Chapter 0037 The Banquet

This private room is decorated in an antique style, with openwork stained-glass windows, ink-wash screens, and several exquisite gauze lanterns hanging down, inscribed with famous ancient literary works, exuding the utmost elegance. In the center is a carved ebony round table, and even small items such as menus and chopsticks reveal a refined touch, unlike ordinary objects.

Ruyi glanced quickly at everyone at the table, and then, led by Chen Yan, she and her aunt greeted each of the elders of the Chen family.

At first glance, the four elderly people seemed no different from ordinary elderly people, with gray hair and kind eyes. However, certain details were enough to distinguish them. For example, Grandma Chen wore a complete set of jade earrings and necklaces with excellent quality. Her eyes were clear and bright, and although she had wrinkles, she could not hide the calm and peaceful demeanor. This kind of temperament could not be obtained without years of pampered life.

As Chen Yan introduced her, she greeted everyone one by one. In the instant she lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, unable to hide her shyness.

Today she wore a light blue modified cheongsam with pink piping, wide sleeves, pearl buttons, and her long hair was neatly styled in a bun. The small round collar accentuated her fair and slender neck, and the skirt hem fell below her knees, giving her a refined and elegant demeanor.

The two elderly women praised Ruyi for being well-behaved and gave her a gift. Ruyi had been reminded by Chen Yan beforehand that this was his family's custom, and that it was polite to accept it generously. She smiled and accepted it with both hands.

"Thank you, Grandma Chen."

"Thank you, Grandma Chen."

Chen Yan's grandmother smiled and took Ruyi's hand, praising, "This outfit is a really good choice. It's both elegant and beautiful. Only a young girl with fair skin like you can bring out its charm."

Grandma Chen said, "We should be thanking you. If it weren't for you urging Ayan to study hard, with his reckless nature, who knows when he would have matured!"

Ruyi became increasingly embarrassed and sincerely said, "It's mainly because he's naturally gifted."

Chen Yan's father, Chen Weiren, is a familiar face on television. He is often invited to give interviews and always has unique insights into market trends and policies. In person, he is more approachable than his serious demeanor on television. He nodded slightly to Ruyi in greeting.

Chen's father had a somewhat rugged appearance, and Ruyi guessed that Chen Yan resembled his mother more, and upon seeing him today, she was right.

Xiao Qingshu was a rare beauty, undeniably stunning, the kind that could captivate anyone from afar. She wore a bright red silk fitted dress and exaggerated square earrings, sitting in a round-backed chair with a casual yet elegant posture. Her skin was porcelain white, her hair was thick black, and she looked much younger than her age. Her demeanor was somewhat aloof, making her seem more like an older sister than Chen Yan's mother.

She wasn't as warm towards Ruyi as the other two female elders, but she didn't look down on her either. It seemed like she didn't care who her son married. Even if Chen Yan married a man he liked, she wouldn't even flinch, let alone Ruyi being a girl from a respectable family.

Ruyi couldn't help but admire her. It's said that Xiao Qingshu had countless suitors in her early years, and Chen Weiren, relying on both intelligence and money, eventually won her heart. Unfortunately, after marriage, Chen Weiren devoted himself to his career, and the couple's relationship gradually cooled, ultimately ending in a peaceful divorce. After the divorce, Xiao Qingshu never remarried, but she had a constant stream of boyfriends, all of whom were outstanding individuals.

According to Chen Yan, his mother recently found a boyfriend who might reignite her desire to get married. He's a Chinese-American working in private equity and venture capital on Wall Street, and the key point is that he's only in his early 30s. Xiao Qingshu gave birth to Chen Yan at 22 and is now 45—it's quite astonishing. But after meeting her in person, who can say that marrying her isn't a blessing for that man?

Regardless of age or gender, the Chen family members were all seasoned socialites and prominent figures. Despite being several social classes apart, they found it easy to find topics to talk about. They discussed everything from Chen Yan's childhood mischief to He Caiyu's hardships in raising her niece alone, from Chen's grandmother's signature dishes to He Caiyu's newly opened branch, from Ruyi's postgraduate studies to Chen Yan's series of business transformations within the group...

Over the years, the group's existing businesses had created a complex web of vested interests. Chen Yan's actions somewhat affected the interests of the older members of the board, who repeatedly complained to Chen Weiren. Chen Weiren warned Chen Yan not to be too outspoken, lest he invite trouble.

Chen Yan disagreed. Of course he knew the saying "clear water has no fish," but those people were too greedy, openly using the group's assets to line their own pockets, practicing nepotism, and being complacent. They would rather throw money into hopeless real estate projects than try a tenth of an amount in emerging industries.

Chen Weiren had revolutionary feelings for these people, but Renxin didn't. Renxin didn't need these cancerous growths. What he needed to do was let results speak for themselves, and then use both kindness and severity to kick these old fogies out one by one...

