Ni Jingxi went into the restroom in the private room and changed into a dress she had brought. Fortunately, the restroom was not only luxuriously decorated, but also very well-designed.
A short while later, Ni Jingxi changed her clothes and gave herself a fresh makeup look.
After she finished getting ready, she pushed the door open and came out, but to her surprise, Huo Shenyan also pushed the door open and came in.
"Have Mom and Dad not arrived yet?" Huo Shenyan frowned slightly as he looked at the empty private room.
Looking at the large private room, Ni Jingxi asked seriously, "Isn't this room too big?"
Ni Jingxi knew that he had only invited both sets of parents today, and there was no one else, but the dining table in this room was really too big, with seats for about fifteen people.
A huge object was placed in the private room, which was also extremely spacious.
Huo Shenyan smiled and said, "It's the first time we're hosting a banquet for both sets of parents, so it can't be too grand."
Ni Jingxi blinked. "It has to be a grand affair," she said. "Why don't you go now—"
Shall we set off some firecrackers outside to celebrate?
Huo Shenyan turned his head, squinting at her. He felt that Ni Jingxi had become increasingly mischievous lately.
Ni Jingxi probably realized that her joke had slightly offended him, so she quickly turned to look at the table. At this moment, there was a flower arrangement in the center of the table, with flowers blooming in profusion and looking very beautiful.
She tilted her head slightly, revealing her profile and beautiful neckline. The neckline of the dress she was wearing today was a bit loose, which also revealed her collarbone.
Her slender lines and snow-white skin created a visually stunning effect that was almost too much.
Huo Shenyan raised his hand, but instead of pinching her earlobe or touching her cheek, he reached out and ran his hand through her dark hair that was draped over her shoulders, gently touching the back of her neck.
With a slight bend of his fingers, he lifted her long hair and let it fall down her back, revealing the fair skin of her nape.
His fingers were slightly cool. Even though it was a hot summer day, he seemed to have a naturally cold constitution, and his fingers were cool to the touch. It felt quite comfortable to have them against his skin.
But as his fingers rubbed against her skin, Ni Jingxi felt a tingling sensation suddenly surge up from the back of her neck.
It was transmitted to the entire body almost instantly.
She couldn't help but shrink her neck.
Seeing her natural reaction, Huo Shenyan couldn't help but chuckle softly, then leaned down close to her ear and whispered, "Xingxing."
Ni Jingxi turned to look at him, but the man didn't say anything.
She's really going to be defeated.
Just as Ni Jingxi was still thinking, the door to the private room was pushed open again, and Huo Shenyan's hand instantly took off Ni Jingxi's neck and quietly fell to his side, as if he wasn't the one who had been flirting with her just now.
"dad."
Ni Jingxi looked at the people at the door and exclaimed in surprise, because she really didn't expect that Ni Pingsen would actually run into Zhong Lan and the others in the lobby.
Zhong Lan glanced at Ni Jingxi, then turned back to Ni Pingsen with a smile and said, "When we were in the lobby, I asked Lao Huo if this was Jingxi's father, but he insisted that it was not such a coincidence."
It turned out that Ni Pingsen followed them in right after they entered the room. He walked quickly and was seen by Zhong Lan as he passed her.
Zhong Lan whispered to Huo Zhenzhong, "This person looks familiar. Could he be Jingxi's father?"
Huo Zhenzhong probably felt it wasn't such a coincidence, so he took her directly to the private room. Huo Zhenzhong and Zhong Lan often came to this club, and they would also choose it when entertaining friends, so they were quite familiar with the place.
It wasn't until they heard the waiter behind them politely leading Ni Pingsen to the name of the private room that they heard the waiter mention the name of the room.
Zhong Lan then turned around and tentatively greeted him.
Huo Zhenzhong laughed and said, "It really is fate, otherwise our two families wouldn't have become in-laws."
Huo Shenyan stepped aside and said politely, "Please come in, everyone."
