Mrs. Tang wasn't particularly interested in Su Xiaotian.
However, upon hearing that Su Xiaotian was Su Manxiu's niece, she glanced at her again.
She had heard a little about Su Manxiu's maternal family.
She recalled that Su Manxiu's nephews and nieces were said to be very accomplished, with many graduating from prestigious universities.
There was one niece in particular who had attended university through a gifted program and was only eighteen upon graduation.
At that age, many were still in high school.
When this news spread through Lichang's social circles, it was discussed for a long time.
It seemed the legendary girl was the one standing before her.
She was quite beautiful, but unfortunately, Mrs. Tang didn't have a son of suitable age.
"Aunt, this is..."
"This is Mrs. Tang," Su Manxiu introduced simply.
Su Xiaotian politely said, "Hello, Mrs. Tang!"
"So you're her niece. No wonder you look so intelligent and lovely. I find myself quite fond of you."
After praising her with a smile, Mrs. Tang shifted her gaze to Chi Yiyuan.
"And who might this young man be?"
She had been wondering why this young man had become so successful in Lichang in such a short time.
Now she understood; he must be a relative of the Chen Zian family.
That made sense. It wouldn't be easy to establish oneself in Lichang without connections.
This was even better. She had already taken a liking to Chi Yiyuan and wanted him as her son-in-law.
Now that it was confirmed he had a connection with the Chen family, it was even more ideal.
Her husband, Old Tang, had been in his current position for three years, and perhaps it was time for a change.
Thinking this, her smile became even brighter.
Chi Yiyuan had noticed Mrs. Tang when she entered.
Although he didn't know the woman, the way she looked at him gave him an uncomfortable feeling of being appraised.
Coupled with his observation of her changing expressions, he felt it was best to be cautious.
Chi Yiyuan didn't want people to associate him with Chen Zian. Before Su Manxiu could speak, he spoke up.
"Hello, Mrs. Tang. My name is Chi Yiyuan, and I'm a classmate of Miss Su."
"A classmate?" Mrs. Tang looked at Chi Yiyuan suspiciously. Why did she feel that wasn't the case?
If they were just classmates, why was he at the Chen family's home, entering so freely?
Especially since this was Chen Zian's house.
Chen Zian was the top official in Lichang, with the power to command the wind and rain.
Even the most capable businessmen treated Chen Zian with respect.
She had heard Old Tang say that Chen Zian never allowed people to visit his home, yet this young man was able to enter today.
Mrs. Tang's eyes darted around. Chi Yiyuan noticed her speculation and could only frown and explain again.
"I happened to run into Miss Su at the banquet yesterday. Old classmates haven't seen each other in a long time, so we decided to catch up!"
Su Manxiu found Chi Yiyuan's sudden explanation strange, but she knew he was a thoughtful child and didn't contradict him.
She followed Chi Yiyuan's lead and said, "Xiaotian has some free time as a translator for the visiting delegation, and she wanted to visit me and catch up with her classmate, so they came together!"
Hearing Su Manxiu and Chi Yiyuan's words, Mrs. Tang seemed somewhat disappointed. So he was just a classmate and not closely related to the Chen family?
"I see. It's just that the two of them seem to have an age gap!"
"Xiaotian attended university through the gifted program," Su Manxiu stated calmly. "Naturally, she's a bit younger."
Mrs. Tang believed this. Although she didn't know what the gifted program was, if Su Manxiu said it, it must be true.
Besides, the rumors had already been circulating widely.
Mrs. Tang was envious. Her own daughter had barely finished high school and hadn't even gotten into college, while the Su family's children were so outstanding.
"So that's how it is. Speaking of which, I have a daughter who is two years older than Miss Su. They could be friends."
Mrs. Tang said with a smile, but her gaze was fixed on Chi Yiyuan.
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Tang, but I'm afraid there won't be an opportunity this time. I'll be returning to the capital with the delegation in a couple of days," Su Xiaotian said faintly.
Although she didn't understand Mrs. Tang's intentions, Su Xiaotian knew the saying: "Unsolicited kindness is either treachery or theft."
This Mrs. Tang didn't seem like a straightforward person; she clearly had ulterior motives.
Mrs. Tang's expression faltered upon hearing this.
Why was this little girl speaking so unpleasantly?
Su Manxiu didn't want to get entangled with irrelevant people, but she maintained a faint smile.
"Is there something specific you needed today, Mrs. Tang?"
She still had things to discuss with her niece Xiaotian and Yiyuan. Mrs. Tang hadn't seemed so clueless before; why was she acting so foolishly today?
But Mrs. Tang felt this was a rare opportunity and she had to let her daughter connect with Chi Yiyuan.
Her daughter had been thinking about this young man ever since she met him.
Coincidentally, Old Tang had mentioned that this young man was very capable, and her daughter would be well-off finding such a partner.
"There's nothing else, I just came to visit you."
"That's good. I was worried you had something important, Mrs. Tang. My aunt was just saying she wanted to take me to see Lichang's night market."
Su Xiaotian's face was also full of smiles, even with a sense of relief.
Su Manxiu was truly exasperated. These two children were so cunning, even their lies were so readily spoken.
However, this Mrs. Tang was truly tactless, lingering at the door when she had guests.
If she weren't so tactless, Xiaotian and Xiaoyuan wouldn't have had to resort to this.
"Yes, we'll be leaving shortly," Su Manxiu chimed in, following Su Xiaotian's lead. "Lichang's night market is quite special, something you don't see in the capital."
Mrs. Tang was disappointed that they were about to leave; her plan to have her daughter visit was clearly not going to happen.
But this person was like a persistent cockroach, and she immediately had another idea.
"Perhaps I could have Wanru accompany Miss Su to the night market? Young people would have more to talk about together."
"No need, Mrs. Tang. I haven't seen my aunt in two years and have a lot to talk to her about," Su Xiaotian refused without hesitation.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Tang, but I also want to have a private chat with Xiaotian, so there's no need to trouble Miss Tang to accompany us." Su Manxiu also politely thanked her, "Please bring your daughter Wanru to visit us another day!"
This was essentially a direct dismissal.