Chapter 370: Scoundrel, Don’t You Understand the Ties of Blood

“Miss Luo, this way, please…”

Zhou Shun’an, the deputy general manager of Zhenhai, personally escorted Luo Xiwen to the Xige Pavilion private room. He didn’t dare to show the slightest neglect, his expression exceptionally respectful.

“Thank you.”

Luo Xiwen replied politely.

At the same time, her gaze shifted to the round table in the center of the room.

Hm?

When Luo Xiwen saw the people sitting around the table, her delicate brows furrowed slightly.

‘Isn’t this supposed to be a family dinner?’

‘Why are there outsiders here?’

Luo Xiwen looked at the three strangers in the seats of honor, feeling a little puzzled, but she didn’t let it show on her face as she continued walking into the room.

“Mom, Dad.”

“Third Aunt, Third Uncle, Xiao Ming.”

The Xige Pavilion private room wasn’t particularly large, probably furnished with a standard ten-person table.

As soon as Luo Xiwen stepped into the room, everyone’s eyes turned to her, including those of the three strangers.

The gazes of the two older strangers, in particular, felt condescending and full of scrutiny, making Luo Xiwen feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

“Xi Wen, you’re here.”

Luo Xiwen’s third aunt, Hou Meixia, was the younger sister of Luo Xiwen’s mother, Hou Meilan. Hou Meixia was the third-born sibling, and Hou Meilan was the second. Their older brother, Luo Xiwen’s eldest uncle, had passed away when Luo Xiwen was just a teenager.

Back when her eldest uncle was still alive, the three families had been relatively close. But after he passed away, and with her maternal grandparents having died when she was very young, the families drifted apart without that central figure holding them together.

They only ever saw each other for major family events; otherwise, they might go two or three years without meeting. In fact, the last time Luo Xiwen had seen her third aunt’s family was two years ago.

Compared to Luo Xiwen’s parents, who were ordinary workers at a state-owned enterprise, her third aunt’s family was much better off. They ran their own produce supermarket. Although it meant working from dawn to dusk, earning several hundred thousand yuan a year was no problem for them.

They had made an especially huge profit during the “special period” a few years ago.

They had upgraded from a small three-bedroom apartment to a large four-bedroom one, and from an old Mercedes E-Class to a new BMW 7 Series—a complete and total upgrade.

Now, looking at her third aunt, who was adorned with gold and silver jewelry, Luo Xiwen smiled and replied, “Third Aunt, you all came so early. I’m not late, am I?”

“No, no, no.”

“You’re not late, we were just early.”

Hou Meixia’s smile widened as she looked at her exceptionally beautiful niece. “Xi Wen, have a seat first. Let your third aunt make some introductions.”

“That is a friend of your third uncle’s. You can just call him Uncle Shen. He and your uncle have known each other for many years. He’s a real big shot, runs four large-scale farmers’ markets in various parts of Ji Province. His annual profits are in the tens of millions.”

“The young man sitting next to your Uncle Shen is his son, Shen Haichen. He’s two years older than you, has a master’s degree from a prestigious university, and he’s single. Right now, he’s a teacher at Jisheng Agricultural University.”

“And on the far right is Haochen’s mother, Uncle Shen’s wonderful wife. According to your Uncle Shen, his business wouldn’t be as successful as it is if not for your Aunt Pan helping manage things at home all these years.”

Having just sat down, Luo Xiwen listened to her aunt’s introductions and finally, belatedly, understood what was happening.

‘A family dinner?’

‘This is a straight-up blind date!’

In an instant, Luo Xiwen’s expression soured.

“Xi Wen…”

“I know you’re very resistant to blind dates, but you’re already 27 this year. You really can’t keep putting this off. Besides, the young man your third aunt introduced is truly outstanding in every way. That’s why I kept it from you.”

Luo Xiwen was about to stand up and leave when her mother, Hou Meilan, pressed a hand onto her thigh. With a pleading look on her face, she whispered quickly, “Since you’re already here, let’s just sit down and have a nice meal. We can talk about whether you like him or not after dinner, okay?”

The anger that had risen to her throat was forcefully suppressed the moment Luo Xiwen saw the pleading expression on her mother’s face.

She recalled how the topic of marriage pressure had been constant throughout the entire Spring Festival.

Whenever her mother had a spare moment, no matter what they were initially talking about, the conversation would inevitably loop back to the topic of marriage within a few sentences.

Yet, she never expected that after refusing blind dates for the entire Spring Festival holiday, her mother would manage to force one on her right at the very end.

“Fine.”

Luo Xiwen forced down her anger and reluctantly agreed.

While the mother and daughter were talking, Luo Xiwen’s third aunt, Hou Meixia, turned to the three people in the seats of honor. “President Shen, Haochen, Sister Pan, this is my niece, Luo Xiwen. She’s a top graduate from the Central University of Finance and Economics and currently works as the Manager of the Strategic Clients Department at the Ji Province branch of China Merchants Bank.”

“To be a senior manager at the Ji Province branch of China Merchants Bank at such a young age—truly young and promising, with a limitless future,”

Shen Zhengsheng remarked as he looked at Luo Xiwen, but then his tone shifted. “However, China Merchants Bank is just a joint-stock bank, after all. It can’t compare to the four major state-owned banks. The leadership positions change too frequently. Unless you reach the level of a branch president, it’s ultimately not very stable.”

Everyone present was an adult; anyone could read between the lines of Shen Zhengsheng’s words. The clear implication was that Luo Xiwen’s senior manager position at China Merchants Bank sounded impressive but lacked real substance.