1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 152 Engagement, a Small Gift from the Production Team

"Wow, you're really going to hit me?"

Qu Peng's eyes twitched in pain, and he curled up like a shrimp, clutching his stomach.

"Should."

Li Liang rarely spoke up for Wang Fan, but he stabbed him in the heart again: "This kid deserves a beating. You didn't even come back when the old house was moved. Do you even remember where you're from? Do you know where your family lives now? Did you know that your grandma was sick a few days ago? You ungrateful wretch, you've been gone for two months. You didn't even take care of your grandma when she was sick. It's a waste of raising you."

"My mom called me because my grandma is sick."

Qu Peng explained with a bitter face: "She said that my grandmother had acute appendicitis, had surgery and recovered very well. Her family members are taking turns staying with her at the hospital, so I don't need to come back."

"Your mom doesn't want you to come back, so you just won't come back?"

Wang Fan scoffed, "When did you become so obedient? This isn't like you at all. Tell me honestly, what have you been busy with in Beijing? Have you gotten a girlfriend and don't want us to know?"

"Cough cough."

Qu Peng's ears turned red, and he subconsciously glanced at the chairman's seat for the male guests.

"Hey kid, something's up here."

Wang Fan had sharp eyes. Following his gaze, he immediately spotted the extraordinary young woman sitting next to Gu Bin's sixth grandfather.

Although the girl's appearance was not outstanding, she had a good temperament. Wearing gold-rimmed glasses, she looked knowledgeable, intelligent and charming.

"Who is that woman?"

Li Liang saw it too, grabbed Qu Peng's ear, and forced him to look at him.

"Hey, be gentle!"

Qu Peng covered his ears and wailed, "You hit so hard, you almost ripped my ears off!"

"Who told you to have ulterior motives and covet that young girl?"

Li Liang astutely saw through his little scheme.

"Cough cough."

Qu Peng's ears turned bright red, and he coughed awkwardly twice.

"Qu Peng, that's impressive."

Wang Fan chuckled, stroking his chin, and gave Qu Peng a knowing look: "That girl, she's not very old, and she was sitting next to Gu Bin's sixth grandfather. They were behaving very intimately. She's definitely a member of the Gu family. She's either Gu Bin's cousin or his older cousin. You must have had a good trip to Beijing, kid. You've even managed to win over the golden phoenix?"

Don't talk nonsense.

Qu Peng's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly covered his mouth: "I have nothing to do with her. We've only met a few times and can talk to each other."

"No, what are you feeling guilty about?"

Wang Fan angrily pushed his hand away, spat three times, and wiped his mouth with his sleeve in disgust: "Your hands are covered in sweat, and you've smeared them all over my mouth."

"Gu Bin and the others are here, stop making a scene."

Qu Peng wanted to use the excuse of toasting to get rid of his two childhood friends and make a quick getaway.

"The toasts should start with the elders; it's not our turn yet."

Wang Fan wasn't about to let him escape so easily, and grabbed his arm.

"What exactly are you two trying to do?"

Qu Peng sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation: "He didn't say a single nice word to me when we met, he just kept insulting me. If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn't have come back."

"You didn't come back for either of us."

Wang Fan grinned, not taking his words to heart at all: "Besides, Gu Bin is engaged. If you don't come back, his cousin won't be happy either."

I think so too.

Li Liang wholeheartedly agreed: "You little rascal, you have ulterior motives. What kind of scheme are you plotting? Just tell the truth."

"become"

Qu Peng felt a bit embarrassed by their combined attacks, so he decided to go all out and say, "You two insist that I have a relationship with her, so I admit it, okay?"

"If you had said so earlier, that would have been fine."

A glint of cunning flashed in Wang Fan's eyes, and he smiled with the cunning of a fox: "Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished severely. Tell me honestly, when did you two start, and how far have things progressed?"

-

"Xi Yu, you look so beautiful today."

"This cheongsam suits your skin tone so well; it looks good on people with fair skin."

"Who did your makeup? You look absolutely gorgeous!"

"I'm so envious! Seeing how well you're doing, I want to get married soon too."

On the other side of the banquet hall, staff members from the "Spring Water Family" program were also invited to the scene.

When Li Yan and the others saw the charming young woman in a bright red cheongsam, they were all amazed.

"Sister Zou did my makeup."

Lin Xiyu said shyly, "She came over very early this morning and spent over an hour just doing my hair and makeup. She was even more meticulous than when we were filming the documentary."

"Little Zou, no wonder."

Li Yan suddenly realized: "She's our show's go-to makeup artist, and she's an expert at bridal makeup."

"Sister Zou said..."

