They were fucking engaged!
Although both families knew it was bound to happen sooner or later, there had been no movement at all for so many years. Then this suddenly happened out of nowhere—no one could withstand that kind of sudden shock and torment.
Chi Baichuan looked at Qin Heng, then turned to the beaming Xu Jiahao. After a long while, he squeezed out a sentence. "Old Xu, that was low."
Xu Jiahao chuckled. "Oh, come on, why are you talking like we're strangers?"
He handed over a bundle of Cordyceps in sealed glass jars, tied up like little flowers. "I heard Uncle Chen's stomach isn't good and he can't eat meat, so I specifically got some Cordyceps. Grind this stuff into powder and mix it into porridge—it'll give it a seafood flavor."
The Uncle Chen Xu Jiahao referred to was Chen Mingxian's father and Chi Ning's grandfather—Grandpa Chen.
Chen Mingxian accepted it politely. "You went to a lot of trouble. Come in and sit."
Chi Baichuan was so angry he nearly toppled over.
That old slickster Xu Jiahao had come over for tea and drinks often enough that he had figured out who held the most authority in this household.
Now, every attempt to curry favor hit the mark.
Not only did Chi Baichuan have to invite him inside, he even had to personally fetch slippers for them.
Fuck.
"Come in!"
Chi Baichuan set the slippers in front of Xu Jiahao.
Xu Jiahao smilingly slipped his foot into them.
Qin Heng and Chi Ning sat quietly to one side, leaving the battlefield to the two elders.
The television was replaying the New Year's Day gala. A female singer stood onstage, her voice loud and clear, her expression full of hope for the future.
She gazed out over the audience