Please, Confess to Me

Chapter 23 : First Dance

Hanni surveyed her surroundings, feeling a mix of familiarity and strangeness. Her gaze landed on her parents, the Pham couple, standing at the edge of the crowd. "Let's go see them."

Hanni caught her parents gaze as they spotted her and Minji. "Dad, Mom." She relaxed her grip on Minji's arm and stepped forward, her face lighting up with a sweet smile as she embraced her parents.

"Acting like a child," Mr. Pham remarked, looking at his daughter with a doting expression.

"Hanni, you look stunning today," Mrs. Pham gushed, her eyes sparkling with pride.

Minji stood to the side, letting the three greet each other warmly. After a while, she shuffled closer and greeted the older couple, "Dad, Mom."

Mr. Pham briefly glanced at Minji, giving his daughter-in-law a small nod.

Mrs. Pham, reflecting on Minji's thoughtful actions and sensing her genuine joy, offered a warm smile. "You're here."

Seeing her mother-in-law actually smile made Minji feel somewhat overwhelmed by the sudden apparent favor.

At that moment, several people passed by, raising their glasses toward Mr. Pham. He reciprocated the gesture and then turned his attention to Minji, who was quietly standing behind his daughter. "Come with me. I'll introduce you to some people."

A bewildered Minji reflexively looked at Hanni.

Seeing the expression on her wife's face, Hanni quickly turned around and took a glass of red wine from a passing waiter. She handed the glass to Minji and said, "Go ahead, just don't drink too much."

Minji could only nod, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness as she mechanically followed her father-in-law.

Mrs. Pham gave her daughter a teasing look and said, "You seem to be very concerned about her."

"Mom..." Hanni gently shook her mother's arm, pouting playfully. She knew her mother had a weak constitution and worried that she might get tired standing for too long.

Hanni led her mother to an empty sofa and sat next to her. Then she casually asked, "Didn't you say you weren't going to attend? How come you suddenly changed your mind?"

Mr. and Mrs. Pham hadn't initially planned to attend the Star River Charity Banquet. In fact, in Hanni's previous life, her parents hadn't attended at all.

"I wasn't planning to, but when I heard that you were going to bring Minji with you, your dad changed his mind," Mrs. Pham replied.

"Mom, thank you." Hanni understood what her parents were trying to do, and she couldn't help but express her gratitude.

Although the Pham family had been declining over the past few months, Mr. Pham's connections were still intact. At least half of the people in this hall would still give him respect.

If Mr. Pham was seen with Minji, it would demonstrate that the Pham family recognized her as part of the family. Even if some looked down on her origins, they wouldn't dare show it so blatantly in front of Mr. Pham.

With Mr. Pham's support, even if Minji couldn't fully integrate herself into their circle tonight, she would still leave a good impression on people.

"Is that thank you on behalf of Minji?" Mrs. Pham asked.

"Hmm." Hanni nodded.

"Hanni," Mrs. Pham took her daughter's hand and asked seriously, "Do you like her?"

Hanni turned and looked into her mother's eyes. Without any hesitation, she nodded. "I like her."

Even if Hanni had an inkling, when Mrs. Pham heard her daughter's affirmative reply, she couldn't help but look surprised. Finally, she sighed. "That's also good. Any mother's fear is that her daughter might be forcing herself."