Chapter 51: Blame It on Auntie No. 2

While Huo Dad and Huo Mom were still exchanging bewildered glances, the woman on the sofa had already risen to her feet, approaching Ye Le Yao and Huo Yan with a graceful smile.

"You must be tired from your journey back. Come, take a seat!" The woman spoke in a gentle tone, her face alight with warmth.

To an outsider, it would seem as though Ye Le Yao and Huo Yan were well-acquainted with her.

But instead of stepping forward, Ye Le Yao cautiously retreated half a step.

"Wait, Little Qingmei, didn't you just return from abroad? Shouldn't this be your first day at our house? Aren't you supposed to be a guest? Why do you have more of a lady of the house aura than my mom?"

With that thought, Ye Le Yao turned to look at Huo Dad, her eyes filled with reproach.

"It's true that Little Qingmei's family went bankrupt and her husband divorced her, which is quite pitiful, but Huo Dad, you can't just bring anyone home!"

"Huo Dad, you're a tender blade, striking fatally with every move!"

Huo Dad felt a pang in his chest.

What?!

When did he ever indulge in the pleasures of the flesh?

Ye Le Yao, your words need to be based on facts!

And by the way, Song Yu wasn't someone he brought home himself!

At this thought, Huo Dad became irate, turning to glare at Huo Jing.

Huo Jing: "…"

Strictly speaking, this had nothing to do with him!

Song Yu had found their company, claiming to be a relative of the Huo family. Huo Jing had no choice but to meet her.

Coincidentally, Huo Mom was at the company at that time…

Huo Jing looked at Huo Dad speechlessly.

It was clearly Mom who brought her back. Why weren't you blaming Huo Mom?

Huo Dad turned away, avoiding Huo Jing's accusatory gaze.

What did this have to do with Huo Mom? She merely saw an old acquaintance she hadn't seen for decades at the company and invited her home for a meal.

It was all Huo Jing's fault!

Huo Mom observed the silent exchange between father and son. Clenching her fist tightly by her side, she pinched her arm to prevent herself from laughing out loud.

This couldn't be blamed on her. She had known Song Yu before, and upon seeing her after so many years, she simply invited her back for a meal. How could she have known it would coincide like this?

Unaware of what Huo Dad and Huo Jing were thinking, Huo Yan only felt that Ye Le Yao's words held much truth. He nodded in agreement, also taking a half-step back with Ye Le Yao. His expression slightly cooling, he lifted his gaze to ask his parents in the living room, who remained motionless, "Mom and Dad, who is this?"

His question was far from polite. Not only did he disregard the woman standing before them, but he also completely ignored her greeting and concern.

The woman's expression instantly betrayed a hint of hurt.

Ye Le Yao observed her closely, not missing the change in her expression. Seeing this, she sighed once again:

"Indeed, another dramatic personality!"

After her reflection, Ye Le Yao turned to Huo Mom and asked, "Huo Mom, is she a guest?"

Huo Mom shot a glare at Huo Dad. Wasn't it time for an introduction?

Was he going to leave the children hanging there indefinitely?

Reluctantly, Huo Dad stood up along with Huo Mom, walking towards Ye Le Yao and Huo Yan. He introduced, "She's technically my cousin. Her mother is your grandmother's god-sister. She just returned yesterday. You can call her Auntie Song."

After the introduction, he briefly introduced Ye Le Yao and Huo Yan to Song Yu.

In the original novel, there wasn't a lack of description about Song Yu, so Ye Le Yao knew her identity without needing Huo Dad's introduction.

What puzzled Ye Le Yao, however, was:

"According to the timeline in the novel, Song Yu should have contacted Huo Dad immediately upon returning. Why did Huo Dad say she only came back yesterday?"

Huo Dad glanced at Huo Mom.

He was equally perplexed.

Then he heard Ye Le Yao exclaim in realization:

"No wonder I didn't see Song Yu at the Yang family banquet before. But then again, she really does like Huo Dad. She came to our house the second day after returning."

