Rona Muir and Sophie Mo pulled Xixi aside to hide.
Rona Muir teased Xixi, "Joe Qi is never up to any good, don't pay him any mind."
Sophie Mo agreed, "He's a total playboy. There's not a woman in this world who can tame him. You should keep your distance."
Listening to them gossip about Joe Qi's romantic history, Xixi said helplessly, "Why are you two so worried? I don't even like his type."
Rona Muir and Sophie Mo chimed in together, "We're just worried he'll trick you into helping him with something bad! You may not like him, but he's so good with words—he can turn a lie into the truth and the truth into a lie. If he asks you for help, you won't be able to refuse, you know?"
Oh, so that's what they're worried about?
Actually, they're not wrong.
If a good friend asks for help, I'm really not the type to refuse easily.
"So, keep a proper distance from him!" Rona Muir and Sophie Mo concluded in unison.
Xixi nodded repeatedly, finally satisfying them.
Three women standing together are already a beautiful sight.
Not to mention their identities... Hmm, all very mysterious.
Sophie Mo, as the eldest daughter of the Mo family, actually doesn't have many chances to make a formal appearance.
Plus, with her delicate looks and fragile demeanor, it's easy for people to overlook her abilities and family background.
But they all shared one wish: to see Cici suffer!
If it weren't for their lack of status, they would have followed and made things difficult for Cici!
And that G-cup chest wasn't something she intentionally grew, either.
Her body and looks were given by her parents—what can she do about it?
She's used to being mistaken for some rich guy's mistress or lover.
As for Xixi...
Alright, in the past three years, no one has really seen her.
Even if someone thinks she looks familiar, they never connect her with Gu Xixi from three years ago.
Besides, when Gu Xixi appeared three years ago, she was always pregnant.
But now, compared to three years ago, Xixi is much slimmer. Her figure is petite and delicate, her face is smaller, her hairstyle has changed, and her overall vibe is different.
That's why none of the ladies from prestigious families recognized these three at all.
If they knew who these three were, they'd probably be fighting to get on their good side.
Xixi and Mu Ruona came today to expand their social circle, so naturally, they couldn't just stick to their little group—they needed to mingle with the other ladies.
Before Xixi could go over and say hello, someone had already come looking for her.
"Miss Yun, sorry to interrupt. The Old Madam requests your presence!" A female housekeeper came up to Xixi, greeted her with a polite bow, and then spoke.
"The Old Madam wants to see me?" Xixi was stunned for a moment, then put down her cocktail glass and said, "In that case, please lead the way."
Xixi had no idea why the Old Madam wanted to see her before the birthday banquet officially started, but if she was being called, there must be something important to discuss.
Without thinking too much, Xixi simply followed the housekeeper over.
From the shadows, a few gloomy, unpredictable gazes followed Xixi's departing figure.
Everyone here had their own reasons for coming.
But they all shared one wish: to see Gu Xixi suffer!
If it weren't for their lack of status, they would have followed and made things difficult for Gu Xixi!
Xixi quickly left the banquet hall with the housekeeper, winding through several courtyards before reaching the destination.
There were plenty of guests today, so several courtyards had been set up as separate banquet venues.
Each venue had a wall-sized LED display.
It almost felt like the Spring Festival Gala.
One main venue wasn't enough—they had to set up several sub-venues too.
What else could they do? There were just too many guests today.
As soon as Xixi entered, she saw Old Madam Yin, dressed in an exquisite Tang suit with a Fu Lu pattern, sitting in front of a low table. Beside her, a young girl knelt on a cushion, slowly pouring tea for the Old Madam.
"Old Madam, you asked for me." Xixi greeted her as soon as she walked in.
Old Madam Yin pointed to the seat in front of her and said to Xixi, "Sit down, let's talk."
Without hesitation, Xixi sat down in front of Old Madam Yin.
The young girl immediately poured Xixi a cup of tea too.
Old Madam Yin waved her hand, and the young girl quickly left.
"I called you over alone because I have a few questions for you." Old Madam Yin paused here, as if something was hard to say. She glanced at Xixi, sighed softly, and finally said, "Child, now that you're back in the country, why don't you come home?"
Xixi immediately lowered her head, not daring to meet the Old Madam's gaze. She softly replied, "Old Madam, I don't remember anything from before. I don't know if I should continue living the way I used to. My life now is actually pretty good, isn't it?"
