Chapter 933: Chapter 921: Brazen Flaunting
Although Qiao Lin had clearly stated that Qiao Jing knew medicine, Qiao Peilan and her two daughters still didn’t believe it.
Sun Mingzhu glanced at Qiao Lin, who looked displeased, and said, “Alright, stop trying to save face. Listening to the same joke over and over gets boring.”
Qiao Peilan, putting on the airs of an elder, said in a patronizing manner, “Qiao Lin, it’s not your aunt’s place to say this, but even though your family has fallen on hard times and business is bleak, you can’t just spout lies and make things up for a bit of admiration. That’s very poor character!”
It was obvious that Qiao Peilan was using this as a pretext to ridicule the decline of the Qiao Family’s business, insinuating that the Qiao Family was now inferior.
However, what she didn’t know was that during the years they lost contact, the Qiao Family’s business had already bounced back.
Moreover, since they collaborated with the Zhan Corporation, the Qiao Family’s development trajectory had only improved, and the business was thriving!
Unable to hold her anger, Qiao Lin wanted to argue rationally with Qiao Peilan and the others.
Seeing this, Qiao Hong tactfully pulled Qiao Lin aside, shook her head, leaned in, and whispered, “Don’t waste your breath on them. Considering how we hardly interact with their family now, there’s no need to make them believe us.”
“Besides, given their family’s nature, if they find out about this matter, they might shamelessly come back to pester us, trying to gain some advantage, which would be a real nuisance for us.”
Qiao Lin felt that Qiao Hong’s words made a lot of sense and immediately gave up the idea of continuing the argument.
At this time, Sun Mingxin looked at Qiao Jing’s face and then unrestrainedly showed a look of disdain, blurting out, “I really don’t know what the uncle and aunt are thinking. Their younger daughter has been dead for so many years, and they still refuse to face reality.”
“The key is, even if they want to find an adopted daughter, they should at least find a somewhat decent-looking one. Why did they end up choosing such an ugly one? Don’t they find her unpleasant to look at every day?”
Upon hearing this, Qiao Hong and Qiao Lin immediately felt their anger rising.
Qiao Lin glared at Sun Mingxin with angry eyes, gritting her teeth and said, “It’s one thing to talk about me, but don’t involve my sister. If you dare say anything bad about my sister again, I’ll turn against you!”
Qiao Hong also spoke indignantly, “That’s right, you can say whatever about anything else, but you’re not allowed to insult my sister!”
Sun Mingxin snorted, in a disdainful tone, “She’s just someone with an unknown background. Do you really regard her as your sister?”
“Xiao Jing is my sister, and my biological sister at that!”
As Qiao Hong spoke, she embraced Qiao Jing’s arm, her protectiveness evident.
Qiao Lin took Qiao Jing’s other arm, echoing, “That’s right, Xiao Jing is our real sister. If anyone wants to bully her, they better ask us if we agree first!”
Seeing her sisters defend her like this, Qiao Jing felt quite touched.
She held Qiao Hong’s and Qiao Lin’s hands respectively, and sincerely said, “Elder sisters, to me, you are my real sisters!”
This sentence, Qiao Jing said from the bottom of her heart.
In her heart, she had already regarded Qiao Hong and Qiao Lin as family long ago.
“Mua~”
Qiao Lin directly hugged Qiao Jing and gave her a peck on the cheek.
Qiao Hong followed suit and also kissed Qiao Jing once.
Seeing the affectionate scene among the three sisters, Qiao Peilan and her daughters were not moved. Instead, they rolled their eyes impatiently.
Sun Mingzhu gave her mother a look, signaling her to get straight to business.
They didn’t come here today to watch this scene of sisterly affection!
Receiving the hint from her eldest daughter, Qiao Peilan remembered that she hadn’t yet addressed the main issue.
She cleared her throat a few times and said, “The main reason we came over this time is to inform you that in a few days it will be Ming Zhu’s twenty-fourth birthday. This year is Ming Zhu’s zodiac year, and our family is planning to hold a grand birthday party. Please make sure to attend.”
Qiao Hong and Qiao Lin exchanged a glance, both remained silent, clearly showing their reluctance to go.
As for Qiao Jing, it was even more obvious. Apart from the reasons related to Qiao Peilan and her daughters, she just didn’t like such noisy occasions.
Seeing their reaction, Qiao Peilan naturally realized they didn’t want to go.
Originally, she didn’t want to have anything to do with the already declining Qiao Family, but this banquet was their chance to shine and stand out.
With such a good opportunity, wouldn’t it be a waste not to invite more people to show off?
Feigning seriousness, Qiao Peilan cleared her throat and put on an elder’s posture again, “When I called your parents at home earlier, I already mentioned this to them.”
“Your parents have commitments and can’t make it, so you younger ones represent the family. Make sure to attend, and don’t be late.”
Having brought Qiao Weiguang and Jiang Youyi into the conversation, Qiao Hong and Qiao Lin couldn’t refuse anymore, and unwillingly agreed.
With the two sisters going, there was no reason for Qiao Jing, their sister, not to go either.
So, in the end, the three of them reluctantly went to the banquet together…
On the day of the birthday party.
To prevent Qiao Peilan from finding fault, the three left promptly and arrived at the hotel where the party was held.
In the banquet hall, a group of people surrounded Qiao Peilan and her daughters, showering Sun Mingzhu with compliments and flattery.
“Madam Sun, you are truly blessed to have raised such a wonderful daughter. Not only is she beautiful, but she’s also so accomplished. I heard she’s already become the director of a hospital!”
“Yes, Ming Zhu is truly outstanding. If only my child were half as excellent as Ming Zhu, I would be over the moon!”
“Madam Sun, I must say I’m envious of you, having a daughter as promising as Ming Zhu. You can just relax and enjoy life!”
“…”
Listening to everyone’s praises, Qiao Peilan felt as if she was floating, her heart swelling with pride.
Turning her head, she caught sight of the three of them and a sinister glint flashed in her eyes, then she shifted the conversation towards them.
“Come, let me introduce you. These three are my elder brother’s daughters, Qiao Hong, Qiao Lin, Qiao Jing.”
After the introduction, Qiao Peilan feigned a sigh of regret, “Sigh… The Qiao Family has fallen on hard times these past few years, their business is not what it used to be, probably on the verge of collapse. Just thinking about it makes me worried for my brother.”
Once she said this, a middle-aged woman, wearing a large gold chain around her neck and beaded bracelets on her hands, obviously a nouveau riche, bluntly said, “Then why would you invite them over? Associating with such poor relatives, aren’t you afraid they’ll bleed you dry?”
Someone nearby chimed in, “Indeed, poor relatives like that, it’s better to draw a clear line early on, otherwise your family fortune will be drained sooner or later!”
Sun Mingxin seized the chance, deliberately distorting, “Isn’t it because the dean of the hospital where my sister works is none other than the eldest young master of the Lu Family, Lu Zijin? He’s also coming today to celebrate my sister’s birthday, so they’re just here to gain some insights and meet such a high-profile figure.”