roccoschili Chapter 109: Having a Reunion Dinner with the Second Wife
Chapter 109: Having a Reunion Dinner with the Second Wife
At lunchtime, Xie Junfei finally recognized all the members of the second branch of the family based on their seating arrangement at the Huo family's table.
Like the first wife, the second wife was an only child in Huo Mingqian's generation.
The second master and his wife were childhood sweethearts. The second wife was of mixed Chinese and French descent. She grew up in China and her father took her to live with her mother in Paris after she came of age.
When the second master went abroad to study, he reunited with his wife. The two met, fell in love, and had four children: three sons and one daughter.
The second wife preferred girls, and after giving birth to her eldest son, she was determined to have a daughter. After giving birth to Holland, she used contraception for many years.
She only became pregnant with twins after an accident.
Therefore, the eldest son of the second wife and Holland were ten years apart in age from their twin brothers.
Unlike their older siblings who have developed a strong business sense, these twin brothers are exceptionally gifted in scientific research. They have had a smooth academic journey and are already conducting research in world-renowned laboratories in their respective fields at the young age of 21.
Perhaps because of their mixed heritage, the second wife's family was highly recognizable within the Huo family.
Xie Junfei glanced over and noticed the twin brothers eating with their heads down.
The second branch of the family is thriving. The eldest son is already married with children, and his wife is a decisive and capable woman. The baby has had a personal nanny to help take care of him since birth, and his habits and personality have been raised very well.
The little boy's face lit up with a smile as soon as he saw Xie Junfei. Even though he was still unsteady on his feet, he broke free from his aunt's embrace and staggered towards Xie Junfei for a hug.
Xie Junfei bent down, scooped up the chubby boy, and teased him in his arms.
Children all like pretty people. The second wife looked at Xie Junfei and the child in her arms with a gentle expression:
"This little darling won't let anyone hold him except me and his dad, but he's surprisingly well-behaved in your arms."
Xie Junfei kissed the baby's little face, and a milky scent filled the air:
"That means I'm destined to be with my little nephew. Come here, baby, call me auntie."
The little boy was clearly not old enough to talk yet; he just grinned at Xie Junfei and then kissed her face with his saliva.
After playing with the child, the second wife's sister-in-law asked the nanny to take the child downstairs so the adults could have their meal.
The second wife and the first wife have a good relationship and are exceptionally powerful. Most of the Huo family's overseas businesses are managed by the second son and the eldest son.
Once they returned, the two sides joined forces, and the four lower branches of the family all behaved themselves.
The second wife looked around, but couldn't see the person she wanted to see no matter how hard she looked:
"What, didn't the fifth and sixth wives come?"
Huo Shen disagreed:
"If they don't want to come, then they don't have to. It'll save them from getting jealous."
Hearing him say that, the second wife didn't ask any more questions.
Second Master went to the head office to report to Huo Mingqian. It was cold, so the men were all eating in their respective rooms. Second Madam was also approachable. Without the elders at the table, everyone spoke more freely.
Most of the second wife's family members are involved in the arts and entertainment industry, which naturally led to the mention of the hottest news recently - Tia Gallery.
Young people are all surfing the 5G wave, the older sister-in-law tossed her hair and looked at Xie Junfei sitting next to her:
"I've heard there's been a lot of turnover among Tia's senior staff lately. If you need anything, just let me know."
“My family also owns several galleries overseas, and the young management team are all young talents that I have personally trained. If you need me to recommend professional managers, I can help.”
We're all family, and my sister-in-law is only trying to help Xie Junfei; she's also very straightforward.
"Your executive is really... not very good."
"That's a conservative way of putting it," Xie Junfei sighed softly.
"I only just took over Tia myself, there's really no other way."
"That senior executive, relying on his seniority, bossed me around and it infuriated me."
"However, he's about to switch jobs, but I don't have a new successor yet. If my sister-in-law is willing to help, then the problem will be solved."
With Xie Junfei's words in mind, the eldest sister-in-law nodded:
"Don't worry, your sister-in-law won't harm you. I guarantee the person I find for you is good."
Xie Junfei, being young, felt no qualms about acting coquettishly towards her sister-in-law, a married woman with children. She immediately hugged her sister-in-law's arm, giggling.
"My sister-in-law is the best to me. I love my sister-in-law, mwah!"
The eldest sister-in-law had previously told him about Xie Junfei's "great achievements" in the Huo family, and she greatly admired this resourceful young girl. She immediately pulled her into her arms and began to roughly caress her.
"Your sister-in-law likes you too. Don't look for Huo Shen tonight, sleep with your sister-in-law instead?"
“We also have Holland, and the girls can get together and have a private chat.”
Xie Junfei was naturally more than happy to agree, but before he could even say it, Huo Shen grabbed him by the back of the collar and dragged him back.
The man looked down at his young daughter with a forced smile.
"Alright, stop talking. The food on the table is getting cold. Let's finish eating first."
"Your sister-in-law has traveled a long way, and you're practically sitting on her. Don't you want her to rest?"
Hearing him say that, Xie Junfei said "oh" and lowered her head to eat her food obediently, naturally missing the few rounds of eye-to-eye exchanges between Huo Shen and his sister-in-law.
This year, the Huo family's European branch performed well. During a conversation at the dinner table, the eldest son of the second wife also mentioned the idea of further expanding the market. Xie Junfei thought that some of it could be aligned with his eldest brother's company, so he simply declined his eldest brother's name.
Upon hearing the name, the eldest son of the second wife immediately seemed to remember something and smiled:
"I know Mr. Xie. He came to Europe for a roadshow a while ago and really amazed everyone."
"I was thinking of inviting him to dinner, but I was too busy with work at the time, so I had to ask the vice president to do it for me."
"I heard that the Xie family will be coming to the old house for the Chinese New Year this year. This is a good opportunity for everyone to sit down and have a good chat."
As he spoke, the eldest son of the second wife even smiled:
"Anyway, we're all family. As long as the products meet the standards, it doesn't matter whose they're used. It's good that the benefits stay within the family."
That was a beautifully said statement, and everyone at the table laughed when they heard him say it.
Immediately afterwards, the eldest son of the second wife enthusiastically recounted the details of his elder brother leading a team on a roadshow in Europe.
Listening to his enthusiastic sharing, Xie Junfei could tell at a glance that the young master wasn't just being polite, but genuinely appreciated his elder brother.