On the afternoon of the dinner party, the stylist came to the house. He first had to put makeup on Xu Keyu, and then asked his assistant to accompany Tang Zhi to change clothes.
Tang Zhi was not in the habit of being assisted in dressing, so he declined and returned to the room alone.
He didn't know if he had really lost weight after two days of starvation, or if it was just an illusion. Putting on the same pair of trousers, Tang Zhi only felt slightly tight and less uncomfortable.
Before he came out, he asked the styling assistant and learned that Xu Keyu's makeup would take a long time. He didn't want to go to the dressing room next to Xu Keyu's room too early, so he sat in the room for a while.
The night before yesterday, Tang Zhi was in Xu Sheng's study, waiting quietly for the housekeeper to persuade Xu Keyu to go back to the room. Like a good high school student, he stood obediently and memorized the homework given by Xu Sheng.
Jiang Yan sent Tang Zhi out and gave Tang Zhi a few brief words.
Jiang Yan said that for Miss Yanlu's birthday dinner, as usual, Mr. Xu had to accompany the chairman and could not stay with Tang Zhi and Miss Xu. He also tactfully told Tang Zhi that Xu Keyu had not liked communicating with relatives since he was a child. Almost never on such occasions.
Xu Sheng originally did not intend for Xu Keyu to attend this birthday party, but Xu Yanlu repeatedly invited Xu Sheng in front of Chairman Xu, saying that she wanted to meet her future brother-in-law at the eighteenth birthday party. Finally, Chairman Xu spoke , Xu Shengcai had to agree to Tang Zhi accompanying Xu Keyu to attend.
No one except Chairman Xu knows the true situation of Xu Keyu and Tang Zhi. Because Chairman Xu is one of the most generous donors to Bingang University, Bingang University's outer branch re-entered Tang Zhi's student status files for the last two years of college, and Tang Zhi's previous work experience has also been quietly erased.
But for what happened, as long as someone is looking for it, they can always find evidence.
And if the true nature of the marriage is exposed, it will definitely become the biggest scandal for the Xu family.
"Actually, Mr. Xu is also facing a lot of pressure." Jiang Yan quietly told Tang Zhi, so Tang Zhi must behave flawlessly and remember not to make anyone suspicious.
They stood in the softly lit corridor and talked in low voices. The study door was not completely closed, and Xu Sheng was working inside.
He looked over Jiang Yan's shoulder and saw Xu Sheng immersed in the digital report. He was confused and wondered how there could be such a trouble-seeking person in the world as Xu Sheng.
She would rather take big risks to fulfill Xu Keyu's wish than send her directly to the hospital for treatment.
But when he walked back to the room alone, walked through the corridor, and saw the lake outside the floor-to-ceiling window, Tang Zhi suddenly realized that the answer seemed not difficult to guess.
Maybe it was because my sister wanted to get married like crazy, and when my mother was critically ill, she said that she dreamed that her daughter had found someone she could rely on.
—Because Xu Sheng could do it, he did it.
Xu Sheng seems to be a person who has a hard time seeing other people.
Whether he values Xu Keyu and how much he values him will never be shown in front of Xu Keyu.
Tang Zhi observed that Xu Sheng didn't seem to even love himself.
Tang Zhi unbuttoned his suit and sat by the window, lost in thought, when the housekeeper's internal call came through.
He said: "Mr. Tang, have you changed your clothes yet? The lady is asking."
Tang Zhi said "Okay", put down the phone and walked downstairs.
When Tang Zhi entered the room, the makeup artist's hand paused for a moment, and then smiled at him in an obscure way.
Xu Keyu didn't look back and looked at him in the mirror: "Husband, you are here."
Tang Zhi walked over, leaned next to Xu Keyu, and looked at Xu Keyu in the mirror.
The makeup artist was very skillful and covered most of Xu Keyu's freckles, creating a fresh and natural look. Xu Keyu's face became more refined. Although it still didn't look very beautiful, it still had a very special flavor.
"It's very beautiful." Tang Zhi said to her.
The makeup assistant was adjusting Xu Keyu's dress, and she and Tang Zhi looked at each other in the mirror.
"Sir," the makeup artist stood up and said to Tang Zhi, "Let me do your hair."
Tang Zhi sat next to Xu Keyu, and his hand in the dressing room lightly touched Tang Zhi's cheek. Tang Zhi noticed that Xu Keyu's face became less pretty.