"Could it be that she harbored feelings for Huo Dad since childhood?"

Huo Dad was left utterly speechless.

What was she talking about?

The Song family had emigrated when Song Yu was only three years old. The last time they met was during his marriage to Huo Mom!

How could a three-year-old child have feelings for him?

Huo Dad looked at Huo Mom with a sense of injustice.

Huo Mom pursed her lips tightly, pretending to be angry.

Father Huo: "…"

He was truly wronged!

Why did she really have to be upset with him?

Looking at Song Yu beside him, who had already suppressed her wounded expression and was now smiling at Ye Leyao and Huo Yan again, she said, "Hello, I didn't expect the children to grow up so fast," pausing momentarily in her tone before turning her head to look at Father Huo, "It's my fault, Cousin, don't be angry with the children. It's normal that they don't recognize me since I've been away for so long…"

Father Huo was already feeling aggrieved, and with outsiders present, he couldn't directly explain himself to Mother Huo. Hearing Song Yu's ambiguous words, his anger flared up instantly, "What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"

Song Yu thought Father Huo was going to comfort her, and her smile deepened immediately, touched as she said, "Cousin…"

"Which eye of yours saw me being angry with the children?"

"And besides, not only have Huo Yan and Little Yao never seen you, even Huo Jing hasn't, right?"

The more Father Huo spoke, the angrier he became, his tone becoming increasingly impolite, "Your whole family moved abroad and hardly came back. Even when my mother passed away, no one from your family showed up. Now it's great, your family went bankrupt and you know to come back to rely on relatives. Huh."

As his words fell, the entire villa hall fell into silence.

Ye Leyao couldn't hold back and burst out laughing inwardly.

"Hahahaha, my god, what's gotten into Father Huo today? Did he install a slut-detecting radar on himself? He instantly picked up on Little Qingmei's hidden meanings."

"If Father Huo always has this attitude towards Little Qingmei, then I won't have to worry!"

Father Huo, who was still full of anger, suddenly felt a mix of pride and unhappiness upon hearing Ye Leyao's words.

What did Ye Leyao take him for?

He had lived most of his life, what kind of people hadn't he seen? Could he not tell a green tea when he saw one?

Ye Leyao had no idea what Father Huo was thinking; his gaze never left Song Yu, watching her reactions.

Song Yu was clearly stunned.

She merely felt that Ye Leyao and Huo Yan had completely ignored her earlier, leaving her a little embarrassed, so she wanted to express her dissatisfaction subtly.

According to common sense, if an elder felt that the younger generation was being disrespectful, shouldn't the parents directly scold the younger ones?

Why did Father Huo have to turn things around and attack her?

And saying that they didn't even attend Auntie's funeral, wasn't that just to say she was disloyal and unfilial?

Song Yu, at her age, had never encountered someone who didn't give her face like this. The smile on her face couldn't be maintained, and her eyes turned red directly, "Cousin… I…"

"Oh no, not really, Little Qingmei, how old are you now, crying again?"

Ye Leyao looked shocked.

Mother Huo pretended to be angry and gave Father Huo a scolding glance before saying, "Look at what you're saying! Xiao Yu's family didn't come to pay their respects because they were probably busy with company affairs before, right? They couldn't get away."

With her tears threatening to fall but not falling, Song Yu heard Mother Huo's words and managed to force a smile at her, "Sister-in-law, you're so caring…"

"See, now that the company has gone bankrupt and isn't busy anymore, they immediately came back?" Mother Huo finished her sentence.

Ye Leyao: "Cough cough cough cough—"

"I really almost couldn't hold it in, hahahaha."

"Cough cough, damn, choked on my saliva—"

Huo Yan quickly turned his head so Song Yu wouldn't see his smile, pretending to be very concerned about Ye Leyao as he patted his back, "Are you okay?"

Ye Leyao shook his head, "No, no… nothing…"

"Quick, quick, quick, I want to see what expression Little Qingmei has now."

