Transmigrating into a novel as a supporting female character: all for the sake of seducing the secon

Chapter 165 Uninvited Guest

"We didn't talk about much, Xiaoyi just asked me about work," Lu Yuzhu said with a slight smile.

“An Yuan just called to say that he and his dad will be here in a few minutes,” Gu Ai said with a smile as she sat down next to Ning Yi.

Gu Ai then looked at Lu Yuzhu and asked, "How is your father doing lately?"

"I think we should arrange for An Yuan to take us to visit your father sometime. How about this: we'll visit him after the New Year and give him a proper meeting?"

Lu Yuzhu was somewhat surprised to hear this and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Ning Yi could see Lu Yuzhu's helplessness, and probably thought that it was too soon for Lu Yuzhu to let the two sets of parents meet.

"Mom, why are you in such a hurry? The meeting between the two sets of parents should wait until Sister Yuzhu and my brother have discussed it. You're forcing us to do this," Ning Yi quickly said, trying to smooth things over.

Gu Ai said somewhat helplessly, "I just want both sets of parents to meet as soon as possible. It would be good for these two young people to get married sooner."

Lu Yuzhu smiled and said to Gu Ai, "I know Aunt Gu is concerned about these things as an elder, but my father's condition has only improved slightly. An Yuan and I will arrange the meeting as soon as possible."

Both sets of parents met, and they can meet again later, but not recently, because her mother, Tan Biqing, has returned to Chao'an City, and will come to see her after she goes back.

Tan Biqing learned about Lu Yuzhu's relationship, and it was easy to tell from their last phone call that she had objections.

A short while later, Ning Anyuan and Ning Jian returned.

"They're all here," Ning Jian said cheerfully.

Gu Ai stood up and took the bag from Ning Jian's hand. After checking that nothing was missing, she said, "I'll cook a few more dishes myself today. An Yuan, spend some time with Yu Zhu."

Gu Ai then went into the kitchen, and Ning Anyuan sat down next to Lu Yuzhu. He took her hand and said with a hint of guilt, "I've been busy with a new project at the company lately and haven't had much time to spend with you."

Lu Yuzhu shook her head, indicating her understanding: "It's okay, I've been quite busy with work lately. Even if you have time, I might not."

Ning Yi ate oranges while watching the affectionate young couple, secretly thinking that she should give her brother a hint when she could. Otherwise, given Lu Yuzhu's personality, even if he had a head-on confrontation with Xie Zhi, he would just swallow his bitterness.

As their younger sister, she should also act as their protector in love.

“Xiao Yi, I heard you’re going to France for a competition later,” Ning Jian suddenly said.

Ning Yi paused, then sighed softly, "Sigh, it's still far from certain, I wonder if they'll settle on me."

"I heard your Uncle Mo Yan mention him. Do you remember him? He's from the neighboring city's arts association."

"He also heard about your last competition and kept praising you. I was so proud of myself back then, I never lowered my chin. He said he asked around among his former colleagues, and the person in charge there seemed to remember you quite well."

"You might be on the shortlist when it comes out at the end of this month."

Ning Yi's eyes lit up: "So my chances are pretty high?"

Ning Jian smiled kindly: "My little Yi is really amazing."

“Indeed, Xiaoyi, if there’s anything you’d like as a gift, please feel free to ask,” Ning Anyuan said from the side.

Ning Yi scratched his head and laughed, "It's not too late to ask for rewards after the list is finalized."

……

Just as it was getting close to lunchtime, an uninvited guest arrived.

"Xiao Zhi is here! Come in, come in!" Gu Ai said with delight when she saw Xie Zhi outside the door.

Xie Zhi, carrying several gift bags, gave Gu Ai a sweet smile: "Aunt Gu, it's been so long, have you missed me?"

Gu Ai pulled her hand and came in, saying cheerfully, "Of course I wanted to! How come you had time to come today, and brought so much stuff? We're not strangers, why would you need all this?"

As Gu Ai was pulling Xie Zhi along, she suddenly remembered that Lu Yuzhu was still there. Her smile froze slightly. She glanced at Lu Yuzhu and then at Xie Zhi, saying with a hint of trepidation, "It's been quite lively today, hasn't it?"

