Before she could even start speaking, her words were mercilessly cut off as Lin Xiao bluntly distanced herself from Ding Jia. Feeling as if she had suffered a severe blow, Ding Jia flushed deeply, her fingers nervously entwining as she looked helplessly toward Kong Chengyi.
Kong Chengyi took her hand to comfort her, his face cold and voice low as he spoke, "Mom!" Earlier that afternoon during a phone call, he had explicitly told her that tonight she must remain silent at dinner and absolutely not embarrass Ding Jia. She had clearly agreed but was now going back on her word.
Lin Xiao had intended to be even more straightforward in declaring that Ding Jia had no relation to the Kong family and to firmly state that she would never be allowed into the family, but Kong Chengyi stopped her abruptly. With a solemn expression, she shut her mouth immediately.
A deathly silence settled over the dining table. Ding Jia, tears brimming, tightly intertwined her trembling hands with Kong Chengyi's broad palm, seeking solace in his touch.
Aunt Yang brought dishes one by one until Kong Huan slowly descended from upstairs, still holding her phone, her head bowed as she swiped the screen with a faint but unmistakable smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"Eat!" Kong Chengyi glanced at Kong Huan, studying the smile on her lips thoughtfully before issuing a cold command, "Put your phone away!"
Caught off guard by the stern warning, Kong Huan pouted, pressed her finger to the screen, and whispered softly into the phone, "I'm eating now, I'll call you back later. You've been at the construction site all day—I haven't seen you at all. I'm keeping an eye on things properly!" Then, she slammed the phone heavily onto the table and picked up her chopsticks to eat.
"Miss Ding, please eat." Aside from a brief nod at the beginning, Kong Zhendong spoke only this line all evening, clearly siding with Lin Xiao and maintaining a cold attitude toward Ding Jia.
With a stiff nod, Ding Jia slowly picked up her chopsticks but hesitated to eat. Her thoughts raced—her in-laws' attitudes were worse than she had anticipated. But she had no intention of giving up. When she became Kong Chengyi's wife, she would make sure to teach these three a lesson or two at the dining table.
Steeling herself, Ding Jia wiped the disappointment from her face, replaced it with a gentle smile, and softly said, "Uncle, Aunt, please enjoy your meal."
A buzzing sound cut through the silence as Kong Huan's phone lit up with a green notification. An involuntary smile touched her lips again as she reached for the phone—but a large hand with pronounced knuckles suddenly blocked her, grabbing the phone and placing it on his side.
"Brother!" Kong Huan exclaimed in shock, visibly displeased.
"I confiscated it. Eat first, we'll talk later." With his usual cool demeanor, Kong Chengyi didn't look at Kong Huan again. Instead, he picked up some food and placed it directly into Ding Jia's bowl. "I'll have the driver send you home afterward. Tonight, I want to talk with Kong Huan." Mysteriously, he wanted to find out who was on the other end of Ding Jia's phone—and he had a faint suspicion it might be Hua Lianxi.
"I—I can wait here until you're done talking!" Ding Jia looked into his sharp jawline with a deep gaze, nervously gripping her chopsticks, surprised that he intended to have her return alone.
Before Kong Chengyi could respond, Kong Zhendong, chewing rice, calmly interjected, "After dinner, come to my study. We need to talk."
Muttering a low "hmph" in response to Kong Zhendong, Kong Chengyi instead reached out to brush back the hair falling around her ear and said gently, "Be good, I'll have the driver take you home."
Pouting slightly, Ding Jia had wanted to act coquettishly and lure Kong Chengyi back to the villa. But with Kong Zhendong's interruption, she could only smile and nod. "Okay, uncle has something to talk to you about, so I'll go home on my own afterward."
Despite the extravagant dishes, Ding Jia couldn't bring herself to eat. The carefully prepared words to propose marriage remained stuck in her throat, and she couldn't awkwardly bring up her beautiful hopes of having children.
Listening to Ding Jia's obedient words, Lin Xiao's face stayed cold. She barely sipped her soup, untouched by the rice, and abruptly stood up. "I'm not hungry!" she said, turning and heading straight upstairs.
Murmuring "Auntie" softly, Ding Jia hoped to stop her but couldn't speak up. She could only watch as Lin Xiao walked away.
The already tense atmosphere thickened into an oppressive silence after Lin Xiao's angry departure. Kong Huan hastily grabbed a few bites and left the table. Shortly after, Kong Zhendong also put down his chopsticks. At the long rectangular dining table sat only Kong Chengyi and Ding Jia.
Stirring the rice in her bowl absentmindedly with her chopsticks, Ding Jia bowed her head slightly. Her originally bright, almond-shaped eyes misted over, her lashes fluttering.
Setting down her bowl, Kong Chengyi tilted up Ding Jia's chin and met her reddened eyes with his dark gaze. "Don't overthink it." He didn't expect his family to accept her right away. Besides, it was peaceful enough that they didn't cause trouble in front of her.
