After Being Blackened All Over the Internet, I Ruled the Military Variety Shows
Chapter 376 - 367: Exaggerated Enthusiasm

Chapter 376: Chapter 367: Exaggerated Enthusiasm

In a large private room that can accommodate more than twenty people, the setting was both elegant and cozy.

Lin Yi naturally didn’t have any extra thoughts about arranging the room decor, but the supervisor this time was the old man.

With just one order, in less than two hours, the room had undergone a significant transformation.

Lin Yi looked at the room layout, which had been designed by a renowned designer and now heavily altered. Even if she was dissatisfied, she could only swallow her discontent.

The old man was not someone to offend, a consensus shared by the entire Zhang Family.

Even the most favored Zhang Lingxuan had to pretend to be obedient in the old man’s presence, regardless of their true nature.

But the moment Xu Ling’an stepped through the door, Zhang Anfeng and Lin Yi watched as the old man, who had just stood up, pulled a shocking transformation right before their eyes.

The face that was usually stern and unsmiling was suddenly a sea of wrinkles from the broad smile it displayed, so brilliant that for a moment, they wondered if he had been replaced!

"An’an, you’re here!"

"And this must be the elder sister from the Gao Family. Hello, hello, I’m Zhang Nachuan. You can just call me Nachuan."

Gao Lan faced Zhang Nachuan’s beaming face full of wrinkles. She hesitated but refrained from questioning who was older, just in case the person indeed looked old for their age.

She was more concerned about the attitude than the address.

After living for so many years, especially while struggling at the bottom, she had seen the myriad forms of humanity.

Earlier at the restaurant entrance, she noticed the couple who greeted them had a facade of politeness with an undertone of indifference and disdain towards her gifts and herself.

Thinking that this couple was just An’an’s uncle and aunt, she could barely accept it.

There was a layer of separation after all; she had seen siblings fall out over an inheritance, too.

The key was An’an’s biological grandfather.

Seeing the welcoming and joyful demeanor he displayed now reassured her.

However, she still couldn’t bring herself to use Nachuan as an address. Instead, she used the one she had thought of on the way: "Mr. Zhang, thank you. I’m happy for An’an that she found her family."

Though feeling a bit down, when she thought about how if something were to happen to her in the future... having relatives she could rely on would transform her sadness into relief.

"Sister Gao, please don’t stand, come and sit."

Zhang Nachuan felt no embarrassment calling Gao Lan, who appeared younger than him, "sister." Given that she raised his granddaughter, he would even call her "aunt" if needed.

Zhang Anfeng and Lin Yi finally snapped out of the shock of the old man’s radiant smile, only to witness him inviting the guests warmly to the prime seat, leaving both of them expressionless.

They didn’t quite know how to react!

After seating the guests and personally pouring a cup of tea, Zhang Nachuan then looked at the others.

When addressing Jiang Lingxi, his tone was already familiar, "Miss Jiang, did you and An’an have any delays with your filming today?"

"No, we came after finishing shooting."

"That’s good, that’s good."

Finally, he turned to Xu Lei, "And this is An’an’s brother, isn’t it?"

Xu Lei felt as if the old man had taken him all in with a single glance, silently reminding himself not to embarrass An’an today. Standing straight, he replied, "Hello, sir, I’m Xu Lei. I’m An’an’s neighbor and have grown up with her. An’an is like my own sister to me!"

"Good, good!" Zhang Nachuan patted him on the shoulder, his eyes filled with approval, "Not bad, young man, you’re quite sturdy!"

Xu Lei broke into a wide smile.

"Come, have a seat. Just make yourselves comfortable."

Led to his seat by the old man himself, just as he was about to sit, Xu Lei unconsciously glanced at An’an’s uncle and aunt still standing.

Lin Yi, catching Xu Lei’s gaze: "..."

Here she was standing, while the young ruffian she almost chased away earlier became the old man’s distinguished guest.

Without touching her face, she already knew it must be burning red with embarrassment.

"Dad, Mom, why are you standing by the door?"

Zhang Lingxuan, holding her daughter, was about to greet her grandfather when she saw her parents blocking the entrance of the private room.

Hearing her daughter’s voice, Lin Yi turned around gladly, picked up her granddaughter in her arms, "It’s okay, your cousin and them have already arrived, go inside and meet them."

This sentence stopped Zhang Lingxuan from asking ’Mom, why is your face so red’ as she turned slightly and glanced inside the room.

The first person she saw was Jiang Lingxi, who was already seated. Having searched about her last night, she now matched the face, which was even more striking in person than in pictures or videos.

Then she noticed the quiet little girl sitting next to Jiang Lingxi.

She had a different kind of refined beauty.

Yesterday, she had even dug out her treasured childhood photos with her aunt. This girl’s face was about seventy percent similar to her aunt in those photos.

Surely in a few years, the resemblance would grow even stronger.

No wonder grandpa recognized her at a glance!

With many thoughts in her mind, it didn’t stop her from smiling broadly as she walked over, "This is An’an, right? You look so much like Auntie. An’an, I’m your cousin."

Xu Ling’an stood up, only to be pulled into a warm hug by the approaching Zhang Lingxuan, "An’an, I’m so happy, who would have thought I would someday have such an adorable sister!"

The warmth was a little overwhelming for Xu Ling’an, leaving her unsure where to place her hands. She replied awkwardly, "I-I’m also very happy."

Zhang Nachuan watched the two cousins embrace with a gratified look.

Jiang Lingxi glanced around, then took a sip from her teacup.

One could understand; who as an elder wouldn’t want to see such a warm and loving scene!

When her cousin finally released the hug, Xu Ling’an was about to breathe a sigh of relief, only for her cousin to suddenly present a black-and-gold box.

"It’s our first meeting, and as your cousin, I must give you something. Grandpa mentioned you’re about to start college and probably haven’t bought a laptop yet. You’ll need this in college. Here, take it!"

"This..."

Zhang Nachuan nodded approvingly at his eldest granddaughter, adding, "An’an, everyone in this room is family. Accept the gift from your cousin."

"Thank you, cousin."

Zhang Lingxuan conveniently took a seat next to her.

She waved to her daughter, "Nannan, come over here. This is your Aunt An’an."

Xu Ling’an: "..."

Now she had become an elder too!

"I didn’t know, I didn’t prepare any gifts."

Zhang Lingxuan waved it off nonchalantly, "You’re still just a student; how could we expect a gift from you?"

Zhang Nachuan couldn’t bear to see his granddaughter distressed, so he nodded, "Right, she’s just a little toddler who doesn’t know anything yet. No need to prepare gifts. Besides, I didn’t tell you in advance about your cousin’s daughter precisely to avoid burdening you with preparations; just having you here is enough!"

The smile on Zhang Lingxuan’s face paused, before she looked down at her daughter who was running over, "Come, see your Aunt An’an, isn’t she exceptionally pretty? Go let your Aunt An’an hold you!"

The little girl walked forward, looking up in the direction her mom pointed. After hesitating for a moment among the two unfamiliar faces nearby, she reached out to Jiang Lingxi, "Pretty auntie, hug!"

The private room fell silent for a moment.

Jiang Lingxi set down her teacup, looked at the little girl waiting with open arms, picked her up and spun her halfway around, correcting in a clear and cool voice, "You’ve got it wrong, this is your Aunt An’an. Got it now?"

With that, she placed the child into Xu Ling’an’s arms, giving Zhang Lingxuan a casual glance.

Such poor acting skills.

If you’re going to pretend, at least do it thoroughly!