The Cheng Family

Soon, under Sun Shenghai's watchful gaze, Qin Ning and his group drove away.

About ten minutes later, the car pulled up at the base of a residential complex in the center of the county.

Outside the complex gates, Father Cheng and Mother Cheng, having received Cheng Weiyang's call earlier, were already waiting to welcome them.

During their last meeting, the two elders had learned of Qin Ning's extraordinary nature, understanding that he was an existence beyond the secular world.

For Old Master Cheng's seventieth birthday, Qin Ning's presence was an absolute and unparalleled honor for the Cheng family.

However, precisely because of Qin Ning's special status, they hadn't dared to casually reveal any information about him to anyone. They only told the eldest brother's family that some truly distinguished guests would be arriving today and warned them not to show any disrespect.

"Dad, Mom." Cheng Weiyang stepped out of the car and hurried forward, giving her parents a warm hug.

Qin Ning and the others followed close behind.

Father Cheng smiled and extended his hand, saying, "Young Master Qin, welcome, welcome."

Qin Ning and his companions shook hands with the two elders. After exchanging greetings, they followed them into the residential complex.

The complex was not run-down; it looked like it had been built only a few years ago.

Moreover, in recent years, Xinguang County's economic development had been soaring, so housing prices here were not cheap, only slightly lower than those in the city center.

The fact that Cheng Weiyang's eldest uncle could afford to buy a house here suggested he was living quite comfortably.

Soon, they took the elevator upstairs.

Many people were already seated in the living room. Most were elderly friends of Old Master Cheng, along with some younger family members they had brought along. Altogether, there were about twenty or thirty people.

The living room was quite spacious, holding three or four round tables laden with fruits, snacks, and tea. Everyone sat around, chatting pleasantly.

The appearance of Qin Ning and his group immediately drew the attention of everyone in the room.

Mainly, they were just too conspicuous. After all, how could a single man accompanied by several young, beautiful girls not attract stares?

Father Cheng and Mother Cheng arranged for them to sit at an empty table and sat down to chat with them.

Before long, an elderly man walked out of a room. It was none other than Old Master Cheng.

Leaning on his cane, he smiled and greeted the crowd in the living room before making his way over to Qin Ning's table.

"Dad, please sit," Father Cheng quickly stood up, offering his seat to the old man.

"Grandpa." After he sat down, Cheng Weiyang poured him a cup of tea and handed it over.

"Good, good. It's Weiyang, right? I haven't seen you in years, and you've changed so much. Grandpa almost didn't recognize you."

The old man smiled amiably and took a sip of the tea she offered. Then, he looked at Qin Ning and the others. "You must all be Weiyang's friends, right? Welcome, welcome. There are a lot of people at home today, so it's a bit crowded. Please forgive any lack of proper hospitality."

"You are too polite, sir," Qin Ning and the others replied courteously.

Old Master Cheng had a very kind countenance and gave off an approachable aura.

However, looking at him, Qin Ning noticed something amiss.

The old man had a weak heart, which was a very dangerous condition at his age.

"Has Xiao Mo not returned yet?" While chatting with the group, the old man scanned the living room and asked.

Mother Cheng replied, "He's on his way. He should arrive before lunch is served. I told him to head straight to the hotel."

"Alright." Old Master Cheng nodded, then asked, "What kind of work are Weiyang and Xiao Mo doing now?"

Although his grandchildren would occasionally call him, their conversations mostly consisted of greetings and family gossip. They never talked about work, so the old man actually knew very little about Cheng Mo and Cheng Weiyang's current situations.

"I'm working over in Liu City. The benefits are quite good, so you don't need to worry, Grandpa. As for my brother, he's technically in the same company as me, but I'm at the headquarters while he's at the subsidiary in Bin City," Cheng Weiyang said with a smile.

It wasn't that she wanted to hide anything from her grandfather, but rather that she didn't trust her eldest uncle's family.

Since she was little, Cheng Weiyang knew that the relationship between her family and her uncle's family was quite poor.

If it weren't for her grandfather's birthday this time, they wouldn't have come at all.

"That's good then." The old man nodded.

Just then, three people walked in through the door.

Cheng Linhua, Cheng Weiyang's eldest uncle.

Behind him followed two young men. One was Cheng Weiyang's cousin, Cheng Linhua's son, Cheng Hao.

The other person looked to be about the same age as Cheng Hao.

His name was Lu Peng, Cheng Hao's former classmate and current boss.

Both of them worked at the largest company in Xinguang County, Sun Shenghai's Youli Group.

Lu Peng was a department manager. Anyone who could hold such a position in a massive corporation like Youli Group was no ordinary person. Between his base salary and various year-end bonuses, his annual income was nearly a million.

In a place like Xinguang County, an income like that firmly established him as a major figure.

Cheng Linhua and Cheng Hao had just gone out to personally pick up Lu Peng.

Upon entering the room, Cheng Linhua frowned slightly when he saw that almost every seat was taken.

He glanced around and noticed there were exactly three empty seats over by Qin Ning's table, so he promptly arranged for Lu Peng to sit there.

"Dad, let me introduce you. This is Lu Peng, Xiao Hao's department manager." Cheng Linhua glanced at Father Cheng and Qin Ning's group but ignored them, smiling as he introduced the guest to Old Master Cheng.

"Hello, Old Master Cheng."

Lu Peng reached out his hand with reasonable politeness.

"Hello, hello." The old man, who seemed to have a warm smile for everyone, reached out and shook his hand.

"Weiyang, are these your friends?"

Cheng Hao's gaze swept over Qin Ning, Qin Fei, and the others at the table as he asked.

"Yes," Cheng Weiyang replied softly.

Since childhood, her eldest uncle's family had left a very bad impression on her, and that included her cousin Cheng Hao.

If it weren't for her grandfather, she would have no intention of interacting much with them at all.

Mainly, back when she was in school, she and her parents had visited Xinguang County to see her grandfather a few times, and her uncle's family had never missed a chance to mock them, treating them with disdain as their poor relatives.

Seeing Cheng Weiyang's expression, Cheng Hao frowned slightly but didn't make a fuss. Instead, he picked up a teacup, preparing to pour tea for Lu Peng.

However, he found that the teapot was already empty.

He immediately handed the teapot to Cheng Weiyang and said, "Go fetch some more tea for me."

Hearing this, Cheng Weiyang looked up at him, finding it somewhat laughable. "This is your home, and I am a guest. You're telling me to go pour tea to help you entertain?"