Family Dinner (Arc 2)

That evening, the Yin mansion was brightly lit. The dining room on the first floor was bustling with servants as they prepared everything for the dinner.

Feng Yongrui was in his ghost form, paying attention to the ongoing preparation. He had checked on Yin Longshen beforehand. He was afraid that none of the servants would bother telling Yin Longshen about tonight's dinner.

Thankfully, one of the servants had casually mentioned it, and Yin Longshen was smart enough to figure out the situation. He had bathed and dressed himself as nicely as he could, and now he was waiting in his own room.

Yin Qiushan was nowhere to be seen, but Zhao Baozhai had returned to the mansion. She was currently having a rose bath inside her own bedroom.

When it was six o'clock in the evening, Feng Yongrui hurriedly returned to his nursery and swapped places with the doppelganger.

Right on time, Zhao Baozhai entered the nursery room. She was wearing casual clothes, but she looked like an elegant and refined madam of a rich family.

"Baby..." Zhao Baozhai gave a nod at the nanny and picked Feng Yongrui up from the cot. She held him in her arms and smiled.

"Baby, we're going to eat with your father today..." Zhao Baozhai heaved a long sigh, but she put on a happy face.

"Baby, can you speak well? Can you say 'daddy'? Come on, try it," Zhao Baozhai urged.

Feng Yongrui inwardly rolled his eyes, but he babbled out loud, pretending to try his best.

"Abababugu~" Feng Yongrui said.

Zhao Baozhai sighed and turned to the nanny.

"The young master cannot speak yet, can he?" she asked.

The nanny shook her head. "The young master can babble a lot, but he has yet to speak any real words..."

Zhao Baozhai was displeased and she frowned. "I was hoping he could charm his father by acting cute... After all, who knows if that stray will try to get closer to Yin Qiushan and snatch away my son's position..."

Zhao Baozhai sighed again. "Forget it, we'll just have to go with the flow."

"Baby," she turned to Feng Yongrui. "Later, you have to be good and not make a fuss, alright? You also shouldn't look at that stray kid..."

"No matter what, he's not your brother, okay? You should also remember... In the Yin family, you're the only real young master."

Feng Yongrui pursed his lips in dissatisfaction. No wonder the real Yin Fengrui became so spoiled and arrogant. With this kind of teaching and mindset, how could he not go astray?

Well, at least he wasn't a real baby, so he wouldn't be fooled by Zhao Baozhai's words...

Zhao Baozhai hugged him close to her chest and brought him out of the nursery. When they arrived in the dining room, Yin Qiushan had already arrived and was seated at the table.

"Qiushan," Zhao Baozhai greeted him with a smile.

Yin Qiushan nodded at her and turned his attention to 'Yin Yongrui', the baby she was holding.

"Ah... that must be my son... Come and let me hold you," he said.

Yin Qiushan held Feng Yongrui in his arms and chuckled. "He's very cute and obedient, isn't he? He's not even crying..."

Feng Yongrui just stared at his 'father', expressionless. He didn't have any particular reaction to this person. Sure, he was his father, but he never even visited him!

He was just a scum man ah~

Feng Yongrui turned his head when he heard the sound of footsteps. It was Yin Longshen!

Yin Longshen was wearing a clean white shirt with sleeves that extended all the way to his elbows. His whole appearance was neat and tidy.

When he saw Yin Longshen arrive, Yin Qiushan beckoned to him. Yin Longshen obediently walked over and stood in front of Yin Qiushan and Zhao Baozhai.

"Zhao Baozhai, this is my son, Yin Longshen."

Zhao Baozhai sneered and turned her head to the side, refusing to look at Yin Longshen.

"Longshen," Yin Qiushan turned to Yin Longshen.

"This is your new mother. Go on, call her mother," he urged.

Yin Longshen showed some hesitation, but he looked up at Zhao Baozhai's immaculate appearance and called out softly.

"M-mother, uh... hello..."

Zhao Baozhai scoffed loudly and looked at Yin Longshen. She reached out with her right hand and grabbed Yin Longshen's chin.

"Hmm... Tsk, you're nothing but a brat. Don't you dare call me 'mother' when we're in private. I don't have a son like you," Zhao Baozhai sneered.

Yin Longshen clenched his fists and looked down, hiding the sadness in his eyes.

Yin Qiushan shot her a glare, but Zhao Baozhai did not care. Sighing, Yin Longshen turned to Feng Yongrui, who was still in his arms.

"Longshen, this is your little brother, Yin Yongrui. You should remember to treat him well," Yin Qiushan said.

Feng Yongrui noticed Yin Longshen's eyes lighting up and he smiled unconsciously. How cute...

