"Liu Ying has forgotten all about us since she fell in love," Shangguan Qili said helplessly, shaking her head, then whispered to Du Yunfeng, "Old Du, what do you think of this young man?"
"So far, he meets my expectations, and he’s quite to my taste, but I’m not sure about other aspects," Du Yunfeng replied.
"I’m not worried about that. Liu Ying is proud and discerning, so her choice won’t be bad. Since she’s taken a fancy to this young man, he must be remarkable! But..." Shangguan Qili glanced at her husband, hesitating to continue.
"What are you looking at me for? I’m not going to eat the lad," Du Yufeng grumbled.
"It’s not you... it’s the Liu Family."
Shangguan Qili uttered the words softly.
Immediately, Du Yunfeng was taken aback, then frowned, "That indeed is a problem. Passing the Liu Family’s approval might not be so easy."
"Not just difficult?"
Shangguan Qili sighed softly and said, "The Liu Family is not like ours; they are one of the top three families in Jianghai. Being in such a family, Liu Ying doesn’t have the final say in her marriage! If their relationship becomes known to the Liu Family, I fear..."
She didn’t continue, but Du Yunfeng understood her implication.
If Ye Xuan couldn’t gain the Liu Family’s approval, they might obstruct and undermine him at every turn! And although Ye Xuan might seem extraordinary and more mature mentally, how could he possibly contend against the Liu Family alone?
Du Yunfeng, with a wave of his hand, said imperiously, "I know this young man’s character. Although he seems reckless, he values relationships deeply! If Liu Ying truly likes him, I can step in and speak to the Liu Family for them."
"You think the Liu Family will listen to you?"
Shangguan Qili gave him a disparaging look, "Our Du Family is merely an extended family by marriage to the Liu Family, and you are, at best, Liu Ying’s uncle. Her uncles and cousins certainly won’t take you seriously."
Du Yunfeng glared and retorted, "What about being an uncle? Haven’t you heard? An uncle is lofty as heaven, the nephew sits by his side! Liu Ying is still my niece, and I’d like to see who would dare to overlook me."
"You... Oh! I don’t even know what to say to you."
Shangguan Qili shook her head in resignation, not wanting to say more.
Meanwhile, Liu Ying was pulling Ye Xuan along as they left and were conversing with each other.
"Was that for real just now, or were you just putting on an act?" Liu Ying asked Ye Xuan, furrowing her brows.
"Do I look like I was joking?" Ye Xuan retorted.
Liu Ying nodded earnestly, then chuckled, complimenting, "But you really lucked out, like a blind cat running into a dead rat, impressing my uncle and matching his taste."
"Don’t think I was trying to please your uncle on purpose! Even if I’m not to his taste, my attitude remains unchanged. My principles have always been consistent. I treat people the way they treat me," Ye Xuan responded calmly.
"Alright, I know you stick to your principles!"
Liu Ying gave him a playful look and said teasingly, "But your principles seem rather casual, don’t they? Just last night you were nearly feeling all over someone else; now, how do you explain that?"
Ye Xuan chuckled mischievously and seriously said, "Actually, I have many principles for different situations! Just like the principle I followed with your uncle, it’s completely different from how I deal with women!"
"I think your principle is to have no principle! You just do as you please, especially when it comes to women," Liu Ying stated, irritated yet playful.
Ye Xuan touched his nose and gave a sheepish laugh without speaking.
At that moment, Liu Ying suddenly asked, "By the way, I’m curious, what would you have done just now if my uncle hadn’t taken a liking to you or if he hadn’t given you a way out? Would you have argued with him?"
"I never thought about that!"
Ye Xuan shrugged and said, "But one thing is for sure, if he wanted to play tough, I would have played along to the end! I’d respond with even tougher measures until he backed off. Anyway, there’s no way I could lose to him!"
"You, can’t you ever give in? Fortunately, my uncle backed off voluntarily. Otherwise, wouldn’t you have caused some trouble?" Liu Ying said, still in shock.
Having experienced last night’s events, she knew very well how formidable the opponent’s combat power was. Once a conflict erupted, it was certain that Du Yunfeng’s side would be at a disadvantage!
By then, who knew what kind of mess this good birthday dinner would have turned into?
Regarding this, Ye Xuan noncommittally shrugged his shoulders and didn’t reply.
Suddenly, Liu Ying thought of something. She held out her small hands in front of Ye Xuan, puckered her lips, and said, "Wait, aren’t you forgetting to give me something?"
"What thing? I don’t seem to have anything for you," Ye Xuan said, looking confused.
"It’s obviously my birthday gift! Don’t tell me you came empty-handed?"
Seeing Ye Xuan looking foolish, Liu Ying couldn’t help being annoyed.
"Am I not here empty-handed?"
Ye Xuan spread his hands and countered.
Alright, left speechless by Ye Xuan’s question, Liu Ying completely lost her words!
The next second, her anger exploded instantly. She glared at Ye Xuan, hands on her hips like a shrew, and scowled, "Ye Xuan, if you don’t produce a birthday gift today, you’re out! Forever removed from my consideration."
Ye Xuan immediately felt a headache coming on. The woman hadn’t given him any heads-up, and now she expected him to conjure a birthday gift?
However, just as he was feeling troubled, he suddenly caught sight of a black piano placed at the center of the hall from the corner of his eye, and immediately had an idea!
"How about I play a piano piece for you as your birthday gift?" Ye Xuan said lightly with a smile.
"Hmm? You can play the piano?" Liu Ying was instantly surprised.
"Of course! Playing the piano is no big deal, it’s nothing worth mentioning within my capabilities!" Ye Xuan said nonchalantly.
At that moment, Ye Xuan had a calm look on his face, but Liu Ying thought differently.
Her charming face lit up with an excited smile as she looked at Ye Xuan and said,
"I didn’t expect this, you’ve brought me another surprise! As long as you play satisfactorily, I’m willing to accept this as my birthday gift."
Ye Xuan being able to play the piano totally exceeded her expectations!
Immediately, she was eager to see Ye Xuan play the piano in front of her.
"Alright, just wait, I’ll play for you now! I guarantee you’ll be satisfied."
Ye Xuan smiled, gave her an ok gesture, and walked toward the piano in the hall.
In the center of the hall, close to the wall, there was a small square stage used for performing song and dance numbers during parties.
And now, Ye Xuan was heading in the direction of this performance stage!