Chapter 864: Hidden Trap
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Great! What a smart and bright child,” Old Mr. Xiao remarked while keeping his eyes fixed on Wen Xinya, who looked confident yet calm and collected. Her aura was evidence of the superior education and discipline that Old Mr. Mo had taught her. Although Xiao Chengyu was extremely outstanding as well, he was not as dominant as her.
He frowned slightly and found Wen Xinya to be mysterious and unpredictable because he could not see through her at all.
Glad to receive a compliment, Wen Xinya smiled genuinely while Old Mr. Wen laughed out loud in joy.
Wen Xinya finally understood what it meant by everyone pretending to be harmonious on the surface.
They spoke again and the atmosphere seemed to have become less awkward.
Old Mr. Li smiled calmly and said, “Xinya, our conversation got interrupted by Chairman Xiao and his grandson, but you’re not to go back on your word.”
Old Mr. Zhang smiled and said, “Yes, yes, I almost forgot about that too. Here, let’s play golf.”
Old Mr. Zhu chimed in. “I almost forgot about this because of the interruption.”
Obviously not going to turn them down, Wen Xinya smiled and said, “Grandpas, you guys are just waiting to watch me make a fool out of myself, but it’s my duty as a junior to entertain you guys.”
While speaking, she winked at them and spoke mischievously with no restraint. She even managed to get into their good books because of her friendly att.i.tude. Everyone burst into laughter.
Wen Xinya walked towards the course with the club in hand. She adjusted her position and soon got into the right posture.
Old Mr. Li said smilingly, “I can tell from her accurate posture that she was just being modest. I shall see how far the ball can go this time.”
After positioning herself, Wen Xinya swung her club and the golf ball darted up and flew far far away!
Everyone craned their necks and stared into the distance.
Old Mr. Xiao broke the silence and remarked, “What a pity. She got the position right, but she lacked explosive power. She didn’t even pot the tenth hole.”
Old Mr. Zhu chuckled and chimed in. “Hahahaha! Xinya does seem a little unfamiliar with golf. After all, she has only picked it up recently. Golf is a difficult sport. Her performance is commendable, considering how little time it has been since she started learning. She just needs some practice.”
The rest of the elderly continued to put in a good word for Wen Xinya.
Wen Xinya smiled at Old Mr. Zhu, filled with grat.i.tude.
Old Mr. Zhu returned her gesture with a benevolent smile.
Old Mr. Wen was heartened to see how quickly she had managed to impress them.
Old Mr. Xiao was initially planning to take the chance to criticize Wen Xinya and shame her in front of the rest. Yet, Old Mr. Zhu managed to give her an out and defended her. Old Mr. Xiao looked at Xiao Chengyu and said, “Chengyu, it’s rare that we’ve b.u.mped into these seniors here at the golf course. Go show your skills and let them give you some tips and pointers.”
Xiao Chengyu smiled and said, “Pardon me for embarra.s.sing myself, Grandpas.”
After some polite words, Xiao Chengyu grabbed the golf club!
Xiao Chengyu was indeed good at golf and he managed to pot Hole 15, earning himself the compliments of everyone else except Old Mr. Wen.
Feeling a little conceited, Xiao Chengyu gazed at Wen Xinya calmly yet smugly, as if he was trying to challenge her. He had never liked her ever since he met her for the first time at Zhou Tianyu’s birthday party.
He was no fool and knew that his grandfather and father had been comparing him to Wen Xinya. Hence, he was extremely displeased and began to dislike Wen Xinya. Besides, she had caused the Xiao Family to be in dire straits time and time again. Thus, he detested her and felt that she was too scheming.
Old Mr. Xiao smiled and said, “Xinya, Chengyu has always been good at golf. If you don’t mind, you may spar with him.”
Old Mr. Wen glanced at Wen Xinya smilingly and instructed. “Hurry and thank Chairman Xiao.”
Wen Xinya glanced at Old Mr. Xiao calmly and said, “Thank you, Chairman Xiao. I’ll definitely ask Mr. Xiao for some tips when the opportunity comes.” She then looked at Xiao Chengyu and said, “Please guide me along, Mr. Xiao.”
Everyone was impressed by her humble yet confident and polite att.i.tude.
Staring at Old Mr. Xiao, Old Mr. Wen said, “Well done, Mr. Xiao! It’s a pity that Xinya hasn’t had the time to brush up her golf skills. Ever since she returned to the Wen Family, she’s been busy learning from her Grampy and studying. She even has to squeeze time out to learn about business management from me. I’ve been too strict with her, so much that she doesn’t even have the time for leisurely activities.”
There seemed to be more meaning to his words than it seemed on the surface.
Old Mr. Xiao immediately understood what he meant. He initially wanted to use Xiao Chengyu’s splendid golf skills to mock Wen Zhihang and Wen Xinya. Yet, Old Mr. Wen indirectly implied that Xiao Chengyu was talentless by talking about Wen Xinya’s hardworking nature.
Xiao Chengyu was slightly stunned to hear his words. However, he soon recovered from the shock and said indignantly, “Work and play go hand in hand. I only learned how to play golf during my free time. I’m very busy with studying too.”
He was trying to say that Wen Xinya was too silly to work so hard. He was trying to prove that Wen Xinya was inferior to him because he could master golf despite his busy schedule.
Just as Xiao Chengyu was feeling smug about his reply, he discovered that his grandfather was staring at him in a threatening manner, causing him to grow a little fl.u.s.tered.
He then realized that the smiles on the faces of the older men vanished, and they appeared sullen.
Old Mr. Wen did not even bother staring at him and instead spoke softly to Old Mr. Zhu who was seated beside him.
Wen Xinya glanced at him calmly with contempt and he immediately snapped out of his trance. He realized that he was in no place to interrupt the conversation between the elders and that he was being rude by doing so. In fact, he might come off as being ill-mannered.
Xiao Chengyu immediately turned red in embarra.s.sment.
Old Mr. Xiao’s face grew sullen because of how embarra.s.sed he was. He quickly tried to give his grandson an out. “Hahaha! Chengyu is smart, but he still needs to learn more about etiquette. He’s embarra.s.sed himself.”
Xiao Chengyu stood beside Old Mr. Xiao and hung his head low.
The few of them said some words calmly and let the matter slide. However, the difference between Xiao Chengyu and Wen Xinya was apparent.
Old Mr. Xiao gazed at Wen Xinya and said, “The Xiao Family and Wen Family both belong to the four major families. Although we’re not business partners, we still have some ties with each other. Why don’t you address me as Grandpa Xiao?”
He did not mean his words at all.
Old Mr. Wen remained silent instead of helping her out.
The three other elderly men got a great shock. The Xiao Family and Wen Family had just been in a conflict and it would be terrible if Wen Xinya acted disrespectfully. Yet, Old Mr. Wen let her fend for herself.
Wen Xinya smiled calmly and said, “Chairman Xiao, you flatter me. I’m still young and insensible. Mr. Xiao is older than me and much better at handling matters. I still need him to guide me along.”
She was simply trying to say that Xiao Chengyu was older than her and he ought to address Old Mr. Wen as “Grandpa Wen”. However, since he did not, she was in no place to do the same to Old Mr. Xiao. Hence, she was indirectly trying to imply that Xiao Chengyu was disrespectful.
She was truly not to be belittled or trifled with, especially since she had managed to mock them so effortlessly with just a simple sentence of hers.