Chapter 424The Astonished Zi Family
Zi s.h.i.+ya remained calm.
In her opinion, although there were lots of valuable things in the small restaurant, such as the piano downstairs, the wine in the wine cabinet over there, the night-luminescent pearls, and the two Rolls-Royces at the door, the total value of all this was nothing to the Zi family.
“Who could be richer than a business family? Are you kidding me?
“After all, he underestimates the family rules of the Zi family.”
Zi s.h.i.+ya sighed. “Maybe Sister thinks that what is done cannot be undone, and the Zi family will not oppose their marriage since their child has grown up.
“But… two years ago, a cousin brought a child home, but that man was not admitted.
“There are too many rules in the family, especially after the current head took over the family, the family rules became more strict.
“Only if…”
Zi s.h.i.+ya looked at Zhang Han again and thought, “If he comes from a top-cla.s.s family, the marriage may be recognized. However, he doesn’t seem to have a high status.”
Just as she was thinking, her cell phone rang.
She took a look at the number and picked up the phone. “Mom, I’ve arrived in Hong Kong. Well, yes, I’ve met Sister Zi Yan. Now I’m in her place. Ah, this… My sister has a good life, er…”
Zi s.h.i.+ya frowned, covered the microphone with her hand, looked at Zi Yan, and asked in a low voice, “Can I tell her the truth?”
Zi Yan was a little surprised. She looked at Zhang Han, chuckled, and then nodded.
“Well, we’ll let my family know in advance and make them ready to accept Zhang Han.”
She never doubted whether Zhang Han could solve the problem because she knew that Zhang Han would always succeed.
After all, her husband was an immortal, and only she knew the secret that belonged to the two of them.
With Zi Yan’s permission, Zi s.h.i.+ya stood up and walked to the window, then answered in a low voice, “My sister… has her own family now.”
“Her own family? What do you mean?” The volume of the voice over the mobile phone suddenly increased, full of surprise and doubt.
“She has a husband and a baby. Their baby… seems to be more than three years old,” Zi s.h.i.+ya said.
“Pardon?” In the bedroom of a house in the Manor of the Zi Clan, Dong Ling, Zi s.h.i.+ya’s mother, widened her eyes in disbelief. After hearing the news, she asked, “Really? Is she really married?”
“It’s true. Could I lie to you about it? The brother-in-law is going to propose marriage to our family in a few days.”
“Propose marriage?” Dong Ling was stunned.
“Is that man’s family background very good?”
So she asked, “Whose son is your brother-in-law? What does he do?”
“Well, I don’t know, but my sister said that my brother-in-law has several companies, and I’m in their restaurant now.”
“How many companies? In the restaurant? What kind of restaurant?” Dong Ling asked subconsciously.
“It’s a small restaurant with two floors, about a hundred square meters on each floor…”
Dong Ling’s heart thumped as if she missed a beat.
“Terrible!”
“Give Yan the phone and I’ll ask her.” After hearing what Zi s.h.i.+ya said, Dong Ling decided to ask Zi Yan.
After about 10 seconds, Zi Yan’s voice came from the mobile phone. “Aunt Dong.”
“Ah, Yan, are you really married?” Dong Ling asked in doubt.
“It’s true. My husband is going to propose marriage in a few days,” Zi Yan replied.
Listening to Zi Yan’s explanation, especially the words “my husband”, Dong Ling knew that it was already a certainty.
“Where is your husband from? Is he the son of a famous family?” Dong Ling asked.
“He used to live in Shang Jing, and now he is not the son of a famous family. But no n.o.bleman can match him,” Zi Yan said proudly.
“No one can match my husband, who loves me so much.”
Dong Ling was silent for a moment.
“No one can match him? What is this? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?”
Dong Ling forced a smile.
Since she had a good relations.h.i.+p with Zi Yan’s parents, Dong Ling thought for a while and decided not to ask more questions except the last one. “Are you sure of success?”
“Of course, don’t worry, Aunt Dong.”
Hearing Zi Yan’s confident words, Dong Ling sighed, smiled, and said, “Anyway, Aunt hopes you will be happy. Since you have decided, I will wait for you to go home. By the way, do your parents know about it?”
“They don’t know yet. He has only recently decided to propose.”
“Well, I’ll let them know later. You… tell your husband to be fully prepared. The Zi family is very picky, let alone this is your marriage,” Dong Ling said with a forced smile.
In her opinion, for someone who ran a small restaurant, it would be hard to make the Zi family satisfied. Her implication was to warn them to be well prepared before going home. If Zhang Han had good contacts and social status, he might succeed.
