GSCCO Chapter 24

Speechless and unable to salvage the situation for the time being, Mu Huai turned off the screen, stood up, and extended his hand.

Mu Huai: “Hello.”

Mu Xi: “…”

Yin En: “…”

Mu Huai’s smile was perfectly timed, his manners impeccable, displaying the refinement of a top star—polite but overly distant.

After all, the person in front of him was his own mother.

Lan Sha, on the other hand, nodded, her gaze towards Mrs. Yin devoid of any particular emotion. Faced with someone who knew her own son less than anyone else, Lan Sha truly didn’t know how to respond.

Chen Hui’s observation was mostly curious. She showed no discomfort at Mu Huai’s polite yet distant attitude. Yin En’s brows furrowed, his lips twitching as if he were about to say something like, “This is your mother.”

Chen Hui didn’t give him a chance to speak. She extended her hand, shook Mu Huai’s, and smiled, “Hello, I’m your mother, Chen Hui.”

There couldn’t be a more bizarre situation than this.

The surrounding whispers were impossible to drown out. Lan Sha stepped closer to Mu Huai, staring intently at Chen Hui. She was prepared to take Mu Huai away immediately if Chen Hui uttered anything detrimental to him.

Mu Huai’s facial muscles twitched imperceptibly. Their hands briefly clasped before releasing.

Chen Hui’s features somewhat resembled Mu Huai, but Mu Huai resembled more of his father, who had died young. His father was extremely handsome; otherwise, Chen Hui wouldn’t have been attracted to him. By comparison, Yin En resembled her more, yet happened to avoid the brows, eyes, nose bridge, and face shape that mirrored Mu Huai’s—a handsome, gentlemanly young man.

Unfortunately, their personalities were completely different.

Mu Huai could tell that Chen Hui felt no pressure around him, observing the son he had never cared for with interest beneath her quiet demeanor.

Mu Huai had come with a heart full of childlike innocence, now feeling as if it had been clenched and released, floating in some kind of liquid before settling down. This was for the best. He felt a sense of relief; facing a stranger with some connection was always easier than facing his mother whom he hadn’t seen for years.

So, Chen Hui was just a stranger. This woman was shameless and self-righteous, a scumbag to men, even more to her son. In this respect, Mu Huai was exactly like her.

“Your seat is next to me.” Chen Hui guessed that Mu Huai didn’t like to call her “Mom,” so she didn’t force him. She simply said, “Between me and Xiao En. Do you want to come with us?”

Yin En was unhappy with Chen Hui’s tone when she spoke to Mu Huai, but he didn’t know what to do. Everyone around was watching the Yin family make a fool of themselves, and other relatives wouldn’t come to take Mu Huai over. Yin En just hoped that since Mu Huai was already here, he wouldn’t try to surprise her again.

“I’ll sit here,” Mu Huai smiled casually. “Find me when you’re done. I can wait another twenty minutes.”

Yin En got annoyed and lowered his voice, “What twenty minutes? This is for guests! There’s a seat prepared for you over there! Mu Huai, stop messing around!”

Chen Hui held Yin En’s hand: “Xiao En, Mom told you not to be so impatient.” She then said to Mu Huai, “It’s alright, the guests can sit over there. If you’re not comfortable, as my son, I can say you’re my honored guest, and no one will gossip.”

Is that so?

Lan Sha looked at the beautiful lady with disdain. She had known the rules of these rich families since she entered and also roughly knew the privacy of this family banquet. But could Chen Hui stop people from gossiping in front of her, and could she stop them from talking about Mu Huai behind his back? After the banquet, who knows what news about Mu Huai’s birth mother would circulate?

Seeing Mu Huai not answer, seemingly thinking, Chen Hui continued, “It won’t be long. After Grandmatriarch Yu finishes speaking, it’ll be Grandmatriarch Yin’s turn. I’ll take you away after a couple of bites of food.”

Her words were somewhat intimate, like coaxing a child. Mu Huai hid the mockery in his eyes, glancing indifferently at the people watching the spectacle. They were clearly mocking the matriarch of the Yin family, but Chen Hui seemed completely unconcerned. Only Yin En was more sensitive, occasionally glaring at those around her, causing everyone to casually look away.

