When Yan Zhong heard his wife ask this, he folded up the newspaper and placed it on his lap, looked up at his youngest son, and replied.
"Yeah, since she already bought the gift, why didn't she come back with you?"
Yan Zhong has three children. The eldest, Yan Yuan, and the second, Yan Su, have not yet shown any signs of dating. Seeing that the heirs of several major families in the capital have gotten married one after another, Yan Zhong and his wife are getting anxious.
A few days ago, he and his wife secretly plotted whether or not to pair their eldest son with Old Yang's daughter.
But his youngest son was only twenty years old, so Yan Zhong felt there was no need to rush.
But now that their youngest son had brought it up, they wanted to see what kind of person the girl was.
Yan Bo did want to bring Tong Xiaohuai back with him, but she was unwilling, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Moreover, given the current situation, not bringing her back might be the right thing to do.
"Dad, Mom, my mom's birthday banquet is tomorrow. Everyone coming is a big shot who's terrifying to behold. Xiao Huai is only eighteen years old this year, still a little girl. I'm afraid it will frighten her."
Although Yan Bo's words were not the real reason why Tong Xiaohuai did not come back with him, they were the truth.
Yan Zhong's face darkened. "Scared? Since you're going to be my daughter-in-law in the future, can't you even handle this kind of situation?"
Yan Bo, however, was not afraid of Yan Zhong. He met Yan Zhong's critical gaze directly and said calmly, "Dad, no one is born knowing how to handle all kinds of big occasions. You can't expect an eighteen-year-old girl from an ordinary family to be like my sister, who could navigate among a group of important people with ease at such a young age. Besides, my sister is known as the second daughter of the Yan family. Can we be the same?"
For example, even if he says he doesn't rely on his family's influence, many of the conveniences he enjoys at work are indeed due to the title of Young Master Yan.
Yan Zhong is not someone who can be persuaded so easily.
"You say your sister is known as the second daughter of the Yan family, so if you bring her back, in the eyes of the guests, she will still be known as your girlfriend. What's there to be afraid of?"
Yan Bo was equally adamant, "Dad, how can this be the same? Anyway, don't worry, I will bring her back, but not on an occasion like tomorrow."
Yan Bo didn't want Tong Xiaohuai to suffer, nor did he want to see her embarrassed.
Yan Zhong was already harboring some resentment because of the jade beads, and this was like adding fuel to the fire. He glared at Yan Bo and gave a gruff command.
"I don't care. Since you brought her gift back, you have to have her fly over tomorrow so we can meet her. Otherwise, we can't accept the gift. What grounds do we have for accepting such an expensive gift?"
Like Yan Bo, Yan Zhong didn't know much about Duan inkstones. However, judging from his wife's expression, his youngest son's girlfriend must have spent a lot of money to buy something nice.
If possible, Yanbo would also like to bring Tong Xiaohuai back openly, but he promised Tong Xiaohuai that he would not force her. Moreover, judging from his father's current attitude, if Tong Xiaohuai really comes tomorrow, she might face some difficulties.
“Dad, that Duan inkstone is a token of Xiaohuai’s affection, and it has nothing to do with the price.”
Yan Zhong snorted and turned his gaze to the Duan inkstone. "This thing must be worth a lot of money, right?"
Yan's mother nodded. "Yes, it's worth quite a bit of money. I'd conservatively estimate around 500,000."
Yan Zhong snorted again, glancing at his youngest son. "What's that girl's background? Is she a local tycoon?"
Yan Bo wanted to shake his head, but then he thought that, in terms of wealth alone, the Tong family could indeed be considered one of the wealthiest families in L City.
"Well, I guess so."
Yan Zhong frowned. He knew a little about his youngest son, with whom he had fought for more than a decade.
"So you could say that? Then it's not! Could it be that you won the lottery, which is why you have the money to buy this gift?"
An eighteen-year-old girl from an ordinary family could never easily come up with 500,000 yuan in cash to buy this Duan inkstone.
“Dad, Mom, Xiaohuai’s family is well-off. Moreover, although Xiaohuai is only eighteen years old, she is already helping to manage the family affairs, so this money is not a large sum for her.”
The initial information Yanbo obtained from his investigation indicated that the Tong family's assets were unknown.
However, in the past few days, Yan Bo secretly made a rough assessment of the Tong family's assets. Based on the businesses and industries he knew of, the Tong family's assets were probably much richer than the richest man in L City.
"Oh? So you're saying she's a very capable girl? Why did you say she's timid?"
Yan Zhong still habitually argues with his youngest son, pushing him relentlessly.
“Dad, she only needs to deal with familiar clients and subordinates when managing affairs. But are the people at tomorrow’s banquet her clients and subordinates? Besides, can someone like you, Dad, compare to her clients and subordinates?”
Let alone Tong Xiaohuai, any normal adult man would be terrified if suddenly placed among a group of prominent government officials.
Yan Zhong stared intently at Yan Bo. The more this kid spoke up for that girl, the stranger the whole thing seemed.
Coupled with his eldest son's ambiguous remarks that day, Yan Zhong became even more convinced that his younger son's girlfriend must have some kind of background.
Could it be someone connected to the Lu family, their arch-rival?
Thinking of this possibility, Yan Zhong's brows furrowed even more.
However, judging from the youngest son's attitude, it's impossible for him to bring the person over tomorrow.
"Alright, if she doesn't come tomorrow, that's fine. Just bring her home so we can see her as soon as possible."
Seeing that his father had relented, Yanbo stopped talking. Moreover, he could tell from his father's words and expression that his father would not so easily give up on the matter.
Sure enough, after Yan Bo returned to his room, Yan Zhong, in front of Yan's mother, ordered someone to immediately investigate the background of that girl named Tong Xiaohuai who lived in L City.
That night, Yan Bo was mentally prepared to be scolded by his parents the next day because of Tong Xiaohuai's family background.
Surprisingly, the next day, Yan Zhong and his mother acted as if nothing had happened, continuing with their daily routines without mentioning Tong Xiaohuai to Yan Bo.
Yan Bo felt strange, but assumed his father was too busy to deal with his affairs.
Around 3 p.m., Yanbo, who was at home preparing to go to the sanatorium for a birthday banquet, received a call from his mother.
"Xiao Bo, have you gone out?"
"I was just about to leave, what's wrong?"
"Perfect timing, could you go pick someone up for me?" Over there, it was quite noisy, clearly indicating that many guests had already arrived, and Yan Ma was probably busy greeting them.
"Okay, Mom, who do you want me to pick up? Send me the address." Yan Bo said, already taking out paper and pen.
"Just pick me up at Building 8 in the North District. That's all. I'm very busy. Bye!"
Before Yan Bo could ask anything else, the call was already disconnected.
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