Chapter 53 If I were to say I miss you, tonight would be...
Back home, after dinner, Tang Wanru asked Tang Ran about her plans.
With less than a month to go until the agreed-upon date, both families have already selected the dates for exchanging gifts.
Jiang Mei sent Tang Wanru the gift list this morning and asked if she needed anything added or removed.
If Tang Ran doesn't come back today, Tang Wanru plans to go to Shengming Mansion tomorrow.
"The Song family even managed to borrow Beg for the engagement venue," Tang Wanru sighed.
That day, she only casually mentioned that her daughter wanted a garden castle ceremony, and the Song family actually found a castle estate left over from the colonial period in Jiangcheng as the ceremony venue.
"Begg?" Tang Ran's mouth dropped open in surprise.
Berg is a private estate that is not open to the public, not the garden castle hotel that Tang Ran casually mentioned.
Suddenly, she remembered the tenderness in Song Zhixu's eyes when he told her that afternoon, "It's a once-in-a-lifetime event, so we should cherish it."
My heart fluttered slightly.
"Yes," Tang Wanru sighed, feeling guilty. "The Song family values this so much, I always feel bad about it."
She pulled Tang Ran to sit down on the sofa and discussed it with her.
“Daughter, Wuqi did something wrong, but we can’t let Aunt Jiang and Uncle Song be happy for nothing just because Wuqi made a mistake.”
Tang Wanru was not the type to hold a grudge, and considering the relationship between the two families, she didn't want to go too far.
"Tomorrow, Mommy will go to the Song family and tell them about the life sentence. Don't worry about the company. Mommy has already asked around and mortgaged part of the shops we own, which will be enough to pay off the company's loan."
"It's okay, Mommy. Aunt Jiang and the others won't be happy for nothing."
Tang Ran leaned close to Jiang Mei's ear and briefly explained her plan to her.
"This." Tang Wanru looked at her daughter in shock, her words somewhat incoherent. "No, you, you and Zhixu, how could it be Zhixu?"
Tang Wanru never imagined that her daughter and Zhixu would be together one day, as they were nine years apart in age.
Tang Ran only said that the person she was engaged to would be Song Zhixu, but she hadn't had a chance to tell her that Song Zhixu liked her.
Tang Wanru thought that this was an agreement that Tang Ran made with Song Zhixu for the sake of the company.
She anxiously pulled her daughter along, "No, Ranran, you don't have to compromise yourself for the company. Mom has already thought of a solution."
Tang Wanru's emotions were so turbulent that she was momentarily out of breath.
"Mommy, Mommy, don't get upset. Song Zhixu is fine. I'm not wronged."
Tang Ran quickly patted her back, and only continued after she had caught her breath: "Song Zhixu is beautiful, smart, and capable. She is more than a hundred times better than Song Wuqi."
"Being with her is the best thing ever. I'm so happy about it, I don't feel wronged at all."
"No, no, Mommy doesn't agree." Tang Wanru clutched her chest and waved her hand resolutely.
"Darling, marriage is not a business transaction, you can't calculate it like that. No matter how good she is, if you two don't love each other, you won't be happy together."
Tang Wanru had seen many marriages arranged for the sake of family alliances, but truly happy ones were few and far between.
She didn't want her daughter to be unhappy.
"You don't need to worry about that, Mommy." Tang Ran pulled her hand, her face beaming with the blissful expression of a young girl in love. "Song Zhixu loves me so much, and she's the one who chose Berg!"
To put Tang Wanru at ease, she told Tang Wanru about what had happened between meeting Song Zhixu at the Xia family home and Song Zhixu taking her to order a ring yesterday, embellishing and exaggerating the facts as she went along.
"Is everything you're saying true?" Tang Wanru asked suspiciously.
The two children are quite far apart in age and had little interaction before.
Moreover, she really couldn't figure out why Zhixu would fall in love with her daughter.
It wasn't that she felt her daughter wasn't good enough for Zhixu, it was just that the two had such different personalities.
Knowing that Xu is reserved and steady, while his daughter is lively and outgoing, they don't seem to have anything in common.
