Chapter 151 - If Possible, Look Into Qi Chengzhi’s Status That Year (2/2)

“Having a catch-up with a few of my friends from high school. I saw-” Guan Xiaolin broke off when she saw Song Donglin and Yu Qianying walk out of the room.

Then, Qi Zhongliang and Xia Wenna exited the room, followed by Qi Chenglin and Qi Youxuan. Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu followed suit, ending with the two Qi family elders, Grandfather Qi and Grandmother Qi.

The whole Qi family was out in action.

Surprise gripped Guan Xiaolin. The presence of Song Donglin and Yu Qianying combined with the whole Qi family could only mean one thing.

It could only be an engagement party. Why else would both sides of the family be present with full attendance?

It was just shocking that the Qi family so readily accepted Song Yu and that Song Yu’s parents did not object to the marriage.

Even the grandparents came to witness in person.

Was the marriage between Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu that important to them?

“Xiaolin? It’s been some time since you came over to our place. Busy days?” Yu Qianying asked genially.

Guan Xiaolin was the only person who stayed friends with Song Yu after the bankruptcy, therefore Yu Qianying was particularly fond of her.

Before the bankruptcy, Yu Qianying did not really like Guan Xiaolin but now she realized the girl was not a snob—the fact that she did not unfriend Song Yu due to the bankruptcy. Such friendships were rare.

Yu Qianying was not aware of the things that Guan Xiaolin had done behind Song Yu’s back. Song Yu kept her mouth shut. If it were not for Jian Yi’s sudden appearance at her house, she would have never told her family about what had happened with him.

Guan Xiaolin watched Song Yu with a curious eye but avoided Qi Chengzhi. He radiated omnipotence and her sins were all laid bare. She dared not meet his gaze.

Song Yu was expressionless and did not bother to greet Guan Xiaolin. She turned around and started chatting with Grandmother Qi.

“Yeah, I’ve been busy,” Guan Xiaolin could only give a vague answer.

The interaction or lack thereof between Song Yu and Guan Xiaolin was noted by Yu Qianying and she promptly figured out the situation. Yu Qianying was not a fool.

She had faith in her own daughter’s character—she had raised her after all. Song Yu never lacked manners and was the type who would repay a dime with a dollar.

When Song Yu considered someone a true friend, it meant she was willing to take a knife for the person.

If the friendship had soured, it meant the friend had done something despicable.

At that moment, Yu Qianying smiled and let go of Guan Xiaolin’s hand. The smile on her face remained but it was no longer warm and sincere like before.

Guan Liya asked in a surprised tone, “Xiaolin and Song Yu are friends?”

It was rare to have the whole Qi family gathered in one place, especially the grandparents. Guan Xiaolin wanted to leave a good impression.

Although Guan Liya was her aunt, Guan Xiaolin’s access was limited to her aunt only. Qi Zhongxun was always neutral toward her, not a hint of warmth. As for the Qi family, she had little hope to gain their favor.

In their small neighborhood, the grandparents were known to be approachable but they were a rare sight.

Hence, she wanted to make a good impression today.

Guan Xiaolin planned to ignore Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu and act as if she was Song Yu’s good friend. However, before she could open her mouth, Song Yu stated without feeling, “She’s just an ex-schoolmate.”

This line confirmed Yu Qianying’s suspicions.

Guan Liya was surprised by Song Yu’s coldness.

Hearing Song Yu’s words, Grandmother Qi nodded lightly. Grandfather Qi and Grandmother Qi returned Guan Xiaolin’s warm greeting with a polite but aloof greeting.

The friends of Guan Xiaolin flocked toward them. They were not about to pass up a chance to interact with the Qi family. Polite greetings were extended to the Qi family elders.

Grandfather Qi and Grandmother Qi were humble and entertained their pleasantries but without much enthusiasm.

Qi Chengzhi saw Li Zhuoan walking over. He also caught an eye of Gao Jingqiu who he assumed had hidden away to avoid him.

Qi Chengzhi gave Li Zhuoan a slight nod and smirked. Then, Qi Chengzhi turned around and tucked a lock of Song Yu’s hair behind her ear.

The movement was affectionate. The gentleness in his eyes was meant only for Song Yu.

The gesture was natural and intimate, performed in spite of the crowd surrounding them.

“Let’s go,” he spoke in a calm voice. Qi Chengzhi guided Song Yu with a hand on her hip.

