Before long, the dishes from the private kitchen arrived—chicken, duck, fish, meat—all the essentials. But knowing that these were mostly prepared for Nangong Qingcheng and that good-for-nothing Jiang Feng, Nangong Jinming felt quite unhappy inside.

Soon after, Nangong Yan entered with her boyfriend, apologizing insincerely as she walked in, saying, "Sorry to keep everyone waiting. Ah, it's all because of my boss who insisted I handle a major client's loan. Even though they're grooming me, they shouldn't take up so much of my off-duty time, making everyone wait for me."

She was still wearing her work uniform from the private bank, looking as if she had just finished her tasks.

In terms of her figure, Nangong Yan was decent, standing around 1.7 meters tall, but her looks were quite plain, the type that would blend into a crowd of women. Compared to Nangong Qingcheng, it was heaven and earth apart. Nevertheless, she loved makeup, with a heavily powdered face, bright lipstick, and expensive perfume, which barely gave her a hint of a sophisticated white-collar lady.

The boyfriend she brought along was shorter than her, wore a pair of silver-framed glasses, had a bureaucratic crew cut, dressed in a suit, with black leather shoes. His looks were subpar, with a thin face and nose, thin lips, and small beady eyes behind the glasses—a typical sly and mean appearance, akin to a degenerate gentleman.

"Grandpa, Dad, Mom, Uncle, Aunt, Third Uncle, Third Aunt, Auntie, Uncle, let me introduce you to my boyfriend, Jin Shixiang, a clerk in the city's XX department. He was also kept overtime by his boss, and then he drove to pick me up. We hurriedly made our way here." Nangong Yan playfully stuck out her tongue and introduced them proudly.

"Old Master, Uncles and Aunts, Uncles and Aunts, Aunties, it's my first time visiting, and I'm terribly sorry for being late. This is a gift for the Old Master, just some health products, hope you like it." Jin Shixiang said politely.

The whole family immediately stood up. Nangong Li reached out to accept the gift from Jin Shixiang, laughing, "Oh my, Xiao Jin, you didn't have to bring anything. Just feel at home here, think of this place like your own home. Dad, look--"

As she spoke, Nangong Li instinctively turned to look at Nangong Honghu, but her smile froze and turned to shock.

Because everyone had stood up, even Nangong Qingcheng and Jiang Feng had stood up out of courtesy, but Nangong Honghu remained seated!

Nangong Honghu indeed wasn't in a good mood. He had called everyone to the old residence for a meal, intending for a family gathering and reunion meal, especially focusing on the soon-to-start school term for Nangong Qingcheng and the return of Jiang Feng after he went missing.

Yet, without any notice, Nangong Jinming and his wife allowed their daughter to bring her fiancé. This was cutting before saying, completely against his original intention. Naturally, he wasn't looking happy.

The whole family realized this instantly, causing some awkwardness. Nangong Jinrong quickly tried to smooth things over, "Well, Xiao Yan, quickly bring Xiao Jin to sit down. You both came so late, the dishes are getting cold. That's why your grandpa is upset, so hurry and sit down and eat."

Nangong Yan was a bit unhappy, but hearing her uncle speak, she felt slightly better, reaching out to pull Jin Shixiang, "Shixiang, come sit here, next to my mom."

"Who are these two?" Jin Shixiang paused as he passed by Nangong Qingcheng and Jiang Feng, looking puzzled and asked.

Jiang Feng remained unaffected, but Nangong Qingcheng was simply too stunning. When Jin Shixiang first entered, he was busy greeting the adults. Now, seeing Nangong Qingcheng, he was astonished by her beauty!

His little eyes behind the glasses sparkled as if doubting his own sight: Could such a woman only exist in heaven, rarely seen on earth?

"Oh, that's my cousin and cousin-in-law. Besides her, I have another cousin, a child of my third uncle and aunt, but she's studying at a boarding school and couldn't come today." Nangong Yan, with a hint of jealousy, looked at Nangong Qingcheng and said coolly.

Since childhood, she had been envious of Nangong Qingcheng, envious of her beauty, intelligence, capability, and favoritism!

So, she always competed with Nangong Qingcheng, even though Nangong Qingcheng never saw her as a rival, she regarded Nangong Qingcheng as a competitor.

"Cousin-in-law?" Jin Shixiang was stunned. Nangong Qingcheng was even younger than Nangong Yan, yet she was already married?

"Surprising, huh? His name is Jiang Feng. He's married into our family. Grandpa arranged for my cousin to marry him six years ago, engaged them. Of course, they're not of age, haven't registered or held a ceremony." Nangong Yan said with a trace of sarcasm.

Upon hearing this, Jin Shixiang immediately looked at Jiang Feng with intense jealousy!

Originally, he took pride in being able to find a long-legged "beauty" like Nangong Yan, but comparing himself to Jiang Feng, he realized he didn't amount to anything!

He couldn't fathom what Jiang Feng had done to deserve marrying into the Nangong Family and becoming the fiancé of such a "Heavenly Fragrance and National Beauty" woman, but one thing he was sure of, Jiang Feng had become the envy of all men!

"Can't you shut up even while eating? Sit down!" Nangong Honghu looked at Nangong Yan with great displeasure and said.

Only then did Nangong Yan stop talking and sat down with Jin Shixiang.

Although sitting beside Nangong Yan, Jin Shixiang's eyes frequently and unintentionally glanced at Nangong Qingcheng, truly captivated.

"You all know the purpose of bringing you here today. Qingcheng will start school in three days. Once she starts, for the family to gather like this again, it'll either be during her vacation or until the New Year. As for Xiao Feng, surviving such a calamity must bring good fortune. His return is not easy, so let's use this as an occasion to calm his nerves. If you can drink, have a bit, otherwise, those driving can skip." Nangong Honghu raised a glass first, with those who couldn't drink using tea instead, officially starting the banquet.

Following this, the banquet continued in a somewhat awkward atmosphere. The Old Master emphasized with his toast the importance of Nangong Qingcheng and Jiang Feng, yet tonight's main character turned out to be Jin Shixiang, with the entire family enthusiastically engaging him in conversation.

Through their interactions, they learned that besides Jin Shixiang's young age entry into the department, his family background was decent. His mother worked at a state-owned enterprise, considered middle-class, while his father was also a cadre in a government office, though only at a departmental level, he held some real power.

Thus, Jin Shixiang received widespread praise around the table, with topics like "This young man is truly good," "Xiao Jin has a bright future," "Our Yan-yan has good taste" flooding the conversation. In contrast, Jiang Feng, who entered the Nangong Family earlier than Jin Shixiang, was ignored and neglected.

"Xiao Feng, eat some food." Nangong Honghu, seeing this, was furious but since Jin Shixiang was someone brought by the eldest granddaughter, he couldn't lose his temper, so he personally picked a dish with chopsticks and placed it into Jiang Feng's bowl.

"Thank you, Old Master." Jiang Feng remained calm throughout, quietly eating his food.

"By the way, I haven't had the chance to ask yet, you're Jiang Feng, right? Where do you work?" Suddenly, Jin Shixiang casually asked Jiang Feng.

Nangong Qingcheng silently sighed, knowing the inevitable question had finally arrived!