Page Fifty-Five Invitation to the Coming-of-Age Ceremony
Aunt Zhen shook her head with a sigh and said, “You kids are really something, but such emotional reasons, how can they possibly convince a mother to hand over her daughter to someone who cannot give their full heart?”
From Aunt Zhen’s words, it was clear she still did not approve of my relationship with Lin Hua.
It was only natural, after all, I myself had no confidence in those words, and certainly couldn’t convince adults whose values were already mature…
“Mom—”
Lin Hua wanted to say more to salvage the situation.
But before she could even open her mouth, Aunt Zhen interrupted her.
“But you saved this child, so I can give you one chance to realize that future where everyone can be happy.”
…Huh?
Wait, does this mean she’s agreeing?
—”Well, if you’ve said it like that, what are you waiting for? Say thank you! She’s giving you her daughter!”—
Under Cherry Sauce’s urging, I quickly said, “Oh! Thank you, Aunt Zhen, I will cherish Lin Hua!”
Little Lei grumbled sourly from the side.
“Hmph, if mom gave me to you long ago, why didn’t you accept me?”
“Mom, seriously, your roundabout way of speaking is scaring me to death!”
With the crisis averted, Lin Hua sighed in relief and moved back to sit next to Aunt Zhen, the mature woman gently patting her daughter’s back, her expression softening.
“Dumb girl, I never intended to interfere in your matters from the start, and this was also your grandmother’s wish, but I need to know what kind of person my daughter likes.”
Lin Hua leaned against her mother and asked, “So, Mom, what do you think? Can Xiao Kai satisfy you?”
“Mm, he’s an honest boy, perfect to complement your bad personality, keeping you in check.”
Aunt Zhen tapped Lin Hua’s head, to which the latter retorted, “Keep me in check? What do you take me for?!”
“Let’s talk about the main issue, which is why I came today.”
Aunt Zhen took out her handbag and extracted three exquisite envelopes from a compartment, black with gold lettering and red sealing wax, luxurious and grand.
“These are what you need. Each invitation can only admit one person. You will represent the Huángfǔ family.”
It was Lin Ziyè’s coming-of-age ceremony invitation. Even Lin Hua had to rely on an adult to get one.
“You should open them first and see.”
Taking the envelope from Aunt Zhen, I broke the seal. The invitations bore the names Lin Hua, Zhao Lei, and… Huángfǔ Lingmèng?
“Hmm? This name…”
I looked up in surprise.
Aunt Zhen calmly stated, “As the eldest daughter of this generation, whether it’s Lin Hua, Jing’er, or even your elder brother’s daughter, they all have to call you Big Sister. For such formal occasions, it’s necessary to use the Huángfǔ surname, otherwise, what reason would I have to request this coming-of-age invitation?”
Eldest daughter… huh?
I pointed at the fool and asked, “Then what about Xiao Lei?”
“She is your and Lin Hua’s friend. You can’t possibly bring two friends alone.”
Aunt Zhen’s reasoning made sense. Although I didn’t want to change my name, I compromised for the sake of the plan.
“Only valid for tomorrow. I, Ling… No, I, Chang Kai, can only go as Chang.”
“Thank you, Mom!”
When Lin Hua reached for her envelope, Aunt Zhen pulled it back again.
She asked, “Wait, are you really going to cause trouble at Young Master Lin’s coming-of-age ceremony tomorrow?”
Lin Hua wouldn’t tell Aunt Zhen everything, but she sensed something and thus questioned her.
“Aunt Zhen, our goal isn’t to cause trouble.”
I explained, “We need to uncover the truth we seek, which requires us to obtain a conversation opportunity with Chairman Lin. But given his status, achieving this without unconventional methods is impossible.”
“The Lin family and the Huángfǔ family have a poor relationship. They rose to prominence earlier than the Huángfǔ family. When the Lin family started expanding nationwide, your mother was still enduring separation from her husband and the low point of her career.”
This meant the Huángfǔ family was inferior to the Lin family. By extension, this was a dig at Master Haliluya and Brother Zhu.
Qinglan chimed in, “That Lin Yuhuang’s vision is indeed impressive, like the protagonist of an urban novel.”
Setting aside the sentimental aspects, I felt Qinglan herself was quite like a protagonist in a novel.
Aunt Zhen continued, “Though he is high-profile, he has no scandals. He possesses excellent business acumen and the ability to seize opportunities. His advanced commercial district structure is proof of his foresight… If you conflict with such a formidable person, it might drag down the Huángfǔ family. Therefore, from an adult’s perspective, I don’t want you to do this.”
“I think Aunt Zhen doesn’t need to worry about this.”
I scratched my head and said, “After all, tomorrow it will be Young Master Lin’s son, future daughter-in-law, and another biological daughter facing off with him.”
All we need to do is facilitate their meeting… and then eat and drink at the coming-of-age ceremony.
