The Qin family's overall style is European palace style. Built by the water, its exterior is luxurious and elegant. From the ingenious garden design to the exquisite relief elements, everything exudes a solemn and grand atmosphere.
Even though Tong Zhao's impression of this family had almost plummeted, she had to admit that the Qin family's decor was indeed very tasteful.
After going around in circles, besides realizing how wealthy and powerful the Qin family was, Tong Zhao also clearly sensed a change in the attitude of the other members of the Qin family towards him.
While it still can't be called respect, at least it's not the same as before where they ignored me.
That's true. Ever since the engagement banquet, there have been a lot of rumors circulating outside. It's one thing that he, as an illegitimate child, is not taken seriously, but it's another thing that he represents the Qin family in a marriage alliance.
Because of his status as the eldest son and fiancé of the Zhou family, these people had to restrain themselves a little in public, at least not to give him a hard time in person.
As for what happens behind closed doors, who cares?
Tong Zhao leaned against the back of a wooden chair in the garden, gazing aimlessly at the artificial water feature.
Shan Song messaged him last night, saying that he would come to see him in a while and that he should ignore the rumors and not rush.
Tong Zhao thought that the most common rumor recently was that Shan Song was dissatisfied with him, and he had heard about it even though he didn't leave the villa.
The guests at the banquet spoke with certainty, saying that Shan Song's tightly furrowed brows when he put on the engagement ring were proof of this.
Knowing the truth, Tong Zhao pondered for a while, and combined with the message that Shan Song had specially sent to comfort him, he guessed that this person must have other plans. He obediently agreed and told Shan Song to let him know if he needed any cooperation.
Shan Song didn't reply at the time, but this morning, Tong Zhao opened her phone and saw a message pinned to the top.
Don't worry, relax for a few days. If you have any requests before the wedding, feel free to ask the Qin family; they won't dare to neglect you.
【oh.】
[I didn't mean to look down on you, we'll talk about it when we meet. *pats head*]
He even offered an explanation, and Tong Zhao couldn't help but smile slightly; this emoji didn't suit him at all.
Just imagining Shan Song's fierce and menacing appearance as he picked and chose from a bunch of emojis before finally clicking send, Tong Zhao couldn't help but burst out laughing again.
"Now that you've hooked up with a rich guy, you can't stop smiling, can you?"
A sarcastic voice came from around the corner not far away, followed by a figure that looked all too familiar.
Tong Zhao stopped smiling and sighed upon hearing the voice. Why was this person causing trouble again?
Speaking of the Qin family, the person Tong Zhao met most often was not her adoptive father Qin Daosheng, nor her adoptive elder brother Qin Siyuan, but the rumored young master, Qin Chong.
Back when they were acting, Tong Zhao had already heard about the young master of the Qin family.
Qin Chong entered the entertainment industry a little earlier than him, and since he didn't deliberately hide his identity, it was practically an open secret in the industry.
With various resources poured in and his acting skills being decent, Qin Chong quickly became popular.
The allure of fame has boosted her looks, elevating her from a 7 out of 10 to a 9, thus garnering a large following and winning several awards. She is currently at the peak of her career.
The wrap party was the first time Tong Zhao met Qin Chong in person. Qin Chong was traveling with Geng Keli, and he stopped him when Geng Keli almost took him away.
Tong Zhao initially had a friendly impression of his younger brother, who had at least saved him, and also had some positive feelings towards him because of the opinions of people in the industry. However, for some reason, Qin Chong was extremely hostile towards him.
When they first made eye contact, Tong Zhao sensed Qin Chong's intense disgust.
This makes no sense. Not to mention that he's a nobody who can't possibly piggyback on the fame of a currently popular young actor, his status as an illegitimate child poses no threat to anyone whatsoever.
The entire Qin family knows that no matter how much love their mistresses receive or how many illegitimate children they have, Qin Chong and Qin Siyuan's positions are unshakeable.
Moreover, as an omega's illegitimate child, he had no right to be recognized by the Qin family, except for himself, and it was Qin Chong himself who suggested it.
This is even more puzzling.
Tong Zhao had little understanding of the intricacies of these wealthy families, nor was he interested in them. He only wanted to leave the Qin family as soon as possible to avoid being harmed by these people.
Qin Chong's mouth opened and closed in front of him, but Tong Zhao remained silent with an expressionless face. Those harsh words went in one ear and out the other, leaving no trace in his heart.
"You're having a good time now, but I heard about the engagement banquet from your older brother. You'd better behave yourself and stop trying anything funny—" Qin Chong raised his chin, his words dripping with contempt.
"It's an honor for you to be part of the Qin family through marriage. You've gone from an unknown starlet to a wealthy lady. Many people are envious. You've successfully risen to the top. There's no need to keep pretending."
"Perhaps your previous sugar daddies liked the idea of chastity and fidelity, but we don't need that. You got all this because I value you, so don't take yourself too seriously."
Tong Zhao remained silent. He had heard far more offensive and vulgar language than this before, and was long since immune to it.
This young master of the Qin family is quite cultured; at least he doesn't use vulgar or obscene language.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a young woman passing by as a gardener. She had come closer to look after hearing what sounded like an argument, but then quietly backed away after realizing who it was.
Tong Zhao lowered her eyes, her thoughts drifting elsewhere; the same scene had occurred several times before.
The difference was that in the previous instances, Tong Zhao still had the mind to argue right and wrong with Qin Chong.
From this man's worthless, irrelevant answers, Tong Zhao realized that Qin Chong was simply taking his anger out on him and didn't care about his questions or emotions at all.
As for the specific source of the anger, that remains unknown.
After a few times, Tong Zhao stopped asking. If he kept asking, the man might complain about him to Qin Daosheng or team up with other servants to make things difficult for him. The other party was the pampered young master of the Qin family, while he was just an illegitimate child who got recognized by sheer luck. No one in the Qin family would side with him.
Shan Song's words make some sense; he is indeed quite self-aware.
Fortunately, Qin Chong had received an aristocratic education from childhood, and considering the interests of his family, they wouldn't let him cause any trouble during the marriage. Usually, it was just talk, and they would just endure it.
Sure enough, after a series of sarcastic remarks, seeing his cowardly silence, Qin Chong sneered and left in a grand procession with his bodyguards.
Tong Zhao didn't linger in the garden any longer, lest she run into this person again and have to listen to his sarcastic and mean-spirited complaints.
Having finally found the mood to go out for a stroll, Tong Zhao encountered such an unlucky incident. For the next few days, she simply stayed in her room, only occasionally listening to the servants gossip when she went downstairs for meals. The rest of the time, she would scroll through her phone and chat with Shan Song occasionally.
I'm afraid this person is too busy, and it wouldn't be good if the bodyguards outside the door found out, so I'm always very careful when sending messages, only saying a sentence or two.
Dan Song replied faster than he expected, seemingly thinking he was anxious. After that, she would occasionally send him one or two messages every day to chat about daily life.
It seems the note from before wasn't a misperception; this person is actually quite considerate, just not very good at speaking... Tong Zhao rolled around on the bed, clutching her phone.
After being alone for so many years and lacking even friends, it feels really good to suddenly find a reliable ally by my side who is supporting me and even takes the time to pay attention to my emotions.
Tong Zhao edited and deleted the message, finally leaving it on her phone screen: "Go to sleep early, goodnight!"
The other end quickly replied: 【Good night.】
Tong Zhao paused for a moment, then exited the chat window and opened another one, which was his agent.
The dialog box still showed the message he had sent earlier.
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