Avoid the Protagonist
chapter-74

“I don’t agree with this. That’s all. Mom, if you want it so badly, then do what you like, but I’m not suddenly going to say that I have a sister. It doesn’t matter who she is.” Chen Sinan went straight down to get his gift to silence Weng Yinlin.

It wasn’t as though the two were bound by blood, so there was absolutely no point having them act as siblings in some stupid game of house.

Chen Sinan couldn’t entirely hide his agitation as he went downstairs, and when Mao Shiyuan saw him, he was confused. “What made your face like that? Did someone rub you the wrong way?” he asked.

Chen Sinan calmed himself and replied. “It’s nothing, I’m just going to the garage to get something. Are you coming?”

“Sure!” The casual reply made Mao Shiyuan instantly feel at ease.

The two of them conversed over a few job-related topics on the way, when Mao Shiyuan suddenly declared, “I just saw Xin Qiancheng.”

Chen Sinan and Xin Qiancheng’s companies had been engaged in a tense bidding war the month before, which Chen Sinan ultimately won with a slight advantage. Since then, Mao Shiyuan had come to know Xin Qiancheng quite well.

Upon mention of the name, Chen Sinan responded nonchalantly with a simple “okay.”

Mao Shiyuan was still curious, though. “Did Grandpa Chen invite him to his previous birthday celebrations as well? How come I’ve never seen him?”

Chen Sinan knew the reason for his question all too well. The Xin family was deliberately invited by his mother.

After returning to the lobby, he saw, as if on cue, a tall figure next to Chen An. Who else could it be other than Xin Qiancheng?

Mao Shiyuan saw him too, noting how the members from both families appeared to be conversing quite intimately. He elbowed Chen Sinan and discreetly asked, “When did Aunt and Uncle become so acquainted with the Xin family?”

Chen Sinan shot a glance at Mao Shiyuan from just the corner of his eyes. “How would I know?” There was no way he could know what his mother was planning anymore.

Despite the presence of the Xin family, Chen Sinan couldn’t spot Xin Siyue anywhere.

She didn’t come?

Chen Sinan approached and heard Xin Qiancheng saying in an apologetic tone, “Siyue is also very sorry. She wanted nothing more but to come to congratulate Grandpa Chen, but she was feeling unwell in every sense of the word. We insisted that she get enough rest, so she, unfortunately, won’t be attending today. But when she recovers in a few days, we’ll be sure to bring her for a visit.”

As the Chen family members listened to the apology, they also began to notice Chen Sinan’s demeanor.

Chen Sinan showed no emotion, but he could still feel Xin Qiancheng and his parents’ gazes trying to look through him and see what he was thinking. What he was feeling. All he was thinking was a single question. “Has she still not come back? Or is she avoiding me?”

He stopped this train of thought quickly and reprimanded himself for even starting it. There was no point defending her actions with contrived excuses. Whether or not she wanted to come, or if she came at all, had nothing much to do with him. As for the severity of her illness, if her family knew, then they wouldn’t sit around doing nothing.

There was absolutely no need for him to worry.

Weng Yinlin was the first to become uncomfortable with the silence, which had stolen into the conversation for a few seconds. “That’s so unfortunate, but it’s not that big of a deal. Siyue did return, right?” she replied regretfully.

In turn, Bai Ning replied with a smile. “Yes, she just arrived this afternoon.”

“Perfect! Tell her that whenever she has the time, she should come by. Our entire family will welcome her with open arms. Right, Sinan?” After the mention of her son, Weng Yinlin realized that she had never formally introduced him, and hastily motioned towards him. “Mr. Xin, Mrs. Xin, this is my unremarkable rascal of a son, Chen Sinan.”

Xin Jin obviously knew about Chen Sinan but played along with a smile. “You’re much too modest, Mrs. Chen. You say your son is unremarkable, but I’d wager our Qiancheng is even more useless.”

Xin Qiancheng and Chen Sinan shared a quick sympathetic glance as the conversation took an irritating but inevitable turn, before calmly ignoring their families.