An Chong looked at the woman opposite him with complicated eyes, as if seeing the shadow of another person through her, his heart filled with intertwining feelings of resentment and longing.
Noticing her husband's gaze fixed on Jian Qing, a vicious look flashed across the drooping eyes of Zhao Xuan. Her sharp fingertips dug into her palm, but she felt no pain.
Damned bitch, surviving out there for so many years.
Like mother like daughter, they're all whores.
"An Nuo, stop playing ghost here. Didn't you disappear? What are you doing back?" An Rong sneered sarcastically.
As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the Banquet Hall.
Perhaps the younger generation present had not heard this name, but those who are older knew well the scandal of the An Family from seventeen years ago, after all, that incident had caused quite a sensation back then.
Over twenty years ago, An Chong, who had a family, was exposed for having an extramarital affair. It was rumoured that his lover bore him a pair of twins, but the An Family denied it. The twins were raised outside of the family, but the peaceful days didn't last long. A few years later, the mistress died in a car accident, and the twins disappeared from Beijing. Not long after, the An Family suppressed the incident. All these years later, the scandal being dug up again evokes some sighs from the crowd.
Those in close association with the An Family knew a little more. The twins may not have been liked by the An Family, but they were much favored by the elder An. At the time, the An Family members, including An Chong, were against adding the twins' names to the family tree. But the elder An insisted on it, hence there were two names added: An Nuo and An Yan.
More than a decade later, the person who had disappeared once before reappeared, indicating that there must be some secret stories behind it. Everyone's thoughts were racing.
About the old affairs of An Family, everyone knew very little and refrained from commenting, everyone was waiting just to see the drama unfold.
"Mom, who is she?" Yang Xiang moved close to An Rong, looking at Jian Qing's stunningly beautiful face and jealousy flickered in her eyes.
An Rong sneered disdainfully, "Xiangxiang, you better keep a distance from that kind of person, after all, there are some things in her blood that are hard to change."
For instance, being as bitchy and shameless as her mother.
An Rong's voice was pitched just loud enough for everyone to hear clearly. The insinuations in her words made the elder An's face darken instantly.
"An Rong, shut up."
Always arrogant and domineering, An Rong was humiliated by the elder An several times today, and she couldn't swallow the anger. She tried to argue, but the stern look from her father made her swallow her retort unwillingly.
Fuming, An Rong glared at Jian Qing.
You bitch, you better watch out!
"Ahem… ahem…" The elder An held his chest and coughed lightly a few times, his face turning slightly red, the people around him tensed.
"Father, are you alright?" An Zhonghui bent down and asked softly.
"It's nothing." The elder An waved his hand dismissively, then looked at Jian Qing, "Whether you admit it or not, your name will always be in the An Family tree."
His hoarse voice was filled with determination, nobody thought the elder An was joking.
At his words, the faces of the An Family members turned even grimmer. Although they vehemently disagreed, no one dared to voice their objections. After all, all the guests were well-respected figures. It would be better to deal with the An family's matters privately, so as not to give people a chance to laugh.
Jian Qing snorted in her heart, yet kept a neutral expression on her face, and said lightly, "Is that so?"
The elder An's gloomy tiger eyes flickered, then he smiled kindly, "Of course."
Glancing at the guests around him, the elder An raised his voice, "Thank you all for joining this old man's birthday party today. I have another good news to share with everyone."
At his words, the audience showed curiosity, but the An Family felt a foreboding sense of unease, but due to the situation at hand, they could not stop him.
The elder An, smiling broadly, turned to Jian Qing, "Our great-granddaughter, Jian Qing, has returned to the An Family today. This is a joyous occasion for us. Let's take this opportunity to celebrate together. Please feel free to enjoy the banquet."
She could change her surname, and her name, but she would always be a member of their An Family tree, a descendant of the An Family. This fact would never change.
The elder An's statement instantly exploded in the banquet hall. His public acknowledgment of Jian Qing as his great-granddaughter meant that her status was no less than that of his other great-grandchildren; particularly, given the special treatment that the elder An showed to her, it was a treatment that the other youngsters in the An Family had never received. This indicated how much Jian Qing was favored by the elder An.
It seems they would have to treat this newly surfaced great-granddaughter of the An Family differently. After all, the elder An valued her a lot. If they could establish a good relationship with her, perhaps she could put in a good word for them to the elder An.
The An Family members' faces stiffened. They were furious yet unable to vent it due to so many people being present. They had to force a smile on their faces, making them look as if they had stepped on feces. The younger An Family members looked at Jian Qing with jealousy, jealous of the elder An's favoritism towards her.
All this while, Jian Qing didn't express any opinion. Even the elder An's public acknowledgement of her identity couldn't provoke any emotional reaction from her. She stood there calmly, the indifference in her eyes made it hard for anyone to figure her out.
Is... is she too calm?
Does she know how prestigious the An Family is in Beijing and how much of an honor it is to be recognized by the elder An?