Everyone in the private room looked up at Lillian Winters.
For a moment, everyone thought they were hearing things.
What does this mean?!
Lucy Winters and Martin Saunders exchanged glances, feeling that their little sister Lillian Winters and her husband Max Wells were saying something odd.
Gabrielle Winters, Nick Zeller, and Lawrence Winters already understood what Lillian Winters meant.
Nick Zeller held a jade-white sake cup, watching Max Wells pour wine into it, and asked with a grin, "Max, you only have one son, and you want him to take the Winters surname and be adopted into our Winters Family? Don’t you feel any reluctance?"
Upon hearing this, Max Wells immediately sensed an opportunity, beaming as he said, "Big Brother, we are all family, let’s not make distinctions! Our Winters Family only has you as the sole male heir, and you’ve said you’ve joined the Celestial Path Sect and can’t marry or have children. Our Winters Family can’t have its line cut off, can it?!"
Nick Zeller laughed sincerely, even holding Max Wells’s hand, exclaiming, "Truly, distance tests a horse’s strength, and time reveals a person’s heart. The way you keep saying ’our Winters Family’, someone who doesn’t know might think you’ve married into our Winters Family!"
Max Wells suspected Nick Zeller was mocking him, blushing slightly, but looking at Nick’s earnest expression, it didn’t seem like it.
He had no choice but to follow his words, with a righteous and selfless expression: "Although I’m not married into the family, my heart for our Winters Family is the same. Actually, Lillian has always been concerned for you, thinking about how to relieve you of your burdens. Even though we only have this one son, for you, for the Winters Family, what do I have to hold back?"
As he spoke, the adults at the table finished pouring wine and poured a cup of corn juice each for Lawrence Winters, the younger generation, Martin Saunders, and Connor Wells.
Sitting back in his seat, he raised his glass, speaking like the head of the family with a New Year’s toast: "Everyone worked hard this year! Come, let’s finish this drink, and may next year be smooth sailing, and may everyone achieve even greater heights!"
With these auspicious words, Nick Zeller smiled cheerfully at him, didn’t call him out, and downed the drink in one go.
Max Wells watched closely, pouring more for him immediately with a diligent smile.
Nick Zeller held the wine glass, this time not drinking in a hurry, looking at Lillian Winters with a smirk, saying: "Little sister, is this also what you mean? You want to change your son’s surname to Winters, to adopt him to me?"
"Of course! It was Max who reminded me! Look, Connor’s dad doesn’t mind, just agree!" Lillian Winters was both nervous and excited.
She and Max Wells had deliberated for a long time at home; she didn’t have much ability to earn big money, just surviving on her meager salary. What would happen to Connor later? What about the one in her belly?
Moreover, her eldest and second sisters only had daughters, who would be married off in the future.
It would be better if she stood up and helped the Winters Family.
She looked at Nick Zeller as if she saw millions, even tens of millions in family assets waving at her...
Max Wells was also fervent; to him, even if his son changed surnames, he was still his son.
But Nick Zeller’s assets were different; that would not be the Winters, but the Wells!
Lillian Winters and he were very envious of the penthouse duplex Nick Zeller bought in Temple Court Residential Area.
When he bought it back then, it was less than a million, and now it’s already worth three to four million!
With just that apartment, he and Lillian Winters couldn’t earn it in their lifetime.
Not to mention the vast fortune Nick Zeller made from feng shui consulting...
If Connor could change his surname to Winters, adopt into Nick Zeller, why would he need to take any high school entrance exams?
From now on, just lying at home eating and drinking, he’d never have to worry for a lifetime.
Nick Zeller leisurely picked up a fried peanut with chopsticks, teasing, "...but what if I don’t want your son to be adopted? What then?"
"Huh?! Big brother, stop joking! I’m the only one in the Winters Family with a son, you won’t adopt my son, would you rather adopt the second sister’s daughter?!" Lillian Winters burst into laughter, totally not expecting Nick Zeller would refuse.
She thought Nick Zeller was joking.
Max Wells also agreed, hurriedly saying, "Big brother, don’t joke with us, our Connor is only twelve, still young, and ignorant. If you take him by your side and teach him carefully, see the world with feng shui consulting, he’ll be much better than Lawrence, this little girl."
"No matter how capable Lawrence is, she’s just a girl, and eventually, she’ll be married off. Our Connor is different; when he grows up, he’ll get married, be filial to you, and provide for you in old age!"
Nick Zeller burst out laughing, "Max Wells, oh Max Wells, you really brag well!"
