You're already divorced, why are you so anxious about him becoming a succubus?

Although Xu Hui is almost fifty years old this year, as one of the top socialites in Jiangcheng, she is very well-maintained.

Her skin was fair and firm with very few wrinkles; time seemed to have only bestowed upon her a more composed and elegant demeanor.

With her delicate face, which bore a striking resemblance to Shen Man's, it was immediately apparent that she was an exceptionally beautiful woman in her youth.

"Mom." Lu Ci stepped forward and greeted her in a calm tone.

Regardless of the circumstances, we should still give face to our elders.

Xu Hui raised her head, her gaze lingering on Lu Ci for a moment.

When she saw Lu Ci's refreshed appearance and noticeably taller and more muscular physique, a barely perceptible hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but she quickly concealed it.

At this moment, the usually shrewd and sophisticated lady did not look too good.

When Shen Man and Gu Mingxuan walked in together, chatting and laughing, Xu Hui treated Gu Mingxuan politely on the surface, but she knew exactly what was going on.

Her daughter had just told her that she had argued with Lu Ci, and then she brought her childhood sweetheart, who had just returned from abroad, home for dinner. How could she, a woman who had spent most of her life navigating the circles of the wealthy, not guess what was going on?

"You're back. Have a seat. Dinner's ready." Xu Hui's tone was somewhat indifferent.

Before long, steady footsteps echoed down the stairs.

Shen Zongyao, the head of the Shen family, slowly walked downstairs.

Although Mr. Shen was over fifty, his handsome features from his youth were still visible. He carried the authority of someone who had been in a high position for many years, but his brows revealed a hint of casualness and nonchalance.

"Uncle, it's been a long time. You're still in such good health." Upon seeing this, Gu Mingxuan immediately greeted him with a beaming smile, like a most sensible junior, asking about his well-being.

Mr. Shen glanced at Gu Mingxuan, smiled faintly, and nodded: "Oh, it's Mingxuan. You're back in the country. Please sit down, make yourself at home, don't be shy."

After saying that, Mr. Shen ignored Gu Mingxuan's eagerness to chat and went straight to the head of the table to sit down.

His gaze swept across the table before finally settling on Lu Ci.

"Xiao Lu, come on, let's have a couple of drinks," Shen's father said casually.

An eerily quiet atmosphere filled the dinner table.

Everyone ate their meal with their own thoughts on the matter.

Gu Mingxuan originally wanted to take advantage of this meal to make a good impression on the Shen family elders and take the opportunity to put down Lu Ci, this incompetent gigolo.

But he soon realized that the atmosphere at the dinner table was completely off.

Although Xu Hui's attitude towards Lu Ci wasn't particularly enthusiastic, it certainly didn't have the coldness one would show towards a divorced son-in-law.

Shen's father would frequently clink glasses with Lu Ci and chat about all sorts of random things.

Gu Mingxuan was a smart man, and he immediately realized that Shen Man had not told her family about the divorce at all!

If this secret is never exposed, Gu Mingxuan will always be just the son of an old friend in the eyes of the Shen family. How could he possibly rightfully replace Lu Ci's position?

Thinking of this, a calculating glint flashed in Gu Mingxuan's eyes.

He picked up his glass of red wine and, emboldened by the alcohol, feigned a very concerned expression:

"Brother Lu, I really admire you. You let go so easily; most people don't have that kind of courage. But honestly, now that you and Manman are divorced, and you don't have any connections here, what are your plans for the future?"

"If you can't find a suitable job right away, that's okay. Our company is still hiring. Although you haven't been involved in business much these past few years, you can still be a logistics supervisor. Come work for me, and I guarantee you'll have a stable job with an annual salary of 200,000."

Upon hearing this, the entire restaurant fell into a deathly silence.

All that remained was the crisp sound of the spoon hitting the porcelain bowl.

Xu Hui's hand, which was holding a chopstick, suddenly stopped in mid-air, and her face instantly darkened.

Shen Man's face turned pale. She glanced at her parents in a panic, then looked at Gu Mingxuan, wishing she could cover his mouth.

Lu Ci, the person involved, didn't even lift his eyelids.

He slowly swallowed the food in his mouth, picked up his glass and took a sip of Moutai, his tone indifferent:

"Thank you, but no need."

Shen Zongyao paused, his hand holding the wine glass still.

This cunning old fox, who had spent half his life navigating the business world and had a string of romantic entanglements in his youth, slowly swept his gaze across the faces of Shen Man, Gu Mingxuan, and Lu Ci.

What storms hasn't he weathered? At his age, he's long since come to terms with many things.

He tilted his head back, downed the liquor in his glass in one gulp, and slammed the empty glass down on the table with a thud.

"We're all adults now. We have to take responsibility for the decisions we make," Mr. Shen said softly.

After saying that, he stood up and casually waved his hand: "I'm full. You guys continue eating. I'm going upstairs to sober up."

As they reached the top of the stairs, Mr. Shen suddenly stopped, turned to look at Lu Ci, and said, "Little Lu, no matter what happens in the future, you should come and have a couple of drinks with me whenever you have time."

"Definitely." Lu Ci nodded in agreement.

Mr. Shen sighed, shook his head, and went upstairs.

At this moment, Xu Hui, the mother-in-law sitting in the main seat, had a face as cold as if covered with a layer of frost.

How could she not know what kind of person her proud and arrogant daughter was? This absurd farce was probably caused by her own daughter.

But in front of outsiders, one must maintain appearances and naturally does not want to lose one's temper on the spot.

Seeing that the atmosphere had reached freezing point, Gu Mingxuan knew he had achieved his goal of revealing the truth, and staying would only make him look foolish. So, quite sensibly, he stood up.

"Auntie, Manman, I have some urgent business to attend to at my company, so I'll have to excuse myself for now. I'll visit again another time."

No one stopped him, and Gu Mingxuan quickly left the villa amidst an awkward silence.

Once Gu Mingxuan left, Lu Ci felt that this charade was about to come to an end.

He stood up and politely said to Xu Hui, "Mom, I've finished eating, I should go now."

Seeing this, Shen Nian, who had been quietly eating her rice, immediately mustered up her courage and stood up, saying softly, "Auntie, sister... I have a full day of classes tomorrow morning, so I have to go back too."

Shen Man, who had been suppressing her emotions and sitting silently in her chair, tensed up the moment she heard those words, her mind racing with alarm bells.

Looking at Lu Ci's resolute back, and then at Shen Nian who followed closely behind Lu Ci like a little tail, countless fantasies floated into her mind.

It was one thing to come together, but now we're even leaving together?!

What are they planning to do, a lone man and a lone woman?!

"No one is allowed to leave!"