If you didn't know it was a privately owned property, you'd think it was a resort open to the public.
The banquet didn't start until 8 p.m., but after 5 p.m., the staff at the villa began to get busy preparing to receive the guests.
The Gong family is a prominent clan with a history spanning hundreds of years. Despite the passage of time and the ravages of war, it still thrives and is considered a hidden family, which is undoubtedly related to its strict family rules.
The Gong family is thriving, not to mention the collateral branches, even the direct descendants are currently numerous.
Despite being nearly ninety years old and having already declared his retirement, Mr. Gong remains in good health. He has five sons and one daughter.
The eldest son, Gong Changzhou, had three sons and one daughter: the eldest, Gong Chengjue, and the second, Gong Chengkun.
With so many descendants, it was not easy to stand out. Gong Chengjue's identity was something that could not be openly discussed in the Gong family, but he attracted the attention of the old man because of the intelligence he showed when he was a child.
Of all the twenty or thirty descendants, the one he doted on the most was indeed his eldest grandson, Gong Chengjue.
At this moment, the two men, grandfather and grandson, were in Old Master Gong's study, where the atmosphere was tense.
Grandpa Gong wore a pair of gold-rimmed reading glasses and was rather thin. Although he was nearly ninety years old, one could still tell that he must have been a dashing young man in his youth.
He stared at Gong Chengjue in front of him, as if time had turned back decades, and he saw himself in him.
"After all these days, you still haven't figured it out, have you?" Old Master Gong rebuked coldly.
Gong Chengjue, dressed in a beige casual suit, appeared calm and composed. "Grandpa, as I said, I am a man of my word. I have already given away the ring."
Want him to agree to a marriage alliance? There's no way he'd agree to something like that.
"Gong Chengjue!" Old Master Gong sneered, "When you say 'send it away,' are you referring to that one from the Su family with the broken palm?"
"Grandpa, I also have a single palmar crease." Please don't be so discriminatory.
Old Master Gong has been a prominent figure in the business world for decades, having weathered the storms of war. He has seen all kinds of trials and tribulations in his life, and there have always been people who couldn't do anything to him. But now, he can't do anything to his grandson.
He gently tapped the table in front of him. "You are the eldest grandson of the Gong family, and your marriage is destined to be beyond your control."
"Then you should see how many people will be willing to marry me after...the news that I'm a jinx to wives gets out." Gong Chengjue smiled. "Grandpa, your generation is particularly superstitious about feng shui, isn't it?"
At this point, Old Master Gong became even angrier, "Nonsense." But Gong Chengjue's words made sense.
Gong Chengjue smiled. "There's no longer a marriage between equals. Since it's a downgrade, Grandpa, why don't you agree to let me choose for myself?"
“You’re too young.” Grandpa Gong met his gaze, neither of them willing to compromise. “Grandpa can’t protect you forever.”
The Gong family is large and powerful. Others may not know the complexities of the Gong family, but the patriarch, Mr. Gong, is very clear about them.
Putting aside everything else, the issue of Gong Chengjue and his mother (stepmother) is not easy to resolve.
Gong Chengjue replied earnestly, "If Grandpa didn't believe I was capable of protecting myself, why would he have given me so much support?"
The old man's words were stuck in his throat. "I always praise you for being smart, but why did you make a foolish mistake at this crucial moment? If you had married a wife of equal social standing, you wouldn't have had such a hard time in the Gong family after I pass away."
He has five sons and one daughter, each of whom is using their strengths and hoping to eventually become the head of the Gong family.
Which one of them didn't flatter him in order to gain his favor?
That grandson of a bitch! He schemed for him, and he doesn't even appreciate it!
Gong Chengjue remained silent. This wasn't the first time they'd discussed this topic, but each time it had yielded no results, so they decided to put it aside for the time being.
"And the Su family's reputation..." Old Master Gong sneered, "such a family is not qualified to enter the Gong family."
"The Su family is indeed very bad, but Su Shilin and Su Ziqing, whom he raised, are very good." Gong Chengjue's protectiveness was blatant.
After correcting the old man's prejudice, Gong Chengjue continued, "Besides, whoever is given away with the ring is my wife. Does that mean we don't have to abide by this family rule?"
Old Master Gong felt he was going to be driven mad with anger, glaring at him, "You just won't budge, will you?"
If he were like other descendants, doing whatever his elders told him to do, he wouldn't be so angry.
On the other hand, if Gong Chengjue were that kind of person, he wouldn't be able to stand out in such a large family.
"Be a person of your word. Wasn't that the first lesson my grandfather taught me when I was a child?" Gong Chengjue said seriously.
"I haven't seen you follow many of the other rules I've taught you, like respecting your elders!!"
"Furthermore, the Gong family doesn't easily owe favors; they repay even the smallest kindness tenfold." Gong Chengjue lowered his eyes slightly. "Then how should we repay a life-saving debt?"
A deathly silence fell over the study.
Once some things are exposed, things change.
Old Master Gong looked at Gong Chengjue with a serious expression.
The grace of saving my life...
So the news is true? People have already started clearing the way, right? Old Master Gong pursed his lips, and after a long while said, "At this time, if you marry someone who is not your equal, it will only harm her."
Retreating to advance, defending to attack... but in the end, Gong Chengjue still didn't say these words to Old Master Gong.
The old man didn't only have one grandson; he had many grandsons, and even five sons.
The old man doted on him, but he wasn't the type to put all his eggs in one basket.
Gong Chengjue remained silent.
It was getting late, and it seemed that today's conversation would still yield no results, with neither side willing to back down. Old Master Gong stood up and said, "Go and change your clothes first."
Gong Chengjue hummed in agreement.
"My date tonight..."
"I'll go alone, or I won't attend," Gong Chengjue said calmly, his eyes lowered.
Grandpa Gong was so angry he almost slammed his fist on the table.
He pulled back the phone and returned it to Gong Chengjue. He'd cut off all communication with him for the past few days, and no amount of coaxing or pleading could get the kid to budge.
They even brought Luo Jinhan here to keep him company and help him recuperate, just to prevent anyone from contacting him.
However, the old man both loved and hated Gong Chengjue for this reason. He loved his persistence, but also hated it!
Gong Chengjue wasn't annoyed or resistant at all by having his phone confiscated. In the past few days, he'd played game after game of Go with the old man, or take walks around the artificial lake. It's fair to say that in all the years he's been in the business world, he's never had such a peaceful time.
Even if the sky were to fall outside, it seemed to have no effect on him.
However, his act of picking up his phone at that moment betrayed his feigned composure over the past few days.
He reached out to take it...
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