Shen Peichuan’s lips curled into a smile.
A glance at his expression told Su Zhan the other man must have experienced something good. “No wonder you’re buying us dinner. It looks like you’ve got something to show off.”
Shen Peichuan glanced at him. “I’m not as much as a show-off as you.”
“What can I possibly show off?” Su Zhan flashed him a quick smile. Although life had not been easy, he could finally have a stable life with Qin Ya.
Ahead of them, Sang Yu and Qin Ya entered the house first. Lin Xinyan and Zong Jinghao had been the first to arrive. Although they had moved out of the place, they often hired people to clean the house. Therefore, the house was still clean despite being empty for most of the time.
When Lin Xinyan saw them enter, she poured a few glasses of water and placed them on the table.
“Peichuan, I heard you’ve got a promotion,” Lin Xinyan said when she put down the glasses and looked at him.
Shen Peichuan sat on the couch and answered, “Xinyan, news reaches you quick. You already know it before I got the chance to tell you about it.”
Lin Xinyan chuckled. She had heard it from Zong Jinghao, but she did not know how that man had found out about it. Zong Jinghao was well-connected with many people, so it was normal for him to hear about things quickly.
“Let me take the opportunity to announce something.” Wrapping an arm around Qin Ya, Su Zhan stated, “Qin Ya and I have made arrangements. We’re back to pick Grandma Su up.”
“To where?” Shen Peichuan asked. He had just come back from his outstation work, so he did not know about Su Zhan’s plan to move to C City.
That was why he had asked that question.
After briefing him about what happened, Su Zhan continued, “Grandma Su is quite sick, but it’s good news to me. That means I can be with Qin Ya.”
It was a tough road to get to where they were now.
Grandma Su had dementia. After falling and hitting her head, her memory had gotten worse; she only seemed to remember old memories and nothing new. To him, it was good news that she had forgotten about those unhappy incidents.
“If you’re going to move there, then what about here…”
“I’ve settled everything here,” Su Zhan cut him off, knowing what Shen Peichuan was about to ask.
Shen Peichuan gave him a pat on the shoulder. Right then, the doorbell rang. It was the deliveryman.
Lin Xinyan stood up to head to the door. Three deliverymen had come, and in their hands were bags of food. Lin Xinyan turned to let them in as she instructed, “Leave them on the table.”
In a blink of an eye, the food was all placed on the table.
After the deliverymen left and Lin Xinyan closed the door, Qin Ya and Sang Yu went over to help open the food boxes.
Lin Xinyan muttered, “I can do it myself. Why are the two of you helping?”
“Let the men talk. It’s not like we can get a word in, anyway,” Sang Yu laughed. “Do you need plates?”
Qin Ya responded, “These are already packed. Pouring them into plates is only for the sake of the food looking better. If we use the plates, we’ll have to wash them later.”
“That’s true.” Sang Yu then turned to Lin Xinyan. “Xinyan, why did you two move to the old house instead of staying here?”
Lin Xinyan lowered her eyes to conceal her feelings. She only told them they moved because Zong Qifeng was not in the best of health, and he missed the old house. That was why they moved.
After preparing the dishes, Qin Ya shouted in the direction of the living room, “You can eat while you talk.”
“We should celebrate Peichuan’s promotion. I’m going to grab a bottle of wine,” Lin Xinyan muttered.
“We all drove here. How are we going to drive back after drinking?” Su Zhan pulled Qin Ya to her seat.
Lin Xinyan halted in her footsteps, finding reason in Su Zhan’s words.
“Can’t we call for a driver? It’s rare for us to gather together. Mr. Shen will definitely be busy after his promotion, and Su Zhan and I will be moving to C City. I don’t know when our next gathering will be. Let’s just have a glass. How about that?” Qin Ya persuaded with a smile.
As everyone nodded in agreement at her words, Qin Ya then brought two bottles over.
Lin Xinyan moved to pour the wine, but Shen Peichuan took the bottle instead. “I’ll do it.”
Lin Xinyan handed him the bottle and sat down.
He then started pouring into everyone’s glasses, starting from Zong Jinghao’s, but he skipped Sang Yu. Qin Ya teased, “I didn’t think you’re such a caring man.” She then smiled at Sang Yu. “You’ve married the right man. Look, he filled Ms. Lin and my glasses, but he didn’t fill yours. He dotes on you.”
Feeling embarrassed after hearing her words, Sang Yu’s face turned red.
She shyly hung her head.
Even after Qin Ya’s words, Shen Peichuan still did not fill Sang Yu’s glass.
He sat down and put the bottle aside. “She can’t drink.”
“But we can?” Lin Xinyan laughed.
They were only teasing Sang Yu and Shen Peichuan. “You’ll have to drink for Sang Yu then.”
“Sure,” Shen Peichuan answered without hesitation.
Su Zhan gripped Shen Peichuan’s collar and huffed, “Get lost. Go home if you’re showing off your love. You’ve been promoted, and we’re celebrating with you. How can your wife not drink?”
Su Zhan then took the bottle of wine in front of Shen Peichuan and filled Sang Yu’s glass as he said, “We’re celebrating your husband’s promotion today. You have to drink it.”
“Su Zhan.” Qin Ya shot him a glare.
All she wanted was to tease Shen Peichuan, but he ended up insisting on Sang Yu to drink. Sang Yu was the youngest here, and she was just a college student. It did not seem right for her to drink.
Sang Yu stood up and poured a glass of water. “I’ll drink this water as wine.”
Su Zhan was about to say something else when Lin Xinyan cut him off, “All right. Let Sang Yu drink water.”
She seemed to have discovered something; she knew that Sang Yu could drink as she had drunk during their previous gathering. Now that everyone was present today, it was unlikely that she would refuse to drink unless it was for a good reason.
It’s been a while since she married Shen Peichuan. Is she pregnant?
Lin Xinyan could only guess.
She could not think of other reasons for Sang Yu to reject drinking.
“You started it, and now you’re stopping me. Why do you women change your minds so quickly?” Su Zhan sat back down.
Qin Ya twisted his ear. “If I change my mind quickly, will I still be by your side until now?”
“Ouch!” Su Zhan was quick to surrender. “They’re watching. Let me have my dignity.”
“Do you even still have it?” Shen Peichuan added. “Your wife must be punishing you every day.”
Su Zhan abruptly widened his eyes to glare at the other man. He then looked at Sang Yu, who was beside him. “Sang Yu, did you hear that? He likes to be punished. Make him suffer when you get home. He loves it.”
“You’re the one who loves it.” Shen Peichuan poured half of the wine from his glass into Su Zhan’s. “Drink more so you’ll shut up.”
“Get lost. It’s got your germs. I don’t want to drink it.” Su Zhan picked up his glass, about to pour it back to Shen Peichuan’s.
Shen Peichuan said, “I haven’t drunk from mine yet.”
“Still a no from me. Why don’t you let Sang Yu drink for you?” At that, Su Zhan pushed his glass in Sang Yu’s direction. “Drink it for your husband. It’s his drink.”
Shen Peichuan stopped him and pulled the glass toward himself. “Su Zhan, why are you so annoying?”
“I’m annoying for asking your wife to drink?” Su Zhan stared at him. “Why do I feel like something’s amiss? Is she sick?”
At that thought, Su Zhan turned solemn.
“You’re the one who’s sick.” Shen Peichuan had the urge to crack open Su Zhan’s head to see if he had a brain.
“Then why…”
“Shen Peichuan will become a dad soon, right?” Lin Xinyan cut Su Zhan off as she looked at Sang Yu.
