Yan Yunning let out a sigh. “Does it have to be soon?”
The man nodded.
After a long moment of holding each other’s gaze, Yan Yunning relented. “You convince my parents to agree, and I’ll marry you.”
If her parents agreed, no one else would dare object.
“Alright.”
Xuan Yanyu held Yan Yunning for a little while longer, then seemed to think of something and suddenly said, “I’m going to take a shower.”
A shower and it’ll all be washed clean.
Yan Yunning: “……”
What on earth did he need a shower for right now???
Watching Xuan Yanyu go upstairs, Auntie Hu — who was tidying the house — leaned over to Yan Yunning with a straight face and said, “Ningning, I think Mr. Xuan has done something behind your back. Don’t listen to him — don’t marry him so hastily.”
Yan Yunning picked up her phone, sent a few messages to Ye Jian, Ye Chen, and Ye’an respectively, then set it down and looked at Auntie Hu. “He wouldn’t do that. A man of his standing has no reason to go behind my back.”
“If he didn’t like me, he’d break up with me and move on. There’s no point in him hiding things from me — I have nothing for him to gain. He’s even richer than I am.”
Auntie Hu gave a thoughtful nod. “Ningning has a point. Though — Young Master Xuan and his wife are coming today. Could it be to discuss your engagement?”
Yan Yunning smiled lightly. “Mm.”
“Miss Yan, you asked for me?” Ye Jian stepped into the living room and gave a small bow.
Yan Yunning looked up at Ye Jian with a casual smile. “Where did you all go today? I heard Xuan Yanyu say you went to pick up a gift for me — what did you get?”
Ye Jian’s eyes darted around as he turned the question over in his mind. “Lipstick — it was lipstick.”
Ye Chen was always buying lipstick for his girlfriend; he always said lipstick was the safest choice.
Yan Yunning smiled serenely. “Are you sure?”
Ye Jian kept his face perfectly composed. “Yes. Little President Xuan has already chosen it — we can pick it up this afternoon.”
Yan Yunning raised an eyebrow. “But he told me he bought me face masks. So why are you saying lipstick?”
Ye Jian cleared his throat. “That’s right, Miss Yan. I haven’t made a mistake. Little President Xuan may have simply forgotten to mention the lipstick.”
Yan Yunning waved her hand. “Oh, I see. Would you mind going to replace the water jug on the water dispenser for me?”
Ye Jian nodded. “Of course, Miss Yan.”
Two minutes later, Ye’an walked into the living room. Ye Jian’s eyelid gave a small twitch, and beads of sweat began forming on his forehead.
“Miss Yan.” Ye’an glanced at Ye Jian without making it obvious.
Ye Jian squinted at him meaningfully.
Ye’an: “……”
What was he supposed to understand from a squint???
“Where did all of you go this morning?” Yan Yunning lifted her water glass and asked with a pleasant smile.
Ye’an startled slightly, then said, “Miss Yan, I genuinely don’t know — I had an upset stomach this morning and didn’t go out with Little President Xuan. I went to the pharmacy to get some medication.”
Ye Jian let out a quiet breath of relief.
Yan Yunning’s eyes curved at the corners. “Alright. Could you also help me change the water jug on the dispenser?”
“Miss Yan, that’s already been done,” Ye Jian said respectfully.
Yan Yunning’s fingertip traced the rim of her glass, and she smiled unhurriedly. “Then take it out and change it again.”
Ye Jian: “……”
Ye’an: “……”
Hardly had Yan Yunning’s words settled when Ye Chen came striding into the living room with wide steps. “Miss Yan.”
Yan Yunning took a small sip of water. Before she could even ask, Xuan Yanyu — freshly showered and changed — came down the stairs. Seeing all three of them standing in the main hall, he moved uneasily to sit beside Yan Yunning, his nerves quietly on edge.
Yan Yunning shot him a glance. What had he done that had him looking so guilty???
“I didn’t eat breakfast and I’m starving — will you have a meal with me?” The man’s lips curved into a smile.
Yan Yunning went along with it. “Where did you go that you didn’t eat?”
Xuan Yanyu pursed his lips.
“Alright, I won’t ask.” Yan Yunning smiled and reached over to take his hand. “Let’s go eat.”
He didn’t want to say, and she had no intention of pressing him.
Yan Yunning sent Ye Jian a quiet, meaningful look. He caught it and gave a small nod in acknowledgment.
He understood — what had happened today was not to be mentioned to Little President Xuan.
This was exhausting. Having to help Little President Xuan hide things from Miss Yan.