Soon everyone entered the private room, and Huo Shenyan instructed the waiter to start serving the dishes.
At this point, Huo Zhenzhong and Zhong Lan had already skipped the stage of getting to know Ni Pingsen. Instead, the two fathers were chatting. Although Huo Zhenzhong was the chairman of a listed group, he was always gentle and polite, with the refined temperament of a highly educated person.
As for Ni Pingsen, he is excessively young. He looks too young in both appearance and temperament, and doesn't look like a fifty-year-old at all. He only looks like he is in his early forties.
Even someone like Zhong Lan, who is always praised for being young and beautiful, felt a bit pressured when she looked at Ni Pingsen.
The meal that should have been eaten together long ago finally began, and everyone was quite relaxed. Although Ni Pingsen had amnesia, he used to run a restaurant in Vietnam. Although Liu Hui usually greeted the customers, he would learn how to do it at first.
Over time, I developed the ability to get along with anyone.
As Huo Zhenzhong waited for Ni Pingsen to tell him how he prepared seafood, he excitedly invited Ni Pingsen to go sea fishing together next time.
He said, "I'm a member of a sea fishing association and I go sea fishing whenever I have time, but nobody here knows how to handle seafood. If you come along, we can have a clear division of labor."
Ni Pingsen smiled and nodded: "Alright, you take care of fishing, and I'll take care of cooking the fish."
After listening, Zhong Lan smiled and said, "I feel like you two hit it off right away."
It wasn't just instant rapport; they practically ignored their wife the moment they met. She couldn't help but feel a strange chemistry between them.
Everyone laughed at Zhong Lan's sarcastic remarks.
Huo Shenyan whispered, "My dad treasures his yacht. He personally supervises its maintenance, afraid that others might damage it."
"That's not a yacht, that's his mistress," Zhong Lan snorted.
Huo Zhenzhong quickly pleaded, "Madam, please calm down. There's absolutely no comparison between the yacht and you. Why are you arguing with it?"
The atmosphere during the meal was exceptionally relaxed, so much so that both Huo Zhenzhong and Ni Pingsen drank quite a bit of alcohol.
Fortunately, they all had drivers, and seeing that they were happy, Ni Jingxi didn't try to dissuade them too much.
At the end of the event, Huo Zhenzhong invited Ni Pingsen to visit his home next time, saying, "Actually, I should invite you to my home, but I was afraid you would feel awkward. When you come to my home next time, I will definitely bring out the best wine from my cellar and we will taste it together. Isn't it said that when a daughter gets married, the father should bring out the best wine?"
Huo Zhenzhong was clearly a little drunk, but he wasn't intoxicated; he was just more uninhibited than usual when socializing outside.
He continued, "In our family, this is no different from marrying off a son."
When Ni Jingxi heard this, her jaw almost dropped.
When she turned to look at Huo Shenyan beside her, he was surprisingly calm.
Instead, Zhong Lan spoke up, saying, "There are still two children's weddings to be held. We were all quite saddened by Grandma's sudden passing and canceled the weddings. Now that a year has passed, even just observing mourning is enough to show our filial piety. Let them hold their weddings as soon as possible so that Grandma can rest in peace."
Ni Pingsen nodded, then turned to look at Ni Jingxi and said softly, "The decision to choose a date should be made by the groom's family, so please take a look first."
He knew that the Huo family was large and powerful, and that they had lived in Hong Kong for a long time, so they might have some customs.
He had delayed Jingxi once before, and now he hoped to personally walk her down the aisle.
On the way back, Ni Jingxi drove, and before leaving, she winked at Huo Shenyan, signaling him to take Lao Xu's car home. She herself drove Ni Pingsen home.
As the car neared home, Ni Jingxi looked at Ni Pingsen, who had his eyes slightly closed in the passenger seat, but ultimately remained silent.
But Ni Pingsen suddenly opened his eyes, turned to look at her, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Ni Jingxi was slightly taken aback.
