Chapter 129

Chapter 129: Forgot to Take It Off On the third day of the New Year. Relatives came to the house to pay New Year's visits. Ruan Chutang sat in the living room receiving guests, chatting with the elders. As they chatted, an aunt with permed curls suddenly asked Ruan Shaodong, "Brother, why did your family call off the engagement with the Jiang family?" Chu Tang lowered her eyelashes and sighed inwardly. Sure enough, what was meant to come couldn't be avoided. Ruan Shaodong's expression remained calm. "The two kids didn't get along well together, so they called it off." Another uncle spoke up, "I heard that Jiang kid got involved with some actress. Is that true?" Chu Tang complained inwardly: Since when did men get so gossipy? Ruan Shaodong replied, "I don't know. He's already broken off the engagement with Tangtang. Whatever he does now is none of our business." The aunt with curled hair spoke again, "Did that Jiang kid cheat on Tangtang while they were still together? Those high-ranking official families with power and influence—there are plenty of playboys among them. Quite a few of them fool around with actresses and models." Yang Xuelian smiled and tried to change the subject. "That bag of yours is really pretty. I saw it in a magazine before—it's a New Year limited edition, isn't it?" The curly-haired aunt beamed and shifted her gaze to the bag by her side. "Yes, I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. Pretty, right?" Yang Xuelian smiled and said, "It's gorgeous. I was thinking of getting one too." "It seems like it's sold out domestically already. I just got mine yesterday. If you like it, I can ask around for you." Yang Xuelian smiled. "That would be great. Thank you so much." The topic had been successfully diverted, but who would have thought the curly-haired aunt was so nosy that she stubbornly dragged the conversation right back. "Where were we?" the curly-haired aunt asked with great interest. "Was it that the Jiang kid was fooling around and Tangtang found out, so your family called off the engagement?" Yang Xuelian was about to speak, but Chu Tang beat her to it. "No, Auntie. It's that my feelings for him had run their course. He only found someone else after we broke up. It wasn't cheating." That answer clearly wasn't what the aunt wanted to hear. Feelings running their course and finding someone else after a breakup—where's the excitement in that compared to cheating and fooling around? The aunt continued probing. "How did your feelings just run their course? Didn't you two just hold an engagement ceremony not long ago? The last one fell through due to an accident, and I remember hearing your dad say not long ago that you two were getting along great and planned to make up the engagement ceremony after the New Year. How did it suddenly come to an end?" The uncle chimed in right after, "Exactly. What a great match it was. It was the Jiang family, after all—a match many people would beg for. If you ask me, this engagement shouldn't have been called off. Men fooling around outside is perfectly normal. She's just an actress. A family like the Jiangs would never allow an entertainer through their doors. Once he gets tired of playing around, he'll come back and marry you. Just endure it a little longer and it'll pass." Chu Tang frowned upon hearing these words. This was entirely thinking from a man's perspective, weighing pros and cons—not a single word of it was something she wanted to hear. "I—" Chu Tang had just opened her mouth to say something in rebuttal when Ruan Shaodong couldn't take it anymore. "I don't like hearing that." Ruan Shaodong's face darkened. "The Jiang family may have power and influence, and other families might be falling over themselves to curry favor with them, but the Ruan family doesn't care. My Tangtang is the apple of my eye. I won't let her suffer any grievance." Yang Xuelian chimed in, "That's right. Our daughter doesn't need to cling to the Jiang family." The curly-haired aunt turned to Chu Tang. "Tangtang, when I attended the manor banquet last time, I saw you two were so in love. When you had that spat with the Jiang family's adopted daughter and the old lady, Jiang Shixu took your side and talked back to his grandmother, saying his arm only bends toward his wife. He really did seem to treat you well and love you deeply. How did your feelings run their course so quickly?" "Oh dear, isn't that just how matters of the heart go? Who can say for sure?" Yang Xuelian said, then cheerfully waved at the little boy playing with building blocks not far away with Ruan Jiaojiao. "Xiao Chen, come over to Auntie." Xiao Chen put down his building blocks and pattered over to Yang Xuelian's side. Yang Xuelian smiled as she grabbed a handful of candy from the fruit tray and pressed it into Xiao Chen's hands, asking softly, "Xiao Chen, how were your final exam results? What rank did you get in class?" Xiao Chen was the curly-haired aunt's youngest son, a sixth-grader and a little rascal. His grades were terrible and he was always causing trouble, frequently getting his parents called in by the teacher. The moment the curly-haired aunt heard Yang Xuelian ask about her child's grades, her endlessly chattering mouth fell silent, and her expression turned awkward. Xiao Chen didn't care at all about his poor grades. When an adult asked, he answered honestly, "Auntie, I got forty-five in math, thirty-six in Chinese, and fifty-one in English. My class rank is..." "Alright, stop. Even if you're not embarrassed, I am." The curly-haired aunt cut him off. "What's there to be embarrassed about? I improved." Xiao Chen refused to back down. "Last semester I ranked third from last in class. This semester I improved—I'm fifth from last now." "Hahahaha..." Several relatives laughed in unison. "Kids say the funniest things." The curly-haired aunt pulled Xiao Chen over and glared at him, scolding in a low voice, "I told you to go play with Jiaojiao. Why are you here making a fool of yourself? Bringing up ranking fifth from last like it's something to be proud of." Yang Xuelian smiled without saying a word, finally managing to shut her up. Ruan Shaodong cast a worried glance at Chu Tang, who smiled and shook her head, signaling that she was fine. ... After the meal, Chu Tang went for a walk in the nearby garden and unexpectedly ran into Jiang Shixu, who was also out for a stroll. The cold wind howled past, and it felt as if her blood was freezing solid. The two stood face to face in the chilly wind, silent. Chu Tang looked away and spoke first: "What a coincidence." "Happy New Year." This was the first sentence Jiang Shixu had said to her in a long time. Almost instantly, Chu Tang's eyes welled up with tears. She lowered her damp lashes, her gaze wandering, and inadvertently caught sight of the watch on Jiang Shixu's wrist. Her breath hitched. "You..." Chu Tang wanted to ask why he was still wearing the watch she had given him, but she couldn't bring herself to finish the question. Even her tone carried a slight sob. Following her gaze, Jiang Shixu looked at the watch on his own hand, and his heart suddenly ached. This watch was the first gift Tangtang had given him. It wasn't particularly expensive for him—over six hundred thousand—but he had always worn it, never taking it off even after the breakup. Whenever Chu Tang was present, he would hide the watch so she wouldn't see it—that was the case on New Year's Eve, and also at the Nancheng golf course. But just now, he had come out alone for a walk, never expecting to run into Chu Tang in the garden by such coincidence. The watch was now exposed to Chu Tang's sight. He knew what she wanted to ask. He desperately wanted to tell her that he missed her, that he couldn't bear to take off the watch she had given him. After a long, bitter internal struggle, Jiang Shixu spoke with difficulty: "Oh, I forgot to take it off."