She raised her head and stared at the makeup artist, with an unobvious aggression in her eyes. Tang Zhi's heart sank. He called her name, looked at her and praised her beauty. Her expression softened slightly and he raised his hand to touch her. Holding the necklace hanging around his neck, he asked Tang Zhi: "Does my necklace look good?"
The shape of the necklace is simple, but it looks very expensive at first glance. Tang Zhi said it looked good, and spent two seconds in his mind briefly guessing whether Xu Sheng had chosen it personally, and soon found that he could not think of an answer.
Xu Yanlu's grand eighteenth-year-old coming-of-age ceremony was held at a luxury hotel controlled by the Xu family at the foot of the mountain.
Xu Yanlu and Xu Mingwu's father, Xu Jin, held a banquet and invited almost all the prominent people in Bingang.
Tang Zhi and Xu Keyu walked in arm in arm and sat down at their round table without receiving much attention.
Dinner started at half past seven, and the meals were changed one after another. Xu Keyu's mood was relatively stable, but he didn't eat much.
Several relatives at the same table were very interested in the affairs between Tang Zhi and Xu Keyu, and asked many questions. Tang Zhi answered them one by one according to the standard answers.
At nine o'clock, the meal was over. Under the introduction of the host, everyone stood up and walked to the dance floor outside the restaurant, where Xu Yanlu was going to dance.
The skirt of the white dress swayed, and the camera's flash illuminated the dance floor even brighter. Xu Yanlu danced a waltz with her partner, and then walked onto the stage, blew out the cake candles, and showed off what she said she had saved and prepared over the years. Donating large checks to charitable foundations, giving tearful speeches about lofty aspirations for adulthood.
She looked warm-hearted, kind, gentle and harmless, completely different from the girl who mocked Xu Keyu that day.
Xu Keyu lowered her head in a daze. Tang Zhi felt that she seemed to be uncomfortable, so he pressed her shoulders comfortingly. He stared at the decorative flower column beside him and began to wonder why Xu Sheng hadn't appeared yet.
When Xu Yanlu was about to cut the cake, Chairman Xu arrived late accompanied by Xu Sheng.
She looked at her grandfather with joy, cut the first piece of cake, brought it to her grandfather with her own hands, knelt down half-kneeling, and spoke to him softly with a smile.
In Bingang, even those who don't pay attention to financial news will know Xu Hefu.
When searching for news related to the Xu family, Tang Zhi also saw Xu Jin's name many times.
Xu Hefu has a strong desire to control the media and does not allow any negative news related to the Xu family to appear in the cooperative media. Therefore, most of the media refer to Xu Jin as the future successor of the Xu family. Only a few media have little cooperation with the Xu family. , Dare to covertly report Xu Jin’s continuous gossip.
The rest of the Xu family also often occupied major pages. Tang Zhi thought with some humor: The only one with no name or surname was Xu Sheng.
Although Xu Sheng is now standing in the center, there is a lot of distance between him and Tang Zhi and Xu Keyu, and they can't see each other clearly.
The dance after dinner started. For some reason, many guests came to say hello to Xu Keyu and asked her to introduce her fiancé. Xu Keyu looked very anxious and tightly pulled Tang Zhi's arm without saying a word. Tang Zhi politely Answered for her.
Finally reaching the edge of the dance hall gate, Tang Zhi wanted to take Xu Keyu to the terrace to enjoy the breeze, but was blocked by Xu Mingwu and Xu Yanlu coming towards him.
"Ke Yu," Xu Yanlu changed into a dress, holding a glass of champagne in her hand, and said with a smile, "You are so beautiful today, your husband must love you to death."
Xu Mingwu stood aside, followed by several men and women of the same age. The atmosphere was almost the same as that day on the morning jog.
Xu Keyu took a step back, lowered his head, and tightened his grip on Tang Zhi's wrist, his nails almost digging into Tang Zhi's flesh.
Tang Zhi held back the tingling pain in his wrist and said comfortingly in Xu Keyu's ear, "It's okay." Then he smiled at Xu Yanlu and said, "Ms. Xu, happy birthday."
Xu Yanlu ignored him and exchanged a look with Xu Mingwu. The two laughed loudly, as if he was not present, and asked Xu Keyu persistently: "Keyu, how old is your husband? Please introduce him to us. .”
Xu Keyu finally raised his head, looked at Tang Zhi, loosened his grip a little, and said to Xu Yanlu, "As big as me."
"Oh," Xu Yanlu smiled, revealing her white teeth, "That's not a young age, where can you get a higher position?"
"Are you not going to work?" Xu Mingwu said.