He raised his glass, his face wearing a seemingly warm smile, but his gaze was sharp as a knife, sweeping over the people at the table.
"Speaking of supporting old age, I’ve lived quite a few years, yet I’ve rarely seen sons actually taking care of their parents in old age."
"When parents get older and have needs, it’s always the daughters who are there to take care of them. —Sons? They’re all waiting with open mouths for their wives to serve them!"
Nick Zeller sneered and finished his drink.
Max Wells felt extremely awkward and stopped pouring more wine for him.
Nick picked up the bottle of Maotai himself, refilled his glass, and looked at Lillian Winters, saying: "Little sister, what do you think your big brother does for a living? Do you really need to play these games with me?"
"Big... big brother, what do you mean?" Lillian felt a chill from Nick’s stare, subconsciously moving aside a bit.
"What do I mean?" Nick put down his glass, wiped the smile off his face, and shifted his gaze to her belly, sarcastically saying, "This year is the Year of the Pig, and you’re born in the Year of the Pig too. You’re sitting directly south of this restaurant’s kitchen, which is an auspicious location for the pregnancy god."
"If I’m not mistaken, you’re definitely pregnant with your second child, and it’s a boy."
"Otherwise, would you so easily give your only son up for adoption to me?"
"Even if you agree, Max’s parents wouldn’t."
The room fell into silence immediately.
After a while, Lucy Winters was the first to exclaim, "Little sister, you’re pregnant with your second child?!"
Connor Wells snapped back to reality too, suddenly reaching out and pushing Lillian aside, shouting: "You’re having another baby?! How dare you have another baby! Did you ask me?!"
"I don’t want a brother! I don’t want a brother! In our family, I’m the only boy!"
He yelled angrily, even raising his leg to kick toward Lillian’s stomach.
Lawrence Winters, who was sitting next to Lillian, saw this and immediately intervened. He stood up from his seat and pulled Lillian behind him, protecting her.
Connor Wells missed with his kick due to the movement, lost his balance, and fell forward into a painful split.
He froze for a moment and then began to cry with all his might.
It was unclear whether he cried because he’d have a little brother, or because the split hurt so much as if it would tear him in half!
He was already chubby, didn’t like exercising, and his leg muscles weren’t stretched.
But he had kicked too hard and there wasn’t time to pull his leg back, so all his weight pressed onto his leg.
Everyone seemed to hear a crisp snapping sound, and they all wondered if Connor’s legs had "split apart" then and there.
Max Wells, seeing his son nearly fainting from crying, quickly went over to help him up, guiding him to a sofa with soft cushions to sit on.
Nick Zeller snorted, looking grim, and harshly said: "Lillian and Max, is this the smart and filial son you’ve been boasting about?"
"A kid who hasn’t even grown up fully, yet dares to attack his pregnant mother. — Such a heartless child, I don’t dare take him in. Who knows, when he grows up and I’m old and unable to move, if he dislikes me he might grab a chair and bash my skull in!"
Lillian couldn’t believe Connor would do such a thing to her, clutching her belly, shrinking behind Lawrence, not daring to approach Connor.
Lucy Winters and the Saunders family watched, dumbfounded.
Lucy, although she had discreetly resented Nick for favoring Gabrielle and Lawrence, had never considered pulling such stunts like her younger sister’s family.
Giving their own child to Nick to inherit his property?!
Did they really think they could fool Nick, the Great Heavenly Master?!
Even Max Wells was stunned by Connor’s kick today.
But considering that Connor was the only son in the family and already spoiled, Max didn’t scold him in front of everyone, only rubbed his leg, asking if he needed to see a doctor.
Connor didn’t want to go to the hospital, but both his legs were completely weak, as if broken. He was afraid something was really wrong with his legs, so after a long period of complaining, he finally said: "...Dad, I feel terrible, maybe I should see a doctor after all..."
"Then go quickly, if you’re late and something happens to the kid’s leg, it could be a lifelong issue." Gabrielle Winters finally spoke up.
She had been watching coldly ever since Lillian was hit, knowing this New Year’s Eve dinner couldn’t be peacefully eaten.
Lillian didn’t dare to look at her, whispered, "...Then we’ll take the child to the hospital."
"Mm, the kid has a father and mother, yet he grew up into a little bandit . You parents really need to reflect on this." Gabrielle said unhurriedly, "This must be the advantage of having a father, the offspring takes after the parent. Like father, like son. Heh..."
Between the lines, she was insinuating that Max Wells was just as much of a bandit as his son...
Max’s face turned purple with anger, but he didn’t dare say a word, supporting Connor halfway, heading toward the door of the private room.