During the last meal at the Song family's house, she didn't notice anything special about Zhixu's daughter.
Thinking about it, she remembered that the engagement was postponed for a month because Zhixu said he had to go on a business trip that month.
Could it be that Zhi Xu really has feelings for their Ranran?
Thinking about it, there's some truth to it.
However, Tang Wanru still found it difficult to process the news.
“Absolutely real, even more real than the pearls around your neck.” Tang Ran nodded vigorously.
"So you like Zhixu too?" Tang Wanru asked again.
Tang Ran felt a little guilty, but she didn't show it on her face.
She nodded emphatically, smiling sweetly, "Of course I like her. Why would I get engaged to her if I didn't?"
"Is my little one lying to Mommy?"
Tang Wanru still didn't quite believe it, but she couldn't tell anything from her daughter's expression.
"Do you think I'm the kind of person who would wrong myself?" Tang Ran asked, shaking her arm affectionately.
Tang Wanru hesitated, as her daughter was indeed not the type to compromise.
"But Mommy still doesn't understand, how did you two end up together?"
Tang Ran scratched her head. She had already said all that, so why didn't Mommy believe her?
"So Mommy thinks I'm not good enough for her?" Tang Ran asked, a little angry.
She felt that her mother didn't disbelieve that she liked Song Zhixu, but rather that she didn't believe that Song Zhixu liked her.
“No, that’s not it.” Tang Wanru shook her head. “My daughter is good enough for anyone.”
In her heart, her daughter is the best.
Tang Ran took out her phone. "If you don't believe me, I'll call her and let her tell you herself!"
Mommy doesn't believe Song Zhixu likes her, so she'll prove it to her!
As she spoke, she dialed Song Zhixu's number.
The phone rang twice before being answered.
"Dye".
Tang Ran pressed the speakerphone button, and Song Zhixu's gentle voice came through clearly from the speaker, with some background noise.
Two seconds later, the static on the phone gradually subsided, and Tang Ran shouted into the phone, "Song Zhixu, do you like me a lot?"
Song Zhixu chuckled softly, her voice even gentler: "It's more than just liking it a little bit."
Tang Ran raised her chin and looked at Tang Wanru with an arrogant expression.
After Tang Ran's phone call, Tang Wanru's anxiety and guilt were replaced by joy.
When Jiang Mei called again, she no longer avoided the question and began preparing for the engagement with great care.
Two more days passed slowly.
On this day, Tang Ran and Tang Wanru attended Lu Shuyang's grandmother's 80th birthday banquet together.
The car stopped outside the gate of the Lu family's old residence. After the reception staff checked the invitations, they led them inside.
Mrs. Lu was going through a special period of job change, so she didn't hold a big birthday banquet and only invited close friends and relatives.
"Wanru and Ranran are here!"
When Lu Shuyang's mother, Qiao Yun, saw Tang Wanru and her daughter enter the door, she greeted them with a smile.
"Xiaoyun".
"Aunt Qiao."
Qiao Yun exchanged a few pleasantries with Tang Wanru, then smiled at Tang Ran and praised, "Ranran is getting more and more beautiful."
"No matter how pretty she is, she's not as beautiful as Aunt Qiao. If I could stay as beautiful as Aunt Qiao forever, I'd be laughing in my sleep." Tang Ran said enviously.
Her words weren't exactly flattery; Qiao Yun had a naturally youthful face and looked at least ten years younger than her peers.
Upon hearing this, Qiao Yun smiled so much that her eyes narrowed. "You have the sweetest tongue; your little mouth is as sweet as if it's been coated with honey."
Song Wuqi was talking to Lu Shuyang not far away. When he saw Tang Ran, he walked over with a smile on his face. He said with a humble and gentle smile, "Ranran, Aunt Tang."
Tang Wanru smiled and nodded in response.
Ever since she found out that Song Wuqi had cheated on her, Tang Wanru's opinion of her had worsened considerably. If it weren't for the friendship between their families, she wouldn't have given her the slightest bit of a friendly look.
"Young people are so clingy, let's go talk over there," Qiao Yun joked, leading Tang Wanru inside.
