The next day, Li Chuntao found herself within the premises of Li Mansion with Shen Zichen. Since her aunt had reminded her the night before about their family dinner, she made sure to clear her schedule today. He drove them to the Li Mansion and was greeted by the household staff at the entrance. He seldom visited this place, since the Li twins were the ones who usually paid visits to Imperial Residences when they were younger.
Not to mention, her Aunt Yue had requested Shen Zichen"s presence today, so he didn"t forget to show himself tonight. The Li family seemed to be satisfied with him, otherwise, Zheng Yue and Li Yuren wouldn"t have allowed him to come with their niece.
Li Chuntao wasn"t sure if it was because they had a good relations.h.i.+p with the Shens. After all, if they didn"t like him, she was pretty sure they"d treat him as badly as they treated Mu Jianyu.
After he opened the door of his car for her and she got out, Shen Zichen held her hand, making her raise a brow at his actions. Was he really serious about what he"d told her last night?
Li Chuntao"s grandparents, together with Li Yuren and Zheng Yue, were all waiting inside, each had different expressions on their faces when they saw Shen Zichen and Li Chuntao walked in together, holding hands.
Li Chuntao greeted them and apologized for their tardiness. Shen Zichen also didn"t forget to give his greetings. Old Madam Li and Zheng Yue welcomed them warmly while the two older men remained silent but not ignoring the two.
The Li family naturally noticed the sudden change in the relations.h.i.+p between the two but n.o.body spoke up. Speaking about who was dating who, the Li family didn"t dare to meddle with each other"s affairs as long as it wouldn"t harm the family.
Their tradition was quite repressive, but the elders try not to get involved with the younger generation"s marriages and affairs. While it was obvious that Li Yuren and Zheng Yue truly loved each other, they couldn"t say the same for Li Xiuying and Mu Jianyu.
However, seeing Shen Zichen together with their Chuntao, it was quite obvious that they were satisfied with her choice, and their att.i.tude towards Mu Jianyu and Young Master Shen showed a stark contrast.
After Li Xiuying got married, Old Madam Li and Zheng Yue were both worried that Li Chuntao would never come home or introduce a prospective husband but knew they couldn"t force her.
"Zichen, sit down. Are you hungry? Dinner will be served soon."
Of all the Li family members, Zheng Yue liked Shen Zichen the most. Not because he was Lu Xinyi"s son, but because Shen Zichen was level headed and had earned their trust over the years, unlike Mu Jianyu who only appeared out of nowhere and charmed their little angel, Ying.
"Thank you, Aunt Yue," Shen Zichen said and sat next to Li Chuntao.
Old Madam Li peered at the two and couldn"t help but smile in satisfaction. It seemed like they didn"t need to be worried about Chuntao"s future. While it took the two too long to consider each other, it was better late than never.
They all a.s.sumed that Chuntao would remain uninterested and in denial. For years, they had to watch these two interact without progress. They wondered how long it would take for the two to realize each other"s feelings.
However, tonight was different, and they were glad to see a little progress compared to before. They could see that there were sparks flying around the two and it wasn"t lost to them how Shen Zichen wouldn"t let go of Chuntao"s hand.
When it was time for dinner, everyone moved to the dining area and sat down on their respective seats with Chairman Li taking his seat at the head of the table. The rest of the family waited for him to start before they followed his lead to eat.
Chairman Li was like almost every other old grandpa out there who looked strict but was actually soft-hearted when it comes to his grandchildren, while Old Madam Li had a constant smile on her face, always speaking softly and respectfully to others.
Meanwhile, their only living child, Li Yuren was seated with a straight posture and an impa.s.sive face that somewhat resembles Li Chuntao"s. If people didn"t know that she was his niece, they would have mistaken her as his daughter because of the similar facial expressions and mannerisms both had.
After dinner, Li Yuren spoke up, calling his niece"s attention.
"Chuntao, let"s have a talk,"
Without hesitation, Li Chuntao nodded. She also has something to discuss with her uncle. She excused herself from the rest of the family and followed her uncle, who had already made his way to the study.
Once they were alone, Li Yuren went straight to the point and asked the question the whole family was itching to ask earlier.
"Chuntao, are you and Zichen dating?"
The two had a five year age gap which didn"t bother Li Yuren at all. He just didn"t want his niece to be hurt, no matter who she decided to go out with.
Ever since his sister died, he took it upon himself to look after the welfare of the twins. He had showered them with love and affection as if they were his own daughters. After they grew up, he still tried to look after them whenever it"s possible.
Li Chuntao shrugged, before taking a seat across her uncle. She understood what her uncle was trying to ask her. Shen Zichen was infatuated with her elder twin, how could it be possible that he was now eyeing the younger twin?
"We"re having an affair," she nonchalantly replied.
Li Yuren raised a brow, questioning her about her answer.
"I"m just repeating what Zichen told me,"
She didn"t want to think that Shen Zichen was using her as her sister"s replacement and wanted to trust him. It must be in her head, but when he kissed her the second time last night, it was her name that she heard him utter, and not Ying"s.
Li Yuren seemed a bit startled with her response and for a moment he stared at her face, trying to figure out if she was telling the truth. Finally, he nodded. He didn"t have any issue against Shen Zichen except for his previous interest with Ying.
"If that"s the case, then you have to treat him right. Never leave an issue unresolved for too long. If he dares to commit the same mistake Mu Jianyu had, I expect that you"ll be able to put him in place whether or not he"s Shen Yi and Lu Xinyi"s beloved son."
Li Chuntao couldn"t stop the burst of laughter that erupted from her. She found it comical that her Uncle would dare to issue such a warning when it came to Shen Zichen. Wasn"t he afraid of the ShenLu couple"s reaction if they heard what he said tonight?
"Hmm, uncle, you worry too much. Zichen is being good to me," she a.s.sured him.
"That"s not the reason I called you here," Li Yuren pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply. From the top drawer of his desk, he fished out the initial report about Li Xiuying"s so-called accident. "Read this and tell me what you think."