“Xiao Yu, that time we invited your family to our house but you never turned up. I was waiting for you at home,” Grandmother Qi waved Yu Qianying over. She held Yu Qianying’s hand tightly, “Today, we finally had that meal and caught up with both our families. Come on, let’s go back to our house and continue the conversation.”

Yu Qianying thought the words were just a courtesy, but Grandmother Qi was serious.

With Grandmother Qi clutching her hand, Yu Qianying would feel bad if she rejected so they all headed toward the Qi family manor.

Grandmother Qi noticed Yu Qianying’s fondness for Qi Youxuan and smiled, “Don’t worry. When Chengzhi and Song Yu get married, you will soon get a chubby grandchild.”

Guan Xiaolin was rooted in her spot, watching the backs of the Qi family members becoming smaller and smaller. She overheard that last statement by Grandmother Qi.

“That was the Qi family and the Song family? They-” Wu Lijun walked up to Guan Xiaolin’s side, a look of disbelief on her face. She spotted the retreating Qi family around the corner, amidst the group were Song Donglin and Yu Qianying.

“Why are they together?” Li Qianyi, too, came over and asked.

Were not the two families like oil and water?

When Song Yu got together with Qi Chengzhi, everyone was dead set on the fact that both families would never accept the pair.

Guan Xiaolin’s face was sour as she said, “From the looks of it, seems like marriage is not far away. Both families have accepted their relationship. It was probably for their parents to meet.”

“Grandmother Qi seemed really taken by Yu Qianying. Even Xia Wenna and Yu Qianying looked as if they were very close. What’s happening?” Li Qianyi asked in disbelief. Her question might as well be rhetorical as Guan Xiaolin could not provide an answer.

Since the beginning, none of them thought Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu would last.

They even thought Qi Chengzhi was only toying with Song Yu.

“If it was for their parents to meet, why would the whole family be here?” Wu Lijun commented. Another possibility came into her mind and she exclaimed, “Could it be an engagement?”

Wu Lijun’s words made everyone turn to look at the direction of the departing Qi family.

Although there was nary a soul, they kept staring into the empty corridor.

Guan Xiaolin thought of the tender love shown by Qi Chengzhi. A pang of jealousy hit her. She wondered how it felt, being loved and protected by a man like Qi Chengzhi.

As Guan Xiaolin looked on absentmindedly, Li Qianyi was muttering to herself, “Unthinkable… Unthinkable…”

It was just a word but everyone knew what she meant.

It was unthinkable that Song Yu was going to marry Qi Chengzhi.

The full attendance of the Qi family and the rare appearance of Mr. and Mrs. Song Donglin pretty much confirmed the forthcoming nuptials.

While Li Qianyi was silent, her heart was envious.

The sentiment was shared by many.

…

…

There was a prayer ritual for the first shoot of Han Zhuoli’s company’s television series. Grandmother Qi’s status exempted her from joining in with the cast and crew.

The last time Grandmother Qi rang up Han Zhuoli, she got the role as the female lead’s mother with ease.

Though she was old, her complexion was well-maintained and nabbing the role of the female lead’s mother was not far-fetched.

The role did not demand a lot of screen time. Most scenes were filmed in their courtyard and Grandmother Qi did not even leave the manor’s estate. She would just stroll out of the house to meet the team and when her scenes were done, she would just walk back home. Sometimes, she even went out just to chat with the cast and crew.

Initially, the role was taken up by another actress—she was the sister-in-law of an established actor in the entertainment industry. She also relied on her contacts to get the role.

However, since Grandmother Qi was interested, Han Zhuoli gladly acquiesced.

While others may have prioritized the actor’s request, Han Zhuoli showed no hesitation in switching the role over to Grandmother Qi.

The actress, of course, complained to her brother-in-law. He personally came to dispute with Han Zhuoli and was promptly dismissed. Meanwhile, Grandmother Qi was kept in the dark.

The first Saturday after they had the engagement lunch was Grandmother Qi’s first day on set.

Grandmother Qi hid her identity from the team. She did not want the actors and actresses flocking to her as she was too tired to deal with the attention.

She also wanted to be treated like everyone else. She wanted to test her acting skills.

If they knew her identity, they might give biased feedback. Even if she was terrible, they would still compliment her.

However, Han Zhuoli was also worried that Grandmother Qi would be bullied by the team. If her identity was not known, the team might treat her with disrespect and take advantage of her. Therefore, Han Zhuoli discretely told the director about her true identity.

The director understood then. No wonder Young Master Zhuo came multiple times personally to inquire about the filming despite it being only a television series.

The director made a point to look out for Grandmother Qi..