"Zi Xi, I'm finished..."
Jiang Yanli stared at her reddened ear tips, then suddenly chuckled and buried her face in the crook of her neck.
He's finished, his life is over, he'll never let go.
Jiang Yanli abruptly turned her face away, her Adam's apple bobbing. After a long while, once the heat in her body subsided, she managed to stammer, "If we're going to be late, let's get off the train..."
Just as Zi Xi was about to move, he suddenly grabbed her again: "Wait a minute."
He took a small box out of his suit pocket and put it in her hand: "Wear this."
Zi Xi opened the box, and inside lay a delicate silver ginkgo leaf necklace. The veins of the leaf were clearly visible, and the edges were adorned with tiny diamonds that shimmered faintly in the dimly lit carriage.
She paused slightly, her fingertips pausing: "I can't accept this."
Jiang Yanli's ears turned bright red, and she turned her face away fiercely, saying, "Don't you think it looks bad that your neck is bare? Anyway, you have to accept it..."
Zi Xi looked at him for two seconds, then gently curled the corners of her lips: "Then tell me when your birthday is, and I'll prepare a gift for you too."
"The 16th of next month."
Jiang Yanli's breath hitched. She pretended to be reserved, but her heart was pounding so loudly it seemed to shatter the car window.
She's going to prepare a gift for him!!!
"Get off the bus."
He forced a smile, awkwardly pushed open the car door, and sullenly asked her to get out.
*
The charity gala was hosted by the Qi family, but today the main focus has shifted to the Chu family. Father Chu, holding a glass of champagne, stood in the center of the guests with a radiant face, his voice deliberately raised.
"Although Young Master Jiang is still young, the Jiang family has high hopes for him!"
A chorus of compliments immediately arose from the surrounding crowd; clearly, they had been talking for a while and were now discussing Jiang Yanli.
“When young people have a good relationship, we elders are naturally happy to see it happen.”
Chu's mother echoed her husband's words at the right time, her smile both reserved and smug.
Mrs. Chu gently swirled her champagne glass, turned slightly to the surrounding ladies, and lowered her voice: "The young master of the Jiang family, although still in high school, has already introduced my daughter to his parents..."
"But I heard that child... is somewhat uneducated and good-for-nothing..."
Mrs. Li chimed in at the opportune moment, half-covering her amused smile.
"It's just youthful impetuosity. Who hasn't been impulsive a few times when they were young? What kind of family is the Jiang family? Even if they are ignorant and incompetent, what does it matter?"
Chu's mother smiled, her eyes crinkling with fine lines. She felt that Mrs. Li's words were meaningless and that she was simply jealous that her family was able to rise to prominence by leveraging the Jiang family's influence.
As Mr. Chu approached with several business tycoons, he immediately chimed in, "Young people are all like that. After graduating and going to university, the Jiang family's son will be joining the Jiang Group..."
He waved his hand modestly, "We didn't expect them to get married anytime soon. After all, young people are still in the stage of appreciating each other."
"Oh dear, isn't this...?"
Madam Zhou drew out the words meaningfully, but didn't say them aloud.
"What's wrong with that? It's normal for young people to break up and get back together!"
"However, Madam Jiang did mention that she really liked our daughter when we had afternoon tea last time..."
Chu's mother pretended to scold him, but turned the pigeon egg on her left ring finger to the brightest spot of the light to admire it.
"Mother……"
She was about to tell her parents to stop talking when she saw her mother raise her glass: "Let's toast in advance to the bright future of our children!"
Amidst the crisp clinking of the crystal glasses, no one noticed Chu Baiyi's somewhat stiff smile.
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