Mu Huai found Chen Hui truly unpredictable. She clearly knew his presence was disadvantageous to her, yet she still insisted on arranging for him to come here.

Mu Huai said, “Okay.”

Lan Sha immediately grabbed him nervously.

“You two wait for me here,” Mu Huai said. “I should be back soon, right?”

His last question was directed at Chen Hui, who nodded. “Not long.”

Lan Sha and Mu Xi looked at them with childlike envy, which inexplicably pleased Yin En. Yin En was extremely glad he had invited Chen Hui along; otherwise, Mu Huai definitely wouldn’t come.

Perhaps Mu Huai himself didn’t realize that every time Yin En brought up Chen Hui, Mu Huai’s attitude would subconsciously soften considerably.

Yin En directly used this as leverage against Mu Huai.

The mother and son from the Yin family brought back a tall, outstanding man. This man elegantly nodded to the elders present, then naturally yet undeniably picked up the nameplate from the table and placed it in Yin En’s breast pocket.

“Nice to meet you. I am Ms. Chen Hui’s guest, Yin En’s former teammate, Mu Huai.”

Bullshit.

There were originally only four juniors at the table: Yin En, his two male cousins, and a female cousin. The rest were all old foxes and calculating individuals, completely unfazed by Mu Huai’s nonsense.

As if any of them didn’t know who he was.

Mu Huai might not recognize anyone at the table, but everyone there knew him. Adding a seat at a family banquet was no small matter. They knew there would be an extra person there before the event even started.

In the eyes of the older generation, Mu Huai was an actor, the son of the current matriarch of the Yin family and her ex-husband. Remarriage was common; that wasn’t unusual. What was unusual was that the matriarch had only just brought him back.

The younger generation remembered him as a big star. Although Yin En was also a big star, they had spent more time with him, so the distance between them and celebrities had lessened considerably. Mu Huai was different. Ever since they heard he was Yin En’s half-brother, their gossip hadn’t stopped.

Gossipy glances frequently fell on Yin En’s father, an industry elite now approaching fifty, a successful man. If Mu Huai went back to the Yin family with Chen Hui, Yin’s father would be his stepfather, practically giving them a familial connection to this big star.

Yin’s father’s attitude towards Mu Huai was fairly friendly; he was the first to shake hands with Mu Huai, his eyes behind his glasses seeming to pierce through Mu Huai’s soul. Mu Huai remained unmoved, giving Chen Hui an ample face.

“Brother,” Yin En said, holding up the placard, intending to return it to him.

“Stop with all this nonsense,” Mu Huai said.

His voice wasn’t loud, but everyone around the table could hear him, their faces turning pale.

Yin En’s insistence on bringing Mu Huai back wasn’t a recent thing. Everyone had tacitly agreed to the placard being made, and now, under Yin En’s outburst, everyone had agreed to let him return. Mu Huai was sitting there now, but from the moment he sat down, every word he uttered seemed to disassociate himself from them.

This made those who had initially treated him with respect feel incredibly embarrassed. They were the ones who had given him a face, yet it seemed as if the Yin family’s status was bringing shame upon Mu Huai.

Unable to directly vent their anger on an outsider, the accusing gazes fell on Yin En and Chen Hui.

Didn’t they see everyone laughing at them for bringing an outsider into their family?

However, Chen Hui seemed oblivious, continuing with her own business. Yin En completely ignored their stares. He had been incredibly arrogant since childhood, and his attitude towards these relatives had never been very good.

Yin En flipped through the placards engraved with Mu Huai’s name, looking aggrieved. “Don’t you like the design? Or do you not like the gold trim? Or is the font just not nice?”

Everyone was speechless. He clearly just didn’t like the placards.

“Can I make a new one using your signature font?” Yin En said, suddenly tugging at Mu Huai’s sleeve and giving it a slight shake. “You can choose the materials, okay?”

Mu Huai frowned. They were sitting very close, so he couldn’t completely avoid Yin En’s touch, and he didn’t want to hit him at a moment like this, so he simply said, “I don’t need it.”