——————-
Khaqi detached (running)
——————-
During my bath, I had another call with Lord Hai, and received good news that Xia Xia’s physical body had been successfully adjusted.
Now, finding Mysterious Girl A and bringing her to the Divine Court will allow us to retrieve Xia Xia.
But how easy is that?
Cherry Sauce, who found nothing during the day, went out under the cover of night to continue investigating the whereabouts of Mother.
These days, she had been working hard…
By the way, the divine power used in Goddess mode had long since been replenished. I felt like a phone with a 70W fast charger but only a 1000mAh battery capacity, charging fast and draining just as quickly.
Xia Xia was in high spirits, despite the delayed departure. Knowing she could leave anytime reduced her psychological pressure. I created a flower sea playground centered around the house, and we rode the roller coaster with Mother.
By the way, the other passengers on the roller coaster were all dummies representing me.
The mix of Xia Xia’s laughter and Mother’s screams formed a somewhat inappropriate comedy.
As for Lin Hua and Xiao Lei, I was pulling them into a meeting.
“Let’s reorganize our plan for tomorrow… Xiao Lei, do you remember what to do?”
The fool in maid attire put down her cake and asked blankly, “Uh, why are you asking me?”
“I think you’re most likely to forget, given your intelligence.”
“Don’t treat me like a fool! Isn’t it just about sneaking into the coming-of-age ceremony with Ling Shaojie, then kidnapping Lin Yuhuang in front of her and Ling Xiaoye?”
I gave her a mental slap.
“Ahhh! Why did you hit me through the table?”
“Because this is a dream where thoughts come true, so I can definitely hit you.”
Xiao Lei opened her mouth and closed her eyes, complaining, “Chairman is so devious!”
“I wanted to ask too! Where did the kidnapping idea come from? Our previous plan didn’t include this, kidnapping the Tianping Group chairman. Do you think you’re immortal? I don’t want to end up in jail as a deity.”
Even though Master Haliluya was already serving time.
“…Otherwise, how can we make Lin Shaojie and him talk equally?”
She hadn’t forgotten, but the fool had replaced Xia Lu at work yesterday, so she genuinely didn’t know.
“Tomorrow is Lin Ziyè’s coming-of-age ceremony. If Lin Dage turns into maid Ling Xiaoye, the whole ceremony will be thrown into chaos. During the half-hour gap between the ceremony starting and Lin Ziyè being crowned, we plan to use that time to negotiate with Lin Yuhuang and clarify Shaojie’s background.”
After hearing my explanation, Xiao Lei nodded dumbly and asked, “Then shouldn’t Shaojie and her brother handle it? What are we supposed to do?”
Lin Hua replied, “For Lin Ziyè’s transformation, we need a reasonable explanation to make Lin Yuhuang understand that these supernatural phenomena are controllable. He must cooperate honestly to turn his daughter back into a son, ensuring the ceremony goes smoothly.”
“Though Lin Ziyè’s transformation spell has nothing to do with me; it was Mother… Mysterious Girl A’s doing.”
“In short, you’re there to intimidate… No, as a tool for Shaojie?”
I gave her another mental slap.
“While it’s true, don’t be so blunt.”
Drinking tea in the dream didn’t feel real either. Xiao Lei asked, “So, should I wear something nice tomorrow? My only expensive clothes are the kimono Boss gave me… I can’t wear that, right?”
Actually, the maid outfit from Kamihameha was also custom-made, but wearing that to a coming-of-age ceremony would be odd.
Lin Hua sighed, “Of course not, are you Japanese? Fine, we’ll buy clothes together in the commercial district tomorrow! Forget fashion, we need at least one formal outfit… Ah, Chairman doesn’t need to.”
“Of course, until the trial ends, my clothing is decided by Cherry Sauce.”
I had grown accustomed to treating the punishment as a convenience, with no resistance towards cross-dressing…
Unconsciously, I had completely fallen.
My heart was corroded by the poison called habit!
Behind me, the roller coaster roared back into the station. Mother, legs wobbly, was dragged over by the excited Xia Xia.
“Sister, we’re back!”
“Did you have fun?”
“Fun!”
Mother covered her mouth, looking nauseous. After sitting down and catching her breath, she said with a pale face, “Child, can’t you choose gentler rides?”
“The Ferris wheel, which she showed no interest in, clearly prefers more thrilling attractions.”
Xia Xia, having rested, snuggled up to Mother again.
“Big Sister Wei, let’s go on the giant hammer!”
She referred to the giant swing ride, but exhausted Mother clearly lacked the energy to continue.
“Xiao Kai, why don’t you accompany Xia Xia?”
Upon hearing this, Xia Xia’s hopeful gaze shifted towards me.
“I’m fine with it. Since I know this is a dream, facilities based on dangerous experiences don’t scare me.”
“Then let’s have Lingmèng play with me!”
I accompanied Xia Xia on the giant swing.
And then.
“Ahahahaha!!!”
