Pei Kexin had never attended a funeral before and didn't know the specific procedures, so she hadn't expected something like this.
But truthfully, she had already envisioned various scenarios of being made difficult before coming.
In front of a group of people who disliked her, she was prepared for anything that might happen.
It was nothing more than cooperating with a ritual by holding a memorial tablet, which wasn't a difficult task.
She felt very uneasy about not being able to attend the old master's memorial service tomorrow.
Being able to fulfill her filial duty here in advance today would be a perfect conclusion to the nurturing she had received, and she could then rest assured.
The entire Pei family watched her, expecting her to say something uncooperative so they could publicly pick on her.
However, Pei Kexin didn't hesitate: "Okay. What do I need to do?"
A few minutes later, everyone moved to the hall specially designated for rituals.
The funeral team, which had business dealings with the funeral home, was already busy. There were three other groups ahead of them, each holding an urn and a memorial tablet.
A master was performing a ritual for one family, while the other three waited quietly.
In the Pei family's section, Pei Zongrui nudged Pei Kexin with his elbow.
"Put down the box, hold the memorial tablet, go, go and kneel."
No one in the hall was kneeling, except for the family whose ritual was being performed.
Pei Zongrui was clearly toying with Pei Kexin, and Pei questioned him.
"What do you mean?"
Pei Zongrui's explanation was high-sounding.
"The master said that the longer you kneel, the more filial you prove yourself to be. Aren't you a filial daughter? You constantly talk about what you can do for the Pei Corporation. What's wrong with letting you kneel longer for Grandpa?"
His excuse was well-chosen, and Pei Kexin had nothing to say, so she could only go and kneel before the urn.
The others stood there openly, not wanting to prove their filial piety, watching her, making the scene utterly absurd.
Pei Kexin looked at the old master's photo on the urn and thought, a funeral happens only once in a lifetime, and being teased this time would pass if she endured it.
However, she hadn't expected that while it was easy to say, it was genuinely difficult to kneel.
The floor of the ritual hall was made of cement, not even tiled, and it was spacious, cold, and hard.
Pei Kexin was thin, and her kneecaps pressed against the ground, quickly causing piercing pain.
However, a ritual would take at least half an hour.
With three other families ahead of her, she would have to kneel for at least an hour and a half.
No wonder Pei Zongrui had asked her to do this. An hour and a half, and she might not be able to walk tomorrow.
He was truly wicked.
Actually, Pei Kexin didn't know that in the funeral market, spending a few thousand more yuan could not only elevate the ritual's prestige but even upgrade it to VIP, hiring professional mourners and kneelers.
The Pei family had already inquired about these things when they first arrived. Before Pei Kexin arrived, they didn't mind spending those few thousand yuan.
Unfortunately, she had to come.
Wearing only thin trousers, after kneeling on the ground for about half an hour, her knees had completely lost sensation.
Pei Kexin gritted her teeth and persevered, looking motionlessly at the old master's urn.
"One, two, three..."
She silently recited in her heart: I will get through this. It's only once in a lifetime. For Dad's sake, you can do this, Pei Kexin!
Just as she was persevering, Pei Kexin's phone rang.
Given the special circumstances, she wasn't in the mood to check her phone.
She let the ringtone ring and hang up on its own.
Pei Kexin sighed, secretly adjusting the angle of her knees, and knelt properly again.
Just as she was about to enter the next phase, her phone rang again.
The moderate ringtone echoed in everyone's ears. To avoid disturbing others who were performing the ritual, she had to take out her phone.
It was better not to look, but when she took it out, the caller ID showed Yao Dongzhuo.
That night at the Neon Dress, he had said she had to call him within three days.
But it hadn't even been three days yet.
Pei Kexin didn't want to offend him, especially at this critical moment when she had lost her support.
Although he might not have good intentions, he could at least deter Pei Zongrui.
"Hello."
There was a pause on the other end, and Yao Dongzhuo's voice came through faintly: "Miss Pei."
Pei Kexin: "It's me."
"Do you know who I am?"
Pei Kexin: "Of course. Mr. Yao."
"You're very busy. It seems difficult for you to call me, and I've waited for you for two days. May I ask if you're truly that busy, or if you particularly don't want to be friends with Mr. Yao?"
The sounds of the ritual in the background were eerie and carried a terrifying tone.
Pei Kexin covered the receiver and lowered her voice.
"I'm at the funeral home now, and it's inconvenient to talk. Can I call you back later, Mr. Yao?"
Yao Dongzhuo vaguely heard it too. Hearing her explanation, he couldn't help but want to laugh.
"What era is this? The Pei family still does this first. What are they doing over there? Performing a ritual?"
Pei Kexin didn't want to talk about it and was about to hang up when someone couldn't stand it.
She was reprimanded.
"If you're told to kneel, just kneel properly. It's only been a short while? You keep calling yourself a filial daughter, and now you're casually making phone calls?"
"What important call is it that you have to make right now? Others are performing rituals, such a solemn occasion, are you doing this on purpose?"
Yao Dongzhuo heard a sharp voice scolding Pei Kexin and immediately frowned.
"Who's speaking?"
Pei Kexin glanced impatiently at her elder sister and replied to him.
"It's no one important, and it's not about you, so don't worry about it. I really don't have time to talk now. Can I call you back tomorrow when I have time? Mr. Yao, can I hang up now?"
Yao Dongzhuo stood up from his armchair and said unhurriedly.
"Not about me? Then it's about you. Pei Kexin, you're not by any chance kneeling at the funeral home now, are you?"
Pei Kexin was getting a little impatient. Can't she see it's not the time for idle chat?
And she's still asking?
"Yes, I'm kneeling at the funeral home. There's someone performing a ritual next to me, holding the memorial tablet of the deceased, which is as unlucky as it gets. So, Mr. Yao, can you hang up now?"
Yao Dongzhuo's focus wasn't on that, but on the first two sentences.
"Are you kneeling alone, or is the entire Pei family kneeling?"
"That dog Pei Zongrui, for a little profit, sold you out in front of me. Who knows what he's doing behind my back. I heard you're the adopted daughter of Pei Yuanjing. Now that he's gone, without his connection, isn't that dog even more brazen?"
He, a notorious villain, was actually concerned about her?
Pei Kexin didn't know his true intentions and dared not rashly accept his concern.
"Mr. Yao, at a time like this, are you sure you have to talk to me about this?"
Pei Zongrui, who was standing nearby, heard her call him Mr. Yao several times and took a couple of steps closer.
"Which Mr. Yao? Who are you calling? Don't tell me it's Yao Dongzhuo! Pei Kexin, someone like Yao Dongzhuo is not someone you can afford to provoke. I warn you..."
Pei Zongrui, that idiot, every word accurately reached Yao Dongzhuo's ears.
Hearing him speak about himself like that, Yao Dongzhuo was furious.