How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

As dusk approached, and today being the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, which was Madam Guo's birthday, a banquet was being held at the Marshal's Mansion tonight.

Inside the main courtyard was a stage. Marshal Guo sat in the main seat, with Madam Guo to his right and the First Madam to his left. The Second Madam sat below with considerable dissatisfaction, and below them were several collateral relatives of the Guo family.

"It's so busy here tonight, will we be able to see Guo Zixing?" Qingru asked uncertainly.

"It has to be possible." Sergeant Zhang was worried about his sister, so he naturally wanted to find a way. Therefore, he brought Qingru into the banquet.

The banquet was filled with elegantly dressed women and clinking glasses, making the two of them, looking travel-worn, seem quite out of place.

Chief Zhang looked around but found no trace of Guo Zixing, and his anxiety grew.

Just as they were about to grab any servant to question, a commotion at the gate suddenly drew everyone's attention.

"The young master is back!"

Everyone looked towards the entrance and saw Guo Zixing walking in hand in hand with a beautifully dressed woman.

Qingru's eyes widened. Wasn't that... wasn't that Zheng Peilan, the daughter of the comprador?

Zheng Peilan and Guo Zixing exchanged a knowing smile, as if they had known each other for a long time, and slowly walked towards Madam Guo.

Turning her gaze away from him, Qingru secretly pinched herself to remind herself to stay calm and not give herself away.

Upon meeting her again, Qingru realized why this Miss Zheng was the heiress everyone had tried to curry favor with at the last banquet. Her features, demeanor, and speech were flawless; she was practically perfect. Especially her gentle smile, which was as comforting as a spring breeze.

A pang of sadness flashed through Qingru's heart. With her looks, she would have been stunning in the past, instead of wandering around in plain clothes with a dark and sallow complexion.

Guo Zixing wore a dark-patterned silver-gray overcoat today, which made him look tall, slender, and handsome. Zheng Peilan wore a royal blue satin brocade cheongsam with a black fur vest draped over her shoulders, which made her fair skin appear even more fair and gave her a composed and dignified air.

Like Guo Zixing, their clothes appear simple yet exude luxury, subtly showcasing their wealth.

Qingru couldn't help but sigh inwardly, they were truly a perfect couple, a match made in heaven. No wonder Guo Zixing, who was so cold to the Qiao sisters, took the initiative to approach them. So elegant, generous, gentle, and virtuous, they were indeed worthy of a man's affection.

"Grandmother, may you enjoy boundless happiness and longevity!" Guo Zixing said respectfully, handing over the century-old ginseng he had painstakingly found.

Zheng Peilan smiled and echoed, "Madam, I wish you many happy returns of the day, good health, and all the best!" She then presented her own gift: a pair of exquisitely crafted, elegant Western clocks.

Grandma Guo accepted it with a smile, "Good children! You are all good children!"

As she spoke, the servants immediately brought out a tray, and Madam Guo took out two red envelopes and gave one to each of them, her eyes practically overflowing with satisfaction.

She looked at the perfect couple with a smile, as if no one else mattered. Madam Guo did the same, gazing at the two with loving eyes.

Seeing this, the other descendants also presented their birthday gifts, which Madam Guo accepted with a smile, giving each of them a red envelope. However, she no longer smiled at Guo Zixing as she had at the same time.

The other relatives from the collateral branches also presented gifts to express their goodwill.

"Thank you all for coming from afar, which brings honor to my Guo family. Today is my mother's birthday, so I'm holding a grand banquet to invite you all to have a simple meal as a token of my hospitality!" With this order from Commander Guo, the banquet officially began.

At this moment, Guo Ziyou, the second young master of the Guo family, arrived late. From afar, he could be heard calling out, "Grandmother, I haven't arrived yet. Why are we eating already?"

Everyone looked at him and saw that he was also walking gracefully with a woman by his arm.

Qingru and Sergeant Zhang opened their eyes in surprise at the same time. Sergeant Zhang, in particular, clenched his hands, afraid that he would rush forward without being able to resist.

Isn't the person next to Guo Ziyou Zhang Yan?

Zhang Yan also saw Chief Zhang. A complex and flustered look flashed in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. She stood close to Guo Ziyou and greeted the Guo family members as he did so.

