Chapter 354: The Opening Ceremony

Huo Wenqing, however, wasn’t as vivacious as Fang Shuxin. Seeing her interacting with Yun Zijin, he turned to greet Lu Yunque.

’I have to dote on my future granddaughter-in-law, but I can’t neglect my grandson, can I?’

"Oh my, look at you, Little Sparrow, standing here to greet guests. But look at your shoes! You can’t keep standing in them like this."

Fang Shuxin glanced at Yun Zijin’s high heels. If she had to stand here greeting guests the whole time, she wouldn’t realize how much it’d hurt until she took her shoes off at the end of the event.

"They’re fine. The shoes were custom-made to my measurements, so they aren’t uncomfortable."

Yun Zijin rarely wore high heels, but on occasions like today that required a formal gown, they were a must.

For her feet’s sake, Yun Zijin had since started having them custom-made.

Of course, Mei Lin was the one who handled that task; all Yun Zijin had to do was wait to wear them.

"Still, it’s so tiring to stand. Let’s get a stool for Little Sparrow so she can sit and rest when there are no guests."

The more Fang Shuxin thought about it, the more perfect her idea seemed. She turned and started ordering Lu Yunque around. "What are you standing there for? If Zijin gets tired, I’m holding you responsible!"

The old woman put on a stern face, her expression changing faster than one could flip a page.

Yun Zijin covered her mouth, trying to stifle a laugh.

Lu Yunque shot Yun Zijin an aggrieved glance, but he agreed with his grandmother. It was a good idea. Standing for so long in high heels would definitely be tiring for Yun Zijin.

"I’ll go take a look."

Mei Lin had prepared the venue, after all, so Lu Yunque didn’t know where anything was kept and had to look for it himself.

The chairs for the guests inside wouldn’t do. He needed to find a higher chair so that when Yun Zijin sat, her gown would keep its perfect shape as much as possible.

’Beauty always comes at a price.’

"That’s not necessary. Most of the guests are already here, and this part will be over soon."

Yun Zijin didn’t feel particularly tired from just standing here to greet guests. ’The ones who must be truly exhausted are the servers, walking around the entire venue in uniforms and high heels.’

"Grandma Landlady, you and Grandpa Huo should head inside. More people are arriving."

Yun Zijin could already see several cars pulling up outside.

’Several groups of people arriving at once. I can already imagine the awkward social pile-up.’

"Alright, alright. Well, you need to be careful not to tire yourself out. If you run into anyone you don’t like, just let him handle it!"

’The old woman knew Lu Yunque’s reputation in Dijing circles. Waving his name like a banner would certainly be more effective than dealing with it herself.’

"I know. I won’t hesitate."

Having spent so much time with Lu Yunque now, Yun Zijin no longer felt the initial distance between them.

If dropping Lu Yunque’s name could solve a problem, Yun Zijin would do it in a heartbeat.

’Could you guys maybe lower your voices a little when you talk about using me? It’s kind of embarrassing,’ Lu Yunque thought.

But the old woman and the young girl clearly didn’t notice Lu Yunque’s aggrieved expression. They shared a knowing look, and Fang Shuxin pulled Huo Wenqing inside.

As long as she was sure Yun Zijin wouldn’t be taken advantage of, Fang Shuxin wasn’t concerned with anything else.

After the pair went inside the hall, a new wave of guests arrived for Yun Zijin to welcome.

As the occupants of the cars parked outside began to get out, Lu Yunque took Yun Zijin’s hand.

Four people walked in from outside, wreathed in smiles. When they saw the young couple holding hands, their smiles grew so wide they seemed to add new wrinkles to their faces.

"Zijin, long time no see."

"Grandpa Lu, Grandma Xu, Uncle, Auntie, long time no see!"

When she had drafted the guest list, Yun Zijin had sent an invitation to the Lu Family on a whim, never expecting all of them to actually show up.

"If you know it’s been a long time, then why haven’t you come to the old family home to visit us?"

Xu Su Hua gave Yun Zijin a look of mock reproach. She’d been hoping every single day that her dear future granddaughter-in-law would come for a visit.

But after waiting all this time, she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of her.

"That’s my fault," Lu Yunque interjected, speaking on Yun Zijin’s behalf. "I’ve been too busy at the company to visit. If Zijin went to the family home alone, I’m afraid people would talk."

In their circles, some of the second-generation scions change girlfriends like they change clothes. So, by convention, a relationship isn’t considered official until the couple is engaged.

They were currently just boyfriend and girlfriend, not officially engaged. If Yun Zijin were to visit the family home alone, people in their circle would say she was being too forward.

And Lu Yunque had no intention of letting Yun Zijin get caught up in that kind of gossip.

’As for the proposal, I already have a plan. The timing just isn’t right yet.’

"I want Zijin to keep me company. What use do I have for you!"

"I, however, heard you also bought the house next to the one Zijin usually stays in. I’m thinking, once the renovations are done, it’ll be the perfect place for an old woman like me to move into."

Even though Xu Su Hua rarely left the family home, she was privy to most of the goings-on in Dijing.

She’d gotten wind of Lu Yunque buying Villa No. 2 at Xingyu Mansion a long time ago.

She hadn’t paid it much mind before, but now she thought his purchase of the house was absolutely brilliant.

"Grandma, you can’t be serious!"

’He had specifically assigned someone to watch that property, ready to buy it the moment it went on sale, all so he could spend more time with Yun Zijin in the future.’

’If his grandmother moved in, all of his carefully laid plans would go up in smoke.’

As soon as the old woman said that, alarm bells immediately went off in Lu Yunque’s head.

"Mom, please stop teasing him," Huo Yue Lan said. "You’ve lived in the family home for so many years. If you really moved out, you’d probably get insomnia."

An elderly person’s quality of sleep is paramount. If she started suffering from insomnia, it would be very difficult to fix.

Huo Yue Lan was just being considerate of the old woman.

"Mom, Yue Lan is right."

Lu Xianzhang had one hundred percent faith in what his wife said.

"Granduncle! Grandaunt!"

Lu Yunfeng had run over at some point, calling out excitedly when he saw Lu Zhengguo and Xu Suhua.

The group looked toward Lu Yunfeng. "Oh, it’s our little madman."

Lu Yunfeng was the grandson of Lu Zhengguo’s younger brother, but because the two families had a harmonious relationship, they doted on Lu Yunfeng as if he were their own grandson.

"Granduncle, Grandaunt, and Uncle, Aunt, let’s hurry inside. It’s almost time."

The auspicious time for the event to start was two o’clock, and it was now twenty minutes to two.

If everyone hadn’t arrived by 1:50, Yun Zijin would stop waiting at the entrance.

"Right, right, we should get inside. Zijin, remember to come find me when you’re done!"

Xu Su Hua genuinely adored Yun Zijin, not forgetting to make plans with her before she left.

Of course, Yun Zijin readily agreed. As for whether she would have time to find her later, that was another matter entirely.

Finally, Yun Zijin welcomed the family members of a few more acquaintances.

Representatives from the Sheng, Li, and Fu families all arrived.

Some families only sent members of the younger generation, while others sent representatives from their parents’ generation.

Aside from the Lu and Huo families, none of the other families’ senior elders were present.