"Yan Yi."

Pei Yang sat up from the bed with a somersault, "Who? Yan Yi? The Yan Yi who came to our wedding banquet that day?"

"Um."

Pei Yang looked at her for a few seconds, then the corners of his mouth slowly stretched to the back of his ears.

Shen Mingzhu looked at him and asked, "Why are you so silly?"

Of course he was happy, so happy that he wanted to set off firecrackers.

Yan Yi is engaged, so I can no longer compete with him for his wife! ...

The engagement banquet was held at Yan's house.

Although she had guessed about Yan Yi's family background beforehand, when she really stood at the door of the Yan family, Shen Mingzhu was still somewhat shocked by the prominence of the Yan family.

On both sides of the entrance are large rockery ponds. The water in the ponds is so clear that you can clearly see the stones, water plants, and schools of koi at the bottom of the water.

The overall architectural style of the Yan family is Chinese. The main building in the middle has a total of four floors, with irregular annexes on both sides.

The engagement banquet was held in the open space and lawn surrounding the main building of the Yan family. There were roughly forty or fifty tables with round tables covered with off-white tablecloths. From a distance, they looked like white mushrooms blooming in the dark night.

The receptionist led the family of three into the banquet hall and left. Shen Mingzhu held Pei Ziheng's hand and stared at Pei Yang.

There were many guests around, drinking and chatting, but it seemed to have nothing to do with them.

"Let's find a seat first." Pei Yang suggested.

Shen Mingzhu nodded and took the father and son to a remote place.

In her experience, the front and middle seats were usually occupied by important people or relatives and friends of both parties, and insignificant little people like them were better off hiding in a corner.

The family of three sat down at the seat on the far left side, next to the courtyard wall.

There are many chrysanthemums planted in the flowerbed beside the courtyard wall, which are blooming in all their splendor. It is a nice experience to enjoy the chrysanthemums while having a feast.

It was still early to leave, but the table was filled with all kinds of refreshments, fruits and snacks, and waiters were walking back and forth carrying drinks.

Shen Mingzhu ordered a glass of juice for herself and the father and son.

"Mom, this spicy noodle tastes exactly like the one you made."

Shen Mingzhu had noticed the spicy strips and dried tofu on the table a long time ago. She had thought it strange that such common snacks as spicy strips and dried tofu could be found at such a high-end banquet. But when her son said so, she took a spicy strip and tasted it. It was indeed the taste of her cooking.

However, the packaging bags of the spicy strips and dried tofu were removed and they were served on round porcelain plates with gold-rimmed plum blossoms, with a freshly picked camellia flower dotted next to them. The ordinary spicy strips and dried tofu were instantly elevated to a higher level.

Shen Mingzhu glanced at the other tables nearby and found that they also had spicy strips and dried tofu on them.

So, the last time Yan Su came to the factory to order dried tofu and spicy strips, was it to entertain the guests at the engagement party? But the quantity was not right...

Before she could think about it, Zhong Qing's driver came to the table with a smile and said, "Mrs. Pei, Mr. Pei, and Young Master Pei, welcome to the eldest lady's engagement party. Please forgive us for any inadequacies in our hospitality."

Shen Mingzhu handed the gift in her hand to the driver, "You came at the right time. Please give it to your lady. This is my engagement gift to her."

"Mrs. Pei, you should give the gift to Miss in person."

"She should be very busy right now, will it be inconvenient?"

"Won't."

Since the driver said so, Shen Mingzhu had no choice but to get up and go see Zhong Qing.

Considering that Zhong Qing would be surrounded by female guests, it would not be convenient for her to bring Pei Yang with her, so she asked the father and son to sit there and wait for her to come back.

…

"Miss, Mrs. Pei is here."

Looking at the gorgeous but empty room in front of her, Shen Mingzhu was stunned for a moment.

In her imagination, Zhong Qing should be surrounded by beauties, and it should be bustling and lively.

But in such a large lounge, Zhong Qing was the only one sitting alone on the sofa, reading a book in her hands.

