Chapter 152

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"I say, you really hit him?"

Qu Peng winced in pain, clutching his stomach and curling up like a shrimp.

"Serves you right."

Li Liang rarely spoke up for Wang Fan, then drove another knife into him: "This brat deserves a beating. You didn't even come back when the old house moved—do you still remember where you're from? Do you know where your family lives now? Do you know your grandmother fell ill recently? You ungrateful wolf, you've been gone two months and weren't even by her bedside when she was sick. We really raised you for nothing."

"My mom called me when Grandma got sick."

Qu Peng put on a bitter face to defend himself: "She said Grandma had acute appendicitis, had surgery, and is recovering well. Family members are taking turns staying at the hospital, so I didn't need to come back."

"Just because your mom told you not to come back, you didn't come back?"

Wang Fan sneered: "Since when did you become so obedient? Doesn't sound like you. Come clean—what have you been busy with in BJ? Did you get a girlfriend and don't want us to know?"

"Cough, cough."

Qu Peng's ears turned red, and he subconsciously glanced at the Male Guest Table.

"Hey, you brat, there really is something going on."

Wang Fan's gaze was sharp as a thief's. Following Qu Peng's line of sight, he immediately spotted the girl of extraordinary temperament sitting beside Guben's sixth great-uncle.

Though the girl's looks were not outstanding, she had a fine temperament, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, looking learned, clever, and endearing.

"Who's that woman?"

Li Liang saw her too, grabbed Qu Peng's ear, and forced him to look at himself.

"Ow, ow, go easy..."

Qu Peng covered his ears and wailed: "You're hitting so hard, you're about to pull my ear off."

"Who told you to harbor ulterior motives and covet someone's young lady?"

Li Liang pierced his little scheme with one sharp remark.

"Cough, cough..."

Qu Peng's ears were bright red, and he coughed twice in embarrassment.

"Qu Peng, you're something..."

Wang Fan stroked his chin and chuckled, giving Qu Peng an ambiguous look: "That young lady isn't old, sitting right next to Guben's sixth great-uncle, acting very intimate. She must be from the Gu Family—either Guben's female cousin or his older female cousin. This trip to BJ, you've gained quite a bit, haven't you? Did you catch the golden phoenix?"

"Don't talk nonsense..."

Qu Peng's heart trembled, and he clapped a hand over Wang Fan's mouth: "I have nothing to do with her. We've just met a few times and can talk..."

"What are you feeling guilty about?"

Wang Fan, displeased, pried his hand away, spat three times, and wiped his mouth with his sleeve in disdain: "Cold sweat all over your hand, and it's all smeared on my mouth."

"Guben and the others are coming. Stop messing around."

Qu Peng wanted to use the toast to get away from his two childhood friends and make a clean escape.

"Toasts start with the elders; it's not our turn yet."

Wang Fan wouldn't let him escape so easily and grabbed his arm.

"What exactly do you two want?"

Qu Peng helplessly rubbed his forehead: "Meeting you means not a single good word, just screwing with me. If I'd known, I wouldn't have come back."

"You didn't come back for us two anyway..."

Wang Fan grinned, not taking his words to heart at all: "Besides, Guben is getting engaged. If you don't come back, his female cousin won't agree either."

"I suppose so..."

Li Liang deeply agreed: "You brat, your heart isn't in the wine. What scheme are you plotting? You'd better confess everything."

"Fine..."

Qu Peng, feeling his face couldn't hold up under their combined teasing, simply gave up and threw caution to the wind: "You two insist I have something to do with her. Fine, I admit it. Happy now?"

"If you'd said so earlier, we'd be done."

A glint flashed in Wang Fan's eyes, and he smiled with fox-like cunning: "Leniency for confession, severity for resistance. Come clean—when did you two start, and how far have you progressed..."

—

"Xiyu, you're so beautiful today."

"This qipao flatters your complexion. Fair skin looks good in anything."

"Who did your makeup? You're drop-dead gorgeous..."

"I'm so envious. Seeing you living so well, I want to get married early too."

On the other side of the banquet hall, the staff of the Pump Spring Program Crew were also invited to the scene.

Li Yan and the others saw the girl in a bright red qipao, charming and lovely, and all showed looks of astonishment.

"Zou Jie did my makeup."

Lin Xiyu said shyly: "She came early this morning and spent over an hour just on my hair and makeup, more careful than when filming a documentary."

"Little Zou, no wonder..."

Li Liang suddenly understood: "She's our program crew's exclusive makeup artist, and bridal makeup is her specialty."

"Zou Jie said..."

