BOLD ITALIC illustrates Yibo's subconscious mind, where he engages in conversations with his late grandfather, Lan Wangji.
At lunch, Carmen and Zhan dominated the conversation, they were chatting non-stop. Zhoucheng sat next to Zhan, who occasionally comments. And Zhan tried her best to flirt with Zhoucheng. Meanwhile, Yibo just sat back, silently watching, and Ziyi barely touched her food and kept her head down.
"Ziyi, are you unwell?" Carmen asked, worry etched on her face. "You haven't eaten anything..."
Ziyi reluctantly looked up. "I-I had a headache for a while now..., Auntie. I- I don't feel like eating..."
"Have you taken any meds?" Zhoucheng asked right away, leaning slightly from his chair. Zhan kicked him hard under the table, causing him to let out a soft groan.
"C'mon, Chengcheng," Zhan said gently to Zhoucheng. "Of course, my cousin has already taken her meds. She's not a kid anymore."
"I-if you'll... excuse me..." Ziyi said as she got up, apologizing to Carmen and Yibo. Zhan and Zhoucheng exchanged a quick glance.
"Go ahead," said Carmen. "I'll have some hot soup brought to your room." Zhan gave Zhoucheng a meaningful look before he continued eating.
💚💛❤️ 💚💛❤️ 💚💛❤️ 💚💛❤️ 💚💛❤️ 💚💛❤️
At the party. Family members arrived one after another, and so did some close friends.
Zhan softly tapped on Ziyi's door before stepping inside. He flashed a smile at his cousin and asked, "Are you done getting ready?"
"Yes, a while ago," Ziyi answered with a slight smile.
"You look amazing, just like always," Zhan complimented his cousin.
Ziyi glanced at her reflection. "Do I look fine? Will I match up next to the dashing Lan Wang Yibo?"
"Don't be silly. You are so pretty, Ziyi," Zhan said sincerely. He looked at his cousin's cream off-shoulder dress that gracefully accentuated her figure. Ziyi was often shy and reserved, but she definitely knew how to highlight her best features when she wanted to.
One glance in the mirror and Zhan asked Ziyi out.
"I bet Chengcheng is waiting for me right now." Ziyi stayed silent, Zhan caught the pain in her eyes before they headed out.
When they came out, Carmen saw them immediately and led them to the hall to introduce them to the family members. They received a warm welcome, but as expected, Zhan got the family's attention when they learned that he was Ziyuan's son. Aside from a little surprise that everyone managed to hide, the family was super polite and friendly. Zhan barely noticed when Zhoucheng smoothly took Ziyi away from the crowd.
💚💛❤️ 💚💛❤️ 💚💛❤️ 💚💛❤️ 💚💛❤️ 💚💛❤️
Yibo scanned the spacious hall, noticing it was packed with family and a few close friends. He also saw Zhan and Ziyi when his mother introduced them to his relatives and friends. He briefly glanced at Ziyi, who in fairness, was a beauty in her own right. She handled herself well, too.
But he couldn't take his eyes off Zhan. Every gesture Zhan made caught his eye. Those stunning features paired with a clever sense of humor made Zhan stand out. And it was nice to see Zhan was so comfortable with his family.
"Did I mistakenly introduce you to the wrong one, buddy?" Quiren's voice was laced with laughter. He was shocked to see his son so mesmerized. His attention was locked on just one individual—his ex-wife's son!
"What are you talking about?" asked Yibo.
Quiren brushed off his son's words, his gaze shifted to the striking figure that had completely mesmerized his son.
"Isn't he just adorable?" Quiren said, grabbing two glasses from the waiter who was moving through the crowd and handing one to his son. "He's the spitting image of his mother... That's what I thought when he first introduced himself. But he was really something else..."
"What are you trying to say?" Yibo questioned, clearly irritated.
Quiren just shrugged and took a sip. "You are attracted to him... Don't hide it," he quickly added, cutting off Yibo's protest. "It's surprising, you don't usually let the grass grow on your feet before you approach the one who catches your eye, buddy," Quiren said with a smug smile on his lips. This just made Yibo even more annoyed.
"I don't believe this!" Yibo's voice went up a notch. "The girl you want me to marry is right here in the hall, but at the same time you want me to approach Zhan and-"
"Calm down, son," Quiren patted his son's shoulder amusedly. "You always have excellent taste, Yibo. You're my son, after all. How could I ever think that you would be attracted to Ziyi? You're off the hook, my boy." And Quiren leaned back with a grin.
"Your father has come to his senses, wàisūn."
"Damn," said Yibo.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
