Chapter 16: The Engagement

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After Wen Yining's parents passed away, she hadn't really celebrated holidays properly for a long time. She didn't particularly like holidays like the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Spring Festival. The more family reunion there was, the more lonely she felt, so she never really looked forward to them. Later, she entered the entertainment industry, which made things a little better. There were events, award ceremonies, or the Spring Festival Gala held by various platforms nearby, so even if she just had a minor role, it wouldn't be a problem. She did have ambitions, but she wasn't in a rush for quick success.

After we got together, I was always brought to his house.

Grandma and the others were still playing mahjong, and the child begged Shen Yueze to give him a red envelope.

Shen Siyuan set her sights on her cousin's wallet, picked up his phone from the coffee table and handed it to him, saying in a fawning tone, "Brother, you're so rich, why don't you play a red envelope grabbing game?"

Shen Yueze leaned back lazily on the sofa. "We've already distributed several rounds of these in the past couple of days."

"Where did you post this? In a group chat?"

Shen Songyue also brought him a fruit platter and fed him with a fork, saying, "You didn't give us any."

Wen Yining glanced at the record. "He posted it in the company group. I didn't grab it, but I received a lot of money."

Other high-ranking officials also participated, but none of them sent as many as he did.

In previous years, Shen Yueze would give her money directly, and then buy her some limited edition bags and watches. She doesn't drive much, so the gifts were basically from when she was in college.

After they got married, he kept the card with her and never restricted her spending; she could just swipe it on whatever she wanted to buy.

He ate watermelon, looked at his younger siblings, and said in a smug tone, "If you want New Year's money, you can kneel down and kowtow to me to wish me a Happy New Year."

"We're of the same generation, okay? Aren't you afraid of shortening your lifespan?"

"Hey, I just happened to have some cash ready, I'll wait."

Shen Yueze went upstairs and took out two bundles of cash that Xu Zhu had prepared for him in advance—brand new red banknotes.

He strolled leisurely to the end of the stairs, casually draping his arm over the railing. "Those who want New Year's money, come and grab it."

Shen Siyuan was surprised and looked up. "You really gave cash? I thought you sent it via WeChat."

"Did you withdraw this cash specifically for us?"

"Your sister-in-law likes cash."

He casually said from the second floor, "I'll throw it down from here, whoever catches it gets to keep it, but first you have to kneel down and wish me a Happy New Year."

Xuanxuan and Xiaochengzi, being the younger ones, don't care about seniority at all.

She knelt down with a thud and kowtowed to him, mimicking lines from a TV drama with a grin. Coincidentally, the show airing at that moment was "Empresses in the Palace."

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Another child corrected, "You're wrong, it should be 'Long live His Majesty! Long ...

Shen Yueze, like a spoiled young master watching a show, lazily smiled and tossed money down in a good mood. He threw down twenty bills, which fluttered down and landed in different places: on the carpet, coffee table, and sofa.

Several children screamed and rushed forward to grab them, "They're all 100 yuan! Brother Ze is even more generous than my dad! I'll come to wish you a Happy New Year every year from now on!"

Seeing this, Shen Siyuan also grabbed two more. "Brother, can you give us some more? They're too fast."

Shen Songyue asked skeptically, "Shen Yueze, is this the kind of arrogant rich young master you are in those brothels?"

"Judging from your past behavior, you used to throw around a lot of money or a watch and then let some girls scramble for it, right?"

Wen Yining watched them play from the sofa, and unconsciously recalled his past self, who was indeed quite wild.

He was the kind of playboy with a dissolute air, lewd, roguish, and with a dangerously gloomy aura.

But the more this type of person is, the more girls like them; not everyone prefers the gentle and refined type.

If he hadn't married her, Wen Yining felt that he would probably have had many exes, of different types, both sexy and innocent, since there were too many people who were after his money and his looks.

