Chapter 57: A Sudden Impulse to Cry

Because the distance was far too great, the local customs of the two sides differed, and the schedule was extremely tight, the two families consulted and made the final decision to simplify the engagement process.

They would gather the parents from both sides along with close relatives, have a meal together at a restaurant, and exchange engagement rings. That would officially mark the engagement, while the wedding itself would be celebrated on a grand scale in the future.

Wen Jianan had no objections to this. Frankly, she no longer held any romantic expectations for such matters.

From the very beginning, her decision to be with Cheng He was purely for the sake of her parents. Now, whatever her parents wished to do was fine by her.

The group arrived at the private dining room of the restaurant and took their seats. Just as the dishes were being served, Wen Jianan's maternal aunt, Tan Rong, arrived fashionably late, carrying the engagement rings.

Tan Rong was in the jewelry business, and Tan Fang had insisted that Wen Jianan and Cheng He's engagement rings be purchased from her. Wen Jianan simply went along with it.

"I'm so sorry, I'm late. The journey was a bit long, and there was a traffic jam since it's the weekend."

Pushing open the door, Tan Rong, nearing fifty years of age, entered with a thick layer of powder on her plump face, dressed head-to-toe in glittering gold and jewels.

While uttering apologies, her eyes continuously sized up Cheng He's family.

This was her first time meeting Cheng He's parents and Cheng He himself, and the feeling was mutual across the table.

Fortunately, Cheng's mother had already heard about the engagement rings from Tan Fang and quickly reacted, "You must be the bride-to-be's maternal aunt, right? Oh my, you look so radiant and youthful."

Tan Rong covered her mouth and giggled, "Oh, not at all! Today is our Nanan's engagement day—such a joyous occasion, and as her aunt, I'm just thrilled."

Tan Fang finally stood up to make introductions for both parties.

Only Wen Shaoru maintained a calm, neutral expression, wearing a strictly polite and superficial smile.

Wen Jianan knew that her father disliked her aunt Tan Rong. He always felt that Tan Rong was too snobbish and excessively calculating.

Tan Fang was well aware of this as well. Not wanting to alienate either side, she could only try her best to keep the two from crossing paths.

However, things were unavoidable today. A week ago, when Tan Rong heard about Wen Jianan's engagement, she insisted on taking charge of the rings and demanded to come today to witness the joyous occasion in person.

Tan Fang had no way to refuse.

Looking somewhat awkward, she could only reach under the table to lightly tap her husband's leg.

Wen Shaoru took a shallow breath, his expression softening slightly, which served as a tacit response to his wife.

Tan Fang smiled.

The meal was exceptionally pleasant. Midway through, Cheng He even had a bouquet of fifty-two roses delivered, earning praises from everyone present.

Finally came the ritual of exchanging engagement rings.

Under the watchful eyes of their parents and relatives, Wen Jianan and Cheng He slipped the rings onto each other's fingers.

Afterward, Wen Jianan remained silent for a long moment until Cheng He pulled her hand over and took a photo.

Wen Jianan abruptly pulled her hand back, wearing a look that clearly asked, "What on earth are you doing?"

Cheng He raised his phone screen to show her, "I'm posting it on Moments."

"Is that really necessary?" Wen Jianan disliked exposing her privacy online, including on her Moments.

Yet Cheng He smiled and said, "It's not easy for me to finally have a fiancée—are you not going to let me announce it to the world? Besides, as your fiancé, this is my way of giving you a sense of security. Shouldn't you feel happy about this?"

That logic actually made sense.

However, back when Wen Jianan was in a secret marriage with Liang Yuxiu, very few people knew about them. Public announcement was completely out of the question, and she had never even known what a sense of security felt like.

Now, being treated this way, she didn't seem to feel particularly happy at all.

"Would you like to post one too?" Cheng He suddenly suggested.

Without a second thought, Wen Jianan prepared to refuse.