Standing there, Song Yu really didn't expect to be humiliated by Father Huo and Mother Huo consecutively.

Her face alternated between red and white, her emotions changing rapidly in her eyes, unable to cry anymore. Her hands clenched tightly at her sides, and after a long while, she said hoarsely, "I… I know it's too late for me to say these things now. What happened back then was indeed our family's fault. I'm sorry…"

"But Cousin, Sister-in-law, I also hope you understand me. When I first married William, his family situation was indeed complicated, and I really didn't have time to rush back…"

"Don't say anymore." Mother Huo interrupted her, giving Father Huo a meaningful look.

She still wanted to figure out if Song Yu's purpose for coming was really aimed at Father Huo. If she pushed further, she was genuinely afraid that she would scare her off and miss the entertainment.

Father Huo received Mother Huo's meaning and was quite helpless, but he still said, "It's all in the past, we won't bring up old grievances," looking at Ye Leyao and Huo Yan, "You two should go upstairs and change clothes. The whole family is waiting for you to come down for dinner."

Ye Leyao, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, nodded repeatedly upon hearing Father Huo's words, "Okay, I'll change my clothes and come downstairs."

When Ye Leyao and Huo Yan came down after changing their clothes, Father Huo, Mother Huo, and Huo Jing were all seated around the dining table.

Ye Leyao swept his gaze around and was surprised not to see Song Yu.

"Hmm? Didn't she say she was staying for dinner? Could it be that after we left, Father Huo and Mother Huo unleashed their power again and chased her away?"

Mother Huo found it amusing inside.

What was he thinking?

After finally following them back to the Huo family, would Song Yu leave so easily?

Although Mother Huo didn't interact much with Song Yu, she had heard the deceased Mother Huo talk about her in her youth. Song Yu appeared proud and haughty, but in reality, she was someone who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals.

After their whole family immigrated abroad, their foundation was unstable.

Yet Song Yu's ex-husband, William, was from a well-known aristocratic family in Europe. Logically, the man's family shouldn't have recognized Song Yu's identity, but she managed to make it happen.

And just now, the couple had spoken so harshly, clearly mocking Song Yu, yet Song Yu hadn't gotten angry but instead pretended to be weak and apologized, revealing her cunning and methods.

It's no wonder Ye Leyao said that in the original plot, Song Yu had torn their family apart.

Madam Huo's gaze swept over everyone at the dining table, finally landing on Ye Leyao, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her lips.

But alas, with their Xiao Yao around, whatever Song Yu plans will come to naught.

"Hmm? Why is Madam Huo smiling at me?"

Ye Leyao noticed Madam Huo's gaze and blinked slowly.

"Could it be that you missed me so much after not seeing me for a few days?"

Madam Huo thought about the consecutive trending topics these past few days and sighed inwardly.

Indeed, she did miss him!

But she still explained, "Your Aunt Song went to the restroom, let's wait for her."

"So that's how it is, good thing she didn't leave."

Ye Leyao heaved a sigh of relief, taking out her phone to review the relevant plot points in her notes.

"After all, our family is the major antagonist in the novel, so the description of Little Qingmei proposing to stay at the Huo residence is quite detailed."

"Let me see... Found it!"

"So that's how it is, everything makes sense now. In the original plot, Second Brother didn't see through Su Rui's true colors and really broke ties with the family. Once he left, Father Huo and Mother Huo were very upset, even having an intense argument because of Second Brother. After this argument, they didn't reconcile and remained in a cold war, even arguing again on the day they attended the Yang family banquet!"

Huo Yan suddenly felt guilty upon hearing this and quickly took a sip of water to hide it.

Father Huo and Mother Huo gave him a reproachful look but didn't say anything more, quietly waiting for Ye Leyao to continue.

"Because they were still in a cold war, Father Huo and Mother Huo naturally didn't stay together at the banquet. It was at this critical moment that Little Qingmei appeared and recognized Father Huo!"

"She sure knows how to pick her timing!"

Ye Leyao gritted her teeth.

The other members of the Huo family nodded in agreement.