However, given Zheng Peilan's stunning appearance just now, it's inevitable that comparisons will be made with Zhang Yan.

This Zhang Yan, whose identity is unknown, though she has some beauty, is not even a fraction as good as Zheng Peilan in terms of looks, manners, or speech. Even dressed in fine clothes, she couldn't hide her nervousness, moving with restraint as if she were wearing someone else's clothes.

“Grandmother, this is Zhang Yan, my friend.”

"So it's Miss Zhang!" Old Madam Guo was very accommodating, looking at Zhang Yan with the same kind eyes. "Second son has grown up and knows how to make friends."

The servants, sensing the situation, also handed over two red envelopes, and Madam Guo gave one to each of them.

"Thank you, Madam." Zhang Yan nodded, then stood up again, presented a gift with both hands, and smiled, "Grandma, this is a pine and crane longevity embroidery that I made myself, as a birthday gift for you."

Madam Guo happily accepted it, noticing that the needlework looked somewhat familiar, but she didn't point it out. Instead, she praised her, saying, "Good child, it's been hard on you."

Zhang Yan then smiled modestly.

Police Chief Zhang couldn't hold back any longer and rushed up to her, saying, "Little sister, come with me for a moment."

Zhang Yan's shy smile hadn't faded when she saw her older brother storming towards her, and she immediately felt uneasy.

At the same time, I remembered something terrible: Oh no, I forgot to report Qingru's whereabouts to Young Master Guo.

However, the unease in her heart dissipated when she saw Qingru standing safely in front of her. Thank goodness, even if the message hadn't been delivered, she had come out safely.

"Big Brother!" Zhang Yan called out pleadingly, her face pale, as she timidly hid behind Young Master Guo, looking at him with pleading eyes.

Guo Ziyou pulled Zhang Yan's slender waist into his arms and looked at Chief Zhang provocatively, "Chief Zhang, Yan'er is tired today and wants to go back to rest. I'll take her with me."

“She’s my sister,” Chief Zhang said, holding Zhang Yan’s arm firmly.

Guo Ziyou retorted without backing down, "That depends on whether she's willing to go back with you. You can't interfere with her freedom, can you?"

Chief Zhang's face was ashen. He had initially thought that Zhang Yan had been captured by Young Master Guo, but the current situation told him that was not the case.

He gritted his teeth and looked at Zhang Yan again, trying to remain calm as he said, "Little sister, come back with me. Your family is waiting for you."

Zhang Yan looked at her older brother with a troubled expression, and said pleadingly, "Big brother..."

Young Master Guo laughed and said, "Chief Zhang, then we'll take our leave." After saying that, he put his arm around Zhang Yan, who was cowering, and turned to leave.

Chief Inspector Zhang stepped forward and said, "Young Master Guo, Zhang Yan is my sister. She is not yet married. For the sake of her reputation, it would be better if she came home with me."

The word "reputation" stung Zhang Yan. She looked away, not daring to meet her older brother's gaze.

Young Master Guo chuckled and said, "Oh? Then I'll just come and propose marriage another day. I'm also Yan'er's 'family,' and we'll all be family from now on."

His tone was flippant, especially the emphasis on the words "family members," which might have been misinterpreted by others.

Despite his anger, Sergeant Zhang insisted on taking Zhang Yan home, while Guo Ziyou refused, resulting in a stalemate between the two.

"What's going on here?"

Young Master Guo finally arrived, and Qingru breathed a sigh of relief for some reason, then showed the situation to Guo Zixing.

Guo Zixing was shocked when he saw Qingru, but he quickly suppressed his shock, as now was not the time to ask questions.

Guo Zixing directly pulled Guo Ziyou's arm away from Zhang Yan.

"You're all grown up now, you should learn to be a gentleman, you know?"

Guo Ziyou snorted dismissively, released Zhang Yan, sat back in his chair, and lazily drank his wine.

"I learned it from you, but didn't you bring a woman back with you too?"

Guo Zixing ignored his unreasonable arguing and directly instructed Chief Zhang, "Take your sister home first."

Knowing he still had questions, Chief Zhang ignored Zhang Yan's resistance and grabbed her by the hand, pulling her outside.

Qingru nodded to Guo Zixing and hurriedly followed him.

Guo Ziyou watched with great interest, as if he were watching a play.