyes darting to the shadows of the hallway as if expecting someone to appear, someone who might save her from this confrontation.

"You shouldn’t be here," she muttered, her voice low but urgent, as though speaking the words too loudly might summon misfortune.

AiLin tilted her head, the faint smile never leaving her lips. "But I was invited. A handwritten letter from Grandmother LinLin herself. You wouldn’t doubt her wishes, would you?"

Housekeeper Xu’s mouth opened, then closed again. Her posture stiffened, and her face pulled into a conflicted expression, half defiance, half dread.

YanLan leaned closer. "She looked like she’d seen a ghost."

"Maybe she has," AiLin murmured. Then she turned to Housekeeper Xu, tilting her chin as she speaks, "Now move won’t you?"

"No! You can’t come in yet- the house is now filled with important family members and you... you’re dangerous."

AiLin scoffed, "I don’t care which family member or even god himself is inside the house, you have no reason to stop me now that I’m invited by grandmother LinLin. Step aside and I’m only ordering you once."

"What’s with the commotion Housekeeper Xu?!" Someone’s sharp voice echoed as the door behind housekeeper Xu, which lead to the house open wide as though someone had snapped it open. "Grandmother LinLin is sick right now and she wants to rest with as much quietness as possible. Why are you raising your voice?!"

AiLin looked up to see that it was none other than mrs Jiang.

She turned away, scoffing.

Seems like she wasn’t the only one who was invited by grandmother LinLin back to the house.

Even her abusive mother is here which meant her sister and even Jiang MengYao is inside.

As much as AiLin didn’t want to come, she wanted to know why Grandmother LinLin had gathered all of them together, knowing well that they were all against each other’s throat.

"Why the fuck are you here?!" Mrs Jiang yelled. "Get out! get out you murderer!"

Before she could push AiLin aside, YanLan jumped in. He was smiling but his height that towers the ladies was was enough to scare them from being too rash or to push AiLin away physically.

"You guys could speak Chinese right?" YanLan inquired before passing the envelope. "Less talk and more understanding. See this invitation? Now move and let my mistress in unless you wish for me to make the way for her."