Chapter 4: The Shura Field of the Yu Family

A few minutes later, Aunt Wang, the maid, brought Tang Liyue’s luggage to her.

Aunt Wang led Tang Liyue to the farthest part of the corridor, where there was a small room.

Aunt Wang spoke, “This is your room. You’ll sleep here from now on, but whenever the young master needs you, you must go to his room to serve him.”

With a sigh of impatience, Aunt Wang shoved Tang Liyue’s luggage into the small room.

“Also, there’s a rule in the Yu family. Every day at 8 AM, everyone must go to the main building for breakfast.”

“Although you’re not yet an official member of the Yu family, the young master just instructed that you’ll sit at the main table from now on. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

After delivering her message, Aunt Wang left without another word.

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Meanwhile, in the main building of the manor, the family had already gathered in the dining room.

At the head of the table sat the imposing Yu patriarch, Yu Hao Shan, with his hair graying but still commanding respect.

The others were seated on either side of him. To the left was the family of the eldest son, and to the right was the second son, Yu Mo Yuan.

The seat on the far left was empty, the seat of the late Yu Zhengyuan, the eldest son who passed away in a car accident three years ago. Although he had passed, his seat remained unchanged.

In the second left seat sat the eldest wife, Zhao Zhiliu, Yu Mo Yuan’s sister-in-law and Yu Minchuan’s mother.

Yu Minchuan sat in the third left seat.

Today, however, was a bit special, as the arrival of Tang Liyue meant a new seat needed to be added.

Logically speaking, Tang Liyue was Yu Minchuan’s “new wife.” Although there was no marriage certificate or wedding, everyone had accepted it as a fact.

Since she was Yu Minchuan’s, she naturally had to be seated at the left side of the table.

But since Yu Minchuan was already seated at the end of the table, there was no space beside him.

The maid, holding a chair, nervously glanced at the seat next to Yu Mo Yuan.

She hesitantly asked, “Second Master, may I add a seat next to you for the young mistress?”

Hearing this, Yu Mo Yuan tapped his fingers lightly on the table, which was a sign of approval.

The maid sighed in relief and quickly added the seat.

The seat was placed at the second right, next to Yu Mo Yuan, directly across from Zhao Zhiliu.

Zhao Zhiliu, at forty-three, wore a black lace qipao. Her makeup was bright, but her demeanor was cold and distant.

She smirked sarcastically and spoke in a chilly tone, “You’re adding a seat directly across from me, on par with me? Those who know will know that Tang Liyue was the woman I chose for Minchuan. Those who don’t know will think she’s my second brother’s wife.”

As soon as Zhao Zhiliu spoke, Yu Mo Yuan let out a low chuckle.

Yu Mo Yuan didn’t even bother to look at Zhao Zhiliu. Instead, he calmly wiped his fingers with a wet wipe, then picked up his tea to sip it.

After drinking the tea, he finally lifted his gaze toward Zhao Zhiliu and coldly said, “Those who know will understand that it’s because the table is small. Those who don’t know will just think you, eldest sister-in-law, have a narrow mind.”

Zhao Zhiliu’s face instantly darkened. “Are you implying I can’t tolerate her sitting across from me?”

Yu Mo Yuan put down his teacup, “Hmm? Isn’t that what you just said?”

“You!”

Zhao Zhiliu was about to speak again, but was immediately interrupted by Yu Mo Yuan.

Yu Mo Yuan stated, “It was Minchuan who insisted on bringing her to the table, not me. The table is this big, and if you can’t stand her sitting across from you, you can either move the table or let her eat with the servants.”

He then looked at Yu Minchuan and added, “It’s a pity for my nephew. His father is gone, and his mother doesn’t love him. Now, he’s forced to accept a ‘wife’ who doesn’t even have the right to eat at the table.”

Yu Minchuan’s face showed no emotion, still appearing like the gentle young master.

But under the table, his hand tightly clenched the corner of his clothes, his fingers turning pale.

