Translator: Paperplane Editor: DarkGem
When it was almost seven forty, the guests arriving one after the other.
No one knew where Lu Jinnian had went. All Han Ruchu, Xu Wanli, and Qiao Anhao could do was to stand by the door, wearing beaming smiles as they welcomed guests.
On her way, Han Ruchu called the housekeeper over and whispered for him to go and find Lu Jinnian.
At seven fifty, Lu Jinnian still hadn't turned up. Annoyance surfaced in Han Ruchu's eyes, but she still kept her smile up as she greeted Xu family's business investors into the banquet hall. Then she silently left, walking over to the housekeeper who had just walked through the mansion's doors. Han Ruchu immediately asked in a cold voice, "Where is he?"
Before the housekeeper could speak, Lu Jinnian followed in closely behind, stepping into the house.
Han Ruchu shot the housekeeper a look, from which the housekeeper instinctively knew to walk over and take care of the guests in the hall.
Han Ruchu gracefully walked over to Lu Jinnian on her high heels. Before she could make a sound, two guests walked in. She smiled immediately, holding onto Lu Jinnian's arm. Smiling from ear-to-ear, she greeted both guests, "Chief Zhao, Madame Zhao."
She looked at Lu Jinnian warmly, and urged him, "Jiamu, quickly. Come say hellow to Chief Zhao and Madame Zhao."
Lu Jinnian completely pulled back his cold and estranged self. He never spoke much, but to be more like Xu Jiamu, he played along with Han Ruchu and kindly said, "Uncle Zhao, Aunt Zhao, welcome."
When he finished speaking, Lu Jinnian headed for the hall with a hand gesture.
Only after waiting for the Zhao's to stride over to the the hall, did Han Ruchu chase after Lu Jinnian, pulling on his arm. Yet, she also maintained a good distance between the Zhao's in front of them.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, Han Ruchu slightly turned her head and said to Lu Jinnian in an abnormality low, frigid tone, "Tonight is Jiamu's birthday. I implore you to focus. Don't make any slip-ups."
As Han Ruchu said this, a guest unexpectedly came over to her. She immediately stopped her words and flashed a bright smile. Once the guest greeted her as they walked past, she then continued to warn Lu Jinnian in a cruel voice, "Nobody asked you to help from the very beginning. You willingly agreed to do this. Furthermore, don't you forget, your life belongs to Jiamu!"
The words clearly reached Lu Jinnian's ears, yet his eyes were composed, as though Han Ruchu's words were meant for someone else. His line of sight circled the hall. Not too far away, he saw Qiao Anhao. He turned his head to Han Ruchu and smiled. The two of them looked like a loving pair of mother and son. Then he pulled his arm away and walked over to Qiao Anhao.
Han Ruchu was right. The Xu family certainly didn't force him to do this favor.
Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu didn't even tell him about it—it was the Xu family's housekeeper who went to find him.
The housekeeper didn't offer him any benefits, nor did he beg him. He only simply said that the Xu family was in trouble, and they needed him to pretend to be married to Qiao Anhao to overcome those problems.