“…Alright. The two of you may do as you please.” Hu Mei backed down.

Yin Mingzheng continued, “Don’t let anyone disturb us for the next hour.” 

Hu Mei was taken aback for a moment. Then, she nodded. “Yes.”

After leading Shu Ning and Yin Mingzheng to their new rooms, Hu Mei turned around and left, muttering to herself. This Young Master Mingzheng sure put on airs.

Hu Mei couldn’t help but feel upset after being refuted by this new young master.

The Wei family had so many children and grandchildren! Did he really think he was some kind of golden phoenix!? 

As she walked downstairs with an ugly expression on her face, she just so happened to meet Wei Ximing, who had returned. She hurriedly bowed her head and greeted him, “Young Master.”

“Aunt Mei.” Wei Ximing raised his hand to say hello.

Hu Mei instantly felt happier. She had been serving Wei Ximing for a long time, and Wei Ximing was also very polite towards her. Her heart naturally leaned more towards Wei Ximing’s side.

Although no one said it, everyone knew in their hearts that the one who would be hurt most by Yin Mingzheng’s return was Wei Ximing.

Yin Mingzheng had only just returned, yet he was already disobeying her. Plus, she was just doing as Madam Wei ordered. When she compared the two, Wei Ximing suddenly seemed much more pitiful and lovely.

“I heard that my brother is back, so I came to see him,” Wei Ximing said.

Hu Mei said, “Yes, Young Master Mingzheng has returned. He also brought a young master named Shu Ning with him.”

Wei Ximing was surprised. “He brought someone with him?” 

Hu Mei nodded. The newly returned young master didn’t just disobey her orders. He even brought someone with him. It really was a bit… hmph. His grandparents definitely wouldn’t like it.

“Yes.”

“I’m going to pay my brother a visit.”

Hu Mei remembered Yin Mingzheng’s order and said, “Young Master Mingzheng said that he didn’t want to be disturbed.” 

Wei Ximing smiled and said, “It shouldn’t be a problem if it’s me.”

Then, he headed up the stairs.

Inside the room.

Puzzled, Shu Ning asked Yin Mingzheng, “Why did you ask for an hour of rest?” 

Yin Mingzheng said, “You didn’t sleep well last night, and we traveled a lot today. You should rest for a bit.”

Shu Ning hadn’t expected the reason to be because of him. He quickly shook his head and said, “No, I’m not tired.”

Yin Mingzheng walked over and lifted the blanket on the bed. He nodded at the bed. “Go to sleep.”

When Yin Mingzheng made a decision, he wouldn’t take no for an answer. 

Seeing his firm attitude, Shu Ning knew that it would be useless to say more, so he helplessly walked over. He took off his shoes and climbed into the bed. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “We only just got here. It’s best not to offend anyone. I don’t think the servant just now was too happy.”

“What does she have to do with me?” Yin Mingzheng looked at him and said calmly, “Mom already promised to respect the both of us.”

Shu Ning didn’t know what to do with him. The villain had always been like this, so Shu Ning didn’t say anything more.

Shu Ning was indeed a little sleepy. Whenever he thought about leaving Chuzhou and living with the Wei family, he got nervous, so he hadn’t been able to sleep well last night. 

As soon as he closed his eyes, there was a knock on the door.

Yin Mingzheng frowned. Shu Ning hurried to get out of bed, but Yin Mingzheng held him down. Then, he walked to the door and asked coldly, “Who is it?”

A boy’s voice rang out from the other side of the door. “It’s me, Wei Ximing. I came to say hello.”

Wei Ximing?! 

The male lead from The Big Shot’s Sweetheart: Overbearing President’s Infatuation?

Zhou Juan and Yin Qiang’s biological son? The fake young master?

Shu Ning instantly perked up and got up from the bed. He wanted to see what the protagonist was like with his own eyes.

