Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The couple did not return home immediately—they continued walking around nearby. They took a stroll by the road, stopped by the garden where Grandmother usually square-danced and sat silently on the bench. Neither of them said a word but they continued holding each other"s hand—their hearts were filled with warmth and serenity.

"The proposal wasn"t that romantic, was it?" Cheng Dongge finally spoke—he seemed a little defeated.

"Ps.h.!.+" Qi Chengyue laughed as she laid her head on his shoulder and placed her hand on the back of his. She held his hand in hers, her soft fingers grazed the back of his hand and palm. "It was quite good, at least it was memorable—I will never forget it for the rest of my life."

Qi Chengyue"s eyes squinted as she smiled. She turned her head and rested her chin on his shoulder while staring at him. Cheng Dongge also turned and looked into her clear, sparkly eyes. "It was a special proposal. To be honest, I only needed the sincerity, it"s okay for it to not be romantic or grand—what"s most important is your heart. Your proposal is the best for me. Did you know that? when you suddenly went down on one knee in front of me and took out the ring, it was such a surprise. My heart was racing—to me, no other proposal could beat what you said and did just now."

Cheng Dongge looked at her calm and content smile—it was beautiful. She rested on his shoulder and sat close to him—he could touch her with the tip of his nose. He looked closely at her face—apart from her clear eyes, her lashes were long, curly, and thick. Her face was also rather clean with minimal makeup. She smiled, and her dimples quickly formed on her cheeks.

He lowered his head and kissed her dimples. His tongue reached into her dimples and tickled Qi Chengyue a little, she laughed, and her dimples became more obvious. Her neck unconsciously retracted as he tickled her.

Cheng Dongge smiled as he kissed her on the lips. Just as he was about to move in, Qi Chengyue pulled away from him.

Her face was flushed, and the temperature was rising. "We"re in public."

Cheng Dongge"s heart melted looking at her stunning face. He gave her hand a little squeeze and stopped kissing her but he was still playing with the tip of her nose. They were breathing into each other.

"Ah, isn"t that Chengyue?" a voice was heard saying.

Qi Chengyue jumped away from Cheng Dongge"s shoulder and turned around. Three aunties, who seemed to be around the age of Guan Liya, were wearing baggy, stretchable clothes. Each of them held a pink fan in their hands.

They were Grandmother"s square-dancing partners.

Qi Chengyue greeted them in embarra.s.sment. She could not remember who they were but the three aunties did not mind anyway.

"We heard from your grandmother that you have a boyfriend now! Not bad, young man. You"re so loving."

"When is the wedding reception?"

"What"s your name, young man?"

The aunties were dis.h.i.+ng out questions one after another. Cheng Dongge and Qi Chengyue could only leave when someone called the aunties over to dance.

The duo decided not to walk around anymore and went back to break the news. Apart from Cheng Zhaohui and Sun Shaoyun, everyone else was home.

They walked into the house and Qi Chengyue"s hand was still in Cheng Dongge"s. She said shyly, "We have something to announce…"

She was cut off by Qi Youxuan, who had an ice-cream cone in his hand after coming back from playing with his friends. He rushed in and shouted, "Zhang Mingming said that there were two shameless adults outside who kissed in front of the kids just now. The kids left after joking about them. Young people these days don"t even consider the feelings of kids while in love, don"t you agree, Auntie?"

"…" Qi Chengyue was speechless.

This little brat was doing it on purpose, wasn"t he?

"Oh, it"s not nice to do that in front of kids." Grandmother clicked her tongue while shaking her head and said, "Since it happened nearby, it should be someone who lives near us. No one outside would put so much effort into coming here for a date. Which family"s children did such a thing? Even if you"re really in love, you could go home and do it, don"t do it out in public, don"t you agree?"

