The dishes hadn't even been served yet.
Everyone sat around the dining table chatting, but not a single person spoke to Chen Xin'an.
And of course, Ning Xiruo, with her cool and distant temperament, wasn't much of a talker either.
So the two of them just sat there stiffly, awkward and bored.
Ning Zhe's face was dark as he glared at Chen Xin'an.
That morning, he'd been thrown out of Ning Xiruo's office by this guy, humiliated in front of everyone. Ever since, he'd been stewing, waiting for a chance to get back at him. Now that the target was right here, how could he possibly hold back?
Clearing his throat, Ning Zhe turned to the young girl beside him and said loudly,
"Ning Yuan, I heard that your best friend—what's her name, Tang Shuang?—went on a blind date today. The guy gave her a meeting gift worth one hundred and eighty-eight thousand?"
Ning Yuan rolled her eyes, her tone full of disdain.
"That's nothing! Last night, Tang Shuang and I met another suitor. He booked a private room at Caesar Palace—just dinner for six people cost three hundred and twenty thousand!"
Second Aunt shot her a glance.
"You mean Tang Wenqing's girl? The one with the neck like a crane? Someone actually wants to date her? And pays that much for it?"
Fourth Aunt chuckled, looking at Ning Yuan.
"Yuan, don't let your mom lose face. When you start dating, if the meeting gift's less than three hundred thousand, don't even let him through the door."
"Exactly! I'm way prettier than Tang Shuang anyway," Ning Yuan said smugly, rolling her eyes with pride.
Ning Zhe smirked, then turned his head toward Chen Xin'an.
"So, Brother Chen, since you're about to marry our fifth sister, how much of a meeting gift have you prepared for her tonight?"
The table suddenly fell silent.
All eyes turned to Chen Xin'an with curious, mocking smiles.
"Uh…"
Chen Xin'an, who was sipping tea, hiccupped and set his cup down. He looked at Ning Zhe and asked blankly,
"Were you talking to me? What did you just say?"
You've got to be kidding me…
Ning Zhe's face turned green with anger. He'd been setting up that question for minutes—and this idiot hadn't even been listening?
Clenching his teeth, he forced a smile.
"I asked how much of a meeting gift you prepared for Xiruo tonight."
Before Chen Xin'an could answer, Ning Yuan snorted.
"Second Brother, are you confused? Why would he be giving Fifth Sister a meeting gift? Shouldn't we be giving him one? Don't forget—he's marrying into the Ning family!"
"Pfft!"
Ning Ze burst into laughter, his tone dripping with mockery.
"Oh, right! Since he's the one marrying into our family, it's fine. The Ning family isn't short on money anyway!"
Laughter and sneers followed all around the table.
They had known for some time that Chen Xin'an was entering the family as a live-in son-in-law.
Now that the topic was out in the open, it was just another way to humiliate him.
First Aunt sniffed disdainfully and said,
"If you're marrying into our family, you should at least know the rules! Sitting here sipping tea all by yourself—what's that supposed to be? Don't you know you should be pouring for your elders first?"
Chen Xin'an showed no trace of irritation. Calm and collected, he stood, picked up the teapot, and poured tea for everyone at the table.
After all, this engagement was the matriarch's decision. Whether they liked it or not, no one could refuse.
So they could only accept his symbolic gesture and take their cups.
Second Aunt set her cup down with a frown and said condescendingly,
"He doesn't even know proper manners. Just stands there waiting to be told what to do. You can tell right away he's some uneducated country bumpkin!"
The others nodded in agreement.
Ning Zhe sneered coldly.
"Let me give you some advice, Chen. The Ning family is a powerful household. If you don't learn proper manners, your days here will be miserable."
Weren't you all proud this morning? Let's see how you handle this!
On my turf, dealing with you is easier than stepping on an ant.
Seeing everyone gang up on Chen Xin'an, Ning Xiruo couldn't help but speak softly,
"Auntie, Second Aunt, Fourth Aunt, don't blame him. He grew up in the mountains…"
"Oh, a mountain boy!" Fourth Aunt covered her mouth and laughed.
"No wonder he doesn't know anything! But Fifth Girl, you'll have to teach him. Otherwise, won't he embarrass you in public someday?"
"Exactly!" Ning Yuan rolled her eyes.
"The Ning family has strict traditions. Even a live-in son-in-law must behave properly.
You might not care, but if he makes a fool of himself, it's our family's face that's lost!"
She'd always envied how much Grandma favored Ning Xiruo, so every word she said carried a hint of venom.
And now, seeing the old lady had found her a son-in-law like this, how could she resist adding insult to injury?
Just then—
Prrt!
A loud, unmistakable sound came from right behind Ning Yuan. Her face flushed crimson as she froze in her chair, motionless.
Ning Ze clamped a hand over his nose, glaring at her in disgust.
"How indecent! Can't you control yourself?"
Ning Zhe burst into laughter—then suddenly stiffened as his stomach twisted painfully.
Brrt! Brrt! Brrt!
A rapid string of explosions erupted beneath him. His expression collapsed instantly, mortified beyond belief.
Almost at the same moment, First Aunt joined the orchestra.
The air filled with a chorus of embarrassing noises, like a band of small trumpets going off one after another.
Within seconds, the dining room felt like it was drowning in invisible smoke.
Pinching his nose, Chen Xin'an sighed dramatically.
"So this is what they mean by strict family traditions… quite a strong breeze, indeed."
Ning Xiruo's face turned scarlet as she glared daggers at him.
At that table, aside from her, Chen Xin'an, and the silent Third Brother Ning Ke, every single person who had mocked Chen Xin'an earlier was now… erupting uncontrollably.
There was no way this was a coincidence.
Even if she didn't know how he'd done it, she was sure this guy was behind it.
But what frightened her most was the thought—
If he pulled something like this during a company board meeting…
That would be catastrophic.
Before she could finish the thought, the culprit was still running his mouth, utterly shameless.
"Oh? Is this one of the Ning family's traditions? Or is it the pre-dinner performance?
Could someone open a window? My eyes are watering…
Honestly, I don't think I'm the country bumpkin here—you guys sound like you're launching artillery!"
He turned to Ning Zhe.
"Did you have onions for lunch? What's with that smell? And so loud, too—nearly gave me a heart attack!"
Ning Xiruo, who had been fuming moments ago, couldn't hold back anymore.
A laugh slipped out—soft, clear, uncontrollable.
Her laughter broke the last bit of dignity left at the table.
Ning Yuan bolted up, face buried in her hands, and ran out crying.
Ning Zhe followed right after her, head hanging so low it looked buried between his knees.
All that arrogance from earlier—gone without a trace.
He wanted nothing more than to dig a hole and disappear.
The rest hesitated, faces red and stiff, then began rising one by one.
None dared to speak. They simply clamped their legs together and shuffled out in awkward little steps, pretending nothing had happened.
In truth, Chen Xin'an hadn't gone overboard.
He'd only crushed a bit of Bloating Pill Powder and sprinkled it into their tea.
The worst it caused was some gas and a few embarrassing moments—no real harm done.
Of course, he'd paid special attention to Ning Zhe.
That guy was too obnoxious—just looking at his greasy, scheming face made Chen Xin'an want to "help" him learn some manners.
A servant entered carrying a tray of dishes but stopped halfway, frowning.
Sniffing the air, she muttered, "Why does it smell like rotten eggs in here? Did someone leave the gas on?"
Across the table, Ning Xiruo buried her face in her arms, her shoulders trembling as she struggled to hold back laughter.
Aunt Ru, please, she thought helplessly, don't make it worse…
Couldn't she see that First Aunt's face had already turned purple?