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With a plan in mind, Xu Que began to take action.
That evening, Huo An and I discussed hosting a family dinner for Mrs. Huo to celebrate her discharge from the hospital.
The Huo clan members haven't gathered together for some time.
Since the Huo brothers were brought to justice, the Huo clan members have begun to subtly follow Huo Qizhen's lead.
Huo An had long harbored resentment, but he hadn't yet found a good excuse to invite everyone out.
Xu Que's suggestion resonated with him.
Therefore, he instructed Xu Que to invite all the clansmen.
Are children invited too?
"If you don't have class that day, please go ahead!"
Upon receiving the message, Xu Que began to make arrangements.
From banquet arrangements to beverages and ingredients, Xu Que would inquire about every detail every day.
Huo An told her she didn't need to work so hard.
Xu Que said, "This is the first time in all these years since I married into the Huo family that I have arranged such a large-scale family banquet on my own. Everyone must be satisfied and there can be no mistakes."
Normally, Mrs. Huo is in good health and manages most of the household affairs. It was only recently, due to a back injury and hospitalization, that she relinquished some authority to Xu Que.
After listening to Xu Que's words, Huo An didn't say anything more.
Xu Que offered to have Xu Niannian come and help.
Huo An had no objection.
The day before the banquet, Xu Que and Huo An discussed it and sent an invitation to Jian Yu.
What was she going to do at the Huo family's banquet?
Jian Yu accepted the invitation, threw it on the table without even looking at it.
In particular, the invitation was personally delivered by Xu Que.
Jian Yu did not feel that her status was so high that the eldest daughter-in-law of the Huo family head needed to personally come to her door.
When Huo Tingzhen asked her, Jian Yu replied very directly, "It's like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken; it's up to no good."
Huo Tingzhen knew, of course, that Xu Que had ill intentions. Jian Yu was already avoiding Huo Qizhen, so she dared not let Jian Yu know the purpose of Xu Que and the other person.
“Then I’ll have George take you to the resort; it’s been a long time since I’ve been there.”
Jian Yu had no objections.
On the day of the banquet, Xu Que and her niece were quite surprised not to see Jian Yu.
Jian Yu didn't even make the most of the opportunity to show his face at the Huo family banquet.
Xu Niannian pulled Xu Que into her bedroom and said, "What should we do? Jian Yu isn't coming, so the arrangements for her will have to be changed."
Xu Que said, "The people here aren't stupid. Huo San just lost his wife, and it's normal that he acted impulsively and did something outrageous at the family banquet because he missed her. Given Jian Yu's relationship with Huo Tingzhen, I will help Jian Yu get the position of Huo San's wife. Originally, if Jian Yu became Huo San's wife, they would be family, and it would be a happy ending for everyone. Now we have to cancel the plan. She left the area last night, and if we want her to come now, we would have to go to another place to pick her up, which would make our purpose too obvious."
Seeing his beloved become his aunt, Huo Qizhen had no choice but to endure it, even though he was unwilling.
Just thinking about these things gave Xu Que and Xu Niannian a way to release the pent-up frustration they had suffered for so many years because of Huo Qizhen and his sister.
Now they had to keep enduring it, and both of them felt a tightness in their chests.
Xu Niannian was extremely unwilling. "Everything is prepared. I've arranged for Jian Yu to be between Uncle Huo and Huo Tingzhen. As long as they drink, my people can take them to their guest rooms. I've already planned to take Huo Qizhen to see the scene afterwards. As long as he sees Jian Yu with Uncle Huo, I don't believe he'll still want Jian Yu. Besides, even if he does want her, he won't be able to get past Old Madam Huo."
Xu Que clutched her chest and drank several mouthfuls of water. "Never mind. Now I can only hope that everything goes smoothly between you and Huo Qizhen."
Xu Niannian said, "Don't worry! I specially hired a security team today. They only follow my orders and won't cause any problems."
When the maid came to knock on the door, the two quickly composed themselves.
Pretend nothing happened.
The family dinner was very lively, and at Huo An's suggestion, the group drank round after round.
Before long, everyone at the table started to feel dizzy.
Xu Que drank the least, and to avoid suspicion, she supported Huo An and said softly, "I can't hold my liquor very well today, and I'm feeling dizzy. Can I go upstairs to rest first?"
Huo An also felt a little dizzy, but he didn't think much of it and simply assumed it was because he had drunk too much too quickly.
"Let's help Mom back first. She just had two drinks too."
Xu Que slapped his forehead. "Look at my memory, I forgot to persuade Mom not to drink."
"Mom has a high alcohol tolerance; most people can't persuade her to drink. It's just that she hasn't been feeling well lately, and she seems to be struggling to keep up."
Xu Que stood up and helped Old Mrs. Huo, "Mom, let me help you go back and rest for a while!"
Grandma Huo refused to leave, saying, "There are still so many people here."
Xu Que said, "Everyone's in a good mood today and has had a few drinks. We'll arrange for them all to rest in the guest rooms later."
Grandma Huo said, "Then you should make arrangements for them first!"
Xu Que wanted to persuade him further.
Huo Tingzhen walked over with a smile, "Leave Grandma here to me, you go and arrange for the guests!"
Xu Que was slightly taken aback, then pointed at Huo Tingzhen and said, "You haven't been drinking? You seem fine."
Huo Tingzhen hugged Old Mrs. Huo and rested his head on her shoulder. "I inherited my drinking capacity from my grandmother. She could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk."
Grandma Huo gently tapped her forehead, "She's my granddaughter, so her alcohol tolerance should be like mine."
Huo Tingzhen took two glasses of new red wine from the side and handed one to Grandma Huo, saying, "Grandma, let's have a good drink together."
Grandma Huo waved her hand, "No, I can't..."
Xu Que immediately chimed in, "Your grandma has had quite a bit to drink, and she's feeling dizzy right now. She should go back to her room and rest!"
Huo Tingzhen: "Grandma, are you dizzy?"
Mrs. Huo said, "No way! I just listen to the doctor and can't drink too much alcohol."
Xu Que endured her dizziness and took a closer look, only to find that Old Madam Huo and Huo Tingzhen's expressions remained unchanged, and their eyes were even brighter.
Xu Que's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly turned her head to look for Xu Niannian.
Xu Niannian was no longer in her seat.
Then I looked at Huo Qizhen's seat; it was empty.
In the living room, all the security personnel Xu Niannian had hired were gone.
Did Xu Niannian succeed?
Xu Que tried hard to control the corners of her mouth, preventing them from turning up and revealing her true feelings.
Xu Que looked around and noticed that several elders of the Huo family had left their seats.
Huo An was also helped by the servants to the stairs.
Huo Yunzhen personally escorted the second patriarch, the most senior member of the Huo family, to his guest room to rest.
The second old man held Huo Yunzhen's arm, nodding and praising her from time to time.
Xu Que was overjoyed. She must have been overthinking it; Huo Tingzhen and Old Madam Huo might have developed an immunity to the drug.
Never mind, as long as it doesn't ruin Huo Qizhen and Xu Niannian's good time.
"Mom, I feel a little dizzy. I'm going back to my room to rest."
Grandma Huo shook her head, "Go!"
She can't even handle a family dinner properly; I really think too highly of her.
"Tingzhen, there are still several guests sitting over there. Go and serve them."
Xu Que paused, wanting to say she would stay, but she deliberately drank a lot of wine to avoid arousing suspicion.
It's already quite an achievement that I've managed to stay upright until now without getting dizzy.
Realizing she could barely stand, Xu Que decided to go back to her room to rest!
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