Chapter 452 Maturity

Anna Chen looked at him earnestly and said, "How could I not like you? I like you no matter what."

She spoke frankly and naively.

Gu Yan reached out and ruffled the ends of her newly permed hair: "Yeah, I like you no matter what. Especially... you're always so sweet-talking."

Chen Anna's ears turned red, and she picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork and stuffed it into his bowl: "Even eating can't shut you up."

Gu Yan took a bite; it was sweet and sour, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

"It's delicious. But don't go through all that trouble in the future, I can just eat boxed lunches at the company."

“That’s different.” Chen Anna rested her chin on her hand and looked at him, her eyes sparkling. “My mother said that to win a man’s heart, you must first win his stomach.”

Gu Yan put down his chopsticks and said confidently, "You've already captured my heart."

Anna Chen smiled, her eyes carefully tracing his features. He was impeccably dressed in a suit, with sharp, arched eyebrows. This was the kind of man she had never seen in Hong Kong: he possessed both the upright bearing of a military family and the mature demeanor honed by his experience in the business world. These two qualities were wonderfully blended in him, making him even more captivating than the carefree young man in the photo.

"Yes, you've captured my heart too."

After dinner, Chen Anna sat with Gu Yan on the sofa for a while.

She leaned on his shoulder. "Are you coming home for dinner tonight? I'll cook for you."

They had already registered their marriage and were living together in a villa registered under Gu Yan's name. However, Gu Yan felt the house was too small, so he bought a new, spacious marital home.

"I have a business dinner tonight, it'll be very late." Gu Yan kissed her forehead. "You should rest first, don't wait for me."

“Okay,” Anna Chen picked up the rattan insulated box from the table. “I’ll wait for you at home.”

"good."

Gu Yan escorted her to the elevator and watched her enter the car.

Before the metal door slowly closed, Anna Chen smiled and waved to him.

As the elevator descended, she leaned against the wall of the car and let out a soft sigh.

The relationship didn't start romantically. Gu Yan had just ended his previous relationship, while she had just emerged from a fruitless unrequited love.

But as they spent more time together, they discovered they were surprisingly compatible. Just like my mother said, "Marriage isn't about dating; it's about finding a partner."

As the car drove towards her parents' house, Chen Anna watched the street scenes flash by outside the window.

In the distance, construction cranes stand tall, and the city is always growing, just like her relationship with Gu Yan, which is quietly taking root in their daily interactions.

When Anna Chen returned to the Chen family villa, her mother was arranging New Year flowers in the living room, filling the room with a faint floral fragrance.

Upon seeing her daughter, she put down the silver willow branch and greeted her: "Anna's back?"

"Mommy."

Anna Chen handed the insulated food container to the maid, A Ping, saying, "Gu Yan has a business dinner tonight, so I'm coming back for dinner."

Chen's mother smiled, her face crinkling with fine lines: "Perfect! The whole family can have dinner tonight, and your brother-in-law will be there too."

"My older sister is back?" Anna Chen smiled. "It's been so long since I've seen her."

The mother and daughter sat down on the sofa. The mother carefully examined her daughter's face: "How does Gu Yan treat you? Are you getting along well?"

"That's great, she's very thoughtful." Anna Chen smiled perfunctorily.

Mrs. Chen raised her eyebrows smugly: "I've been saying for a while that I'd give him a try and see if he's any good. The last time I made that pot of oxtail soup, after drinking it the next day..." She drew out her words meaningfully, "I could tell just by looking at your face the next morning."

"Mommy!" Chen Anna's ears burned. "Don't say that!"

But Chen's mother wouldn't give up. "Gu Yan is not young anymore. You need to hurry up and have a son so your figure can recover easily. A man can only truly feel at ease after having a child."

Seeing her daughter turn her face away, she sighed, "Look at your older sister, she married in Hong Kong and had two children in three years, she's so lucky."

Chen Anna covered her ears: "Gu Yandu said it's all up to fate, he's not in a hurry."

"You're in a hurry even if he's not!"

Chen's mother playfully tapped her daughter's forehead, and seeing that her daughter was truly embarrassed, she changed the subject, "Alright, alright, I won't say anymore. I'll make you some coconut chicken soup tonight."

After Chen Anna went upstairs to change her clothes, her mother went into the kitchen.

As A-Ping was processing sea cucumbers, Chen's mother took out a packet of medicinal herbs from the storage cabinet and whispered, "A-Ping, make a Morinda officinalis and Eucommia ulmoides soup later, and add two more slices of Cistanche deserticola... Gu Sheng works hard and needs to replenish his energy."

A-Ping nodded knowingly: "I understand."

Dinner was indeed lively.

Chen Anni, who had just returned from Hong Kong, was dressed in a ladylike suit and brought her mother and sister the latest designer handbags.

During the meal, when Gu Yan was mentioned, Annie joked in Hong Kong-style Mandarin: "My brother-in-law is really capable. My husband said he acquired that piece of land very well."

My brother-in-law also laughed and said, "Mr. Gu's projects are really impressive lately; they've even been featured in the newspapers."

He turned to Chen Siming and said, "Brother, you have a really good eye for people."

Chen Siming raised his glass, his expression calm: "Gu Yan is a man of action."

He glanced at his sister, "Ann, that Mr. Zhou has recently acquired two more electronics factories. He's making some big moves. When you see him tomorrow, remember to give him my regards."

“I will,” Anna Chen replied.

She stopped talking about Gu Yan and Zhou Sheng, only occasionally echoing their words, while out of the corner of her eye she saw her mother giving her father a meaningful look.

After dinner, Mr. Chen beckoned to his youngest daughter, "Ann, come to the study and say a few words."

The father and daughter went into the study.

Mr. Chen took out a HSBC VIP gold card and pushed it in front of his daughter, saying, "Gu Yan's business is so big, you shouldn't be too stingy with money. Keep this card as a token of your father's affection."

Anna Chen picked up the gold card with delight, then clung to her father's arm and said sweetly, "Dad, you're so good! Your dowry was already generous enough, and you even secretly gave me extra money. I love you so much!"

He held up his finger, “First, take good care of yourself, being happy is the most important thing; second, take good care of your family, behind every man there should be a woman who knows how to manage the household; third… no matter when, this will always be your home.”

Anna Chen felt a lump in her throat and rested her face on her father's shoulder: "I know... thank you, Dad."

When I came out of the study, my elder brother Chen Siming and brother-in-law were already waiting at the door.

Anna Chen smiled at them and went to the living room to find her mother and sister.

Three women nestled in a velvet sofa, with wedding dress catalogs and invitation templates on the coffee table.

“Mommy likes this one.” Chen Anni pointed to the mermaid style wedding dress in the brochure, “but I think Ann would look better in an A-line dress, because you have a slim waist.”

Chen Anni then asked, "Ann, when are you and Gu Yan returning to Jian'an?"

“It should be the 29th of the year.” Chen Anna recalled the itinerary Gu Yan had mentioned.

Chen's mother said, "This Spring Festival is going to be very busy. Your father and I have discussed it, and our whole family will drive there on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, stay overnight, and have a banquet the next day. Mr. Gu is a commander, so the occasion should be quite grand. Remember to dress appropriately and don't be disrespectful to your in-laws. There's also the homecoming banquet. Don't worry, Mommy will discuss it with the wedding company and make sure it's all done properly."