VOL.1

From crying out of jealousy, it has transformed into smiling with envy

Time has crept over my skin, and only I am most aware of it

Faye Wong's "The Book of Laughter and Forgetting"

Yan Baiyao said to Manager Zhao, "Please wrap all three of these up. Thank you." He then turned to Cen Luoli and smiled faintly, "You can take your time to choose at home."

Father put down the magazine, seemingly deep in thought: "Do you mean they will impose conditions?"

"Bai Yao, which one is suitable for me?" Cen Luoli gently waved her hand adorned with a diamond ring in front of him, bringing his thoughts back to the present.

The father advised, "The in-laws have their own plans. Moreover, after raising their daughter for so many years, how could they easily agree to a marriage? Think about it from their perspective."

The mother sighed in frustration, saying: "They are well aware that we wish to hold our grandchild soon, yet they insist on waiting for a year."

Upon hearing this, Father realized that the topic had turned to himself and had escalated unnecessarily, so he hurriedly tried to appease her, saying: "Dear, at our age, why bring up things from the past? Look, now that our son wants to get married, isn't that just fulfilling our wishes? We can have a grandchild sooner!"

Yan Mu thought of the scene of indulging in grandchildren, her eyes squinting with a smile: "That makes sense!" Suddenly, she remembered something, turned to Yan Fu, and said, "What does the Cen family mean by this? They insist on waiting a year before allowing the marriage. In my opinion, we should hold the engagement banquet this month, choose a date for the wedding in two months, and three months is enough time to prepare for the wedding. I really don't understand what they are up to."

If she is still reading fashion magazines at this moment, she should know that he is going to get engaged. He has never accepted media interviews, but this time is an exception; he accepted an interview with a fashion magazine—the very one she was engrossed in at the golf course that day—and became the cover figure for this issue. In it, he discussed his upcoming engagement at the end of next month—he believes she should already be aware of it.

Yan's mother was also taken aback by the news, but after calming down, she quickly went to visit her in-laws. Both parties agreed to first have an engagement and then officially marry after a year. That evening, while applying night cream, Yan's mother turned to her husband and asked, "Do you think our son has really changed his ways? At first, I thought he was just being perfunctory with me, but it turns out he is really preparing for marriage."

It is not surprising; I have heard that the Jiang family also had conditions when marrying off their daughter. The Cen family can ask for our help, but I have always been averse to coercion. Originally, when their daughter marries into our family, we become in-laws, but if they bring up such matters when we are proposing, I cannot accept it.

He proposed to Cen Luoli. At the moment of the proposal, Cen Luoli was clearly taken aback, but she quickly regained her usual elegance and poise, nodding with a smile. A lady from a prestigious family, even at such a moment, remains reserved. If it were her, she would have probably jumped up and wrapped her arms around his waist, bouncing up and down.

Father thought and said: "The rumors outside may not necessarily be accurate. Go to sleep quickly. You have been busy lately!"

The mother fell into a deep silence, and after a moment, she walked to the bedside and lifted the thin blanket: "I heard from Lu Guizhi about something, saying that Cen's son is not cut out for business. After struggling in his position for several years, he is now worse off year by year." Although Lu Guizhi loved to compare herself with her and compete with her at every turn, whenever there was any disturbance from the outside, she would be the first to think of informing her. And she was the same; when encountering outsiders speaking ill of Lu Guizhi, she would be the first to rush out. They competed with each other, but in the end, they were childhood friends who grew up together. After all these years of rivalry, they had become accustomed to it. Not competing felt rather uncomfortable, as if something was amiss.

His mother shot him a glance and said, "A couple of years ago, when I asked you to keep an eye on your son, you had your reasons, claiming that youth is meant for indulgence. You know what? You weren't any better when you were young either"

Father was reading a financial magazine when he heard her and raised his head, jokingly saying to her: "You really are something. When your son is not dating, you are anxious! The emperor is not anxious, but the eunuchs are in a panic. Now that your son is seriously dating and preparing for marriage, you are anxious again. Why don't you tell me, what exactly are you anxious about?"

Cen Luoli cast him a playful glance and said, "One must choose, after all!"

"Bai Yao, could you help me take a look? Which one do you think is better?" Cen Luoli smiled brightly at him. Several rings, each with its own unique characteristics, shared only the common feature of similarly sized diamonds, sparkling brilliantly.

The engagement banquet was ultimately decided to be held at the Yan family's villa, with a specialized public relations company responsible for the preparations. Yan Baiyao was busy with work and only arranged half a day off for his secretary to accompany Cen Luoli to buy jewelry. He sat on the side, allowing her to choose from the top luxury brands. Women are inherently fond of shopping, and even a mature beauty like Cen Luoli is no exception. Once they sat down, more than an hour had passed.

Yan Mu tilted her head and looked at herself in the mirror, frowning and saying: "I don't know, it just feels like everything is going too smoothly. Why is this kid listening to us so well this time!"

He did not give Wang Shuimo the best before, so now he must do his utmost to give Cen Luoli the best. He must treat Cen Luoli exceptionally well, so well that Wang Shuimo realizes how foolish it was to leave him

He was momentarily taken aback, then said: "All is well!"

Father chuckled softly and took off his glasses: "Perhaps it is the son who wishes to get married. Didn't you say a few days ago that Lu Yiheng's child is almost one year old? Our Bai Yao is not small anymore; he has played enough. Don't think I don't know how many women he has been with since he returned these past few years. If it weren't for the fact that he is quite diligent in his work, I would have talked to him a long time ago."

However, it is quite strange that at this moment, what flashed through his mind was that platinum ring from California, a very thin band. Wang Shuimo's fingers are very small and slender, and even the smallest size ring feels too large for her. After their reunion, he has not seen it on her hand again. It is worth noting that in the past, she wouldn't even take it off while bathing, fearing that it might be lost if she was not careful, treating it like a precious treasure.