To avoid delaying Yimingge’s business, the gathering was generally scheduled between lunch and dinner.
People at this time had very fixed meal times; the lunch rush ended after two o’clock.
Between three and five o’clock, even a restaurant like Yimingge had few customers.
They chose this time for their banquet.
The banquet was personally prepared by Grandma Su, with Liang Xiu and Li Linlin assisting.
The other women each helped with whatever they could manage.
As a table full of dishes was just being laid out, Grandma Su and the others had just taken off their aprons and hadn't had time to sit down when they heard the restaurant door open.
Immediately after, everyone saw a woman in a cream-colored trench coat standing in the lobby of Yimingge.
The woman held a very exquisite handbag, standing casually in the lobby.
She gave off an aura of being detached from the world, standing alone.
Su Xiaotian felt that such a woman was not cultivated by an ordinary family.
She possessed an innate arrogance that emanated from her very core.
At this moment, a waiter had already stepped forward to greet the guest.
“Madam, hello, are you here to dine? Please have a seat inside!”
The waiters at Yimingge were specially trained by Su Xiaotian and treated every guest with great courtesy.
“I am not dining!” the woman said, her face still devoid of any expression, her cold gaze fixed on Chi Yiyuan.
Su Xiaotian found this very strange; why was this woman staring at Chi Yiyuan?
Others also noticed the woman in the lobby staring at Chi Yiyuan.
However, they didn’t recognize the person before them, so they merely glanced a few more times.
Only Chi Ge’s expression suddenly changed drastically.
“Xiyue, you’re back?”
As Chi Ge asked this, he had the illusion that he couldn’t believe his eyes.
There was no news, and suddenly she appeared before him?
Even if that were the case, how did she find her way directly to Yimingge?
“Dad!” Yu Xiyue called out, but her face still showed no trace of a smile.
The word “Dad” surprised everyone.
Was this woman Chi Ge’s daughter?
She didn’t seem like it!
However, most people were not nosy and did not speak, merely staring at the woman in the lobby.
Yu Xiyue felt the gazes of everyone on her and frowned slightly.
“Xiyue, when did you return?”
“I returned last week.”
Upon hearing this, Chi Ge’s expression clearly changed multiple times.
The Chi family still lived in their old house and had not moved. However, Yu Xiyue, upon her return, had not gone home directly. Instead, a week later, she had come straight to the Su family’s place.
At this moment, Chi Yiyuan’s expression became even more unpleasant.
His fair hands tightly gripped his chopsticks.
With his eyes lowered, others could not clearly see Chi Yiyuan’s expression.
Only Su Xiaotian, who was closest to Chi Yiyuan, could feel it.
She keenly sensed the fluctuations in Chi Yiyuan’s mood, so she quietly reached out, took his hand, and squeezed it as a gesture of comfort.
Chi Yiyuan, touched, squeezed Su Xiaotian’s hand back and gave her a warm smile.
After so many years, these two understood each other the best; a single glance was enough to know what the other was thinking.
This time was no exception!
Everyone else was focused on Yu Xiyue and did not notice the actions of the two youngsters.
However, Yu Xiyue saw them.
Her face visibly darkened a few shades.
“Yiyuan, you don’t greet me proactively when you see me; is this your upbringing?” Yu Xiyue was displeased, and her voice became even sharper.
Yu Xiyue’s words, however, deeply hurt Chi Ge.
For so many years, with his son and daughter-in-law absent, Chi Yiyuan, his grandson, had been raised by him alone.
Yet, upon seeing Chi Yiyuan for the first time after many years, his daughter-in-law declared the child to be ill-bred.
This was undoubtedly a slap in Chi Ge’s face.
Chi Ge remained silent, his face growing colder.
The atmosphere in the room felt as if it were frozen by ice, making everyone feel oppressed.
“Who are you?” Chi Yiyuan finally put down his chopsticks and stood up, his clear eyes looking at the woman opposite him.
When Chi Yiyuan asked this question, Yu Xiyue’s expression visibly stiffened.
“Yes, when you left, Little Yuan was only five years old. It’s understandable that you don’t remember her!”
Chi Ge said leisurely, his words providing a reasonable excuse for his grandson.
Even though Yu Xiyue was uncomfortable, she couldn’t say anything.
Back then, when they had rushed to go abroad, both children were still very young.
She could sense that Chi Yiyuan didn’t not recognize her; he was unwilling to recognize her.
Chi Yiyuan harbored resentment, resentment so deep that he was unwilling to acknowledge her as his mother.
However, leaving Chi Yiyuan and his sister back then was not their choice.
To pursue a better future and have greater development, they had no choice but to leave the country and go abroad.
Fortunately, they had left; if they hadn't made the decisive move, they might have ended up in the countryside like countless intellectuals.
Why couldn’t Chi Yiyuan understand them?
Now that the environment in the country had improved a little, wasn’t she back to pick him up?
Everyone had already understood; the woman before them was likely Chi Yiyuan’s mother.
However, due to the long period of absence, Chi Yiyuan no longer recognized his biological mother.
But Su Xiaotian felt that Chi Yiyuan did recognize the woman before him.
Yes, Chi Yiyuan had been intelligent since childhood. From the moment she met him, Chi Yiyuan’s memory had been excellent.
He shouldn’t have forgotten his mother.
The only explanation was that Chi Yiyuan was unwilling to acknowledge the person before him as his mother.
“Yiyuan, I am your mother!”
After several minutes of tense silence, Yu Xiyue finally spoke.
Even if she didn’t want to admit her debt to her son, she still had to admit that she had abandoned him for many years.
Even without formally inquiring about the Chi family’s affairs, having known them for many years, Su Xiaotian was aware of some things about the Chi family.
Chi Yiyuan’s biological mother, Yu Xiyue, was a very beautiful and intellectual woman.
And a woman as beautiful and intellectual as her would not likely come from an ordinary family.
A humble background could not raise such a daughter!
Yu Xiyue came from a prominent family, received a good education from a young age, and studied abroad for several years.
She was knowledgeable in ancient and modern studies, skilled in poetry and painting, and was even an excellent architect.
It could be said that she was a representative of the excellent women of her era, an outstanding woman who could not be ignored.
However, in Chi Yiyuan’s heart, it was probably not like this; she was simply an unqualified mother.
But clearly, this mother, deemed unqualified by her son, did not realize the problem.