The invitations from both families hadn't been sent out yet, but the news of their engagement had already spread throughout their social circle.
Song Wuqi smiled subtly, looking at Tang Ran with tender eyes.
Tang Wanru glanced at Tang Ran, who smiled naturally, indicating that she was alright.
Watching them leave, Song Wuqi turned to Tang Ran and said, "Shuyang and the others are over there."
She raised her arm, gesturing for Tang Ran to take her arm.
Tang Ran was too lazy to put on a loving act with Song Wuqi and was thinking of finding an excuse to get rid of him.
She glanced into the hall.
That glance would have been fine if I hadn't looked, but as I swept across the hall, I suddenly met a familiar gaze.
In the center of the hall, Song Zhixu stood beside Lu Shuyang's mother, her long black hair styled in an updo, wearing a dark green silk dress, elegant and dignified.
She smiled faintly, as if listening to the person next to her, and her eyes lifted slightly when Tang Ran looked over, landing on Tang Ran.
Her gaze was gentle, no different from usual, but Tang Ran felt inexplicably guilty.
She turned to look at Song Wuqi, and said with a troubled expression, "I need to go to the restroom."
Before he had even finished speaking, he had already taken a step forward impatiently, and he did seem to be in a hurry.
Song Wuqi didn't notice anything amiss. He smiled as he watched her retreating figure and went to find his friend.
Tang Ran lingered in the bathroom before finally reapplying her makeup.
The banquet wasn't starting for another half hour, so she planned to take a stroll in the garden and then head over when it was almost time.
I pushed open the side door and went out, catching a glimpse of a green figure out of the corner of my eye.
Without hesitation, Tang Ran looked up and saw Song Zhixu again.
Song Zhixu was making a phone call by the fountain in the garden. She was standing directly in Tang Ran's direction when Tang Ran opened the door and looked in her direction.
A slight smile touched her lips.
Tang Ran instinctively went to find her, but immediately pulled her leg back after taking just one step.
There weren't many guests in the garden, but people occasionally passed by.
If she ran over to talk to Song Zhixu at this moment, someone would definitely see her.
Noticing her movement, Song Zhixu said "That's all for now" to the person on the other end of the phone and hung up.
She turned and walked deeper into the garden. After taking two steps, she glanced back at Tang Ran.
Tang Ran understood instantly.
She glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention to her, then followed in the direction Song Zhixu had gone.
The Lu family's garden was landscaped, with trees of varying heights, lush and verdant, creating a secluded and unique atmosphere.
Passing through a bamboo grove, on the east side of the garden is a large, round, domed glass greenhouse.
From a distance, Tang Ran watched as Song Zhixu walked into the flower room.
Summer was not yet over, and the flowers and plants were growing lushly. Green vines climbed up most of the glass greenhouse wall, blocking the view from the garden path.
The perfect place for a 'steal'... no, no, it's a 'secret date'.
Tang Ran silently gave Song Zhixu a big thumbs up in her heart, and her steps became much lighter.
Tang Ran opened the door to the greenhouse and went inside.
The setting sun cast its rays slanting into the greenhouse, drawing a clear dividing line on the ground, half bathed in bright light and half hidden beneath the vines where light and shadow intertwined.
Suddenly, her wrist was grabbed. Tang Ran turned around in surprise and saw Song Zhixu raise his middle finger to make a shushing gesture.
Tang Ran immediately tensed up and looked around, but she didn't hear any sound or see anyone passing by.
As she craned her neck to look around, Song Zhixu led her to a secluded corner hidden by vines.
Tang Ran patted her chest and looked at Song Zhixu with a puzzled expression, "There's no one here? Why are you so nervous?"
Song Zhixu's lips curled up slightly, and she raised an eyebrow gently. "Isn't this to go along with you?"
I'm not the kind of person who's overly nervous.
"A small underground party member."
With a slender, pale fingertip, he tapped Tang Ran's nose, his tone full of teasing.
Tang Ran's face fell.
"You're so annoying." She glared at Song Zhixu. "I'm just doing this as a precaution!"