Indeed.

She happened to catch them during this critical moment when the couple was arguing.

Then what happened next?

What followed?

Ye Leyao continued to mutter in her heart:

"Father Huo and Little Qingmei hadn't met for long when a fire broke out at the Yang residence. While avoiding the fire, Father Huo accidentally injured his arm. Little Qingmei immediately drove Father Huo to the hospital without even notifying Mother Huo! That's going too far!"

"That was a fire, for goodness' sake! Mother Huo immediately thought of Father Huo and was very worried, even preparing to rush into the fire scene to find him. If someone hadn't held her back, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"

Ye Leyao felt her heart ache as she read the words.

"Little Qingmei went too far!"

More than just too far!

One must commend her level of skill!

Huo Yan and Huo Jing furrowed their brows.

Father Huo was also frightened and quickly held Mother Huo's hand.

Considering Ye Leyao's presence, he couldn't say much, so he took out his phone and typed: "Don't worry, I definitely won't argue with you anymore."

Mother Huo was initially angry but upon seeing the words Father Huo typed on his phone, the corners of her mouth involuntarily curled upward.

Ye Leyao's inner monologue continued:

"When Mother Huo arrived at the hospital, Father Huo had just undergone surgery and hadn't woken up yet. Little Qingmei deliberately acted affectionate with Father Huo, causing Mother Huo to misunderstand!"

"After Father Huo came out of anesthesia, Mother Huo argued with him again. Father Huo felt hurt that Mother Huo didn't care about his injuries, while Mother Huo felt that Father Huo was getting too close to Little Qingmei. After this argument, Mother Huo never visited Father Huo again. On the day Father Huo was discharged from the hospital, Mother Huo originally planned to have a good talk with Father Huo, but when she arrived at the hospital, she didn't see Father Huo at all, only Little Qingmei."

Ye Leyao's tone suddenly rose:

"The most important thing is—Little Qingmei actually wore the wedding ring secretly sold by Second Aunt at this time!"

The whole family sucked in a breath at this revelation.

Misunderstanding piled upon misunderstanding, wasn't this stacking divorce buffs?!

Fortunately, fortunately!

So far, none of the things they needed to worry about had happened.

Ye Leyao also heaved a sigh of relief.

"Fortunately, none of these things happened!"

Just then, Song Yu's gentle voice sounded again: "Hmm? Why hasn't everyone started eating yet? Were you waiting for me?"

Everyone at the dining table looked up at Song Yu in unison.

Song Yu paused, unsure if it was her imagination, but she felt that the hostility from her family towards her seemed to have increased again?

Song Yu's heart skipped a beat.

It couldn't be.

She had just returned and hadn't even had a chance to have a private chat with Uncle Huo. Could they have already discovered her intentions?

Impossible.

Unless they all had mind-reading abilities!

If the Huo family knew what Song Yu was thinking right now, they might not be able to help but burst out laughing.

Sorry, they did indeed have mind-reading abilities, but not on Song Yu.

Song Yu composed herself, gripped her right hand, and quickly walked to her seat, sitting down. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting."

Mother Huo was the first to smile. "It's alright. Now that everyone is here, let's start eating."

The Huo family didn't have the rule of no talking during meals.

Mother Huo was interested in the latest episode featuring Ye Le Yao and Huo Yan, so she asked a couple of questions.

Considering the sensitive topic of this episode, the conversation naturally led to Duan Hao Yan.

Upon hearing his name, Ye Le Yao instantly perked up, turning to look at Huo Yan.

Huo Yan cleared his throat. "What's there to talk about?"

Huo Jing's gaze was deep. "He was your former rival in love; why can't we talk about him?"

Father and Mother Huo couldn't help but chuckle.

Mother Huo said, "To be honest, I didn't expect you to publicly clarify things on the show."

Huo Yan replied, "Well, if I didn't clarify it, given Duan Hao Yan's bad temper, he would've pestered Ye Le Yao and me for the entire episode. It would've been annoying."