The two were at an impasse when Grandma Chen interrupted them: "Alright, we're eating, why are you talking about work? If you want to talk, go to the company and talk it out. Nobody here wants to listen."

The meal ended in a harmonious atmosphere. As the two elderly women were leaving, they held Ruyi's hands and kindly invited her to visit their home sometime.

Unlike Chen Qin and his son, who had spent decades pursuing fame and fortune in both political and business circles, they had some reservations about Ruyi's non-distinguished background. However, Chen Yan had done his homework beforehand and, mindful of his own status, hadn't embarrassed the girl. They were getting old, and their greatest hope for their beloved grandson was that he would marry soon and have a great-grandson for them to play with.

Chen Yan has always been stubborn and headstrong, so expecting him to obediently follow his family's arrangements and marry a noblewoman is almost impossible.

This Ruyi, though of humble origins, is exceptionally beautiful and a top student from Peking University. She's currently conducting high-tech research at Lan University, and her soft skills are a good match for Chen Yan. If they were to marry, their children would undoubtedly be incredibly intelligent and beautiful.

And so, Chen Yan and Ruyi's relationship was officially confirmed by the Chen family. Although Ruyi was still studying and had not yet discussed marriage, Ruyi often visited the Chen family afterward, and Chen Yan was always there for He Caiyu when she was unwell. The two families had basically tacitly accepted it, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, their wedding would be scheduled once Ruyi graduated with her master's degree.

But then, an unexpected event occurred, growing like moss in the shadows, completely unnoticed by Ruyi. When the cruel truth suddenly descended from the sky, it shattered her life with immense force.

In June of that year, Ruyi graduated with a master's degree. Under the guidance of Professor Dai Yunhua, she decided to continue her doctoral studies under her tutelage, hoping to become a university teacher with both virtue and talent like her in the future. Chen Yan also supported her decision, as he liked the confident and happy way Ruyi talked about her professional field.

Ruyi officially started her doctoral studies in September. For the two and a half months leading up to that, aside from finishing up research projects in the lab and a few tasks helping Professor Dai connect with companies, she had nothing else to do. It was a rare period of relaxation for her. She lazily sank into her beanbag chair and binge-watched TV shows—the kind with mindless and idiotic plots, but they were incredibly stress-relieving.

He Caiyu brought her a plate of washed and stemmed strawberries. Strawberries are usually available in winter, and it's rare to see them in the middle of summer. Actually, the strawberry season is summer, but for transportation and preservation reasons, they can only be produced and sold out of season. The two boxes of strawberries at Ruyi's house were taken by Chen Yan from his grandmother's cold storage, where all kinds of rare fruits are available, all gifts from others.

He had wanted to take other things, but Ruyi tried a few and didn't like them; she only loved strawberries. Grandma Chen mocked Chen Yan for forgetting his mother now that he had a wife, only caring about moving things around to please his future wife. Luckily, Ruyi only liked strawberries; if he liked the ancestral dowry in her jewelry box, this boy might have even stolen it.

Chen Yantian smiled shamelessly: "Anyway, you only have me as your grandson, so won't all those things still end up going to her anyway?"

Ruyi took the strawberry. It was big and red, with a strong strawberry flavor and plenty of juice, like a bomb exploding in her mouth. She ate while looking at it, her hair casually piled up behind her head and secured with a jade hairpin.

Seeing that the jade hairpin was made of delicate and warm jade, and that the gourd-shaped design symbolized numerous descendants and a prosperous family, with several openwork gold and tourmaline petals surrounding the jade gourd in the center, He Caiyu couldn't help but ask, "Did Chen Yan's maternal grandmother give you this again?"

Ruyi nodded.

He Caiyu was somewhat worried: "Sigh, we're not even married yet, and he keeps accepting such expensive gifts. We can't possibly repay them. Isn't that a bit inappropriate? If you get married and have conflicts with his family, they might use this against you..."

Ruyi initially thought the same way and firmly declined, but Chen Yan persuaded her that this was her grandmother's way of expressing her affection. If she didn't accept it, the old lady would be unhappy, so she should just consider it as appeasing her. There was no need to return the gift; her grandmother liked her, and she could just spend more time chatting with her whenever she had the chance.

Ruyi did as she was told. Whenever she had free time, she would go with Chen Yan to visit Grandma Chen at her house. Sometimes Chen Yan was busy, so she would go by herself, and Grandma Chen would let her stay overnight.

Even so, the two were not married after all. Ruyi always felt that it was improper to accept such an expensive gift, so she only accepted it in person and then put it in the jewelry cabinet in Guanlan No. 1, basically not touching it. The hairpin she was wearing now was one she hadn't had time to take over yet, and she couldn't find any other hairpins for the time being, so she would just use it for now.