Chapter 16
After waiting and preparing for a long time, Gloria still didn't come to Hong Kong. Iris inquired further and learned that Elaine, who had been stuck at home the day before, had been secretly packed up and sent to England overnight shortly after their phone call. It was truly shocking and regrettable.
Iris leaned back, resting her head on the sofa, and sighed, "It seems Elaine and Oscar are destined to be apart. I originally thought they could develop a relationship, but Uncle and Aunty still disagree. But we can relax for a while, BB. I don't think Auntie will be coming over anytime soon."
Zhuang Zhuoyuan's anxiety no longer stemmed from Gloria. From Iris's description, he had already discerned that this picky aunt was actually kind-hearted despite her sharp tongue. Therefore, he believed that as long as he showed affection for Iris, he could get past Gloria. His current worry stemmed entirely from Elaine's experience. From the moment Iris told him that the hotel she was staying at was owned by her family, Zhuang Zhuoyuan truly felt the gap between them. He was already anxious about the insurmountable chasm, and now, with Elaine's experience—who came from a similarly wealthy family—Zhuang Zhuoyuan was genuinely unsure whether he could gain Iris's parents' approval.
"BB, do wealthy families like yours really value things like the background and profession of your marriage partner?"
Zhuang Zhuoyuan asked a rather silly question. Iris couldn't help but laugh at his nervous way of sitting sideways on the sofa, and even had the idea of taking the opportunity to prank him again. However, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Zhuang Zhuoyuan gave her a strong sense of security, and she didn't want him to have too many worries because of her.
“You idiot,” Iris said, half-kneeling up and cupping his face in her hands. “Do you think this is a TV drama? Get rid of all those unpleasant scenarios in your mind! Mr. Zhuang Zhuoyuan, please listen carefully to the two things I'm about to tell you. First, regarding Elaine, the reason she and Oscar couldn't be together wasn't because her parents were materialistic, but because her personality was too similar to Oscar's. They were both incredibly wild and outrageous. If they had actually gotten together, there was no guarantee Elaine wouldn't have gotten into trouble, which is why her family strongly opposed it. Second, regarding my parents, and our family, I can tell you definitively that there will be absolutely nothing like what you're worried about.” Some things are possible. My dad built his fortune from scratch, and by the standards of the time, he was marrying above his station with my mom. However, my mom didn't feel like she was marrying down at all, because she always had faith in my dad's abilities, and she also believed that what was more important in a marriage was the affection between the two people, not other external things. So, Zhuang Sheng, you understand, your parents don't care too much about whether you're rich or poor; what they care about is our relationship and your inner qualities. Even if we really talk about money, they know very well that you can't earn what they consider a good match for us, so as long as they see us doing well, they will never make things difficult for you on this issue.”
Unable to resist being cheeky one last time, Iris drawled out her words, and Zhuang Zhuoyuan clutched his chest and leaned into her arms, also starting to act: "BB, do you know how hurtful you are to me?"
Iris immediately switched to a sweet talk mode: "Isn't this good? You won't earn that much money in this life, but in the next life, and the life after that, you'll always need to work towards this goal, so you can keep meeting me and keep marrying me."
"Wow," Zhuang Zhuoyuan couldn't help but laugh, "Your thinking is even more outrageous than mine. Who's the sillier one here?"
Iris replied without hesitation: "Of course it's you. I'm a writer, after all. My imagination is always boundless, so I'm never silly."
"Okay, okay," Zhuang Zhuoyuan half-propped himself up to kiss her, quite reluctant to let her go, but he also remembered his duty as a supervisor. After a while of tenderness with his girlfriend, he urged her to go to the room to write. "You need to be more diligent this week, otherwise when we go to Dapu for a wild game on Saturday, you will come back complaining that you are too tired to lie down. Your fans will really kill me then."
"Are you killing yourself?"
"Are you only a fan of my books?"
Zhuang Zhuoyuan saw through Iris's procrastination at a glance. Ignoring her various tricks, he swept her into his arm and pulled her into the room. The bedroom was small, and his desk was already piled high with her skincare products, cosmetics, and reference books. So most of the time, Iris wrote on her computer in bed or at the dining table. It was rather cramped. Looking at the scene before him and thinking about the future, Zhuang Zhuoyuan felt a strong sense of necessity to move. He couldn't provide everything else, but he could definitely manage to find a better place to live. Zhuang Zhuoyuan had already made up his mind. However, what he didn't know was that in the near future, his more resourceful in-laws would get everything sorted out before anyone else.
