Everyone knew Chen Lijun married Fan Huang with her child. Mentioning this on a joyous occasion was akin to feigned drunken rambles, intentionally making things difficult for Chen Lijun.
Incidentally, Chen He was also at this table. Upon hearing these words, he instantly stood up to mediate the situation.
"The eldest brother is drunk."
He stuttered, trying to rebuke the man causing trouble.
"I’m not drunk. On this happy day, how can speaking my heartfelt thoughts be wrong? Our sweet Lijun was lucky, marrying such a fantastic man so easily. Look at her maiden, also lucky. She has a wonderful father. Do y’all agree?"
Having the valor of alcohol within him Chen Da-Ge glibly continued his boorish antics.
He had once asked Chen Lijun a favor, which not only did she refuse but also ridiculed him. This grudge he had been holding onto until today. Thinking that on a day of happiness, Chen Lijun wouldn’t be able to do anything about him, he became even less tactful in his speech.
Suizi narrowed her eyes, preparing to fire back, when Fan Huang spoke up.
"The eldest brother is wrong in his speak. Being able to marry Lijun is my fortune, not hers. Suizi is my daughter, and it’s only natural that she resembles me. Daughters always take after their fathers."
With a glance at Suizi, you could tell that he had received the "wedding gift" Suizi intended for her parents. And his expression told her everything - he was delighted with it.
Seeing this, Suizi gave him a warm and knowing smile, a silent understanding between father and daughter.
"Brother-in-law, are you drunk? How can this maiden possibly resemble you? She was born when my sister married in the countryside, how could she possibly..."
"Suizi is my biological daughter. She lived in Dongbei due to some historical matters. Now, given the adjustments in both her mother and my work situations, we reunited with her. A child should be raised close by their parent’s sides, right?"
"But she is clearly..."
"Who she is, isn’t something you have the right to say. Chen He, escort the eldest away, he’s drunk."
Fan Huang’s attitude remained calm and composed, but those who knew him well, understood that the loudmouth had brought bad luck upon himself. From then on, he was unwelcome in the Fan family.
Suizi, watching from the side, guessed that this hapless man was likely going to become a scapegoat for making a point. Despite appearing mild-mannered, her father had strict principles. Any actions to protect his wife and child would be absolute. She speculated that once this unfortunate man was made an example of, nobody would dare bring up her status as a joke again.
As expected, the mood toasting ambiance shifted in a different direction afterward.
The members of the Chen family were not fools. When Fan Huang introduced Suizi to outsiders, he referred to her as his "own daughter."
After hearing it once, not many people paid attention, but after hearing it repeatedly, people started to ponder.
For a man of Fan Huang’s caliber, he would not waste words. Each utterance, each word was considered.
Meng Jun, Fan Huang’s secretary, returned after making a phone call, and was immediately approached by those filled with curiosity.
"Secretary Meng, you’ve been with the Leader for a long time, whose child is Suizi?"
Meng Jun’s eyes sparkled behind his glasses. He adjusted his glasses and wore a polite, professional smile.
"You don’t even know this?"
"Yes, Secretary Meng, give us a clue. Isn’t she Lijun’s child from when she was in the country--"
Meng Jun gently patted the man speaking, silencing him.
"Who she is, is something the Leader decides."
Meng Jun felt that Chen Lijun’s family may have spent too much time studying and lacked a political sense. After all, in Fan’s house, nobody dared to bring up such topics face-to-face.
Compared to these obtuse individuals, Meng Jun felt proud. He knew from the moment he first saw Suizi that she was his future boss. Sucking up to her was the right choice, how could he enjoy a prosperous career by the Leader’s side without any political acumen?
"Little Meng, come over here." Chen Lijun called for Meng Jun, who jogged over.
"What were you chatting about? Hurry over and help. My daughter is totally useless and she’s about to make your Leader pass out from all the drink!" Chen Lijun complained.
Her daughter was too mischievous, secretly making trouble by repeatedly filling Fan Huang’s cup. Even though it was water, she shouldn’t encourage it.
"Sister-in-Law, our Leader loves making jokes with his daughter. If you complain about it, you might be excluded from their fun. After all, father-daughter bonds are quite strong." Meng Jun cleverly praised the Leader and his daughter, partially to confirm his assumptions.
"Hahaha, Little Meng, you’re right, let the little girl play around, why so serious?" Fan Huang was very pleased with this flattery.
"Now, I turn out to be the bad guy for trying to help you? You can go off and live with your beloved daughter."
"Don’t even, I have Jingting. You can keep this handsome and refined older man to keep for yourself."
"Looking for a beating?" As Chen Lijun pretended to raise her hand, Suizi laughed and hid behind Fan Huang, creating a homely atmosphere.
Meng Jun arrived, and Suizi slyly escaped using the restroom as her excuse.
She never came back.
Chen Lijun sent people to find her. Seeing that she was a little upset, Meng Jun hurried to mediate the situation.
"Leader, I feel that Suizi doesn’t resemble Sister-in-law, maybe she takes after you in your youth?"
"Yes, I wasn’t interested in such formalities when I was young either. Too many people bothered me. It’s natural for the young to have their own ideas."
"Little Meng, what are you muttering about over there?" A guest at the table asked.
"Uh, my wife is pregnant and I’m hoping it’s a girl. Girls take after their fathers, right? If I’m as blessed as our Leader and have a smart daughter that resembles me, I won’t worry about her future livelihood."
"When your partner gives birth, I’ll give you a ten-day leave so you can take good care of her. Back when Lijun was giving birth, I wasn’t by her side, which I regret to this day. Don’t make the same mistake." Fan Huang’s words gave everyone food for thought.
The more perceptive ones had already deduced Suizi’s identity from Fan Huang’s attitude.
Only Meng Jun, feeling triumphant, had found the key to Fan Huang’s mood: flatter his wife and sing praises of his daughter!
Of course, he wasn’t just making things up. Suizi did resemble the Leader.
After excusing herself, Suizi headed towards the backyard.
Jingting and his men were already there, all with solemn expressions.
"What’s the matter?" Suizi asked.
Jingting didn’t respond, merely directing his gaze at a corner of the wall. Looking over, Suizi was taken aback.
"The dog is dead?!"
Before the poison could reach the food, Jingting had caught the culprits.
According to their confessions, they said Chen Lijun’s father asked them to put laxatives in the food as a sign of his wrath for not being able to attend the wedding banquet.
Jingting wanted to know the nature of this ’medicine’, so he fed it to the dog in the restaurant, only for the dog to die.
This was what his men had reported earlier.
Meddling with laxatives wouldn’t have been a big issue, a private talk would have sufficed after the wedding banquet. However, now that the dog was dead, there were suspicions of poisoning, which was a major problem.
"The wedding banquet will end in awhile. I feel it is better for us to handle this instead of involving Father," Jingting checked his watch and commented to Suizi.
"You’ve given your wedding present. Leave the rest to me."