Chapter 80: I'm Also Very Capable

Ms. Song had Pei Muyin wait at the entrance of the banquet hall.

The phone had not been hung up.

"Where are you? I can't see you."

Pei Muyin saw Ms. Song's phone pressed to her ear, looked around, and across a green belt their gazes met, but Ms. Song directly shifted her eyes away, about to miss her.

"... Here." Pei Muyin couldn't help but speak.

Hearing the voice, Ms. Song finally stopped her motion, and upon turning her head, her gaze locked directly onto Pei Muyin.

Full of surprise, she almost didn't dare to recognize her.

This is... Pei Muyin?!

The one who always liked to keep her head down, hiding herself behind thick bangs, with an introverted and clumsy personality, not at all the granddaughter she liked?!

Under the bright lanterns of the Xu family's corridor, the girl stood there as if she would glow, her whole person exuding a well-behaved tranquility.

Ms. Song looked incredulously as Pei Muyin walked step by step to stand before her, not even putting her usual displeasure and impatience toward Pei Muyin on her face right away: "You..."

Pei Muyin also knew her appearance had changed quite a bit; being stared at made her somewhat nervous as she fiddled with the strap of her small handbag, and then she heard Ms. Song snort and say, "Who let you dress like this?"

A tone not very pleased.

Pei Muyin answered, "Dressing appropriately for the banquet is the basic respect and courtesy owed to the host; Grandma, you're dressed quite formally today—don't you think there's anything wrong with this?"

The girl's pair of peach-blossom eyes were clear and limpid; she asked seriously, and someone who didn't know her might think she was being sarcastic.

But she was Pei Muyin; her character was as pure as her clear gaze, and precisely because of that, Ms. Song felt like she had punched cotton, the force rebounding onto herself; she frowned—Pei Muyin had never attended a banquet before, so how did she know all this?!

Most importantly, she actually dared to talk back; before, she only knew how to keep her head down and listen silently.

Never mind, that's not the point now.

"Where's the painting?"

Pei Muyin pointed to the attendant following behind her, and Ms. Song asked, "You haven't opened it, have you? I put a lot of thought into acquiring this painting to give to Old Xu; if it gets damaged even a little, it's your fault."

After confirming the painting tightly wrapped in the attendant's hands, Ms. Song was satisfied and withdrew her gaze, without needing to wait for Pei Muyin's answer.

"Take the painting and go in; the banquet is about to start."

…

Inside the luxurious banquet hall that resembled a crystal palace, lights blazed, a leisurely elegant melody drifted from somewhere, the elite gathered, and their conversation was filled with cheerful laughter.

Pei Muyin followed cautiously behind Ms. Song, furtively lifting her eyelids to look around from time to time; she wasn't interested in this kind of occasion for the first time, but was looking for her father.

Yet after searching for a long time, she still didn't see her father's figure.

"... Grandma." Pei Muyin softly called out to Ms. Song, eagerly asking, "Where is Grandpa? Has he come? Or is he still on the way? I just can't see him anywhere."

But she heard: "He didn't come.

"What?" Pei Muyin froze instantly; a moment ago the tip of her hair had been swaying with anticipation, the next second she went rigid: "You didn't say Dad would come, did you...?"

Ms. Song turned her head to glance at her, speaking in a light tone about cruel words: "He was supposed to come, but as soon as he heard you were also here, he decided not to."

"..."

The air fell silent for a few seconds; the girl stood in place, slowly lowering her long lashes to shield the emotions in her eyes, then she spoke in a low voice: "Oh, since Dad isn't here, I'll head back first."

"No." Upon hearing that, Ms. Song immediately frowned disapprovingly; the painting still hadn't been delivered, she said displeasedly, "Do you know how rude it is to leave when the banquet starts? You're impolite, and you don't care about our Pei family's reputation either? If it gets out, what will outsiders say about your father?"

The last sentence succeeded in keeping Pei Muyin there; she had no choice but to continue following Ms. Song.

Along the way, Ms. Song ran into an acquaintance.

She was some elderly lady from a family in Jing Shi; this time she had come to Gang Cheng to attend Old Xu's birthday banquet, and she had also brought her granddaughter, who happened to be about the same age as Pei Muyin, both still in high school.

Ms. Song's face was warm and delighted as she took the little girl in the princess dress and praised her profusely, complimenting her beauty and excellence.

The other elderly lady modestly said, "Oh, please stop praising her; my child is competitive, especially in studies—after finishing school she's not allowed to rest, and at home she begs her parents to hire a bunch of tutors, studying deep into the night every day, just to keep her rank in the top ten."

"I, being older, can't bear to see the child suffer so much; I only hope she lives healthily and happily."

Ms. Song immediately snapped, "You're blissfully unaware of your blessings—having such an outstanding, self-motivated granddaughter makes me envy you to no end, unlike mine."

Saying that, Ms. Song glanced disparagingly behind herself.

Only then did the other elderly lady notice Pei Muyin's presence, surprised: "This is...?"

Ms. Song: "That's mine."

The other elderly lady looked Pei Muyin up and down, without malice, purely out of curiosity, because this young miss of the Pei family hardly ever appears in public view, rarely seen.

Pei Muyin politely greeted: "... Grandma, hello."

"Ah." The elderly lady smiled and nodded, then gently asked Pei Muyin's name, and said to Ms. Song, "Your Mu Yin is so well-behaved."

How did this provoke such disdain from Ms. Song, inside and out? The other elderly lady instinctively thought Ms. Song was engaging in false modesty, and Ms. Song said, "Well-behaved? Does being well-behaved help? Normally she can't do anything right; at her age she has nothing to show for it."

"Or your granddaughter is good, with such excellent grades."

Again, the same old belittling, still in front of outsiders.

Pei Muyin's fingers gripping the bag straps tightened momentarily, turning pale, as if she had fallen back into that familiar black hole, automatically shutting out sound.

This is an instinctive self-protection mechanism of hers, also an avoidance mechanism, just like every time Grandma says these things.

But this time, it seemed different.

Amid the buzzing in her ears, a gentle voice said to her, "In this world, no one has the right to belittle Mu Yin; Mu Yin is amazing~"

In an instant, it brought her back to reality.

Ms. Song's eyes still brimmed with contempt; Pei Muyin met her gaze directly, never having been so brave before, and said, "I'm also very capable."

The girl firmly repeated: "Grandma, I'm also very capable——"