Chapter 211
“You should go to Youqiao’s side and greet the guests together. We’ve only been standing here for a few minutes, and he keeps looking over here, as if I’m really going to bully you.” Mrs. Huo said somewhat helplessly before heading inside to play with her granddaughter.
Huo’s younger uncle also arrived, along with Huo Yan. When they met each other, there was some awkwardness, but they both maintained their adult dignity and quickly concealed the awkwardness. Only Huo Yan seemed hesitant and later apologized to Ye Zhi.
“I was too impulsive that day, I immediately told Second Brother about what I found out. Actually, I should have asked you about it beforehand.” Although Huo Yan was biased towards Huo Youcheng, he also knew that his elder brother had been quite flirtatious in the past. After getting to know him better and even sharing emotions with Ye Zhi, he regretted his impulsiveness.
Ye Zhi smiled, “It’s okay. There will be such a day sooner or later.”
Lin Xiuming also arrived, not as a secretary this time, but as a guest, accompanied by his family. Then came Huo Youqiao’s colleagues, the backbone of the central city. Knowing it was his wedding banquet, they all brought gifts.
Huo Youqiao had been greeting guests at the door with Ye Zhi, introducing each person’s name and position in detail, and openly telling others, “This is my partner, Ye Zhi.”
Except for a few who knew about their past relationship, most people didn’t know, but everyone smiled and congratulated them. After noticing Ye Zhi’s pregnant belly, many even joked, “Mayor Huo is going to have double happiness, huh?”
Huo Youqiao smiled, “Yes, in a few months, welcome to the baby’s full moon banquet.”
“Sure, we’ll definitely come!”
The most distinguished guest was the Minister of Finance of the planet. This man, who controlled the global economic lifeline, had been Huo Youqiao’s “mentor” and superior, and it was his intentional cultivation that made Huo Youqiao’s career smooth. He was getting older, but his temperament was very kind. He shook hands with Ye Zhi and then smiled and said, “To be honest, when Youqiao was still working under me, I had high hopes for him. I even tried to match him with my niece. However, Youqiao was entirely focused on his career and had no plans to get married. He remained unmarried for so long that I thought he would stay single for life. I never expected to suddenly hear good news, and with good taste too. Mr. Ye seems to have a very good personality.”
Ye Zhi blushed with the praise and shyly smiled. He had never expected to shake hands with someone he had only seen on TV and in the news. Feeling a bit nervous, he whispered, “Not at all…”
Huo Youqiao laughed, “Thank you for the compliments, Minister. My partner does indeed have a very good personality. It’s my blessing to marry him.”
They thought the Minister of Finance would be the last guest, but Huo Youqiao was still holding Ye Zhi’s hand at the door. The other guests had already taken their seats, chatting and enjoying themselves with fruit juice or wine. Ye Zhi glanced into the courtyard and asked, “Don’t you need to go attend to the guests? Shall I wait here?”
Huo Youqiao said, “There are still guests.”
“Leaving the Minister of Finance there alone doesn’t seem right…” Ye Zhi was a bit nervous. “Shouldn’t you go greet them, and I’ll wait here? Who else are we waiting for?”
Huo Youqiao shook his head, “It’s a very distinguished guest, and I must wait here.”
Ye Zhi couldn’t understand who could be more important than the Minister of Finance. It couldn’t be a marshal or a chief, right? But given Huo Youqiao’s current status, he shouldn’t have access to them… While Ye Zhi was still puzzled, a black car slowly approached. Huo Youqiao smiled and said, “They’re here.”
Without waiting for the car to stop, Huo Youqiao pulled Ye Zhi along. Ye Zhi looked a little bewildered and nervous as he watched the approaching car. When Huo Youqiao opened the door, Ye Zhi saw the person getting out, his eyes widening in surprise. A genuine smile appeared on his face, the first genuine one of the day, as he exclaimed in delight, “Qing Qing? Why are you here?”
Qing Qing bounced over, smiling brightly, “Not just me, look who else is here?”
“Big brother Zhi Zhi!” The second person to get out was Lele, the little girl wearing a thick down jacket, her face beaming with a brilliant smile.
Ye Zhi hugged her in surprise, then saw Hui and Yu.
The two middle-aged men, both with good figures and handsome faces, were wearing matching but different-colored down jackets. Hui still had a shy look, looking a bit bewildered, while Yu was much calmer. He reached out his arms and embraced Ye Zhi, saying warmly, “Child, we meet again.”
After exchanging hugs, even though they had only been apart for a few days, seeing them here filled Ye Zhi with immense joy. Today’s guests were all unfamiliar to him, so suddenly having a few truly close people arrive made him feel relieved. Touched, Ye Zhi felt tears welling up in his eyes. When he looked back at Huo Youqiao’s smiling face, he choked up and asked, “Did you invite them here on purpose?”
Huo Youqiao smiled and reached out to pinch his cheek, “We want them to witness our happiness. And if it weren’t for Qing Qing, we would still be separated.”
Qing Qing laughed, “That’s right, I played a very important role!”
All the guests had arrived. Although it was winter, the sunlight was very good. Huo Youqiao rented outdoor heaters, so even sitting in the courtyard wouldn’t feel cold.
