Feng Ming's gaze couldn't help but fall on Xia Ran across from him. At this moment, he really wanted to explain things to Xia Ran and tell his parents the result, but he held back because if he spoke now, things would really become a mess.
He Hao noticed something was wrong with the person next to him and asked in a low voice,
"What's wrong with you? Why is your body shaking?"
Feng Ming had no choice but to hand the phone to He Hao, who picked it up with a puzzled look. When he saw the pictures inside, he was shocked.
No way, Xia Ran really is Feng Ming's younger brother who's been missing for over twenty years? That's such a coincidence!
Although they had already suspected it, they were still shocked when they actually saw the result.
"Then... this... should we... ask Mom and Dad?" He Hao was also very excited because over the years he had personally witnessed Feng's father, Feng's mother, and Feng Ming's obsession with finding his younger brother.
The Feng family treated him very, very well, even better than Feng Ming, so now that he knew Xia Ran's true identity, he couldn't help but want to tell Feng's father and mother.
"Let's not say anything for now. If we say anything on this day, it might not be good. Let's keep things calm for now and talk to them tonight."
Feng Ming tried to calm himself down, but his eyes kept glancing at Xia Ran.
He Hao watched and couldn't help but find it a little funny. He remembered that someone had said yesterday that his mother and the others were too eager, but now, looking at himself, his eyes were practically glued to Xia Ran.
Sure enough, it wasn't that they weren't in a hurry; they just hadn't confirmed Xia Ran's identity yet.
He Hao returned the phone to Feng Ming, and felt even closer to Xia Ran.
Xia Ran didn't notice anything, but he felt that Feng Ming and He Hao were looking at him strangely, as if they were very warm towards him.
However, he didn't have time to think about it too much, because he was busy pouring tea and didn't know if Ziming had received Yu Wu and the others yet.
As soon as Xia Ran finished speaking, the door to the private room was pushed open from the outside. Xia Ran turned around and saw that Lin Ziming had come over with Yu Wu and Old Master Li, who was calculating auspicious dates, and He Xiu was following behind them.
Xia Ran was somewhat surprised, not expecting them to arrive at the same time. That's fine, then she won't have to go out to pick up He Xiu later.
The arrival of these people made the private room even more lively. Old Master Li and his grandfather seemed to get along very well. Xia Ran poured He Xiu a cup of tea and couldn't help but ask a question.
"Have you been having some trouble at work lately?
It's no wonder Xia Ran asked that question, because He Xiu's entire demeanor was different. If he used to be full of vigor, now he looked utterly dejected.
Although He Xiu concealed himself well, and his attire was perfectly appropriate, the weariness in his eyes was impossible to hide.
He Xiu took the tea and gave a wry smile. "No, not at all. My job is fine."
Hearing this, Xia Ran could basically guess why. He didn't expect that He Xiu and Da Zhuang, who had only known each other for such a short time, had already fallen so deeply in love.
He sighed, unsure of what to say to comfort her, and finally He Xiu spoke up himself.
"I'm fine, you go and greet the guests."
Xia Ran could only nod in agreement, "Then please sit down first, and call me if you need anything."
He Xiu nodded slightly.
Everyone had arrived, so Xia Ran went to ask the waiter to serve the food. They were seated at two tables because one table wasn't enough.
Seeing that everyone had taken their seats, Feng's mother asked a question with a puzzled look.
"Xiao Ran, why hasn't Gu Zheng come over yet? Is he busy and hasn't arrived yet? Should we wait for him?"
As soon as Mrs. Feng said this, the private room immediately fell silent.
Because He Hao had asked her this question before, Xia Ran answered it quite naturally when she heard it again.
"He's busy with work at his company, so don't worry about him. We'll just eat."
Upon hearing this, Madam Feng frowned, clearly displeased that Gu Zheng hadn't come on such a special day.
However, she also knew that her identity was still unclear, so she could only remain silent.
But Feng Ming was different. He had just learned Xia Ran's identity, and now Gu Zheng had made such a move. No wonder he was not happy.
Fortunately, He Hao had been keeping an eye on Feng Ming the whole time. When he noticed that something was wrong with Feng Ming, he immediately pressed down on the back of Feng Ming's hand, signaling Feng Ming not to speak.
Feng Ming used a great deal of self-control to prevent himself from getting angry, but his dissatisfaction with Gu Zheng was already very strong.
Even if something incredibly important happened, Gu Zheng shouldn't have missed today!
“Yes, yes, he’s busy, let’s eat first,” Grandpa Xia quickly added.
Since Xia Ran and Grandpa Xia had both said so, the others didn't say anything more and just happily ate their meal.
Because of Dazhuang, Xia Ran paid extra attention to He Xiu during the meal. She noticed that although He Xiu was talking to Lin Ziming, he seemed to have no interest in talking to Lin Ziming and always looked absent-minded.
During the meal, Feng's mother kept putting food on Xia Ran's plate, her enthusiasm almost overwhelming Xia Ran.
Grandpa Xia had managed to suppress his suspicions, but seeing the way Mama Feng and the others looked at Xia Ran, his doubts resurfaced, which made him feel rather upset.
But the old man kept comforting himself that it was just his imagination and dared not let himself think about it too deeply.
Fortunately, with so many people talking to him, Grandpa Xia put the matter out of his mind.
Everyone who came brought red envelopes and gifts, and Xia Ran returned red envelopes to the guests as the meal progressed.
Feng Ming felt a pang of unease watching this scene.
This is their precious child. Normally, they wouldn't need to do these things at home, but now they have to do everything themselves.
