The social gathering was held in a large state-run hotel.
This hotel is usually used to entertain foreign guests, so it can't be shabby and is decorated in a rather luxurious style.
There is a large hall inside, which is usually used by foreign guests for ballroom dancing, and there is a special stage for performances.
Normally, there is a band playing music on the stage, and they play dance music live when people are dancing.
At this point, the stage was cleared out and used for performances.
When Lu Wanqing and the children arrived at the venue, they realized there was a performance to watch.
Those who attend the social gathering are either high-ranking officials or their families.
Before dinner, everyone would sit down to enjoy the performance.
The program mainly consisted of singing and dancing, which was all the same to Lu Wanqing and had nothing new.
The performers seemed to be just going through the motions, lacking any passion.
They've done the same banquet performance countless times, only the audience has changed.
Sometimes, the audience members don't even change.
Han Tao was not interested in such performances at all, preferring to smoke outside rather than watch a boring show.
He came on behalf of the institute. He heard that his parents and grandmother were also coming back, so he decided to come and have a get-together with them.
Otherwise, he wouldn't bother going home, to avoid his mother nagging him about getting married.
He was smoking in the corridor when Wei Shufen led a young woman in her twenties toward him.
"Xiao Tao, you're here! This is your Uncle Li's youngest daughter. She just returned from abroad and is now a teacher at a school. You two should get to know each other. I remember you used to play with her when you were little!"
Wei Shufen smiled and pulled Li Qin in front of Han Tao.
Before Han Tao could speak, Li Qin had already generously extended her hand and smiled:
"Hello, Brother Tao, it's been a long time."
Her greeting of "long time no see" made Han Tao sneer inexplicably; this girl was far too familiar with him.
"Hello," Han Tao said, giving her a perfunctory touch on the hand.
At this moment, Lu Wanqing brought Ququ out for some fresh air and happened to see the scene of the group meeting.
Not wanting to ruin someone's blind date, she pulled Ququ away.
Unexpectedly, Han Tao said "Excuse me" to Li Qin and walked towards Ququ.
"Hello, Ququ," he said with a slight smile.
When Grandma Han introduced Lu Wanqing and the triplets to Han Tao, he wasn't very interested and just gave a brief greeting.
This sudden enthusiasm made Ququ glance at Lu Wanqing, as if asking what was going on.
"Ququ, you forgot, this is your uncle. He studies aerospace!" Lu Wanqing explained.
Before he could react, Han Tao had already picked him up and started talking to him about aerospace technology. Soon the two were having a lively conversation.
Wei Shufen, feeling neglected, glared at Lu Wanqing with a dark expression, as if Lu Wanqing had ruined the blind date that Wei Shufen had arranged.
Lu Wanqing turned her face away, too lazy to care about her. If she was so capable of controlling her own son, why was she glaring at her like that?
Li Qin also became a little uneasy. She had thought that her poised and generous demeanor after returning from abroad would leave a good impression on Han Tao, but to her surprise, she was still the same and could not elicit any expression from him at all.
This man was her dream since she was a child!
She thought that her return from studying abroad would win his favor, but she never expected that a child would so easily divert her attention.
"Auntie, who are that woman and child?" Li Qin forced herself to remain calm and asked with a forced smile.
The more she pretended not to care, the more guilty Wei Shufen felt, and she said with a disdainful tone:
"That person's name is Lu Wanqing. She is an educated youth who returned to the city. Unexpectedly, she met my old lady by chance."
My grandmother somehow got the magic touch and took her mother-in-law as her goddaughter. The whole family rose to prominence and gained access to powerful and influential people.
"Look, the old lady brought her and her child over today. She's quite something, giving birth to triplets at once; this little boy is one of them."
Wei Shufen spoke in a evasive manner, which made Li Qin feel that Lu Wanqing's family was a family that curried favor with the powerful, and she couldn't help but feel contempt for them.
"Oh, I see. The old lady adores children; she probably does this because she likes them," Li Qin said with a smile, cleverly steer the conversation back to children.
Upon hearing this, Wei Shufen's expression changed again, and she sighed:
"I don't know what sins I committed to have given birth to three children, none of whom are interested in marriage. Xiao Tao is already over thirty, and he's not in a hurry at all!"
After saying that, she smiled and took Li Qin's hand, saying happily:
“I know you used to like following Xiao Tao around, and now you're interested in him too. I just hope you two can get married soon and have a son or daughter, so that the old lady won't be so interested in other people's children.”
Li Qin was incredibly excited. With her future mother-in-law's help, things would be much easier. However, she feigned shyness and said:
"As a girl, I shouldn't be too proactive."
"No problem at all. Don't worry, I'll definitely create more opportunities for you. This weekend, I'll have Han Tao come home so we can all have dinner together."
Wei Shufen understood Li Qin's intentions and immediately expressed her support.
Li Qin glanced in Han Tao's direction again, and found that he was no longer there. She nodded hesitantly.
From a young age, she had a strong competitive spirit. Later, she received a Western education and learned that many things cannot be obtained by waiting; one must strive for them. She decided that this time she must win Han Tao's heart.
Not long after, the corridor became more crowded. The performance ended, and everyone came out for some fresh air. Next, dining tables were set up in the hall for the dinner.
During the dinner, everyone toasted and chatted, a stark contrast to their usual formal and stiff demeanor.
Many people sit down to eat, not for the food itself, but to make friends.
This format is similar to a Western cocktail party.
However, while Western cocktail parties only offer a few pastries and wine, Chinese gatherings typically feature Moutai (a type of Chinese liquor) on the table.
When they had eaten about a third of the liquor, many people started holding up small cups containing Moutai and toasting everyone around.
Lu Wanqing sat with her three babies and the old lady, eating quite attentively.
She really didn't plan on having a drinking party today.
However, when many people raised their glasses to toast Han Dongsheng and Han Dongfeng, it was inevitable that she would be included.
She took a symbolic sip.
Unexpectedly, Meng Hui also attended the social gathering today. He was quite surprised to see her sitting at the same table as Han Dongsheng. He came over to toast her and inquire about the situation.
Upon hearing that Lu Wanqing had a good relationship with the Han family, he quickly raised his glass and toasted everyone present. The Han family members naturally took a perfunctory sip as if they had met, but Meng Hui humbly downed his drink in one gulp.
Although he had just been promoted to deputy director, he was nothing in front of these important figures.
After offering his toast, he invited Lu Wanqing to join him, saying he wanted to introduce her to a friend.
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