In that moment of silence that had almost turned awkward with no one speaking, Fang Huiqing broke the silence.
Staring straight at the young woman sitting beside his son, he asked thoughtfully. "Are you Song Jujing's daughter?"
As soon as he asked that question, something seemed to have sparked in the old Lady's mind as the same flashed past Jian Cuifen's eyes.
"Are you Jujing's daughter?" The old lady asked with a surprise filled smile while staring intently at Zhang Liling.
"Yes, Song Jujing is my mother." Zhang Liling admitted with a smile.
She could see and feel how familiar her mother was with the Fang family from the looks on their faces. And this only made her more curious.
'Was mum a family friend? Things can't be as simple as that right?' she thought to herself.
As soon as Zhang Liling admitted to being her mother's daughter, the elders of the Fang Family became relaxed and immediately recognized her while throwing several questions at her.
"So you are that Zhang Liling known as Zhang Renshu's daughter?"
"You are really Song Jujing's daughter? You really do look like her."
"Where is your mother now? Is she still in Paris?"
"How has she been?"
With the questions trooping in, Zhang Liling was very efficient by keeping up with the responses. And the more she spoke, the more amazed the elders got.
The only people quiet at the table were Fang Bingwen and his two Aunt in-laws who did not know Song Jujing was close to the family before they were married in.
As much as Zhang Liling was tempted to ask how they family knee her mother, she refrained from doing that as it didn't look right to her.
She thought that with the Fang family not saying anything about her Zhang family's messy situation, or her mother giving birth to her outside of wedlock.
They seem to have any problems with that, which forced her to sigh in relief and keep her curiousity outside her reach.
Glancing at Mr. Fang from the corner of her eyes, she felt her heart flutter a bit. It was now that she was discovering the resosn he didn't try to speak for her.
His family was truly different. They were not judgemental of a person's family background.
Fang Bingwen who brought the rim of a glass to his lips to drink water from it, felt her gazeon him and tilted his head to aside and raised a questioning brow.
Zhang Liling was a little embarrassed because she could feel the heated gazes from the elders at the table.
Realizing that they had seen that little exchange between her and Fang Bingwen, she felt her cheeks burn as she hurriedly turned away.
Old Lady Fang continued with her interrogation, leaving family matters aside.
She inquired of the schools she had attended and what level she was at.
Having received that reply, she jumped into the next important question.
"Liling, how old are you?"
"I'm 23 years." Zhang Liling replied with a patch of red on her cheeks.
She could directly guess the reason the old lady had asked for her age, and the image in her head immediately came to manifestation the next moment.
"You are very young." Jian Cuifen was smitten by surprise as she stared keenly at her face.
Zhang Liling knew there reaction had something to do with the age gap between she and Fang Bingwen.
She was not surprised. Ten to eleven years age gap, was a little too much but honestly, she did not mind as long as she loved her partner.
"I don't think there is anything wrong with their age difference as long as they love each other." Old Mr. Fang said in agreement with a casual smile on his face.
He too, gave a number to his wife, hence age was not a barrier to him when two people got together. The most important thing to him, was love.
If they loved each other, then nothing else mattered.
Old Lady Fang agreed with her husband and glanced at Fang Bingwen who was currently in his own world.
"Wenwen, you have to take care of Liling."
"Don't bully her." She added as her gaze briefly rested on Zhang Liling.
Zhang Liling was evenloped in a warm feeling at the warm reception of the Fang family members. Staring at Mr. Fang, she could see how very welcomed she was into his family and couldn't wait for the next step in their relationship.
Throughout out the time Zhang Liling took a seat at that table, there was no akward moment between her and the members of the Fang Family. If none of them was engaging her in a conversation, then she would be chatting quietly with Fang Bingwen at the side, unaware of how many hard stares were directed at her.
So many young women who had come for the benefit of getting introduced to Fang Bingwen, all felt like staring a hole into her back, and the worst part of it all, was they she was oblivious to it.
There was a bright smile on her face that ended up infuriating most of the ladies that managed to catch a glimpse of her face.
An hour later, it was time for the old lady to cut her cake, and make a toast with the guests.
As the MC called the old lady to the stage, the elders of the Fang family stood up and followed her.
Watching his cousins at the other table also standing up and walking to the stage, Zhang Liling nudged Mr. Fang's shoulder.
"Are you not going? Your entire family is there." She said with raised brows.
Fang Bingwen looked ahead with disinterest. "My face must not appear in the family picture."
"What?" Zhang Liling exclaimed softly as her brows furrowed.
She knew he did not like things like this, but this was a family something, was he being serious when he said he wasn't going anywhere.
Unable to bear his face missing in that Group family photo, she leaned into him without warning, forcing to his lean away with a look of surprise on his face.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"If you don't go, I will really kiss you in front of everybody so this party end on time. Don't bother thinking that I am joking, because deep down your heart, you know I can do it." She threatened confidently.
Fang Bingwen just stared at her wordless. Was she a lunatic?
"Go." Zhang Liling urged while nodding toward the stage.
Mr. Fang glared at her, but ended up at the stage to join his family to cut the 5-tier birthday cake.
After cutting the cake, it was time to toast, so everyone stood to their feet with their wine in hand while facing the stage with smiles on their faces.
As soon as Zhang Liling stood with her glass of wine in hand, Zhang Xiaoling whose gaze has been following her, immediately caught sight of her face because if her position.
Instantly, her eyes widened in shock as her quivering lips uttered without warning. "Z-Zhang L-Liling?"
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