18 Family dinner (2)

Xia Wenjin very well understood that this innocent looking girl was a fox in sheep's clothing. She was mocking his younger sister and he couldn't sit back and watch it. "Sister Lihua, whether Rui'er wants to quit learning classical music or not, it's none of your concern."

"Wenjin! You don't have to scold Xiao Li." Elder Xia immediately reprimanded him. "She was just worried about your sister why you have to be so rude to her. This is how you regard someone's sincerity?"

Wenjin couldn't raise his voice in front of his grandfather, he could only hang his head low while Xia Lihua had a smug expression on her face.

"Grandfather!" Mengrui finally walked in, completely unaware of the fact that she was the main character of the bull session.

Li Hua glanced at the man who was accompanying her.

Yang Lingyun?!

What was he doing here?

No wonder Xia Mengrui was late for dinner. She was waiting for Yang Lingyun to arrive.

Mengrui was holding his arm and he guided her like an escort. He pulled out a chair for her like a gentleman. They appeared to be a lovely couple as Mengrui gracefully took her seat, followed by him.

Xia Lihua was flustered because Yang Lingyun was sitting opposite to her. Her resolution of staying far away from his vicinity was cracking. She looked down to avoid the pair of cold, fathomless black eyes.

Yang Lingyun looked at the girl who was trying to hide from gaze. He pursed his lips and picked up a pair of chopsticks.

"Little Meng you brought your fiancé?" Grandfather Xia flashing Mengrui a heartful smile as he stuffed some rice buns in his mouth.

Yang Lingyun gave old master Xia a curt nod. He respected this old man a lot. He was a military general and a very capable businessman. He had single handedly established a multinational company and sitting with this legendary man he felt a profound sense of honor.

"Yes young master Yang wanted to have dinner with us today." Xia Mengrui returned him a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Her face had lost all it's color when she noticed that Xia Lihua was sitting across them. She glanced at her father asking with her eyes 'Did you know that Lihua would be here today?'

Xia Tianyu understood what she was trying to convey and shook his head in negation.

If she had known that grandfather had invited Xia Lihua for dinner then she wouldn't have insisted Ling Yun to accompany her!

"My daughter is here, father-in-law I wanted to say that Meng Rui will join an idol show." Si Rong thought that now was a right time to let elder Xia know that Mengrui will become an idol. In front of Li Hua he couldn't deny Meng Rui from becoming an idol as it would be unfair.

"What? What did you say?" Grandfather Xia's voice rose by an octave.

"Father-in-law..."

"I refuse to acknowledge her as my grand daughter then!" Before Si Rong could utter another word grandfather Xia slammed the chopsticks down on the dining table, frightening everyone.

"But grandfather, sister Lihua..." Meng Rui wanted to come to her mother's rescue. She felt so angry because grandfather hadn't kicked Li Hua out of the family even though she had debuted as an idol but he he vehemently opposed Meng Rui pursuing a career in the same field.

Grandfather Xia knew what Meng Rui wanted to say. "I allowed Li Hua to become an idol because she expressed her disinterest in managing the company even though she went to pursue higher education in Milan related to business studies. If she has no inclination towards business matters, it is more suitable for her to focus on her singing career!"

Meng Rui was extremely embarrassed. She knew that grandfather didn't hold her in high esteem, but she hadn't anticipated him bringing up Lihua's aptitude for business. She was very anxious and glanced at Ling Yun who seemed to have fallen into a deep thought.

Lingyun was staring at Lihua, who was adorned in a form-fitting pale pink dress that hugged her curves flawlessly. As the radiant lights of the hall illuminated her, she exuded an ethereal aura, resembling a serene angel engrossed in her own peaceful world, undisturbed by the trivial conversations swirling around her.

So this woman knew how to manage business?

If Grandpa Xia held such high praise for her abilities in handling business matters, then it must hold some truth.

Lingyun contemplated the possibility that Lihua possessed a hidden talent for business management, acknowledging that his initial assumptions about her may have been misguided. The weight of Grandpa Xia's endorsement lent credibility to Lihua's capabilities, causing Lingyun to reassess his perception of her.

Grandfather Xia coughed lightly and said, "I have an announcement to make."

Whenever Elder Xia announced something at the family dinner it threw everyone on the edge. Everyone was attentive and the cluttering of tableware stopped.

"I will give Xiao Lihua 8% shares of Xia Enterprise."

Mengrui was shocked.

Wenjin was even more shocked.

"Grandfather, but she had embezzled company money."

"You think I don't know whose work was that?" Grandfather Xia slightly glanced over at Xia Tianlin and shook his head in disdain. "Making your daughter the scapegoat, don't blame her when she becomes unfilial to you!"

"Father!" Xia Tianlin's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. How did his father find out? What was more it was Wenjin who had helped him to set Lihua up.