“We’re going to bed. You can go,” Yin Mingzheng said. He didn’t even open the door. He simply walked back to the bed, took off his shoes, and snuggled into the bed that Shu Ning had just warmed up. 

Shu Ning: “…”

He couldn’t help but take a look at the door. There wasn’t any movement.

This…

Did this count as giving Wei Ximing a slap in the face? 

The little villain’s ability to offend people was getting better and better everyday.

Shu Ning sighed to himself.

However, he then thought about how the little villain had lived at the hands of Zhou Juan and Yin Qiang. It was natural for him to dislike Wei Ximing. It wasn’t surprising at all for him to act like this.

Oh well. If he’s offended, then so be it. 

Shu Ning retreated back into the bed and fell asleep with Yin Mingzheng.

Wei Ximing, who was standing outside the room, had a gloomy expression on his handsome face.

He had come here to show goodwill. He hadn’t expected that they wouldn’t even open the door for him.

He, who had been held up on a pedestal his whole life, felt incomparably angry. Before this, he still had intentions of having a good relationship with Yin Mingzheng. He knew that Yin Mingzheng would take everything from him, but he felt a little guilty about occupying his place for all these years. That’s why he had planned to get along with Yin Mingzheng. That’s why he came by to say hello as soon as he returned. 

But Yin Mingzheng actually blocked him outside the door.

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When they reached the ground floor, he saw Hu Mei waiting for him.

Hu Mei asked, “Did you say hello?”

Wei Ximing shook his head. “He didn’t open the door.” 

Hu Mei was a little angry when she heard this. “Young Master Mingzheng is being too rude.”

He was rude towards her, and he was rude towards the young master as well. It was really too much.

“Mingzheng’s only just returned. There are a lot of things he doesn’t understand. Aunt Mei, you should tell him everything about the Wei family. Don’t let him make a mistake during the banquet,” Wei Ximing said.

Hu Mei was stunned for a moment. Then, she suddenly realized what he meant and responded, “Yes, Young Master.” 

An hour of rest was more than enough. Shu Ning woke up feeling refreshed.

Hu Mei arrived at their room right on time. She then led the two of them through the villa. They went around and around and around, making Shu Ning dizzy.

Once it was about time, Hu Mei taught them about the family’s history and etiquette. Shu Ning listened very carefully, but, slowly, he started to realize that something was wrong.

Hu Mei was very perfunctory, and she spoke very quickly. She prattled on and on about the members of the Wei family, locations, companies, holidays, taboos, and so on and so forth. She jabbered on without a care for anything else. 

Even though Shu Ning read the original novel and did research on the Wei family beforehand, he still found himself having a hard time. He was able to remember some of the things she said, but he pretty much forgot everything else.

Sometimes, saying too much was the same as not saying anything at all.

Shu Ning wasn’t an idiot. He asked, “Aunt Mei, we only just got here. We don’t need to memorize all of this, do we?”

For a newly arrived young master, the most important thing was to familiarize himself with the most important people. All of the other miscellaneous topics could wait. Saying too much would get in the way of memorizing the important information. Shu Ning didn’t think Madam Wei would deliberately try to embarrass them. This must be Hu Mei causing trouble for them on her own accord. 

Since he had followed Yin Mingzheng here, Shu Ning decided to play the part of his lackey. All of the things that Yin Mingzheng couldn’t say out loud, Shu Ning would say it for him.

Shu Ning would take over the job of offending people as well.

When she heard what Shu Ning said, Hu Mei said helplessly, “Young Master, these are the Madam’s orders. Madam asked me to teach you about the Wei family, so, naturally, I will do my best. I ask that you please memorize everything I’ve just said.”

She paused. “The young masters of the Wei family are all very smart. They can memorize anything after hearing it once.” 

Shu Ning almost laughed out of anger. If he couldn’t memorize it, then he’s “not smart”?

He huffed, “I’m not the young master of the Wei family, and I’m not smart at all. Please explain it more clearly.”

