Chapter 18

At the dining table, everyone was required to settle for a lunch prepared by Li Wenhao.

Before that, Li Rui returned to her room to change the clothes before going downstairs as the clothes she had worn felt stinky after wandering through in the broad daylight.

If only Qian Chiao had informed her. she had not gone through any of this suffering. Including her heart, which was broken down by Qian Chiao's words.

Li Rui stepped into the bathroom to change her dress and heard a hovering sound in the middle. When she was busy with clothes in her hand.

Ding…..

A rough sound echoed in her room, Which was enough to reach the lady's sensible ear, who was in the bathroom. After change into a new dress. Li Rui got out of the bathroom. And before she could leave the room. She picked up the phone that she had put on the table.

She checked her phone to know what the notification exploded in her context. As she had heard the sound when she was in the bathroom. Bringing the cell phone closer to her eyes, she caught Song Nuan's message. That arrived only five minutes before.

"Li Rui, you must be happy now after meeting your sister. Aren't you?"

With the message, Song Nuan attached a smiley sticker. She was not taunting Li Rui with her words, but she was worried for her and knew how Li Rui cared for her younger sister. Song Nuan had thought Li Rui must be happy after seeing her sister, that's why she asked.

Song Nuan knows the circumstances evolving around Li Rui's family and between her mother. Still, Li Rui cared for her younger sister Li Mengying, despite little did she know about her. how Li Mengying was.

What could Li Rui tell her? Is she happy or not? What emotion does she feel? would she be happy that her sister returned?

Or would she be sad, knowing that from now Li Mengying would be the apple of the Qian Chiao's eyes?

"Hmmm" Li Rui replied to Song Nuan with a simple one-word typed in her message.

After that, she kept her phone back in her pocket. she closed the door behind and stepped out of the room.

Just then, She reaches the dinner table and noticed Li Mengying, Qian Chiao and Li Wenhao was already present.

It seems they were waiting for her. Li Rui smiled, it's been a while. She had lunch with her family. It delighted her to see everybody there. However, she halted her steps, going forward, toward the table, listening to Qian Chiao's next sentence.

"Honey, let's begin, otherwise dishes would turn cold." Qian Chiao insisted on eating as Li Rui was taking time to come down. Li Rui was on the other side of the table. No one noticed her small figure. who was standing there in the corner. As their back was facing her, and the one, Li Mengying, who could have notice Li Rui from her front, was busy with her phone.

Thus, she didn't seem to witness Li Rui's tall figure standing in front of her sight.

"What are you saying? Rui is still not around. How can we eat without her?" Li Wenhao stares at his wife. He had not thought to eat without Li Rui.

Li Wenhao prefers to wait for his daughter. He wants his family to eat together. But it didn't seem to be Qian Chiao's wish.

"Doesn't she know we are waiting for her? What she is doing? taking that much time." Qian Chiao said in annoyance. As it tires her to wait for Li Rui. Or like, put in words, it seemed she didn't want to.

Qian Chiao was an expert in spoiling the others' good moods and the atmosphere.

Why was she like this to her daughter? Or is she even Li Rui's mother?

Li Mengying sat there asserting no word, as it did not bother her. She was busy scrolling her phone and ogling the handsome man's profile. 

It was her best thing to ogling men around.

Li Wenhao fixed his gaze on his wife, who was moving her hands to pick up the dumpling with the spoon. Even though She wanted to pick but her hands paused for it. As sensing someone's gaze. Qian Chiao stopped picking forward the spoon and looked upward to Li Wenhao, who was throwing a dagger of warning with his eyes.

"Okay! Honey, let's wait for Li Rui." Qian Chiao gulps and swallows her words with a smile on her face. Which she could use against Li Rui.

The entire table turned silent, as Qian Chiao had not said something and noticed her parents were silent. She looked ahead, raising her sight from her phone.

As to, curious to know why did not her mother was saying something? Or why her parents were silent. When a moment ago they were arguing.

Li Wenhao smiled to looked at Li Mengying who's sight was on him. He didn't want to show the friction between the two and given his warming smile. as nothing had happened between husband and wife a moment ago.

Or was he too good at acting? However, someone noticed it.

Other than Li Mengying, Li Rui, who was standing there. She noted her father care for her and closed her eyes, took a deep breath and brought a broad smile to her lips. She tried to hide what was inside her heart. As she taken steps ahead towards the table.

"Why are you all waiting? Just let's start the lunch," Li Rui commented. She went beside Li Mengying's side of the table.

"Sister, we are waiting for you, and now you are here. Can we start?" looking at Li Rui's figure, Li Mengying said with a tight smile on her lips, hiding how she was cursing Li Rui inside her heart.

"Shall we, father?" shifting her gaze from Li Rui to Li Wenhao. Who reached toward her to sit beside the chair next to her.