Chapter 52: The Ou Family’s Invitation  

The next day, Ou Zilong brought an invitation to the Yang family.  

Yang Dapeng and his family were flattered by the visit and warmly welcomed him.  

“Second Young Master Ou, what brings you to our humble home? If there’s anything you need, just send word, and I, Yang, will come at once.”  

“My brother sent me here to deliver an invitation. Next week, our Ou family will be hosting a banquet at our residence, and we have specially invited your family to attend.”  

After speaking, he handed the invitation to Yang Dapeng. Yang Dapeng accepted it with both hands, feeling overwhelmed with excitement.  

Attending a banquet hosted by the Ou family was an immense honor. This was all thanks to Yang Xiaoyun, and the fact that Ou Zilong had personally come to deliver the invitation showed just how much Ou Zichen valued her.  

Yang Dapeng wondered—could this banquet be an occasion to announce Ou Zichen and Yang Xiaoyun’s marriage?  

Unable to contain his curiosity, he hurriedly opened the invitation, eager to see what kind of event it would be and whether it aligned with his expectations.

When Yang Dapeng opened the invitation, he saw that it simply stated: “The Yang family is invited to attend the banquet hosted by the Ou family on July 25.”  

There was no mention of what kind of banquet it would be.  

Feeling uneasy, Yang Dapeng asked: “Second Young Master, may I ask what this banquet is about?”  

The moment Yang Xiaolin saw Ou Zilong, her eyes lit up. Although Ou Zilong was not as outstanding as Ou Zichen in every aspect, his status as the second young master of the Ou family was enough to make her view him differently.  

If she could win his favor and marry into the Ou family, she would be entering a top-tier wealthy family and living a life of luxury that others could only envy.  

Wanting to capture his attention, she specially served him tea and spoke in a seductive voice. “Second Young Master Ou, please enjoy your tea.”  

Unfortunately, Ou Zilong did not even spare her a glance. He bypassed her completely and answered Yang Dapeng’s question.  

“You’ll find out when you arrive. Since the invitation has been delivered, I won’t disturb you any further. I hope your family will attend on time.” As he spoke, there was a faintly meaningful smile on his face.  

“Of course, of course! We will definitely be there on time!”  

Receiving an invitation to an Ou family banquet was an incredible honor. How could they possibly be late?  

After saying that, Ou Zilong left the Yang residence, with Yang Dapeng personally escorting him out.  

Meanwhile, Yang Xiaolin was left standing there with the cup of tea in her hands, completely ignored.  

Yang Xiaoyun crossed her arms and sneered. “Some people are truly shameless, throwing themselves at others. Too bad they don’t even get a single glance in return. How utterly humiliating!”  

Hearing this, Yang Xiaolin glared at her viciously and snapped: “Yang Xiaoyun, what do you mean by that? Are you talking about me?”  

“That’s right. I’m talking about you.” Yang Xiaoyun replied fearlessly.  

“You—” Yang Xiaolin was so furious that she nearly threw the tea in her hand at Yang Xiaoyun’s face. However, her mother, Chen Lan, stopped her in time.  

Ou Zilong personally delivering the invitation today made Chen Lan realize that Yang Xiaoyun was no longer someone they could afford to offend. With Ou Zichen as her powerful backer, they had to tread carefully.  

“What now? You want to throw tea at me? Go ahead. Try it.”  

Yang Xiaoyun’s arrogant gaze seemed to say, Just try it and see what happens.  

Chen Lan immediately bowed and scraped as she apologized to Yang Xiaoyun.  

“Xiaoyun, your Big Sister didn’t mean it. You are the bigger person—please don’t hold it against her.”  

Yang Xiaoyun let out a cold snort. “Hmph! If this happens again, you’ll regret it.”  

With that, she strutted past Yang Xiaolin and her mother, even deliberately bumping Yang Xiaolin’s shoulder as she walked away.  

After Yang Xiaoyun left, Yang Xiaolin, unwilling to accept what had happened, turned to her mother and said: “Mom, why did you stop me just now? Did you see that smug attitude of hers? I should have poured this scalding tea on her face—ruining her looks would’ve been the best outcome!”

Ruin her face, and let’s see if Ou Zichen would still want her then.  

Chen Lan quickly grabbed Yang Xiaolin’s arm and made a “shh” gesture, lowering her voice. “Keep your voice down. If Yang Xiaoyun hears you, you’ll be in big trouble.”  

Yang Xiaolin protested: “Mom, I—”  

Chen Lan patiently explained: “Xiaolin, I know you feel wronged, but times have changed. Yang Xiaoyun has Ou Zichen backing her now—we can’t afford to offend her. Just endure it for now.”  

That was true. Yang Xiaolin knew exactly who Ou Zichen was. He was the man she had always dreamed of marrying, yet also the man she could least afford to provoke.  

And now, that very man had taken a liking to her most hated rival, Yang Xiaoyun. Worse still, she had to lower herself before Yang Xiaoyun. She simply couldn’t swallow this humiliation, but there was nothing she could do about it. She had no choice but to endure.  

The only thing she could do now was curse Yang Xiaoyun—curse her to be abandoned by Ou Zichen as soon as possible. When that day came, she would trample Yang Xiaoyun underfoot and humiliate her without mercy.  

Truly, they were sisters—though they had different mothers, they shared the same blood. Both were equally vicious, unable to stand seeing the other succeed.  

After sending off Ou Zilong, Yang Dapeng returned home, absolutely delighted. He was convinced that this banquet had everything to do with Yang Xiaoyun. If the Ou family announced Yang Xiaoyun’s engagement to Ou Zichen, then he would become Ou Zichen’s father-in-law.  

When that happened, would his company ever lack business?  

Very soon, the Yang family would be able to hold their heads high and officially step into the high society that everyone envied.  

“This Xiaoyun has really brought honor to our Yang family. Who knows? She might soon marry into the Ou family and become a proper wealthy lady.”  

Hearing this, Yang Xiaolin’s face turned sour. With a sneer, she retorted: “Dad, don’t get too happy too soon. Just because the Ou family is hosting a banquet doesn’t necessarily mean it’s about Yang Xiaoyun.”  

What she truly wanted to say was: What if it all turns out to be a false hope?  

Sure enough, Yang Dapeng didn’t like hearing such words. The fact that Ou Zilong had personally delivered the invitation only reinforced his belief that this was good news for Yang Xiaoyun. His expression immediately darkened, and he scolded Yang Xiaolin.  

“Xiaolin, what you’re saying is wrong! Your sister finally found such a good match in the Ou family—you should be happy for her. Instead, you can’t stand seeing her do well and keep trying to bring her down. If you keep this up, Dad will be really upset!”  

Be happy for her? Does Yang Xiaoyun even deserve it? She wanted nothing more than to curse her instead.  

But in front of Yang Dapeng, she couldn’t show her true feelings. After all, he was still the head of the Yang family. If she made him angry, her life wouldn’t be easy.  

So, she had no choice but to obediently agree. “Dad, I understand. I won’t be so petty anymore.”  

Hearing her response, Yang Dapeng nodded in satisfaction. “That’s more like it. We’re all family—we should be happy for Xiaoyun!”  

With that, he headed toward the kitchen, muttering to himself: “Today is such a joyous day. I need to have the servants prepare a few of Xiaoyun’s favorite dishes.”