After he turns 25, he will marry a girl whose family background is satisfactory. Her family background will not be better than his, but she will be outstanding enough and obedient enough to him.

This is probably what it would be like before I met her—

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Shen Siyuan counted the banknotes in her hand: "123456789... Wow, so many! I've never been this lucky when I've tried to grab banknotes on WeChat."

Actually, the most important thing about Chinese New Year is not the amount of money involved, but the sense of participation in the games. It's very fun. Even getting two hundred yuan at this time is more fun than receiving two thousand yuan on a normal day.

Shen Siyuan also chimed in with her complaint, "If he weren't my brother, I'd be too embarrassed to even talk to him if we ran into each other outside."

Wen Yining asked in bewilderment, "Why?"

"He's clearly a master at dating, not a scumbag, but he's different from a scumbag,"

"He's too aggressive. It feels like only girls listen to him and are controlled by him. No girl can make him fall for him."

Therefore, Shen Siyuan's idols tend to be nice-natured, like Xu Zean's on-screen persona, which is roughly the kind of warm-hearted guy.

Wen Yining looked up at him and felt that what he said made sense. He was dressed quite casually and lazily at the moment, wearing a simple and loose short-sleeved shirt and shorts, with messy black hair, deep and flirtatious eyebrows and eyes, and a carefree smile.

Shen Songyue recalled, "He once told me that if I met a man with his personality, I absolutely shouldn't date him."

"Playing around is fine, but serious relationships are not, and marriage is even more out of the question. Besides, most guys aren't as handsome as him."

That was back in college.

Shen Yueze is quite casual about relationships; he basically treats them as casual flings. Too many people are pursuing him.

He's single and doesn't have a girlfriend yet, so it doesn't matter how many he dates. He's surrounded by rich kids, and each of their girlfriends is prettier than the last, and they even introduce him to other girls from time to time.

Of course, he hadn't met Wen Yining yet at that time.

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Shen Songyue continued her speechless complaints: "My ex was nowhere near as handsome or tall as him, only a little over 1.7 meters tall, pretty ordinary, and a bit chubby. But his family had some money; if they weren't, you could find a lot of them on the street. But even when he went abroad to study, so many people still flirted with him, like Shen Yueze. The ones he encountered—"

Seeing his sister-in-law right beside him, he swallowed the rest of his words and said, "Never mind, I won't say anything more."

I was thinking that someone like Shen Yueze might attract a lot of girls.

As soon as Shen Zongjun came over from the mahjong table, he saw Xuanxuan and the others kneeling on the ground, calling out "Your Majesty" and "Dad" with grinning faces, while holding bright red banknotes in their hands.

The one throwing money upstairs was that scoundrel son. "Get up right now, who kowtows to their peers?"

She glanced at Wen Yining with little expression, then continued chatting with Ming Xiang.

Mingxiang picked up the banknotes from the ground and handed them to the child, saying, "Why is there so much cash?"

Wen Yining silently observed the items they often wore on their wrists, trying to remember their preferences.

Shen Zongjun appears gentle and refined; at 46 years old, he looks like he's in his thirties, showing no signs of aging.

But the cold indifference and ruthlessness of someone in a position of power subtly revealed him to be an extremely intelligent person.

He was very approachable. My first impression of him was that he was down-to-earth and approachable, just a very gentle middle-aged man, which led her to mistakenly believe that he was quite nice.

Later, it was discovered that these were truly high-level individuals who could interact with a host of business leaders and high-ranking officials while also communicating and exchanging ideas with their subordinates.

Affinity is just one of the weapons.

She wore a Nha Trang white agarwood bracelet that sinks in water, and a 0.7mm phoenix eye bodhi seed.

On Mingxiang's wrist was a bright green, icy jadeite with a few floating patterns; the quality and translucency were excellent.

She was petite, wore light makeup, and had striking features. She was also in her forties, well-maintained, and exuded the refined and shrewd air of a wealthy woman. She spoke with great tact and sophistication, and she and Shen Zongjun were quite a good match.

