As they watched Qin Qing's father open the door, he was followed by her mother, grandparents, uncle and aunt, female cousin, male cousin, and an unfamiliar young man.
Ye Xiu and Qin Qing felt as if they had been caught in the act. A wave of nervousness, guilt, and sheer awkwardness washed over them. A single thought ran through their minds: Holy shit!
"What should we do?" Qin Qing shot Ye Xiu a questioning glance.
He returned her look. "Don't worry. Not even the King of Heaven himself can stop us from getting our marriage license today."
At that moment, the Qin family members were even more bewildered than Ye Xiu and Qin Qing. They were not surprised to see Qin Qing home—after all, her car was parked outside. What stunned them was that she had actually brought a man home with her. Since she was a child, this was only the second time Qin Qing had brought a man home, the first being Ye Xiu himself all those years ago.
"What's your name!" Qin Han said, taking a deep breath and enunciating each word.
"I didn't shout," Ye Xiu said, turning to Qin Qing in confusion. "Did I?"
A wave of stunned silence fell over Qin Qing, her family, and the unfamiliar young man.
Qin Qing sucked in a sharp breath, staring at Ye Xiu in shock. What on earth was he doing abroad for ten years? How did his IQ drop this low?
"I am asking what your name is, and what your relationship is with my daughter," Qin Han repeated patiently, looking at Ye Xiu as if he were an idiot.
Ye Xiu finally realized he had made a fool of himself. Man, I was way too nervous. He was about to state his name right away. The illustrious Huang Quan would never stoop to inventing a fake name to fool someone.
However, before he could speak, Qin Qing cut in, changing the subject. "Dad, who is this with Anruo? I don't think I've seen him before."
At the mention of the unfamiliar young man, Qin Han immediately lost interest in Ye Xiu and said with a smile, "Oh, his name is Huang Tao. He's Anruo's boyfriend. He proposed to her yesterday, so today she brought him over for the whole family to meet."
"Sister, Huang Tao has a doctorate in medicine from Mu Ya University!" Qin Anruo chimed in, walking over with her arm linked through Huang Tao's. She boasted proudly, "And he's the son of the famous cardiovascular and cerebrovascular specialist, Huang Xinming."
A cold light flashed in Ye Xiu's eyes at the name Huang Xinming. It was Huang Xinming who had reported him back then, maliciously slandering him with fabricated stories in front of reporters. He never expected to run into his enemy's son the very day he returned to the country.
"Anruo, don't just tell everyone who my father is. I earned my doctorate through my own hard work," Huang Tao chided, affecting a humble tone.
Hearing this, the Qin family grew even more pleased with him. Capable, modest, and from a good family—a man like that was one in a million.
"I know, I know!" Qin Anruo pouted, acting as meek as a kitten. She then turned her attention to Ye Xiu. "Sister, is this your husband-to-be? What's his degree? What does he do for a living? What's his family background like?"
As she spoke, her eyes raked over Ye Xiu's clothes, her tone dripping with undisguised scorn and disdain. She was clearly trying to use Huang Tao's credentials to humiliate both Ye Xiu and Qin Qing. The Qin family was not surprised by this. Qin Qing and Qin Anruo had a falling out over Ye Xiu ten years ago and had never reconciled.
"The kind of boyfriend I find is none of your business," Qin Qing said coldly, wishing she could strangle her cousin. She had just managed to shift the focus to Huang Tao, only for Qin Anruo to drag it right back to Ye Xiu.
"I'm just looking out for you, Sister. You're such a catch. Even if you don't like those rich heirs, you should at least find a down-to-earth professional like Huang Tao." Qin Anruo shot Ye Xiu a contemptuous look. "Just look at this guy. Besides his halfway-decent looks, what part of him is worthy of you?"
"Anruo," Huang Tao interjected, feigning a reprimand. "Even if this gentleman shovels manure for a living, you shouldn't look down on him. He might be poor now, but he could be successful in the future."