Hu Mei’s expression didn’t change. “I can repeat it as many times as you like. However, it would be bad if this delayed your styling. Would you like me to continue speaking, Young Master?”

Shu Ning was sullen. Shoot, it looked like she was going to play that card. 

Yin Mingzheng clapped his hands and said to Hu Mei, “I’ve memorized it all. Do you have anything else to say? If not, ask the stylist to come up.”

Hu Mei didn’t believe it. “Young Master Mingzheng memorized it?”

Yin Mingzheng nodded.

Shu Ning let out a breath. He said with a smile, “Yin Mingzheng can memorize anything on his first try. His memory’s amazing.” 

Hu Mei still didn’t quite believe it. She said, “That’s for the best. Please don’t make any mistakes during the banquet.”

She couldn’t wait to get out of there. She called the stylist upstairs and told her to get Shu Ning and Yin Mingzheng ready.

Just as she was about to leave.

“Oh, right.” Yin Mingzheng stopped her as if he had just remembered something. “Hu Mei, you stay.” 

Hu Mei looked back in surprise.

Yin Mingzheng said to Hu Mei, “Mom asked you to teach us about the Wei family, right?”

Hu Mei nodded.

Yin Mingzheng pointed towards the spot next to the counter. He said lightly, “Shu Ning wasn’t able to remember what you said just now. If you could please stand there and recite it for him. You can leave once he’s memorized it.” 

Yin Mingzheng sat down in a chair, and the stylist started styling Yin Mingzheng’s hair without a single change in expression. It was as if she hadn’t heard a thing. When Shu Ning heard what he said, he happily sat in the other chair. Shu Ning looked like a mischievous little fox cub. He triumphantly said to Hu Mei, “Recite it! Recite it! I’m really stupid. You should repeat it a couple more times!”

Hu Mei’s face was a little green, but orders were orders. She reluctantly stood in the corner and started to recite information about the Wei family members and various other topics.

Slowly, she started getting more and more angry. Yin Mingzheng had only just come back, yet he disrespected her and he even disrespected Young Master Ximing. Now, he was deliberately trying to make things hard for her?

You want her to recite it? Fine, she’ll recite it very, very “well”! 

Hu Mei felt angry in her heart, so she started spitting out all kinds of nonsense. She deliberately told them a bunch of incorrect information. She couldn’t wait for the two of them to make fools of themselves during the banquet.

“Stop,” Yin Mingzheng suddenly interrupted her.

Hu Mei raised an eyebrow. “Young Master Mingzheng?”

“I remember that the second branch has three children. The eldest son is called Wei Ruofeng, and the second son is called Wei Ruoyang. I can’t believe you managed to mix their names up. Do you not want to stay with the Wei family anymore?” 

Hu Mei was shocked.

She had told a lot of half-truths just now. She was trying to confuse Yin Mingzheng and Shu Ning, but she didn’t expect Yin Mingzheng to point out her mistakes!

“Also, you even managed to mix up where the second branch and third branch are located. How did you even become a servant here?”

“Grandpa hates cilantro the most, but you just said that it was his favorite. What’s your motive?” 

Yin Mingzheng’s voice was calm and collected. He meticulously pointed out each and every trap He Mei had laid out for them. Hu Mei’s forehead started breaking out in a cold sweat.

Just now, Shu Ning said that Yin Mingzheng could memorize anything in a single go. She simply assumed that it was a lie. She hadn’t expected for it to be true!

These kinds of half-truths were very difficult to detect. However, Yin Mingzheng actually managed to pick them all out!

Shu Ning was stunned when he heard everything that Yin Mingzheng said. Damn, Hu Mei was really super sinister! 

If they had really memorized it all and done as she had said, they would have made fools of themselves and angered everyone else.

This was absolutely ridiculous!

Yin Mingzheng only just returned. All they did was ask for an extra hour of rest. How could she do this to them?