Lin Xiyu covered her mouth and smiled, a little tsundere: "She's done makeup for many celebrities, and my skin is the best."

"Indeed..."

Li Yan deeply agreed: "You're only eighteen, at the age of fresh flowers, your skin so tender you could pinch water from it, not like us who are almost thirty, faded flowers and withered willows, already old!"

"Sister Yan isn't old at all."

Lin Xiyu had the intention of propping her up and setting the atmosphere: "You look about my age; people unfamiliar with us, upon first seeing you, would think you're my real older sister."

"I love hearing that..."

Li Yan found it pleasant to hear, smiling so much she couldn't close her mouth.

Cameraman smiled and urged: "Xixi is so good at talking, making you so happy, you still haven't hurriedly dripped, take out the congratulatory gift."

"Right, I was so busy laughing I almost forgot the main business."

Li Yan annoyedly slapped her forehead, took out a CD from the shoulder bag she carried with her, and smilingly placed it in Lin Xiyu's hands.

"What is this?"

Lin Xiyu looked at this rare thing she had never seen before and was very curious.

"This is a little thought from our entire program group."

Li Yan smiled mysteriously, deliberately selling a secret: "You'll know once you go home and watch it with the video player."

"My home doesn't have a video player."

Lin Xiyu laughed and cried at the same time.

"Give it to me, internet cafes have them, you can watch it there..."

Guben probably guessed what was engraved on the disc, reached out and took the CD.

"You must watch it."

Li Yan smilingly instructed: "You'll regret it if you don't watch."

"Mm-hmm."

Lin Xiyu nodded with a smile: "I definitely will watch."

"You go propose toasts, don't mind us."

Li Yan was satisfied, then smilingly said: "The television station still has business; we'll just eat something casually and leave in a while."

"Fine."

Guben wasn't affected, smilingly agreeing: "You handle it yourselves; we'll contact again when there's an opportunity."

"Absolutely."

Li Yan smiled very happily.

"Keep in touch."

Cameraman shook hands with him in a man's way, then smilingly looked at Lin Xiyu: "Xixi, you too, keep in touch; later if there's an opportunity, we'll also go to Shanghai, then find you to be our guide, take us around Shanghai and its surroundings..."

"No problem."

Lin Xiyu readily agreed: "You all come, I'll wait for you in Shanghai."

"With your words, we've decided to go."

Li Yan wasn't ambiguous either, making the decision on the spot.

"See you in Shanghai..."

"See you in Shanghai..."

Lin Xiyu happily clapped hands with her, the two exchanged a knowing smile, both seeing tacit understanding in each other's eyes.

—

At the Male Guest Table, at this moment, the group of juniors from the Gu Family who came from Jingcheng were also sizing them up, whispering privately.

"Xiao Bin's girlfriend is okay, quite pretty; no wonder she hooked this kid's soul, giving up a comfortable single life at eighteen, tied down by a woman."

"Is this little girl the one filming the documentary with him? She looks a bit different from on TV; in person she looks even younger, a bit simple, not the same type as Xiao Bin."

"Why be so subtle; just say she's stupid."

"In front of Xiao Bin, everyone is stupid; no one is more of a person of influence than him..."

"Being a bit stupid is good, personalities complement each other; being a person, it's rare to pretend to be confused while knowing the truth; if you really find a shrewd one, husband and wife will scheme against each other, the days won't last long, sooner or later they'll split..."

"I also think; maybe Xiao Bin just liked that she has no scheming mind, getting along with her is very easy, so he threw himself into it wholeheartedly, getting engaged this early."

"Xiao Bin getting engaged now is still a bit of a pity; with his conditions, he could definitely find someone better."

"What do you pity; even Grandfather agreed."

"Don't you think this matter is a bit strange?"

"Strange what?"

"Don't you find it strange? Grandfather values Xiao Bin the most, yet actually agreed to him marrying a girl with no status and no background, which offers no help to his future official career; it's truly puzzling, I just can't figure it out no matter how I think; what charm does this little girl have that makes Grandfather value her, personally come to Jinan to attend the engagement banquet, and back her..."

"Didn't Grandfather come to Jinan for Xiao Bin?"

"Even if Xiao Bin is the one he values most, it's just an engagement, not a marriage; it's not worth him coming all the way from Jingcheng."

"Isn't engagement equal to marriage? Just without getting the certificate; in the Second Generation Circle, arranged marriages by order are everywhere, loveless ones are common; after marriage they each play their own; the marriage certificate is just a decoration, like waste paper."

"If I really had to marry someone I don't like, I'd rather find someone I like; even if she has no status or background, I'd accept it."

