Shi Weichong kindly handed a piece of cloth to Rong Zhouzhong to cover himself up. "Old Third has never done housework before. It's understandable that he can't do it well when he's in a hurry."

Shi Jin, watching Xiang Aoting lose his temper, couldn't help but laugh. He rolled up his sleeves and said, "Have you made a few dishes? Let me help too. Lian Jun may not be able to eat what you guys make, he has to watch his diet."

The brothers: "......" Suddenly their hearts felt so heavy.

Outside the door, Rong Zhouzhong and Li Jiuzheng stood side by side, staring at each other with wide eyes.

"Want to chat?" Lian Jun gestured towards the living room.

Rong Zhouzhong shook off the water droplets on his clothes and glanced at Li Jiuzheng, who had quickly become obedient after being thrown out. "Sure, but I need to change first."

Suddenly, Li Jiuzheng sprang to life and slipped the "dishcloth" in his hand over Rong Zhouzhong's body.

Rong Zhouzhong raised his eyebrows and reached for Li Jiuzheng's neck, ready to beat him up.

Lian Jun: "..."

......

After a whole afternoon of messing around, when the sky grew dark, a table of reunion dinner was finally served, with Xiang Aoting as the head chef, Shi Weichong helping out, and Shi Jin replenishing the dishes.

There were a total of twenty dishes, including fish, meat, soup, and desserts, all looking quite decent. Everyone took their seats at the dining table. Lian Jun and Shi Jin sat close together, while Shi Weichong and Fei Yujing sat together. Xiang Aoting had Rong Zhouzhong and Li Jiuzheng sit next to him. The scene looked harmonious.

"May everyone have a safe and healthy new year." Shi Jin stood up and poured a glass of wine for his older brothers and himself. He then poured a cup of hot soy milk for Lian Jun. He raised his glass and said, "I wish everyone a happy new year in advance. Cheers!"

The Shi brothers looked at their glasses in front of them, feeling a bit stunned. It was a new and interesting experience to be treated with such a dignified manner by Shi Jin.

Fei Yujing was the first to come back to his senses and stood up. He picked up his glass and lightly tapped it against Shi Jin's, saying, "Cheers, happy new year."

Shi Jin smiled. One by one, Rong Zhouzhong, Xiang Aoting, Shi Weichong, and finally Li Jiuzheng stood up.

As their glasses clinked together and the aroma of food filled the air, it truly felt like a warm family gathering for the Lunar New Year.

Shi Jin raised his glass, tapped it against Lian Jun's, and then downed the drink in one gulp. He exclaimed happily, "May we have this day every year, and this moment every age!"

The brothers of the Shi family looked at him, drinking their own glasses and feeling a mix of emotions. Without Shi Jin's sacrifice, they would never have experienced this dream-like "today".

"Such a fool," Rong Zhouzhong muttered suddenly, rubbing his eyes with force. With a face flushed from alcohol, Shi Jin didn't notice Rong Zhouzhong's muttering. After sobering up, he sat down and picked up his chopsticks, smiling as he invited everyone to start eating. "Let's dig in, today we're going to savor Fourth Brother's cooking."

Hearing this, everyone took their seats and picked up their chopsticks, and the only sound in the dining room was the clinking of bowls and chopsticks. The atmosphere became a bit chilly and strange.

For the Shi family, this reunion dinner represented more than just a simple and relaxed meal. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

Shi Jin noticed the mood and wanted to say something to liven things up, but his hand was held by Lian Jun.

"Don't force yourself," whispered Lian Jun, leaning in close to his ear. He then turned to Shi Weichong and brought up a topic, saying, "Number Eight gave me some news that the merger between Annihilation and Ruihang is going well. He sent me a new plan. Have you received anything on your end?"

Shi Weichong was surprised that he was initiating a conversation and took a moment to react. He quickly suppressed the emotions stirred up by this reunion dinner and replied, "No, I haven't checked my email in the past few days. I'll take a look later."

Lian Jun nodded and turned to Fei Yujing, asking, "Is Lawyer Fei busy lately? The merger between Ruihang and Annihilation involves some overseas business related to new energy. I heard that you handled a case related to energy before. If you're not busy, I'd like to invite you to come and help."

Fei Yujing responded, "Sure, but we'll have to wait until after the new year. I'll be busy with some work during this time."

"Then we'll contact each other after the new year," Lian Jun confirmed the arrangement directly.

Shi Weichong was a bit surprised and asked, "The overseas energy sector? Is it part of the new plan?"

Lian Jun replied, "Yes, it is. This part is quite important, and it may require both of you to be busy for a while. Does Lawyer Fei need to take a look at the plan first?"

"Yes, it's necessary. The earlier we prepare, the better," Fei Yujing added.

The three of them naturally started chatting about the new energy project, instantly changing the awkward silence at the dinner table. Shi Jin was stunned, staring at Lian Jun's handsome profile. After a moment of daze, his mood suddenly soared.

- His beloved is indeed the most reliable, considerate, and gentle!

He smiled and squeezed Lian Jun's hand, then got up and moved all the dishes he had made in front of Lian Jun, happily serving him.