Seeing her youngest son’s tantrum about to ruin the atmosphere, Chen Hui, who had witnessed everything, suddenly interjected, “Xiao En, stop bothering Xiao Huai. The host is on stage, and Yu Azu is about to speak. Be quiet.”

Yin En stopped his tantrum, but still gently placed his hand on Mu Huai’s.

Mu Huai was speechless.

The dishes were served one by one, and those who had been moving around the tables quickly found seats. The registration staff at the door came in with their notebooks and also found seats. It seemed everyone who was supposed to come had arrived.

The host walked onto the stage, and the crowded inner hall suddenly became much quieter, with only soft laughter from the younger generation audible, which quickly faded away.

Mu Huai still managed to hear a few words.

“Why is Yu Meng on stage?”

“Is a member of the Yu family hosting?”

The legendary eldest daughter of the Yu family walked onto the stage in high heels.

The Yin family’s table was positioned towards the front, allowing them to clearly see the host’s face; the distance was quite close. With nothing else to do, Mu Huai also took a look. Two hosts went up, a man and a woman. The woman was wearing high heels and was almost as tall as the male host. Her temperament completely overshadowed the male host. She was very beautiful.

Mu Huai blinked, finding the female host somewhat familiar. He was certain he hadn’t seen her before, but he didn’t remember where he had seen her.

The female host’s voice was crisp and clear. She spoke two sentences and then paused for three seconds, only briefly before applause erupted. Both elders and younger generations paid her considerable attention.

Yin En whispered to Mu Huai, “This is the daughter of the Yu family’s main branch. The Yu family is the most worthwhile group to befriend today; everyone’s watching them. Isn’t she pretty? The main branch of the Yu family has three children; the two sons have never appeared before, but I heard one is here today. Yu Meng comes every other year. Her parents are business tycoons, and she started her own company from scratch. The ADS team is under her company’s name.”

Mu Huai nodded slightly, almost laughing. She seemed quite impressive. But he was just an idol star who had only participated in a game variety show by chance. Did Yin En think he had some special feelings for ADS?

Well, the slight special feelings he might have were because it was the game little streamer played most often during his livestreams.

Thinking of this, Mu Huai suddenly realized why the female host looked so familiar. The way she stood silently with her script in hand reminded him a bit of his captain.

As he sat down, he casually slipped his phone into his pocket. His suit trousers were tight, and the phone vibrated several times against his thigh; it was probably Yu Yi replying. Remembering those strange conversations, Mu Huai wanted to see what his captain had replied to him this time.

What kind of expression would that kid—who blushed to the ears at the slightest teasing—make when faced with such blunt words?

After the host finished her opening remarks, she invited Yu Azu up to speak, just as Chen Hui had predicted. Yu Azu was said to be over ninety years old, a short old woman on stage, but she smiled quite energetically.

Mu Huai didn’t pay much attention to what she said. After the female host helped Yu Azu off the stage, another female host came up. She was said to be a daughter of the Yin family.

Mu Huai had no interest in the Yin family, but he inexplicably felt a bit of liking for the Yu family. Besides, Yu Azu was a lovable old rascal, strangely endearing. He couldn’t help but follow Yu Meng around.

The Yu family had six tables of people. Yu Azu and Yu Meng were at the head of the table at the first table. As soon as Yu Azu came down, many people surrounded her to help her. Among them was a young man who took the old woman directly from Yu Meng’s arms, carried her, and placed her in her seat, looking very affectionate. 

Yu Meng, supporting herself on the boy’s shoulder, bent down to change her shoes, instantly appearing much shorter. The boy helped Yu Meng back to her seat, then stood up and indifferently glanced around, drawing many stares.

Perhaps because of the Yin family members’ speeches on stage, the boy looked in their direction. His gaze lingered on Mu Huai for a second, then he casually looked away.

Mu Huai, eyes down, ate his food, not even noticing when Yin En peeled shrimp for him and placed it in his hand.

A million curses raced through his mind, and his flawless smile almost crumbled.

Could someone tell him why their captain, who usually had to earn pocket money through livestreaming, was here?