"Yes!" Guan Liya nodded. "Young people these days aren"t like how we were before. During our time, we wouldn"t dare hold hands in public, let alone hug and kiss one another. Who knows when this practice became normal? I think it must be the teen dramas and movies. Look at the TV dramas nowadays, they so easily kiss, have s.e.x, and move in together—it"s teaching the kids all the wrong things."

Xia Wenna silently glanced over at Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu.

"Mom, why are you looking at us? We were here the whole time and never left the house," Qi Chengzhi said sternly while straightening his back.

"…" Song Yu blushed. She was not as thick-skinned as he was—even though they did not go out today, he had done things like that before.

"Zhang Mingming said the man was a tuxedo-clad dog disguised as a man. The woman wore a white s.h.i.+rt with a long black skirt, she seemed cla.s.sy too…" Qi Youxuan went quiet all of a sudden. His dark eyes rolled up and down as he looked at what Qi Chengyue was wearing—he sensed something was not right.

His gaze finally landed on Qi Chengyue"s angry face as she clenched her teeth and said, "Who are you calling a dog!"

Qi Youxuan flinched. He ran toward Qi Chenglin and climbed onto his thigh with exceptional agility with one hand caught onto Qi Chenglin"s arm and crossed it in front of his chubby body.

"Zhang Mingming said it, I"m just repeating what he said," Qi Youxuan shouted while straining his voice before hiding back in Qi Chenglin"s arms. After a few moments, he had the guts to ask another question, "Aunty, was it really you?"

Qi Chengyue squeezed her eyes together, she could not treat this nephew of hers as a child. "We"re adults, we can do what we want. That isn"t your case though, children cannot be in relations.h.i.+ps—stay away from Muran in the future. Burn that love letter under your mattress."

The room stared at Qi Youxuan in shock. A surprised Guan Liya asked, "Youxuan, you know how to write?"

She instantly felt incompetent as a grandmother after realizing that she did not know this.

"What writing? He was just drawing. To be exact, it was a drawing of love. The drawing was quite abstract too." Qi Chengyue continued snitching.

"Aunty, with that mouth of yours, you will never get married! You should at least try to pretend in front of my future Uncle," Qi Youxuan"s chubby face blushed, his little secret was exposed by Qi Chengyue.

The drawing was unintentionally discovered by Qi Chengyue. Hmph, he knew Aunty could not keep a secret. He even promised to support her in being with his future Uncle.

"Hahaha!" Qi Chengyue laughed obnoxiously as she started acting childish. She then whipped out her s.h.i.+ny left hand and said, "He has to marry your Aunty either way."

A silent Cheng Dongge started smiling. He was watching Qi Chengyue and Qi Youxuan"s exchange a warm gaze.

Grandmother was super excited. Just as she wanted to speak, Grandfather suddenly stood up and walked towards Cheng Dongge with his hands behind his back saying, "Come, play chess with me in the garden."

He walked outside right after that.

Cheng Dongge followed him. Grandmother unhappily sat down after being cut off by Grandfather and said, "Stupid old man, showing off again."

Cheng Dongge stood next to Grandfather in the small garden and watched him play chess with others. After accompanying him for a few rounds, he came back with Grandfather and took Qi Chengyue home after. He needed to tell Cheng Zhaohui and Sun Shaoyun about the engagement.

Everyone left the house. On the way back, Song Yu was still hung up on Qi Chenglin"s personal matters. She turned around and asked Qi Chengzhi, "You really don"t know who Chenglin is pursuing?"

"He didn"t tell me. What"s with the sudden curiosity?" Qi Chengzhi looked at Song Yu.

"Didn"t he behave strangely in front of Danchen the other time? Grandmother felt like he might be into Danchen and asked me to pay attention. Youxuan also wanted Danchen to be his stepmother. Things cannot change this fast, can they? Danchen didn"t even tell me she was close to Chenglin. Do you think I should ask her?" Song Yu opened her WeChat.

"If you can"t help it, then ask," Qi Chengzhi smiled briefly.

