The Wan family’s dinner started very early.

Wan Dongmei, who had made a point of rushing back, exclaimed, "Mom, you’re so biased! Why is it that whenever I come back, the meals are never this lavish? I’ve always said you favor our youngest brother, but you never admit it."

Liu Daqing shot her a look. "Our youngest brother was missing for so long. Were *you* missing?"

"Come on! How is that my fault?"

"If it isn’t your fault, then why did you rush back here?"

"I was worried about our youngest brother! And I was worried about you too. Besides, you clearly said you were going back to Switzerland the day before yesterday, but you’re still at home today. What’s the delay?"

"Can’t I stay a few more days?"

Wan Dongmei giggled, clearly overjoyed. After all, her brother’s safe return was a huge weight off her mind.

She eagerly piled food onto his plate, saying, "Youngest Brother, eat more. These are all your favorites... Look, I rushed back specifically. I couldn’t rest easy until I saw you in person. Even if we’d spoken on the phone, I wouldn’t have been at ease..."

Wan Donglin chuckled. "Stop, stop! My bowl can’t fit any more."

Only then did she stop, but then she looked puzzled. "Youngest Brother, something’s strange..."

"What’s so strange?"

"Why didn’t Yan Xixi come back with you?"

He said nonchalantly, "She has to prepare various things for her trip to the United States. She didn’t have time today."

Liu Daqing coldly interjected, "It’s not that she didn’t have time, but rather that she didn’t want to, right?"

Wan Donglin remained silent.

Wan Dongmei cried out, "Youngest Brother, this is where you’re wrong! She’s already this arrogant even before marrying into the family? What’s up with that? How dare she put on airs in front of the Empress Dowager?"

Wan Donglin just gave a bitter smile. "Xixi isn’t really being arrogant..."

"Then what is it?"

Liu Daqing answered for him, "That’s the prelude to a breakup, isn’t it?"

"How... how could that be possible?"

Liu Daqing remained cold. "I sensed her intentions that day, which is why I didn’t hurry back to Switzerland. What, did she finally show her hand? She felt wronged and couldn’t take it anymore, right?"

Wan Dongmei wondered aloud, "She can’t even bear such a small grievance? Isn’t that just too arrogant? On what grounds?"

"On the grounds that she got into Harvard!!! And because she’s beautiful!!! To be that arrogant, you need to have something to back it up."

Wan Dongmei was speechless.

"You don’t believe it, do you?" Liu Daqing continued. "If you don’t, just wait and see. She breaks up with Donglin today, and tomorrow there’ll be a line of people like Li Zhen and Wang Zhen rushing to court her. Even if she goes to Harvard, as long as she signals she’s single, I guarantee she’ll have a cloud of suitors in the Asian community... What, still not convinced?"

Wan Dongmei retorted angrily, "I just don’t buy it! Yes, getting into Harvard isn’t that rare; what’s rare is that she’s also that beautiful. But so what if she has lots of suitors? Is it guaranteed they’ll be better than my youngest brother?"

"Every mother thinks her own child is the best! You may think your brother is one of a kind, but there are plenty of better men out there in the world..."

"Hey, Lady Daqing, why do you keep contradicting me? She’s being arrogant, so I can’t even comment on it?"

Liu Daqing said nonchalantly, "Women just can’t stand to see other women being arrogant. You have to understand, every woman *wants* to be arrogant. It’s just that some women simply don’t have the capital for it, so they make excuses about being ’virtuous.’ They’re unattractive, have no money, no abilities, and no appealing qualities. If someone like that tried to be arrogant, who would even bother with them?"

"The kind of woman I despise the most," Liu Daqing went on, "is one who uses ’virtue’ as a cover for acting like a servant. She puts men on a pedestal, unable to bear seeing them suffer the slightest grievance. Admit it. It’s only because she’s past her prime or plain unattractive that she’s terrified. She’s afraid she won’t find anyone better if she leaves her current man."

Wan Dongmei was left speechless.