204: Poor Kobayashi - Part 1 (Bonus Chapter)

Watching Xu Man's award-worthy change of expression and her swift movement to "draw a clear line," Lin Wanxing and Su Ning were both stunned for a moment.

Ye Cheng, who had just entered, was also a bit overwhelmed by the overly enthusiastic greeting and hurriedly walked over with a smile.

"Auntie, I haven't lost weight; I've actually gained a pound!"

She responded, but her gaze quickly swept over Lin Wanxing and Su Ning sitting on the sofa, lingering especially on the hand Xu Man had just let go of, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Following behind, Jiang Ye put away the backpack Ye Cheng had brought back from school. Seeing the subtle atmosphere in the living room, he chuckled inwardly.

"Mom, what are you guys talking about? So happily?"

"Nothing, just chatting."

Xu Man stood up with a smile, took Ye Cheng's hand, and pressed her down into the seat she had just occupied, effectively separating Lin Wanxing and Su Ning and forming a new layout with Ye Cheng at the center.

"Ye Cheng, exams are over, right? What are your plans next? Are you going home for the New Year?"

Hearing this, Jiang Ye thought of that welfare home named Chenguang.

Just as he was about to speak, Ye Cheng already responded with a smile, "I'm going back, Auntie. I'll leave on the day of the Little New Year."

"Oh, leaving on the Little New Year. That's good, that's good."

Xu Man nodded, her gaze naturally turning to Su Ning and Lin Wanxing. "What about Xiao Su and Xiao Lin? What are your arrangements for the New Year?"

Su Ning immediately replied obediently, "Auntie, my home is a bit far, so I have to leave in early February!"

When it was Lin Wanxing's turn, she paused for a moment before saying somewhat uncertainly, "I... should be going back?"

Xu Man, who had originally just asked casually to create a harmonious family atmosphere, was slightly taken aback when she heard that "should."

To her ears, those two words "should be" carried a lot of weight.

It either meant her family situation was complicated and going back was stressful, or there were uncertainties due to work or other reasons.

However, such things weren't easy to probe deeply in front of so many people. She would ask her son privately later.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.

Looking at the three beautiful girls with distinct styles before her, Xu Man didn't know how to continue this "mother-in-law and daughters-in-law" first meeting.

She had binge-watched over a dozen episodes of Empress in the Palace last night, cramming some "balancing the water" techniques at the last minute. Handling one or two was fine, but three at once... Xu Man couldn't help but turn to her son, only to see the fellow leisurely peeling an orange. She was instantly fuming.

This Stinky Kid was clearly the one who caused these romantic entanglements, so why was she, the mother, the one suffering through this "Shura Field" atmosphere?

She curled her lip, glanced at the steaming food on the dining table, and gave a gentle smile.

"Oh, we've been so busy talking. Come, let's eat, or the food will get cold."

Upon hearing this, the three girls stood up simultaneously.

Xu Man walked to the dining table and looked at the six chairs—a rectangular table with one seat at each short end and two seats on each long side.

She turned "kindly" to look at Jiang Ye. "Xiao Ye, look... how should we sit?"

This kind of seating arrangement, especially with elders present, often best reflected intimacy and family status; it wasn't something to be taken lightly.

On one hand, Xu Man was genuinely annoyed by her son's attitude of watching the show and wanted him to personally experience the "price" of having a harem life.

On the other hand, she also had a small ulterior motive, wanting to see if these girls were truly as "harmonious" as her son claimed.

To her surprise, as soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Ye casually pulled out a chair at one of the short ends and plopped down.

"It's just a family meal, sit wherever. Whatever's comfortable."

As he sat down so "casually," the three girls tilted their heads at the same time, their gazes all landing on Xu Man.

Ye Cheng thought: "Hmm... I'm the only official girlfriend, after all. Reasonably, shouldn't I sit next to Auntie to help her with food and keep her company? Well, let's see where Auntie sits first."

Su Ning pondered: "The seat next to Auntie should belong to the 'first wife,' right? Then should I sit next to Big Brother? Wait, if I sit next to him proactively, will I seem too manipulative?"

Lin Wanxing was a bit dazed: "Why... is everyone just standing there? The food is really going to get cold soon, wasting all my hard work. What are you guys waiting for?"

Xu Man's thoughts were much simpler: "No, why are you all staring at me? Go pull each other's hair!"

Jiang Ye, already at the table, was laughing like crazy inside as he watched the four women staring at each other.

He stood up again, led Xu Man to the seat on his left, and pressed her down.

"Mom, there really aren't that many rules."

"Oh," Xu Man uttered, sitting down somewhat blankly.

After the two of them sat down, the other three women who had been standing there like statues moved almost simultaneously.

Ye Cheng naturally took the seat next to Xu Man; Su Ning walked quickly and sat directly opposite Xu Man, to Jiang Ye's right.

Lin Wanxing, full of questions and only wanting to start eating, looked at the remaining empty seat and simply sat directly opposite Jiang Ye, at the other short end.

With the seating settled, everyone's gaze once again turned toward the only elder—Xu Man.

Xu Man knew they were waiting for her to start, so she raised the drink in front of her and said a few words.

"This is the first time I'm meeting you all. Thank you, Xiao Lin, for preparing this big meal; and thank you, Xiao Su, for all your hard work helping out. Also, welcome back, Ye Cheng, now that exams are over. Let's have a drink together. I wish... I wish you young people a harmonious and beautiful future!"

"Thank you, Auntie!" the three girls said in unison, the atmosphere appearing perfectly harmonious.

Putting down their glasses, everyone began to eat.

But as they ate, Xu Man started to feel a bit uneasy.

She looked at Ye Cheng beside her, who was frequently serving her food with a bright smile, then at Su Ning opposite her, who was trying hard to find topics and acting obedient and cute. Finally, her gaze fell on Lin Wanxing, who was eating silently, not saying much, and seemed neglected.

Sigh, it's true, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. The more independent, sensible, and non-competitive a girl is, the easier she is to overlook.

This Stinky Kid's favoritism is off the charts. He probably still prefers the bubbly, coquettish types like Ye Cheng and Su Ning.

Looking at Lin Wanxing again, she didn't seem to have any aggrieved expression on her face, appearing calm and composed.

But this only made Xu Man feel more sorry for her.

This child has probably been neglected by my brat often, right? She's already used to it? Does she sit on this 'cold bench' every time they eat?

For a moment, Xu Man even recalled her own feelings of caution and fear of making a mistake the first time she went to her in-laws' for a meal. Her empathy instantly skyrocketed.