It was nearing noon that day.
In the Magic Capital, at the Xu Family's Western-style house, Li Lilin was flipping through a magazine in the living room when she heard a knock at the door.
"Aunt Zhou, go see who it is," she said reflexively.
Remembering that Aunt Zhou was still upstairs tidying up and the doorbell kept ringing persistently, Li Lilin sighed and stood up to answer the door herself.
"Never mind, I'll go see. Who is it?"
As she spoke, Li Lilin had already reached the door. She yanked it open and froze.
Before her stood a crowd. A middle-aged couple of distinguished bearing supported an elderly woman with white-streaked temples, while seven stunning young women circled around them.
And standing among them were her own daughter, Xu Yifei, and her future son-in-law, Fu Shan.
Li Lilin was dumbfounded.
"You are... Yifei, Fu Shan, what is all this?"
"You must be the mother of the groom, right?" Fu Yuheng spoke first, before Fu Shan and Xu Yifei could respond.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, mother of the groom! I'm Fu Shan's father. This is my mother, Old Madam Fu, and this is my wife, Luo Huiying." Fu Yuheng gestured to Old Madam Fu and then to Luo Huiying beside him.
At that moment, seventh sister Fu Zizhi, smiling brightly, chimed in, "Hello, Auntie! We're Fu Shan's sisters." As she spoke, Fu Zizhi casually pointed to the six sisters beside her.
Li Lilin: "...???"
What was going on?
Wasn't Fu Shan supposed to be a simple country boy from some small village?
How could he have such distinguished-looking parents and grandmother?
Moreover, Li Lilin knew about the trouble Fu Shan's parents had caused before. She had even seen interviews with them online. She was absolutely certain that the people she'd seen online were nothing like the ones before her.
And these seven sisters—each with her own unique charm, yet all possessing breathtaking beauty and elegance—
They were all Fu Shan's sisters?
Good heavens! Seven sisters!
All of them were stunningly beautiful.
And the girl who had boldly stepped forward to introduce herself as Fu Shan's sister was none other than the national film empress—Fu Zizhi?!
*Is that right? Is that right?*
*I haven't mistaken her, have I?*
Staring at the scene before her, Li Lilin was both astonished and bewildered.
Just as Li Lilin was lost in her amazement, the sound of activity outside the door caught the attention of the three little cuties who had been sitting obediently in their special little chairs. They scrambled down and rushed toward the door on their short legs, their little feet pattering:
"I heard someone mention Daddy! Is Daddy back?" Yun Duo asked in her sweet, childish voice as she ran toward the door.
"Mmm-hmm! I heard it too! It must be Daddy! Daddy, come play with Tian Yu!" Tian Yu nodded vigorously, shouting excitedly.
The little "iceberg" Tian Yi, acting like a little adult, took his younger siblings by the hand on either side to prevent them from falling.
Hearing his younger siblings' words, he didn't say much, but his steps quickened slightly.
His actions spoke volumes of his eagerness to see his father as soon as possible.
The three little ones came running over, their little feet pattering along the way. The moment they spotted Fu Shan, their faces lit up. Yun Duo was the first to charge forward, her tiny legs carrying her in a blur:
"Daddy, you're finally back~. Yun Duo missed you so much~."
She threw her arms around one of his legs, tilting her precious, doll-like face up at him with a radiant smile. Her voice was a sweet, milky lilt as she spoke.
At the same time, the sturdy Tian Yu also rushed forward, wrapping his arms around Fu Shan's other leg. He tilted his head back and shouted:
"Me too! Me too! Daddy, Tian Yu missed you too!"
The little iceberg, Tian Yi, remained as taciturn as ever. He didn't say a word, simply walking closer to stand beside his siblings. He lifted his face to look at Fu Shan, quietly observing the interaction between his brother, sister, and father.
Despite his efforts to suppress it, an involuntary smile tugged at the corner of his lips, betraying Tian Yi's joy and delight.
It was clear that Tian Yi was thrilled to see his father return.
Fu Shan was naturally overjoyed to be surrounded by his three adorable little ones. But before he could even speak, the rest of the Fu Family erupted in excitement:
"Oh my, these must be Yun Duo, Tian Yi, and Tian Yu! They're so cute!"
The first to speak was Old Madam Zhou Qinlan of the Fu Family.
The moment she saw the three plump, fair-skinned, and utterly charming little ones, like tiny bundles of milk, her gaze was riveted to them. She stared intently, her affection for the trio overflowing.
Fu Yuheng immediately crouched down and gently patted each of the children's little heads. "So these are Tian Yi, Tian Yu, and Yun Duo. You're even cuter than in the videos! Haha."
Luo Huiying nodded in agreement, her voice filled with warmth. "Yes, dear. I was just thinking the same thing. Haha." She also crouched down, tenderly taking each of the children's chubby little hands.
The seven older sisters, meanwhile, swarmed in without hesitation:
"Wow, niece/nephew, you're so adorable! So tiny! So cute!"
"They're even cuter than they look in the videos."
"Come here, come here! Auntie wants a hug!"
***
The three little darlings were momentarily stunned by the sudden situation. They tilted their heads back in unison, gazing at the adults who had suddenly surrounded them, patting their heads, holding their hands, and vying to hold them.
Seeing his three little ones looking utterly bewildered, Fu Shan couldn't help but smile. Following suit, he reached out and gently patted the heads of each of the three little bundles of joy:
"Yun Duo, Tian Yi, Tian Yu, these are your great-grandmother, grandfather, grandmother, and aunts. Why aren't you greeting your elders?"
The three little ones froze again. In the next moment, the eldest, Tian Yi—the most composed and intelligent—was the first to react. He called out in a clear voice:
"Hello, Great-Grandmother, Grandfather, Grandmother, and Aunts!"
*No wonder these people looked familiar,* he thought. *Weren't these the same people who were with Mom and Dad during our video call? Dad already had us greet them one by one then.*
So, these were their great-grandmother, grandfather, grandmother, and... one, two, three, four, five, six, seven—seven aunts!