So pissed! 

Shu Ning’s expression became a lot uglier.

“Shu Ning, have you memorized it all?” Yin Mingzheng asked.

Shu Ning was really angry. He said loudly, “No, I haven’t!”

Yin Mingzheng lips curved slightly. “Alright. Have her recite it again. She can stop once you’ve memorized it all.” 

Shu Ning wanted to help Yin Mingzheng vent his anger, so he deliberately said that he couldn’t remember. He made Hu Mei recite it over and over and over again. Hu Mei’s mouth started to feel dry, but they didn’t let her drink a sip of water.

By the time they were done styling, Hu Mei’s mouth already felt like sandpaper. She kind of wanted to beg for mercy. “Young Master Shu, have you memorized it?”

Faced with her begging eyes, Shu Ning thought to himself that it should be fine to end it here. He was starting to feel a little soft-hearted. “Uh, I…”

“No, he hasn’t memorized it,” Yin Mingzheng coldly interrupted him. He said to Hu Mei, “Keep going. We still have an hour before the banquet. You can keep going until right before the banquet. If Shu Ning still isn’t able to memorize it, it means that there’s something wrong with you. You didn’t do your job well.” 

Hu Mei wanted to spit up blood.

Originally, she wanted to put on a show of strength in front of Yin Mingzheng, but Yin Mingzheng ended up turning it around against her. This young master was cold-hearted. Shu Ning was clearly about to let her off, but Yin Mingzheng refused to let things go.

What a ruthless, savage, and vindictive person!

Hu Mei was truly terrified now. She no longer dared to underestimate Yin Mingzheng. Even something as trivial as this resulted in punishment. If she did something even more excessive, wouldn’t that result in something even worse? 

After all, Yin Mingzheng was their young master, and she was a servant. If she really went against him, the only one getting hurt would be her.

In the end, she had to recite all the way up until the banquet was about to begin. Hu Mei stretched her sore and tired feet. She had completely given up on going against Yin Mingzheng.

“Have you memorized it?” Yin Mingzheng asked Shu Ning.

Shu Ning, who was playing with his phone, looked up. “Ah? Ah! I memorized it! I memorized it!” 

The banquet was about to begin.

Yin Mingzheng nodded. He said coldly, “Not bad. Next time we have guests, you can explain things to them like you did today.”

Hu Mei felt a chill in her heart. There’s going to be a next time!?

When faced with Yin Mingzheng’s cold and penetrating gaze, Hu Mei no longer dared to put on airs. She bowed her head and said, “I’m sorry, Young Master. I won’t do it again.” 

“What do you mean? You did a great job today. I hope you keep it up in the future.”

Yin Mingzheng smiled. Then, he stood up and walked out of the room with Shu Ning.

When they got to the ground floor, they saw Madam Wei busy instructing the servants. She looked up at the two of them, and her eyes revealed a bit of surprise. “Mingzheng, Shu Ning, I was just about to call you.”

She had been occupied with the dinner party preparations, so she hadn’t had time to pay attention to their end. When she saw her son all dressed up, her heart was full of joy. 

Yin Mingzheng was already very handsome. Now, he was as beautiful as an angel!

He would definitely amaze everyone.

Madam Wei had also changed into a dignified evening dress. It was a well-tailored little black dress. It revealed her slender neck and graceful body line.

Wei Ximing was also waiting in the hall. When he saw the two come down, he called out with a smile, “Ge.” 

Yin Mingzheng glanced at him indifferently.

Shu Ning looked at Wei Ximing curiously. He didn’t know what Wei Ximing looked like, but he was able to confirm that he was the novel’s protagonist the second he saw him. It was because his appearance was really similar to Yin Qiang. He was really easy to recognize!

Wei Ximing was very handsome. He had a strong, heroic type of image. It wouldn’t be strange at all for him to play the leading role of a TV series. He truly deserved the title of protagonist.

