The atmosphere was actually a bit stiff and cold throughout the dinner.
It was not only because Xia Xingchen was worried, but also because of Lan Zhan and Lan Ye. Not to mention Lan Ye, it was impossible for him to have a good face towards Xia Xingchen. Lan Zhan not only had a bad face, but was also angry.
Halfway through the meal, he, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke: "If I remember correctly, after the New Year, you should be 24, right?"
I said this to Xia Xingchen.
She said "hmm" and nodded.
Lan Zhan drank a mouthful of soup and asked, "What kind of boys do you like?"
"..." Xia Xingchen remained silent. Lan Ye glanced at her and continued the conversation for her, "We just had a chat upstairs. From what I understand, she probably likes calm, generous, and cool boys."
"Since you are from our Lan family, there will be many people who want to marry you in the future. During this period of time, I will help you find a good in-law family as soon as possible." Lan Zhan's tone was not a negotiation. Every word was powerful and unquestionable, and his face was expressionless. Yun Xiang felt that the situation was awkward, but he didn't dare to say anything.
Xia Xingchen gently put down his chopsticks, and spoke slowly after a while, "Thank you, uncle, for your concern. But..."
She looked up and said, "I have no plans to get married yet. My cousin is older than me, so if we want to get married, I think she is more suitable than me."
Her voice was still the same, neither fast nor slow, neither light nor heavy, but it was also stubborn and persistent.
To Lan Zhan, it sounded like a provocation.
Lan Zhan slapped the table with his palm, "Don't think I don't know who you are dating now!"
"Lan Zhan!" Lan Ting put down the chopsticks in her hand with a 'snap' and scolded her brother. Lan Zhan's face was not good, but she was still respectful to her sister. For a moment, she also tried to control her temper.
Yun Xiang was shocked. Lan Ye interrupted, "Aunt, don't be angry. I think Dad meant well. It depends on whether some people know what is good for them."
When Lan Ye said this, he glanced at Xia Xingchen. Yun wanted to pull her, "Why are you interrupting when adults are talking?"
Lan Zhan's unhappy eyes swept across Xia Xingchen's overly calm face, and then fell on Lan Ting, "Sister, you know she..."
At this point, Lan Zhan seemed to feel that the truth was too difficult to talk about. He stopped talking, his face became even uglier, and his brows were so tight that they could pinch a fly to death. "How can that be possible?! I have helped the Bai family for so many years, but I didn't let him do such a stupid thing! It's simply a mess, a mess, and they don't care about the consequences!!"
As if getting angrier the more he thought about it, Lan Zhan slammed his palm on the table again. The table shook twice.
Xia Xingchen took a deep breath and slowly stood up, "I'm full, you guys eat slowly."
She took off the coat behind her, held it in her hands, and said to Lan Ting, "Mom, I have other things to do, so I'll leave first."
After that, she nodded slightly to Lan Zhan and Yun Xiang, showing all the necessary courtesy, and then stood up and left. She came here because she didn't want to disappoint Madam Lan Ting, but she definitely didn't come here to see the Lan family's faces.
"Xingchen!" Lan Ting called out, quickly got up and followed, not forgetting to turn back and glare at Lan Zhan.
"This..." Yun Xiang also stood up, looking at this and that. Lan Ye snorted and continued to cut the steak in his hand slowly, "It seems that Auntie needs to teach her what is the way of being a guest."
"Shh!" Yun Xiang put his finger to his lips, "Your aunt finally found her, so stop talking nonsense. And you..."
At this point, he turned his gaze to Lan Zhan, "It's only your first time here, and you're talking about kissing for no reason."
Lan Zhan was feeling annoyed and waved his hand, signaling her to stop talking.
… … … … …
"Xingchen." Lan Ting took two quick steps before catching up.
"Mom, please go in. It's cold outside."
Lan Ting knew that she felt wronged, and he felt bad too. "Your uncle is like that, he speaks bluntly..."
Xia Xingchen didn't care at all about Lan Zhan's personality.
"Today I came back with you to visit them. Now that we have visited them, I can retire. Please go in."
Lan Ting wanted to say something, but seeing his daughter's expression was as calm as water, he said nothing. Finally, he just sighed and said, "I'll ask the driver to take you back to the Bai family."
Xia Xingchen did not refuse.
She put on her coat and got into the car. Yun Xiang also came out to see her off.
Sitting in the car, watching the light behind her recede little by little, she still felt stuffy. The car was heated, but she still felt cold even with her heavy windbreaker on.
Along the way, Lan Ye's words were turning in her mind.
In the end...is she too selfish
"Please drop me off in front." Xia Xingchen spoke to the driver halfway through the drive. The driver looked at her suspiciously, and she repeated her words again. The driver nodded and dropped her off on the side of the road.
The city center is very prosperous.
Xia Xingchen stood under the big clock in Times Square. When she looked up, she could see the man who was so familiar to her, appearing on the big screen.
Such an outstanding style.
Just yesterday, he was selected into the top ten of the "Global Charm List". This is one of the most authoritative lists in the world. The top ten of the list include national leaders, wealthy people, and celebrities. But all of them are extremely charming and extraordinary.
"Our President is so handsome!"
"It's a pity that the top ten are ranked in no particular order, otherwise, our President would definitely take the top spot~"
"This is the first time that someone from our country has been selected. It really makes us proud, right?"
Passersby around her were talking and looking at the screen as fascinated as she was.
"I really don't know what kind of first lady a man like this will find for us in the future! I'm so looking forward to it!"
"She has to be a real rich lady to be worthy of our president! But, a princess from a neighboring country will do too!"
"… "
Your words and mine kept drilling into Xia Xingchen's ears, like nails, penetrating her eardrums and piercing into her heart one by one.
If the first lady he chose was not a rich lady, let alone a princess from a neighboring country, but his cousin... I'm afraid that all the people who are still obsessed with him will turn against him.
Xia Xingchen could almost imagine that scene. Her nose felt sore and her eyes inexplicably turned red.
She was standing in the middle of the square when her cell phone suddenly rang. It was his number.
Xia Xingchen put the phone to his ear, and his slightly tired voice came from the other end, "Where is it?"
She raised her lips to make her tone sound relaxed, "I'm shopping outside. Christmas is coming soon, so I came out for a walk."