Chapter 213 Meeting of the Two Families

The Prince Long Mansion was once the residence of the last prince, Prince Long. Now it is a high-end club that hosts important banquets.

Tonight, the meeting between the Fu family and the Shi family is also scheduled to take place here.

Next, representatives from both sides attended.

The host arrived first: Fu Yingzhou's father, Fu Shouheng, and mother, Qian Lina.

Those invited arrived later: Shi Shi's father, Shi Bowen, and mother, Kong Pan. Also present were Shi Shi and Fu Yingzhou, who volunteered to drive them.

As soon as the group entered the private room, Kong Pan stared at Qian Lina across from her, momentarily stunned.

Isn't this Director Qian who came to the office before? Recalling what she had said then, Kong Pan finally understood. This was premeditated.

Qian Lina, on the other hand, was very generous and took the initiative to shake hands with Kong Pan.

"Teacher Kong, it's been a long time! See, I told you we were destined to be together! I always thought we were destined to be friends, but I never imagined we'd become in-laws through our children's marriage. Soon, we'll be family!"

"Yes, yes, I was quite surprised that the two kids ended up together."

The six people took their seats. A dinner themed around their engagement began!

Fu Shouheng was the first to raise his glass and begin his official remarks: "Thank you for raising such an outstanding daughter. I really like Shi Shi. I often listen to her songs! They're so well-written!"

"Oh? I wonder which song you like the most?" Shi Bowen asked.

Everyone expected him to sing songs like "As You Wish" or "My Motherland and I." His answer, however, was unexpected.

“The song ‘Red-Haired Girl’ and the song ‘Under the Sea’. There are many other songs she wrote that I like, but she didn’t sing any of them.”

Shi Bowen was very surprised, and he showed it on his face.

"Are you surprised? Do I look like an old-fashioned person?" Fu Shouheng said with a smile.

Qian Lina chimed in with a smile, "Don't let Lao Fu's (Old Fu's) righteous and upright appearance fool you. He's actually quite easygoing and carefree. I don't think Professor Shi is as rigid as he seems. We can all get together and have some fun sometime. I'm sure we'll all get along well."

Kong Pan smiled and agreed, "Yes, yes, it seems we are truly destined to be related by marriage and are destined to be family."

Fu Shouheng: "My son is usually so aloof and quiet. I almost thought he would grow old alone. Now it's all right, with a good girl like Shishi looking after him. We parents can finally rest easy."

Everyone wants to carry a bridal sedan chair, and seeing how much the other side is praising their daughter, they'll probably have to say a few good words about Fu Yingzhou.

"In this marriage, our family actually benefited. We spoiled Shishi rotten. It's inevitable that she wouldn't be the most proper in her dealings with others. Fortunately, she has a good heart. At least I can guarantee that my daughter's character and personality are absolutely top-notch. Xiao Fu's appearance is like filling in the missing part of my daughter. The two of them complement each other! When they are together, supporting each other, you are the best off, and only then can her father and I truly feel at ease."

Fu Yingzhou quickly reassured everyone, "Uncle and Aunt, please rest assured, I will take good care of Shishi. Although I don't talk much, I will make Shishi happy through my actions." Fu Yingzhou said sincerely.

Shi Shi felt a sweet warmth in her heart upon hearing this, and secretly glanced at Fu Yingzhou.

The four parents observed the subtle tension between the young couple. After exchanging pleasantries, the Fu family took the initiative to get down to business.

Qian Lina began, "Today, Mr. Fu and I, as the groom's parents, are formally proposing marriage to your family. Marriage is no small matter, and our family warmly welcomes Shishi to become Fu's daughter-in-law. We're thinking of holding an engagement ceremony for the young couple with marriage in mind, so that we can officially start getting to know each other. What do you think?"

The other party was very sincere, and the Shi family had already made preparations for the engagement.

Shi Bowen began, "Shishi is now a semi-public figure, which has its downsides; everything she does gets extensively reported by the media. We have no other requests for this engagement ceremony, only a suggestion to keep it low-key. What do you think?"

Fu Shouheng nodded, indicating his understanding: "We're in the same boat on this point. We have many public officials here, and a lavish banquet might not have a good impact. Your suggestion is exactly what we're thinking. How about we just invite immediate family members, close friends, and relatives? How about a small banquet?"

Fourthly, fearing the other party might misunderstand, Qian Lina added a sentence from the back.

"Don't worry, being low-key doesn't mean being perfunctory. Shishi will have all the proper pomp and circumstance."

The other party's words were considerate, and Shi's parents expressed their satisfaction. Their satisfaction wasn't because the other party agreed to their demands, but because they felt the other party's parents were easy to talk to. They believed that Shi's relationship with her in-laws wouldn't be too difficult in the future.

Next, the two families discussed details such as the venue for the engagement banquet and the number of guests from each family. Both families are decisive; no one dragged their feet, and by the end of the meal, they had covered most of the necessary details. The engagement was thus settled.

After the meal, Shi's parents declined Fu Yingzhou's offer to drive them. They said that Shi would stay at their home that night and that Shi could drive them.

So the two families parted ways. On the way back, Qian Lina said to her son, "Your parents-in-law are good people. They're not the kind of family that sells their daughter for personal gain, and there's no greed in their eyes. This marriage seems better than the Ling family's."

"Mom! Why do you keep bringing up the past? There's no comparison between these things!"

It's not that the Ling family is bad; with a large family, it's inevitable that there will be both good and bad members. In the two generations of the Ling family, only the former daughter-in-law, Ling Xiaoyue, has any achievements. In addition, people involved in politics are all dirty-minded. It's not that they want to cheat you in any malicious way, but just dealing with their scheming is enough to make your head spin and leave you exhausted.

Poets are wonderful, intelligent and beautiful; their talent is outstanding even among girls from scholarly families. As for being divorced? Feudal dynasties have been gone for so many years, and his son was divorced too, brother, let alone second brother.

Of course, these aren't the most important things. The most important thing is that his son likes it. He's almost forty; can't you let him choose whatever he likes freely? He's not a baby still in your arms, needing adult guidance and education.

"It's just the three of us here! I won't go around telling everyone. Since you've already decided she's your daughter-in-law, I'll give her the necklace your grandmother left me as a gift for the engagement party."

Fu Yingzhou was taken aback and asked incredulously.

"No way? Mom, you're really willing to do this?"

Such a pure Maitreya Buddha, carved from a large piece of violet, is truly rare! His mother doesn't usually wear it, not because she doesn't like it, but because it's too heavy; the large Maitreya Buddha makes one's neck hurt.