The Lan Family's Hongmen Banquet

The black suit accentuated his tall, slender frame, making him appear even more upright.

The slightly casual cut kept him looking youthful and handsome without being overly stiff.

An Yi examined himself in the mirror several times before retrieving a never-used hair spray from his storage space to tidy up his hairstyle.

Glancing down at his slippers, he decisively swapped them out.

Clearly, those cheap slippers no longer matched his billionaire status.

Slipping into a pair of polished leather shoes, he tapped his feet lightly—they felt decent enough.

The suit was custom-made, the shoes genuine leather—this outfit alone cost nearly 100,000.

Not bad.

Admiring the strikingly handsome young man in the mirror, An Yi allowed a faint smile to curl his lips.

"An Yi, are you up yet? Time for breakfast."

Liu Yuefen’s voice came through the door as she knocked lightly.

"Coming right away," An Yi replied promptly.

Now that he had acknowledged his relationship with Lan Ruoxi, Liu Yuefen was effectively his future mother-in-law.

First impressions mattered—second ones too.

The moment An Yi stepped out, Liu Yuefen’s eyes lit up with pleasant surprise.

An Yi was naturally good-looking, but with the system’s +0.5 charm boost and the effects of the Jade Beauty Serum, his appeal had skyrocketed to nearly 9.0!

A 9/10 in looks was practically unreal—even those heavily made-up idols on variety shows couldn’t compete.

As the saying goes, a mother-in-law grows fonder of her son-in-law over time.

Liu Yuefen nodded approvingly. "That suit looks sharp on you, An Yi. And with October just around the corner, leather shoes are a good choice."

An Yi: "..."

Liu Yuefen distinctly remembered him wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and slippers when he dropped her daughter off yesterday.

Where had this high-end suit come from?

"Come eat while it’s hot. Ruoxi’s still busy in the kitchen," Liu Yuefen said warmly.

An Yi smiled. "Thank you, Auntie."

Lan Ruoxi was still on the phone, her uncle Lan Yihe’s shrill, condescending voice blaring through the receiver.

"Ruoxi, your uncle only wants what’s best for you. What’s the point of studying when you’ll just end up married anyway—"

Lan Ruoxi cut in coolly, "Sorry, but I already have a boyfriend."

"What?! A boyfriend?! How could you date someone when you should be focusing on school?"

Lan Yihe’s voice turned shrill with anger. "Bring him over! I’d love to see what kind of trash thinks he’s good enough for our Lan family!"

Lan Ruoxi ignored him and was about to hang up when An Yi strode over and took the phone.

"Uncle, remember me?"

Lan Yihe hesitated. "Who is this?"

"Must be nice having such a short memory. Last time, I slapped you right outside the supermarket," An Yi said with a chuckle.

This rotten uncle really had no shame.

Trying the same cheap trick twice?

How bold.

Or just plain stupid.

"You little brat! Don’t tell me you’re Ruoxi’s boyfriend?" Lan Yihe seethed. There was no way he could forget—An Yi had knocked out two of his molars!

"Guilty as charged," An Yi replied cheerfully.

"You—wait, Ruoxi—Ruoxi, give the phone back to—"

Click.

Lan Ruoxi hung up, exhaled deeply, and turned to An Yi. "Let’s go eat."

An Yi raised an eyebrow and grinned.

Though only half a year had passed, Lan Ruoxi had matured significantly.

She wouldn’t let her uncle bully her anymore.

Not when she had Ding Renfeng and the others under her, itching for a fight.

If anyone dared harass her or her mother again, she wouldn’t hesitate to retaliate.

Lan Ruoxi’s home, though located in an urban village, was neat and cozy.

The small courtyard was adorned with well-tended flowers, and the modest interior was decorated warmly.

"Auntie, your cooking is amazing," An Yi praised between hearty bites.

He wasn’t just being polite—Liu Yuefen’s culinary skills were genuinely impressive, easily outclassing Shen Muxuan by a mile.

"Eat up, then! Let me get you some soup," Liu Yuefen beamed, delighted by the compliment. "You students are always so busy—you need proper nutrition to keep your minds sharp."

By the end of the meal, An Yi couldn’t refuse Liu Yuefen’s enthusiastic refills and ended up stuffed to the point of hiccupping.

Lan Ruoxi, however, seemed distracted.

"Auntie, Ruoxi’s grandmother wants to meet me. We’re planning to visit her," An Yi said casually.

Leaving that fat nuisance unchecked wasn’t an option—it was time to settle things.

Lan Ruoxi’s lashes fluttered slightly, as if she already knew what An Yi had in mind.

Liu Yuefen sighed. "That old woman is impossible… but fine, go ahead."

The Lan family wasn’t particularly prominent in Jiangbei City.

They’d once done well in real estate, but with the market downturn in recent years, small-scale developers like them had been hit hardest.

The taxi came to a stop.

An Yi and Lan Ruoxi stood before the Lan family villa.

After a quick glance around, An Yi shook his head slightly.

The gap between the rich and the really rich was vast.

Compared to Qin Yao’s lavish mansion, the Lan villa looked downright shabby.

"An Yi, we don’t have to do this," Lan Ruoxi said hesitantly.

An Yi ruffled her hair playfully. "This so-called uncle keeps harassing my girlfriend. That’s not something I’ll let slide."

Lan Ruoxi smiled faintly, warmth flickering in her eyes.

This guy… he really was her boyfriend now.

"That pink Lambo is obnoxious as hell," An Yi remarked, eyeing the car.

Time to buy a car of his own.

A house could wait—the rented apartment held too many memories to give up just yet.

But a car? Definitely. And it had to be flashier than this one.

Otherwise, how would it reflect his billionaire status?

Lan Ruoxi’s expression darkened.

That specific shade of pink on a Lamborghini was unmistakable—there was only one in all of Jiangbei City.

Gu Hongyun, the young master of the Gu family.

What was he doing here?