Rong Zhouzhong couldn't stand watching anymore, remembering the scene of Lian Jun and Shi Jin being lovey-dovey while eating on the island. He couldn't help but angrily say, "You little brat who's been blinded by beauty!"

Shi Jin's ears perked up and he shot a fierce glance, saying, "You didn't even help at all, so you have no right to speak. Go eat your onions!"

"You!" Rong Zhouzhong was angry but had no words to retort. He angrily picked up a sesame ball that Shi Jin had fried and stuffed the whole thing into his mouth, chewing hard to vent his frustration.

With a triumphant snort, Shi Jin looked over at Xiang Aoting next to him, feeling quite pleased with himself. He gestured towards the chicken wings he had made and said, "Fourth Brother, try some of my cooking. I remember you like chicken wings."

Xiang Aoting replied with a simple "okay" and picked up a chicken wing. "I didn't expect you to remember what I like to eat," he said.

It's not just you. The original owner remembered everyone's favorite dishes.

As they sat together, pretending to be a happy family celebrating the new year, Shi Jin tightened his grip on his hand and quickly glanced at Lian Jun's face before wiping his eyes and refocusing. He then turned to the always quiet Li Jiuzheng and placed a stack of glutinous rice snacks in front of him.

Li Jiuzheng looked up at him.

"You seem to like this... but don't eat too much glutinous rice, it's hard to digest. Just try two," Shi Jin advised.

Li Jiuzheng's lips moved, and suddenly a determined expression appeared on his face. He said, "Xiao Jin, I want to..."

Swish.

Rong Zhouzhong suddenly reached over to Xiang Aoting and poked a glutinous rice snack in front of Li Jiuzheng.

Li Jiuzheng shut his mouth and looked at the broken glutinous rice snack on the plate, his expression tightening. He turned his head and gave Rong Zhouzhong a sinister look, then reached for the vinegar dish on the side and poured it all into Rong Zhouzhong's bowl.

Xiang Aoting, sandwiched between the two, had veins popping on his forehead. He raised his hand and pressed down on both of their shoulders, lowering his voice to warn, "If you cause any more trouble, I'll throw you both out. Eat your meal properly!"

With a cold snort, Rong Zhouzhong put down his chopsticks and took back the glutinous rice ball that was pierced on them. He stuffed it into his mouth with a loud gulp, chewing it aggressively while provocatively staring at Li Jiuzheng.

Li Jiuzheng's face was full of murderous intent. Suddenly, he picked up his wine glass and said, "Let's compare?"

"Bring it on, who's afraid of who?" Rong Zhouzhong mumbled with a mouthful of food, accepting the challenge.

Xiang Aoting couldn't take it anymore and decided to ignore them. He picked up his own utensils and moved to sit next to Shi Jin, letting them do whatever they wanted.

Shi Jin watched with amusement and turned to Xiang Aoting, saying, "You're more like a big brother than Third Brother. He's too childish."

Xiang Aoting turned his head to look at him and replied, "No one here is like a big brother. We're all taken care of by the youngest brother. How can we be considered big brothers?"

The atmosphere at the dining table gradually became lively. Shi Weichong and Fei Yujing chatted with Lian Jun about business matters. Li Jiuzheng and Rong Zhouzhong inexplicably started drinking together, while Xiang Aoting and Shi Jin praised each other's cooking. Laughter and noise filled the air, and everyone seemed relaxed.

During a lull in the conversation, Lian Jun took a bite of the dish that Shi Jin had passed to him. He glanced over at Shi Jin, who was excitedly discussing ingredients with Xiang Aoting, and then shifted his gaze back to Shi Weichong and Fei Yujing, ready to continue their previous topic. However, the two of them had also stopped talking and were now looking at Shi Jin.

After a few seconds, Shi Weichong and Fei Yujing looked away.

The three of them exchanged a knowing glance and silently resumed their previous conversation. Some things don't need to be said; everyone understands. Today, we are all gathered here just to make one person happy.

Rong Zhouzhong, who was half-drunk, saw the way Shi Jin was talking to Xiang Aoting and couldn't help but feel jealous and disdainful. He clicked his tongue and looked towards Li Jiuzheng, who was unconsciously looking at Shi Jin. Rong Zhouzhong reached out and tapped his head, poured him a glass of wine, and said, "Don't always act like you're about to die. Today is a reunion dinner. Do you know what that means, silly boy?"

Li Jiuzheng held his head and remembered that Shi Jin had also tapped him like this before. He lowered his eyes and said, "I don't know... Third Brother, I don't know what to do. No one has ever taught me."

"Just study if you don't know." Rong Zhouzhong banged his head a few times in frustration and scolded, "You have a brain made of wood; you don't know how to be flexible... Study well, while Xiao Jin is still willing to give everyone a chance. Being a big brother is more fragile than being a little brother. You should know that when you're feeling bad, Xiao Jin will definitely feel worse than you."

Li Jiuzheng clenched his fist and suddenly picked up the bottle of wine, pouring it directly into his mouth.

Rong Zhouzhong was so scared that his chopsticks fell, and he quickly reached out to grab the bottle from Li Jiuzheng's hand, angrily saying, "That's baijiu! I might as well be talking to a pig... Put it down! Quickly put the bottle down!"