"Hello, little brother, it's nice to meet you," Yin Longshen said as he looked at Feng Yongrui intensely.

Feng Yongrui smiled back and giggled out loud, reaching for his brother. Time to score some brownie points!

"Oh? It seems like Yongrui likes his older brother..." Yin Qiushan sounded pleased. After all, he didn't want his sons to be fighting each other all the time.

Meanwhile, Zhao Baozhai was upset when she saw Feng Yongrui's actions.

"Baby, come here!" she said sternly.

Feng Yongrui shook his head and wiggled his way out of Yin Qiushan's arms. Seeing that he was restless like that, Yin Qiushan put him down.

Feng Yongrui was able to stand up on his own, but one of his hands was held by Yin Qiushan. It seemed like Yin Qiushan was afraid he would fall.

Yin Longshen was also nervous when he saw Feng Yongrui standing in front of him. He subconsciously reached his hand to hold and stabilize his younger brother, but when he sensed Zhao Baozhai's glare, he retracted his hand in a hurry.

Feng Yongrui wanted to curse at Zhao Baozhai. How can you get in the way of my main task??

Mother, you should be helping me ah!

Before Yin Longshen could fully retract his hand, Feng Yongrui had already grabbed him. Feng Yongrui abandoned his father's hands and instead clung to his older brother.

Dear protagonist, let's get closer, okay?

Before anyone (especially Zhao Baozhai) could react, Feng Yongrui cried out happily.

"Gege!" (Older brother)

Everyone in the room was stunned. Yin Qiushan, Zhao Baozhai, even the servants and the nanny (who was here in case anything happened) were dumbfounded.

Of course, the person who was the most surprised was Yin Longshen. His eyes were wide open and his mouth was in an "O" shape as he gaped at Feng Yongrui.

Everyone was surprised because this was the first time Feng Yongrui spoke a real, short word. And to top it off, his first word wasn't "mother" or "father", but he called his brother!

Yin Longshen's face gradually brightened and a smile appeared on his face.

"Yes, I'm your gege*... Nice to meet you," Yin Longshen said quietly.

Zhao Baozhai broke out of her stupor and slammed the table. "Yongrui! Come here! You don't have a brother like that!"

Yin Longshen flinched and Yin Qiushan glared at her.

"Be quiet!" he hissed.

"Yongrui," Yin Qiushan knelt on one knee and spoke.

"You're right, this is your Gege... Remember that you both are siblings and you should help and protect each other, okay?"

Feng Yongrui nodded his head. The word 'protect' was still too hard for him to say, so Feng Yongrui simply said, "Gege."

Yin Longshen also nodded his head obediently. "I understand, father. Don't worry, I'll take care of didi** no matter what."

Yin Qiushan nodded his head in satisfaction. He wanted his sons to get along with each other, and he disapproved of Zhao Baozhai and her anger.

Anyway, Yin Yongrui was his legitimate son and was bound to inherit his business company sooner or later. As for Yin Longshen, he could just stay as the Yin family's illegitimate son.

If he was needed, then he could be used. If he wasn't useful, then he could just be ignored.

Yin Qiushan did not understand why Zhao Baozhai was kicking up a fuss like this.

After saying a few more words, Yin Qiushan led his two sons to the table, and the family began eating.

The atmosphere was quite stiff, because Zhao Baozhai's face was even blacker than the bottom of a pot. She kept shooting glares at Yin Longshen throughout the meal.

Feng Yongrui, on the other hand, pretended not to understand her eye signals. He looked at Yin Longshen with 'admiration' in his eyes and ate slowly.

When the meal finally ended, Yin Longshen excused himself and returned to his room, the corner of his lips curled into a grin.

Feng Yongrui was carried away by the nanny and returned to the nursery to sleep. As for Zhao Baozhai and Yin Qiushan, they stayed behind to talk about some matters.

Zhao Baozhai would most likely complain about his attitude regarding Yin Longshen, but those matters were not important to Feng Yongrui. He had already gone to bed and was sleeping peacefully.

***

Note:

*Gege = older brother

**Didi = little brother

***

Mini theater:

After the meal ended, Zhao Baozhai went to the nursery and confronted the nanny.

Zhao Baozhai: Speak! How come my Baby's first words are "Gege" instead of "Mother"?? Did you secretly teach him to say "Gege"?

Nanny: *clueless* Madam, I also don't know why the young master is like this...

Zhao Baozhai: *furious*

Nanny: Uhm... Maybe it's because he watches too much TV...?

***

For those of you who have a younger sibling or a child, what was his/her first words?

Comment below~