Chapter 586

When the parents at the scene saw Xu Youyu rushing into Li Luo's arms, their expressions varied.

Li Guohong pretended not to notice, stepping forward to exchange pleasantries with Xu Rongsheng.

Lin Xiuhong glanced at Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng's reactions, her anxiety over her son's future marriage deepening—her decision paralysis flared up again.

Xu Rongsheng's eye twitched; though he was always the most open-minded one in the family, he still felt his daughter was being a bit too forward.

Only Cui Suling silently cheered inside, encouraging her daughter.

From her perspective, wasn't this her daughter boldly declaring her sovereignty right in front of Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng?

To win a man, you've got to strike head-on!

Men are all big pork trotters—how could they ever understand subtle, roundabout ways?

Didn't Cui Suling herself win Xu Rongsheng back in the summer before he went to college, precisely using this tactic?

Previously, Cui Suling had thought her daughter had inherited none of her abilities, only holed up in her room writing her online novels.

Now she saw it—her daughter had clearly inherited her mother's style.

Cui Suling smiled warmly and greeted Lin Xiuhong, completely ignoring Xu Youyu snuggling against Li Luo.

But Li Luo was the first to feel uncomfortable—he sensed too many invisible glances piercing him, so he pressed his hand on Xu Youyu's shoulder and pulled her away.

Xu Youyu shot him a resentful look, giving him a glance that said "you figure it out," then turned sweetly to greet Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong.

After some polite small talk, the Xu family was escorted upstairs to their third-floor bedroom to deposit their luggage.

But Xu Youyu didn't manage to follow them up.

Ying Chanxi, smiling warmly, took Xu Youyu's hand like a sister and led her to the neighboring third-floor bedroom.

The last room on the third floor of the Li household was naturally assigned to Xu Rongsheng and Cui Suling as a couple.

"It would've been better if my parents stayed at Xi Xi's house," Xu Youyu said, glancing at the bedroom Ying Chanxi had arranged for her, sounding resigned. "It's too dangerous going over at night—what if my parents see me?"

"No problem," Yan Zhusheng surprisingly sided with Ying Chanxi, helping her sister out. "We'll all go over together at night to visit Li Luo. Even if your parents see us, they won't suspect anything."

Xu Youyu: "..."

She'd clearly wanted to sneak off alone to find Li Luo—Zhusheng was so mean.

As Xu Youyu thought this, she could only reluctantly accept the reality.

With rooms all assigned, complaining was useless—better to use her brain and figure out how to make the next few days count.

Although it was only the first day of the New Year, Li Luo's cousin Li Dao had left early with his wife for the city due to the factory's busy schedule.

His cousin Chen Yongqi also worked under Li Dao, so he left with him too—perfectly avoiding the elders' marriage pressure.

Li Luo's aunt had taken her daughter Chen Sijia to the neighboring Chen Village to meet Sijia's grandparents, so she wasn't home for lunch.

By lunchtime, only about ten people remained—adding the Xu family of three, two tables fit perfectly.

Li Xiang came over from next door at mealtime, stepped inside, and immediately spotted his third aunt's figure—he widened his eyes, then glanced at the other two aunts.

Three girls sat around Li Luo on the sofa, with Chen Lu beside them; the five were playing cards.

Looking at this warm, harmonious scene, Li Xiang was speechless, silently wondering: had his cheap uncle drained all the romantic luck from the rest of the Li family's younger generation?

How could one man date three girls at once, each so outstanding?

Yet he and his cousin Chen Yongqi couldn't even find a girlfriend?

This world was truly unfair!

Dating three girls was bad enough, but even when they were together, these three girls got along so peacefully—was this even humanly possible?

Supposedly, the four of them had even lived under the same roof during school—just thinking about it made him envious, jealous, and bitter.

Even in his own online novel, his little uncle hadn't written anything this outrageous.

At least in his stories, the three heroines occasionally met and had dramatic showdowns!

In real life, your three aunts coexist so peacefully—isn't that illogical?

Li Xiang bitterly complained inside, but dared not say a word aloud.

After being called over by Li Luo, he obediently sat down and joined the card game.