Zi Yan smiled and replied, “I see. Don’t worry, Aunt Dong. My husband is very good.”
“Well, that’s it.”
The phone was hung up.
Zi Yan thought about it and started to get nervous. It could be imagined that soon the whole Zi family would know that she was married.
“I’m taking my husband home! My husband is going to propose marriage.”
Zi Yan was looking forward to and nervous about this. After thinking about it, she quickly took out her mobile phone, clicked open the WeChat chat interface with her mother, and then began to select the photos of Mengmeng stored in her mobile phone, as well as the photos of her and Zhang Han.
She decided to give her parents a preemptive shot first.
While Zi Yan was selecting the photos, Yuwei looked at her expectantly and asked excitedly, “Sister Zi Yan, may I take a photo with you?”
“Well, sure.” Zi Yan nodded.
After taking several photos with Yuwei and Liu Shasha, Zi Yan began to talk with them upstairs.
On the other side, in the Manor of the Zi Clan in Singapore…
Dong Ling hung up, put on her coat, and ran out of the bedroom. In the reception room on the first floor, her husband Zi Peng was having tea and chatting with two friends.
“Zi Peng, come here.” Dong Ling went to the door of the reception room and waved to her husband.
“Excuse me.” Zi Peng smiled and nodded to his friends. Then he got up, walked to the door, and asked curiously, “What’s the matter?”
“Follow me.” Dong Ling grabbed Zi Peng’s hand, walked into the opposite room, and closed the door.
“What’s wrong?” Zi Peng asked in surprise.
“There’s big news about Zi Yan. She’s married and has children.”
“Ah?” Zi Peng’s eyes gradually widened. “How is that possible? We haven’t heard of it!”
“It’s true. Zi Yan’s husband is coming to propose the day after tomorrow!”
“Is it true? Oh, my G.o.d! It’s frightening!” Zi Peng shook his head and closed his eyes for a minute, then said in a deep voice, “Zi Yan is the princess of her generation. Well, does my younger brother know about this? Who is Zi Yan’s husband? Which family does he come from?”
“I didn’t ask, so I don’t know. Now that Zi Yan is very confident, that man should have a good background even if he is not from a famous family. Oh, by the way, s.h.i.+ya said that Zi Yan’s husband had opened several companies, and she is now in their restaurant, a small restaurant.” Dong Ling explained the situation briefly.
“If he is not the son of a famous family, no matter how many companies he has, it won’t help!” Zi Peng frowned, and suddenly his face changed. “Terrible! The head of the family is talking with the head of the Fan family, who came here as a matchmaker since Fan Zigang has taken a fancy to Zi Yan. I have to tell them. You should inform my brother first. Go quickly!”
“Ah, yes.” Dong Ling hurried out and walked quickly to Zi Qiang’s house next door without calling him.
Zi Peng walked into the reception room and smiled apologetically to his two friends. “Brother Bai, Brother Hu, I’m sorry. There’s something urgent I need to deal with.”
“Then we’ll leave and come again next time.” They laughed and left. Zi Peng walked them to the gate and then ran into the main residence quickly.
At this time, there were seven or eight people sitting in the reception room of the main residence.
Sitting on one side were Zi Qingtian, the current head of the Zi family, and his wife Fang Huan, as well as three core members of the Zi family. On the other side were members of the Fan family, who were relatively more powerful than the Zi family.
They were mainly talking about Fan Zigang.
The Fan family was just about to start two major projects and wanted to find a partner, and the Zi family was interested in it. At the same time, Fan Zigang, the leader of the young generation of the Fan family, reached the age of marriage, so the two families intended to unite by marriage.
Fan Zigang said politely, “Uncle Qingtian, I heard that Zi Yan has been preparing an alb.u.m in Hong Kong recently, and some of her songs are very pleasant. She is such a versatile girl and I like her so much. If allowed, I’d like to date her.”
“Zi Yan?” Zi Qingtian’s wife, Fang Huan, narrowed her eyes slightly and said with a smile, “She is the most beautiful princess of the Zi family, and we don’t control her very much. Zi Yan has her own plans to develop in Hong Kong, which is also allowed by our family through consultation. In this way, it will be more convenient for us to do business in Hua nation.”
“It’s because I also have plans to go to Hong Kong for development that I feel that she is the best choice,” Fan Zigang said with a smile.
“Zi Yan is the princess of your family, and Fan Zigang is the young leader of the Fan family. I think they will be a well-matched couple,” the head of the Fan family waved and said with a smile.
