Chapter 410: Chapter 410: Returning Ho to See the Elders
The man’s pitch-black eyes, as dark as ink, were locked tightly onto her.
“Satisfied.”
With that, he clasped her nape with his palm and once again kissed her soft, sweet, and alluring red lips.
At that mont, not far away beneath a tree, soone was standing.
Jiang Huai watched for a mont before turning and leaving.
Just as the two were passionately kissing, a phone rang loudly.
Lan Yan imdiately snapped back to reality.
She had almost completely fallen prey to his gentle yet domineering kiss.
Once she regained her senses, she pushed him away.
“That’s enough, the phone is ringing.” She murmured softly while lowering her head.
At that mont, she could feel her face and ears growing warm.
The man on the other hand gazed at her with a look of lingering desire.
The man’s slender fingers lifted her chin, and the pad of his thumb brushed lightly against the corner of her lips.
Lan Yan felt a current flash through her body, leaving her weak and tingly all over.
His lips curved into a mischievous smile as he said, “Why are you suddenly shy?”
Lan Yan swatted his hand away, “Let go of , will you?”
For once, the man obeyed and released her.
Xiao Si was worried if he didn’t let go soon, he wouldn’t be able to contain himself.
Lan Yan climbed off of him and quickly returned to the driver’s seat.
Once seated, she grabbed the still-ringing phone.
Upon seeing the caller ID, her eyebrows imdiately furrowed.
Xiao Si noticed her displeased expression and asked, “Who’s calling?”
Lan Yan replied, “Hu Yunqin.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Si reached over, took the phone out of her hand, and said, “If you don’t want to answer, then don’t. Let’s go eat.”
Without waiting for her response, he hung up Hu Yunqin’s call.
“…”
Then, he asked, “Should I drive, or you?”
Lan Yan countered, “What about your car?”
“I’ll have Peng Yiming co pick up the keys later and drive it back,” he said.
Lan Yan blinked, suddenly feeling a little sorry for Peng Yiming.
She couldn’t help but think that every ti Peng Yiming showed up, it was either to drive her car or his car back.
anwhile, Hu Yunqin was sitting in her living room, staring at her phone in a daze.
She had called Lan Yan several tis today. No one had answered, and even the ssages she sent were left unread.
Just now, she had called again, only for Lan Yan to hang up directly.
Hu Yunqin furrowed her brows—had Lan Yan figured sothing out?
Otherwise, why would she ignore her calls and texts?
The more Hu Yunqin thought about it, the more uneasy and anxious she beca.
…
Half an hour later, Xiao Si’s social dia feed was in chaos.
He had posted a status update.
“Hard to explain in detail, just know this much.”
The text seed unremarkable, but the focal point was the photo—hands interlocked.
The comnts below were especially lively.
The first like and comnt ca from Jiang You, who happened to be idle at the ti, scrolling through her phone.
Jiang You: [Mr. Xiao, do we have a sister-in-law now?]
Long He Song: [Mr. Xiao, you’re amazing. We’re all waiting for the wedding and the candy!]
Jiang Nanche: [Mr. Xiao, impressive as always—congratulations! I’ll go ahead and call her sister-in-law now.]
But when it ca to his group of brothers, the tone suddenly shifted.
Gu Beiyan asked, [Are those fair and slender hands Dr. Lan’s???]
Jiang Yan and Lu Zhiyang each simply left a like.
Wan Muqi’s comnt was as sharp as ever: [Old Xiao, is this one of those online pictures you saved just to avoid embarrassnt?]
Xiao Si only replied to comnts from Long He Song, Jiang You, and so colleagues from the hospital, completely ignoring the remarks from Gu Beiyan and Wan Muqi.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Mrs. Xiao’s call ca through.
He turned to Lan Yan and said directly, “You head in first; I’ll take a call from Mom.”
As he spoke, he even turned the phone screen over for her to see.
Lan Yan was speechless: “…”
What exactly was this man’s face made of?
She ignored him and walked in by herself.
Before their arrival, Xiao Si had already reserved a table.
After sitting down, Lan Yan took out her phone—it had been buzzing relentlessly in the car earlier.
When she opened WeChat, she saw a flood of new ssages.
Scrolling through the chat interface, she found congratulatory ssages from many people.
Lan Yan stared at the notifications, feeling completely out of sorts.
What had just happened?
“You brat, who’s the person in your social dia post?”
Xiao Si had barely answered Mrs. Xiao’s call when he was imdiately interrogated.
The tone made it clear that unless he claid it was Lan Yan, she might cut ties with him on the spot.
“Ms. Liang, who else do you think it could be?”
“If I knew, would I be asking you? Do you think I like wasting money on phone bills?”
“Alright, calm down, no need to get upset. Who else could it be but your dear Yanyan?”
He avoided having too much fun teasing her—any retaliation would eventually land on him.
Mrs. Xiao paused upon hearing this.
