Arranged marriage, love blossoms; a fiercely devoted soldier dotes on her alone.

at this time,

Xiao Zhan's room upstairs in the Xiao family compound.

Lin Wanrong held Qin Huanhuan's hand and asked her with concern, "Huanhuan, how have you been lately? Has Xiaozhan been bullying you? If that brat dares to bully you, just tell Mom, and Mom will teach him a lesson."

Since the check incident, and with Xiao Zhan and Qin Huanhuan already having registered their marriage, Lin Wanrong's attitude towards Qin Huanhuan has completely changed. Every time they meet, she constantly showers Qin Huanhuan with concern and care, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as extremely ingratiating.

As the saying goes, listen to the words, listen to the tone.

Qin Huanhuan knew what Lin Wanrong meant, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Mom, I'm perfectly healthy. Xiao Zhan didn't bully me; he's been very good to me."

Lin Wanrong: "That's good. Huanhuan, you and Xiaozhan have been together for over half a year and you've even registered your marriage. When are you planning to hold your wedding?"

"Tell me as soon as you've made your decision so I can prepare. Marriage is a very important event, and our Xiao family is a prestigious family in the capital, so there are many rules to follow."

Qin Huanhuan said shyly, "Mom, you should ask Xiao Zhan about this. I'll follow his arrangements."

Lin Wanrong looked at the well-behaved and sensible Qin Huanhuan in front of her and liked her more and more. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Huanhuan, have you and Xiaozhan ever thought about having children?"

"Let me tell you, the greatest success a woman can achieve in her life is to marry an outstanding man and have a son. That's the perfect life."

Qin Huanhuan thought to herself, "What kind of logic is this? Women aren't men's appendages, okay?"

But she said, "Mom, I just started working not long ago, and I've recently taken over the cosmetics group's business, so I'm very busy. I don't plan to have children for the time being."

Lin Wanrong showed a disappointed expression...

"Thump."

Suddenly, Qin Huanhuan's heart sank. She remembered that her period seemed to have been overdue for several days, and that she and Xiao Zhan had been having sex frequently recently without using any contraception.

Before each encounter, she would ask Xiao Zhan not to leave that thing inside the door. Xiao Zhan would always agree readily, but he would completely forget about it when it came to the crucial moment.

Because of this, she complained many times that Xiao Zhan didn't care about her feelings and only cared about his own pleasure.

When Lin Wanrong heard that Qin Huanhuan had no plans to have children in the near future, she said earnestly, "Huanhuan, having children won't interfere with your work. Mom will take care of the baby after it's born."

Qin Huanhuan didn't want to say too much about having a child. She knew that too much talk could lead to mistakes, and she was afraid that she might accidentally say something she shouldn't and upset her mother-in-law.

So she said, "Mom, let me discuss it with Xiao Zhan. After all, having a child is a matter for both of us."

At this moment, a maid came over and said, "Madam, young mistress, the old master wants you to go to the ancestral hall to pay respects to our ancestors."

Lin Wanrong pulled Qin Huanhuan and said, "Huanhuan, let's go pay respects to our ancestors and then have the New Year's Eve dinner. This year is your first year marrying into our Xiao family, so we should first pay respects to our ancestors and ask them to bless you with a son soon so that our Xiao family line can continue."

As Qin Huanhuan walked, she thought to herself, "This is terrible. They've elevated having a child to such a high-level family task as continuing the Xiao family line. Actually, childbirth is full of mystery. Who knows if it will be a boy or a girl? The Xiao family only has one son per generation, so my task is very heavy. What if my first child is a girl? I'll probably have to keep having children until I have a boy. Wouldn't I then become a breeding machine?"

The more Qin Huanhuan thought about it, the more pressure she felt. She hadn't even given birth yet, or even gotten pregnant, and she was already starting to feel anxious.

Before long, we arrived at the Xiao family's ancestral hall. Although it was called a small ancestral hall, it was actually just a room, but it was small yet complete.

On the mahogany altar in the center of the ancestral hall sit the ancestral tablets of the Xiao family. White candles burn brightly before the tablets, and several plates of offerings are placed in front of them. A few sticks of incense rise slowly from the incense burner, their smoke resembling the wandering souls of the deceased…

First, Xiao Huai'an and his wife offered incense and kowtowed three times.