“And they both have plans to develop in Hong Kong. We all know that Hong Kong is a treasure land, which can be used as a transit station and hub to enter the Hua nation’s business circle, so I intend to entrust this task to Zigang. The Hua nation’s market is so large that we can’t compete with local businessmen if we don’t unite.”
His implication was that the two families could achieve long-term and greater development in the Hua nation through a joint effort.
Of course, Zi Qingtian understood the meaning of the Fan family head. After thinking about it, he was a little moved and said, “In my opinion…”
While they were talking, Zi Peng, Zi s.h.i.+ya’s father, hurried in.
Seeing him in a rush, Zi Qingtian stopped talking.
Zi Peng stepped forward, leaned down, and said a few words in Zi Qingtian’s ear.
Zi Qingtian’s pupils contracted, but his smile became more obvious.
He looked at the Fan family head and said, “Zigang is a talented young man. I am very optimistic about him and interested in this matter. Zi Yan will be back in a few days. Why don’t we talk about it in detail then and decide on it?”
“Very good. That’s it. I won’t disturb you, Zi family head.” The head of the Fan family got up and smiled.
Then the Zi family members saw them off.
Back at the main residence, Zi Peng was worried after everyone sat down. “Family head, how can you promise him?”
“What’s the matter? What happened?” asked Zi Qingtian’s wife, frowning.
“Hahaha.” Zi Qingtian’s face darkened. He waved and said, “Tell us about it.”
Zi Peng froze and swallowed.
“It’s like this,” he said, “Zi Yan is married. Her husband is coming to propose marriage in a few days…”
“What!? How dare she get married without permission? And kid? How shameful!” The middle-aged man behind Zi Qingtian jumped up and said angrily, “She must be severely punished for her violation of the family rules!”
“Don’t be impatient.” Zi Qingtian waved his hand and said, “Since he wants to propose marriage, he must have some advantages, right? If he is really good, he can marry Zi Yan, otherwise, I will make him lose his wife and child. After all, no one can marry my family members at will!”
“Oh, he asked for it.” Fang Huan sneered.
Zi Peng was in distress and fear.
Adhering to the principle of benefits above everything else, Zi Qingtian was very strict and had many powerful means, but his achievements were largely attributed to Fang Huan, his wife. With this amazing woman’s help, the strength of the Zi family had greatly improved.
However, compared with their father’s time as the head of the family, the Zi family now had much less warmth from kins.h.i.+p.
It perfectly ill.u.s.trated the ruthlessness of a famous family.
Zi Peng was helpless. After all, if Zhang Han wanted to propose, he had to first get the approval of Zi Qingtian and Fang Huan.
“Call Zi Qiang and his wife,” Zi Qingtian said indifferently.
“Yes!” One of his subordinates nodded and walked out. When he got to the door, Zi Qingtian gave him another order, “Wait, don’t let them come. Tell everyone that we are going to have a family meeting at 1 p.m.”
After that, Zi Qingtian stood up and left with Fang Huan.
Zi Peng stood aside, feeling cold on his back. He was afraid that Zi Qiang, his younger brother, would suffer a lot in the afternoon.
Zi Peng sighed helplessly. His and Zi Qiang’s positions in the Zi family were so low that they had no discourse power at all.
“What could I do now?”
Zi Peng felt a headache.
Zi Peng got up and left the hall. When he got to his door, he remembered that Dong Ling had gone into the next room to inform Zi Yan’s parents.
So he walked quickly into the next room, afraid that Zi Yan’s parents would be so sad.
“I hope my younger brother can remain optimistic.”
Zi Peng heard the voice as soon as he entered the door, but the atmosphere seemed different from what he imagined.
“Look, the little girl is so cute and nice. Her little face is made of water and her big eyes are so beautiful. She is our grand-daughter!” That was the voice of Xu Xinyu, Zi Yan’s mother.
“The girl so cute and as beautiful as Zi Yan when she was a child. Wait a minute, which picture did you turn to! I don’t want to see this b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Turn the page!” That was the voice of Zi Qiang, Zi Yan’s father.
“This little girl is so pretty. I’ll kiss her when they come back in a few days.” That was Dong’s Ling’s voice.
After hearing their conversation, Zi Peng was stunned.
“What happened?
“Why are they so happy?”
Just as he entered the room in surprise, the three people on the sofa also looked at him. “At one o’clock in the afternoon,” Zi Peng said, “the family head will hold a meeting and talk about Zi Yan’s matter. I’m afraid that…”
“Alas…” Zi Qiang sighed sadly.
