Chapter 461
As soon as Han Zihao stepped into the dining room, he was surprised to see the Gu family sitting there, having a sumptuous meal with his family.
There was Grandfather Gu, Xu Nuan’s Father Gu Zhang, and his wife Lin Ran. He raised his brows upon realizing that they didn’t bring Gu Xingren along with them.
At least they have some sanity to not bring their ‘dear daughter’ to a family dinner where she isn’t welcomed, at least not until she owns up for her past crimes like an adult and atones for them.
He was caught off guard by this sudden, forced family dinner with the people he had barely interacted with in the past and never had a good impression of them. However, he soon came to his senses and greeted them with a smile on his face, a forced smile.
Grandfather Gu was pleased to meet Han Zihao once again and responded to his greeting with a bright smile and shook hands with him.
On the other hand, an uneasy smile appeared on the faces of Gu Zhang and his wife when Han Zihao greeted them with a polite smile but they could feel the hostility from his cold and intense gaze.
.....
The way he warmly greeted Grandfather Gu and the way he coldly greeted them without even shaking hands with Gu Zhang, they knew that he still despises them for supporting Xingren in the past, despite her attempts to hurt Xu Nuan many times.
Gu Zhang and Lin Ran cleared their throats awkwardly and sat on their seats without saying anything.
___
After greeting everyone, Han Zihao heard his Grandfather say, “Zihao, You’re finally here. How can you be so late for the family dinner? Everyone was waiting for you.”
“Go and take your seat next to Xu Nuan. Go!” Grandfather Han berated his grandson for being late and ushered him to sit next to Xu Nuan.
Han Zihao nodded and hurriedly went to sit next to Xu Nuan, who was focusing on her food. She looked up when she heard her name and smiled at Grandfather Han but she didn’t spare a glance at Han Zihao, who was now sitting next to her.
He pursed his lips and poked Xu Nuan on her arms gently to get her attention. However, she didn’t glance at him and continued to focus on having her warm corn soup.
“I am sorry for being late. Feng Sheng didn’t inform me about it earlier because I was in a meeting. But I rushed over here as soon as I found out about the dinner. I will never do that again.” He leaned close to her and whispered in her ears, explaining to her the reason why he got late.
Xu Nuan paused in her eating and looked up at him before focusing on her food again, ” Why are you explaining it to me? I didn’t say anything to you.”
She played cool but seeing her indifferent tone and blank expression, he could tell that she was trying her best to not showcase her internal emotions in front of everyone.
She was angry with him. Very Much!
Grandfather Gu, who was watching Han Zihao trying to talk to Xu Nuan and sometimes teasing her to get her attention, couldn’t help but smile to see the two of them getting along so well.
He was glad that Xu Nuan chose a capable man as her partner who loves her and pampers her that her own family failed to do that for her.
He was pleased that not only did Han Zihao cares for her but also Grandmother Han and the other family members were also taking Xu Nuan’s side and scolding Han Zihao for being late and upsetting Xu Nuan who had been at Han Mansion for the whole evening.
Grandfather Gu unknowingly glanced at his son and daughter-in-law who looked out of the place and were enjoying their dinner without bothering about anything. They’re meeting Xu Nuan after such a long time yet they feel nothing about this moment.
He sighed in disappointment and wondered where he failed as a parent, that his son turned out to be the worst father he could ever be to his daughter.
Gu Zhang and Lin Ran gave birth to a beautiful and sweet child like Xu Nuan and failed to take care of her. Even after finding her after 15 long years, they treated her and made her feel like an outsider when she was together with her family.
That’s why at a family gathering like this, Xu Nuan seems to be more close to Han Zihao’s parents and family members than her parents.
He could see how much everyone adores Xu Nuan and similarly, she also looks close to them as if they’re in regular contact with each other and have already accepted each other as part of their family.
Whereas, she hasn’t contacted them since she took back Xingren’s case as if she has cut off all ties with them.
Not only that, She hasn’t even talked to Gu Zhang and Lin Ran since the moment they arrived at Han Mansion and was only talking to him.
Well, it’s not like the other two also tried to make some conversation with her. She did the right thing. She has every right to not speak to the parents who let her be on her own rather than giving her the love and pampering that she deserved.
___
After dinner, the kitchen staff cleaned up the dining table and served desserts for everyone.
Xu Nuan, who was in a bad mood earlier, her face lit up to see the strawberry ice cream with strawberries and nuts as a topping.
She got emotional and looked up at Grandmother Han to thank her for it. ” Grandma, thank you so much for being so nice to me. I love strawberry ice cream. It made me so happy.”
Grandmother Han chuckled upon hearing her praises and said, ” Ayo, I am glad you like it. However, I only asked the kitchen staff to add some fresh strawberries and nuts on top as toppings. It was Zihao who brought the ice cream for you.”
“I only had cheesecake and macrons prepared for everyone for dessert. However, he asked to serve ice cream along with it.” She added and helped Han Zihao to gain some brownie points from Xu Nuan.
Since he knew that he was late, how can he come empty-handed? That’s why he brought her favorite strawberry ice cream with him along the way as a small token of bribe to make her smile.
Xu Nuan looked at Han Zihao and squinted at him skeptically before giving in to his efforts and finally smiled at him and said, ” Fine. Since you’re making so much effort, I forgive you this time. But you better not be late next time.”
“At least inform me first if you’re going to be late. I hate when you just leave me hanging, waiting for you endlessly.” She complains while tasting her strawberry ice cream which immediately melted in her mouth and made her feel as if she was in heaven.
She has no idea if it’s her hormones or mood swings but she never loved strawberry ice cream as much as she does now. It’s like heaven for her, delicious heaven.
“I am sure he will be late next time as well. Old habits never go away.” Han Liang added to tease Han Zihao.
Han Zihao gritted his teeth and wanted to smack his brother on the head but controlled himself since Grandfather Gu was staring at them.
While Han Zihao was giving death glares to Han Liang, Grandfather Gu saw the sweet bickerings between the couple and Han Liang let out a sigh of relief.
How can their family be so lively and happy? It was the kind of atmosphere that is hard to find in their house.
___
Grandfather Gu turned to Grandmother Han, who invited them for dinner and asked, ” Mrs. Han, earlier you said that you have something to talk to us about.”
“What is it? Now Han Zihao has also come from the office and everyone is here. You can say it now.”
Grandmother Han glanced at Han Zihao and Xu Nuan, who had frozen in their seats and looked uneasy.
She chuckled to see their shocked and uncomfortable reaction and cleared her throat before saying, ” Mr. Gu, you’re right. I invited you and your family for dinner because I have good news to share with everyone.”
[ Read this novel only on W e b n o v e l . c o m ( remove spaces). If you are reading this story on a website, other than w e b n o v e l app, then this novel has been pirated. To support the original author and not the thieves, read it on w e b n o v e l app] Insta – @kamlyn_love.