Wong Qifu saw the expression on Xu Ke's face, as if she had discerned something.

"Xu Ke, I'm not telling you all this to show you how upset I am, nor do I want you to cause trouble for Uncle Qing," she explained. "I'm just afraid you'll blame me. If I hadn't asked your parents to come to the Wangjiang Hotel tonight, none of this would've happened."

She hadn't intended to reveal her reason for choosing the Wangjiang Hotel, as it would expose her vulnerability. But she was also afraid that Xu Ke would misunderstand. She knew full well that Wong Liqing could interfere with the Wangjiang Hotel, and she knew he disliked Xu Ke. Yet, she had still let Xu Ke come, putting him and his parents in an awkward situation.

Xu Ke stared straight ahead, remaining silent for a moment before saying, "I do blame you."

BEEP! BEEP!...

Outside the car window, the sound of car horns seemed to be amplified.

Wong Qifu was taken aback. The flickering lights from the roadside danced across her pretty face. It was hard for her to believe.

Xu Ke continued, "I blame you for thinking that I would blame you."

Do we really need to explain so much between us?

Wong Qifu turned to look out the window. "You sure know what to say, don't you?"

"Don't you like hearing it?" Xu Ke smiled.

Still looking out the window, the corners of her lips curved into a slight smile. "Just focus on driving."

"Alright!"

「In another car.」

"Mister Wang, shouldn't I be the one driving?" Xu Zhentai asked from the passenger seat, bracing himself.

Wang Wu was old enough to be his uncle, but since Xu Ke called him Uncle Wu, he felt it would be awkward to do the same.

"It's no trouble," Wang Wu said with a faint smile. "I usually drive Xu Ke like this. Driving his elders is only proper."

From the back seat, Xu Zhenguo said, "We're truly grateful for how you all usually take care of our Xu Ke!"

"Xu Ke doesn't need us to take care of him. In fact, he's the one who has helped us a great deal," Wang Wu remarked with feeling.

"Helped you?" Xu Zhenguo was surprised.

How could Xu Ke possibly be of any help to the Wang Family Corporation?

"Yes." Wang Wu smiled and nodded but didn't elaborate. After all, Xu Ke's schemes weren't something to be discussed openly.

He changed the subject. "Mister Xu, regarding your visit to Tianhai, was there something you planned to discuss with the Young Miss?"

Xu Zhenguo and Shen Fen exchanged a look. "Mister Wang, I'll be honest. I was originally planning to ask them to call off the engagement. After all, they haven't even had their engagement party yet."

Wang Wu's hands tensed slightly on the steering wheel. "And now?"

Xu Zhenguo was silent for a moment. "But after seeing them together just now, I'm not so opposed anymore."

Wang Wu's hands relaxed. "Xu Ke and the Young Miss share a very deep bond. I've watched her grow up, and I've never seen her so devoted to any man."

"Is that so?" Shen Fen was genuinely pleased to hear this.

Wang Wu smiled and nodded.

Xu Zhenguo said nothing, his mind whirring.

The moment Wong Qifu had appeared, he'd seen the change in Xu Ke's demeanor and realized their relationship was inseparable. Then, when she decisively and flawlessly handled her uncle, Wong Liqing, and led them away, making it clear she stood with them... Xu Zhenguo's initial resolve began to waver.

「Hotel, Parking Lot.」

Xu Ke closed the car door. "My dad said they're already in the private room."

"Then let's go up," Wong Qifu said.

"Okay."

Xu Ke walked over to her side, and Wong Qifu naturally reached out to loop her arm through his. A sweet fragrance filled the air.

Xu Ke looked at Wong Qifu, startled.

"What are you looking at? Let's go!" Wong Qifu gave his arm a gentle tug.

"Oh, right, let's go!" Xu Ke snapped out of his daze.

The soft feeling of her arm linked with his felt surreal.

This was the first time they had ever walked arm in arm!

「Private Room.」

Wong Qifu and Xu Ke pushed open the doors.

