Chapter 65

Zhao Zhu's aunt and his mother are sisters, but their personalities are completely different. Zhao Zhu's mother, Wu Xiuya, is a very ambitious and strong-willed woman, while his aunt, Wu Xiuzhen, has a more delicate and feminine character. She usually enjoys beauty treatments, traveling, or playing a few rounds of cards in Macau or even on a cruise ship.

Of course, Wu Xiuzhen's ability to live such a carefree and lazy life is due to her husband and his family's significant position in politics. Although they cannot compare to the red families in the central government, in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region, her husband's family has a tremendous influence in the political arena. Her husband is the leading figure of this generation of the family and currently serves as the vice mayor of SZ City. With the support of family resources, he will soon rise to greater heights. After giving birth to a daughter for her husband, Wu Xiuzhen resigned from her job and began her life as a wealthy lady.

However, what makes Wu Xiuzhen somewhat envious is that she originally thought she had climbed the social ladder and could help her sister, satisfying her vanity and showing "sisterly affection." But who would have thought that her sister's young husband, a medical doctor, would rise higher and higher each year, becoming more and more capable. A few years ago, he was just a medical authority in SZ, but now he provides medical services to the central leadership in Beijing.

It's important to understand that in the red walls, even a tea server is not a minor figure, let alone a doctor who treats the central leaders. Although the doctor-patient relationship is often portrayed as tense in society, it is actually very close under normal circumstances. Patients generally have a good feeling towards the doctors who treat them, which is a "solid relationship" that money can't buy. In necessary situations, it's not impossible for a patient to have a word with the higher-ups.

Her brother-in-law is no less capable than her husband, and being self-made, he might even be more capable than her husband, who relies on family support. Her sister, who is also self-made, has even more clout. She runs a massive listed healthcare company, with wealth and influence that cannot be underestimated.

Therefore, even though Wu Xiuzhen is somewhat materialistic, she can't find any fault with the idea of her daughter marrying her sister's son. Her husband is even actively promoting this marriage, or rather, this alliance, as he believes it will bring significant social connections. The issue of incest between cousins is not a problem because Wu Xiuya and Wu Xiuzhen are not biological sisters; they were both adopted by a scholarly family as orphans when they were young. Therefore, Zhao Zhu and his cousin have no blood relation.

Wu Xiuzhen takes her birthday party very seriously. She specially invited several famous chefs from SH City to prepare various dishes and drinks in her courtyard. She also invited many celebrities and magicians, and with the help of some people who are eager to please her, everything she could think of and even things she couldn't think of were arranged perfectly.

In the evening, guests began to arrive one after another. Each invitation holder could bring two friends to the party, so Zhao Zhu brought Xiong Zhiqi with him. His invitation was separate from his parents', and his mother had come earlier in the day to accompany her sister. His father, however, was still unable to make time, but he had specifically instructed his mother to resolve Zhao Zhu and his cousin Xia Yihan's marriage tonight. They needed to decide whether to proceed with the wedding as planned or postpone or even cancel the engagement, as both of them are no longer young and it's not appropriate to delay any longer.

"Brother Zhao, what's this? It's quite delicious. Is it a sausage? I've never tasted such fresh sausage before," Xiong Zhiqi said, holding a plate of food and eating it. He came with the heart of a foodie.

Zhao Zhu glanced at Xiong Zhiqi and saw that he had a fork with something that looked like a sausage, but the color was different from ordinary sausages. Then Zhao Zhu said directly:

"This isn't a sausage; it's a sheep's bladder."

"Ah..." Xiong Zhiqi's face turned green, completely unable to accept it.

Zhao Zhu didn't plan to go in and greet his aunt right away. Since his mother was with her, he didn't want to chat with the uncles and aunts too early. Their way of communicating was too hypocritical, and as a psychiatrist, he was particularly sensitive to such things, so even when he had to deal with it, he found it uncomfortable.

After drinking three glasses of red wine to rinse his mouth, Xiong Zhiqi finally recovered. Seeing some familiar celebrities on TV, he was surprised:

"Wow, Brother Zhao, there are so many celebrities."

"Hmm."

"Look, I was listening to her song this morning, and now I can see her."

"Go get an autograph."

"Um... Is it really okay here? This is her private time, after all."

"What private time? She was invited here to entertain the guests. Go ahead, she won't refuse to chat with you or give you an autograph."

"Okay, I'll go."

Xiong Zhiqi eagerly went to chat with the female singer, while Zhao Zhu casually picked up a glass of fresh orange juice and sat down in a corner. His mind was still preoccupied with some things that needed careful consideration.

At this moment, a figure sat opposite Zhao Zhu. The man was wearing a wine-red suit, and from his hair to his shoes, he was impeccably groomed, almost to the point of being overly clean. He had fair skin and long fingers, resembling a male star who had just finished filming a Korean drama and stepped out of the studio.

"Hey, friend, why are you sitting here alone? It's so boring." The man greeted Zhao Zhu with a condescending tone, but Zhao Zhu knew that his aunt only had one child, his cousin. As for whether his uncle had any illegitimate children, Zhao Zhu didn't know, but even if he did, he wouldn't have the nerve to show up at his aunt's birthday party and act like the host.

Zhao Zhu continued to drink his orange juice, ignoring him. He had no interest in chatting with a man here.

"Today is my girlfriend's mother's birthday, and I feel it's my duty to take care of every guest, especially the young ones. We have a group of people ready to play cards. Friend, why don't you join us for a few rounds?"

Zhao Zhu's aunt has a gambling habit, so there is a professional poker table at home. It was now set up for the guests, and the dealer is a professional. Everything is very professional, as if a small Macau had been moved here.

"No, I'm not interested," Zhao Zhu directly refused. He wasn't particularly interested in whether this man was his fiancée's boyfriend. He had no reason to be jealous, as he also had a girlfriend in SZ and had been with many women. He couldn't expect his cousin Xia Yihan to wait for him as a pure and innocent girl.

"Come on, friend, give me some face, okay? Yihan is there too. Let's go say hello. Young people always have something to talk about when they get together."

The man in the suit reached out to pick up the glass Zhao Zhu had just placed on the table, intending to invite Zhao Zhu to leave and join them in playing cards.

But no matter how the man took the glass, Zhao Zhu remained firmly seated, showing no intention of moving.

The man's face slowly turned dark, and he said in a low voice:

"Friend, you seem to be not giving me any face." His tone was already tinged with anger.

Zhao Zhu smiled, stood up, walked to the man, and took back his half-full glass of orange juice.

This action made the man in the suit think that Zhao Zhu was showing weakness and intended to follow him. A mocking look appeared in his eyes, believing that Zhao Zhu was just putting on a brave front.

However, the next moment, the man was stunned:

After taking the glass, Zhao Zhu poured the half-full glass of orange juice directly onto the man's face, then gently placed the glass back on the table, wiped his hands with a wet wipe, and smiled:

"Face? Where did you roll out from, you little scumbag? Why should I give you any face?"

---

Note: The last part of the text is a call for votes and an advertisement, which is not translated.