Song Wuqi's birthday is in a few days. If someone finds out something about her now, then all her patience will have been for nothing.
"Hmm." Song Zhixu chuckled in agreement, "Ranran is taking precautions."
It's good to be careful, but someone is clearly too guilty.
It was supposed to be a compliment, but it sounded like they were trying to coax a child or deliberately tease them.
Tang Ran released Song Zhixu's hand, her face hardening. "Did you lure me here just to make fun of me?"
How come she never noticed how 'bad' Song Zhixu was before?
Seeing that someone was about to explode again, Song Zhixu immediately changed the subject.
She took Tang Ran's hand again and asked gently, "Are you going home tonight?"
Lin Jixin is not home, and Tang Ran has been staying at home for the past few days to keep Tang Wanru company.
Song Zhixu wasn't asking her about going home, but rather whether or not she should return to the mansion.
Seizing the hidden meaning in her words, Tang Ran revealed a sly smile, "You want me to go back to the mansion?"
Tang Ran actually wanted to ask Song Zhixu if he missed her, but she felt that the question was a bit too shameless and not reserved enough.
However, Song Zhixu was much more open and honest than her.
She nodded and readily admitted, "I haven't seen you for two days, and I miss you a little."
A straight shot made Tang Ran overjoyed, and she completely threw away her already limited reserve.
She winked playfully, "Only a little?"
"If I were to say I really miss you," Song Zhixu leaned close to her ear, his voice low and deep, "would you like to come back to the mansion with me tonight?"
The warm breath brushed past her ear, making her heart flutter.
That's too ambiguous.
They were just going back to the mansion together, but it sounded like he was going to spend the night at her home.
They even deliberately got this close.
Anyone who isn't completely oblivious could tell that Song Zhixu was doing it on purpose.
I already teased her once, and now I'm deliberately flirting with her again.
Song Zhixu is wicked enough.
Tang Ran's eyes darted around, and a mischievous smile appeared on her face.
She raised one hand and hooked it around Song Zhixu's neck, pulling her head down to meet Song Zhixu's eyes.
Seeing Song Zhixu's light-colored pupils tremble slightly, Tang Ran gently curved the corners of her mouth into a smile.
She drawled out her words in a coquettish tone, "I really want to go back with my sister too~"
His palm slowly closed around Song Zhixu's nape, giving it a light, almost imperceptible squeeze.
The next second, Tang Ran clearly noticed the tension in Song Zhixu's body, and a triumphant smile flashed in her eyes.
She tilted her head slightly, brushed against Song Zhixu's cheek, and brought her lips close to Song Zhixu's ear.
"But."
After saying only two words, Tang Ran stopped and added regretfully, "But I already promised Mommy I would go home~"
After speaking, he immediately stepped back a little, and before leaving, he deliberately tilted his head and brushed his nose against Song Zhixu's cheek.
Seeing the momentary surprise on Song Zhixu's face, Tang Ran's smile became unrestrained.
"It's getting late, I should head back now!"
Tang Ran slid her hand down Song Zhixu's nape and gently touched her chin, her voice sweet and coquettish, "Sister, please cooperate with me a little longer before we go out, okay?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she flew to the door in the blink of an eye, like a cheerful little bird.
Song Zhixu reached out, but only managed to grasp a wisp of sweet-smelling breeze.
Tang Ran opened the glass door and went out. Turning around, she caught a glimpse of the woman's no longer composed expression.
She leaned against the door, then peeked halfway in, playfully waving to Song Zhixu.
Goodbye, sister! Don't miss me too much!
Song Zhixu smiled gently.
He flicked his fingers lightly in the air and slowly withdrew them.
The birthday banquet was very simple, and the guests left one after another after the meal.
"We're leaving now, see you later." Tang Wanru said goodbye to the Lu family.
Tang Ran stood behind Tang Wanru, and before turning around, she glanced back at her.
His gaze passed over the Lu family members and landed on the slowly approaching figure. He blinked gently, smiled, and took Tang Wanru's arm as they left.
A gentle night breeze caressed Tang Ran's long hair, which fluttered in the wind, making her as playful as her owner.