Upon seeing them, an idea sparked in Xu Zhentai's mind. On the way over, he had resolved not to let the incident at the Wangjiang Hotel spoil the evening. So, he immediately began to tease them, "Well, well! Look at this perfect couple, a golden boy and a jade girl!"

Xu Ke's face flushed with embarrassment. "Second Uncle, what are you doing?"

Wong Qifu, however, just smiled gracefully, completely at ease.

"Look, she's not even embarrassed, and here you are, a grown man, blushing?" Xu Zhentai roared with laughter.

The other three couldn't help but chuckle. The more Shen Fen looked, the more satisfied she felt. In both appearance and character, Wong Qifu was miles better than Siao Jia.

They all took their seats, and the dishes and wine were gradually served.

Wong Qifu was the first to raise her glass. "Uncle, Second Uncle, Auntie, I am so sorry about what happened tonight. It was a result of my poor management."

"It's nothing, dear, don't you worry about it," Shen Fen said gently, sitting beside her.

"That's right! If your mother-in-law says it's okay, then it's okay!" Xu Zhentai chimed in with a laugh.

This "mother-in-law" comment brought a shy blush to Wong Qifu's cheeks. "Yes," she murmured.

Xu Ke stared, dumbfounded.

When had he ever seen this side of Wong Qifu?!

"Uncle Wu," she then said. "Please bring the things over."

"Yes, Miss!" Wang Wu brought forward the two bags he had been carrying.

Everyone looked on, puzzled.

"I prepared some meeting gifts," Wong Qifu explained. "Auntie, Xu Ke said you like pastries from the provincial capital. I had someone make these and send them over; they were just finished this afternoon."

"Uncle, Xu Ke mentioned you enjoy tea tasting. This is a tea I brought back from Martial Town..."

"Second Uncle, this is for you..."

Seeing how thoroughly Wong Qifu had prepared, even Xu Ke was stunned. The night before last on the balcony, she had asked about his parents' hobbies, and he had just mentioned a few things offhand. In truth, he wasn't even sure if they genuinely liked those things. He never imagined she would prepare everything.

At this moment, Xu Zhenguo looked rather uncomfortable. "Qi Fu, you've prepared so many things, but Xu Ke's mother and I came empty-handed. This is quite embarrassing! We really shouldn't accept these."

Whether they planned for the engagement to continue or not, arriving without gifts was a major oversight.

But Wong Qifu simply smiled. "Uncle, Auntie, you raised Xu Ke to be the man he is today. That is already the greatest gift you could ever give me. Any other presents are just a formality. Please, accept them."

Xu Zhentai was astounded. This Wong Qifu... she was far too considerate of his elder brother's feelings!

Shen Fen was now the one feeling embarrassed. "Our Xu Ke is hardly a gift."

"Indeed..." Xu Zhenguo nodded in agreement.

Wong Qifu just smiled.

But Xu Ke wasn't happy about that. "What do you mean I'm not a gift?"

Xu Zhentai said coolly, "You brat, all you do is sulk. What kind of gift is that?"

Xu Ke was left speechless.

Everyone burst into hearty laughter.

The rest of the dinner was very relaxed. Under Wong Qifu's attentive care, the unpleasantness from the Wangjiang Hotel was soon forgotten.

During a trip to the restroom, Xu Ke saw several new messages on his phone.

The first was from Jiang Yi: "Boss, can you give me the antidote? Am I going to die?"

Xu Ke paused. He'd completely forgotten about that. He replied, "See you later!"

The second message was from Li Lang: "When are you free? My dad wants to meet you."

Xu Ke raised an eyebrow. It seemed that giving the Li family's father and son a day to think had worked; they'd come to a decision. "Tomorrow morning," he texted back.

The last message was from Duan Chongfeng: "Elder Master Zhou said tomorrow is fine. Little brother, are you free?"

Xu Ke replied, "I'll head over tomorrow night!"

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