Taking advantage of Li Luo's strange bad luck while playing cards, he finally vented his frustration and won a little pocket money from his cheap little uncle.

Then Lin Xiuhong and the others brought out the dishes one by one, calling the younger ones to the table. Li Luo led Xu Youyu and the others to wash their hands, then sat quietly at the dining table.

Yin Zhicheng and Yuan Wanqing also arrived from next door, exchanging pleasantries naturally with Xu Rongsheng and Cui Suling.

Xu Rongsheng was invited by Yin Zhicheng to the men's drinking table—perfect for chatting on the New Year.

The Xu family had visited last year; Li Luo's grandparents were already familiar with them.

As the food arrived, they ate, drank, and chatted happily.

But just as the wine had flowed three rounds, Yin Zhicheng suddenly stood up from the table, raised his cup, and toasted everyone in turn.

Then he drained his cup, looked around the table, and said slowly: "I mentioned this privately to Guohong yesterday. Since everyone's here today, I thought I'd announce it early."

Hearing Yin Zhicheng say this so suddenly, Yuan Wanqing's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.

Li Luo and the others who knew the truth all showed expressions of sudden understanding.

Ying Chanxi pressed her lips together, glanced at her father, then at Yuan Wanqing, saying nothing.

Meanwhile, Yin's grandfather, who was drinking with Li Luo's grandfather, wore his usual expression—neither surprised nor confused by his son's sudden move, even pouring himself another cup of wine.

Li Guohong sighed, remembering his own shocked face last night, and involuntarily turned to look at Lin Xiuhong, eager to see her reaction.

Lin Xiuhong clearly noticed Li Guohong's gaze and gave him a questioning look across the table—clearly asking, "Do you know what this is about?"

Li Guohong responded with a helpless shrug, signaling her to just listen.

At that moment, Yuan Wanqing stood up.

She walked to Yin Zhicheng's side, picked up an empty cup, and had him pour her a drink.

Then the two locked eyes, smiled at each other, held their cups together, and raised them to the crowd.

"Hmm… as you can see." Ying Zhicheng gripped Yuan Wanqing's hand tightly, coughed once, then announced, "Yuan Wanqing and I have decided to officially be together. We'll go get our marriage certificate after the New Year."

"What the hell! Is this real?"

Among those least connected to this matter, Chen Lu was the one with the most extreme reaction.

Upon hearing such a shocking piece of news, he shot straight up from his seat, nearly leaping to the ceiling, his face filled with disbelief.

After all, from Chen Lu's perspective, Yuan Wanqing was currently one of the hottest big stars!

Over the past two years, if you asked which singer had the most momentum, it was undoubtedly Yuan Wanqing.

She rose from the singing stage, delivering a new song of excellent quality in every episode, and delivering several iconic performances that left audiences spellbound.

Her new album shattered the all-time digital album sales record, and then last New Year's Eve, she appeared on the CCTV Spring Festival Gala to perform two songs.

After that came a nationwide concert tour, every show sold out, tickets impossible to get, and her second comeback album maintained the same high standard, with sales nearly matching her previous one.

Almost every major variety show and interview in China had invited Yuan Wanqing to participate—she even had to pick and choose the ones most suitable for her.

With this kind of influence, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she's had the fastest commercial value growth among entertainers in recent years.

Just the endorsement deals she's secured over these past two years have already earned her over a hundred million yuan, bringing countless profits to both her company and herself.

Otherwise, given Ying Zhicheng's achievements in transitioning into television dramas over the years, he might already have been removed from his CEO position by the board.

How could he have even waited for the release of "Little Joys"?

Yet this very Yuan Wanqing had been secretly won over by Ying Zhicheng?

But upon recalling Ying Zhicheng's identity, Chen Lu suddenly felt somewhat relieved.

Right…

Uncle Ying is the CEO of Huayue Film and Television… among the high-quality men Yuan Wanqing regularly interacts with, Ying Zhicheng certainly has the highest frequency of contact.

If Yuan Wanqing were truly looking for a partner, this calculation suddenly seemed quite reasonable?