Ye Le Yao nodded in agreement.

"Indeed."

As the family chatted, Song Yu found it hard to join the conversation. After some thought, she asked, "What variety show are you talking about? I've been abroad for too long and haven't paid much attention to these things. How did Xiao Yan end up on a show with his love rival?"

The moment she spoke, the Huo family's gazes converged on her.

Huo Yan dismissed it casually. "It's all in the past, not important."

Just then, a chef brought out a plate of Australian lobsters.

Huo Yan said, "Aunt Song, give it a taste."

His dismissive tone was too obvious, and a hint of embarrassment flashed across Song Yu's face.

Looking at the large plate of Australian lobsters before her, Song Yu said, "Alright, shall I peel one for Xiao Yan first?"

Huo Yan hurriedly shook his head. "No need, no need."

"Then Xiao Yao?" Song Yu looked at Ye Le Yao expectantly.

Ye Le Yao shook her head like a bobblehead. "Aunt Song, Father and Mother Huo taught me to be independent since I was young, so I always peel my own food!"

"It's true!"

Song Yu could only say, "Alright then, I'll eat it myself."

Mother Huo lowered her head, trying not to laugh.

Suddenly, they heard Ye Le Yao's puzzled voice:

"Hmm—hold on, why does the ring on Little Qingmei's finger look so familiar?"

The Huo family paused simultaneously.

The dining table in the Huo household was round, and Huo Yan and Huo Jing were seated directly opposite Song Yu.

From a distance, they could only catch a glimpse of the ring's general design.

Oddly enough, it did seem familiar!

Huo Jing and Huo Yan exchanged glances.

It couldn't be.

Song Yu was seated next to Mother Huo, who only needed to tilt her head slightly to see clearly.

But when Song Yu arrived earlier, wasn't she wearing no jewelry at all?

Why did she suddenly have a ring on?

Mother Huo was curious and couldn't resist tilting her head slightly.

At that moment, Ye Le Yao's alarmed voice rang out:

"It can't be! There can't be two wedding rings, can there? Mother Huo's diamond isn't on Zhuang Lin's finger anymore?"

Mother Huo's pupils widened.

Was it really her diamond?

That didn't make sense.

Mother Huo went to see Father Huo.

Father Huo was equally stunned.

It couldn't be possible; that ring was custom-made by him, with a unique code on it, making it one of a kind in the entire world!

The ring on Song Yu's finger—

Ye Leyao knew how precious Mother Huo's ring was, so he quickly realized:

"Could it be a replica?"

"In the original story, this very ring directly led to Father Huo and Mother Huo's divorce. According to auction records, Zheng Xiu bought the ring, and Zhuang Lin deliberately flaunted it in front of us. Neither Mother Huo nor I could have mistaken it..."

"So... because Little Qingmei failed to buy Mother Huo's ring, she didn't appear at the Yang family banquet and hurried back yesterday?"

Hu Jing furrowed his brows.

Was this the butterfly effect changing the course of events?

Hu Yan found it quite plausible, but he still wondered why Song Yu was so fixated on that ring.

Mother Huo, however, instantly understood.

Not wearing the ring to work and then deliberately revealing it now—it was clearly meant for her to see.

Unfortunately, this ring wasn't Mother Huo's wedding band at all.

Song Yu likely didn't know either, or she wouldn't have worn it so openly.

Ye Leyao also thought about this.

"Song Yu really wanted to sow discord between Father Huo and Mother Huo, but unfortunately, since she doesn't come back often and only saw Mother Huo's ring at their wedding, she never imagined she'd end up buying a replica. Hahaha."

"But if, at this moment, Mother Huo admitted this ring is hers and accidentally revealed the reason for selling her wedding ring—"

Ye Leyao couldn't help it, lowering his head with a chuckle.

"How could I be so mischievous!"

Everyone else wore smiles in their eyes.

Who said Ye Leyao was bad?

Ye Leyao, maintaining family harmony, good!

Song Yu, sowing discord among parents, bad!