If Zhong Qing hadn't been wearing gorgeous clothes, she wouldn't have looked like a bride about to get engaged.

"You're here?"

Shen Mingzhu put away her complicated feelings, smiled and handed over the gift in her hand, "Congratulations on your engagement."

"Thanks."

Zhong Qing pulled her to sit on the sofa, and looked at the gift in her hand curiously with her light brown eyes, "Can I open it now?"

After getting Shen Mingzhu's consent, Zhong Qing happily opened the package. When she saw a glittering gold bar inside the velvet box, she laughed out loud.

"I have been guessing these days what gift you would give me. I have guessed a lot, even whether you would give me food. I didn't expect you to give me a gold bar."

Zhong Qing shook the gold bar and smiled, "Mingzhu, you always surprise me."

“Gold maintains its value and is affordable.”

"Thank you. I like it very much."

Zhong Qing put the gold bars back into the box and sat down to chat with her.

This work is organized and uploaded by Liujiu Book Bar~~

After sitting for a while and seeing no one come in, Shen Mingzhu couldn't help but ask the question in her heart, "Qingqing, didn't you invite other friends to the engagement party?"

Zhong Qing smiled nonchalantly: "I don't have many friends, Mingzhu, thank you for coming to my engagement party."

Shen Mingzhu didn't know what to say for a moment.

It is unbelievable that a lady from a noble family had no friends to congratulate her on such an important event as her engagement.

Zhong Qing didn't seem to mind the coldness around her. She lifted her wrist with a smile and said, "I was right. This bracelet really suits you. The size and texture of the bracelet really suit your hand."

Shen Mingzhu came to attend the engagement party today, wearing a cheongsam made in Junlin.

The cheongsam itself was pearl white, and she wore a turmeric shawl over it. The only jewellery she wore was this jade bracelet.

The two were talking about bracelets when a middle-aged woman with an elegant and graceful temperament walked in from outside the door. Her eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar to Zhong Qing.

Shen Mingzhu was just guessing about the relationship between the beautiful woman and Zhong Qing when she heard Zhong Qing shout, "Mom."

"Qingqing, is this your friend?"

Mother Zhong looked Shen Mingzhu up and down with a friendly expression, without the arrogance of other wealthy ladies.

"Not really. Not very familiar with him."

Shen Mingzhu was surprised by Zhong Qing's sudden cold tone, and she looked at him in surprise.

Zhong Qing looked at her calmly for a moment, then turned to explain to Zhong's mother, "We've only met twice. I didn't expect her to be so polite and come to congratulate me."

After saying that, Zhong Qing turned his gaze towards her and said in a distant tone, "Mrs. Pei, thank you for your congratulations. I have something else to do, so I won't take you down."

Shen Mingzhu was "kicked" out of the room in a daze.

It's totally incomprehensible.

The place where Zhong Qing rested was an annex building specially for guests. It had three floors, and she was currently on the third floor. The corridors stretched in all directions, with rooms on both sides, like a maze.

The driver who brought her upstairs earlier had disappeared, and there were no waiters or anyone else around. Shen Mingzhu could only rely on her poor sense of direction to grope her way downstairs.

In the lounge.

While helping Zhong Qing fix her hair and makeup and collar, Mother Zhong said softly, "You're getting engaged today, why don't you invite a few more friends?"

Zhong Qing looked at Zhong's mother and said self-deprecatingly, "I don't have any friends at all."

Mother Zhong smiled, "You are the eldest daughter of the Zhong family and the future mistress of the Yan family. Many people want to make friends with you. For example, Mrs. Pei just now, I think she is very nice. You can invite her to visit your home when you are free."

"You'll have to ask Yan Yi about this."

Mother Zhong frowned, "She and Yan Yi?"

"She is a friend that Yan Yi admires very much."

“I see…”

Seeing that Mother Zhong seemed to be deep in thought, Zhong Qing's eyes were cold and sarcastic.