Then Xiao Fei and his wife offered incense and kowtowed three times.

Finally, Xiao Zhan and Qin Huanhuan offered incense and kowtowed three times...

"Crackling and popping!"

Just then, the sound of fireworks and firecrackers went off outside…

Then Xiao Huai'an said in a muttered voice, "Ancestors of the Xiao family, this year the Xiao family has a new member, Qin Huanhuan, the wife of our eldest grandson Xiao Zhan. May all ancestors bless them with peace, health and prosperity, and may they have a son soon to continue the Xiao family line."

Xiao Zhan could feel Qin Huanhuan gripping his hand tighter and tighter, knowing that she was under immense pressure.

So he whispered to comfort her, "Honey, don't be nervous, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Grandpa was just saying that."

Qin Huanhuan nodded.

Xiao Zhan gently hugged Qin Huanhuan and whispered in her ear, "Actually, the hardest thing to overcome is your own state of mind. Once you get over this hurdle in your heart, when you look back, those difficulties that you thought you couldn't overcome often become the most solid steps in the end."

Qin Huanhuan nodded.

The ancestral worship ceremony ended in just over ten minutes.

Then, led by Xiao Huai'an, the family went to a restaurant to have their New Year's Eve dinner.

The Xiao family has a tradition of starting their New Year's Eve dinner at 3 p.m. every year and continuing until dark. In Xiao Huai'an's words, this is called:

One night spans two years, and the third watch divides two years!

at the same time,

Deng Family Courtyard, South Chizi Street, Chang'an Avenue.

Because Deng Zhi's funeral had just been held, there was no festive atmosphere in the entire courtyard.

Fearing that the sight of the old man would trigger his emotions, Deng Ying had someone send him to his home in Wukesong.

Now, only Deng Ying remains in the courtyard with a few servants and guards...

The servants are preparing the New Year's Eve dinner.

Several guards were patrolling the yard.

"Beep beep".

Suddenly, two car horns sounded outside the door.

This area is right next to Chang'an Avenue and the square, and is a no-honking zone.

Upon hearing this, Deng Ying said, "It must be Zixing returning. Go open the door quickly."

The guards opened the iron gate and, sure enough, saw Zhang Weijie and several bodyguards escorting Su Zixing out of the car.

Su Zixing was dressed in a black business suit with a white down jacket over it, black mid-heeled leather boots, and her hair was styled in a ponytail tucked into a white baseball cap. She looked neat and tidy.

As Su Zixing saw Deng Yingying leaving, she called out, "Happy Chinese New Year, Auntie!"

Deng Ying: "Happy Chinese New Year, Zixing! Come inside quickly, it's too cold outside. Aren't you cold wearing so little?"

Su Zixing said playfully, "If you want style, you can sacrifice warmth. If you want to look good, you can't be afraid of the cold, hehehe."

Deng Ying rolled her eyes and said, "Girls shouldn't be too fond of cold things. You don't feel it now that you're young, but when you get old, arthritis and rheumatism will come knocking on your door."

Su Zixing laughed and said, "Auntie, you're thinking too far ahead. Whether you'll live to old age is still unknown."

Deng Ying quickly said, "Pah, pah, pah! Why say such jinxes during the New Year? Children say the darndest things, children say the darndest things."

Su Zixing laughed and said, "Auntie, I'm not much younger than you, how can you say such innocent things?"

Deng Ying pouted and said, "Zixing, it's the New Year, can't you say something nice?"

At this moment, Zhang Weijie walked over with his phone and said, "Ladies, Young Master Xiao is currently live-streaming the destruction of the 'Sky Judge System'."

Upon hearing this, Deng Ying's expression changed immediately, and she said, "Xiao Zhan has finally made his choice. Now his position as the number one brother in Beijing is even more secure. However, our Deng family is likely to become the target of everyone's criticism in Beijing's elite circles."

Su Zixing smiled calmly and said, "Aunt, don't worry, I guarantee no one will dare to go against the Deng family. Moreover, I know what Xiao Zhan's tactics are. Although he destroyed the 'Sky Judge System,' he still has a trump card in his hand."

"Besides, I was the one who gave him this trump card."