Song Yu thought about it and said, "Forget it, I don"t know how to start the conversation."

"Right, add Cheng Dongge and Chengyue into the group," Qi Chengzhi said.

Song Yu did it right away. Not all members of the Eight Great Families were in the "8×8=64" chat group, it only consisted of the ones who were close to one another. Qi Chengzhi suggested to add Cheng Dongge and Qi Chengyue into the group as a gesture of his approval.

When Qi Chengyue was with Jian Yi, they were not added into the group.

Qi Chengyue received a notification after being added to the group. She was shocked and her surprise was amplified after seeing the members of the chat group.

Song Yu typed a message on behalf of Qi Chengzhi as he was driving. She keyed in a clapping emoji and wrote, [Dongge and Chengyue are engaged.]

[Congratulations!] Wei Zilin wrote.

[Congratulations!] Gui Zhiqian wrote.

[Congratulations!] Han Zhuoli wrote.

[Congratulations!] Yan Beicheng wrote.

Chu Zhaoyang did not bother typing and only sent a clapping emoji.

[Old Chu, can you get in line?] Gui Zhiqian wrote.

[Haha!] Chu Zhaoyang replied.

[I can"t stand how he mocks the group all the time.] Gui Zhiqian wrote.

[Thanks, everyone.] Qi Chengyue wrote.

[Where"s Cheng Dongge?] Yan Beicheng asked.

[He"s driving.] Qi Chengyue replied.

Qi Chengzhi pa.s.sed his phone to Song Yu and said, "Use my phone and tell them to get their red packets ready."

"…" Song Yu was speechless.

Was it appropriate to be this brazen?

Qi Chengzhi looked at her and asked seriously, "What"s wrong?"

Song Yu thought about it—since it was Qi Chengzhi"s phone, she sent the message anyway.

"…" Wei Zilin, Yan Beicheng, Gui Zhiqian, and Han Zhuoli did not say anything.

Yan Beicheng then wrote, [Come to Red Roof tonight and let"s celebrate.]

There was a call from Qi Chengyue and she was asking if she should attend. She was not close to Yan Beicheng—she did not want to simply agree to it.

"Are you tired?" Qi Chengzhi asked Song Yu.

"Since Yan Beicheng asked, let"s go," Song Yu replied.

After agreeing to a meeting time, they went home to rest before leaving for Red Roof at night.

Song Yu was a little sleepy by the time they got home and took a nap. By nighttime, Cheng Dongge brought Qi Chengyue over and they went to Red Roof together.

Just as they entered the room, Qi Youxuan was sat on the carpet with Little Muran playing Lego. The others did not smoke, they were snacking on french fries and playing dice.

After everyone arrived, Yan Beicheng asked the waiter to serve the table. Qi Chengzhi ordered Song Yu"s favorite dishes before arranging them nicely on his plate.

Song Yu did not need to touch her chopsticks at all—she stared at Qi Chengzhi arranging her food for her. He moved gracefully, then brought his plate over to switch it with her empty plate.

Her gaze moved from his long, bony fingers, up to his muscular arm wrapped under his s.h.i.+rt, to his elegant and handsome side profile.

Song Yu smiled gently. Qi Chengzhi looked over as well, and his soft gaze was irresistible. His handsome face, coupled with his sharp features, seemed a lot gentler now because of his soft gaze. The sense of calmness, together with his demeanor, was as infatuating as a clear moon and a gentle breeze.

The others were shocked. They knew Qi Chengzhi spoiled Song Yu as it was obvious from the last few gatherings. However, this time around, Qi Chengzhi had spoiled Song Yu to such an extreme extent.

A man, who was usually cold and seemed distant to many, was spoiling his wife as if there was no one around them.

He was silent as he spoiled her. He still had the calm and steady expression he usually had. It was as if what he was doing was normal.