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When Grandma Shen Yueze came over, she wanted to take his pulse, but he refused, saying, "Let's take a look at Shen Songyue first."

Shen Songyue was unhappy. "I'm not feeling unwell, Grandma. I'm really healthy lately. I don't stay up late anymore and I haven't been eating any junk food. Let my brother see it instead. He's really a wild child, going to bed after midnight every day."

The old lady pushed up her reading glasses, looked at the two of them, and said, "Take one at a time."

Shen Songyue had no choice but to extend her wrist. The old lady paused for a while while taking her pulse, and then talked a lot. Fortunately, there were no secrets about her, just her spleen and stomach. She had a lot of dampness, liked to eat cold things, especially ice cream, and didn't usually drink hot water.

The old lady then spotted her granddaughter-in-law and called out, "Come here, Ningning."

Wen Yining didn't really want the old man to see her. She had seen a traditional Chinese medicine doctor several times before because of her irregular periods, but it was mostly for minor issues. She didn't want to drink the prescribed Chinese medicine. After she started dating, her periods became more regular.

Shen Yueze sat down next to her. "Grandma, a couple of years ago, her periods were irregular. Could you take a look at her?"

"I've taken the medicine, and I'm fine now."

The old lady smiled knowingly, "Then it's probably due to insufficient estrogen. That's what the doctor said when I went to the hospital."

Wen Yining: "I've seen both Western and traditional Chinese medicine doctors, and they all said pretty much the same thing."

Shen Yueze asked her, "Did someone tell you to find a boyfriend?"

"I think I did say that."

Being in a romantic relationship can stimulate estrogen levels.

But I wouldn't say it so directly. There are many ways to address estrogen deficiency. You can supplement it with food, treat it with medicine, and also, sexual activity.

She glanced at him meaningfully; that bastard's cryptic look made her think he was asking on purpose.

He also told her that the ancients' emphasis on the balance of Yin and Yang made sense, but she felt it was purely because of the pressure she was under at the time. She had encountered too many setbacks in the entertainment industry, so it was inevitable that she was under a lot of pressure.

After taking her pulse, I didn't say much. She was in good health, naturally energetic, and had a strong immune system.

Then the old lady took Shen Yueze's pulse again. This time she talked a lot, and finally said seriously, "Abstinence can also harm the body. Everyone knows that excessive indulgence has many harmful effects, but don't think that excessive abstinence is a good thing."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Shen Songyue and her peers were amused; they hadn't expected their grandmother to be so direct.

Shen Yueze looked at Wen Yining as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and raised an eyebrow at her with a serious yet flirtatious expression, as if to say, "You caused this, so you're not going to take responsibility?"

Wen Yining's ears burned as he listened. The doctor outside said that no matter how much he went wrong, it was fine. But since his family was there, he was too embarrassed to ask anything.

Besides, he's abstinent, so it's not her fault. He's busy with work and can't see her, what else can she do?

Shen Yueze actually heard most about the consequences of excessive indulgence, something boys usually experience during junior and senior high school.

He felt desire then. Those guys, Ye Qingchi and his ilk, would still talk to him about it. Last night, he masturbated several times.

If it happens too frequently, it can lead to kidney deficiency, lethargy, and even lower back and knee pain. This is also widely advertised online, and it can even affect sexual ability.

The old lady then asked them, "When are you planning to have children? It's better to have them sooner so you can recover better."

Wen Yining didn't know how to respond. The marriage contract was only for three years and did not include having children.

"It depends on fate."

He gave a rather perfunctory answer.

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A note from the author:

The first chapter begins with Ningning asking her assistant to buy a pregnancy test, which comes back negative.

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The university section is almost here, and it's all about stealing someone's love, but things won't develop too quickly from the start. My outline is extremely detailed; it's quite exciting, even more so than the first year of university, haha.

50 red envelopes, muah!