At this moment, Yu Hao Shan, who had been silent, slammed his teacup down heavily. “Enough! What’s the big deal that you need to argue at the dining table? The meal will be ready in ten minutes. When she arrives, she should sit quietly and eat. If she’s late, we’ll remove her chair, and she can eat with the servants.”

Yu Minchuan furrowed his brow and looked at Yu Hao Shan, “Grandfather…”

Yu Hao Shan spoke bluntly, “Xiao Chuan, you haven’t registered your marriage yet. If you haven’t registered, then she’s not considered a member of the Yu family. Giving her the chance to eat at the main table is already breaking the rules for you.”

Seeing this, Yu Minchuan didn’t dare to argue further. He turned his head and subtly glanced at Zhao Zhiliu, silently hoping that Tang Liyue would arrive before 8 o’clock.

Only by arriving on time would Tang Liyue have the right to eat at the main table.

And only then… would he achieve the goal he wanted.

Yu Mo Yuan, sitting across from him, successfully caught the fleeting calculation in Yu Minchuan’s eyes.

Yu Mo Yuan narrowed his eyes, feeling puzzled.

He couldn’t understand what Yu Minchuan’s goal was in having Tang Liyue eat at the table.

Was it to provoke Zhao Zhiliu? To make things uncomfortable for her?

After all, having an outsider sit across from her would definitely enrage Zhao Zhiliu, who was petty by nature.

Could it be that Yu Minchuan had finally had enough and was seeking revenge against his biological mother?

Zhao Zhiliu and Yu Minchuan weren’t close, despite being mother and son.

Zhao Zhiliu, with her strong and cold personality, only cared about power.

In her eyes, everyone was just a pawn in her struggle for control.

Her husband was, her son was, and now, Tang Liyue, whom she had “bought,” was too.

The Yu family’s shares were divided according to the number of family members, so as long as someone had the surname Yu, they would be entitled to shares in the Yu Group. After marrying into the Yu family, Zhao Zhiliu immediately got pregnant and gave birth to Yu Minchuan.

After Yu Zhengyuan’s death in the car accident, his shares were transferred back to Yu Hao Shan’s name, causing Zhao Zhiliu a huge financial loss and stripping her of any say in the Yu Group.

Since then, Zhao Zhiliu had begun arranging for Yu Minchuan to find a wife.

After Yu Zhengyuan’s death, she couldn’t have another child to fight for the shares, so she decided to have Yu Minchuan marry.

For the past three years, Zhao Zhiliu had shown Yu Minchuan countless photos, but Yu Minchuan had refused each time.

Ironically, as a mother, Zhao Zhiliu didn’t care about her son’s disability. Instead, she was preoccupied with finding him a woman.

Every time she suggested that Yu Minchuan marry, he rejected her, and the servants often witnessed Zhao Zhiliu angrily berating him, calling him a useless man.

And those insults were not limited to “useless man.”

She had said things like “It would be more useful to have a son than you”, “Why did your father die and not you?”, and “Your legs are useless, yet you refuse to sleep with a woman. Are you sick?”

To be clear,

To Zhao Zhiliu, Yu Minchuan was just a tool with a blood relation.

And to her, Tang Liyue was merely a “womb” to bear the Yu family’s bloodline.

The reason Yu Minchuan had Tang Liyue sit at the table was likely his way of getting back at Zhao Zhiliu for her indifference toward him.

By having a “womb” sit directly across from her, Zhao Zhiliu would find every future meal difficult to swallow.

So, was that all Yu Minchuan’s purpose?

Would there be other hidden motives?

What happened last night, was it an accident, or was it part of Yu Minchuan’s plan?

Thinking this, Yu Mo Yuan furrowed his brows, feeling that Yu Minchuan’s mind had grown deeper and more complex since the accident.

Yu Mo Yuan didn’t want to think about it any longer. He picked up the cigarette box on the table, stood up, and said, “Old man, I’ll go out for a smoke.”

Being called “old man” by his son made Yu Hao Shan’s beard twitch in anger, but he indulgently replied, “Hurry up and come back to eat breakfast after you’re done.”