Edward and Jennie's appearance caught everyone off guard. At that time, Iris and her boyfriend were playing against a large group of people from SDU and OTC in a field competition when they suddenly received news that their parents had arrived in Hong Kong. Before they could even react, Edward had already arranged for someone to drive him and his wife to Tai Po based on Iris's phone location, and they were excitedly preparing to join their competition.
"Daddy, Mommy!" Turning around and seeing her parents, Iris rushed forward and gave them a big hug. Edward smiled broadly, hugging his daughter and greeting everyone. His gaze lingered on Zhuang Zhuoyuan, who was a few steps behind Iris, for a moment, but he showed no displeasure. He reached out and shook hands with Zhuang Zhuoyuan, then patted the latter's arm: "Finally, we meet, Zhuoyuan."
Zhuang Zhuoyuan was caught off guard by this sudden visit. His mind was almost blank, and all his reactions were based on the situation at hand. Fortunately, Edward and Jennie were both very easygoing. While Edward was talking to the others, Jennie patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "Take it easy. We're just here to have fun. Don't worry, Edward is a good shot and won't hold you back."
The implication was that Edward intended to team up with him. Nervous, Zhuang Zhuoyuan quickly said twice that he dared not. He had heard Iris mention Edward's three-time shooting championship before, and even the seemingly frail Jennie in front of him knew that she had been hunting in the forest with her father since she was a child.
"We've come uninvited, and we hope you'll forgive our abruptness. However, Jennie and I haven't touched a gun in a long time, and we're really itching to get our hands on one. We were wondering if we could join you?" Edward had changed his clothes and was fully equipped, and with Iris clinging to him and looking at him expectantly, no one could refuse.
The new member's arrival didn't excite Zhuang Zhuoyuan's teammates much, as their group's defeat seemed inevitable. The draw had unfairly placed the Zhuang family's sister-in-law, who were planning to ban their sharpshooter, in the same group, and also sent the Flying Tigers' leader, Zhan Sir, and his mother to their side. Elite group vs. leaderless group—naturally, their side would lose.
As Zhang Jiguang repositioned himself, pondering how to turn the tide, he also painfully checked his wallet. Little did he know that in that brief moment of distraction, a gunshot rang out, and one of the enemy's men was killed.
? !
Both teams were stunned, as was Bo-zai, who had been shot in the chest. Only the few who had grasped the situation turned their gazes to Edward, who stood calmly. He had lowered his gun, but the serious yet sharp expression on his face hadn't faded. Zhuang Zhuohua and Zhan Hantao simultaneously thought of four words—"definitely not an ordinary person." Driven by their profession, they almost instinctively became wary.
However, a loud shout interrupted them, and seeing Edward's radiant smile as he looked at his jubilant wife and daughter, the slight wariness in Zhan and Zhuang's hearts vanished instantly. Ah May couldn't help but remind Iris, who was still praising "Daddy's awesome," that they were still opponents. Iris stuck out her tongue shyly, but the next second she still raised her chin and boasted, "My daddy is amazing! He almost made it into the national team when he was young!"
Zhang Jiguang and Xie Jiaxing's team suddenly had hope.
As a fellow expert shooter, and being closest to Edward, Zhuang Zhuoyuan naturally sensed something different from the others. His future father-in-law's shot was perfectly timed and positioned. As everyone dispersed, Edward seemed to have randomly chosen a hiding place. But if it was truly random, wouldn't that further demonstrate his exceptional skill? Otherwise, how could he have hit someone so quickly at the start of the competition? Such keenness and decisiveness are beyond the reach of ordinary people. And if it wasn't random, then the depth of this business tycoon's cunning is unimaginable.
"Ah Yuan, let's continue." Edward came over and patted him on the shoulder again, acting as if he considered him one of his own. "Let's work together and dominate the battlefield!"
Zhuang Zhuoyuan smiled and nodded, raising his gun to indicate he was ready. He glanced at Iris, then heard Edward lean closer and whisper, "Just be careful of my daughter, you know, she'll cry."
Iris was all smiles now, and recalling her bold words that morning, Zhuang Zhuoyuan's smile widened even more: "I know, Uncle, but Iris also said this morning that she will definitely defeat us with her strength, so if she really wins, we'd better not hold back too obviously."
In the blink of an eye, Edward understood perfectly. Their fists met, and they immediately formed a seamless working relationship. A combination of two sharpshooters—let's see if they can resist the charms of a beautiful woman in the end.
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