Old Madam Yin smiled faintly. "Don't trust my grandson? Think he's not sincere enough with you?"
Xixi thought to herself, 'Wow, Old Madam Yin is sharp!'
She can see right through what I'm thinking and worrying about!
"But it's not strange for you to think that way," Old Madam Yin continued. "It shows you're smart, not someone who acts rashly. When I first met you, I knew you were different from other girls, which is why I insisted you marry Sicheng despite opposition. You didn't disappoint me. It's our Yin family who wronged you, so it's normal for you to have concerns."
Xixi bit her lip and didn't answer.
"When I first met you, I was just surprised by such a coincidence in this world. Later, I realized it wasn't coincidence—it was fate. Even though you married into the Yin family as Gu Xixi, you're still the second daughter of the Yun family. That's undeniable. Because of this, our Yin family couldn't stop you from leaving. I won't judge right or wrong from back then—I'll let you decide. Just remember, whether you admit it or not, you're on the Yin family genealogy, you're Yuhan's biological mother, and you're the young mistress of the Yin family. You're welcome here anytime."
"Really... can I?" Xixi suddenly looked up, full of hope. "Can I really come to see my child... and... and the others?"
Those last few words were something Xixi forced herself to add.
Old Madam Yin didn't mind, nodding as she said, "I just worried you'd overthink things, so I called you over to make it clear."
Xixi looked at Old Madam Yin gratefully. "Thank you, Old Madam."
"My son has already accepted you, so as his grandmother, what reason do I have to object? Besides, I'm no longer in charge of this household." Old Madam Yin sighed softly. "I'm eighty years old now, old and useless. If these old bones can watch my great-grandson grow up, I have no regrets. If I could see you give the Yin family another child, that would truly be a blessing for us."
Xixi's face flushed inexplicably at those words.
She admitted, she really didn't resist Yin Sicheng... much.
But not resisting doesn't mean she'll definitely remarry him and have more kids, right?
Besides, she's had checkups and her health is poor—getting pregnant again wouldn't be easy.
She didn't know why before, but now she understands it was due to heavy bleeding when giving birth, which left her weak.
That's not something you recover from easily.
"Alright, that's all I wanted to say—just a few words of advice." Old Madam Yin picked up her teacup and said, "Hao'er has accepted you, and so have I."
Seeing Old Madam Yin raise her teacup, Xixi took a sip of her own tea. "Then I'll take my leave."
Old Madam Yin nodded, watching Xixi leave the room.
Xixi left the room, replaying Old Madam Yin's words in her mind. She was so distracted that she wandered into an unfamiliar courtyard.
Just as Xixi came to her senses and turned to head back, two voices in hushed conversation caught her attention.
"Who are you? You actually had plastic surgery to look like this?" a sharp female voice, though lowered, was still clear enough to be heard.
"What does who I am have to do with you?" another woman sneered. "Yin Xuemo, you're just a dog of the Yin family. You really think you're the eldest daughter, huh? Pathetic! You like that man, but he doesn't even look at you, does he?"
"How do you know... Who are you, really?" Yin Xuemo's voice grew even sharper.
Xixi pressed herself against the wall.
She wasn't one to eavesdrop, but the next thing the woman said made her freeze in place.
"Did you come here today to laugh at Gu Xixi, or to ruin her again?" the other woman laughed coldly. "You must be surprised Gu Xixi came back alive, right?"
Yin Xuemo glared at the other woman with even more malice.
Plenty of people hated Gu Xixi, but never had someone looked so much like her—almost a perfect match!
This person deliberately had her face altered to look like Gu Xixi—who is she targeting?
Is it Yin Sicheng?
If that's the case, she wouldn't mind at all.
She just can't stand Gu Xixi's happiness. If a woman who looked almost identical to her stole Yin Sicheng away... hahaha, she'd be thrilled.
But why does the other woman seem hostile toward her too?
She has no interest in Yin Sicheng!
Yin Xuemo whispered, "I don't care who you are, but you don't seem to like Gu Xixi either. Want to team up to embarrass her?"
The other woman snorted, "If you want to do something stupid, do it yourself—don't drag me in. Being stupid before meant you were young, but being stupid now just proves you were born an idiot. Goodbye!"