"Yi…" Her chin was lifted, and Ding Jia immediately pouted as tears spilled like dewdrops in the morning sun.
"Be good, don't cry. I'll have the driver take you home." She couldn't eat anymore, and staying there wouldn't make her happy. Kong Chengyi promptly called the driver to take her home.
Sniffling hard, Ding Jia fought back continued tears. Yet under the dark night sky, her nose remained flushed red.
"Come on, let's go home." Holding her hand with one arm, Kong Chengyi opened the car door with the other, gesturing for her to get in.
Standing by the car door, Ding Jia glanced at the grand Kong mansion. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and nestled herself closely against his chest.
"Yi, can't you stay with me tonight? I'll be scared sleeping alone!" Having gotten used to sharing a bed and holding him at any time—and given the special circumstances tonight—she needed his comfort. Perhaps through her sorrow, she could break down his long-standing willpower to keep his distance.
Kong Chengyi gently hugged her back and placed a soft kiss on the nape of her neck before pushing her away slightly. "Be good, listen to me, go home first!"
Pouting, Ding Jia lifted her face to continue acting spoiled but caught Kong Chengyi turning his head slightly, his gaze clearly fixed on a room upstairs. She was about to ask what he was looking at but was gently pushed by him and led toward the car.
Leaning on the car door, Ding Jia reluctantly sat in, somewhat angry, deliberately ignoring Kong Chengyi. After he stepped back, she was quicker, slamming the door shut with a loud "bang" and ordering the driver to leave.
Under the dim lights, his tall silhouette looked even slimmer. Kong Chengyi watched the car fade into the distance, then turned and headed upstairs.
Passing by Kong Zhendong's room, Kong Chengyi didn't enter but went straight to Kong Huan's room and pushed open the door.
"This is a girl's room. Why didn't you knock before coming in?" Kong Huan was sprawled on the bed messing with her phone. The sudden entrance startled her, and she sat up, noticing Kong Chengyi and immediately shouting.
Raising an eyebrow, Kong Chengyi glanced around the room before slowly running his long fingers over her neatly organized professional books. Mockingly, he said, "Last I heard, your organization skills were zero. How come your books are so neatly arranged now?"
"Hmph! That's because Sister Hua used to help me organize them!" Kong Huan glared at him, unhappy with his mockery but unable to refute the fact, reluctantly confessing.
Kong Chengyi's fingers stopped sliding over the books. He turned to face Kong Huan. "Sister Hua? I don't remember us having such a relative!" The relationship between her and Hua Lianxi seemed unusual. What was going on? Kong Chengyi instantly wanted to find out everything.
Looking down on Kong Chengyi, Kong Huan snorted coldly and lay back down, scrolling on her phone, refusing to acknowledge her brother.
After a few moments of silence, Kong Chengyi took a few steps forward but stopped at the bed edge, leaning down slightly. "Who gave you permission to work outside? Quit and come back to Chengzai Group!"
The sudden, cold demand was unacceptable to Kong Huan. She jumped up, nearly bumping her forehead on his chin. "Why should I quit? I'm doing well outside now. I'm applying what I've learned—I want to become an interior designer!" Why should he threaten her like this, just because she was ignoring him?
Glaring fiercely, Kong Huan looked like a fierce little lioness.
"I'm your brother! When I say come back, you come back!" With a confident smile, Kong Chengyi watched her rage with amusement.
"Grandma already agreed to me working outside. I can have a job outside!" She leaned on Fang Xiufang's support, unafraid that he didn't know better.
"Grandma's in the hospital now. Her permission doesn't count. Quit immediately tomorrow, leave the Cheng family mansion, and stay away from your so-called Sister Hua!" Kong Chengyi blurted out, surprised at how easily he had dragged Hua Lianxi into the matter.
"Hmph! Why stay away from her? She's very nice to me. I see her at the company every day!" Narrowing her eyes, Kong Huan suddenly seemed to smell something, changing her tone quickly. "Cheng Shaobai is very considerate to her—he even arranged a place for Sister Hua to live near the company and takes her out to eat every day. He often takes her out to play. I've noticed she's gained weight recently, and isn't it said that love makes a person plump? I think..." She purposely dragged out the syllable, sneaking a glance at Kong Chengyi to gauge his reaction.
"Work? Hmph, what can she do? Cheng Shaobai's personal secretary?" Kong Chengyi curled his lips in mocking disdain, unconsciously squinting with anger.
"It wouldn't be bad if she were his personal secretary! That way, they could not only work together but also spend time together after work. That'd be great!" Lying back on her bed, Kong Huan stared at the ceiling earnestly and sighed, "Cheng Shaobai takes such good care of Sister Hua; I envy her. Someday I want to find someone who loves me this much and train the overbearing CEO into my personal servant!"