However, Shu Ning felt that he simply couldn’t compare to the villain at all. The villain was a hundred times more handsome than he was! 

Of course, beauty’s in the eye of the beholder. However, objectively speaking, the villain’s face was simply more handsome than Wei Ximing. Wei Ximing’s lips were a little thick, his nose was just a little too big, and his face wasn’t as delicate or refined as the villain’s. When it came to their faces, the villain was miles ahead of him. As for their figures, they were pretty much the same… ugh. Fine, Wei Ximing was a little more built than the villain, but Shu Ning could swear on his life that the villain was also pretty good! He even had a six pack! He looked really handsome when he took off his clothes!

In terms of temperament, Wei Ximing was the rich and noble type, while the villain was the cold and distant type. It was hard to say who was better than who. Either way, Shu Ning liked the villain better.

Shu Ning stared at Wei Ximing from the top of his head down to his toes and compared him to the villain.

In the end, Shu Ning came to the conclusion that, even though he was the novel’s protagonist, he was still no match for his baby. 

Suddenly, someone pinched his chin, and his head was forced to the side. His eyes met the little villain’s gloomy face.

“What are you staring at? Does he look good or something?”

Shu Ning shook his head. He quickly soothed the villain, “I’m comparing him with you.”

“Oh?” The little villain raised an eyebrow. 

Shu Ning said, “In the end, he’s still not as handsome as you are.”

The villain’s expression improved slightly.

When Yin Mingzheng and Shu Ning walked into the hall, Madam Wei asked for the servants to bring two boxes over. Two Omega Seamaster watches laid within them.

Shu Ning recognized the watch instantly, as well as its price. He sucked in a cold breath. 

Madam Wei put the glittery watches on for both of them. Then, she said with a smile, “There. It’s perfect.”

Shu Ning was afraid to even move his hand. He trembled as he said, “Madam, I can’t accept such an expensive watch…”

Madam Wei’s face revealed an awkward expression.

A mocking light danced in Wei Ximing’s eyes. He said, “These two watches are from the storeroom. They have to be returned once the banquet is over.” 

Shu Ning suddenly remembered that Hu Mei seemed to have said something about that before. The Wei family storeroom contained a lot of jewelry and accessories. They all had to be returned after they were used.

Shu Ning immediately felt embarrassed.

Yin Mingzheng took off the watch and returned it to Madam Wei. “I don’t need to wear it.”

Shu Ning didn’t want to wear it either. This thing cost millions of yuan, and it didn’t even belong to him. What if it broke? Would he have to pay for it? 

That was a ton of fucking pressure.

Shu Ning recalled this woman who had married into a wealthy family and then gotten divorced. She wore all kinds of expensive jewelry at all kinds of events and dinner parties. Everyone envied her for it. Later, it was revealed that all of it belonged to the family, not her. They were brought out to keep up appearances and then returned to the storeroom afterwards.

It wasn’t easy being the madam of a wealthy family, so she got divorced.

Now, Shu Ning was starting to understand. 

“Mingzheng…” Madam Wei felt anxious.

Yin Mingzheng said, “Mom, they’re going to be looking at me as a person, not the watch.”

Madam Wei was slightly stunned. She did not continue to insist.

Shu Ning saw that the matter had come to a conclusion, so he quickly took the watch off and put it back in the box. 

“Alright, it’s almost time. Let’s go.” Madam Wei was very lenient with Yin Mingzheng.

All of them walked out of the hall and headed towards the main building.

On the way there, Yin Mingzheng asked Shu Ning, “Do you like it? If you like it, I’ll buy it for you.”

Shu Ning was surprised. “Huh?” 

“The watch.”

Shu Ning was immediately embarrassed. He quickly waved his hand to refuse. “What do I need a watch for? I would be super afraid of breaking it. Plus, when have you ever seen me use a watch to check the time? I’m always using my phone!”

