Chapter 7 — Victory is Served at the Dining Table

The middle-aged man on the staircase was indeed infuriated by Zhou Ziyi’s words, his face turning pale.

“It’s impossible for you to marry Yan Xiuzhi!”

As he descended the stairs, the man coldly stated, “I will never agree to your marriage!”

Zhou Ziyi was not surprised by his attitude, and his expression didn’t change much. Just as he was about to respond, he heard a voice from behind.
“I don’t need your approval for my marriage.”

Turning his head, he saw Yan Xiuzhi coming out of the kitchen, looking at the man who had just come downstairs. “My engagement invitation has already been sent. If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.”

“Have you ever spoken to your own father like this?!” The man glared at him. “Don’t think I’ll believe your nonsense just because you brought a random guy home!”

His aunt chimed in, “That’s right, Xiao Xiu. You can’t joke about such a significant life event just to spite your father!”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziyi became even more certain that the man who had just come downstairs was Yan Xiuzhi’s father — Yan Wenwu.

Not only did his son’s future spouse arrive, but he also deliberately made a scene upstairs, clearly asserting his dominance. It aligned with a certain rule: The boss always appears last.

“I wasn’t joking.” Yan Xiuzhi walked back to the living room. “You didn’t believe I had a boyfriend, so I brought him home. You thought I was joking, but I’ve sent out the engagement banquet invitations. If you still think it’s all fake, then wait for our marriage registration certificate.”

“Don’t daydream. I will never allow you to register!” Yan Wenwu stared and said, “The Yan family will never let a man marry into our household!”

“Marriage is a personal freedom. I want to register, so I will register. There is no need for your signature.” Yan Xiuzhi replied.

Zhou Ziyi watched from the front row and thought to himself, ‘Well, it seems like President Yan’s debating skills don’t need my help.’

“Young man, do you think you can do whatever you want now that you have grown wings?” Yan Wenwu was extremely concerned about his reputation. All of his siblings were present today, and he couldn’t afford to lose face in front of his relatives. “You came back just to get your household registration book? Let me tell you, it’s impossible!”

Yan Xiuzhi calmly looked at his father and asked in return, “Do you know where the household registration book is kept in the house?”

“Do you think you can trick me with your words? I can actually tell you.” Yan Wenwu said, “I’ve locked it in the safe, and only I know the password. Thinking of stealing the household registration book? Don’t dream!”

Yan Xiuzhi asked nonchalantly, “Before you locked it away, did you happen to look at it?”

Yan Wenwu replied, “…What do you mean?”

Yan Meiyue realized, “Brother, did you already steal the household registration book…?!”

“What do you mean by ‘steal’? I gave it to my son.”

A woman walked out of the kitchen, also middle-aged but well-maintained, indicating that she was a beauty in her youth. She was dressed in a dazzling manner, not at all like someone who had been busy in the kitchen for a long time, but rather like a wealthy lady attending an important tea party.

This was Yan Xiuzhi’s mother, Chu Ling.

Zhou Ziyi looked at her, and a thought crossed his mind: ‘Ah, so this is the final appearance…?’

Yan Wenwu looked at his wife, glaring, and said, “You actually helped this brat steal the household registration and let him marry another man?! Is there any mother like you?!”

“When I gave Xiao Xiu his household registration, he hadn’t mentioned having a boyfriend,” Chu Ling replied. “But you force him to go on blind dates every day. Today he met Mr. Wang’s daughter, tomorrow he met Mr. Huang’s granddaughter, and you keep urging him to get married soon, even hinting at it by displaying the household registration in the living room. It was right there, so can you blame him for taking it? He took it the day you didn’t come back all night, and he told me about it. He’s not a thief, so why would I object?”

Yan Wenwu exclaimed, “When our son wants to transfer his household registration, why didn’t you tell me?!”

“We’re not demolishing our house, so if he wants to transfer it, let him transfer it. How old is Xiao Xiu anyway?” Chu Ling responded. “When Meiyue’s household registration was transferred here before, didn’t you also act first and report later?”

Yan Meiyue suddenly felt uneasy when her name was mentioned. “Auntie, I…”

Yan Wenwu frowned and asked, “Why are you bringing Meiyue into this?”

“I didn’t say I disagreed either, I was just discussing the matter,” Chu Ling said. “Besides, when Yan Xiuzhi brought back the household registration, you didn’t touch or even look at it. I was the one who put it away. The last time you touched it was when he suddenly said he wanted to marry a man, and you took it out and locked it in the safe. If you didn’t bother to check the contents, why are you getting angry at me now?”

“You…!” Yan Wenwu was furious, being confronted by his own son and wife one after another. “Yan Xiuzhi learned to play with men today, and it’s all because you spoiled him!”

Chu Ling sneered, “Isn’t he your son?”

“It’s precisely because he’s my son. I, Yan Wenwu, absolutely won’t allow him to marry a man!” Yan Wenwu was livid, pointing at Zhou Ziyi. “Butler, kick him out! He’s not allowed to enter the gates of my house!”

Upon hearing that things were getting physical, Zhou Ziyi quickly stepped towards Yan Xiuzhi and hid by his side, grabbing onto his sleeve. At first glance, it seemed as if he was seeking protection from a boyfriend, giving off a somewhat dependent vibe.

Yan Xiuzhi glanced at him sideways, unable to discern Zhou Ziyi’s true intentions, but instinctively, his hand slid down to hold Zhou Ziyi’s hand.

President Yan was obviously stunned for a moment.

Zhou Ziyi quickly gave his hand a firm squeeze, thinking, ‘President Yan, you can’t falter at a time like this!’