She was shocked but also skeptical. “Are you sure you’re not lying to ?”
Xiao Si: “…”
“Ms. Liang, do you really think so little of your own son?”
“It’s not you being unreliable; I just wanted to confirm. After all, Yanyan isn’t like other girls.”
Xiao Si said, “… I’m about to have dinner with your daughter-in-law. If there’s nothing urgent, I’ll hang up now.”
Mrs. Xiao chuckled, “Alright, alright. Go ahead—you two enjoy dinner. I won’t disturb you.”
Xiao Mansion.
Mrs. Xiao nearly burst into joyous laughter in the living room.
“This is wonderful—I finally have a daughter-in-law! That rascal didn’t disappoint after all.”
Mr. Xiao ca out of the study and saw her muttering to herself about sothing.
“Honey, what are you mumbling about?”
When she saw him, she imdiately wanted to share her joy.
“Co here, hubby. Sit here.” She patted the empty spot next to her. “I have great news to tell you.”
Mr. Xiao walked over and sat beside her, asking, “What’s the good news? You’re grinning so wide it’s practically in your eyes.”
Mrs. Xiao replied, “We’re getting a daughter-in-law.”
Mr. Xiao raised an eyebrow. “You an our son finally won her over?”
“That’s my husband, so perceptive!” Mrs. Xiao bead. “I was actually planning to help during the Old Madam’s birthday banquet this Saturday, but the rascal went ahead and made it happen quietly. Finally, I can rest easy.”
Mr. Xiao was naturally delighted but suddenly thought of sothing.
“Honey, didn’t you ntion that Yanyan is Hu Yunqin’s daughter? What if the Dong Family doesn’t approve of this?”
Mrs. Xiao replied, “Yanyan doesn’t carry the Dong na; what does this have to do with their family?”
“Besides, this is their own business as a couple. If they like each other, that’s all that matters. Hu Yunqin has no place interfering.”
It wasn’t that she didn’t respect Lan Yan’s biological mother; she simply felt Hu Yunqin was unfit to be her mother.
Based on her observations, Hu Yunqin didn’t seem to care much about her daughter, Yanyan.
“Alright, alright, you’re right,” said Mr. Xiao. “We won’t ddle in the kids’ affairs.”
anwhile.
Xiao Si had just sat down when Lan Yan’s eyes fixed on him.
He raised an eyebrow flirtatiously. “What’s the matter? Did you miss in the one minute we were apart?”
Lan Yan frowned slightly. “You posted on social dia, didn’t you?”
This wasn’t sothing she had expected—his actions were so swift.
Not even an hour had passed, and almost everyone around had already found out.
He had made no attempt to hide anything and directly revealed her identity.
Xiao Si nodded casually. “Of course. Since you’ve agreed to be with , it’s only right to let everyone know you’re mine, so certain people stop coveting my woman.”
Lan Yan found herself temporarily speechless.
She didn’t oppose his actions.
Since she’d already made this choice, she had no intention of hiding it from anyone.
“Won’t that cause complications for you?”
Xiao Si looked at her, then suddenly leaned forward. His long arm stretched out, and his slender fingers flicked lightly against her smooth forehead.
“What kind of nonsense is that brain of yours coming up with?”
“…”
He continued, “Why would it be inconvenient for ? I’d shout it from every rooftop if I could.”
Lan Yan frowned slightly. “You’re exaggerating—it’s not that serious.”
She had only been worried it might affect him.
But since he had reassured her so thoroughly, there was no reason to worry.
There’s a saying about how joyful events seem to energize people—it certainly applied to Xiao Si.
Before they knew it, Saturday had arrived.
That afternoon, Xiao Si picked up Lan Yan directly from the research center.
Lan Yan still didn’t know what the so-called banquet was about. Mrs. Xiao hadn’t sent her the address, simply instructing Xiao Si to get her.
Once in the car, she asked, “You still haven’t told what kind of banquet we’re attending today.”
As he focused on driving, Xiao Si replied, “Today is my grandfather’s eighty-fifth birthday. The banquet is being held at the Xiao Mansion.”
Lan Yan blinked in surprise.
Xiao Si noticed her silence and glanced at her sideways. “What’s wrong—are you nervous?”
Lan Yan preferred to quietly collect her thoughts, saying nothing.
To claim she wasn’t nervous would be a lie.
She had beco accustod to eting Mr. and Mrs. Xiao.
But this ti involved the entire Xiao Family. She…
The man reached out with one hand, taking hold of her delicate fingers. “You’ll have to et them sooner or later. This is the perfect opportunity to get acquainted—start getting used to it.”
Lan Yan took a deep breath but still said nothing.
An hour later.
The car entered the gates of the Xiao Mansion.
Inside was a sprawling courtyard, already filled with several luxury vehicles.
After parking, Xiao Si unfastened his seatbelt. However, Lan Yan sat motionless beside him.
Seeing this, Xiao Si chuckled softly with a touch of helplessness and leaned toward her.