"Hearing this from your mouth truly shocked me; you are the one carefully cultivated by Second Uncle, a model of the new generation of the Gu Family, a future leading figure..."

"Wake up; what am I? The real leading figure is over there; didn't you see Grandfather personally come to support him..."

—

"Cough cough."

The group of juniors talked more and more excitedly, with a trend of being unable to stop; it reached the ears of the elders present; Grandfather Gu's sixth younger brother, with a stern face, coughed a few times, his expression slightly displeased.

The discussion suddenly stopped; the juniors' expressions changed greatly, and they closed their mouths in unison.

"Grandfather, sincerely thank you; you specially came from BJ to attend my and Xixi's engagement ceremony."

Guben and Lin Xiyu happened to walk over at this moment to propose toasts to the male guests.

"You brat, don't just run your mouth."

Grandfather feigned displeasure: "Fill the wine, and drink a cup to Sixth Uncle."

"Grandfather, don't rush."

Guben shifted his tone and smiled meaningfully: "Sixth Uncle has traveled far, so the wedding wine must be drunk, but today's protagonist is not me, but my fiancée. Xiyu said before she came that she would personally drink a few cups with Gu Family's relatives and friends. Those present, including Gu Peng, Gu Feng, Gu Lan, Gu Hui, and several juniors, must let you all drink to your heart's content—no drunk, no return."

"Hmph, those were your words..."

Of the four Gu siblings, except Gu Hui being a girl uninterested in drinking, the other three were all energized.

"If our younger sister-in-law gets drunk, don't blame us."

Gu Lan, grandson of the Fourth Master of the Gu Family, twenty-one years old this year, a glint flashed through his peach blossom eyes as he looked at Lin Xiyu with a smile, his undisguised scrutiny and inquiry evident.

Lin Xiyu calmly averted her gaze, treating him as air.

"Hmph."

Gu Lan was a true young master, pampered since childhood, and it was the first time he had met someone who dared to openly despise him.

"Younger sister-in-law, you're interesting..."

He laughed and huffed, leaning back in his chair, eyes showing provocation: "It seems today this cup of wine cannot be left undrunk."

"Xiao Bin, we must make things clear beforehand..."

Gu Feng, grandson of the Third Master of the Gu Family, was the most smooth-talking and scheming of the four: "It was you who let the younger sister-in-law drink; if she gets drunk, you can't blame us. Sixth Uncle, bear witness for us—these words were spoken by Xiao Bin himself, no going back on them."

Sixth Uncle did not know Lin Xiyu's drinking capacity and hesitated a little.

"I'll bear witness for you."

Grandfather laughed heartily and spoke before him: "Go ahead and drink as much as you like; if you get drunk, Second Uncle will take you back to the hotel."

"Tsk."

Gu Lan clicked his tongue, eyes showing displeasure: "Second Uncle, you're certain we'll get drunk—I don't believe it. With the drinking capacity of us three brothers, we can't lose to a woman."

"What about a woman?"

His own sister, Gu Hui of the same mother, glared with beautiful eyes, displeased: "What do you mean by that? Do you look down on women? Xiao Bin told you to drink, so drink—where does all this nonsense come from?"

"Gu Hui, who's your older brother?"

Gu Lan was furious: "You haven't even been carried off by a pig yet, and your elbows are already turning outward—turning rather far, aren't they?"

Upon these words, there was a moment of silence at the wine table.

Wang Fan and the other two, who had been roughhousing not far away, stopped laughing and looked over in surprise.

"What are you saying?"

Gu Hui retorted displeasedly: "Who was carried off by a pig?"

"You know what I mean."

Gu Lan mocked impolitely: "Everyone is an adult now; no need to hide and cover up, just doing things unfit for the table."

"Cough cough."

Qu Peng, who was subtly mocked as a pig, covered his mouth and coughed twice, embarrassed.

"Our mother did say."

Gu Lan gave him a cold glance and then sneered disdainfully: "Unless he improves himself, gets a master's and doctorate, and matches your education level, otherwise, thinking to cabbage our family—no way."

"Hiss."

Wang Fan sucked in a breath of cold air, his teeth aching a little.

Li Liang looked at Qu Peng sympathetically, feeling a mix of emotions, quite uncomfortable.

"Enough, stop talking, making such a scene at the wedding feast—what propriety is this?"

Sixth Uncle could not listen anymore, slammed the table, and scolded with a cold face.

Gu Lan and Gu Hui dared not talk back to him, exchanged a glance, and each, unwilling to yield, looked away.