When Xinyue Zhilan returned, there was a sense of curiosity among her children.
But as she stepped back to her seat, her expression stiffened slightly, as though the decision she was about to make weighed heavily on her.
There was a hint of embarrassnt in her straight-faced deanor, almost like she was about to do sothing she knew was unfair but was too proud to back down from.
"Here, take this," she said, her voice firm as she passed sothing to Wang Xiao.
"???"
Wang Xiao blinked, montarily confused, as he reached out to take what looked like a sleek black card with a platinum tallic design.
All three siblings leaned forward, trying to get a closer look.
As he examined it, Wang Xiao quickly recognized it—an ICBC diamond card.
'This is a credit card…?' Wang Xiao thought, glancing up at Xinyue Zhilan, his eyes full of question marks.
"It's capped at 1 million yuan," Xinyue Zhilan said, her voice matter-of-fact. "Keep your monthly spending within 100,000 yuan. It's registered in your na, so I won't know what you spend it on."
Wang Xiao stared at her, still processing the sudden generosity.
Seeing his expression, Xinyue Zhilan hesitated for a mont, adding, "You can use it on anything… just make sure it's not sothing illegal." She had almost said sothing more lenient but caught herself, worried that too much freedom might lead him down a bad path.
"Mom, what?" Wang Xueying's voice broke out, filled with disbelief.
Her face flushed as she hit the table with both hands, the sudden outburst startling everyone.
Xinyue Zhilan, however, acted as though she hadn't heard a thing, maintaining her composed facade.
"I only get 20,000 yuan a month! And he's getting five tis that? This is completely unfair!" Wang Xueying protested, her voice rising with indignation.
She glared at their mother, her disbelief evident.
Even Wang i, who had been silent until now, exchanged a look with Wang Xueying, her own surprise clear on her face.
Wang i's monthly allowance was only 10,000 yuan, which had always seed reasonable for her age.
But now, hearing that Wang Xiao was going to receive 100,000 yuan per month, she couldn't help but wonder if their mother was finally revealing a long-held bias.
Wang Xueying continued, her surprise barely contained. "You're just outright showing favoritism now! Even Jiarong doesn't get anywhere near this amount..."
Xinyue Zhilan pursed her lips, clearly feeling the stare of her daughters' judgnt.
Wang Xiao's sisters stared at their mother in disbelief, as though they had finally glimpsed the unspoken truth—this wasn't just favoritism; this was outright patriarchy.
Wang i's brow furrowed.
Her mother had always been subtle about her favoritism toward Wang Xiao, but this?
This was laying it out openly, almost as if she were declaring that, as the son, he was entitled to more.
'Mom's playing favorites in broad daylight now,' Wang i thought, feeling a strange mix of confusion and resignation.
Wang Xiao, anwhile, remained calm, though the situation amused him.
He could feel the tension radiating from his sisters, but to him, it was just another example of the dynamics that had always existed in their family—his mother had always treated him differently, more delicately, because he was her son.
Now, though, it seed she was no longer trying to hide it.
Wang Xueying, on the other hand, seethed. 'How is this fair?' she thought, glaring at Wang Xiao, who sat there, his face calm as ever.
Her mother had always favored him, but this blatant display of bias was too much to handle.
"You still get your salary, don't you? In fact, I'm starting to think I shouldn't give you any pocket money at all…" Xinyue Zhilan's voice was firm, cold as she turned to address Wang Xueying, her decision clear.
"!"
"That's..." Wang Xueying was stunned into silence.
She pressed her lips together, feeling a wave of disbelief.
Her salary as a research assistant was only 10,000 yuan a month. Combining that with the 20,000 yuan she received in pocket money, her total inco of 30,000 yuan was more than enough for her usual spending.
But if her mother were to suddenly cut her allowance, she would be practically broke.
"..."
Across the table, Wang i pretended to focus on her noodles, silently eating to avoid getting involved.
She could feel the unfairness of it all, but what could she do?
Xinyue Zhilan clearly had no plans to disguise the favoritism she was showing toward Wang Xiao, and there was a sense that this was her way of compensating for the seven years Wang Xiao had been away.
Wang Xiao remained calm, observing the increasing tension.
He knew his mother had a very high salary—around ten million yuan annually as a partner in a law firm, even after adjusting for inflation.
It wasn't out of the ordinary for soone in her position, but seeing her openly favor him made him pause.
For a brief second, he entertained the absurd idea that Xinyue Zhilan might be using him as a tool for so sort of tax evasion.
'No… that's ridiculous,' he thought, shaking the notion away.
But still, sothing about the way she was handling all of this made him uneasy.
As he looked at his mother now, sothing felt different.
Usually, it was Eleanor who spoiled him with favors and wealth, but now, Xinyue Zhilan seed to be playing her own hand, revealing her cards piece by piece.
And sothing told him she wasn't finished yet.
The air in the room grew tense, but Xinyue Zhilan remained composed, as though her decision was already made, regardless of anyone's feelings.
Wang Xueying stared down at her plate, frustrated but unwilling to argue further. S
he knew better than to push back when her mother was in this mood.
Wang Xiao, for his part, simply leaned back, a faint smile playing on his lips. 'So this is how Xi'er feels...being favoured unfairly..'
Wang Xiao couldn't suppress the urge to laugh.
Everything felt so absurd—sitting in his own ho, surrounded by the familiar yet distant.
It was his house, his family, and yet, after being away for so long, everything felt strangely foreign.
He noticed the faint fragrance lingering in the villa, sothing delicate and floral.
The house had been renovated since he'd last seen it—the chandelier had been replaced with golden candlelight designs, the flooring swapped for larger white tiles.
So many small changes, little touches he hadn't been there to witness.
The third floor, once unused, now seed well-maintained.
His mother likely spent ti there, unwinding after work, gathering the family whenever she had a mont to spare.
Her workload was unpredictable, but it was clear she did her best to make ti for them.
Wang Xiao leaned back, observing his surroundings with narrowed eyes, taking in all the details.
But as his gaze flickered to his mother, he noticed sothing odd.
Her eyes seed slightly wet as she looked at him, not in the usual way, but as if she had been crying earlier.
Whether it was tears of joy or pain, he couldn't tell.
'That explains why she took so long coming back, he thought. 'She must have been emotional.'
A sudden wave of guilt hit him, and for the first ti in a long while, he felt a twinge of respect for her.
Maybe, just maybe, she was turning into a good mother after all.
Buzz...
Her phone vibrated, snapping him out of his thoughts. Xinyue Zhilan picked it up and spoke chanically, "Hmmm, stay outside, we're coming." She cut the call swiftly, her expression calm, though her cheeks flushed slightly, betraying her embarrassnt.
Everyone stared at her, sensing sothing was off.
Wang i and Wang Xueying exchanged confused glances, their minds running wild.
'Could this get any more absurd?' they wondered.
Suddenly, Xinyue Zhilan stood up. "Xiao Wang, co with outside," she said with a smile, her voice unusually pleasant. Then, turning to her daughters, she added, "You two, as well."
"??"
Wang Xiao nodded, slipping the card into his pocket before standing.
As they followed Xinyue Zhilan toward the door, Wang Xueying sidled up to him, flashing him a mischievous smile.
"Brother ~!" she cooed sweetly.
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