Zhang Mutian cast a glance at his youngest daughter.
Yuan Qiuying, ever adept at reading the room, quickly nudged her daughter beside her and whispered, "Qing'er, she has never attended a banquet of this caliber. If we don't wait for her and she walks in alone, who would even know who she is?"
"If she makes a fool of herself, it’s your father who loses face."
"Just bear with it. At the very least, she took your place marrying that country bumpkin, allowing you to remain single and pursue the Third Young Master of the Mu family."
Yuan Qiuying was hoping to select either the Second or the Third Young Master of the Mu family as her son-in-law.
Zhang Qing preferred the Third Young Master. He was five years her senior, twenty-eight this year, whereas the Second Young Master was seven years older than her, and she felt he was too old.
The Second Young Master of the Mu family was Mu Lingfeng’s first cousin. He was the same age as him—thirty—only three months younger than Mu Lingfeng.
"Mom, will Mu Zheng be coming?"
At the mention of her crush, Zhang Qing’s pretty face flushed red.
"The Mu family and the Ning family are related by marriage. With Old Madam Ning celebrating her birthday, the Mu family will likely all be here."
Yuan Qiuying had been unable to confirm the Mu family’s itinerary, but she guessed the Third Young Master would attend.
She had been married to Zhang Mutian for over twenty years, yet she still couldn't integrate into the social circles of the original wives of the upper class.
This made Yuan Qiuying feel deeply uncomfortable.
It was Zhang Mutian who had taken a fancy to her, claiming his first wife lacked education and was no longer a match for him now that he was successful. He needed a wife to accompany him to social functions, and his original wife was simply not presentable.
He loved her youth and beauty, just as he loved her competence.
She loved that he was successful, possessed houses and cars, and had plenty of savings.
The two had hit it off immediately and begun their illicit affair.
It wasn't just her fault; Zhang Mutian was also to blame. Yet, everyone only cursed her, labeling her a slut and a homewrecker.
Even after twenty-odd years of being his official wife, she could never erase the fact that she had ascended from a mistress.
As they spoke, the family of three spotted Zhang Ling.Seeing Zhang Ling in a white evening gown, her long hair swept up to reveal a slender, porcelain neck adorned with a gold necklace and matching earrings, she looked like a princess from a fairy tale. Her skin was so fair that this ensemble made her beauty impossible to look away from.
Zhang Qing was instantly consumed by such intense jealousy that she felt a burning urge to pounce on Zhang Ling, tear her gown to shreds, and rip the gold necklace right off her neck.
"How expensive was the jewelry you had Xiao Qi buy for her?"
Yuan Qiuying asked her husband, her eyes filled with dissatisfaction. She was unhappy that Zhang Ling looked more beautiful and elegant than her own daughter. After all, it was her daughter who had been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, living a life of luxury and opulence, pampered by both parents. Yuan Qiuying wanted her daughter to always outshine Zhang Ling, to be superior in every way. She could not bear to see Zhang Ling outclass her daughter.
Zhang Mutian was also somewhat surprised that his eldest daughter, once dressed up, looked even more radiant and distinguished than his younger daughter, who had grown up by his side and was accustomed to luxury.
Hearing his wife’s disgruntled question, he replied calmly, "Xiao Qi said she picked out two sets of jewelry for Zhang Ling. It only cost about a hundred thousand or so; it’s nothing of real value—not even worth as much as one of Qing'er’s handbags."
"After tonight, I want you to take them back. The money you spent on her is part of our shared marital assets, and I do not consent to you spending it on her," Yuan Qiuying said coldly. "She is stealing the spotlight from our Qing'er."
Zhang Mutian frowned, turned to look at his wife, and whispered, "Wife, stop making a scene. Zhang Ling is, after all, the eldest young mistress of the Mu family now. If I give her nothing, what will happen if she establishes a firm foothold in the Mu family and decides to target us?""No matter what, she is still my daughter and Qing'er's older sister. Any set of jewelry Qing'er owns is worth at least a million, while the two sets she got together only cost around a hundred thousand. They simply can't be compared."