For his sister's birthday, he also dressed up carefully. He looked a little more like Xu Sheng, but somehow, he seemed a little different.
"How's that?" Xu Yanlu exaggeratedly sang along with him, "Your brother won't help him arrange a job in the company?"
"Not from the law department..." She finally looked at Tang Zhi, who looked at her expressionlessly, waiting for her to continue.
But for some reason, Xu Yanlu suddenly paused and did not continue.
"Ke Yu," after two quiet seconds, Xu Mingwu suddenly answered, "A man has to start a family and start a career. You should also urge your brother. Don't raise a waste to feed your addiction. If one is not enough, raise two."
After he said this, everyone around him burst into laughter.
Several people stood in the darkness at the edge of the dance floor, which had become a social gathering place for adults, and no one noticed what Xu Yanlu, the titular protagonist, was doing in the corner.
Xu Keyu seemed a little unable to control herself. She retreated restlessly. Tang Zhi raised his arms and hugged her. As if she had found support, she tightened in Tang Zhi's arms, and the part next to Tang Zhi trembled slightly.
"Ke Yu, why do you seem to have epilepsy?" A girl behind Xu Mingwu said, with a pretentious look on her face, "Should I take you to have a look?"
Before she finished speaking, the smiling person behind her suddenly became silent.
Someone stepped out of the way, and the girl remained silent. Looking back, Xu Sheng looked down at her and said expressionlessly: "I borrowed it."
She was stunned for two seconds and then stepped aside. Xu Sheng strode to Tang Zhi's side, frowned slightly and looked at Xu Keyu in Tang Zhi's arms, and asked him: "What's wrong?"
"I'm chatting with you Keyu." Xu Mingwu said from the side. He was not as afraid of Xu Sheng as others, but his expression was slightly different from when he was mocking Xu Keyu just now.
Xu Mingwu is half a head shorter than Xu Sheng. Standing together, the two of them look like porcelain on display in a museum or a poor counterfeit sold in an off-site store. It makes people feel very funny.
Xu Sheng looked down at his sister, then turned around, looked down at Xu Mingwu, and asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Let's talk about your brother-in-law," Xu Mingwu grinned and whispered, "You are half of the Xu family, how can you do nothing all day long?"
Tang Zhi turned his head to look at Xu Sheng.
Xu Sheng didn't dress up specially and was wearing a gray suit. Maybe because he rarely got so close to Tang Zhi, Tang Zhi felt that he looked taller than usual.
Xu Sheng's expression was very relaxed, and he looked at Xu Mingwu calmly. He even smiled slightly at Xu Mingwu and said, "I'm still not as good as you in terms of idleness."
Xu Mingwu's expression changed and his smile turned cold.
The few people behind seemed to feel that the situation was awkward and not suitable for them to stay, so they dispersed secretly.
Xu Mingwu stared at Xu Sheng for a while, then took a step closer to him and asked him in a low voice: "What do you mean?"
Before Xu Sheng could speak, he lowered his voice again and said, "Who do you think you are? No matter how close you are to grandpa, you won't be my dad's dog in the future."
Xu Sheng looked at Xu Mingwu and asked him as if he found it interesting, "Really? Who did you listen to? Xu Jin told you that I want to be his dog?"
Xu Yanlu stood aside, her face became nervous and scared, she pulled her brother's sleeve and whispered: "Brother, forget it."
"—What's wrong, Mingwu?"
Xu Jin walked over in a hurry and frowned slightly when he saw the confrontation between several people.
"Nothing." Xu Mingwu said, turned around and quickly returned to the dance floor. Xu Yanlu followed behind him, holding up the hem of his skirt, and ran away as if running away.
Xu Jin stayed and reluctantly talked to Xu Sheng and asked him what happened.
Xu Sheng smiled and said nothing, only said: "Ke Yu wants to go back first."
Xu Jin didn't ask any more questions. He greeted Xu Keyu for a while and then left with an excuse.
Xu Keyu finally raised his face from Tang Zhi's arms and called Xu Sheng: "Brother."
As if he was very unskilled, Xu Sheng raised his hand and touched her head, then looked at Tang Zhi.
"You go back with her first." He whispered.
Tang Zhi lowered his head and looked at Xu Keyu and said yes. Xu Sheng took his hand back, and for some reason, the back of his hand touched Tang Zhi's chin when he raised his hand.
Tang Zhi subconsciously raised his eyes to look at him, and Xu Sheng was also stunned, but did not show any displeasure and just lowered his hand quietly.