Yin Mingzheng thought for a while. Then, he said, “You look good with it on. Maybe I should buy you one.”

“Don’t!” Shu Ning shook his head. “I don’t like wearing things on my wrist.” 

As he listened to their conversation, Wei Ximing couldn’t help but frown. How was Yin Mingzheng able to say something like that so casually?

That watch cost around 1.7 million yuan. Could it be that his mother gave him a lot of money?

That must be it. Madam Wei stayed in Chuzhou for about a month. She must have given Yin Mingzheng a lot of things during that time.

Wei Ximing’s expression slowly sank. 

Madam Wei was walking in the front. She was also feeling a little awkward. She wondered if Yin Mingzheng was feeling unhappy since the watch wasn’t actually for him. Otherwise, why would he refuse to wear it?

She made up her mind. She was going to take Yin Mingzheng to buy a watch tomorrow.

Anyway, she hadn’t prepared a gift yet for her son’s return. A watch should do it.

Thus, the four of them walked into the main building with different hearts and different minds. They walked through the European-style corridor and entered the dazzling main building. It wasn’t an exaggeration at all to call it a glorious splendor. 

When ordinary people hear the words “glorious” or “dazzling”, they might think of those tacky and vulgar upstarts. However, the main building that Shu Ning saw wasn’t tacky or vulgar at all.

Once a design was refined enough and the decorating magnificent enough, it would only leave a strong sense of shock. It was like being transported into a palace. A lot of older people liked European-style designs, and Wei Shanhe was no exception. The villa looked like a European castle.

In the parlor, several well-dressed individuals turned their heads and stared at Shu Ning and Yin Mingzheng, revealing surprised expressions on their faces. These were all people who often appeared on the news. They had high positions and were treated like royalty all their lives. Each one of them had a strong aura to them, and their gazes felt heavy.

If an ordinary person walked into such a room, they would probably feel incredibly nervous and awkward. Shu Ning had an ordinary background in both lifetimes. He couldn’t help but find it a little overwhelming. 

Shu Ning subconsciously wanted to find some emotional support. He instinctively turned to look at the villain and saw that he was incredibly calm. His face wasn’t any different from usual, as if he wasn’t at all fazed by their prickling gazes. Shu Ning couldn’t help but secretly admire him. He let out a sigh of relief.

He couldn’t embarrass the little villain!

So, he cheered himself up. The little villain was the protagonist today, not him. He couldn’t hold him back.

“This is the newly returned young master, right?” A beautiful woman was the first to stand up. She smiled at Yin Mingzheng and said, “He looks so handsome!” 

Shu Ning barely managed to recognize her as the madam of the second branch.

Yin Mingzheng walked over and greeted her, “Hello, Second Aunt.”

Then, he walked towards the others, called them each by name, and greeted them.

All three branches of the family were gathered here. There were about ten people at the scene, but the villain managed to get every single one of their names right. Madam Wei had planned to introduce them all one by one. However, she found that it wasn’t necessary. Her face immediately bloomed into a smile. 

Shu Ning secretly breathed a sigh of relief as well. He was worried that the villain might ignore them. He hadn’t expected the little villain to take the initiative. It looked like his character had improved a little bit.

When Wei Ximing saw Yin Mingzheng call out everyone’s names, he couldn’t help but feel astonished. However, his face quickly returned to normal.

After Yin Mingzheng greeted everyone, he pulled Shu Ning to the middle of the room and said, “This is Shu Ning. It’s the ‘shu’ from comfortable, and the ‘ning’ from peaceful. He’s my adoptive mother’s son, and I have a really good relationship with him.”

Shu Ning hadn’t expected Yin Mingzheng to formally introduce him to the Wei family. He was a little nervous and said shyly, “Hello, uncles and aunts. Hello, everyone.” 

He wasn’t like Yin Mingzheng. When faced with this large group of people, his eyes started glazing over, so he simply greeted them all at once.