This resulted in Pei Kexin being speechless, cornered by his words. After a pause, she decided it wasn't worth arguing further and said, "There will be drinking with dinner. If you're still drunk, don't drink later. I'm here." She added, "Just talk less and eat more, act like a mute."
Zhan Jingchen, noticing her gentle tone, found her intriguing and thought she had a good heart. He couldn't resist teasing her, "Can I take that as you actually care about me?" Pei Kexin was speechless.
After changing clothes and freshening up, they went downstairs. Dinner wasn't ready yet, and the men were nowhere to be seen. It was, as usual, a gathering of women engaged in a tea party. Seeing them descend, Zhan Jingchen, still smelling of alcohol but in clean clothes, looked spirited, handsome, and tall. Pei Kexin sat on the edge of the sofa, and he joined her, perching on the armrest with a dashing and captivating demeanor. The women's eyes lit up. The eldest sister, who had no sons, seemed particularly fond of him.
"Oh, Achen, you're young indeed, sobering up so quickly?" Zhan Jingchen leaned against Pei Kexin, his eyes sparkling with a smile. "Not at all. I drank so much at noon, it wouldn't be that fast. It's just that my precious wife is back, and she said it would be rude for me to sleep upstairs alone, so I hurried down to accompany everyone." He then bowed slightly, "My apologies, I have a poor tolerance for alcohol. I hope I didn't offend anyone earlier by not saying much. Please bear with me."
The second sister-in-law picked up the conversation. "I say, it's fine if you want to be with her, but having a low alcohol tolerance is unacceptable. You're not worthy of her based on this alone." She continued, "Kexin comes from a sales background. She used to entertain clients and drink, often staying up all night and nursing hangovers. We'll be counting on you to help her more in the future. If you can't even keep up with your wife, that's no good."
While some understood she was praising Pei Kexin for her dedication and hard work for the company, others might have thought she was mocking her. *Your wife often drinks with men outside, stays out all night, and doesn't come home. Heh.*
Regardless of the intention, Zhan Jingchen looked at Pei Kexin with feigned concern. He suddenly cupped her chin, lifted her face, and kissed her in front of everyone. "You've worked hard, my dear wife. You've sacrificed so much for our family and our careers, it can't have been easy." He gently stroked her cheek, "With my care from now on, you'll surely feel better. I'm sorry I came back so late."
The others were stunned. Pei Kexin, unexpectedly having given her first kiss in public, felt her heart flutter. Though startled, she couldn't show it. She could only feign a loving response and meet his gaze. "Thank you, husband, for your understanding. With your care, I'm sure it will be easier from now on. I'm grateful for you." Zhan Jingchen rubbed her cheek with his thumb. "It's my honor. I love you."
As they were displaying their affection, the butler suddenly appeared. "Sir and the eldest young master are back, Madam. Shall we prepare to have dinner?" Upon hearing this, everyone stood up. The eldest sister said, "They're back. I wonder how things are at the hospital. Who will be on duty tonight?" Everyone got ready for dinner, washing hands, going to the restroom, but no one answered.
Zhan Jingchen walked beside Pei Kexin towards the dining room and asked in a low voice, "How is your family organized? Do you have to take turns keeping watch over the老爷子 (old master) day and night?" Pei Kexin replied, "Don't talk, you'll understand when you see." He persisted, "...Isn't that a given? What I mean is, should I show some initiative?" Pei Kexin glanced at him, "What do you think?"
As they spoke, the eldest brother entered the room. Pei Kexin greeted him proactively. The eldest brother looked utterly exhausted, handing his jacket to a maid as he walked. "Why are you home? Isn't the company busy?" Another one who thought she shouldn't have returned so early. Zhan Jingchen was truly speechless. Pei Kexin smiled, daring not to complain. "It's busy. But I thought family matters were more important, so I came back early today." The eldest brother glanced at Zhan Jingchen beside her. "Family matters? Are you referring to him?" Zhan Jingchen thought, *Is that not allowed?* It was their wedding day! Not only did no one offer congratulations, but they also seemed to resent her for not working overtime! *What kind of bizarre family is this?!*
Pei Kexin continued gently, "For him, but also for Father. Although he's new to our family, we still need to show filial piety. I plan to..." "Mm. It's rare for you to have this awareness," the eldest brother said expressionlessly as he sat down at the head of the table. "Since you want to show filial piety, let him take care of Father at the hospital from now on. He's idle anyway, and everyone else is quite busy."
Zhan Jingchen thought, *Yes, I'm idle, I have time.* But to say everyone else is busy was clearly a lie. Zhan Jingchen couldn't help but lament inwardly again, *This family truly doesn't treat Pei Kexin like a person.* *No wonder she had to hire a live-in son-in-law.* *To labor so hard and end up being dismissed like a dog, I feel indignant on her behalf!*
Those who had gone to wash their hands returned to their seats, and dinner officially began. Before starting, the eldest sister suggested that since Zhan Jingchen had just joined the family and hadn't had enough to drink at noon, he should properly toast the eldest brother tonight. Zhan Jingchen stood up. "I have a poor tolerance for alcohol, and I drank too much at noon. I also need to go to the hospital to look after Father tonight, so I really can't drink anymore." He then added, "My apologies, eldest brother, can I toast you with tea instead? We are family, and I'm sure you can understand."
Before the eldest brother could respond, Pei Zongrui chimed in, "Whether one can drink or not is an attitude. He's just joined the family, what does toasting with tea mean?" He continued, "Besides, isn't my aunt here? She has a very good tolerance for alcohol..." Zhan Jingchen was about to say that his aunt was also going to the hospital tonight, but Pei Kexin interrupted him. "Zongrui is right. Whether one can drink or not, the intention needs to be conveyed. Today is a happy occasion, it's not right not to have a couple of drinks. He can't drink, so I'll do it for him. Come, eldest brother, I..."
"Drink, drink, drink! What else do you people know besides eating and drinking?" The eldest brother not only didn't pick up Pei Kexin's offer but suddenly lost his temper. He slammed his palm onto the table, startling everyone around them. "Father worked hard his whole life, but now he's old and useless, lying in the hospital alone. Instead of rushing to take care of him, you're dragging me into drinking? Are you all human?" He fumed, "I've raised you all these years for nothing, it seems. Not a single one of you is worry-free! Celebrating a wedding at a time like this? If word gets out, our family will seem heartless. Wouldn't that be a joke?"
Pei Kexin's resolve not to leave the Pei family, or at least not to be easily dismissed, was now evident. Someone had finally pointed it out. Pei Kexin's heart ached. Although she had experienced similar scenes many times and should have expected it, she couldn't help but feel disappointed at that moment. It was too obvious. The intention of the Pei family not treating her as a person and constantly preparing to expel her was too apparent. Even though today was her outwardly joyous wedding day. She should have been more ruthless and chosen a harder path. It was too late now; if they were heartless, she would not be bound by loyalty in the future.