He patted Ye Xiu's shoulder encouragingly. "Every trade has its master. As long as you work hard, you can succeed even if you're mucking out cesspits. Here, you can start by setting a small goal for yourself, like buying a watch like mine."
He flashed the Rolex on his wrist for Ye Xiu to see.
Ye Xiu was too exasperated to even argue. How do I look poor? And what's so special about a crappy Rolex?
Ye Xiu did not like to flaunt his wealth, unless someone else started it first.
So, Ye Xiu showed his own watch to Huang Tao. "That goal's a little small."
"What kind of watch is that?" Huang Tao squinted at it for a long moment but could not recognize the brand.
"I bet it's just some regular watch," Qin Anruo scoffed. "Men and their fragile egos. He doesn't recognize a Rolex, so he thinks showing off his own off-brand junk will save him some face."
Ye Xiu was speechless. I wanted to shut them up, but these two country bumpkins don't even recognize a valuable item when they see one.
Huang Tao chuckled. "My point was for you to set a goal of buying a famous brand like mine. You can get a watch like that from a dollar store. It's worthless."
"Hold on!"
Just then, Qin Qing's grandfather, Qin Fugui, walked over. He studied Ye Xiu's watch for a moment before exclaiming in shock, "Is this... is this the Louis Moinet Meteoris?"
"It is," Ye Xiu smiled. Finally, someone with a discerning eye.
"My goodness, I've finally seen one in person! It's so exquisite..." Qin Fugui caressed the watch, unable to take his hands off it, his eyes burning with unconcealed greed.
"Grandpa, it's just some no-name watch. Is it really worth making such a fuss?" Qin Anruo asked. The rest of the family gathered around, unsettled by Qin Fugui's uncharacteristic reaction. Even Qin Qing had never heard of a Louis Moinet Meteoris; she had no interest in watches.
"You don't know shit! If this is a no-name brand, then a Rolex is garbage!" Qin Fugui snapped. "This is the only watch in the world made from a Martian meteorite! It's worth at least thirty million, and it's not something you can buy even if you have the money."
Uh...
Qin Anruo and Huang Tao were dumbfounded. Just moments ago, they were sneering at Ye Xiu for being poor, mocking his worthless watch and trying to feel superior. Now, it turned out his watch was countless times more expensive than Huang Tao's Rolex.
The Qin family now looked at Ye Xiu as if he were a glittering mountain of gold. Compared to him, Huang Tao was just a piece of scrap metal.
The shift in their family's gazes did not escape Qin Anruo and Huang Tao, and it infuriated them. Huang Tao was supposed to be the star of the show today, but Ye Xiu had completely stolen his thunder.
"Grandpa, are you sure you're not mistaken? How could someone dressed so shabbily afford such an expensive watch?" Qin Anruo questioned.
"It must be a fake," Huang Tao declared with certainty. "There's no way someone like him could afford a watch like that."
"Are you questioning my eye and my knowledge?" Qin Fugui scolded. "Collecting fine watches has been my only hobby my entire life. I could never be mistaken about this."
That shut them up. Qin Anruo and Huang Tao did not dare say another word, feeling as if they had just eaten shit. Qin Anruo had thought finding a fiancé like Huang Tao would finally let her get one over on Qin Qing. But the random man Qin Qing brought home turned out to be far wealthier than him.
Huang Tao's face flushed red with embarrassment. The Qin family was richer than he was, so he had hoped to feel superior by looking down on Ye Xiu. Instead, the tables had turned, and he was the one being humiliated.
Then, an idea struck him. He said to Ye Xiu, "I see Grandpa really likes your watch. Why don't you give it to him? Consider it a welcoming gift. After all, when I first visited, I brought Grandpa several valuable presents."
Qin Anruo was delighted. Now that's a brilliant move!
A watch worth over thirty million. With the entire Qin family watching, Ye Xiu would surely be too embarrassed to refuse. And if he did, he would leave a terrible impression on all of them.