Qin Ya still wanted to refuse, but Lin Xinyan held her hand tightly.
Su Zhan didn’t show up throughout the whole ceremony, likely due to the injuries he sustained on his face. He probably wanted to avoid Qin Ya as well. But surely he wouldn’t hide during the banquet too?
A meal would still be waiting for him.
Lin Xinyan effectively wanted Qin Ya to know how Su Zhan felt about her.
She could tell that Su Zhan was sad.
Qin Ya pursed her lips and said nothing. She noticed that given the nature of the relationship between Su Zhan and Zong Jinghao, there was no way he’d miss the wedding. The fact that he was missing in action at all was strange.
I wonder why Lin Xinyan wants me to come with her. Does it have to do with Su Zhan? wondered Qin Ya.
Since there was no mention of this person, Qin Ya decided not to ask.
Lin Xinyan patted her hand. “You’re coming with me then.”
Qin Ya lowered her head and agreed.
Another knock was heard at the door. This time, it was a staff member who had come over to inform Lin Xinyan to get ready. The banquet had already begun.
Qin Ya confirmed that she was aware of this and shut the door.
The wedding banquet was well underway when suddenly the lounge door was pushed open. Zong Jinghao strolled in.
Lin Xinyan asked, “Why are you here?”
Zong Jinghao mentioned that he wanted to introduce Lin Xinyan to some of the foreign branch operatives from earlier on.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and carefully helped her up from the sofa, asking, “Are you tired?”
Lin Xinyan nodded.
She was prone to bouts of physical weakness which were likely caused by her pregnancy.
“I’ll bring you around to meet some people, then take you back to your room to rest,” said Zong Jinghao. Lin Xinyan could not avoid socializing today as he wanted to introduce her to his circle.
Qin Ya accompanied them from behind as they walked to the wedding reception together.
Zong Jinghao first took Lin Xinyan to meet the other people he worked with. Apart from Shen Peichuan and Su Zhan, the company also had a cadre of talented professionals who were very capable at their jobs.
“How could they delay the announcement of the identity of those kids until now? They’re already so big!” As Zong Jinghao brought Lin Xinyan to this table, they overheard some of the guests discussing the revelation from earlier.
It wasn’t just them, but plenty of the other attendees had been surprised and slightly unhappy as well. They never anticipated Zong Jinghao to already have kids, let alone kids of this age. There was plenty of gossip about how he managed to keep such a big secret under wraps as well.
On such a joyous occasion, it was only natural that the guests would propose toasts to celebrate the happy couple. Under normal circumstances, they would have been obligated to accept, but Zong Jinghao had been diligently drinking on Lin Xinyan’s behalf. Nobody could say anything, of course. It was unreasonable to expect a pregnant woman to participate in something like this.
Zong Jinghao did not linger and promptly went to greet other guests, flitting from table to table. Soon enough, he came to the table shared by both Tang Che and his brother-in-law, Li Qirui.
Li Qirui stood up with a glass of wine in his hands. With a smile, he said, “You sly old fox, no wonder you’ve kept her tucked away! If I have a wife as lovely as her, I’d keep her hidden away too!”
“Congratulations to you both!” piped up Tang Che as well, and the three men clinked glasses.
“We’ll catch up another day.” Tang Che knew that they still had many guests to entertain and decided not to take up too much of their time.
“Of course, I’ll make arrangements,” replied Zong Jinghao.
Other guests had come to greet them and make idle chit-chat too. They were important people, so the couple could not just brush them off.
“Say, Mrs. Zong, would you be interested in joining our club?” asked one of the wealthy ladies whose surname was Wang. This club was meant to be a gathering place for the richer ladies who whiled away their time playing cards, gossiping, and building connections. Networking made for good business, after all.
While the men were hard at work providing a glamorous lifestyle for their wives, the women did what they could to help out from behind the scenes as well.
Lin Xinyan tactfully refused. “I apologize, but I have two kids to care for. I fear I may not have the time!”
Although the other party had been relatively indirect about what it was they did, Lin Xinyan knew exactly what went on in those social circles.