Lin Xiyu covered her mouth and laughed, a little proudly: "She has done makeup for many celebrities, and my skin is the best."

"Of course."

Li Yan wholeheartedly agreed: "You're only eighteen, the age of a beautiful flower, your skin is so tender you could squeeze water out of it, unlike us who are almost thirty, withered flowers and faded willows, already old!"

"Sister Yan doesn't look old at all."

Lin Xiyu deliberately flattered her and created a pleasant atmosphere: "Looking at someone who is about my age and we don't know each other well, at first glance, I would think she is my older sister."

“I love hearing that.”

Li Yan found it pleasing to the ear and couldn't stop smiling.

The cameraman chuckled and urged, "Xi Yu is so good at talking and has made you so happy. Why don't you hurry up and bring out your gift?"

"Oh right, I was so busy laughing that I almost forgot about the important matter."

Li Yan slapped her forehead in frustration, took out a CD from her handbag, and placed it in Lin Xiyu's hand with a smile.

"what is this?"

Lin Xiyu looked at the rare and unusual things she had never seen before with great curiosity.

"This is a small token of our appreciation from the entire production team."

Li Yan smiled mysteriously, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense: "You'll know when you get home and use a VCR."

"I don't have a VCR at home."

Lin Xiyu was both amused and exasperated.

"Give it to me, there are some at internet cafes, you can watch them there."

Gu Bin roughly guessed what was engraved on the CD and reached out to take it.

You definitely have to watch this!

Li Yan smiled and said, "You'll regret it if you don't watch it."

"Uh-huh."

Lin Xiyu nodded with a smile: "I'll definitely watch it."

"You guys go and offer your toasts, don't worry about us."

Li Yan was satisfied and said with a smile, "The TV station has other things to do, so let's just grab a bite and leave in a bit."

"Okay." Gu Bin didn't stand on ceremony and agreed with a smile: "You guys handle it yourselves, we'll contact each other again when we have the chance."

"necessary."

Li Yan smiled happily.

"keep in touch."

The cameraman shook hands with him in a manly manner, then looked at Lin Xiyu with a smile: "Xiyu, you too, let's keep in touch. If we have the chance in the future, we'll go to Shanghai, and we'll ask you to be our guide and show us around the area."

"no problem."

Lin Xiyu readily agreed: "You all come, I'll be waiting for you in Shanghai."

"With you saying that, we're definitely going."

Li Yan didn't hesitate and made the decision on the spot.

See you in Shanghai!

See you in Shanghai!

Lin Xiyu happily clapped hands with her, and the two smiled at each other, both seeing a tacit understanding in each other's eyes.

-

At this moment, the younger generation of the Gu family from Beijing, who were the male chairmen, were also observing them and whispering among themselves.

"Xiao Bin's girlfriend is pretty good, no wonder she's bewitched him. He's only eighteen and he's already given up his comfortable single life to be tied down by a woman."

"Is this the girl who filmed the documentary with him? She looks a bit different from how she appears on TV. She looks younger and more innocent in person. She's not the same type of person as Xiaobin."

"Why be so subtle? Just say he's stupid."

"Everyone is a fool in front of Xiao Bin; no one is as shrewd as him."

"It's good to be a little naive; it complements each other's personalities. It's rare to pretend to be ignorant when you're actually aware of things. If you really find someone shrewd, the couple will just be constantly scheming against each other, and the relationship won't last long; they'll break up sooner or later."

"I think so too. Maybe Xiaobin was attracted to her because she's simple-minded and easy to get along with, which is why he fell head over heels for her and got engaged so early."

"It's a bit of a pity that Xiaobin is engaged now. With his qualities, he can definitely find someone better."

"What are you regretting? Sixth Grandfather has already agreed."

"Don't you guys think there's something fishy about this?"

"What's strange?"

"Don't you find it strange? Sixth Grandfather values ​​Xiaobin the most, yet he actually agreed to let him marry a girl with no status or background who won't help his future career at all. It's really puzzling. I just can't figure out what charm this girl has that made Sixth Grandfather take a liking to her and personally come to Jinan for the engagement banquet to support her."

"Didn't Sixth Grandfather come to Jinan for Xiaobin?"

"Even if Xiaobin is the one he values ​​most, it's just an engagement, not a wedding, so it's not worth him coming all the way from Beijing."

"Isn't engagement the same as marriage? It's just that they don't get a marriage certificate. In the second generation circle, there are many arranged marriages without any feelings. After marriage, they each do their own thing. The marriage certificate is just a decoration, like a piece of waste paper."

