The old master explained the situation, "In terms of seniority, there aren’t many qualified to take this position, and several others stepped down last year."
"The remaining few are nearing retirement age, so their chances of further promotion are slim."
"So, in the end, the candidates are either your father or Yu Changqing."
Hearing this, Jiang Si understood the situation.
As they were talking, Mother Huo returned home.
Noticing her troubled expression, Father Huo’s face darkened as well.
"What did they say to upset you like this?"
"See for yourself." Mother Huo placed two invitation cards on the table.
Father Huo, puzzled, picked them up and flipped through them.
"Their family… is arranging another marriage alliance?"
Mother Huo nodded. If it were just an ordinary alliance, she wouldn’t have minded.
After all, the Yu family had always chosen prestigious military families for their daughter’s marriage prospects in recent years.
What surprised Mother Huo was that this time, the Yu family’s chosen match was actually the Ling family from Capital City!
"The Ling family?"
At these words, everyone at the table froze.
Seeing their reactions, Jiang Si couldn’t help but ask, "Is this Ling family really that influential?"
Mother Huo wore a complicated expression. The Ling family wasn’t just influential—they were downright notorious in Capital City.
The patriarch was a disgrace, relying on his past merits.
After gaining power, he shamelessly abandoned his devoted wife, using the excuse of an arranged marriage lacking emotional foundation.
He then married a woman over twenty years his junior.
As the saying goes, "A crooked stick will have a crooked shadow." The sons born from this shameless union were no better.
Though they looked respectable, their actions were anything but.
Especially the eldest son, Ling Yunfei—if Mother Huo remembered correctly, he had already been married four times in less than six years.
"And soon, it might be five."
Five marriages?!
Grandma Huo nodded. "When they came to propose yesterday, my old friend mentioned that the Ling family had recently approached her to act as a matchmaker."
"Who knows which unfortunate girl they’ve set their sights on this time."
Grandma Huo shook her head. Since it didn’t concern their family, she hadn’t inquired further.
Noticing Mother Huo’s lingering distress, Grandma Huo reassured her.
"The military isn’t the Ling family’s personal domain. Who gets promoted to that position is still uncertain."
"It’s not worth ruining your health over this."
"Mom, I’m not worried about that."
Mother Huo explained, "The Yu family sent two invitations—one for us and another for Huo Tingzhou."
"Earlier, Zhang Yaqin kept apologizing in front of everyone, acting so humble that if we refuse to attend, it’ll look like we’re holding a grudge…"
If they had been confrontational, Mother Huo wouldn’t have backed down.
But this time, Zhang Yaqin had played her cards shrewdly.
With Father Huo holding a high-ranking position and many eyes on him, Mother Huo couldn’t afford to make a scene.
After all, when their fourth son got married, the Yu couple had attended and sent gifts.
Now that the Yu family was marrying off their daughter, they couldn’t just ignore the courtesy.
After some thought, Mother Huo said, "On the day of their banquet, Huo Tingzhou and I will go, deliver the gift money, and leave immediately."
"As for Huo Tingzhou and Jiang Si, there’s no need for them to attend."
Since the Yu family hadn’t given gifts for Huo Tingzhou’s wedding, they couldn’t complain if the young couple skipped the event.
Besides, Mother Huo had a bad feeling about their insistence on Huo Tingzhou and Jiang Si attending.
She trusted her instincts—if something felt off, it was better to avoid it altogether.
Jiang Si nodded. "We weren’t planning to go anyway."
"Let’s eat. The congee is getting cold," Huo Tingzhou reminded them. "It’s getting late. After breakfast, I’ll drive you to the Artists’ Association."
Jiang Si checked the time—it was already past 7:40. She quickly finished her bowl of congee.
She ate one egg and stuffed the other into Huo Tingzhou’s mouth.
After the meal, Jiang Si said, "Wait for me," then grabbed her bag and hurried to the bathroom.
The courtyard house was great in many ways, but bathing there wasn’t ideal.
Especially after Huo Tingzhou brought their cat, Mimi, over. In less than a day, Mimi had caught over a dozen mice in the courtyard.
After that, Jiang Si didn’t dare bathe there, so she had come over early this morning.
After her shower, she sat at the dressing table.
Huo Tingzhou towel-dried her hair until it was semi-dry, then carefully blow-dried it for her.
In just a few moments, the reflection in the mirror had completely transformed.
When he stared at her perfectly drawn "wild" eyebrows, seemingly lost in thought, Jiang Si waved a hand in front of his face with a light laugh.
"What’s wrong? Don’t recognize me anymore?"
Huo Tingzhou snapped out of it, insisting, "No."
But the next second, he couldn’t help but grasp her hand. He had seen the makeup in the drawer before and knew what it was for.
He had also seen her with makeup before.
Yet this time, the effect was entirely different.
Her complexion had darkened several shades. Her large, bright almond eyes now looked like sly, upturned fox eyes.
Her lips appeared fuller, and faint laugh lines framed her nose.
But the most striking change was her eyebrows.
If he hadn’t known their natural shape, Huo Tingzhou would never have believed those perfectly messy, yet meticulously defined brows were drawn on.
Jiang Si watched his reaction with amusement, then added a few freckles to her face.
With a smile, she teased, "You clearly don’t recognize me, yet you still say otherwise."
Huo Tingzhou had to concede. "Even I can’t tell. Just wait until you go downstairs—you’ll see."
Sure enough, when she descended, the entire family stared.
Mother Huo didn’t mince words. "If Huo Tingzhou weren’t standing behind you like a bodyguard, I wouldn’t have recognized you."
Grandma Huo agreed. "Jiang Si, since you’re being interviewed by the press today, maybe you should change your outfit?"
The clothes weren’t unflattering, but paired with this look, she appeared at least ten years older.
What they didn’t realize was that this was exactly the effect Jiang Si wanted.
The three newspapers interviewing her were household names, with nationwide circulation.
While she wanted the opportunity, she also preferred a quieter life.
Hearing her reasoning, they dropped the subject.
Checking the time, Huo Tingzhou stood. "I’ll go start the car. Come out in five minutes."
In winter, cars took longer to warm up—at least five minutes before the engine would turn over.
Jiang Si knew this and nodded. "Alright."
When five minutes passed, she headed to the front gate.
Oddly, he still hadn’t arrived.
Jiang Si rubbed her hands together, relieved that she had worn a scarf and hat before heading out.
As she stood on her tiptoes once more, peering into the distance, a military jeep suddenly screeched to a halt nearby.
"Bro, are you out of your mind? Slamming the brakes like that!"
The young man in the passenger seat clutched his forehead, grumbling, before glancing back at the two figures slumped haphazardly in the rear seats.
"Dad! Mom! Can’t you say something?"
Yet the man behind the wheel only curled his lips into a faint, amused smirk.
His gaze remained fixed ahead, locked onto the slender, graceful figure with an alluring silhouette.
Without warning, he pressed down hard on the horn.
The abrupt blare made Jiang Si jump in fright.
She whipped around, ready to snap at whichever lunatic was responsible—
But the man’s smirk froze instantly. His eyes widened, filled with shock and an unmistakable flicker of disappointment.
Who would have thought that beneath such a captivating figure lay such an utterly plain, even repulsive face?
As if he’d glimpsed something filthy, he didn’t linger for even a second. With a stomp on the accelerator, the jeep roared into the residential compound.
