The spacious garage had different kinds and models of vehicles parked inside. All of them were polished and maintained well by a group of skilled technicians.
As Calix opened the door to get out of the car, and Leslie simply passed through the huge body of steel, two men in black-and-white uniforms hurriedly approached in their direction.
"Welcome home, Second Young Master."
"Young Master Calix, Old Madam Xu and everyone are waiting for you inside."
The two men politely greeted Calix. They seemed to be the domestic workers of this ancestral home. Both of them appeared to be around the same age as Calix.
"The Li family hasn't arrived, right?"
Calix glanced at the wristwatch, seeing that it was already six-thirty. The family dinner was scheduled to start at seven in the evening.
"Not yet, Young Master Calix," replied one of the men, "They're already on their way here."
Calix nodded in acknowledgment. He pointed to the backseat, "Take all the gifts inside the house. Be careful with them. They're for my parents-in-law."
"Understand, Second Young Master."
The two men swiftly opened the door of the backseat. They were welcomed with a sight of gifts piling there, almost everything in the red color.
"Hurm..."
Without saying anything, Calix surreptitiously glanced at Leslie, trying to communicate with her through his gaze. She almost laughed at how obviously his eyeballs moved from her to another direction.
"Do you want me to follow you? Just walk ah, I'll tail from behind," said Leslie, glee dancing in her almond eyes, "No need to act so weird."
Calix widened his eyes. He pointed at himself.
"I just... humph!"
Calix immediately smacked his mouth with one hand. He almost verbally replied to Leslie. Other people would see him talking to the air.
"Aiyo~ Someone can't respond to me, tsk tsk tsk," exclaimed Leslie. Her smiling lips had a subtle hint of smirk, "Yes, CEO Xu? Where should we go now?"
"..."
Calix glared at Leslie before inwardly telling himself not to care about her. Taking a deep breath, he patted his chest a few times.
Be patient. Be patient ah. This was nothing.
When his tolerance was tested, he had to ensure the result was positive.
Looking behind him, Calix saw that the two workers were busy bringing out the paper bags from the car. They seemed not to notice his uncanny action just now.
Calix subtly looked at Leslie. Still glaring at her, he moved his mouth noiselessly. She immediately caught the meaning.
'Follow me.'
Leslie chuckled. Lightly covering her mouth, she walked behind Calix.
The huge courtyard house of the Xu family's ancestral home had a mixture of traditional and modern styles. Once again Leslie was in awe as she looked around the entryway that connected the garage and the house.
"Welcome home, Second Young Master."
A man dressed in a brown Tang suit approached before giving Calix a bow. Leslie's attention was drawn to the man's appearance. He looked to be in his mid-50s.
"Hello, Uncle Gu," Calix smiled as he greeted the man back, "Where's my family now? In the usual lounge?"
"Old Madam Xu and First Young Master's family are waiting inside Begonia Room," reported the man called Uncle Gu by Calix. His expression softened, "I haven't congratulated you on your marriage. Congratulations, Second Young Master."
"Hehe, thank you, Uncle Gu. I'll go to Grandma and the others now. You don't have to follow me."
Uncle Gu bowed once again at Calix. The young man walked at a leisurely pace, heading to where the Begonia Room was.
Leslie kept following Calix. Sometimes, her eyes returned to the middle-aged man until Uncle Gu disappeared from her eyesight.
"That's the butler, Benjamin Gu. He grew up alongside my dad."
"...oh."
Leslie was slightly surprised to hear Calix talking to her. He kept his gaze ahead and only whispered yet, his words were still audible.
As Calix walked down the hallway, he bumped into several home staff. All of them greeted him with respect before congratulating him on his marriage.
From Leslie's perspective, it was clear that the workers were comfortable with Calix. Even though they didn't display the level of friendliness that Calix shared with Aunt Wendy and Uncle Raymond, it was already enough.
"Second Uncle~"
"...?"
The sudden calling caught Calix's attention. Leslie was not excluded.
Turning her head in that direction, she saw a little girl in a pink floral dress. Her little and chubby feet deng deng deng running toward Calix. Her pigtails bounced in the air following her movement.
"Mia! My cupcake!"
Calix's lips broke into a huge grin. He quickly carried the little girl into his arms. The girl called Mia laughed when her chubby face was showered with kisses.
Leslie immediately recognized who the cute little girl was. Mia, or her real name Amelia was the secret weapon used by Old Madam Xu to get Calix married.
Amelia was Vernon and Lucille's four years old daughter. Because she was the first child in the new generation of the main branch, everyone pampered her so much.
One of them was Calix. They were unable to meet all the time, but CEO Xu really adored his niece. Amelia also often clung to Calix even though her favorite man was her dad Vernon.
"Hehehe! Mia missed Second Uncle so much!"
Amelia's gleeful giggles echoed in the hallway. Her happiness was so infectious, making Calix laugh too.
"Second Uncle missed Mia too," Calix playfully pinched Amelia's fleshy right cheek, "Hey, have you gotten chubbier? Did your dad keep feeding you sweets even though your mom limits it?"
Vernon turned to be a typical daughter-fool once Amelia was born, much to Lucille's helplessness. The latter needed to instill stricter rules because Vernon couldn't bear to refuse their daughter's request.
One of them was regarding Amelia's eating habits. The little one loved anything sweets. Eating too much would be bad for her.
Amelia pouted. Shaking her little head, she declared, "Mia's a good girl! Daddy says Mia looks good if Mia's chubby."
Calix squinted his eyes, throwing a doubtful look at his niece.
"Oh, yeah? I'll ask your mom then..."
Calix trailed off. The corner of his eyes caught a peculiar look on Leslie's face, briefly putting him in a trance.
The way Leslie was staring at Amelia looked as if she had forgotten about Calix. Her initially cheery countenance was replaced with a sad one.