Yuan Qiuying knew she was being overly petty at the moment.
Zhang Mutian wrapped an arm around hers and coaxed her in a low voice, "Alright, honey. I only bought her these two sets of jewelry, and I won't buy her anything else in the future. Don't dwell on it. Let's just humor her and get through tonight first. What will we do if Madam Mu dislikes her and insists on having Qing'er switch places back with her?"
Zhang Qing immediately chimed in under her breath, "Dad, Mom, I don't want to marry that country bumpkin Mu Lingfeng. I want to marry Mu Zheng."
Yuan Qiuying pressed her lips together, finally dropping the matter with a soft hum of agreement.
Zhang Mutian said affectionately, "My wife is the most reasonable. For your birthday next month, I'll prepare a gift that will truly surprise you."
"Every gift you've ever given me has been a wonderful surprise."
Once Yuan Qiuying let go of her grievance, she cast a flirtatious glance at her husband, her voice turning sweet and coquettish.
"Let's go, time to get out of the car."
The open-air parking lot in the courtyard of the Ning family wasn't very large and was already packed with various luxury cars. Later arrivals had to park their vehicles in the open spaces along both sides of the villa's entrance.
Because Zhang Mutian had to wait for his eldest daughter to arrive, he had no choice but to park outside as well.
The family of three got out of the car.
Zhang Ling spotted them at a glance.
"Dad."
Zhang Ling walked over and called out to her father.
She glanced at Yuan Qiuying and her daughter, who kept their chins held high and looked right through her.
Since Zhang Qing was the younger sister and hadn't taken the initiative to greet her, Zhang Ling certainly wasn't going to speak to her first.
"You're here."
Zhang Mutian spoke to Zhang Ling with unusual gentleness. He glanced at his wife and daughter without demanding that Zhang Ling greet her stepmother, knowing full well that Zhang Ling held a bitter grudge against Yuan Qiuying, and that Qiuying didn't like Zhang Ling either.
He wouldn't force either side.
Zhang Mutian took his wife's hand and turned to walk away.
Yuan Qiuying let out a cold snort and sneered, "So mannerless."
"Failing to even greet her elders just shows how poor her upbringing is."
Zhang Qing glared at Zhang Ling.
Zhang Ling immediately started walking, following right behind her father and stepmother. Hearing the stepmother's sarcasm, she hit back unceremoniously, "You say I'm mannerless and poorly brought up, but your own upbringing doesn't look so great either. Zhang Qing is younger than me, yet not only did she fail to greet me as her older sister, she acted all arrogant and aloof. Is that what you call good upbringing?"
"When I despise someone, I wish I could tear them to shreds. Why on earth would I go out of my way to suck up to her?"
She made it blatantly clear that she loathed Yuan Qiuying.
This woman had destroyed her parents' marriage, robbing her of her father's love since she was four years old.
Not that it was solely Yuan Qiuying's fault.
Zhang Ling was fair-minded; she hated Yuan Qiuying, and she hated her father just as much.
"You..."
Yuan Qiuying was choked with anger.
Zhang Mutian pulled her back and snapped in a low voice, "Enough, both of you shut your mouths! We are guests at someone else's house today. If anyone makes me lose face here at the Ning family, none of you will hear the end of it!"
Did they really think his docility meant the head of the household was a paper tiger?
Both Yuan Qiuying and her daughter wore ugly expressions, but they dared not utter another sound.
Zhang Mutian doted on his wife and daughter, but in his heart, the Zhang Group and his own pride came first.
Whoever caused him to lose face in front of outsiders—even Yuan Qiuying—would find themselves in deep trouble.
The members of the Ning family spotted the four members of the Zhang family, and Ning Hao and his wife walked over with smiles on their faces.
"Mutian."
Before he had even drawn close, Ning Hao called out to Zhang Mutian with a smile.
He and Zhang Mutian had an extremely close personal friendship, and Zhang Mutian had helped him out with numerous favors and provided him with plenty of benefits.