1 Year Of Beginning

When the lift brought them to the designated floor, Feng Mian slowly walked out of the lift. She could see that there were only a few people around. Many guests hadn't arrived yet because it was not the time for the party yet. They would wait until it was close to the designated time because too early wouldn't give them much benefit.

Those who came very early all just came because they were close to Zhou Family.

"Let's go," Zhang Liang said and offered his hand.

Feng Mian stared at his palm for a moment then she stretched out her own hand. He grabbed it securely as they began to walk in neither slow or fast pace. It seemed that Zhang Liang was adjusting to her pace to make sure that she was feeling comfortable.

Right now, Feng Mian was feeling a bit conflicted. In a way, she knew that this was a method to make them look close. However, she didn't really want to stay that close to him.

As they entered the hall, she could see several people were already inside. Zhang Yi was included. He was standing next to an old man, who still stood straight. Even though his hair had turned all white with numerous wrinkles on his face, he still stood firmly in his place, not showing the effect of his aging at all.

There were several other middle aged men and old men around them. Feng Mian knew for sure that they must be some influential figures the Zhou Family was close with.

Uh, wait, she really needed to recall their names again. Her memorization was not enough.

"Oh, your children have arrived, Yi," one men there commented.

Yi was referring to Zhang Yi. Hearing that sentence, Zhang Yi turned his head to look at the front. He could see Zhang Xue walking with his wife. Not far from him, Zhang Liang walked with Feng Mian and Zhang Ai not far from them. The five of them decided to come at the same time.

"Indeed."

"Oh? Who's that woman beside Liang?" Old Zhou asked curiously.

Zhang Yi coughed. "She's Feng Mian, Zhang Liang's wife."

"Ah. Right. Little Liang is already married now. How time flies."

Zhang Yi just nodded at that remark. Just a few months ago, he was still complaining to his old friends that his son didn't want to get married yet. Even though his twin's brother was already married since the year before, the younger twin just didn't seem to be willing.

He was still busy with work and work again.

"So, has that brat finally settled down?"

"I hope so," Zhang Yi replied. "I did tell him to give me a grandchild soon. Hmph, that brat is still as annoying as ever, not wanting to listen to me."

By this time, the five of them had arrived near. They greeted each one of the men there in succession. Of course, the first one would be their father and the second one is Old Zhou.

Feng Mian looked at Old Zhou curiously. She called him Mr. Zhou because she was not sure whether she was allowed to call him grandfather or not.

"Just call me Grandpa," Old Zhou said generously.

"Grandpa Zhou," Feng Mian called out.

"Hahaha, good girl." Old Zhou turned his head to look at Zhang Liang. "So you have finally settled down, Little Rascal? You nearly made your father's hair turn all white in worry."

Zhang Liang blinked his eyes. "Don't worry, Grandfather Zhou. Father is just exaggerating things."

"I'm not exaggerating things!" Zhang Yi rebutted. "You're the one who ignored my calls!"

"And those calls are just reminding me for blind dates that I have never agreed on."

"You…!"

Old Zhou laughed. He patted Zhang Yi's back. "Since Little Liang is already married. All is good now. You should go and talk with others too, Little Liang. You have never visited us again."

Zhang Liang smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Grandfather Zhou, I was too busy lately."

When he was a kid, he would play in Old Zhou's place from time to time. Now that he had grown up, he no longer had the time to do that. He was too busy managing his company and made sure that nothing was wrong. After all, it was not easy for him to manage several companies especially when he wanted to expand them all.

Old Zhou waved his hand. "Just come to visit sometime. My grandsons are all missing you."

"I'll visit when I have time."

Old Zhou has several children and a lot of grandsons. Zhang Liang was not that close to all of them and only one or two that he still kept in contact with. After all, the difference in age also made them unable to get close.

After talking with Old Zhou, Zhang Liang brought Feng Mian away from the group. As his hand was holding Feng Mian's hand, he could sense that she was tense almost all the time. Her palm was sweating profusely, the result of being worried that they would treat her badly because of her background.

Thankfully, the old men were all kind.

"Are you alright?" Zhang Liang asked softly.

Feng Mian raised her head to look at his face. She nodded her head. "Yeah. I'm good. I'm just a bit nervous."

"Don't worry so much. It's indeed a gathering that many of us can't get close into. Father is close because of business but if you're from the younger generations, you wouldn't feel comfortable."

"I see."

"Do you drink wine?"

"No." Feng Mian shook her head. She was not that fond of alcoholic drinks because they tasted bad in her opinion. Even though the after effect was warm in her c.h.e.s.t, she disliked the taste when it was in her mouth. Because of that, she had never drank wine unless it was necessary.

Zhang Liang paused for a moment. His eyes scanned the drinks and fruits on the side. "How about juice?"

"Sure."

"Alright. Let me get you a drink."

As Zhang Liang released his arm, Feng Mian felt a bit lost. She didn't know since when, but when he was holding her hand, she felt a sense of safety. It was as if he was protecting her even though he didn't do anything.

As her brain was still thinking, she noticed that a few women came close to her. Her eyes widened when she saw one of them.

Isn't that Miss Su?

She had forgotten about her, right?

Miss Su stood in front of Feng Mian. Her brows furrowed. "What in the world are you doing here?"