Chapter 37 Execute First, Report Later

The morning light filtered softly through the curtains.

The girl was still sleeping soundly, her little face buried in the soft down pillow, her eyelashes fluttering occasionally.

The sudden ringing of the cell phone shattered the silence in the room, startling Ruan Yi so much that she curled up in a ball under the covers.

Before I could even catch my breath, the second and third ringtones rang in quick succession, the phone vibrating annoyingly beside my pillow.

Ruan Yi reached out and groped around in a daze, though she clearly remembered that she hadn't set an alarm.

"Ruan Yi! What on earth happened?" Lin Han's accusatory voice boomed through the receiver, almost making her throw her phone away.

"Um...what's going on?"

Ruan Yi's voice was muffled, still drowsy, and a little aggrieved at being woken up.

"Your formal engagement party! I've received all the invitations. The Shen family said they'll announce your wedding date with Shen Xun at the engagement party!"

Ruan Yi's eyes widened instantly, all sleepiness vanished, and she sprang up from the bed, the strap of her nightgown slipping off her shoulder with the movement.

"What?! I... I'll call you back later." She mumbled a few words into the phone and hung up before Lin Han could respond.

When Ruan Yi rushed into the bathroom in her fluffy slippers, she was so anxious that she almost knocked over the bottles and jars on the counter. She quickly washed up and grabbed a cardigan from the doorway before rushing to the Shen family's house.

They didn't even care whether they looked disheveled or not, and ran wildly on the cobblestone road in the villa area in their slippers.

As the Shen family's imposing European-style gate drew closer, the girl's fingertips dug into her palms with anxiety.

She must stop Shen Xun before more people receive invitations!

Ruan Yi rushed into the Shen family's living room, her path was excessively unobstructed, and not a single servant tried to stop her; instead, they all lowered their heads and retreated.

Perhaps it was because of her appearance at that moment; the knitted cardigan draped over her body was half-open, slipping off her shoulders with her hurried steps, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin, with water droplets still clinging to her collarbone.

"Shen Xun! You're a madman!"

The man was sitting on the sofa, seemingly waiting for something.

Upon hearing the sound, Shen Xun looked up, his pupils suddenly contracting.

A few stray strands of hair clung to the girl's flushed cheeks, her full breasts heaved with her heavy breathing, and her fair, slender legs beneath her skirt gleamed pink under the light.

The man took a deep breath and stood up.

Ruan Yi rushed forward in her slippers, which were askew from running too fast, grabbed Chen Xun by the collar, and began to question him angrily.

"What right do you have to arbitrarily book the engagement banquet and send out invitations? Stop right now!"

Shen Xun showed no displeasure at having his collar grabbed; he simply lowered his eyes, probably because from his elevated perspective, there were things that excited him even more.

The girl's rapidly heaving chest was so close, even the cleavage was flushed pink.

Shen Xun reached out and grabbed the girl's hand that was tugging at his collar, his fingertips caressing the soft flesh on the inside of her wrist, his voice low and husky.

"It's too late. The Lin family was the last to be notified."

He even predicted that Lin Han would submit a report!

A burning shame ran from the back of her neck to the tips of her ears. Ruan Yi abruptly shook off his hand and staggered back half a step as she pulled her wrist back.

"Shen Xun! Why should you decide the wedding date? You're acting first and asking questions later!" Her eyes, glistening with anger, glared fiercely at Shen Xun.

The man suddenly leaned closer, his burning gaze seemingly real, sweeping over her collarbone, tracing the curves of her body, and finally settling on her angry little face, making Ruan Yi's skin crawl.

"I acted first and reported later? Who really acted first and reported later, bringing the man home?"

When he can't stick to Ruan Yi every day, someone else will naturally keep an eye on him.

Ruan Yi was stunned by his words. Bringing the man home... He was referring to Fu Wang?

Shen Xun actually planted a spy in the Ruan family! It must be one of the servants who was present when he lied to Fu Jingchen that day.

No matter how much they planned, they never expected Chen Xun to be involved.

"Shen Xun! I don't care... this engagement banquet was announced unilaterally by you, and the Ruan family will not acknowledge it!"

The man's warm breath brushed against her reddened earlobe.

"You don't need to remind me, your aunt has probably already been notified."

Inside the tea room.

Jiang Qingyue gently stirred the Pu'er tea, smiling as she looked at Ruan Ying, who sat opposite her with a somewhat unnatural expression.

"Back then, it was thanks to our two families supporting each other in the business world that we were able to achieve what we have today."

She lowered her eyes and blew away the foam, her tone gentle yet firm, leaving no room for refusal.

"Now that Xiaoyi and Xiaoxun are engaged, it's a match made in heaven. After talking with Xiaoxun privately, we also felt it was time to give this relationship a formal ceremony."

Faced with this sudden statement, Ruan Ying was somewhat overwhelmed and could only try to stall for time.

"That's certainly true, but we still need to consult the children about their marriages, since Xiaoyi is still in school."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qingyue's fingertips, which were gripping the porcelain cup, turned slightly white, and a gentle smile appeared in her eyes.

“As elders, we should always plan for the long term of our children. This marriage is not only a matter between the two children, but also a promise to continue the trust between two generations.”

Before Ruan Ying could respond, she continued to speak.

"The Nguyen family will be investing in the new waterway project next month, so our cooperation this time... will definitely go very smoothly."

Ruan Ying sighed, finally understanding the benevolent act of Shen's company in offering concessions and cooperating during the period when Ruan's stock price fluctuated due to Ruan Jianming's misfortune.

Where did this family ties come from? Those sudden acts of generosity were nothing more than traps set for today's drama.

With the Shen family employing both kindness and threats, no matter how much Xiao Yi resisted, she couldn't escape this formal engagement banquet unless the Shen family relented.

After a long silence, Ruan Ying swallowed a sigh and forced a smile. "Madam Shen is right; I hadn't considered things carefully."

Hearing that the other party had finally relented, Jiang Qingyue finally felt relieved.

Shen Xun went to great lengths to persuade her to do this despicable thing, and even worked hard to close several international deals, exceeding the standards he had set for her.

It would be unreasonable not to help, after all, he's my own son, how could I bear to go back on my word?

That's just... it's bound to scare Xiaoyi.

This child's personality is truly baffling; how could he be so insistent on forcing Xiaoyi into marriage and coercing her into love?

The sudden "ding" of her phone made Ruan Yi's heart race.

Her mother had already told her what Madam Shen had said.

Ruan Yi had prepared herself mentally, but she still broke down when she saw the message "Mom will think of another way" in the chat box.

She couldn't bear to let her mother worry. Her mother was already tired enough every day, and now she had to think about Chen Xun and her messy affairs!

The next second, Ruan Yi let out a howl and buried her face in the pillow, her slender legs kicking wildly in the air.

Ruan Yi suddenly stopped moving again. She felt like a cockroach struggling blindly, unable to turn over.

"What perfect match! It's clearly a case of forced marriage!"

The phone vibrated twice more on the blanket. Ruan Yi angrily tugged at the long ears of the rabbit doll while checking the messages.

It turned out to be an anonymous message sent from a virtual number.

"I can help you get what you want."

Those few words startled Ruan Yi so much that her pupils dilated.