And having to help Miss Yan hide things from Little President Xuan.
——
At the restaurant.
Despite having said they were going to eat, Xuan Yanyu picked up a tablet and began browsing wedding gowns. The first was a diamond-encrusted high-fashion mermaid gown with a three-meter train — Xuan Yanyu settled on a shoot at the spiral staircase of an ancient castle.
The second was a strapless, fitted silhouette with gold embroidery from neckline to hem, the sides dotted with fine diamonds sewn with genuine silk thread — Xuan Yanyu marked it for a private island shoot.
The third was embroidered with platinum thread in a one-shouldered design, floral elements at the waist, and a skirt that spread into roughly eight meters of trailing fabric — Xuan Yanyu chose a private yacht as the backdrop.
The fourth drew Yan Yunning’s eye: Xuan Yanyu had selected a pearl-chain shoulder strap with white pearls set in a heart pattern at the bodice, the voluminous skirt featuring dimensional floral petal layers, the satin draping with exquisite weight and flow.
One by one, Xuan Yanyu made his choices and settled on a shoot in a hot air balloon gondola high in the sky.
Yan Yunning: “……”
She didn’t bother watching any more. She simply let Xuan Yanyu browse and select gowns and venues as he pleased.
After going through roughly twenty to thirty options, Xuan Yanyu finally put the tablet down — whereupon Yan Yunning heard him say, “Ningning, let’s set off tomorrow.”
“Pfft.” Yan Yunning choked on a mouthful of water. She truly could not understand what he was in such a hurry about.
It wasn’t as though she were going to run away.
Xuan Yanyu reached over and dabbed the corner of her mouth with his finger. Not wanting to risk further delays, he added, “Let’s just leave now.”
Yan Yunning: “……”
“Is that alright? Ningning?” The man looked at her with the most pitifully pleading expression he could manage.
Yan Yunning: “……”
In the end, she couldn’t refuse him. Reasoning that the photos would need to be taken eventually anyway, Yan Yunning quickly packed a suitcase, sent her parents a message, booked a flight with Xuan Yanyu, and headed to the airport.
Though the decision to take the wedding photographs had been made on a whim, there was nothing simple about the execution. They shot for a little over half a month, moving from location to location — shooting, then sightseeing, then shooting again.
With each change of scenery, Yan Yunning joked that it was no different from a honeymoon. By the time they returned to Yuanjin City, she felt as though her arms had tanned noticeably.
Yan’s father and Yan’s mother, who had not wanted to rush Yan Yunning into an engagement and marriage, learned that she and Xuan Yanyu had gone ahead and had their wedding photographs taken without hesitation. Then came the impeccable sincerity of Xuan Shi’an and Wen Shuyun — and given how close she already was with Wen Shuyun, Yan’s mother felt entirely at ease.
She also knew both families inside and out. And beyond that, Yan Yunning and Xuan Yanyu were practically inseparable every single day, and Yan’s mother had begun to worry that there might be a small “surprise” on the way.
In the end, both families sat down and settled on a wedding date one and a half months away.
Yan Yunning had no objections. In her view, she and Xuan Yanyu had been together long enough already — getting married felt perfectly right.
She had come so close to marrying someone else entirely. They should have been celebrating this wedding long ago.
Xuan Yanyu had no objections either — he would have married her that very instant if he could. Every day that passed without it made him feel hollow with unease, terrified that Ningning might hear something and call everything off.
In truth, there were many moments when he found himself confused. The girl in his memories felt like Ningning — yet he had watched Ningning carefully, and she showed none of the signs of someone who remembered that time.
And yet the scenes Shiyao described aligned precisely with the scattered fragments in his mind. As much as he refused to accept it, the truth seemed to point to Shiyao being that person.
——
The day after Xuan Yanyu and Yan Yunning returned from their wedding photo shoot, the engagement ceremony was held in Yuanjin City.
The venue was lavishly decorated. Yan Yunning, crowned and gowned, stood beside Xuan Yanyu in a bespoke suit, and in the presence of both families, friends, distinguished guests from the business world, and media in attendance, the two of them completed the ceremony.
After the guests departed, Xuan Shi’an and Wen Shuyun invited Yan’s father and Yan’s mother up to a private room on the third floor.
Yan Yunning, exhausted, leaned against Xuan Yanyu. After resting for a little while, she began to feel a vague discomfort in her body.
Whether it was from the continuous weeks of shooting the wedding photos, or the fatigue of today’s engagement ceremony, she wasn’t sure — a faint, intermittent ache had begun to pulse quietly in her lower abdomen.