Chapter 56: Am I Prettier, or Is Your Wen Jianan Prettier?

Silence fell over the dinner table.

Tan Fang peeled another shrimp for Wen Ganan. “Eat up. What are you staring into space for?”

Wen Ganan sighed. She had no idea how to respond to her parents.

Tan Fang sensed her hesitation and immediately tried to reassure her. “It was only a suggestion. Don’t take it to heart.”

Even so, Wen Ganan knew what Tan Fang meant. Her mother wanted her to be with Cheng He. This was simply a way of backing off in order to get what she wanted.

And somehow, Wen Ganan still fell for it.

After all, she had done so many terrible things in the past. She felt deeply guilty toward her parents.

She said nothing more, eating in silence, though every bite tasted like sawdust.

This was a serious decision, and she needed some time to think it over. She didn’t rush to give her parents an answer.

After dinner, she went back to her room. A notification showed on her phone screen. On closer inspection, she saw it was from Jiang Wenfei.

Puzzled, Wen Ganan opened the message.

The words “engagement invitation” caught her eye, and she stared at them for a couple of seconds.

“Miss Wen, Ah Xiu and I are having our engagement party the day after tomorrow. If you’re free, we’d be delighted if you could come.”

Wen Ganan knew Jiang Wenfei wasn’t sincerely inviting her.

Either she wanted to test her, or she wanted to flaunt her victory.

Whatever the reason, Wen Ganan no longer cared.

She pushed down the faint stirrings of emotion in her heart, took a deep breath, and typed her reply.

“Thank you. I wish you both the best, but I’ll be traveling with my parents for a while and really can’t make it. When you get married, I’ll be sure to send you a generous gift.”

Five minutes later, Jiang Wenfei replied: “All right. I’ll be sure to send you a wedding invitation then.”

Wen Ganan didn’t reply.

She had no interest in these veiled tests and jabs.

She wasn’t even sad. But Jiang Wenfei’s message did help her make up her mind about something she’d been uncertain of.

The next morning, the first thing Wen Ganan did after getting up was reply to Aomei’s HR department. She had decided to accept their offer.

The second thing she did was agree, over breakfast, to get engaged to Cheng He.

Wen Shaoru and Tan Fang were completely taken by surprise.

They both froze. The bun in Wen Shaoru’s hand slipped and fell onto the table.

Tan Fang had already recovered. Her expression hovered between laughter and tears. She covered her mouth, her eyes reddening as she sat there for a long moment.

“Wonderful, wonderful. This is so good. Your father and I can finally stop worrying.”

As Tan Fang smiled, she began to cry in earnest.

She grabbed Wen Shaoru’s wrist and said with a sigh, “Our Nan-nan has grown up.”

In the past, in a situation like this, she would have been lucky if Wen Ganan hadn’t packed her things and run away in the middle of the night.

Wen Ganan looked at her parents and gave them a faint smile.

For some reason, she didn’t feel truly happy. Instead, her heart felt heavy.

But she understood that she probably wouldn’t fall in love with anyone again. So it didn’t really matter who she spent her future with.

Choosing Cheng He, at least, would put her parents at ease and make them happy.

That was enough for her.

When Cheng He heard the news, he was surprised, but more than that, he was delighted.

“It did come a little out of nowhere. When my family told me, I thought it was your parents’ idea. I didn’t realize you hadn’t heard about it.”

Wen Ganan smiled. “No. I’m doing this of my own free will.”

Cheng He had been about to say something, but after a moment’s thought, he kept it to himself.

It had all happened so suddenly. And now that Wen Ganan had agreed to join Aomei, she was due to start in a week, leaving them very little time to prepare for the engagement.

After the two families discussed it, they decided to hold the engagement before Wen Ganan left for Yan City.

Before then, Cheng He, who was in Yan City, attended Liang Yuxiu and Jiang Wenfei’s engagement party.

Before the party began, Liang Yuxiu was nowhere to be seen.

Cheng He went to the dressing room and saw Jiang Wenfei in a red dress. “The bride-to-be looks lovely,” he said.

Jiang Wenfei’s makeup was bright and radiant. She glanced at Cheng He in the mirror and teased, “So, who’s prettier—me or your Wen Ganan?”

Cheng He chuckled but said nothing.

Jiang Wenfei gave a little huff. “Never mind. I won’t put you on the spot. We’re partners, after all. If you hadn’t warned me to come back quickly, Ah Xiu might already have rekindled things with Wen Ganan.”

Then, reluctantly, she added, “You’d better keep an eye on Wen Ganan from now on. If she gets tangled up with Ah Xiu again, I won’t let her off lightly. Not even your sake will change that.”

“We’re getting engaged in a few days,” Cheng He said suddenly.

Jiang Wenfei stopped twirling her hair. Her eyes flew up, full of surprise; she clearly hadn’t expected him to move so quickly.

A moment later, a smile spread across her face. “You’re pretty impressive. I suppose we’ll be even better partners from now on.”

Cheng He gave a quiet “Mm.” “Ah Xiu mentioned before that he plans to set up a branch in South China within the year. I’ll apply to transfer there when the time comes. You can rest easy.”

His words carried a double meaning. Jiang Wenfei’s expression stiffened for a moment, and a flash of embarrassment crossed her eyes before she quickly concealed it.

She gave a light laugh. “Of course I’m at ease. What would I have to worry about?”

Cheng He’s lips curved, his eyes full of meaning and amusement.

He said no more. He set down his gift and left.

Five days later, the date chosen by the Wen and Cheng families arrived.

The Cheng family traveled from Yan City to Mian City, bringing gifts and gold jewelry.

Although Tan Fang had never met Cheng He’s parents in person, Wen Shaoru knew them well and had been friends with them for many years. Tan Fang trusted them completely. A few days earlier, she had spoken with them over video call to settle some of the details of the engagement.

Now that they had finally met, she found that Cheng He’s parents were indeed lovely people. Their words and manners were impeccable, and they knew how to treat others with grace. Their daughter would surely be well cared for when she married into the family.

The more Tan Fang thought about it, the happier she became. Her face was practically glowing with smiles.

She was a teacher, and usually quite serious. She rarely let her feelings show so openly. Watching her, Wen Ganan felt a pang in her heart.

She suddenly felt as though she were trading the rest of her life in marriage for Tan Fang’s happiness right now.

She didn’t feel miserable. Just numb.

Wen Ganan drew a deep breath and lowered her eyes.

A warm touch suddenly came over her hand. She raised her eyelids slightly and saw Cheng He looking at her gently, smiling.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“I got up early today. I’m a little sleepy,” Wen Ganan said, making up an excuse.

Though it was true that Tan Fang had been so excited about the Chengs’ visit that she hadn’t slept all night. She had woken Wen Ganan at dawn to get her ready.

The two families’ elders were chatting animatedly. When one of them glanced over, Aunt Cheng exclaimed, “Just look at them! They’re so sweet together.”

Wen Ganan and Cheng He both turned toward them, meeting the amused, teasing looks of everyone around the table. They were both embarrassed.

Neither rushed to deny it. They both knew that the more you tried to explain, the worse it sounded, so they simply smiled and said nothing.