Before long, the chef continued to serve more seafood dishes.

There were oysters, and there was king crab.

While these dishes had been prepared before being served, due to the sheer size of the seafood, a bit of manual assistance was still required when eating them.

When everyone was nearly finished eating, as if suddenly noticing something, Mother He turned her head toward Song Yu: "Little Yu, why does that ring on your finger look so familiar? It's quite beautiful, isn't it?"

After Song Yu went to the restroom, she deliberately put the ring back on her hand. She had been waiting for this comment from Mother He all morning!

A hint of smugness flashed in her eyes before she feigned nonchalance, raising her hand and smiling: "Really? I like it too; it was given to me by... someone very important to me."

Her words were vague, and after saying this, she glanced at Father He seemingly without intention.

This scene did not escape the notice of Mother He and the others.

Ye Leyao sighed repeatedly:

"Holy cow, that move of hers is really clever! If Mother He didn't know where her diamond ring was, she might have started suspecting Father He by now?"

"Pity though—"

Ye Leyao wore an expression of anticipation for the drama to unfold.

Then they heard Mother He say with a smile: "It looks exactly like my wedding ring, doesn't it?"

The last sentence was directed at Father He.

Of course, Father He had to play along with Mother He. Leaning over to take a look, he nodded directly: "It's your wedding ring."

Song Yu never expected Mother He to outright admit that this was her ring.

Shouldn't the normal response be to see through it but not expose it?

What was Lin Junyi trying to do?

Before Song Yu could think about how to respond, she heard Mother He ask again: "Do you know where the person who gave you the ring bought it from?"

Song Yu's face paled. Mother He clearly hadn't misunderstood the origin of this ring. Her plan was now completely disrupted. Her eyes flickered as she began to speak: "I don't know... he didn't tell me when he gave it to me..."

Mother He: "Oh, I see. I sold this ring recently, and I didn't expect it to be purchased by someone you know."

Song Yu was utterly dumbfounded.

What?

Mother He had sold it herself?

Wearing this ring today was simply a blunder!

As Song Yu thought this, she looked at Father He, only to realize that he hadn't even glanced at her.

She gritted her teeth inwardly, never expecting that her scheme wouldn't sow discord between them.

Now what?

This ring had cost her a fortune.

It couldn't be that just because Mama Huo said the ring was hers, she would generously hand it over, could it?

Song Yu struggled to maintain her composure, suppressing all her emotions.

To avoid an awkward silence, she followed up on Mama Huo's comment: "Why did you suddenly decide to sell such an important ring as your wedding band, Sister-in-law?"

Ye Leyao was barely holding back her laughter.

[Mama Huo really thought of this! Hahaha I can't wait to see Song Yu's face when she learns the "truth"!]

Huo Jing and Huo Yan were equally anticipatory, their lips curling upward.

Mama Huo turned around, remaining silent but with a meaningful expression.

Confused, Song Yu, her plans disrupted and her thoughts in disarray, asked, "What's wrong? Is it inconvenient for you to say, Sister-in-law?"

"No," Mama Huo sighed, "it's just embarrassing. I have a disgraceful cousin who stole my jewelry to sell, and she happened to steal my wedding ring the day I caught her."

"If you caught her in the act, why sell the wedding ring?" Song Yu sensed something amiss.

Instinctively, she rubbed the ring on her middle finger, then glanced at the others at the dining table.

That one look left Song Yu stunned.

Why were the expressions of everyone else so peculiar?

Could it be they knew Mama Huo had sold the ring willingly?

Song Yu bit her lip instinctively; wouldn't that make her look like a fool?

Then she heard Mama Huo, looking troubled, say, "Because...the way she stole the jewelry was too hard to accept. To prevent me from finding out, she swallowed the pieces whole. This ring was no exception."

No exception?

The same?

Song Yu's mind went blank for a moment.

In the next instant, she suddenly covered her mouth, bolting for the bathroom.

Ye Leyao couldn't hold back any longer, bursting into laughter.