Luckily, Yan Xiuzhi caught on and didn’t let go of his hand, merely looking at his biological father and saying, “If that’s the case, then I’ll leave. Since you wanted to meet, now you have.”

Yan Wenwu was furious beyond measure. “You ungrateful child, don’t ever come back! Do you think you can ascend to the heavens just because you’ve secured a position at Hua Hao? Don’t come begging to me in the future!”

Yan Xiuzhi seemed to be completely unresponsive, as if he hadn’t heard anything, and was about to leave, dragging Zhou Ziyi along.

Zhou Ziyi extended the other hand, offering the gift in front of him, and said, “Brother, this is…”

Yan Xiuzhi couldn’t understand why he suddenly called him “brother,” but now was not the time to question it. Yan Xiuzhi took the gift and handed it to his mother, saying, “Mom, this is… a small token of appreciation from Zhou Ziyi. Since we are not welcome to have dinner at home, we will leave.”

Chu Ling accepted the gift. She didn’t say anything about treating Zhou Ziyi nicely, but at least she didn’t throw the gift away. Moreover, she said, “Why leave? I personally cooked soup today, waiting for you to come back and have dinner. Although there are more people now… we still can’t do without your favorite food. Let’s see who dares to kick you out.”

The butler, who hadn’t moved at all, remained silent.

Yan Wenwu angrily said, “Why are you letting him stay for dinner? He’s already turned against us!”

“If he doesn’t want to eat, he doesn’t have to,” Chu Ling said, holding the gift bag and glancing around. “Perfect timing, dinner is ready. Let’s all go to the dining room.”

After speaking, Chu Ling led the way to the dining room. Yan Xiuzhi glanced at his biological father, and with Zhou Ziyi, who hadn’t had a chance to speak, followed along. Yan Wenwu snorted heavily without looking back and went upstairs. Yan Meiyue hesitated for a moment, then followed upstairs.

The two pairs of relatives from the Yan family were left, looking at each other. Normally, they should have been on the same side as Yan Wenwu, but today they came to the Yan family and left without even taking a bite of food, feeling quite embarrassed.

Aunt’s expression changed back and forth, and finally, she stood up and said, “Let’s eat. Are we going to be scared away by Chu Ling?”

“That’s right,” the second uncle stood up as well and said, “Our third brother is so angry that he can’t eat. We have to show support for him, otherwise that wild man he brought back will really think that it’s so easy to enter the Yan family’s doors!”

They came up with various reasons to convince themselves, and so the two couples went to the dining room with full momentum.

Even with the master of the house upstairs in anger, dinner was served in the Yan household.

Chu Ling didn’t even say a word about sending food to Yan Wenwu. She calmly sat in the main seat and tasted the soup she had made with her own hands. She kept quiet, and the four relatives of the Yan family didn’t speak either, but instead focused on eating.

Even Yan Meiyue wasn’t given any attention.

Zhou Ziyi sat beside Yan Xiuzhi, eating calmly and composedly. He didn’t seem nervous like a new daughter-in-law who wouldn’t dare to eat much in a new family. It’s not surprising though, as he had just experienced a “hellish ordeal” and managed to make it to the dining table. This awkwardly quiet atmosphere didn’t bother him much. And if he didn’t eat, it would seem like he was scared, which wouldn’t fit the image Yan Xiuzhi wanted him to project. In short, he had to eat!

He even contemplated whether he should interact with Yan Xiuzhi at the dining table, like picking up a dish for him or something. But he worried that Yan Xiuzhi might have invisible cleanliness issues, so he discarded the idea after a moment’s thought.

After about ten minutes of eating, Chu Ling suddenly addressed him, “What’s your name? I didn’t hear clearly earlier.”

Zhou Ziyi quickly put down his chopsticks and put on a standard smile, “My name is Zhou Ziyi. Hello, Auntie.”

Chu Ling didn’t explode like Yan Wenwu, nor did she have a sarcastic tone. Of course, she didn’t respond with a friendly face either. She simply continued to ask, “How did you and our Xiao Xiu meet?”

Zhou Ziyi began reciting the script: “When I was studying abroad, I met Old Yan at an exhibition… um, Brother Yan.”

Chu Ling: “Did you hit it off right away?”

“I was a volunteer at the time, and happened to be explaining things to Brother Yan. Later, we met again at the celebration banquet of the exhibition.” Zhou Ziyi smiled, “We had a good impression of each other from our first meeting. Later, I heard that Brother Yan would be staying there for a few more days, so I volunteered to be his tour guide.”

A typical love story template.

Yan Xiuzhi received the concept of this story on his phone, but at that time, it was just dry text. Now, being mentioned by Zhou Ziyi, it actually feels like a real love story.

Although Zhou Ziyi’s words are not well-researched and lack details, it is enough to talk about a romantic plot with the older generation.

The main point is Zhou Ziyi’s narration, which sets the atmosphere perfectly.

Party Yan : … As expected of a professional.

Chu Ling didn’t express any opinions, it seemed like she was just asking a simple question, but Yan Xiuzhi’s aunt spoke again: “So, back then, you already knew that our little Xiuzhi is the CEO of Hua Hao?”

The wording of this statement couldn’t be more sarcastic.

Zhou Ziyi pretended not to hear it and smiled, “Everyone knew, didn’t they?”

Aunt raised an eyebrow, about to say something, when Yan Meiyue suddenly arrived.

“The third Uncle doesn’t want to come down to eat, so he asked me to eat first.” She sighed with a hint of helplessness. “I’ll bring his meal up later.”

As she spoke, she naturally took a seat.

Zhou Ziyi felt that something was off, but couldn’t quite figure out why.

This cousin seems a bit interesting…