Gu Qinghe's smile froze on her face. Without a trace, she pulled her hand out of Su Xiaotang's grip, her eyes full of annoyance.
Not only was she like a chattering sparrow, she was also a complete nuisance.
Making a fuss every single moment, never letting anyone have peace.
"So, Sister Xiaotang, how do you think we should arrange the seating?" Gu Qinghe asked with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Su Xiaotang's eyes flickered as she reached out and pulled back a chair by the round table. "Qinghe, you sit here."
Then she assigned Qin Yuchen a seat separated by one empty chair.
Sitting right between the two of them, she explained with a radiant smile, "This way, the three of us siblings can get to know each other better. Later, when Mom and Uncle Gu arrive, we can all sit together to catch up and bond."
Her selfish motive was practically written on her face, but Gu Qinghe didn't call her out.
It was just a seat anyway; it made no difference to her where she sat. With a faint smile, she said, "Alright, let's do it Sister Xiaotang's way."
Qin Yuchen, on the other side, frowned slightly, but seeing Gu Qinghe's calm expression, he ultimately said nothing.
At that moment, Gu Xiuyuan and Qin Hongying finally brought out the freshly cooked dishes.
There was Shanghai-style Eight-Treasure Duck and stir-fried pork liver, alongside Northeast-style sweet and sour pork (Guobaorou), stewed vermicelli with pickled cabbage, and Earth's Three Fresh (Di San Xian).
While perhaps not culinary masterpieces, they certainly offered a full appeal of color, aroma, and taste.
Su Xiaotang took the initiative to stand up, raised her glass to Gu Qinghe and Gu Xiuyuan, and said with a hearty smile, "Uncle Gu, Qinghe, I'd like to propose this first toast to you both. I was out of line today, and I truly hope you won't take it to heart."
Gu Xiuyuan wore a kindly smile and nodded. "Well, from now on, we're all one family."
Gu Qinghe remained silent, merely giving a slight nod as she took a tiny sip of her drink in response.
Seeing this, Qin Hongying was also pleased and raised her glass as well. "Right! Today, our family won't stop drinking until we're thoroughly drunk!"
Once the drinking started, Su Xiaotang eager to show off, kept serving food to Gu Xiuyuan and Qin Hongying. Her attentive manner made it seem as though she was their biological daughter.
Gu Xiuyuan didn't hold his liquor very well; after just one glass, his cheeks were already flushed with the alcohol going to his head.
Far from seeing through Su Xiaotang's intentions, he grinned from ear to ear, seeming to have completely forgotten the fact that he had another daughter.
A flash of smugness crossed Su Xiaotang's eyes. So what if Gu Qinghe was the biological daughter?
As long as she managed to butter up Gu Xiuyuan, wouldn't she be able to edge Gu Qinghe out all the same?
Having spent years in leadership positions, Qin Hongying was always proper and tactful in her dealings with people.
While accepting Su Xiaotang's attentiveness, she hadn't forgotten Gu Qinghe either, personally ladling her a bowl of clear chicken soup.
"Qinghe, come try this soup and see how it tastes."
"Thank you, Aunt Qin." Unfazed by Gu Xiuyuan's neglect, Gu Qinghe still took the bowl with a smiling face.
Qin Hongying's gaze paused, landing on Gu Qinghe's wrist.
Recognizing the familiar Enicar watch, her expression froze slightly. "Qinghe, this watch of yours..."
Qin Yuchen timely raised his glass to interrupt her. "Mom, it's been a while since we last saw each other. Let me propose a toast to you."
Qin Hongying withdrew her gaze and glanced at Qin Yuchen, an ambiguous smile in her eyes. "Indeed, it has been a long time since we last saw each other."
So long that she almost didn't recognize her own cold and aloof son, who was actually willing to give away the watch he had worn for years to someone else.
Qin Yuchen let her scrutinize him, maintaining his usual expressionless demeanor from start to finish.
The undercurrents between mother and son left Gu Qinghe completely baffled. Raising her wrist in puzzlement, she asked, "Aunt Qin, is there something wrong with my watch?"
"Nothing's wrong." After drinking the toast offered by Qin Yuchen, Qin Hongying smiled faintly and shook her head. "I just think it's a nice watch, and it suits you very well."
Gu Qinghe felt there was much more to it than that.
Since Qin Hongying had already said so, however, she could only push her doubts aside for now. With a smile, she said, "Then I have Brother Yuchen's generosity to thank for that."
"What do you mean by my generosity? That's the compensation you earned," Qin Yuchen said, taking a sip of his drink.
There was no trace of any ulterior motive to be seen.
Qin Hongying looked at him with a meaningful gaze.
Hearing the three of them discussing something she was left out of, Su Xiaotang's expression turned rather ugly.
She even felt that Qin Hongying was only paying lip service to treating them equally, when in reality, Gu Qinghe mattered far more to her than she did.
Yet no sooner had the thought crossed her mind than Qin Hongying handed the second bowl of chicken soup to her. "Xiaotang, this one is for you."
Su Xiaotang was slightly stunned, then put on a smile. "Thank you, Mom."
As for what she was truly thinking in her heart, only she knew.
By the end of the meal, Gu Xiuyuan—having had merely three glasses of wine—was completely dead to the world and needed someone to support him just to stand.
"Dad really drank himself into a happy haze." Gu Qinghe was both worried and amused.
Her father had always been steady and disciplined; back in Shanghai, he had never lost his composure like this.
Yet upon arriving in the unfamiliar Northeast, he had actually let his guard down.
Being physically strong, Qin Hongying hoisted him up directly, gently patting Gu Xiuyuan's flushed and burning cheeks.
"Xiuyuan, wake up."
Gu Xiuyuan managed to open one eye a crack, and upon seeing it was Qin Hongying, slowly closed it again, resting most of his weight against her with a sense of relief.
"Huo... Huoying, I feel awful..."
Qin Hongying's heart ached for him. Her bold features furrowed, and without caring whether the juniors were watching, she slung his arm over her shoulder and headed upstairs, softly soothing him.
"You won't feel awful for long. Drink some hangover soup in a moment, and you'll be able to have a good sleep."
Eyes filled with amusement, Gu Qinghe didn't follow them upstairs, leaving the space for the long-separated pair to spend time alone.
Returning to the dining room, she originally intended to help Qin Yuchen clear the table.
Looking at the greasy leftovers, however, she had no idea where to start and stood awkwardly off to the side.
Qin Yuchen's stern features softened slightly. He stacked the empty plates together, picked them all up at once, and strode toward the kitchen with his long legs.
"Alright, you don't need to lift a finger for such a small chore. Go sit in the living room!"
Looking troubled, Gu Qinghe followed him. "This doesn't seem quite right..."
Though she had lived a life of pampered ease across both her lifetimes, things were different now; arriving in a new family meant she had to show some initiative.
Otherwise, not to mention Su Xiaotang secretly undermining her behind her back, even her own conscience would bother her.
Qin Yuchen placed all the dishes into the sink and, without offering any further refusals, stepped aside to make room. "Go ahead then."
Gu Qinghe hadn't expected that the person who told her to rest a moment ago would agree so readily the next.
Her pretty almond eyes widened instantly, but since the words were already out, she could only take a deep breath and steel herself as she reached toward the greasy sink.
"Fine, I'll do it then!"
Before she could even turn on the tap, however, her wrist was caught in Qin Yuchen's grip.
Those dark, ice-cold eyes held a teasing smile. "You actually took a joke seriously?"
"..."