The atmosphere inside the venue had been built to a climax, and the host took the stage to begin the important part of officially announcing the engagement between the two families.
The crowd dispersed and formed a circular circle around the podium in the center of the hall, drawing almost all the attention of the banquet hall to the main characters of the day—the Zhou and Qin families.
Seeing that the Qin family father and son were busy with social engagements and had no time to pay attention to her, Tong Zhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief under the cover of her wine glass.
Compared to these two, Shan Song's life is incredibly easy.
Tong Zhao quietly glanced around the arena, finally fixing her gaze on the towering man in the center of the field.
Shan Song followed behind Zhou Muyuan, talking to several people of similar age, a smile that didn't reach his eyes, making him seem distant.
Seemingly noticing his gaze, Shan Song glanced coldly in his direction.
Tong Zhao blinked slowly, then lowered her head as if she had received some signal.
Almost the instant Tong Zhao lowered her head, Zhou Muyuan's gaze swept over her, lingering on her for two seconds before he turned to her and asked with an ambiguous tone, "I heard you just went to see that child from the Qin family?"
"Yes, Father."
"Going to do what?"
Shan Song lowered her eyes: "I need to see what my fiancé looks like."
Zhou Muyuan smiled enigmatically: "So, what do you think? Are you satisfied with my arrangements?"
“Of course I’m satisfied. He…is very handsome.” Shan Song forced a smile and met Zhou Muyuan’s gaze.
"Good-looking? There's really nothing to praise about an illegitimate child," Zhou Muyuan sneered. "The marriage between the Zhou and Qin families, even though the other party isn't the young master of the Qin family, still represents the Qin family. You know what to do."
"yes."
Zhou Muyuan changed the subject, adopting a fatherly and filial tone: "Your father made the decision without consulting you, you don't mind, do you?"
"Father's arrangements were naturally for the good of the Zhou family."
Zhou Muyuan nodded in satisfaction, then looked Tong Zhao up and down for a moment, and scoffed, "Although he can't compare to Qin Chong in other aspects, his face is top-notch."
Zhou Muyuan's gaze fell on Shan Song's face, which resembled his mother's, and he chuckled as he added the last sentence: "Indeed, she is a good match for you."
It was unclear whether these words were an insult to Shan Song or to himself. Shan Song's eyes darkened for a moment before he echoed, "Father has excellent judgment, but..."
Zhou Muyuan's tone instantly turned cold: "But what?"
"I heard this omega used to be an actor, and his reputation isn't very good. If he continues to appear in public after marriage, there's no guarantee that there won't be some gossip about the Zhou family—"
Halfway through his sentence, Shan Song deliberately paused, observed Zhou Muyuan's expression, and with a flick of his tongue, he withdrew the words that were about to slip out, and changed his words again.
“It would be a loss if it affected our cooperation with the Qin family. It would be better to let him stay at home, in the old house, to keep you and Aunt Ruan company. As the eldest sister-in-law, he is like a mother to you,” Shan Song paused subtly for a moment, “so that he can also take care of his younger brother.”
"What do you think?" Shan Song adopted a very humble attitude, and this obsequious manner, coupled with the anger and resentment in his eyes, seemed to have hit Zhou Muyuan's mark. Zhou Muyuan didn't even notice Shan Song's subtle veiled criticism and continued to act like a loving father.
"What are you talking about? Your brother doesn't need anyone to take care of him. Besides, he's a member of the Qin family and your future omega. Do you think you can control his personal freedom?"
Zhou Muyuan feigned anger and scolded him a few times.
“Since we’re married, we’re one. To belittle your omega is to belittle yourself. What will others think of our Zhou family if word gets out?”
I never expected that someone who had belittled his mother for over a decade could say such a thing. Shan Song looked at his mask indifferently and said calmly, "I was narrow-minded."
Zhou Muyuan admired Shan Song's expression for a while, then offered a perfunctory consolation: "We're all family, so let's not be so formal. You young people are all about pursuing your dreams, and there's no such thing as a job being superior or inferior. Let's get along well and understand each other in the future."
He casually patted him on the shoulder meaningfully: "There's nothing I can't understand, as long as he's not the kind of traitor who betrays his own people."
