Madam Jiang and Jiang Zhixin were determined not to lose face on an occasion like this, yet they dared not offend Jiang Yuchi.
Jiang Yuchi had figured it out: even if Yujie were still alive, he would never have wielded the power of the Yu Group so carelessly just to settle a score with a mother and daughter. But Jiang Yuchi was different. She had no interest in managing the Yu Group, yet the entire conglomerate was currently in the palm of her hand. Naturally, she didn't care about the costs, even if it meant inflicting a thousand casualties on the enemy while sacrificing eight hundred of her own.
As the three of them stood in a tense standoff, the lights on the central stage flared, and the host enthusiastically announced the official start of the evening's charity auction.
Madam Jiang and Jiang Zhixin had just let out a breath of relief when they looked up to see Jiang Yuchi smiling sweetly. "What a pity. I’ll make a note of this for now, but next time, do remember to steer clear of me. I’m afraid that from here on out, every stage might end up being yours."
Madam Jiang’s face turned deathly pale. Losing her composure as a high-society lady, she grabbed her daughter and walked away without a word.
Jiang Yuchi had never intended to actually make the two of them perform on stage; she didn't want to become famous that quickly. It was mainly because those two had been itching for trouble, acting out their drama in front of her, so she simply had to treat their addiction.
But... a charity auction?
Why was there a charity auction at a kindergarten graduation party? She had assumed the evening’s schedule would end with a few dances. It really was true: if you were going to graduate, they wouldn't stop until they’d peeled one last layer of skin off the parents.
Just as Jiang Yuchi was about to weave through the crowd to find her seat, she was tugged back by Yu Buying, who had finished her chaotic dance.
"Mommy is silly. Our seats are upstairs." Yu Buying pointed to the balcony directly above the stage. When Jiang Yuchi looked up, she realized that the private box on the second floor was shielded by a massive one-way mirror, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.
Having still not quite adjusted to the Yu Family’s style after all these years, Jiang Yuchi’s mouth twitched. She couldn't help but think this was all a bit too much.
The little girl let go of Zhang Yu’s hand and scampered over to hold Jiang Yuchi’s, waving at him as she said, "Goodbye, Brother Zhangyu. Make sure you study hard tonight!"
Noticing Jiang Yuchi’s inquisitive gaze, Zhang Yu tilted his head slightly, looking a bit embarrassed as he explained, "We have night study sessions at university; they take attendance."
Jiang Yuchi took out her phone with poise and opened her QR code. "Let’s add each other."
She was Yu Buying’s mother, and he was Yu Buying’s tutor; it was perfectly normal for them to exchange contact information. Yet, Zhang Yu’s face flushed a faint red. His hand trembled, and as he tried to tap "Scan," he accidentally opened his payment code instead. He hurriedly backed out and tapped the right button.
"My brother-in-law should have already paid your tutoring fees, so no double billing," Jiang Yuchi teased, feeling quite amused when she saw the "+1" pop up on her friend request list.
A moment later, Jiang Yuchi’s fingers paused as she looked at the avatar on the friend request screen—a picture of "Zhangyu"—and she couldn't help but chuckle.
That was the final straw for Zhang Yu. He couldn't bear to stay a second longer. After telling Yu Buying, "See you Thursday," he hurried away.
Little Yu Buying was left confused, asking, "Mommy, is Brother Zhangyu’s brain broken? My cello lessons are on Friday nights."
But the little girl quickly pushed that thought to the back of her mind. She began her duties as a pint-sized tour guide for her mother: "Big brother went to take Sister Xu Zhen home because she has an appearance to make later tonight. A server will lead him up here in a moment."
"Everything in the auction tonight was handmade by us graduates. You have to guess which one is mine, Mommy. Hehe."
So that was it. Auctioning off the handmade crafts of kindergarteners to raise money for charity—these parents, with more money than they knew what to do with, could do good deeds while using the auction to network. The funds raised would be donated in the kindergarten's name. It was a true win-win situation, satisfying both appearances and substance.
Upon reaching the second-floor box, Jiang Yuchi walked to the glass wall and found the view excellent, offering a panoramic look at the entire hall. A high-definition screen displayed the items up for auction in real-time, and the room was stocked with wine, Western-style pastries, and snacks. Before the server closed the door to leave, they even politely asked if they would be needing dinner.
Right before the auction began, Yu Buqi entered with a tense little face. Intent on giving the child some space, Jiang Yuchi thoughtfully picked out a drink and handed it to him. The young master just held the cup, sighing heavily without taking a single sip.
After nearly half a minute of sighing, Jiang Yuchi finally played along, just as he had hoped: "What’s wrong, my little master?"
"I’m just pondering, if there have never been any time travelers in our human world, does that mean that even until the extinction of humanity, we never invent a time machine? Where is the end of the universe? What is the meaning of existence? And can Fermat’s 'marvelous proof' that he never wrote down actually prove Fermat’s Last Theorem?"
After a moment of silence—while Jiang Yuchi was already considering which psychologist she should contact—Yu Buqi tilted his head back and drained his drink in one gulp, looking like a heartbroken man drowning his sorrows.
If only the cup hadn't been filled with orange juice.
"I’m heartbroken."
Heartbroken?? Jiang Yuchi’s mouth twitched. She had finally accepted the fact that her six-year-old son was dating and causing a scandal on the trending charts just yesterday, and now, in less than a day, he was heartbroken?
Was the timeline really moving that fast?
She didn't need to ask for the reason; Yu Buqi, bursting with the urge to express himself, started chattering away, accusing Ms. Xu Zhen of "abandoning him after using him."
"She is a cold-blooded, heartless woman. She actually said that in a month she’ll be a mature third-grade girl and should focus all her energy on her studies and her career. She said it’s too early for us to date and that it’s unfair to me."
"But don’t worry, Ms. Jiang. Uncle said that one of the qualities of a noble person is not to cling to exes. I won't cause her any trouble. All I can do is punish myself and chew on the pain of being dumped by a bad woman from now on."
Yu Qinghuai actually taught you this?
Jiang Yuchi was silent for a moment before she couldn't help but ask, "If you don't mind me asking, how exactly do you plan to punish yourself?"
This question clearly hit home. Yu Buqi sprang to his feet, reciting with the flair of a poet: "I—will never smile again!"
That was a truly massive sacrifice...
Jiang Yuchi frowned in distress. She began to consider whether she should call back Steve, the butler who had stayed in South Korea. Otherwise, she was afraid she’d end up having to play the role of the person sighing, "Oh! The young master hasn't smiled like that in a long time."
Sitting on Jiang Yuchi’s lap, Yu Buying took the opportunity to add, "Mocking counts as smiling, too. Big brother, you aren't allowed to mock me anymore."
"Thank you for your addition, my amoeba-brained sister. I shall never smile again—except when I’m mocking Yu Buying." With that, Yu Buqi couldn't help but give Yu Buying a provocative wink.
Jiang Yuchi used one hand to restrain Yu Buying, who was struggling to jump down and beat up her own brother, and with the other, she shoved a small cake into Yu Buqi’s mouth, effectively silencing him.
The good news: Yu Buqi had inherited his father Yujie’s gene for having a silver tongue.
The bad news: He had inherited a bit too much of it.