Two hours later, Lin Xiazhu called her two younger sisters and Yan Xin to invite them to dinner together that evening at the best hotel in Beijing.

"Why are you suddenly being so generous? Have you struck it rich?" Yan Xin was a little confused. It wasn't that Lin Xiazhu hadn't treated her to meals before, but she always chose restaurants that were delicious and affordable, and never spent money extravagantly.

"I've always been very generous. Don't talk like I've never taken you to a fancy restaurant. Do you think I'm a stingy person?" Lin Xiazhu said threateningly. If the other party dared to say "yes," she would never let her off the hook.

“Apart from being a little generous when taking your younger sisters to broaden their horizons, you’re not usually very generous. Not to mention the things you did in the countryside, those hundred-year-old ginseng and lingzhi were all dug up from the mountains. You wouldn’t even spend the money if I asked you to buy them…” Yan Xin didn’t care about her threat at all and listed her stingy history one by one.

"You make it sound so simple. Go dig up a ginseng or a lingzhi mushroom from the mountains, stew it with chicken, and make me a bowl of soup. A hundred-year-old wild ginseng can sell for at least tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan, and a hundred-year-old lingzhi mushroom can sell for at least tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan. Add a chicken, and you can calculate how much a meal would cost."

"It's something that money can't buy, and you still dare to mention it to me." Lin Xiazhu spat at her, a sinister laugh coming from the other end of the phone.

Yan Xin: "I have something to do, see you tonight." She hung up the phone immediately; otherwise, he would have roared like a shrew.

That evening, in a private room at a hotel called "Golden Splendor," halfway through the meal, Lin Xiazhu announced to everyone, "Xiao An and I went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get our marriage certificate today, but we didn't transfer our household registration. It was a sudden decision, so we didn't have time to notify you beforehand. I'm officially informing you now."

Everyone was shocked: "..."

A deathly silence fell over the private room. Clearly, this bombshell had been too powerful for everyone to process so quickly. They had gotten their marriage certificate so easily, and were getting married whenever they wanted?

That's really capricious.

That's quite decisive.

"That's wonderful, eldest sister, brother-in-law! I'd like to raise a glass to you both, wishing you a long and happy life together, many children, and eternal happiness." Lin Xiaoxue accepted the offer the best and fastest, her face beaming with joy. This was exactly the result she wanted to see.

Lin Taozi recovered her senses and smiled happily. She picked up her wine glass and said softly, "I don't usually allow drinking, but today is a good day for my eldest sister and Xiao An... my brother-in-law. I'd like to toast you both and wish you a long and happy life together."

Yan Xin followed along, toasting in a daze, her heart filled with mixed feelings. These two were really unconventional, completely disregarding the feelings of the Bai family. They got their marriage certificate so quickly, did Master Bai and Bai Junbai know?

Lin Xiazhu and Bai Ruan both said they knew, everyone knew, so what does "everyone" mean?

Yan Xin was truly impressed by the two of them, but the matter was already settled, and saying anything more would be pointless. What else could she do but wish them well?

"Isn't this too simple? Shouldn't we invite some relatives or something to have a meal together?" Yan Xin felt that this was a bit unfair to Lin Xiazhu. The so-called "everyone knows" actually only meant that she and Xiaozhu's three younger sisters knew. It was definitely a secret marriage.

If the Bai family denies it and uses tactics to force them to get a divorce certificate, she will be at a huge disadvantage. The man won't be affected at all; in the end, it's always the woman who gets hurt.

They're really worried sick.

"Cha Cha is about to give birth, there's no need to make her come all this way. We can talk about inviting her to dinner later. It's not like we're in our hometown, we can't invite many people anyway." Lin Xiazhu didn't seem to care much.

Yan Xin: "..." What a waste of her time. If the person involved doesn't even care, what can she do?

Bai Ru'an hadn't had time to inform the Bai family yet, but Bai Zhengping had already received the news. His men had been keeping an eye on Bai Ru'an all day, from when he went to the suburbs to find Lin Xiazhu, then returned home, and finally went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get the marriage certificate until now, when the family was celebrating in the hotel. They knew everything.

None of the Bai family members participated in the entire process. Bai Ru'an still doesn't consider them his real family. The family in his heart are the Lin family members.

"What should we do now, sir?" the butler asked tentatively.

"What else can we do?" Bai Zhengping roared angrily, then said dejectedly, "Tell them to come back tomorrow. No, the entire Bai family has to be there. They've already registered their marriage. How can we not let our family members know? It would be disrespectful."

"Should we call those two young ladies and their families back as well?" The butler hesitated. In the past, the two young ladies would be called back for important matters, but their families could only come back depending on the situation.

“You’ve become increasingly indecisive. Is something this important a joke? Of course we need to let them know, so they won’t bully us like outsiders when we run into each other.” Bai Zhengping’s words meant he was acknowledging Lin Xiazhu as a member of the Bai family. Since they had accepted her, they needed to let her integrate and let others know that they shouldn’t keep bothering her. The Bai family would take care of her in the future.

He was furious, but he still forced himself to compromise. Only Bai Shao and the young master could make the old man change. One was his youngest son, and the other was his eldest grandson. They were both his most valued juniors, but the more he valued them, the more rebellious they became. Neither of them could give him any peace of mind. They seemed to have been born to annoy him.

Bai Zhengping was feeling very frustrated and sat in the living room until late at night without sleeping. Bai Junbai returned around dawn, smelling of alcohol and a mixed scent of perfume, clearly having been out partying somewhere.

"Dad, why aren't you asleep yet? It's so late!" Bai Junbai originally wanted to go straight upstairs, but when he saw his father sitting motionless on the sofa in the living room like a statue, his hands on his cane, his back straight, his face sullen, his eyes downcast, and his emotions unreadable.

So calm, so calm that he doesn't even want to talk, that's the reaction of his father when he's extremely angry. What happened? Who made him so angry? Does he want to die?

"You... I'll give you another six months. If you still can't find a suitable person to marry, I'll force you to get married. You old bachelor, almost forty and still out there partying, how dare you go out in public? At your age, still a bachelor, if I were you, I'd just open a temple and become a monk."

"No, no, no, don't insult the word 'monk.' You don't deserve it. Even if you were a monk, you'd be a frivolous one, a fake monk who eats meat and drinks wine but has no Buddha in his heart..." Bai Zhengping vented all his anger on his young son.

Bai Junbo was only able to hold back his temper until now because he was used to Bai Junbo's sharp tongue, but his ears were ringing and he felt very uncomfortable and helpless.

"Dad, just say what you want to say. Don't bombard me with this. At least tell me what happened and what I did to you. Why did you have to humiliate me by bringing up the fact that I'm not married? If I weren't so resilient, anyone else would have attacked you after you belittled me like that, believe me?"

"You've got the idea to take action? Go ahead and try. Let's see how strong your wings really are."

Bai Junbai: "..." What should I do if my elderly father suddenly becomes unreasonable in the middle of the night? I need help urgently.