Xu Xinyu shook her head helplessly.
The room acquired a dark, hushed mood, which was normal in Zi Peng’s eyes.
“There must be a solution to this finally. Anyway, Zi Yan is married and we should support her. There are several problems now, but we are unable to solve them. I just hope her husband won’t be disappointing.” Zi Peng sighed.
“Come on, let’s not talk about it. Yan said that her husband could manage it, and we needn’t worry about them.” Dong Ling shook her head and said, “Come and have a look. Yan’s daughter is really beautiful.”
Zi Peng walked over and looked at the tablet held by Xu Xinyu.
“Wow, this little girl is as good-looking as a little princess in a cartoon.”
“She’s my grand-daughter,” said Zi Qiang, who was happier than before, picking up the tablet and showing Zi Peng the photos.
“Well, what a pretty little girl. She’s so cute and she just called me Grandpa. Her voice is sweet!”
As he spoke, he turned to the photo of Zi Yan and Zhang Han. Zi Qiang snorted and swiped quickly.
Zi Peng was very confused and asked, “How can you accept it so quickly?”
Saying this, Zi Qiang sighed deeply and said helplessly, “What if I don’t accept it? They have children! Yan has been working outside all year round because of my inability, and I feel guilty about her. What else can I do since she said she is living a happy life now? It’s up to her and I support her… But I must punish that b.a.s.t.a.r.d who cheated my daughter.”
Xu Xinyu shook her head and said, “Stop it, they will come in a few days.”
“Let’s think about the meeting this afternoon.” Zi Peng shook his head and sighed.
As he could imagine, the family meeting this afternoon was not simple.
Elsewhere, in Mengmeng’s Recreational Restaurant…
Back to 10 minutes ago—
After Zi Yan sent a series of photos to her mother, her father called in less than a minute.
Zi Yan thought about it, then got up, walked into the bedroom, and closed the door.
As soon as she got on the phone, she heard Zi Qiang’s angry voice. “Ridiculous! It’s ridiculous!”
“Is it true? Huh? Zi Yan, how brave you are! How dare you make your own decisions in marriage? Don’t you remember that you have a father?”
“…”
Zi Yan listened to her father’s scolding in silence.
After venting, Zi Qiang waited for a minute and continued in a gentle tone, “Yan, why don’t you say something? Why didn’t you tell us you’re married?”
“If I told you, would you agree? Dad, I’m not happy in the Zi family, but I’m happy as your daughter. Now I’m living a good life and love my husband and daughter very much. Do you support your daughter’s happiness? Even if my husband is not from a famous family, do you support me?” Zi Yan said with a trembling voice.
Knowing that her father might refuse, she was still waiting for a miracle.
There was a long silence on the other end of the cell phone. Finally, Zi Yan heard her father say, “Since you have children, can I refuse you? Now it is known by the whole family, so how could I not support you? Don’t tell me about your husband anymore. Don’t call him husband in front of me. I haven’t promised yet! How dare this b.a.s.t.a.r.d steal my daughter!? I’m so angry!”
At last, although Zi Qiang’s voice grew louder and louder, Zi Yan laughed happily.
She was so moved that she wanted to cry.
Zi Qiang might have felt it. In order not to let Zi Yan down, he changed the topic. “Well, my grand-daughter is so cute. You didn’t beautify her picture, did you?”
“Huh?” Zi Yan’s beautiful eyes widened as she complained, “Of course not! Mengmeng looks much better than the photos!”
“Nice. What’s a lovely girl. Your father is booking a ticket now and will come to see you in the afternoon. I’m going to test that guy, and if he is qualified, let him propose to me directly,” said Zi Qiang.
He wanted to endure all the punishments of the Zi family and prevent his daughter from coming back to face the cruel reality.
“No, a press conference for my new song will be held the day after tomorrow, and then I will go home. My husband is amazing, and you can rest a.s.sured, Dad,” said Zi Yan.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Ah, eh? I haven’t finished yet. Yan, your mother wants to talk to you.”
“…”
After chatting for a few minutes, Zi Yan opened the door and walked over to Mengmeng, asking her to say h.e.l.lo to her grandparents, and then hung up.
That was what happened earlier.
After hearing Zi Yan’s words, Zi Qiang was a little relieved. Since his daughter said it was OK, he thought it should be OK.
“In this case, let’s see how the guy who stole my daughter can pa.s.s the test of the Zi family.”