Chapter 131

Pei Qiaonian let out a sardonic laugh, his tone dripping with mockery. "In what capacity are you ordering me around? As my grandfather, or as... the head of the Pei family? If it’s the former, I have no desire to listen; if it’s the latter, you are hardly qualified to command me."

Old Master Pei’s eyes bulged with rage. Beside him, Old Madam Pei rubbed his chest to soothe him, her brows knit tight. "Qiaonian! You cannot speak to your grandfather like that."

Even Pei’s mother, who had been sitting further back, stood up in a fluster, her voice laced with anxiety. "Qiaonian!"

Pei Qiaonian turned his gaze to her. She shook her head at him, signaling him not to escalate the conflict. To her, it mattered little how much humiliation she endured, as long as she could remain within the Pei household. Even if the man she married brought his true love and their son back home, she was willing to step aside, just wishing for this ordeal to pass peacefully. She naively believed that once the banquet ended and this mother-son pair departed, life would return to its status quo—but things were never going to be that simple.

Pei Qiaonian’s eyes locked onto Lin Yuan, noticing that he was returning his gaze with equal intensity. From the moment they had returned to the country, their motives were far from pure.

Pei Qiaonian did not soften his stance. Instead, he asked, "And what of that man? Did he not return with you? Or did he die abroad?"

The words sent a ripple of shock through everyone present. They all knew exactly who Pei Qiaonian was referring to. Pei’s mother turned deathly pale, her voice turning shrill. "Qiaonian! Say no more."

Pei Qiaonian’s father was a taboo subject within the Pei family. When he had originally left the family, he had severed all ties with Old Master Pei—an act that remained a festering wound in the old man’s heart. That man had abandoned his parents and a vast family fortune for a woman. Furthermore, following the appearance of Pei Qiaonian, an illegitimate child, Lin Yan had divorced him. In a fit of vengeful spite, he had married Pei Qiaonian’s mother, only to later kidnap Pei Qiaonian and nearly kill his own son on a mountainside. Eventually, when Lin Yan took Lin Yuan abroad, he had abandoned everything to follow them. From that day on, the Pei family had acted as if he never existed.

Pei Qiaonian stared fixedly at the woman sitting opposite him, a slight crook to his lips. "Mrs. Lin, where is he?"

Lin Yan’s expression remained unchanged. Even in middle age, she looked as beautiful as a woman in her twenties, her face untouched by the hardships of life, meticulously cared for. Compared to Pei’s mother, she resembled a flower nurtured in a greenhouse, while Pei’s mother, having remained in the Pei household to manage the chores and worry over every trivial detail, appeared significantly older.

Matching his gaze with unwavering defiance, Lin Yan replied coolly, "Your father is still abroad. He is ill and relies on expensive medication to stay alive. Otherwise, I would not have returned. He is dying, and we have no money."

Pei Qiaonian couldn't help but let out a mocking laugh. "He severed ties with the Pei family and broke with my grandfather. That means he has no relationship with us whatsoever. The only reason you and Lin Yuan were allowed to return is that my grandfather believes the sins of the father should not fall upon the children."

Lin Yan’s expression stiffened, her tone turning icy. "And who do you think caused your father to sever ties with his family and flee abroad? Who was it that interfered in our marriage and led us to this state? I am Pei Xingzhi’s rightful first wife, and your mother is nothing but a homewrecker who destroyed our family!"

Pei’s mother turned ghostly white, her lips trembling. She sat slumped in her chair, head bowed, unable to meet the mocking glares directed at her by those around the table.