Chapter 51

Chapter 51 (New) Can We Not Get Engaged? The days passed in a drizzle of autumn rain. On the day of the engagement banquet, the sky, which had been overcast for days, finally cleared. Ruan Family Villa. Today was Chu Tang's engagement day, and the entire Ruan family had risen early. Even Ruan Jiaojiao, who usually loved to sleep in, got up early and changed into a festive little red dress. In Chu Tang's bedroom, a professional makeup team was preparing her. She wore the pale pink new-Chinese-style qipao today, her hair swept up into a bun adorned with pearl ornaments. Ruan Jiaojiao leaned over the vanity, tilting her head to look at her, and said in a crisp voice, "Sister, you look so pretty today." Chu Tang smiled and reached out to pinch her cheek. Ruan Jiaojiao's chubby little face took on a worried expression as she frowned and asked, "Sister, after you get married, will you still come home often?" Chu Tang was taken aback. She hadn't expected Ruan Jiaojiao to ask that. She curved her lips, a smile glimmering in her eyes. "Of course I will. The Jiang family's place is so close to ours, I can come back every day." "Hmph, sister is lying." Ruan Jiaojiao pouted. "You don't even come home every day now. How could you come home every day after marrying the Jiang family's big brother?" Chu Tang laughed. "Sister has to work, so I don't have time to come home every day right now." Ruan Jiaojiao extended her pinky. "Pinky promise, you'll come home to see me every day from now on." Chu Tang smiled. It seemed kids weren't so easy to fool after all. She extended her pinky. "Sister can't come home every day, but I promise I'll come back to see you whenever I have time, okay? I'll come home often." Ruan Jiaojiao nodded with a smile. "Okay." Chu Tang linked her pinky with Ruan Jiaojiao's and gave a sweet smile. ... The engagement ceremony was set at the Jiang family's private estate in the northern suburbs. Early in the morning, Jiang Shixu personally drove over to pick up Ruan Chutang. Ruan Shaodong and Yang Xuelian had both dressed up carefully, wearing formal attire, and sat waiting in the living room downstairs. Ruan Shaodong's face beamed with joy. Seeing Jiang Shixu, he warmly stood up to greet him. "Shixu, wait a moment, Chutang will be down shortly." Yang Xuelian stood to the side, smiling softly. She was genuinely happy today as well. Although Chutang wasn't her biological daughter, in her heart she was no different from one. She silently murmured to herself: Qingyun, our Tangtang has grown up. She's getting engaged today. You must be comforted to see this from above, right? Shixu is a very outstanding young man, and I can see he truly cares for Tangtang. She'll be very happy marrying into his family. Rest assured. The few of them sat in the living room chatting. After a while, Ruan Jiaojiao came running down the stairs, shouting excitedly, "Sister's coming out!" Everyone turned to look. Chu Tang descended the stairs slowly, holding a bouquet of fresh flowers. A flash of admiration passed through Jiang Shixu's eyes, and even his breath seemed to catch. Chu Tang was breathtakingly beautiful today. The pale pink new-Chinese-style qipao perfectly accentuated her figure, her slender waist so delicate it seemed barely a handful. Her refined makeup made her features even more radiant and striking, and the elegant bun made her appear gentle, graceful, and poised. No matter how many times he'd seen this face, he couldn't help but fall for her all over again. A smile spread across Jiang Shixu's lips. He stood up, stepped forward to meet her, and took Chu Tang's hand. In the car, Jiang Shixu and Ruan Chutang sat in the back seat. His expression could barely contain his excitement. "Tangtang, this day has finally come." Chu Tang smiled shyly, a blush coloring her cheeks. "I've been looking forward to this day too." "I even want to skip the engagement step and go straight to marrying you, to make you my Mrs. Jiang right away." Chu Tang smiled and pressed her lips together. "I'm yours sooner or later. Why are you so impatient?" Jiang Shixu held her hand, his fingers gently stroking her palm back and forth. "I truly can't wait another day—no, not even another minute or second." At that, Jiang Shixu chuckled. "I was worried before that going straight to marriage would feel too sudden for you, so I suggested to your father that we could get engaged first, and marry when our feelings were ready. But now that I think about it, I really dug a hole for myself." Chu Tang smiled back at him. "So, are your feelings ready now?" Jiang Shixu pinched her cheek. "That's for you to decide. My feelings have been ready for a long time." Chu Tang lowered her gaze with a soft smile, feeling playful. "Then let's wait a little longer." Jiang Shixu smiled indulgently and played along. "Then may I ask when Miss Ruan will be willing to become Mrs. Jiang?" "We'll see." Chu Tang tilted her head to look at him playfully and made a funny face. "Depends on my mood." Along the way, the two chatted, the atmosphere lively. When they arrived at the estate, Jiang Shixu opened the car door and extended his hand to Chu Tang. Chu Tang placed her hand in his and stepped out, walking inside with him. Balloons and flowers could be seen everywhere on the estate. Tens of thousands of fresh pink roses lined the path from the main gate all the way to the main villa. Chu Tang stepped onto the petal-strewn path in her high heels and slowly made her way into the banquet hall of the main villa. The meticulously decorated banquet hall was filled with festive joy, with melodious music flowing softly and lingering in the air. Guests came forward one after another to offer their congratulations. After greeting the guests, Chu Tang and Jiang Shixu walked to the backstage lounge to confirm the ceremony process with the engagement ceremony's master of ceremonies. The entire Jiang family was also present. Elder Jiang, who usually served in a distant post and was rarely seen, had made a special trip back from the capital. Dressed in a deep red Tang suit with a kind and warm smile on his face, the old man looked full of vigor. Elder Mrs. Jiang stood beside him, wearing a silk qipao adorned with expensive jewelry, radiating elegance and nobility. Jiang Yi and Lin Yueying were also dressed in formal attire, carrying an air of refined dignity. The Ruan family arrived shortly after. Ruan Jiaojiao greeted Yang Xuelian and then ran off to play. The two families gathered together, chatting and laughing, and went over the engagement ceremony process once more. The engagement ceremony was about to begin. Jiang Shixu received a phone call. A woman's heart-wrenching voice came through the line, "A Xu, can you please not get engaged to Ruan Chutang?" The smile on Jiang Shixu's face vanished in an instant. He stepped out of the lounge to take the call. "Who is this?" "A Xu, don't you remember me? It's Susu." The woman sobbed, "Why? Why are you getting engaged to Ruan Chutang? I've chased after you for ten years, ten whole years!" Susu? Ten years? Jiang Shixu remembered. This woman was his high school classmate, Chen Jingsu, the school beauty of their year. Jiang Shixu's face darkened as he said coldly, "Chen Jingsu, don't call me again. You and I will never be a thing." With that, he was about to hang up. Chen Jingsu hurriedly said, "A Xu, if you don't call off the engagement, I'll kill myself." The sound of howling wind came through the phone, and Jiang Shixu frowned in displeasure. On the line, Chen Jingsu's voice mixed with the whistling wind. "I'm standing on the rooftop of the villa where your engagement ceremony is being held right now. If you don't call off the engagement, I'll jump immediately." The villa was ten stories tall—a fall from that height would mean certain death.