Seeing Song Zhixu come out, Assistant Jiang slowly drove the car to the door and stopped.
The car door slowly opened, and Song Zhixu stepped into the car. The moment she bent down to sit down, she was met with a bright smiling face.
The person who claimed to be going home unexpectedly appeared in her car.
"Sister, would it be convenient for you to give me a ride?" Tang Ran asked with a grin.
A look of surprise flashed in Song Zhixu's eyes, and she smiled as she asked, "Do I still have the right to refuse?"
"Yes," Tang Ran nodded, analyzing the situation seriously, "but you'll lose your girlfriend!"
"That sounds like the consequences could be quite serious."
"Hmm~"
Lin Jixin returned from Beijing.
Upon entering, I saw Tang Wanru happily discussing the menu for her engagement banquet with Manager Wang from Xinghelou Restaurant.
The two daughters were engaged, without any distinction between marriage and wedding. The Song family borrowed a real estate, and Tang Wanru also wanted to show her sincerity, so she took care of the engagement banquet.
Seeing her like this, Lin Jixin breathed a sigh of relief.
The wife has truly come to her senses.
The night she returned from the Song family, Tang Wanru pointed at her and berated her.
They accused her of selling her daughter and even threatened to divorce her, demanding that she find a way to break off the engagement.
Lin Jixin was very angry. She had done so much and worked so hard for so many years, all for the Tang family, but in the end, she was still being blamed by Tang Wanru.
Tang Wanru was in poor health, so Lin Jixin didn't argue with her. That very night, she used the excuse of meeting a client to fly to Beijing.
She wanted to delay for a while, to let Tang Wanru calm down, and by the time the engagement preparations started, it would be too late for Tang Wanru to cancel.
After spending more than a week in Beijing, Lin Jixin originally wanted to come back and have a proper talk with Tang Wanru, but she was delayed for a few days by other matters.
Later, when a foreign client came to China, she accompanied and received him, and stayed in Beijing for nearly a month before returning to Jiangcheng.
She knew that Tang Wanru had inquired about the shop's mortgage a few days ago, which was why Lin Jixin rushed back from Beijing.
However, the scene she saw upon entering was completely different from what she had imagined.
Tang Wanru has happily arranged the banquet, so she probably won't mortgage the property.
Lin Jixin walked up to Tang Wanru and gently called out, "Wife."
When Tang Wanru saw her, the smile on her face vanished, and she said coldly, "You're back?"
Lin Jixin wasn't angry. She smiled and handed her the jewelry box, saying, "This is a gift I brought for you."
Tang Wanru took the box, opened it and looked inside. "It's pretty, and it matches my new dress quite well."
The fact that she's willing to accept the gift proves that she's already calmed down.
Lin Jixin readily agreed and took the opportunity offered by Tang Wanru, saying, "I knew you liked it, so I specially bought it at the auction."
"You usually have a lot of social engagements, so how about we add some new dishes to the engagement banquet?" Tang Wanru handed her the selected menu.
"Let me see." Lin Jixin happily took the menu.
With a banquet costing five figures per person, there's nothing to complain about.
"Everything is fine."
Lin Jixin handed the menu back to Tang Wanru, looked around, and asked, "Where's Ranran? Isn't she home?"
She was unaware that Tang Ran had overheard their conversation, nor did she think her daughter would have any objections to her.
"I went to look at engagement rings," Tang Wanru replied.
She smiled at Tang Wanru and said, "I told you the two kids were just having a little tiff. You're just worrying about nothing!"
The problem she had been worried about disappeared on its own, and Lin Jixin felt extremely relieved.
Tang Wanru continued looking at the menu without saying much to her.
Tang Ran did go to look at engagement rings, but not with Song Wuqi as Lin Jixin had hoped; she went with Song Zhixu instead.
The next day, Tang Ran met Lin Jixin at the company.
Lin Jixin smiled naturally and asked her how she and Song Wuqi had chosen their rings.
Tang Ran said she was fine and then left, making an excuse.
She was a little unsure how to face her mother, who was quite different from the one she remembered.
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