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Ye Wenyu blinked her big eyes and said playfully to Zhang Susu, "Isn't that just like you! When we were little, we didn't have any money. You had five hundred on you, so you bought me a princess dress first, and then for the next month, we ate noodles and boiled vegetables every night—"
Zhang Susu laughed, then said worriedly, "But this isn't a good idea. People should have savings; they can't just spend money recklessly."
Ye Wenyu said to her, "Alright, Mom, it's getting late. Didn't you say you were going to a banquet? You go ahead, I'm going back to school."
Zhang Susu immediately reached out and grabbed her hand, smiling at her, "You're going too? They're mainly inviting you, not me."
What? Like a bolt from the blue, Ye Wenyu was stunned and bewildered. She stammered, "Who, who invited me?" Her heart began to pound wildly, as if a nest of rabbits were living in her chest.
“It’s your Uncle Cai and Aunt Cai, and Wen Chuan.”
What? It's the Cai family again!
Ye Wenyu shook her head, took a step back, and instinctively didn't want to go. Her head felt heavy, as if a tiny person was drilling into her brain.
She had already been troubled enough by Cai Wenchuan when they met at a coffee shop, but now the entire Cai family was inviting her to dinner. How could she possibly handle that?
Zhang Susu's expression changed, her smile vanished, and she said to her in a commanding tone, "Xiaoyu, you must go today! Your Uncle Cai said that Wenchuan has returned to China, and the two families haven't really gotten together yet, which is why he decided to invite us today. If you don't go, how can I save face? I promised, and I can't break my promise!" Her tone was resolute.
Ye Wenyu's face turned pale.
It felt as if a heavy lead plate was pressing on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.
At this moment, they were already standing outside the mall, facing the road, where people and cars came and went, making them dizzy and uneasy. The trees on the green path also looked listless and lifeless.
Zhang Susu said to her, "Besides, last time you and Wenchuan were in front of the coffee shop, you suddenly left without saying goodbye. That was so rude, and I've been angry ever since. I haven't even scolded you yet. You dare not go today? Unless you don't recognize me as your mother!" Her tone was already very stern.
Ye Wenyu could only whisper, "Mom, I'll go, but I'm telling you, this is the last time." Her face was as pale as paper. She suddenly missed the quiet life she had when she first started university. Although it was a bit lonely, it was peaceful. Unlike now, with a bunch of people surrounding her and forcing her to do this and that, she felt like a soulless puppet, with the string in her mother's hand.
Zhang Susu was overjoyed upon hearing the first half of her sentence, and didn't hear the second half at all.
The mother and daughter noticed that it was almost time, so they immediately flagged down a taxi and headed straight for the restaurant.
Ye Wenyu thought to herself in anguish, "What a terrible banquet!"
Sitting in the taxi, Ye Wenyu felt extremely uneasy. She wondered, what exactly did the Cai family mean? What was Cai Wenchuan thinking?
Countless question marks, like bubbles rising from the bottom of the water, suddenly rose up all at once.
A light drizzle began to fall outside. This drizzle dampened people's clothes, and if you walked outside without an umbrella, your clothes would be covered in a moss-like moisture. It also dampened people's spirits, making them feel inexplicably depressed.
Looking out at the light rain through the car window, Ye Wenyu's mind became even more complicated.
She made it very clear at the coffee shop last time that she didn't want to see him at all, and she had no intention of getting back together with him.
However, Cai Wenchuan didn't seem to understand her meaning; otherwise, the Cai family wouldn't have been able to organize the banquet today.
What exactly is Cai Wenchuan up to? Thinking about Cai Wenchuan's style of doing things, Ye Wenyu suddenly felt a little troubled. She wondered if he had spent too much time in school, becoming like a bookish nerd with low emotional intelligence. If there was anything important, shouldn't he have discussed it privately with her beforehand, before his parents organized the gathering between the two families, so she would be prepared?
Is it really a good idea to come to this appointment in such a confused state?
He's so childish!
And was it really necessary to be so formal? My mother actually came out to meet the guests wearing her most treasured cheongsam. What kind of banquet was it that both sets of parents were present? Just thinking about it makes me feel a little scared.
It was as if a trap was waiting for her ahead.
Ye Wenyu's face was as pale as a marble sculpture. She sat in the car with her dark eyebrows furrowed, her heart pounding like a drum.
When she arrived at the hotel, she got out of the taxi with a heavy heart, her legs feeling as heavy as if they were filled with lead.
Ahead lay a trap, and she was a little bird unaware of it all.
Seeing her daughter's unhappy expression, Zhang Susu reminded her, "What's with the long face? Smile! This is a five-star hotel feast, something we don't usually get to eat. The Cai family is rich, otherwise they wouldn't be treating us to such a high-class place." She then took out her phone and started snapping photos of the hotel lobby.
Her mother is going to post on WeChat Moments to brag again.
The five-star hotel was magnificent and upscale, sparkling everywhere, and even the waiters were all tall, beautiful, and very polite.
With its genuine leather sofas, crystal chandeliers, and mahogany-inlaid reception desk, the entire hotel gives the impression of being a crown studded with diamonds.
Ye Wenyu could only force a smile. She thought to herself, "If you eat someone's food, you're bound to be obliged. It's better not to accept it." But thinking of her mother's fierce expression, she could only tell herself, "Since I'm here, I shouldn't run away. I can't do that for my mother's sake and reputation."
Since we're already here, we'll make the best of it, but afterwards we'll definitely reiterate to the elderly person that this is the last time.
What was the Cai family's purpose in organizing this banquet?
Ye Wenyu pondered, her mind filled with doubts. As soon as she entered the lobby of the five-star hotel, Cai Wenchuan came to greet her. Today, he was actually dressed in a dark suit, wearing a suit and tie, looking somewhat like a groom.
Seeing Cai Wenchuan like this, Ye Wenyu was a little bewildered. Looking at his formal attire, she was really afraid that today's banquet was a trap!
Upon seeing Cai Wenchuan, Zhang Susu immediately shouted excitedly, "Wenchuan, we're here!" She cleverly put her phone in her bag, not wanting to appear unsophisticated in front of her future son-in-law by snapping photos of every hotel she could find and posting them on social media. Then she waved vigorously, as if she were on steroids.
Cai Wenchuan greeted her with a smile. He saw Ye Wenyu wearing a white knitted dress, looking gentle and elegant like a fairy. Her small face shone like the moon, and his eyes lit up. His smile became even more tender.
He was so blind before!
Zhang Susu looked at Cai Wenchuan, then at her daughter, and said to them with a smile, "They are truly childhood sweethearts, a perfect match."
Ye Wenyu's face flushed, her small face turning as red as a rose, and she immediately hurried forward.
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