As soon as Jing Luozhou finished speaking, the young girl’s face immediately fell. The air was silent for a moment. Shi Su had anticipated that a man like Jing Jihan, with his status, family background, and outstanding looks, would surely attract the admiration of various socialites. In such a setting, it was inevitable that she would encounter some beautiful girls who didn’t like her. As soon as she saw the girl’s expression she knew she was in a minor conflict zone. She hadn’t expected Jing Luozhou to suddenly intervene, blocking all the lines Shi Su had prepared. His call of "sister-in-law" rolled off his tongue smoothly! So smooth that even Shi Su nearly believed it herself. Jing Luozhou stood in front of the main hall, his voice not loud but perfectly audible to many, as if a spotlight suddenly shone on Shi Su. Instantly, several people came out of the door of the main hall, looking in her direction. The girl who had spoken earlier scrutinized Shi Su, trying to spot any flaws or determine whether she was real or fake. But Shi Su had a lovely appearance and a composed demeanor; her presence was one that couldn’t be easily ignored. Her wool coat and inner outfit made her skin look even fairer, and under the gradually lit lights along the Jing Family’s garden paths, she looked both beautiful and serene. And the man beside her was equally calm and composed, with sharp features that stood out even in the garden’s lighting. Even dressed in a black coat, he wasn’t overshadowed by the night. "Mr. Jing’s girlfriend?" "I heard Mr. Jing talking about it today..." Low whispers emerged from the group in front of the main hall, just a few light remarks, evidently youth guest gossiping. The older ones either maintained their dignity without joining or, if they did partake, only silently observed Shi Su. "Where, where? Has my granddaughter-in-law arrived?" Mr. Jing hurriedly pushed through the crowd with his walking stick, his eyes scanning forward and instantly catching sight of Shi Su standing next to Jing Jihan. Shi Su cooperated well, walking closely beside Jing Jihan, who had just assisted her, with his hand still on her arm, showing a closer intimacy. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⁂𝙣𝙚𝙩 Worried that a prolonged silence might give her away, Shi Su discreetly nudged the man next to her with her elbow, signaling him to begin. Jing Jihan smoothly moved his hand from her arm to her back, the action seemingly intimate yet extremely gentlemanly as he embraced her waist: "Shi Su, this is Grandpa." Shi Su smiled boldly, "Hello Mr. Jing, happy birthday, and good health! It’s our first meeting and I didn’t announce it beforehand, my apologies if I’ve been abrupt. I hope you don’t mind." This girl, with good looks and charm, a delightful voice, modest yet direct, clear and sincere eyes, clearly from a good family, and with absolutely genuine intentions! Mr. Jing’s eyes lit up, though his face didn’t break into a wildly happy expression, his notably elevated tone couldn’t hide the joy bubbling from his heart: "Good, good, not abrupt, not abrupt! It was I who asked Jihan to invite you over, you two have been together for quite some time, you should get to know the family, come inside, it’s windy out." "Been together for quite some time?" The girlfriend role she was playing had reached what stage with Jing Jihan? Should she maintain the cautious demeanor of new acquaintances or act more intimately? Surely they wouldn’t leave her at the Jing Family overnight? She was too careless, forgetting to ask before coming! Shi Su maintained a smiling expression and turned to look at Jing Jihan, inquiring with her eyes. Jing Jihan acted as if he didn’t see the clear questions in her eyes, continuing to hold her naturally as he guided her into the main hall under the gaze of the crowd. Passing by Jing Luozhou, he flashed a half-smile, half-grimace at Shi Su. Despite her being a future sister-in-law, he still remembered how she had stepped on his shoes and opposed him. If it weren’t for the setting preventing him from saying much, he would definitely have given her a hard time in any other situation. Even though improvising in this scenario was challenging, Shi Su couldn’t drop the act now that she was here. It happened to be the time for the birthday banquet to start, and servants began serving dishes. Shi Su sat next to Jing Jihan, receiving the scrutinizing gazes of everyone present. Suddenly, a relative or family friend stood up and placed a dessert in front of them, grinning as they said, "Dessert should be in front of the young people. We elders aren’t fit for bitter-sweet treats." Shi Su smiled graciously and replied, "Thank you, but Jihan and I don’t eat sweets often. I see many children at the next table; let me take it to them instead." Saying this, Shi Su was about to stand up. The servants quickly responded and took the dessert to the table next to them. The few people sitting there didn’t change their expressions, but inwardly, they each had their thoughts; this Shi Su seemed to know Jing Jihan’s preferences well. Could this really be true? Then a senior suddenly started discussing their favorite coffee beans, and finding a topic, asked Shi Su how well she knew about coffee. Shi Su responded with some superficial knowledge, adding she wasn’t too familiar with the details. When they switched the topic to Jing Jihan and asked him the question, Shi Su commented softly, "You enjoy tea, causing me to focus only on tea arts and rarely pay attention to coffee. When elders ask, what should I do?" Her tone was playful, like she was softly complaining to Jing Jihan, but her voice was neither loud nor quiet, audible to everyone present. Jing Jihan’s constant exposure to coffee due to his professional environment made him quite selective, favoring only black coffee and primarily preferring tea. This detail wasn’t known unless one had lived with him or was extremely familiar with him. Instantly, many doubts about Shi Su’s identity were dispelled, with no suspicion remaining. Shi Su blinked at Jing Jihan, seemingly a lover’s intimate secretive exchange. Only Jing Jihan could discern her internal thoughts in that silent blink: I’ve taken care of you for over a month; this level of difficulty is a piece of cake! Jing Jihan chuckled, holding Shi Su’s hand under the table in his palm, intentionally or unintentionally gently stroking her hand with his fingers, meanwhile, placing her hand on his leg under the gaze of everyone and saying gently: "You have your strengths; even if you’re stumped by unfamiliar subjects, don’t worry, there’s no embarrassment, elders are just teasing, enjoy your meal, hmm?" Shi Su’s eyebrow slightly twitched unnoticeably. Jing Jihan mingled only in the business world, his rare yet insightful and penetrating acting capability could easily win him an Oscar if thrown into showbiz!