"Alright, alright, it’s about time. Stop chatting and let’s start the ceremony," someone nearby reminded them.
The Cheng family was no ordinary household. Since Cheng Baokun was adopting a godparent relationship, his relatives had come to check if the Zhu family had any hidden agendas. They didn’t know the Zhus well. Even though Cheng Baokun praised Zhu Shunyuao’s excellence, they remained worried until they saw the real people.
Now that they had met the Zhu family, they felt relieved. The Zhus showed no signs of plotting against them. Moreover, seeing Zhu Yanyi made everything clear. Such a cute little girl was indeed hard to resist. No wonder Cheng Baokun liked her so much. Even the guests present felt a pang of envy.
Following their instructions, Zhu Yanyi kowtowed to Cheng Baokun and Chen Ailian, officially recognizing them as her godfather and godmother. She then acknowledged two godbrothers. Accompanied by Cheng Xu and Cheng Chen, she also kowtowed to Cheng Baokun’s father, recognizing her as her god-grandfather. Other relatives were merely acknowledged as distant kin; they would not interact frequently, so this was just to put faces to names.
After the ceremony, everyone shared a meal, finalizing the arrangement. From now on, the Cheng and Zhu families were officially relatives.
Once the meal was over, the adults gathered to talk, while the children played together. Cheng Xu, being the oldest among the kids, took charge of the games. Besides Cheng Chen and the Zhu sisters, there was another girl present. Cheng Chen clearly disliked this girl. She only held Zhu Yanyi’s hand and led her aside. The girl looked at Zhu Yanyi with eyes full of resentment. Zhu Yanyi frowned slightly and asked Cheng Chen in a low voice, "Who is that big sister?"
"Her?" Cheng Chen glanced at her disdainfully. "Her name is Jia Yao. Didn’t you meet her mom when we came in? They aren’t good people. They love lying."
"Cheng Chen," Cheng Xu said, feeling speechless about his younger brother.
Cheng Chen huffed. "I’m not wrong. They really aren’t good people. Last time, they made me fall. I almost bumped my head." He finished his sentence and let out another huff directed at Jia Yao.
Jia Yao looked aggrieved. "I already apologized."
"If apologies were enough, what would we need police for?" Cheng Chen stated directly.
Hearing this, Zhu Yanyi nearly choked on her own saliva. Good grief, she thought. Is Cheng Chen also reborn or a time traveler? She even knows such classic lines.
"Brother Cheng Chen," Jia Yao called out.
"Don’t call me that. I don’t have a sister like you. My only sister is Ani. Besides, I remember you’re half a month older than me. How can you shamelessly call me brother?" She paused, as if remembering something, and added, "Also, don’t come to our house anymore. If people see you visiting so often, they might think you’re really our relative. You just live nearby. Running over every day and eating our food for free…" It was obvious that this boy held a deep grudge.
Zhu Yanyi and Zhu Yanli looked at each other, unsure how to address such complex grievances.
Cheng Xu sighed helplessly. "Cheng Chen, Jia Yao is a neighbor. You should show the tolerance due to a neighbor. Be careful, or Grandpa will scold you again if he sees you acting like this."
Cheng Chen turned her head away, showing her dissatisfaction. Zhu Yanyi held Cheng Chen’s hand. "Brother, didn’t you say you have many toys? Let’s go play."
"Great, great!" Children’s moods change quickly. Although Cheng Chen disliked Jia Yao, Zhu Yanyi’s words diverted her attention. She naturally forgot about Jia Yao. Even though she followed them, she could simply ignore her.