Obviously, Zong Jinghao didn’t need her help where his business was concerned, while she was not remotely interested in doing anything that would cause him trouble.
Mrs. Wang had been implying that if they fostered a good relationship, then Lin Xinyan would be helping her husband expand his business more.
“You should employ a nanny, then you needn’t worry about lifting a finger! You’re such a delicate and beautiful woman, surely Mr. Zong can’t bear to see you slave away like that!”
Lin Xinyan was a very strong-willed person, but she did look a little reedy due to her pregnancy and pale complexion. Mrs. Wang must have had thought she looked ‘delicate’ due to her younger age as well.
Zong Jinghao wanted to speak up for Lin Xinyan, but she squeezed his hand in warning, telling him that she was perfectly capable of handling this. She looked Mrs. Wang square in the eye and said, “I’m a bit more traditional, Mrs. Wang. I think it’s my responsibility to serve my husband and my kids on my own. Don’t you think it’s better my husband go to work without needing to worry about anything at home?”
This was a very adamant refusal from Lin Xinyan. Before Mrs. Wang could respond, she was pulled aside by her husband. “My wife has always been a blabbermouth, so please pay her no mind, Mr. Zong,” said Mr. Wang as he hastily moved her away.
Zong Jinghao wasn’t sure what Mrs. Wang’s motives were, but he was thankful that Lin Xinyan saw right through the other’s intentions.
Mrs. Wang remained unconvinced. Are we still stuck in the stone age? Serving your husband and son? That sounds like complete bullsh*t!
“Forgive me if I’ve spoken out of turn, Mrs. Wang. I’m still young after all.” Lin Xinyan noticed the look on Mrs. Wang’s face, which stemmed from her inability to recruit Lin Xinyan. She beamed and ignored the ugly look that came her way.
“Oh no, not at all,” answered Mr. Wang in his wife’s stead.
After socializing a bit more, Lin Xinyan pulled Zong Jinghao aside urgently. In a low voice, she asked, “Where is Su Zhan?”
She had specifically intended for Qin Ya to meet him, but he wasn’t found at Shen Peichuan and Guan Jing’s table.
“I don’t know. Hiding in a corner somewhere, perhaps?” replied Zong Jinghao. There were too many people present in the crowd, so finding Su Zhan would be a challenge.
“Well, I want you to call him up and ask him why he’s not here for our wedding? I am not happy about this at all. I haven’t seen hide nor hair of him all day!” said Lin Xinyan indignantly.
Zong Jinghao stole a glance at Qin Ya. Lin Xinyan’s intentions were too obvious.
It’s her own wedding and she’s still worrying about other people!
Zong Jinghao had an idea. He leaned in and whispered something in Lin Xinyan’s ear.
After hearing his explanation, Lin Xinyan felt that it was feasible enough. Meeting up like this was not going to undo the kinks in their relationship. Only if Su Zhan knew of Qin Ya’s physical condition could the matter be resolved in its entirety.
She looked at Qin Ya. “You must be starving! Go grab something to eat. Just meet me back at the lounge later as I’ve got something to tell you.”
Qin Ya nodded. “Alright.”
With that, she made her way toward the table where Shen Peichuan sat.
At last, the couple arrived at the Wen family table where Zong Qifeng was seated. Shao Yun and Zhuang Zijin were here too. Both men were elders as well as the people involved in what happened in the past.
After everything had unfolded, it was time to bury the hatchet and put the past behind them. It was only right that they made peace for the happiness and prosperity of future generations.
Wen Qing was so excited to see Li Xinyan. He initially had a lot of things he wanted to express, but he didn’t know where to start.
Instead, he opted to start with a solemn apology for all that he had done.
“It’s okay. The past is in the past, and we need to let go. We’re going to be a family now!” Lin Xinyan’s throat constricted with emotion, but she did not cry.
“Xinyan?” Wen Xiaoji walked up to her, followed by a woman. She was not a stranger though, but a familiar face that everyone recognized.
