As it passed midnight, Tang Jiaojiao called everyone to go out for dinner.
Tang Jiaojiao had originally planned to cook at home, thinking it would be more atmospheric. However, Su Dazhi said her foot injury hadn't healed yet and she shouldn't overexert herself. So, they booked a private room at the busiest restaurant nearby.
He owned half of the restaurant, so dinner was on the house.
Because it was New Year's, there were fewer cars on the streets than usual. Still, the restaurant was doing incredibly well. Even during the holiday, it was packed every day, with private room reservations already booked until the end of the first lunar month.
When Su Dazhi and his group arrived, the manager was already waiting with staff at the entrance.
Su Dazhi didn't want to attract too much attention, so after entering the private room, he dismissed the manager. Afterward, he specifically explained that he knew the manager, which was why he came to greet them.
Tang Jiaojiao and the others tacitly didn't expose him. Only Su He took him at his word.
"Dad, you've made quite a few friends," Su He said indistinctly while gnawing on a duck leg.
Su Dazhi smiled sheepishly. "You know I used to collect scrap, so I met a lot of people. It's natural to know them."
Su He nodded, showing understanding.
Su Ying and Su Lin exchanged glances, seemingly struggling to contain their laughter.
Su He was simple-minded, but they weren't fools.
The designer bags their adoptive mother, Tang Jiaojiao, had bought were genuine luxury items. A whole cabinet full of them, worth at least tens of millions. Could a family that lived by collecting scrap afford such things?
They also knew about the property deeds hidden in boxes. The combined value of those properties was probably hundreds of millions.
Moreover, Su Dazhi often went to construction sites, not to collect discarded building materials. Su Ying had once attended a real estate developer's party and seen their boisterous adoptive father mingling in a suit.
He had been pretending to be poor for so many years, didn't he get tired of it!
Su Ying slowly chewed on a lettuce leaf, watching her adoptive father put on a show.
Su Lin, a top celebrity, had met many film empresses and film emperors. He felt that their acting skills were incomparable to their adoptive father's. It was a huge loss to the entertainment industry that their adoptive father didn't pursue an acting career.
"Su Su, this is your favorite Luo family shrimp. It has curry in it. Try some," Tang Jiaojiao warned Su Dazhi with a glare and used the opportunity to give Su He more food to interrupt him.
"Thank you, Mom." Su He's cheeks were bulging, and he struggled to swallow the food in his mouth.
Seeing that she was still holding half a crab leg, Lu Yanbei put down his chopsticks, took out a pair of disposable gloves, and slowly began to peel shrimp for Su He.
This action shocked everyone.
The esteemed boss of Lu Corporation was actually lowering himself to peel shrimp for his wife!
Su Lin's mouth gaped in astonishment.
What incredible luck had his elder sister stumbled upon!
Perhaps because Lu Yanbei often did such things, Su He was already accustomed to it and didn't find it unusual, completely missing the surprised expressions of everyone else at the table.
"Why aren't you all eating?" Su He turned the lazy Susan, intending to scoop some fish soup, only to realize that no one had started eating.
"Eat, eat while it's hot," Tang Jiaojiao was the first to react, responding with a smile.
Su He looked confused, but Lu Yanbei's expression was calm, showing no signs of embarrassment.
"Yanbei, don't just take care of Su Su. These lamb chops are delicious, you should try them too," Tang Jiaojiao said, gesturing for her husband to serve their son-in-law.
Before Lu Yanbei could refuse, Su He quickly spoke for him. "He's allergic to lamb."
Su Dazhi's outstretched arm stopped mid-air. "Is that so?"
He asked this, looking at Lu Yanbei.
Lu Yanbei's gaze lingered on Su He for a few seconds before he slowly nodded. "Yes, I've been unable to eat beef or lamb since I was a child."
"I see... It's my fault for not checking beforehand. Please forgive me," Su Dazhi said with a fawning smile.
Lu Yanbei picked up his juice and took a sip, replying with a smile, "Ignorance is bliss. I'll just eat other things."
Tang Jiaojiao, however, called the waiter and ordered a few more dishes.
Since their son-in-law was here, they couldn't let him go hungry.
"These dishes are enough. Please don't go to so much trouble," Lu Yanbei said.
"It's New Year's Day, so we naturally want to eat to our heart's content," Tang Jiaojiao insisted.
The family ate and chatted, enjoying a harmonious meal.
After dinner, Su Ying took out her phone to take pictures of everyone and posted them in their group chat. "Brother, it's your loss not being here today. The old man is being unusually generous and treating us to a feast!"
"Also, you should have seen our brother-in-law's performance, it was amazing!"
"Can you imagine the scene of the CEO of a major corporation peeling shrimp for his wife? I really opened my eyes today!"
"The two of them kept exchanging glances, it was so sweet, we were all force-fed dog food."
As an observer, Su Lin also posted plenty of emojis in the group. Witnessing the drama and shipping the couple in person was incredibly satisfying.
Su He initially didn't notice her phone buzzing until the notifications kept coming. She picked up her phone and glanced at it. Seeing the group name "Loving Family," Su He hesitated, wondering if she should add Lu Yanbei to the group.
After all, he was considered family now.
Su He leaned closer and whispered in his ear, "We have a family group chat. Do you want to join?"
Lu Yanbei had seen Su He's phone and naturally knew which family group chat she was referring to.
So, he casually said "Mm." "Add me to the group, and I'll send out some red envelopes later."
Upon hearing about red envelopes, Su He became instantly energized and quickly added Lu Yanbei to the group.
Su Ying and Su Lin hadn't reacted yet and were still gossiping enthusiastically in the chat, completely unaware that the main subject of their discussion was already a member. By the time they realized someone new had joined, it was too late to retract their messages.
Lu Yanbei watched the conversation between his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, a barely perceptible twitch at the corner of his mouth.
He hadn't expected them to be so talkative in private, despite their seemingly elegant and scholarly demeanor.
Su Ying and Su Lin sat stiffly in their chairs, feeling extremely awkward.
Fortunately, Lu Yanbei didn't hold it against them. He immediately sent out several large red envelopes in the group, thoughtfully adding the characters for "Happy Spring Festival."
Su He happily grabbed red envelopes, oblivious to everyone else's subtle reactions.
Tang Jiaojiao glanced at Su He discreetly, thinking: This girl really has a big heart! But perhaps it's better this way; it would spare her a lot of trouble. And with Lu Yanbei looking out for her, she would surely have a simple and happy life.
It's good!
*
Su Chen's face tightened as he saw the lively activity in the family group chat.
At this moment, he was in the VIP lounge at the airport and still had five hours before he could return to B City.
Watching his family laughing and chatting, Su Chen's heart ached slightly.
He hadn't expected them to accept Lu Yanbei so quickly and even let him into the family group. Did this mean that he and Su He could only be siblings, with no other possibility?