Chapter 287: Your Relatives Have Way Too Bad a Temper

That evening, outside a five-star hotel in the city.

"Why here? There's only a dozen or so of us in total. I thought it was going to be at your place."

Yu Dazhang rarely came to places with such high markups.

In his past life he had been here, but only to go inside and arrest a suspect.

"It's more proper here," Seeing Qu Tuotuo explained:

"There aren't many people, but they do have a small banquet hall."

So particular... In Yu Dazhang's view, with so few people, gathering around one table for a meal would have been enough.

Yet they insisted on putting on a proper banquet.

Stepping into the banquet hall, the moment he pushed the door open, Yu Dazhang understood why Qu Wannian had chosen this place.

For one thing, the environment was not only spacious but also magnificent.

Judging by the area, it didn't look like a small banquet hall. Above, there was a small stage, where a girl was currently sitting and playing the violin.

The overall atmosphere gave one a sense of ease, letting people relax without even realizing it.

This was indeed an effect a family dinner couldn't achieve.

Two people could talk here without disturbing the others, and there was no loud noise around—only the lilting, gentle strains of the violin.

"What took you so long?"

A familiar voice sounded from behind. Yu Dazhang turned around and saw Qu Wannian standing there, smiling at him.

What did I call him last time? Yu Dazhang froze for a moment, then tentatively opened his mouth and said:

"Uncle?"

Qu Wannian saw his awkwardness at a glance and replied with a smile:

"It's just a form of address. You'll be changing it eventually anyway, so let's start with 'uncle' for now."

Though put tactfully, the words instantly drew the two closer.

Yu Dazhang felt a warmth inside. Old Qu really did have a way with people.

As more and more people filled the banquet hall, the interactions among them increased as well.

None of those toe-curlingly cringeworthy moments appeared.

No one announced the start of the banquet, no one went up to give a speech—everything was so natural, as relaxed as an ordinary meal at home.

Seeing Qu Tuotuo stayed by Yu Dazhang's side the whole time. When someone came over to greet them, she stood beside him and helped with the introductions.

There were only a dozen or so people in total, slowly strolling around two long tables laden with food.

Occasionally two or three people would gather to chat, but their eyes would always drift, intentionally or not, toward Yu Dazhang.

"Stop eating for a bit."

Seeing Qu Tuotuo really couldn't stand it anymore and secretly pinched Yu Dazhang's waist.

Ever since he picked up his plate, he hadn't put it down, and his mouth hadn't stopped either. Though his table manners weren't exactly exaggerated, he still couldn't just keep eating without end.

Her hand rested on the crook of Yu Dazhang's arm as they walked around the two long tables—she couldn't count how many laps they'd made.

"I burned too much energy this morning," Yu Dazhang said dismissively:

"I need to replenish first."

Seeing Qu Tuotuo pinched him again, harder this time:

"Stop eating for now. Coming here today wasn't about the food."

Yu Dazhang of course knew the purpose of today's gathering; he simply didn't want to mingle with those people.

If he really left the table, someone would surely come over to chat and say things in roundabout ways.

But now he couldn't stay any longer either—if he kept eating, Seeing Qu Tuotuo would get serious.

From that last pinch, he'd nearly dropped his plate on the floor.

Moving to the lounge area on the side, the two found a sofa and sat down. Just as Yu Dazhang had guessed, someone soon came over.

Two women in their early thirties walked over and sat across from them.

The two were dressed in finery, had voluptuous figures, and their eyes gleamed with shrewdness—at a glance, they were veterans of all sorts of dinner gatherings.

Seeing Qu Tuotuo had introduced them earlier.

One was her eldest aunt by marriage, the other her third aunt by marriage—both proper relatives she saw often, so their relationship was decent.

"What a fine young man."

The eldest aunt by marriage stared at Yu Dazhang, sizing him up and down as if inspecting a piece of merchandise.

The third aunt by marriage chimed in from the side:

"His temperament is good too, his taste in clothes is refined, his figure... his figure..."

She suddenly realized she'd misspoken—she'd gone and mentioned the one thing she absolutely shouldn't have.

Let's see how you talk your way out of this... Yu Dazhang watched her with an amused smile, greatly interested.

The third aunt by marriage's face flushed slightly, but she quickly found the right words:

"His figure is quite commanding too. Young men this imposing and domineering are rare these days."

You can spin one, can't you... Yu Dazhang genuinely started to admire Seeing Qu Tuotuo's third aunt by marriage—quick reflexes.

"You're too kind."

He then made small talk with the two of them for a few minutes.

Just as Yu Dazhang thought the two women were about to leave, the eldest aunt by marriage suddenly asked:

"If you liked someone, but you already had a family, what would you do?"

The question was tricky, but it was posed so casually that there was no way to dodge it.

Even Seeing Qu Tuotuo could tell the eldest aunt by marriage was deliberately making things hard for Yu Dazhang.

In fact, this was a classic trap question — any answer would amount to admitting you were a two-timer.

So no matter how you answered, you'd be wrong.

In Seeing Qu Tuotuo's view, Yu Dazhang was sharp enough to see through it and refuse to answer.

But to everyone's surprise, Yu Dazhang didn't even think about it and answered directly:

"Get a divorce, and go pursue happiness."

"You..." The eldest aunt opposite had never in her wildest dreams expected the other party to say such a thing.

This guy must be an idiot.

She looked at Yu Dazhang with an extremely complicated gaze and asked again:

"It's easy for you to say, but what if there are children?"

"Send them to an orphanage." Yu Dazhang didn't even blink:

"How can you be so ruthless!" The eldest aunt could hardly believe her own ears, so furious that her voice was trembling:

"You, you you you... you're really not human."

Yu Dazhang spread his hands as if it were nothing:

"That's exactly what you were thinking — I just said it out loud for you."

Hearing this, the eldest aunt rose in fury, and if the third aunt beside her hadn't been holding her back, she would probably have lunged at Yu Dazhang to get physical.

She had no choice but to lose her temper.

What Yu Dazhang had just said was tantamount to slinging a chamber pot of filth onto her head — if she let it slide with a laugh, others would really think that's what she had in mind.

After all, it was she who had raised the question.

"Just kidding." Yu Dazhang hadn't expected her to take it so badly, and quickly pulled the conversation back:

"How could the eldest aunt take it seriously? Don't stoop to the level of a junior like me."

Now that sounded more like proper talk.

The eldest aunt took the offered step, shot him a glare, and sat back down.

To ease the atmosphere, the third aunt, in a casual small-talk tone, looked at Yu Dazhang and asked:

"My kid has way too much energy and no steadiness to speak of — do you young people have any ideas?"

This was pure small talk — using her own family's matters to draw others' attention, in order to build closer relations.

"How old?" Yu Dazhang asked.

The third aunt answered at once:

"Nine."

"Sign him up for a tutoring class." Yu Dazhang suggested.

That was indeed a solution that killed two birds with one stone. The third aunt nodded in agreement, but couldn't help asking:

"What if it still doesn't work?"

"Simple." Yu Dazhang said with perfect seriousness:

"It's not like your family is short on money — sign the kid up for a few more classes, don't let him sit idle. Four hours of sleep a day is plenty."

"The rest of the time, he's either studying or on his way to study, and meals can't take more than five minutes."

"Keep a close eye on him. If the kid isn't depressed after half a year, come find me again."

Hearing this, the third aunt rose in fury, and if the eldest aunt hadn't been holding her back, she would already have lunged at Yu Dazhang to fight to the death.

"You, you you you — I was talking to you nicely, and you actually... you're too inhuman."

(End of chapter)