She goes crazy, he'll cover for her; the darling of the group is someone no one dares to mess w

Han Xi listened intently, but before he could answer, the tall, handsome man had already come over, stopped at the dining table, and called out with a smile, "Brother."

elder brother?

Han Xi nodded and said to Fang Li, "Han Jiahao, Fourth Uncle's son."

Han Jiahao is 22 years old this year, five years younger than Han Xi. He inherited most of the deep features of the Han family, but his features are not as heroic and handsome as Han Xi's. He is more of a delicate and handsome man.

He probably resembles his mother.

When Han Xi introduced Han Jiahao to Fang Li, Han Jiahao was also looking at Fang Li.

"And who is this?" he asked, a hint of knowing the answer already in his eyes.

Han Xi glanced at him indifferently: "Xu Fangli."

Han Jiahao raised an eyebrow: "So, it's yours..."

Xu Fangli subconsciously looked at Han Xi, only to see Han Xi purse his lips and say, "Girlfriend."

Finally, after pausing for two seconds, he added, "However, you can also call her sister-in-law."

Now, all that remained in Han Jiahao's eyes was surprise.

He had never seen his cousin speak softly to that woman since he was a child. Even a female mosquito would stay 300 meters away from him, let alone a normal woman.

Over the years, his second uncle and grandmother have helped him select so many wealthy young ladies—some were well-educated and sensible, some were fiery and unrestrained, and some were demure and gentle—but he hasn't taken a liking to any of them.

He wouldn't even show up at the blind dates arranged by his grandmother and second uncle, let alone go to the blind dates they set up.

This led him to believe that his cousin either had a problem with his sexual orientation or a physical problem.

Over the years, whenever his family arranged blind dates for him, he would always use his cousin as a shield. As soon as his cousin's personal life was mentioned, his family's attention would instantly turn to him, and they would have no interest in him anymore.

But now, the person he thought was least likely to find a partner has actually brought a woman with him and told him to call her "sister-in-law".

Han Jiahao's facial expressions were quite varied.

There was surprise, astonishment, and disbelief, but no joy.

"Brother, are you... joking?" His gaze fell on Fang Li's face, and the smile on his lips was somewhat stiff.

Han Xi looked at him: "Do you think I'm free?"

Han Jiahao: "......."

"I know what you're thinking."

Han Xi smiled faintly, "After being your shield for so many years, it's time for you to stand on your own and experience the old lady's affection."

"Brother..." Han Jiahao was on the verge of tears.

Once everyone had arrived, the waiter began serving the dishes.

Soon the temperature of the baking pan rose, and the high-quality Wagyu beef brisket began to sizzle and ooze oil as it was grilled at high temperature, with the aroma rising and spreading with the smoke.

Han Xi's white shirt sleeves were rolled up halfway, revealing a black diamond watch. His slender fingers held the tongs, skillfully flipping the meat slices on the grill.

Fang Li sat next to him, holding chopsticks, her eyes slightly brightening.

"Brother, do your second uncle and grandma know about your girlfriend?" Han Jiahao asked, still not giving up, while drinking his beer.

Han Xi focused intently on grilling the meat, not even lifting an eyelid, and said, "They don't need to know."

Han Jiahao's dull eyes paused slightly, then brightened noticeably when he looked at Han Xi.

Does this mean that my second uncle and the others don't know?

He leaned closer and said, "I can see you're quite serious about Miss Xu. If you're aiming for marriage, your second uncle and grandmother will find out sooner or later. What are you going to do then?"

Han Xi did not answer, but placed the roasted meat into the square pear-shaped plate.

Fang Li had been drooling over it for a long time.

He picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks, blew on it, and then eagerly stuffed it into his mouth.

She ate with satisfaction, and even her usually cool eyes narrowed slightly.

Han Jiahao looked at this scene with a look of disgust on his face. If they can be so happy eating barbecue, their family background must be very ordinary. Given his second uncle and grandmother's requirements, they would definitely not agree!

Han Xi grilled and picked up food as he went, piling the plate in front of Fang Li into a small mountain before stopping.

Holding his beer, Jian Yunqi clinked glasses with Deng Xiulin across from him, took a sip, put down his glass, and turned to look at him.

What do you think I should do?

Han Jiahao had just put a piece of meat in his mouth when he met his indifferent gaze. He was stunned for a moment, and the scalding hot meat almost burned his eyes as it touched his tongue.

He stuck out his tongue, chewed the meat casually a couple of times, and swallowed it before looking at Han Xi. "I think you two should keep this a secret. You know your second uncle and grandmother's personalities. If they find out you're having an affair, they'll probably be furious."

"What does their anger have to do with me?"

Han Jiahao choked for a moment, then said, "I know you've never been afraid of your second uncle, nor do you care about your grandmother's opinion, but, but you can't just ignore Xu... no, sister-in-law!"

Han Xi: "......."

Han Jiahao leaned closer and said, "Sister-in-law looks very well-behaved. With Second Uncle's methods and Grandma's ruthlessness, who knows what they'll do to her if they find out about her. Don't let her scare you away before you even get married!"

Han Xi glanced at him sideways.

Han Jiahao even nodded at him seriously.

Han Xi was speechless, and really wanted to say that they were already married.

But thinking of his cousin's big mouth, he held back and said nothing.

Han Jiahao didn't see the fleeting look of speechlessness and disdain in his eyes.

Han Xi paused for a moment, then said as he wished, "Keep this a secret for me, and I'll continue to cover for you with Fourth Uncle."

Han Jiahao's face lit up with joy, and he quickly raised his glass: "Deal!"

With his troubles resolved, Han Jiahao immediately became more enthusiastic.

We told the waiter to bring us more plates of meat, and then we clinked glasses with each other.

He did touch Fang Li, of course, but every time he raised his glass, Han Xi would stop him.

Even when Deng Xiulin and Jian Yunqi went to drink with Fang Li, Han Xi stopped them one by one.

Fang Li actually wanted to drink some more, since barbecue and beer are the perfect combination, but Han Xi's look seemed to suggest he was worried she would cause him trouble like last time when she was drunk, so he wouldn't let her drink.

Fang Li moved her lips, but did not argue with him.

He obediently picked up his drink and clinked it with the others.

What she didn't know was that Han Xi wasn't worried about her getting drunk and causing him trouble, but rather that her drunken appearance was so alluring that Han Xi secretly didn't want anyone to see it.

In this way, three people surrounded Han Xi, and Han Xi naturally drank quite a bit.

Fang Li stopped eating after she was full, and saw Han Xi still drinking one cup after another. He had been drinking for so long, but his complexion remained normal, as if he hadn't drunk anything at all.

At this point, Fang Li still thought that Han Xi had the ability to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk.

However, after the dinner party ended, Jian Yunqi and the others all looked drunk and staggered out, supporting each other. Han Xi led Fang Li at the back, and it was then that Fang Li realized that the man beside her seemed to be a little drunk as well.

However, he was a man who never showed his emotions, even when drunk, he suppressed them, making it difficult for others to discern his true feelings.

Only Fang Li could sense that he was holding her hand very tightly, and although each step he took seemed steady, he was not as calm and composed as usual.

Instead, his body was slightly tense, his dark eyes intently fixed on his feet, displaying a clear blend of pretense and determination.