Hearing this from nearby, Tan Fang chimed in quickly, "Post it! Such a joyous occasion should definitely be shared with others. And look at those gorgeous roses—they're so pretty, you should take a picture of them too."

Urged on by both mothers and a bevy of aunts, Wen Jianan had no choice but to post a Moments update alongside Cheng He.

Attached to the post were not only photos of their hands wearing the engagement rings, but also a picture of the fifty-two roses.

"Now that's more like it."

Returning to the Wen household, Cheng He's family stayed for a little while longer before preparing to return to Yancheng.

In a couple of days, Wen Jianan would also start getting ready to leave and take up her new position at a company in Yancheng.

Wen Jianan went to see Cheng He's family off at the airport. Cheng's parents and his aunt tactfully went inside first, leaving some private space for the young couple.

"I've already found an apartment for you. When you arrive, I'll pick you up at the airport."

"Okay," Wen Jianan responded softly.

Cheng He looked at her, hesitating for a moment before his expression melted into a gentle smile.

He said, "Xiaofeng has been talking about you nonstop lately. I told him you'd go see him soon, and he's been waiting."

At the mention of this, Wen Jianan realized she hadn't received any news from him in quite a while.

Although they had added each other on WeChat, Cheng Zifeng had only sent her quite a few messages during the initial period, right when she happened to be busy and couldn't reply very often.

Over the past half-month, Cheng Zifeng's messages had noticeably dwindled.

Lately, consumed by a pile of vexing matters, Wen Jianan had temporarily forgotten about him.

"How is Xiaofeng? Has his condition been stable lately? Is there any progress with his treatment?"

Wen Jianan fired off three questions in a row, making it clear that her concern for Cheng Zifeng was entirely genuine.

Cheng He was deeply gratified by this.

Unfortunately, Cheng Zifeng's condition was far from good.

"He's been having a really rough time lately. The doctor said his condition is accelerating and worsening rapidly. He needs a bone marrow transplant as soon as possible, but there are no suitable donors in the marrow registry yet. Our whole family has gone to do bone marrow matching, but the results haven't come out yet."

Wen Jianan had not expected things to turn out this way; worry was clearly written all over her face, and her brows were tightly furrowed.

"I hope a compatible match is found soon."

Cheng He gave a bitter smile. "Let's hope so."

After a brief, silent glance between them, Wen Jianan took the initiative to bid farewell.

"You should head inside now; security check still takes time."

Cheng He nodded, cast a lingering and reluctant look at her, and then turned to go inside.

The moment his figure disappeared, Wen Jianan felt an inexplicable wave of relief.

She turned around and hailed a taxi home.

Along the way, she absentmindedly scrolled through the likes on her Moments.

Many people had liked her post—former classmates, friends, and colleagues—all of them expressing shock.

Naturally, the majority of the comments offered congratulations.

For a moment, WeChat felt as chaotic as a boiling pot of porridge, and Wen Jianan couldn't even keep up with replying.

Suddenly, her fingertips paused. Catching her eye was a "like" from Liang Yuxiu.

Traffic near the airport highway was heavily congested, with a long line of cars unable to move an inch. Sitting in the vehicle, Wen Jianan felt dizzy and lightheaded, experiencing a tightness in her chest and shortness of breath for reasons unknown.

An overwhelming urge to cry suddenly washed over her.

She forced herself to take deeper breaths, the skin around her eyes stinging with sourness.

Why?

Why was she reacting this way?

Wen Jianan quickly rolled down the window. As the breeze blew in, that stinging sensation seemed to ease slightly.

She bit her lower lip, operated her phone once more, and exited the Moments page.

Gazing out the window, Wen Jianan felt a profound sense of release.

Back home, she timely received a message from Cheng He confirming he had boarded his plane. Wen Jianan replied and stopped looking at WeChat altogether.

With her departure for Yancheng scheduled for the day after tomorrow, Wen Jianan set about packing her belongings, eager to give herself a distraction.

Later in the evening, Tan Fang knocked on the door and entered.