The Huo family hardly judged people by their family backgrounds but they did care about observing courtesies. Old Master Huo wished he had been informed about Huo Yifan bringing his girlfriend in advance. All the same, he was happy to meet her.
As Huo Yifanâs grandfather, he would be pleased to see him enter into a stable relationship.
While Huo Yifan was speaking, his eyes alighted on the person behind Yifan in anticipation.
Huo Yifan apologized for being late first before continuing to say, âYeah, I went to pick her up. Grandpa, this is my girlfriend.â
He took a few steps forward as he introduced her. The girl, hand in hand with him, took a few steps forward as well and walked to his side.
At that point, the rest of the family finally saw her face.
Su Qingsang hadnât expected to meet Huo Yifanâs girlfriend at a family meeting. She figured it must mean that Huo Yifan was serious about a girl this time.
She froze when she realized who it was.
âGrandpa, this is Su Peizhen, my girlfriend. Peizhen, this is my Grandpa.â Huo Yifan proceeded to introduce Su Peizhen to his grandfather.
Su Peizhen? How could it be Su Peizhen? Su Qingsang failed to hide the shock from her eyes, as these questions were raced through her mind.
Huo Jinyao was somewhat surprised as well. He narrowed his eyes slightly, looking over Huo Yifan and Su Peizhen in a scrutinizing manner.
Su Peizhen took a few more steps forward until she was standing right in front of the entire Huo Family.
She was not intimidated in the least. Looking directly at Old Master Huo, she bowed naturally and politely.
âItâs a pleasure to finally meet you, Grandpa Huo,â she said.
As she spoke, she brought out the medium-sized gift box she had been concealing and handed it to Old Master Huo.
âGrandpa Huo, I know little about your preferences, and Yifan invited me here without much notice. I didnât have the time to prepare a better gift for you. Iâve brought you this humble little token. I hope youâll like it.â
Most of the time, Su Peizhen put on a sexy, charming look, which many elders would have disapproved of. However, before her visit to the Huo Family, she had invested some extra effort to dress up in a departure from her usual style. She picked a lovely dress with long sleeves, and a jacket designed in along the lines of a classic Chanel.
Wearing that outfit, she made herself look much more mature and flamboyant than usual. The new dress along with her politeness and warm attitude helped her to make a good impression on Old Master Huo.
âItâs nice to meet you. You really didnât have to bring me anything. We are just happy to have you here.â
Old Master Huo took the gift.
âOh, but I wanted to bring you a gift.â Su Peizhen held Huo Yifanâs arm and continued, âIâve heard so much about you from Yifan. He always told me youâre the person he admires and respects the most. Iâve been so jealous of him for having such a wonderful grandpa.â
âReally?â Old Master Huo asked.
He wasnât one who particularly enjoyed receiving compliments, but even still, Su Peizhenâs words made him smile faintly.
âOf course! After hearing all that Yi Fan has had to say about you, I couldnât wait to meet you in person.â
Su Peizhen ducked her head. At that moment she looked nothing like the spoiled rich girl she used to be. The aggression that she had shown to Huo Yifan was nowhere to be seen.
She looked at Old Master Huo gently, with warmth. She talked in a sweet voice, looking like nothing less than a well-educated girl from a decent family.
Huo Yifan had been a little worried before the meeting. However Su Peizhenâs performance relieved him from his worry. He could not help but start taking in glances of Huo Jinyao from the corner of his eye.
âHuo Jinyao, youâre not the only one who has good taste in girls,â he thought to himself. He believed that his girl was better than Huo Jinyaoâs.
It was not the first time Huo Jinyao had met Su Peizhen. He had seen her before. He had observed her being proud and arrogant, being disrespectful to others. He had also witnessed her exploding in a rage after failing to hurt Su Qingsang.
Her current mannerisms were not like anything heâd seen her do before. In fact, not even Su Qingsang, who had grown up together with Su Peizhen, had ever seen her act like this before.
Su Qingsang watched her half-sister Su Peizhen, and could not help but click her tongue.
What on earth was Su Peizhen up to?
Huo Yifan turned around, finding Huo Jinyao and Su Qingsang both wearing a look of surprise.
He felt so proud once more that he even smirked them.
He did not want to waste time talking to Huo Jinyao and his wife, as he considered them unimportant. He had never liked those two.
âPeizhen, come here. Let me introduce the rest of my family to you.â
âSure,â Su Peizhen nodded with a smile. In the next second, her face changed when she saw Su Qingsang.
âSister?â she said.
She covered her mouth as soon as she had said it, as though she had misspoken. Following this, she turned to Huo Yifan helplessly.
She had called Su Qingsang her sister in a loud and clear voice so everyone heard.
âWhat did you just call her?â
Huo Yifan paused briefly, suspiciously looking at Su Qingsang and Su Peizhen both.
Su Peizhen and Su Qingsang shared the same family name. He hadnât noticed that until just now.
The smug look on his face shifted minutely.
Su Peizhen looked at Su Qingsang with an expression of panic. âIâm sorry, Mrs. Huo. I shouldnât have called you that.â She acted like a scared little girl.
As she spoke, she moved slightly closer to Huo Yifan wearing a look of fear on her face.
Su Qingsang sat still as she watched Su Peizhen put on a show.
She had never seen Su Peizhen like that before. Watching the her sisterâs strange behavior, Su Qingsang figured something out.
Sitting beside Su Qingsang, Huo Jinyao held her hand and squeezed it gently.
Su Qingsang glanced at him, the emotions stirring within her magically calmed down at that moment.
Whatever Su Peizhen was trying to do, she was not afraid of it.
âPeizhen, what is going on?â
Huo Yifan squinted at Su Qingsang and then at Su Peizhen.
âI...â Su Peizhen stuttered, like a girl who was feeling shy. At that moment all the aggression, arrogance, and heat that she had exhibited before Huo Yifan vanished without a trace.
She eyed Su Qingsang warily.
Su Qingsang looked at her without saying anything.
She had regained her calm and now was in the state of mind to observe Su Peizhenâs little show.
Honestly, she was taken aback by Su Peizhenâs terrific acting. It was such a shame that she hadnât had the chance to embark upon an acting career.
Aside from Huo Jinyao and Su Qingsang, others now were looking at Su Peizhen as well.
Huo Mingmei was squinting at the girl, anticipating the best part of the show to come.
Liu Tongjia had been scolded by Huo Mingguang earlier and was in a terrible mood.
She was no fan of Su Qingsangâs but she disliked Su Peizhen even more. The girl left her sentence hanging and Liu Tongjia hated that.
Su Peizhen was aware that she should not draw it out too long with people waiting. She looked at Su Qingsang and then answered Huo Yifan without hesitating.
âShe is my sister.â