What upset him the most was that Xia Ran had become Gu Zheng's stepfather! And Gu Zheng was treating Xia Ran like this! It was truly infuriating.
Chapter 398 Longevity Lock
He Hao noticed Feng Ming's emotional changes. He patted Feng Ming's hand. Having been with Feng Ming for so many years, he naturally knew what Feng Ming was thinking.
Feng Ming sighed silently, trying to suppress his emotions, telling himself that he couldn't afford to make a mistake at this critical juncture, otherwise everything would go wrong.
After the banquet ended, He Xiu suggested going back first. After all, he wasn't very familiar with the people here, and his presence was only out of respect for Xia Ran and a sense of kinship with Lin Ziming from their time as colleagues.
Or rather, he's been in a bad mood, so he doesn't want to linger outside.
Xia Ran saw him out, but couldn't help but offer a word of comfort.
“He Xiu, sometimes feelings are very subtle. You should try to move on instead of staying in that stage.”
"And what about you? Why didn't you go out?" He Xiu asked Xia Ran in return.
Xia Ran was taken aback, unsure how to respond. He Xiu suddenly chuckled and continued...
“If you could just walk out like that, you probably wouldn’t be in this state now. Okay, you don’t need to see me off, I can go out by myself.”
After he finished speaking, he walked straight ahead. Xia Ran stood in the corridor and watched his back as he left. Thinking of what He Xiu had just said, she felt a little uneasy.
Yes, it's impossible to truly escape this situation. But his situation is different from He Xiu's.
Xia Ran took out her phone, intending to send He Xiu another message, but ultimately didn't.
It seems that it's not good for outsiders to talk too much about this kind of thing; He Xiu can only get through it on his own.
He returned to the private room, and Yu Wu also said he had to go back because he had something urgent to attend to.
"Xia Ran, Grandpa, I'm sorry, the work I took on the other day had a sudden problem, and I have to rush back to deal with it now. I can only visit you in a couple of days."
Xia Ran: "It's okay, you go back first, I'll call a car for you."
“That’s right, that’s right. Anyway, it’s quite close. We can come over when we have time. There’s plenty of time, no rush. Work is more important,” Grandpa Xia said.
Yu Wu breathed a sigh of relief and was about to take Old Master Li back.
Lin Ziming also stood up and said...
"Let me take you back; it's quite troublesome to get a taxi at this time of day."
"I..." Yu Wu still wanted to refuse.
"Forget about 'mine' and 'yours,' hurry up and go! Didn't we say we were running out of time? Go quickly, go quickly!"
Xia Ran urged Yu Wu on, and Lin Ziming also got up and walked out, which left Yu Wu with no choice but to go.
However, he did want to get back quickly, so after saying thank you, he took Old Master Li and followed Lin Ziming out.
Only he, Grandpa Xia, Lin's father, and the Feng family remained in the private room.
Xia Ran and the others also wanted to go back, but the Feng family hadn't made any offer to leave yet, so they could only stay with them.
He Hao: "By the way, Xia Ran, how about we come over to your place for a bit? We're pretty free right now anyway."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran hesitated instinctively. It wasn't that he didn't want the Feng family to go, but rather that in the Feng family's eyes, he and Gu Zheng were now considered to be married. If they were to go, they would definitely become suspicious after seeing where they lived.
Xia Ran didn't want to explain his relationship with Gu Zheng anymore, but he was afraid that if he did, Feng Ming and the others would tell others, and if it got out in the kindergarten, it would be very bad for the children.
Xia Ran's slight hesitation led Feng Ming and He Hao to misunderstand, thinking that Xia Ran didn't want them to go.
He Hao thought for a moment. Their relationship wasn't that good yet, and it wouldn't be appropriate to bring up the past again, so he said...
"Xia Ran, I was just saying it casually. It's okay. If it's inconvenient for you, we can get together again next time."
Xia Ran smiled sheepishly and said,
"I'm really sorry, I'm not available right now. Let's make another appointment next time."
"Okay," He Hao replied with a smile. Mrs. Feng, standing nearby, wanted to say something, but Mr. Feng stopped her.
Feng's mother was a little anxious, but in the end she held back.
Ever since Feng Ming learned about Xia Ran's relationship, he didn't want Xia Ran to leave. Although he knew he couldn't say anything more now, he still couldn't help but speak up.
"How about we take you here? We'll give you a ride back. It seems you only took one car when you came here, and your older brother also went to see your friend off. It would be too much trouble for you to take a taxi, so I'll give you a ride."
He Hao, standing beside him, silently shook his head; he knew Feng Ming wouldn't be able to hold back.
“Yes, Xia Ran, let Feng Ming take you back. My parents and I still need to shop around in the mall next door. Feng Ming doesn’t like shopping, so it’s perfect for him to take you back and then come back to pick us up.”
"No need, that's too much trouble. We'll just take a taxi," Grandpa Xia said.
Xia Ran also listened to her grandfather, "Yes, no need, we can just take a taxi."
Feng Ming wanted to say something, but when he saw Grandpa Xia's eyes, he suddenly couldn't speak and could only nod silently.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt like Grandpa Xia had figured something out.
The group walked out of the hotel together. Feng Ming helped find a taxi, and after watching Xia Ran and the others get into the car, he couldn't take his eyes off them for a long time.
Feng's parents were incredibly intelligent; they immediately noticed the change in Feng Ming's attitude towards Xia Ran.
"Feng Ming, do you know something? Is the result out? Xia Ran, he, is he...?" Feng's father asked anxiously, a rare occurrence for him.
He had been trying to remain calm ever since he saw Xia Ran, but now, for the first time, he showed signs of eagerness and excitement.