Zhong Feng looked at the woman with a slight frown.

"Who are you?" He asked directly.

Actually, he was not pretending not to know the person in order to soothe the tense little wife at his side. Still, he was glad that he did not know this woman because her glare was tangible, and she was attempting to disengage her hand from his.

"Feng'er, don't be rude. How can you not remember Song Lili?" His mother rebuked him.

If it was any other woman, she would perhaps have been embarrassed about the straightforward response by Zhong Feng after the warm welcome. However, Song Lili was not an ordinary woman. Moreover, she had great self-confidence which could not be shaken easily.

"Don't worry about it, Auntie Ling. It is natural that Feng'er does not remember me. The last time we met was when we were fourteen." Song Lili said with a beautiful smile.

Zhong Feng finally remembered the identity of the woman. They had not met numerous times, so his impression of her was quite shallow. Moreover, she was not very memorable to him. When he was younger, he had not prioritised interactions.

It was not different from now. He did not like spending unnecessary time on non-beneficial conversations. Therefore, he swiftly moved on.

"Mother, father, I have brought my girlfriend with me. This is Hu Lei." He almost always addressed his parents in a formal manner.

He was a little dissatisfied with this introduction. However, Hu Lei had told him that he could absolutely not under any circumstances introduce her as his wife. It would be in violation of his promise to maintain things as they were.

The three people acted like they had finally seen Hu Lei. She wanted to roll her eyes at them, but she remembered that this was Ah Feng's home. However, she could not help admiring them. Apart from Zhong Tian who had sharpness in their gaze, the women did not show a change in expression.

"Good afternoon, Mr and Mrs Zhong." She channelled her inner angel for the greeting. She was impressed with her own purity and brilliance.

There was a moment of silence. Hu Lei could only assume it was because of her stunning performance.

"So it is the Hu girl. You have changed since I last saw you." The graceful Chu Ling was the first to break out of the daze. She was not the Zhong matriarch for nothing.

Hu Lei frowned and tilted her head in confusion.

"Have we met before?" She asked.

The two elders looked at her in surprise and with some intensity. She did not seem to be faking it. They turned their eyes to their son who subtly shook his head. He had not expected for his mother to directly talk about the incident which was taboo in the house so directly.

She had probably assumed that Hu Lei remembered the past or at least, had been told about the incident by her father. Therefore, it would have been more awkward if they pretended not to know her at all. Unfortunately, Hu Lei did not have a clue about anything.

"Oh, it is no surprise that you do not remember. We met you when you were very small because you always used to follow your father around. He helped us once." Chu Ling recovered quickly and continued without incident.

Song Lili felt that she had been ignored for too long. However, she did not know how to turn the attention of the room back to her. If she interjected, she would seem like an attention wh*re. She did not want to appear uncouth.

Hu Lei did not know or care about the turmoil of the woman. Instead, she felt that Zhong Feng was right. His parents were too polite to be directly rude. This served her purposes well. All she cared about was getting on well, even on the surface. She did not need to bare the elders' souls.

"Then, I suppose that this is not our first meeting. Still, I brought a small gift." She detached her hand from Zhong Feng and walked forward.

She placed the 'Apothecary' box which she had been holding in one hand on the table before the elders. She did not know if this was the correct protocol. However, she felt that it was fine as long as she had given it without awkwardness.

The two people did not reach out to take the present.

"Thank you, Hu girl. You two should sit down." The hostess gestured to the seats next to Song Lili.

Hu Lei still felt that a strong repulsion to this woman who seemed pleasant in every way. She could not shake the feeling that they could not get along. However, she was an expert at concealing her emotions. Therefore, she smiled at the woman and sat down with Zhong Feng sitting next to her.

"Auntie Ling, Uncle Zhong, I also brought some gifts for you from abroad." Song Lili finally found a moment to naturally re-join the conversation.

She picked the large gift bag that she had placed on her side. She had been waiting for Zhong Feng to appear before presenting her gift. Even though he had come with a third-party, her plan to showcase her superior qualities was still viable.

"This girl… you did not have to bring anything. I am just so glad that you decided to come home." Chu Ling spoke with a smile.

"Of course, I had to bring something. You were like second parents to me." She turned her gaze slightly towards Hu Lei to check Hu Lei's reaction.

Unfortunately for her, Hu Lei was not focussing on her. Instead, she seemed to be looking at a calligraphy painting on the wall while turning her head from side to side in fascination. Sensing the gaze, she turned clear eyes to Song Lili.

Song Lili pretended not to have been looking at her and dug out a slim box from the bag. She passed it to Chu Ling who received it in her hand and opened it. She revealed a beautiful bracelet which shimmered in light, but was still not too flamboyant.

"Lili, you did not have to. It looks very precious." She exclaimed.

"It is not much. I happen to know a certain designer in France. He designed it for me as a favour and then, I found some good materials by chance." Song Lili smiled.

Hu Lei wanted to roll her eyes. If this woman believed that it was not much, why did she feel that it was necessary to explain all the trouble she went through for it? Peh, what a faker!

"Uncle Zhong, I brought you a chess set. The pieces are curved from ivory, so they are durable. I can accompany you to play a few games." Song Lili presented with a calm smile.

"Oh, this is a timely gift. My old chess board has deteriorated because Mian'er spends too much time trying to beat me." Zhong Tian finally spoke with a boisterous laugh.

It could be said that Song Lili knew the way into their hearts. Hu Lei felt a deep sense of discontent in her heart. Peh, this faker is contributing to poaching and the endangerment of elephants.

"What about Feng'er? Don't tell me that you did not bring anything for Feng'er." Chu Ling teased slightly.

Song Lili snuck a look at Zhong Feng with some girlish shyness. Unfortunately, his incomparable face was cold as ice. However, she could not help noticing that his elegant fingers were subtly playing with his little girlfriend's hand.