"It's true." Yuan Wanqing pressed her lips together, trying hard not to smile too broadly, maintaining the expected composure—but the smile at the corner of her mouth was utterly impossible to hide.

Lin Xiuhong was also stunned, then couldn't help glaring at Li Guohong, thinking how such an important matter hadn't been mentioned to her last night.

Li Guohong noticed his wife's gaze and immediately wore a puzzled expression.

As for elders like Li Guoru, they were only slightly surprised, then smiled and offered their congratulations.

They had no direct sense of a star's status in the entertainment industry; they simply thought the two were a perfect match—handsome and beautiful, well-suited.

Over the years, Ying Zhicheng had steadily advanced in his career, yet he still spent every New Year with them, and his relationship with Li Guohong had never changed—they, as relatives, had all watched closely.

Now that Ying Zhicheng and Yuan Wanqing had this good news, everyone naturally felt happy for them.

Xu Rongsheng and Cui Suling were also surprised, but since they were guests, they maintained appropriate silence at the dinner table, merely clapping to express their blessings.

Yet from Cui Suling's eyes, her astonishment was clear—she clearly hadn't expected that visiting for a New Year meal would serve up such a juicy scandal.

"No wonder—every time we got together for meals, they always came together and always left together," Cui Suling whispered quietly to Xu Rongsheng.

"Stop whispering," Xu Rongsheng chuckled and shook his head. "They're actually well-matched. It's fine."

"True enough."

Ying Zhicheng and Yuan Wanqing toasted everyone at both tables, marking a small celebration.

Yuan Wanqing had no intention of holding a wedding.

They were both in their thirties or forties, both remarried, and both busy with work—there was no need to pursue such ceremony.

Especially Yuan Wanqing, who already lived under the spotlight; Ying Zhicheng didn't want to affect her career.

For Yuan Wanqing, gaining the approval and blessings of Ying Zhicheng's family meant far more than any ceremony.

At this moment, she felt she was already happy enough.

"Have Xixi and Zhusheng also talked privately?" Xu Youyu clapped while whispering to Li Luo and the others, "Have you both spoken with your parents?"

"Mm." Ying Chanxi nodded instinctively.

Yan Zhusheng turned her head in confusion and asked Xu Youyu, "Why do you sound like you already knew?"

"Uh… well…" Xu Youyu chuckled. "Because I was the one who discovered it with Li Luo—we accidentally ran into your parents in the elevator."

Ying Chanxi shot Li Luo a sideways glance, then looked at Xu Youyu, and let out a huff—clearly still a little dissatisfied about this.

But the matter had already been settled the night before yesterday, so she wouldn't keep dwelling on it.

Yet Yan Zhusheng refused to back down, telling Xu Youyu, "But you don't know one thing."

"What's that?"

"Xixi and I are sisters."

"Huh?" Xu Youyu froze, then said, "Sisters… since Uncle Ying and Aunt Yuan are together, you two are sisters now—so what?"

"That's not what I mean," Yan Zhusheng shook her head, adding, "Xixi's mother is my father's older sister, so we're blood-related to begin with."

"What?!" Xu Youyu exclaimed in shock, completely stunned. "Wait—wait a minute… I—I need to sort this out. What do you mean, Xixi's mother is your father… uh… what exactly?"

"Xixi's mother," Yan Zhusheng said slowly and clearly, "is my father's older sister."

Xu Youyu: "... What kind of complicated relationship is this?"

"In short," Li Luo explained beside her, "Xixi and Zhusheng were already cousins."

"So… it's like that?" Xu Youyu murmured, her thoughts finally clearing, then she looked at Yan Zhusheng and Ying Chanxi with a complex expression. "I suddenly feel like I'm the outsider here."

"It's fine," Yan Zhusheng blinked. "If all three of us marry Li Luo, then none of us will be outsiders."

"Zhusheng!" Ying Chanxi's face flushed crimson. She glanced around—luckily, everyone else was still absorbed in the news about Ying Zhicheng and Yuan Wanqing, unaware of their conversation.

Ying Chanxi quickly clapped her hand over Yan Zhusheng's mouth: "Stop saying crazy things!"

(End of Chapter)