The motorcade entered the gates of the parliamentary hall and came to a stop in its parking lot, where staff were already on hand to open the doors for Huangfu Yaoyang and Huangfu Jue, among others.
Several individuals disembarked from the vehicles one after another and entered the front hall of the parliamentary hall, ascending the stairs toward the street-side grandstand.
At the grandstand facing the street, all the guests had arrived early. Seeing the newcomers, everyone stood up from their chairs and bent at the waist to greet the King and the others.
Huangfu Yaoyang, accompanied by Leng Xiaoye, walked past the crowd, giving a slight nod of his head, his grace laced with a dignity that rose above all others.
Following were Huangfu Jue and Gan Yuan. The sight of Gan Yuan stirred envy in the hearts of all the young girls.
The Duke Locke, who had not appeared for a long time, was also in attendance with his daughter for the celebration. Dressed in simple white, Qian Xueying smiled at Gan Yuan and the others as soon as she saw them, to which Gan Yuan responded with a nod and a smile.
Last of all, Chongchong walked over, leading Gan Tang by the hand.
Seeing the princess, who had been away from the public eye for so long, every young man’s eyes gleamed with interest, and even many female guests from afar showed signs of amazement.
Faced with such gazes, Chongchong remained calm. From a young age, she had grown accustomed to the peculiar attention from others.
Everyone took their seats separately, with Huangfu Yaoyang and Leng Xiaoye naturally taking the main seats.
Originally, there were no places for Gan Yuan and Gan Tang, as their names were not on the list when the seating was arranged.
After receiving last-minute information, staff moved the seat reserved for Huangfu Qi next to Huangfu Jue for Gan Yuan’s seating, and then added another seat next to Chongchong for Gan Tang.
Huangfu Jue and Gan Yuan sat beside Leng Xiaoye, while Chongchong lifted Gan Tang onto the seat beside her father, then took the seat on the far left for herself.
The family of six, in harmony.
As a staff member approached and whispered a report to Huangfu Yaoyang, Chongchong took out her phone and snapped a photo of the group to send to her second brother, who was on the other side of the world.
After sending the photo, she added a message.
"Now we’re just missing the second sister-in-law!"
Moments later, a message from Huangfu Qi came through.
"No rush, she’s still in mother’s belly."
Chongchong chuckled, prompting Gan Tang to turn her head in curiosity.
"What are you laughing at, Auntie?"
"Nothing!" Chongchong hugged the little one, "Come... take a photo with Auntie, so I can look at it when I miss you."
"Tonight, I’m going to watch fireworks with Daddy and Mommy. Will you come with us, Auntie?"
"Really?" Chongchong showed a helpless expression, "Honestly, I really want to go with you, but I have some other things to do and have to leave this afternoon."
"What a pity," the little one said with a look of disappointment.
"Yes!" Chongchong smiled reassuringly at him, "But don’t worry, even if I can’t accompany you to see the fireworks, I can take you to set off fireworks during Christmas."
The little one immediately smiled again, "I’ve never done that before."
"I’ll let you set off as many as you want then." Chongchong pinched his little face and, glancing at the people around her, knew the celebration was about to begin. She put away her phone and sat up straight, "Now sit nice and proper, let them all see our handsome little man."
The little one immediately sat up straight in his chair. After helping him tidy his clothes, Chongchong also sat up with a smile.
On one side, Huangfu Yaoyang and Leng Xiaoye rose together. The man lifted his right hand gently, and the plaza, populated by tens of thousands, fell silent in an instant.