Cheers

Cheers

"Mm."

Xiao Yan, his head throbbing with pain, tightly furrowed his brows and forced his eyes open, staring at the familiar ceiling before him.

His own room.

Before Xiao Yan's mind could fully clear, an uncontrollable wave of nausea surged up. Instinctively leaning his head over the side of the bed, he vomited everything in his stomach in one violent rush.

After vomiting, Xiao Yan's head still ached, but it felt far better than before.

"What... happened?"

Xiao Yan's muddled mind kept trying to remember, but he simply could not recall what had happened earlier.

At that moment, Yao Chen appeared, looking at Xiao Yan teasingly.

"Oh my~ For someone drinking for the first time, you really held your liquor well~"

"Elder Yao?"

Xiao Yan looked up at Yao Chen, and upon hearing her words, suddenly remembered something.

It seemed... Xiao Ning had invited him out for drinks?

"The two of you emptied twelve jars. After finishing the last one, you collapsed straight onto the floor. No one could wake you."

Yao Chen chuckled. Xiao Yan held his head, a bitter smile appearing at the corner of his lips.

"So this is a hangover... I'm never drinking again."

"Everyone says that after sobering up~"

Yao Chen shrugged lightly. Perhaps human nature was simply to forget the pain once the wound healed, never learning anything from the suffering they had endured.

This time, he had learned his lesson. Next time, he would still dare.

"What time is it?"

Xiao Yan looked out the window and saw that it had already grown dark outside. He immediately sobered up.

"Crap! It's dinnertime!"

Xiao Yan leaped out of bed and began cleaning up the mess he had vomited onto the floor. Yao Chen floated mid-air, watching him in confusion.

"Do you have something planned tonight?"

"At noon, the whole Xiao Family ate together. At night, everyone eats with their own family. Father and the others should already be waiting for me." Xiao Yan finished cleaning the floor and set the cleaning tools aside, smiling lightly at Yao Chen. "There's a special program after dinner too~"

A special program?

Yao Chen Raised an Eyebrow in confusion. What kind of special program could this remote Wutan City possibly come up with?

But soon, Yao Chen cast that thought aside.

During her days in the Xiao Family, there had already been too many things that surprised her.

What surprised Yao Chen even more was that, in many respects, these people could make someone of her standing feel envy toward them.

After cleaning up the floor, Xiao Yan immediately left his room and rushed toward his family's dining hall.

The moment he stepped through the doorway, he saw that Xiao Zhan and the others were already seated. Not a single pair of chopsticks on the table had been touched; they had clearly been waiting for Xiao Yan, chatting in a warm and cheerful atmosphere that somehow concealed murderous intent.

Wait, concealed murderous intent???

Xiao Yan was Stunned.

Was this really the atmosphere at his family's dinner table?

After his initial astonishment, Xiao Yan carefully swept his gaze over those seated at the table.

There was his father, Xiao Zhan; his eldest sister, Xiao Jing; his Second Sister, Xiao Li; Qing Lin, whom Xiao Jing and Xiao Li had brought back; his Sister, Xiao Xun'er; and Nalan Yanran, who was trading barbs with Xiao Xun'er while chatting and laughing?

Why... was Nalan Yanran here?

Xiao Yan's brain, still sluggish from just waking up, only realized it several seconds later.

Right, Nalan Yanran was originally an outsider, but she was still a guest of the Xiao Family. They could not neglect her.

They could hardly have a family dinner and leave her by herself, could they?

Besides, Nalan Yanran was his fiancée. It was only natural for her to eat with his family.

"Yan'er, you're awake?" Xiao Jing, who had been chatting with Xiao Zhan, caught sight of Xiao Yan standing in the doorway and smiled with concern. "Are you feeling better?"

"I'm alright."

The instant Xiao Yan finished answering, Xiao Li's voice rang out.

"Hahaha! I heard from Xun'er that you and Xiao Ning emptied twelve jars between you? As expected of my little brother! You didn't disgrace your Second Sister!"

Hearing Xiao Li's bold, booming voice made Xiao Yan's not-yet-fully-clear head spin again. His body swayed involuntarily, startling Xiao Xun'er and Nalan Yanran. The Two People darted to either side of Xiao Yan in unison, reaching out to support him as they asked worriedly.

"Brother Xiao Yan! Are you alright?"

"Xiao Yan! How are you feeling?"

Their voices rose at the same time and fell at the same time. Then they were both Stunned, their gazes turning toward each other with unmistakable hostility in their eyes, before they both smiled.

"Miss Nalan, you are a guest. I can look after Brother Xiao Yan, so how could we trouble you?"

"What are you saying, Sister? Sooner or later, I will be Xiao Yan's wife. This is already my duty, so how could I let someone else do it for me?"

Their Words were filled with respect, yet heavy with the scent of gunpowder. Sparks flew where their gazes met, and the entire room seemed to fill with a dangerous aura.

Xiao Zhan and Xiao Jing watched this scene with helpless expressions, while Xiao Li grinned excitedly, clearly delighted to watch the show and wholly unafraid of making things bigger.

As for Little Qing Lin, she had never seen such a scene at her young age. Her tiny body curled up as her little hands clutched the dining table, and she was already trembling.

Xiao Yan, too, sensed the faintly dangerous aura emanating from the two of them. His entire body jolted, and his mind instantly cleared by more than half. He hurriedly pulled free from their hands.

"Uh! I'm much better already! Don't worry!" With that, Xiao Yan pushed them both back toward the table, smiling awkwardly. "Ah~ I slept all afternoon, and I'm starving. Let's eat!"

At Xiao Yan's urging, dinner officially began.

"Father, please."

Holding a wine jar, Xiao Yan filled Xiao Zhan's cup. Xiao Zhan chuckled warmly, his face brimming with happiness.

Then Xiao Yan filled the cups of Xiao Jing and Xiao Li in turn. Xiao Jing nodded with a gentle smile, while Xiao Li held her wine cup and teased her younger brother.

"Little Yanzi~ Want to have a drink with your Second Sister?"

"N-Not today."

Xiao Yan refused with a pained expression. The throbbing in his head had only just mostly subsided, and he did not want to experience it again.

Seeing Xiao Yan's expression, Xiao Li burst into laughter again and reached out to press down on his head, ruffling his hair.

"Hahaha! Little Yanzi, you've got a long way to go~"

Listening to his Second Sister's teasing, Xiao Yan pursed his lips in embarrassment, set down the wine jar, and returned to his seat.

From the seat of honor, Xiao Zhan looked at Xiao Yan across from him, a gratified smile appearing on his lips.

If there was one thing that satisfied Xiao Zhan most in this life, it was having such a sensible and mature son.

The Xiao Family's current unity and solidarity had all been brought about through Xiao Yan's tireless efforts.

Without Xiao Yan's efforts, the Xiao Family would still be consumed by internal strife even now. They never could have gathered in the Xiao Family courtyard as warmly and joyfully as they had at noon.

As Xiao Zhan thought this, he slowly raised his wine cup. The others also lifted their cups, listening to what Xiao Zhan would say next.

"To wishing our family greater and greater prosperity in the coming year, cheers!"

"Cheers!!!"