After realizing that the table was a little quiet, Song Yu looked over and realized everyone was staring at them. She was stunned and started blus.h.i.+ng while whispering to Qi Chengzhi, "Go ahead and eat, you don"t have to fuss over me."

The couple was used to eating alone—whether it was lunch at Dynasty, or eating at home during break, Qi Chengzhi started caring about her meticulously. She did not remember when he began doing that.

It was already a habit of hers and she did not realize what was wrong about it. She would usually be wary about it at the house, but it slipped her mind at this moment and she forgot about it.

Qi Chengzhi briefly glared at Yan Beicheng and a lot and looked down at her again before saying with half a smile, "Eat."

Song Yu blushed—because of how much he cared, she felt sweetness and warmth in her heart. She smiled at him before looking down in embarra.s.sment to eat, she did not dare look at the others.

"Psht, this old man and his young wife are surely something else," Han Zhuoli said while shaking his head.

"Don"t laugh at them. At your age, why don"t you try finding an older partner and show us," Qi Chenglin mocked.

"Who said one would have to serve their partner this way if she was younger? I could find a younger one and make her serve me too. I would control her well," Han Zhuoli sneered.

Everyone at the table jeered.

"Keep dreaming," Wei Ziqi mocked.

"Wake up," Gui Zhiqian said with a cold shoulder.

"Why don"t you find one who would be willing to do that and show us," Wei Zilin rolled his eyes.

"Haha." Chu Zhaoyang laughed dryly.

"…" Han Zhuoli did not respond.

What kind of friends were these—so condescending!

At around nine o"clock at night, Yu Keyao took a cab to a quiet bar.

The lights were dark inside, and slow music was being played. The place was decorated with wooden tables and sofas, it seemed comfortable. There were waiters walking in between the furniture, and most of the customers at the bar were foreigners who chatted while drinking beer.

As there were no available seats, a waiter approached her and Yu Keyao said, "I"m looking for someone by the surname Mu."

The waiter understood her right away and brought her to a booth in the corner.

Yu Keyao sat on a soft and thick sofa and its cus.h.i.+on gave way a little. She smiled at the person across her and said, "Have you been waiting for long?"

"Not really, I"m sorry for asking to meet you out of the blue," Mu Sisi said. She seemed a little tipsy.

Yu Keyao saw a bottle of red wine on the table next to a wine gla.s.s. There was only half a bottle of wine left.

Mu Sisi called the waiter over to pour a gla.s.s for Yu Keyao.

Yu Keyao still had a thing for Mu Huaisheng since that incident. It was never only a one-night stand. There would always be a second time.

To Mu Huaisheng, they were not a couple. They were just friends with benefits on top of being a manager and a subordinate. He had some feelings for Yu Keyao but that was it, he did not think there was anything more to it.

That was not the case for Yu Keyao. She ran out of luck with Qi Chengzhi, she had admitted that long ago. There would be no use if she went to pester Song Yu about it, so she gave up trying to pursue Qi Chengzhi. However, it was such a rare chance to get close to Mu Huaisheng—she wanted to cherish it.

Since she had slept with Mu Huaisheng, she was already one step nearer to success—it would not be hard to fulfill what came after that. She had to marry him to escape poverty.

Mu Huaisheng was not far from Qi Chengzhi, and he was good friends with Qi Chengzhi too. To Yu Keyao, Mu Huaisheng should be on the same level of status as Qi Chengzhi.

As such, she wanted to earn more brownie points with Mu Sisi in order to set a foundation for her marrying into the Mu family.

If she could get the support of her sister and maintain a good relations.h.i.+p—she would be halfway to success.

"Nothing much, I don"t know how you perceive me, but I think of you as a friend. If you need my help, I wouldn"t consider it a ha.s.sle," Yu Keyao smiled as she pushed her long hair behind her left ear.