Lan Yan jumped in surprise. “What are you doing?”
“You’ve been nervous the entire way and still aren’t relaxed.”
Lan Yan bit her lip uncertainly. “It’s still there—just a little bit.”
Xiao Si said, “Let’s sit here a bit longer; no rush to go inside.”
Lan Yan quickly countered, “No, let’s go in.”
She felt it would be impolite to loiter outside after arriving.
With that, she unbuckled her seatbelt.
A second later, she stopped and said, “Wait.”
“What now?” Xiao Si asked.
Lan Yan wrinkled her nose. “You didn’t tell earlier that it was your grandfather’s birthday. I didn’t prepare anything.”
Reaching over, Xiao Si pinched her cheek lightly, his slightly husky voice carrying a hint of laughter: “You’re the best gift.”
“…”
After exiting the car, Xiao Si took her hand, walking side-by-side toward the mansion.
Halfway there, Lan Yan said, “You’re not allowed to pinch my face again.”
The man readily agreed, “Alright, no pinching.”
The Xiao Mansion was a traditional Chinese-style villa. At first glance, it exuded grandeur and a certain air of intimidation.
The large red door and antique design gave an imdiate sense of solemnity.
Once inside, the place felt overwhelming—an expansive family ho on a massive scale.
Despite walking for fifteen minutes, they still hadn’t reached the main hall.
Lan Yan couldn’t help but ask, “Xiao Si, are you sure you know the way?”
Xiao Si imdiately understood what she was implying.
Smiling, he explained, “The mansion is huge. The main hall is deep inside; it takes about half an hour to walk from the front gate.”
Lan Yan hadn’t realized that rely entering a ho could require such a trek.
Adding, Xiao Si said, “Apart from Grandpa and Grandma, my eldest uncle’s family and my third uncle’s family live here.”
Lan Yan furrowed her brows slightly, asking, “So why don’t Uncle Xiao and Aunt Yun live here too?”
Turning to her briefly, Xiao Si answered, “Don’t worry. Our family doesn’t have those typical lodramatic fights over inheritance.”
“…”
“They don’t live here simply because my mom didn’t want to. She thought it was too large and inconvenient for outings, so they moved out when I was six.”
Lan Yan was montarily stunned. She hadn’t expected the reasoning to be so mundane.
Apparently, there were indeed people who disliked a house for being too big.
“Oh,” Lan Yan said, “Does that an you haven’t been back in a while either?”
“Not at all. I co back often. When I was in school, I spent most of my holidays living here too. Essentially, Grandpa and Grandma raised . My parents were too busy when they were younger to look after .”
As they walked toward the main hall, Xiao Si shared many details about the Xiao Family and its mbers.
Uncle Xiao was the second eldest in the family. Above him was an older brother, and below were two younger brothers and three younger sisters.
That ant Xiao Si’s grandparents had raised seven children.
Without realizing it, they had approached the main hall.
Coming toward them was the mansion’s elderly housekeeper.
The housekeeper smiled warmly upon seeing Xiao Si and said, “Fourth Young Master, you’re back.”
Xiao Si turned to Lan Yan and introduced, “This is the mansion’s housekeeper, Uncle Yuan.”
Lan Yan looked at the housekeeper with a polite smile, “Hello, Uncle Yuan.”
Although it was the housekeeper’s first ti seeing Lan Yan, he had heard Xiao Si’s grandparents discussing how their Fourth Young Master now had a fiancée.
Seeing the two hand-in-hand, he paused for a split second before his grin deepened. “You must be Miss Lan. So beautiful! You and our Fourth Young Master make a perfect match.”
Lan Yan felt montarily flustered. It was her first ti here, yet they already knew about her.
Not knowing how to respond, she could only smile awkwardly.
Xiao Si chid in, “Uncle Yuan, I’m taking Yanyan to see Grandpa and Grandma first.”
The housekeeper said, “Go on ahead; the Old Master and Madam are in the front hall, having tea. I’ll head out to greet other guests attending the banquet.”
Xiao Si nodded and led Lan Yan toward the front hall.
She grew increasingly nervous as they got closer.
A mont later, she began faintly hearing voices—both children and adults.
Earlier, Xiao Si had already detailed his family. He had two elder cousins and one elder cousin-sister, all of whom were married with children.
Learning this information had overwheld her sowhat. Never had she been exposed to such an extensive web of family connections.
The Xiao Family thrived with nurous mbers and an abundance of relative ties, yet harmony prevailed without disputes.
Despite their status as a family rooted in dical professions, only Xiao Si’s father and eldest uncle continued working in the healthcare field. The other siblings had branched into entrepreneurial paths with unconnected fields, avoiding sibling rivalry altogether.
Lan Yan admired the Xiao elders for managing such a balance—for always preserving peace amid extensive generational lines.
For many sprawling families like this, internal strife wasn’t uncommon. Yet the Xiao household remained scandal-free.
…
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