The moment they stepped into the room, the three members of the Liu family greeted the Xiao family.
In response, the Xiao family merely gave a slight nod" polite, distant, and restrained.
Almost immediately, Liu Jian turned toward Xiao Lajiao and asked,
"Mrs. Xiao, how is your grandson doing now?
I mean… my future son-in-law."
The way he spoke made it sound as if he were a close relative, someone deeply familiar with the Xiao family.
Standing beside him, Li Mengya supported his act perfectly" wearing a wide, overly sweet smile as she looked at the Xiao family members. Her expression screamed sincerity.
After a brief pause, Xiao Lajiao replied calmly,
"Oh, Mr. Liu Jian…
I must apologize for making you travel such a long distance and endure so much trouble.
Thank you as well, for worrying about my grandson so early on." As she spoke, a soft, courteous smile rested on her face.
"As you can see," she continued gently,
"my grandson did suffer some injuries, but his condition is much better than before."
Her tone was warm. Her smile, flawless.
Yet inwardly, Xiao Lajiao was caught off guard. She hadn't expected the Liu family to suddenly behave so intimately, as if they were already bound by blood.
All she wanted, Was Liu Yifei as her grandson's wife.
That was it.
They had only spoken a handful of times.
But judging from Liu Jian's attitude alone,
Xiao Lajiao could already tell, This man was greedy.
Very greedy.
But then again" She was Xiao Lajiao.
And people like him?
She knew exactly how to handle them.
As these thoughts crossed her mind, her brows lifted ever so slightly.. a subtle, knowing gesture no one noticed.
On the other side, after hearing the elderly woman's words, Liu Jian glanced once at the Xiao family.
And then" His eyes shifted toward the young man sitting against the bed. The disabled man. The one who was about to become his son-in-law.
The husband of his so-called useless daughter.
Taking in Zhang Xiao's condition, Liu Jian nodded slowly. Expression unreadable.
And just like that, Silence fell over the room once more. Heavy and Awkward.
Breaking the heavy silence in the room, Xiao Zhadan finally spoke.
"Mr. Liu Jian," he said calmly,
"as my wife and I have already discussed this marriage alliance with your family earlier,
my son and daughter-in-law, however, have neither met their future daughter-in-law nor truly gotten to know you."
He paused briefly before continuing, "So why not take this opportunity today to meet properly? Although this may not be the ideal moment, since we are already face to face,
it would be better for everyone to get acquainted."
The moment Liu Jian heard those words,
it felt as if fireworks were exploding inside his heart. His smile widened instantly.
Nodding eagerly, he replied cheerfully to the elderly man, "Of course! Of course! Why not?
We should definitely get to know each other well. After all, we are about to become in-laws." As he spoke, Liu Jian stepped forward, extending his hand toward Xiao Ming for a handshake.
On the other side, Xiao Ming and Xiao Hua were completely confused. They had no idea what exactly was happening.
A few days ago, Xiao Zhadan and Xiao Lajiao had casually mentioned that it might be time to arrange their son's marriage.
They had even hinted that they had found a suitable girl.someone who would take good care of Zhang Xiao and be the perfect daughter-in-law for the Xiao family. But neither of them had taken it seriously.
They never expected the elderly couple to be this determined.
Busy with business and work, they had brushed the matter aside— and eventually forgotten about it altogether. Yet now, standing before three complete strangers,
neither Xiao Ming nor Xiao Hua felt a single good vibe.
They couldn't believe that their parents had chosen a wife for Zhang Xiao from a family they didn't even know. Which could only mean one thing" This family was neither wealthy nor influential. And judging by their conversation alone, both Xiao Ming and Xiao Hua found them cheap.
And greedy.
Had they met under different circumstances,
on a different occasion, They wouldn't have bothered shaking hands with such people.
They wouldn't have even spoken to them.
Suppressing his displeasure, Xiao Ming reluctantly raised his hand.
With a stiff, unreadable expression,
he shook hands with Liu Jian.. A handshake filled not with warmth, but with silent judgment.
"Hello, Mr. Xiao Ming,"
Liu Jian said warmly.
"I am Liu Jian, the owner of Liu Corporation.
It's truly a pleasure to finally meet you in person."
He continued without pause, his tone filled with exaggerated enthusiasm.
"Until now, we've only seen you in newspapers and on television.
But meeting you face to face feels completely different— it really is an honor."
A smile stretched across his face as he added,
"I hope we'll get along well in the future
and become good in-laws."
Listening to such a long and self-serving introduction, Xiao Ming raised his eyebrows slightly in his mind. Still, not wanting to appear openly rude, he simply nodded and replied in a neutral tone,."It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Liu Jian."
On the other side, Li Mengya stepped forward, clearly intending either to hug Xiao Hua or link arms with her and exchange a few friendly words" anything that would bring her closer to this wealthy woman, perhaps even turn her into a useful "friend."
But Xiao Hua didn't move. She didn't step forward. She didn't even look at Li Mengya.
Instead, she stood quietly behind her husband, her posture cold and reserved,,
as if she had no intention of meeting anyone at all.
Seeing Xiao Hua's stern expression and dismissive attitude, Li Mengya's blood boiled. A wave of humiliation and insult washed over her.
Her fingers curled tightly into fists as she forced herself to stop, not daring to take another step forward. The sweet smile that had been plastered on her face slowly faded.
Though she quickly regained control, what replaced it was no longer that warm, charming smile— just an awkward one.
Standing silently where she was, Li Mengya endured the moment.
Meanwhile, Xiao Zhadan and Xiao Lajiao had already expected such an awkward introduction.
So it didn't bother them much.
They remained where they were,
choosing not to intervene, quietly observing as invisible lines of status, pride, and unspoken disdain settled between the two families.
From the moment Liu Yifei stepped into the room, an overwhelming sense of awkwardness settled over her.
On top of that, she felt deeply ashamed of her father's stupid and overbearing behavior.
I've never seen even my stepmother behave this greedily…
she thought bitterly. And yet today, they've both managed to outdo themselves. All this while, Liu Yifei still hadn't looked in Zhang Xiao's direction.
It wasn't that she was being rude.
She wasn't deliberately disrespecting him either.
She was simply… avoiding him.
Or perhaps, desperately wanting to.
But no matter how much she tried, how long could she really ignore the person
she was supposedly destined to marry?
Shaking off the embarrassment caused by her parents, she finally turned her gaze toward the hospital bed.
There sat a man leaning weakly against the headboard, bandages wrapped around his head and left arm, his eyes closed, his face pale. Seeing his closed eyes, Liu Yifei felt a strange sense of relief.
She assumed he was either unconscious or asleep, completely unaware that the man lying there was ignoring her just as deliberately as she had ignored him.
The next moment, forgetting entirely about marriage contracts, her gaze lingered on his face.
And unexpectedly" her heart tightened.
Not for herself. But for him.
He looked fragile. Helpless.
Almost painfully innocent as he lay there, injured and restrained by his own body.
Why does he look so… pitiful?
she thought.
Just as these thoughts crossed her mind,
a sudden realization struck her,
What am I even thinking?
Her eyes widened in shock. Because at that very moment, the man leaning against the bed slowly began to open his eyes.