Pei Kexin had never attended a funeral and didn't know the specific procedures. She hadn't expected something like this, however.
Truthfully, she had already envisioned various scenarios of being deliberately provoked before coming.
In front of a group of people who disliked her, she was prepared for anything that might happen.
It was nothing more than cooperating with a ritual by holding a memorial tablet, which wasn't a difficult task.
She felt very uneasy about not being able to attend the grandfather's memorial service tomorrow.
Being able to fulfill her filial duty here in advance today would mark a satisfactory conclusion to the nurturing she received, and she could finally feel at ease.
The Pei family watched her, expecting her to say something uncooperative so they could publicly find fault with her.
However, Pei Kexin didn't hesitate: "Okay. What needs to be done?"
A few minutes later, everyone moved to the hall designated for the rituals.
A funeral team, which had business dealings with the funeral parlor, was already busy. There were still three other groups in front of them, each holding an urn and a memorial tablet.
A monk was performing a rite for one family, while the other three waited quietly.
Meanwhile, Pei Zongrui nudged Pei Kexin with his elbow.
"Put the urn down, hold the memorial tablet, and go kneel."
No one in the hall was kneeling, except for the family undergoing the ritual.
Pei Zongrui was clearly toying with Pei Kexin, and Pei questioned him.
"What do you mean?"
Pei Zongrui's explanation was high-sounding.
"The monk said that the longer you kneel, the more filial you prove yourself to be. Aren't you a filial daughter? You always say what you can do for the Pei Corporation. What's wrong with kneeling for Grandpa a little longer?"
His excuse was well-chosen, leaving Pei Kexin speechless. She had no choice but to kneel before the urn.
The others, without any pretense, stood watching her, clearly not wanting to prove their filial piety. The scene was quite absurd.
Pei Kexin looked at the grandfather's photo on the urn and thought to herself that a funeral only happens once in a lifetime. Being tricked this time would pass if she endured it.
However, she hadn't expected that it would be so difficult to actually kneel, even though it sounded easy.
The floor of the ritual hall was made of cement, without even tiles. It was vast, cold, and hard.
Pei Kexin was thin, and her kneecaps pressed against the ground, quickly causing piercing pain.
However, a ritual alone would take at least half an hour.
With three other families ahead of her, she would have to kneel for at least an hour and a half.
No wonder Pei Zongrui had assigned her this task. An hour and a half, and she might not be able to walk tomorrow.
He was truly malicious.
In fact, Pei Kexin didn't know that in the funeral market, for an additional few thousand yuan, one could not only elevate the ritual to a higher level but even upgrade it to VIP service, hiring professionals to mourn and kneel on one's behalf.
The Pei family had already inquired about these services when they first arrived. Before Pei Kexin's arrival, they wouldn't have minded spending that few thousand yuan.
Unfortunately, she had to show up.
Wearing only thin trousers, after kneeling on the ground for about half an hour, her knees had completely lost all sensation.
Pei Kexin gritted her teeth and persevered, staring motionlessly at the grandfather's urn.
"One, two, three..."
She silently recited in her heart: I'll get through this. It's only once in a lifetime. For Dad's sake, you can do it, Pei Kexin!
As she persisted, Pei Kexin's phone rang.
Given the special circumstances, she wasn't in the mood to deal with her phone.
She let the ringing continue, and the call eventually hung up on its own.
Pei Kexin let out a sigh and subtly adjusted the angle of her knees, kneeling properly again.
Just as she was preparing to enter the next phase, her phone rang again.
The moderately loud ringtone echoed in everyone's ears. To avoid disturbing those who were performing the ritual, she had to take out her phone.
It was better not to look, but upon seeing the screen, she realized it was Yao Dongzhuo.
That night at Neon Glow, he had told her she had to call him within three days.
But it hadn't even been three days yet.
Pei Kexin didn't want to offend him, especially at this critical moment when she had lost her support.
Even if his intentions weren't good, he could at least deter Pei Zongrui.
"Hello."
There was a pause on the other end, and Yao Dongzhuo's voice came through faintly. "Miss Pei."
Pei Kexin: "It's me."
"Do you know who I am?"
Pei Kexin: "Of course. Mr. Yao."
"You're very busy. It seems difficult for you to call me. I've been waiting for you for two days. Are you genuinely that busy, or are you particularly unwilling to be friends with Mr. Yao?"
The chanting from the ritual continued, with its eerie intonation.
Pei Kexin covered the receiver and lowered her voice.
"I'm at the funeral parlor now and it's inconvenient to talk. Can I call you back later, Mr. Yao?"
Yao Dongzhuo could faintly hear the situation. Upon her explanation, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"What era is this? The Pei family is still doing this first. What are they doing over there? A ritual?"
Pei Kexin didn't want to discuss this and was about to hang up when someone couldn't stand it.
She was reprimanded.
"If they tell you to kneel, then kneel properly. It's only been a short while. You claim to be a filial daughter, yet you're casually making phone calls!"
"What important call is it that you have to make right now? Others are performing rituals, and in such a solemn occasion, you're doing this intentionally, aren't you?"
Yao Dongzhuo's brow furrowed instantly when he heard a woman's sharp voice scolding Pei Kexin.
"Who's talking?"
Pei Kexin shot an impatient glance at her elder sister and replied to him.
"It's no one, and it's not about you, so don't mind. I really don't have time to talk now. Can I call you back tomorrow when I have time, Mr. Yao? Can I hang up now?"
Yao Dongzhuo stood up from the armchair and said unhurriedly.
"You said it's not about me? Then it must be about you. Pei Kexin, you're not by any chance kneeling at the funeral parlor right now, are you?"
Pei Kexin was getting impatient. Can't she see it's not the time for idle chat?
And she's asking?
"Yes, I'm kneeling at the funeral parlor. There's a ritual going on next to me, and I'm holding the memorial tablet of the deceased. It's as unlucky as it can get. So, Mr. Yao, can we hang up now?"
Yao Dongzhuo's focus wasn't on that, but on the first two sentences.
"Are you kneeling alone, or is the entire Pei family?"
"That scoundrel Pei Zongrui, for a pittance, would sell even you in front of me. Who knows what he'd do behind my back. I heard you're the adopted daughter of Pei Yuanjing. Now that he's gone, without his connection, has that scoundrel become even more presumptuous?"
He, a notorious villain, was actually concerned about her?
Pei Kexin didn't know his true intentions and dared not accept his concern rashly.
"Mr. Yao, at a time like this, are you sure you must discuss this with me?"
Pei Zongrui, standing nearby, heard her address someone as "Mr. Yao" several times and took a couple of steps closer.
"Which Mr. Yao? Who are you calling? Don't tell me it's Yao Dongzhuo! Pei Kexin, someone like Yao Dongzhuo is not someone you can afford to provoke. I'm warning you..."
Pei Zongrui, that idiot, every word was accurately transmitted to Yao Dongzhuo's ears.
Hearing him speak of him that way, Yao Dongzhuo was furious.