Ni Pingsen: "What's up?"
Ni Jingxi wondered whether she should tell him about her encounter with Liu Hui, who had obviously followed Ni Pingsen back to Shanghai. Moreover, judging from her tone, Ni Pingsen didn't seem willing to see her.
Ni Pingsen said, "Jingxi, you can tell me directly if there's anything you need to say."
Ni Jingxi shook her head.
No matter what happens, she will protect her father.
This time it was her turn to shelter him from the wind and rain, just like he had done for her before.
Chapter 74
When Ni Jingxi drove to her house, Huo Shenyan was standing in the yard, seemingly waiting for them. Ni Jingxi parked the car, and she and Ni Pingsen got out.
Huo Shenyan looked at Ni Pingsen's slightly flushed cheeks and asked with concern, "Dad, are you alright?"
"It's nothing." Ni Pingsen shook his head. These few glasses of wine only made him slightly tipsy; he certainly wouldn't get drunk.
Ni Jingxi reached out to help Ni Pingsen upstairs, but he waved his hand and chuckled, "This little bit of wine didn't get your father drunk. I'll go upstairs to wash up first, and you should all get some rest too."
After finishing his sentence, Ni Pingsen went straight into his house.
Huo Shenyan and Ni Jingxi stood there, watching him go upstairs. Once his figure disappeared, Huo Shenyan turned to look at Ni Jingxi and softly asked, "How did your talk with Dad go?"
Ni Jingxi had given him a wink earlier, clearly wanting to talk to Ni Pingsen alone.
Ni Jingxi breathed a sigh of relief and said helplessly, "He didn't say anything. I think Dad looks quite tired."
Huo Shenyan paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you plan to talk to Dad about?"
Ni Jingxi, who had been staring blankly in the direction of the house, was taken aback for a moment by his question: "You don't know?"
"You told me that?" Huo Shenyan raised an eyebrow slightly.
Ni Jingxi reflected for a few seconds; she realized she hadn't actually said anything. However, Liu Hui's appearance was too unexpected, and she was busy eating tonight, so she really hadn't had a chance to tell anyone.
She said calmly, "I saw Liu Hui today."
Huo Shenyan looked up, his brows furrowing, a hint of confusion in his eyes: "Liu Hui?"
The next second, when he realized who it was, a hint of tension flashed across his face: "What's she doing in Shanghai?"
Huo Shenyan couldn't get too involved in Ni Pingsen's past relationships. After all, he was just a son-in-law, and it was always a little awkward for him to meddle in his father-in-law's love life.
I originally thought that Ni Pingsen had already handled everything properly when he left Vietnam.
Unexpectedly, Liu Hui actually followed him to Shanghai. Huo Shenyan's face darkened slightly: "She didn't do anything to you, did she?"
Although Huo Shenyan had never met her before, Liu Hui had left a rather good impression on him during their first meeting. Now, she had relentlessly pursued him all the way to Shanghai and directly approached Ni Jingxi, clearly indicating that she was not yet ready to give up.
Ni Jingxi shook her head: "She said she wanted to see her father, but her father didn't seem inclined to meet with her."
Huo Shenyan's brows hadn't relaxed since they started, and his previously relaxed expression now showed a slight hint of seriousness. A woman's obsession could be truly terrifying. Just the things Liu Hui had done to keep Ni Pingsen by her side were enough to prove that she was someone who would never give up until she achieved her goal.
"Leave this to me," Huo Shenyan said softly.
Ni Jingxi immediately shook her head: "Forget it, this is my father's business, I can't involve you."
Someone of Huo Shenyan's status could easily be extremely cautious in his words and actions under the scrutiny of the media and the public. She couldn't allow him to get involved when she knew Liu Hui was in danger.
But her words made Huo Shenyan less happy.
He looked down at Ni Jingxi, his voice low: "Do we even need to use the word 'interference' between us?"
That's a bit too formal.