"If I really have to marry someone I don't like, I'd rather find someone I like. Even if they have no status or background, I'll accept it."

"Hearing these words from your mouth truly shocks me. You are someone Second Uncle has carefully groomed, a role model for the new generation of the Gu family, and a future leader."

"Wake up! Who do you think I am? The real leaders are right there. Didn't you see that even Sixth Grandfather came to support him?"

-

"Cough cough."

The younger generation got more and more excited and seemed unable to stop. When the elders present heard this, Grandpa Gu's sixth brother coughed a few times with a stern face, looking slightly displeased.

The discussion abruptly stopped, the younger generation's expressions changed drastically, and they all shut their mouths in unison.

"Sixth Grandfather, thank you so much for coming all the way from Beijing to attend my engagement ceremony with Xiyu."

Gu Bin and Lin Xiyu walked over at that moment to toast the male guests.

"Don't just talk the talk, kid."

Grandpa Gu feigned displeasure: "Fill up the wine glass and toast your sixth grandpa."

"Grandpa, don't worry."

Gu Bin changed the subject and smiled meaningfully: "Sixth Grandfather has come from afar, so I must drink the wedding wine. However, the protagonist today is not me, but my fiancée. Xi Yu said before she came that she would personally drink a few drinks with the Gu family's relatives and friends. Everyone here, including Gu Peng, Gu Feng, Gu Lan, Gu Hui, and the younger generation, must drink to their heart's content. We won't leave until we're drunk."

"Ha, you said that yourself."

Of the four siblings in the Gu family, only Gu Hui, being a girl, wasn't interested in drinking; the other three were all quite enthusiastic.

"Your sister-in-law is drunk, so please don't blame us."

Gu Lan, the 21-year-old grandson of the fourth master of the Gu family, had a glint of shrewdness in her peach blossom eyes as she looked at Lin Xiyu with an undisguised scrutiny and inquiry.

Lin Xiyu calmly glanced away, treating him as if he were invisible.

"Ah."

Gu Lan was a true playboy, used to being pampered since childhood, and this was the first time he had encountered someone who dared to openly despise him.

"Sister-in-law, this is interesting."

He chuckled and leaned back in his chair, his eyes gleaming with provocation: "Looks like I have no choice but to drink this glass of wine today."

"Xiao Bin, we need to make this clear beforehand."

Gu Feng, the grandson of the third master of the Gu family, was the most shrewd and cunning of the four: "You made your sister-in-law drink alcohol. You can't blame us for getting drunk. Sixth Grandfather is our witness. Xiao Bin said it himself. You can't go back on your word."

Sixth Grandfather was unsure of Lin Xiyu's alcohol tolerance and hesitated.

“I will be your witness.”

Grandpa Gu chuckled and spoke up before he could, "You guys go all out and drink as much as you want. If you get drunk, your second grandpa will take care of getting you back to the hotel."

"Tsk."

Gu Lan clicked her tongue, her eyes showing dissatisfaction: "Second Grandfather, are you so sure we'll get drunk? I don't believe that the three of us brothers can lose to a woman."

What's wrong with the woman?

His younger sister, Gu Hui, glared at him, displeased: "From what you're saying, are you looking down on women? Xiao Bin told you to drink, so drink. Why all the nonsense?"

"Gu Hui, who is your biological brother?"

Gu Lan was furious: "You haven't even been taken by that pig yet, and you're already turning your back on us. You're turning your back on us way too much!"

There was a moment of silence at the table after he said that.

Wang Fan and his two companions, who were playing around not far away, stopped laughing and looked over in surprise.

"What are you talking about?"

Gu Hui retorted, dissatisfied: "Who got taken advantage of by a pig?"

You know perfectly well what I'm saying.

Gu Lan retorted sarcastically, "We're all adults here. There's no need to hide anything and do such shameful things."

"Cough cough."

Qu Peng, who had been subtly mocked as a pig, covered his mouth and coughed awkwardly twice.

"Our mom said..."

Gu Lan gave him a cold look and then sneered disdainfully: "Unless he is ambitious enough to pursue a master's and doctoral degree and achieve the same academic qualifications as you, he has no chance of stealing our cabbage."

"hiss."

Wang Fan gasped for breath; his tooth ached a little.

Li Liang glanced at Qu Peng with sympathy, feeling a mix of emotions and a rather unpleasant feeling.

"Enough, stop talking. What kind of behavior is this, causing such a scene at a wedding banquet?"

Grandpa Liu couldn't stand it anymore, so he slammed his hand on the table and scolded him coldly.

Gu Lan and Gu Hui didn't dare to contradict him. They exchanged a glance, then looked away, each unwilling to back down.