Ning Yi didn't expect Xie Zhi to come today. She subconsciously looked at Lu Yuzhu, but fortunately Lu Yuzhu didn't react.

Gu Ai knew that Xie Zhi had liked her son for a long time. Although she liked Xie Zhi quite a bit, her son should choose his future daughter-in-law himself, and she would not interfere.

Gu Ai belatedly realized the relationship between the three of them, and she was somewhat at a loss for words. She quickly introduced them to Lu Yuzhu, saying, "Yuzhu, this is our friend's daughter, Xie Zhi."

Then he introduced her to Xie Zhi: "This is An Yuan's girlfriend, her name is Lu Yuzhu."

Xie Zhi still wore that seemingly harmless and endearing smile as she said to Gu Ai, "We know each other."

Gu Ai was very surprised: "You two know each other?"

Xie Zhi looked at Lu Yuzhu and said in a friendly tone, "Yes, Yuzhu and I are practically business partners. I have a project recently that involves architectural design by Yuzhu."

"Right, Yuzhu?"

Lu Yuzhu's gaze faltered slightly, then she said in a gentle tone, "Yes, we do know each other."

Ning Anyuan had already peeled an orange without anyone noticing. He picked up a segment and fed it to Lu Yuzhu's lips, his eyes gentle: "Eat an orange."

Lu Yuzhu was a little taken aback, then obediently opened her mouth and ate the orange segment.

Xie Zhi witnessed this scene, and her expression stiffened.

Gu Ai naturally didn't notice anything amiss, but simply told Xie Zhi to sit down quickly and to have dinner with them later.

How are your dad and the others doing lately?

“We haven’t been drinking tea and playing chess together much lately,” Ning Jian asked.

Xie Zhi smiled and said, "My dad often talks about Uncle Ning, but recently a branch office has run into some problems, so he hasn't been in the neighboring city most of the time."

"Oh, right, I brought gifts for everyone," Xie Zhi said, then stood up to get the gift bags.

Xie Zhi handed a gift bag to Gu Ai: "Aunt Gu, this is a pair of jade earrings for you. I think they suit your style quite well."

Gu Ai accepted the gift, her face beaming with joy: "Thank you, Xiao Zhi. You don't need to spend so much next time."

Xie Zhi then handed Ning Jian a gift bag: "Uncle Ning, this is a tea set I specially selected. I hope you like it."

Then she approached Ning Yi with a gift bag, her face beaming: "Little Yi, this is a shawl I'm giving you. I had it specially brought from England."

Ning Yi felt like the gift was burning her hand. She hesitated as she reached out, but she couldn't just say no.

"Thank you," Ning Yi replied.

Just as Xie Zhi was taking the last gift bag, she suddenly exclaimed in surprise, then said apologetically, "I'm so sorry, Yuzhu, I didn't know you were at the Ning residence today, so I didn't prepare a gift for you."

Everyone looked a little stunned, and then the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

“It’s okay. My parents and I have given Yuzhu quite a few gifts these past few days, she won’t mind,” Ning Anyuan said before Lu Yuzhu could answer.

Ning Anyuan looked at Lu Yuzhu, sized her up, and asked gently, "Where's the blue diamond necklace my mother gave you a couple of days ago?"

"Didn't you say you liked it? Why aren't you wearing it today? Looks like you'll like the one I picked out even more. Let's look at another one tomorrow."

These two sentences made Xie Zhi even more embarrassed. Wasn't this an implicit statement that the other party didn't care about the gift she gave?

Ning Yi couldn't help but give Ning Anyuan a thumbs up from the bottom of her heart.

Gu Ai felt a little embarrassed, then asked, "Yu Zhu, do you not really like that necklace? It's okay, Auntie can help you pick out some more."

Lu Yuzhu quickly recovered from her shock and waved her hand, explaining, "No, no, I really like it, I just forgot to wear it when I went out today."

"My aunt has given me so many gifts, I can hardly wear them all."

Gu Ai breathed a sigh of relief and then smiled slowly, "That's good."

Xie Zhi froze, gritting her teeth as she handed Ning Anyuan the last gift: "Anyuan, this is a watch I picked out for you."

The gentle expression on Ning Anyuan's face vanished, replaced by a distant yet polite demeanor: "Thank you, but there's no need to go to such lengths."