"I think of you as a friend too," Mu Sisi said while taking a sip from the wine gla.s.s. "I"ve just got here, and I barely know anyone. Most of them are related to Song Yu, and they all hate me because of her. You"re the only one who treats me with honesty, and the only friend I have here. Apart from you, I have no one else to go to. I thought of you right away when I got in trouble. Moreover, I know you"re with my brother."

Yu Keyao widened her eyes in shock and felt pleasantly surprised. She had been thinking of a way to discreetly publicize her relations.h.i.+p with Mu Huaisheng and become his official girlfriend. She did not expect Mu Sisi to know this beforehand.

However, Yu Keyao kept panicking on the surface as her hands shook while blus.h.i.+ng. "No… no, how could you think that? How could Master Mu and I… did you misunderstand something?"

"Keyao, are you not treating me as a friend?" Mu Sisi said with a serious face. "I wanted to meet you the other night, but when I reached your place, I saw you getting out of my brother"s car and the two of you went upstairs together."

"You… You shouldn"t misinterpret that," Yu Keyao clenched the gla.s.s stem with nervousness and continued spinning it. "I don"t wish to climb up the social ladder, with Master Mu it was… Anyway, I have no bad intentions, I"m not trying to reap any benefits from it."

"You"re the one who shouldn"t misunderstand me." Mu Sisi held Yu Keyao"s hand. "I"m not trying to go after you, I"m actually happy for you and my brother. We"re already friends—if you married my brother, we will be sisters-in-law, isn"t that better? It"s better than letting my brother marry a stranger, if there was any conflict between us, I could be bullied by her too. Although I"m his sister, in comparison with a wife, being a sister means nothing. The wife could influence him further with pillow talk, and I could lose my standing in the family. However, it"s a different story since you"re with my brother. Keyao, I"m really happy for you."

Yu Keyao blushed and said shyly, "Of course, if I could become your sister-in-law, I would be happy."

Mu Sisi gave her a seemingly genuine smile before picking up the gla.s.s and downing the wine in it.

"What"s up with you?" Yu Keyao pressed on her hand. "Is there something bothering you? I haven"t asked you this but why did you ask me out?"

"This… I don"t know how to open up about this." Mu Sisi looked down in doubt.

Yu Keyao was desperate to impress Mu Sisi, and she could not help but start to act as if she was already her sister-in-law. She held Mu Sisi"s hand endearingly and said, "There are no boundaries between you and me. You can say it however you want to."

Mu Sisi hesitated for a while before she pulled out a file from her bag, and said, "It"s better if you take a look at it."

Yu Keyao opened the file in suspicion, saw the contents of it, and inhaled in shock. "This… this is…"

"This is the real reason why the Song family went bankrupt. Someone handed this to me, and I"ve had this for some time, but I didn"t know what to do with it," Mu Sisi said as she hesitantly poured a little more wine and took a sip of it.

"I only received this file after we met. I thought it would be inappropriate to show you this as we haven"t known each other for long, and I was worried that you might misunderstand me. Since you"re already together with my brother, we"re family now—there"re no boundaries." Mu Sisi pinched the gla.s.s stem with both her hands. "Since Song Yu is your relative, I thought it would be best to hand this to you and let you decide if you should tell Song Yu"s parents about it."

Yu Keyao clenched onto the file and her gaze wavered. "Does Song Yu know about this?"

"To me, since Song Yu is so money-minded and values her current status so much, even if she knew the truth, she would help Qi Chengzhi keep it a secret as she is afraid of losing what she has now. She"s used to being the young madam of the Qi family—why would she divorce Qi Chengzhi just like that and go back to living poorly?" Mu Sisi sneered as she pursed her lips. "On top of that, she will be the future madam of the Qi family and own all the money and power there is to own. What is the Song family"s bankruptcy compared to that? With Song Yu"s level of tolerance and mind, she knows which one to pick. That"s why I thought it would be better to tell Song Yu"s parents about it instead of talking to her. Her father spent half of his life running that company, he would feel otherwise compared to Song Yu."