Chapter 495: Older Sister is Getting Married

Chapter 495: Sister Is Getting Married

Steve naturally recognized Meng Fan; he was also a sports enthusiast, how could he not know the Olympic five-gold medalist, the man rumored to be the strongest in Asia, no, by all accounts the strongest on Earth, but he never imagined that Meng Fan would be his girlfriend's younger brother.

Yes, before coming, Meng Caihe had never mentioned that her brother was Meng Fan; she only told Steve she wanted to take him to meet her family.

"Hello, Meng Fan! My Chinese name is Qing Tingli, but you can also call me Steve."

Steve was surprised to see Meng Fan, but he remained completely composed, shaking hands with Meng Fan without any panic or flattery in his tone, even though his future brother-in-law was handsome, legendary, and inevitably harbored some natural hostility toward him.

Meng Fan didn't particularly like the man before him, nor would he interfere with his fourth sister's feelings, but even if he wasn't a sister-obsessed brother, he still felt some hostility and scrutiny. Seeing that Steve remained calm under his gaze, he let it go and asked, "Qing Tingli? A pen name? Or did you take it after meeting my sister?"

He asked this not only because the surname and given name were unusual, but also because the man, though his Mandarin was very standard, clearly wasn't Chinese by appearance, or at least not fully Chinese.

Steve smiled and said in a thick accent, "Qing is my mother's surname. My mother's ancestral home is Fulan. I heard that this surname has at most half a million people in all of China."

Steve said this with pride, whether because of his accent or because he thought a rare surname was precious.

"Alright, I'll just call you Steve then."

Although Meng Fan considered using the mixed-race man's Chinese name, the homophony with Meng Caihe made him think too easily of a poem. And since Steve only mentioned that his father's surname was Qing, without saying whether the name was original or taken after meeting Meng Caihe, he was even less inclined to use it.

Meng Fan introduced Wu Tong beside him, then gestured for them to sit and eat.

Meng Caihe briefly explained how she and Steve met, then straightforwardly said they planned to register their marriage around New Year's Day.

They weren't the type to fall in love at first sight and rush into marriage; they had known each other for five or six years, since Meng Caihe was still in school, but they weren't a couple, just friends of friends, seeing each other less than once a year. After Meng Caihe graduated and became a photographer, they gradually had more contact.

A year ago, their interactions increased due to travel and diving, and about two months ago, they naturally came together. In those two months, they found being together very comfortable, and though they hadn't been together long, they recognized each other deeply, including their lifestyles and work, so they decided to get married.

Meng Caihe's work nature matched her personality well; freedom ranked first in her life's priorities, and it wasn't just talk—she truly lived that way. Yet someone like that suddenly deciding to marry surprised Meng Fan quite a bit. It wasn't because she was getting older—Meng Caihe was only a year younger than Meng Caiwei, still two years shy of thirty—so it showed the change Steve brought into her life, or perhaps no change at all.

Meng Fan had already experienced two sisters getting married. The first was his eldest sister, Meng Caiju, when he was a child and almost hated his brother-in-law, still seeing Tao Dongli as a swindler. The second was his second sister, Meng Cailian, and Meng Fan was almost overjoyed, not because he was in high school and grown up, but because he was happy to finally marry off that female demon.

He had even experienced a sister's divorce—yes, Meng Cailian, divorced less than a year after marriage. The reason was simple: her husband's family insisted she be a full-time housewife, she refused, and found her husband unable to mediate or buffer the mother-in-law relationship, so she decisively divorced.

Over the meal, Meng Fan's impression of Steve was good, even though he deliberately observed from a very critical and perceptive angle, it remained positive.

He was talkative, humorous, not greasy, well-educated, including family upbringing, with an open gaze, not the kind of dazzling confidence but with solid grounding.

In short, good.

Of course, even if Meng Fan disliked him, he couldn't stop it. His dislike was just his own opinion; as long as Meng Caihe liked him, that was enough.

As for whether this man might deceive his sister, Meng Caihe wasn't a young girl; her judgment of men was probably far more accurate than Meng Fan's.

As for other melodramatic plots, they were even less likely. It was just a normal sister bringing her boyfriend to meet her brother, with the only extras being a future sister-in-law and the brother being a big celebrity.

The only real surprise was Steve's attitude toward Meng Fan; he was only startled at first, then throughout the process showed no discomfort, behaving very calmly, as if interacting with a celebrity was an everyday occurrence.

After the meal, Meng Caihe and Steve left. They had flown from abroad to the capital, already met the eldest sister's family, then went to Shanghai to see Meng Caiwei and Meng Cailian. Next, they would go from Hangzhou to Wenzhou to meet the elders at home and the two younger sisters. As for Meng Caitang, they had already seen her in Lion City. After meeting everyone, they would register for marriage and then start their honeymoon trip.

The women of the Meng family were quite free-spirited, daring to love and hate, and free, which naturally related to the open-mindedness of the older generation. For instance, this time Meng Caihe suddenly brought home her mixed-race boyfriend to announce marriage, and a travel wedding without a banquet. From Meng Fan's understanding, only the eldest aunt might mutter a few words; the other elders, including grandparents, wouldn't have much objection.

"Caihe left?"

Just as Meng Fan and Wu Tong returned home after seeing off Meng Caihe and the others, Meng Caiwei arrived. She had met Meng Caihe yesterday but had to miss coming to Hangzhou with her due to a temporary matter. Now she returned to attend afternoon classes—yes, Meng Caiwei's courses at Zhejiang University weren't over yet.

After the afternoon classes, she would prepare to go abroad, following the "River Crossing Pawn" crew to a European film festival, where she was once again nominated for Best Actress, a candidate for the film queen.

Meng Fan nodded, then asked with a smile, "Fourth sister quietly brought back a boyfriend and is getting married in a hurry. What about you? When will you give us a surprise?"

Meng Caiwei shot Meng Fan a sideways glance: "You weren't this nosy before!" She glanced at Wu Tong beside him and smiled, "You two get married first."

(End of chapter)