"Father is right," Shan Song said, forcing a smile and nodding.
Zhou Muyuan laughed and didn't continue the topic, only briefly mentioning, "Before you get married, you should spend more time with the Qin family boy and cultivate your relationship."
The program on stage had progressed to inviting the heads of the Zhou and Qin families to give speeches. Zhou Muyuan straightened his collar and stepped onto the stage with Qin Daosheng on the other side, shaking hands politely with smiles on their faces.
Shan Song stood on the side of the stage with the rest of the Zhou family, ignoring his stepmother's veiled praise and his younger brother's hostile gaze.
Taking advantage of his height, he surveyed the entire room with indifferent eyes, a stark contrast to his previous demeanor.
After a round of pleasantries, both parties presented a cooperation proposal to the guests and signed the agreement on the spot.
The audience erupted in applause.
It was as if they were the main characters at this engagement party.
Following the atmosphere, Shan Song naturally overlapped his two palms and opened and closed them slightly a few times.
After exchanging glances, they greeted Mr. Zhou and Mr. Qin on the stage.
The gaze on stage quickly shifted elsewhere, and the curve of Shan Song's lips immediately flattened.
In the brief moment of turning his head, Shan Song's peripheral vision inadvertently caught sight of the little omega not far away. Like an outsider detached from the situation, his eyelids drooped and he seemed absent-minded, as if he was clapping along with the people around him just to fit in.
The irritation in my heart dissipated, followed by a somewhat absurd and funny feeling.
The couple who were engaged stood in the crowd, applauding the two old men.
This scene looks incredibly eerie.
Shan Song suddenly became interested, picked up his phone and started typing for a while, then waited for the reaction of the figure not far away.
Tong Zhao was a little sleepy at the moment. The anxiety he had felt for many days had finally eased after seeing Shan Song today. Perhaps it was because he had breathed a sigh of relief that the accumulated fatigue surged up and made his consciousness somewhat sluggish. However, the occasion made it impossible for him to relax, so he could only force himself to stay alert and control his movements in the crowd.
The buzzing of his phone in his pocket jolted him awake.
Upon taking it out, I saw: [Shan Song: Next, it's our turn to exchange rings.]
Tong Zhao subconsciously looked up and easily spotted the tall man in the crowd. He glanced at him quickly and then looked down again.
[Tong Zhao: Okay!]
[Tong Zhao: How much longer until the process is finished?]
[Shan Song: There are two more segments, which will take about an hour.]
[Shan Song: What's wrong, sleepy?]
[Tong Zhao: Hmm z_z]
Shan Song stared at that expression for a few seconds, then turned off his phone screen.
The mask that had been held up for so long finally revealed a barely perceptible smile in those dark eyes.
This omega was truly a special kind of soothing balm for him.
In such a good mood, Shan Song found the hypocrites in the Zhou family much more pleasing to the eye.
The exchange of rings was just a formality; even the rings were prepared by both families. Shan Song picked them up from the waiter's hand, looked at them, and frowned slightly in dissatisfaction.
It's grown up.
Seeing the man suddenly stop, Tong Zhao also peeked out. Not knowing what to do, he only glanced up discreetly under everyone's gaze and said nothing.
These actions were naturally interpreted by the guests in the audience as Shan Song's dissatisfaction with the marriage arrangement.
"This illegitimate son of the Qin family is probably going to have a tough time from now on..."
"Ha, just an illegitimate child, what's there to pity? Wasn't it his own choice?"
"That's right, the Zhou family is a place where anyone can marry into, let alone marry the heir. It's a blessing that many people can't enjoy."
"What heir? The real heir is precious. Why would you force someone to marry an illegitimate child? Everyone knows about what happened to the Zhou family back then."
"But this illegitimate child is quite eye-catching; marrying him wouldn't be a bad deal..."
Whispers arose from the audience, causing both families to subtly change their expressions.
At Zhou's father's gentle cough, Shan Song seemed to snap out of his daze, took Tong Zhao's hand, and slipped the ring onto the base of his middle finger.
"Don't listen," Shan Song whispered in Tong Zhao's ear, "I'll get you a new one when we get back."
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