Around eight o'clock, people began to leave the banquet. Shen Fang and Yu's father chatted happily, and both of them were a little tipsy. They almost settled the marriage in a few words.
Yu Mingxue's face grew increasingly red. She wrapped her hands around her legs and occasionally stole glances at Shen Jiachen beside her. Apart from being somewhat displeased at first, he remained calm and composed.
She was a little confused about Shen Jiachen's attitude. He should be... happy, right?
Yu Mingxue and Shen Jiachen grew up together as childhood sweethearts, and their relationship was established from a young age. No matter what, she would definitely have some feelings for him.
Just as Yu Mingxue was speculating, Shen Jiachen said calmly, "Jiazhou and Xingyuan have class tomorrow, so I'm taking them home."
Shen Fang was quite drunk. He said, "Why send the two boys off? Just have the driver take them."
Shen Jiachen glanced at him, his tone still indifferent: "It's getting late, I have to go to the company for a meeting tomorrow, goodbye."
After he said that, Yu's father patted Shen Fang on the shoulder: "Brother Shen, you've raised your son very well!"
Shen Fang chuckled and clinked glasses with Yu's father: "Our son, our son."
Shen Jiachen glanced at him, said nothing, and got up to leave.
Yu Mingxue quickly added, "I'll see Brother Chen off."
Without waiting for Yu's father's reply, he got up and left in a hurry.
Mr. Yu chuckled softly, realizing his daughter's thoughts. If she had said she liked Shen Jiachen earlier, they wouldn't have had such a bad argument a few days ago.
Shen Jiazhou and Gu Xingyuan had already finished eating and were waiting for Shen Jiachen at the hotel entrance after receiving his message.
Shen Jiachen had just reached the hotel entrance and met them when he heard someone calling him from behind.
"Jiachen".
Shen Jiachen turned around and saw Yu Mingxue jogging towards him. Today, she was wearing high heels to match her dress, which made a crisp clicking sound on the tiles.
Gu Xingyuan quickly exclaimed, "Ouch! Slow down! Aren't you afraid of falling?"
Yu Mingxue was about to speak when her foot slipped, and she lost her balance.
Gu Xingyuan had taken a couple of steps forward when he saw her arrive, but when he noticed she was unsteady, he rushed over to support her.
However, Yu Mingxue quickly regained her balance. Seeing him come over and grab her wrist, she smiled and patted his head: "Hmm, good brother."
Gu Xingyuan clicked his tongue lightly: "Oh, confused sister."
He had barely finished speaking when he received a devastating blow from Yu Mingxue.
Yu Mingxue looked at Shen Jiachen and said, "Brother Chen, I want to say a few words to you."
Shen Jiachen looked at Shen Jiazhou: "Go wait for me in the car."
Shen Jiazhou glanced at him and Yu Mingxue and said, "Well, goodbye, Sister Mingxue."
Gu Xingyuan withdrew his hand, pursed his lips, and said, "Goodbye."
Yu Mingxue smiled and patted his head again: "Go ahead."
As Gu Xingyuan walked, he muttered to himself, "I'm not a child anymore, stop touching my head."
Shen Jiazhou and Gu Xingyuan left, and Shen Jiachen walked up to Yu Mingxue, glancing down at her feet: "Are you alright?"
Yu Mingxue shook her head: "It's nothing, I didn't sprain my ankle."
She gave Shen Jiachen a sweet smile: "What my dad was talking about just now..."
Yu Mingxue was still a little embarrassed. She opened her mouth, lowered her head and stared at her toes, her heart pounding.
Looking at her, Shen Jiachen lowered his eyes and said, "Mingxue, don't worry."
Yu Mingxue looked up at him with bright eyes.
Shen Jiachen smiled at her: "Marriage shouldn't be decided by them in a few words."
He thought for a moment and said, "You're going back to the school dormitory because of the arranged marriage, right? I'll explain it to my father when I get back, and it won't cause you any trouble."
Yu Mingxue was stunned and could only utter a blank "Ah".
Shen Jiachen said sincerely, "You should have told me sooner. I'm sorry to have made you bear so much alone."
He and Yu Mingxue have been friends since childhood. Their group of friends are family friends. He was the leader of the children in this group, and he had played with every single one of them.
Although he only has one younger brother, Shen Jiazhou, Mingxue, Xingyuan, and Xiaofei can all be considered his younger brothers and sisters.
Shen Jiachen felt nauseous when he heard what Shen Fang had just said.
He could let it go, but Mingxue is a girl; how could she just casually say something like that?
Yu Mingxue looked at him, her expression freezing for a moment. She opened her mouth and murmured, "Actually, I... can do it."
Shen Jiachen was only surprised for a moment before quickly regaining his composure: "Mingxue, maybe you haven't met someone you like yet, so you feel that anything is fine. But how can a marriage last just because you say 'okay'? There's so much time ahead. Even loving marriages can end in divorce, let alone loveless ones."
“We both know each other’s personalities. Neither of us is the type to sacrifice ourselves for the family’s interests.” Shen Jiachen said softly, “Mingxue, find someone who loves you. Don’t tie your life to interests. As your brother, I hope you can be happy. I don’t want you to have any regrets.”
Yu Mingxue lowered her head, collected her thoughts for a while, and then asked, "Brother Chen, do you have someone you like?"
Shen Jiachen then gave a slightly shy smile and nodded, "Yes, I fell in love with her at first sight."
Yu Mingxue bit her lower lip tightly: "Did Brother Chen and Uncle Shen tell them?"
“No.” Shen Jiachen frowned as he thought of Shen Fang. “Besides, she… politely declined my offer.”
Yu Mingxue was shocked: "She rejected you?"
Why would someone as good as Shen Jiachen be rejected? Who exactly is this person?
Shen Jiachen didn't want to say more about it: "Yes, they rejected me, but I still want to try. Mingxue, I hope you can keep this a secret for me."
Yu Mingxue nodded slightly.
Shen Jiachen patted her shoulder with a smile: "Alright, cheer up. You're the birthday girl today. Happy birthday, Mingxue. I'm leaving now. See you later."
Yu Mingxue forced a slightly strained smile: "See you later."
Shen Jiachen turned and left. Yu Mingxue watched his back until he was out of sight, and then stood there watching him intently.
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