"You brat, wake up."
Chen Pingjiang was drowsy from sleep that morning when he felt a strong maternal love, the familiar formula, the familiar taste.
He quickly sat up, and after washing up, Chen Pingjiang rushed to Yan Yan's house without even having time for breakfast.
Both families felt it was better to keep the engagement ceremony simple.
But the necessary customs could not be omitted.
Here in Dongjiang, before the engagement, the man and woman buy each other a complete set of clothes, from inner to outer.
Generally, the woman buys the man red underwear, a suit, a shirt, leather shoes, socks, and a belt.
What the man buys the woman is relatively more casual.
It was already past ten in the morning when he arrived at the Yan family's home.
As soon as Chen Pingjiang entered, he found someone who shouldn't have been there.
"Why are you here?"
Chen Pingjiang asked suspiciously.
The person sitting on the sofa, currently chatting with Yan Yan, was Cong Nini.
Cong Nini blinked with a smile when she saw Chen Pingjiang, and even deliberately licked her lips.
Before she could speak, Yan Yan interjected:
"I asked her to come. We're buying clothes today, and I don't know much about men's clothing. Nini used to work in clothing sales, so I thought her experience should be a bit richer than mine."
Instantly, Chen Pingjiang felt a terrible headache.
Last time at the Hermes store, Chen Pingjiang had no relationship with Cong Nini back then, so he could stay there relatively calmly.
But now...
Clearing his throat awkwardly, Chen Pingjiang changed the subject:
"So when are we leaving?"
At this moment, Yan Liming and Li Yuhua walked out of the bedroom, holding a bank card in hand, and handed it to Chen Pingjiang.
Li Yuhua said:
"Pingjiang, there are 300,000 yuan in this card. It's all the savings Yan Shu and I have accumulated over the years. It's all for you, buy something good."
When she said this, Li Yuhua actually felt quite uncertain.
For a normal family, buying a suit worth a few thousand yuan for the man is more than enough, at most ten to twenty thousand.
But when it came to Chen Pingjiang, Yan Liming and Li Yuhua weren't sure what to do.
The elderly couple had done a lot of research beforehand, asking many people.
They heard that top billionaires might spend hundreds of thousands on a single outfit, and even their suits were custom-made by hand.
They were afraid that if they gave too little money, Chen Pingjiang would have objections, and even more unwilling to let Chen Pingjiang feel that the two of them were looking down on him.
So the old couple discussed it, and since they only had this much money, they decided to give it all.
After all, their daughter wasn't marrying an ordinary person; they had to save face for their daughter.
In fact, Yan Liming and Li Yuhua weren't wrong at all.
Top billionaires and socialites, both at home and abroad, either get the latest seasonal haute couture from major famous brands, or, more exaggeratedly, have clothes brought directly to their homes for selection.
However, these weren't the most impressive things.
Some wealthy individuals even send their private jets to pick up their chief designers and tailors for bespoke customization.
Nowadays, major famous brands have also launched annual touring custom services that visit clients in major cities worldwide.
These custom-made items are unique, symbolizing the status and taste of the wealthy, and there's never any worry about clothes clashing with others.
Chen Pingjiang naturally knew the weight of this card; being able to save 300,000 yuan in 2011 probably represented all of the old couple's savings.
Without much demur, Chen Pingjiang accepted the card.
This was the custom; not taking it would be worse, but Chen Pingjiang also didn't intend to spend all the money on the card.
Not to mention it was from the Yan family earlier, even with Chen Pingjiang being so wealthy now, he wasn't quite accustomed to that kind of aristocratic life.
His current clothes, while not necessarily bought online, weren't all custom-made either; this was related to his consumption philosophy.
After leaving the Yan family's home, the three of them got into the Maybach 57S.
Chen Pingjiang sat in the front, while Cong Nini and Yan Yan were in the back.
All the way, they listened to Cong Nini chattily asking this and that, talking about cosmetics and clothes.
Although Yan Yan wasn't very interested in these topics, she still cooperated by occasionally replying a few words.
Chen Pingjiang was also quite curious why Yan Yan didn't reject Cong Nini.
Because with her cool and reserved personality, she generally got along well in conversation with other girls.
Cong Nini acted like a young wife attending to a madam, calling her "Xuejie" one moment and "Jiejie" the next.
It made Chen Pingjiang frown deeply as he listened.
This girl's schemes run deep.
After arriving at Deji Plaza, Chen Pingjiang had originally planned to accompany them. However, as soon as he got out of the car, before he even put on his mask, he was recognized by another couple parking nearby.
"Chen... I didn't see wrong, did I?"
Chen Pingjiang smiled helplessly and greeted them.
It seemed there was no way he could shop now; this was the downside of being famous, being recognized everywhere he went.
Even someone like Wang Cong often made the news, let alone Chen Pingjiang.
Seeing this, Yan Yan said:
"How about you just wander around elsewhere and don't come up. Nini and I will pick out the clothes, and we have the sizes. If they don't fit, we can exchange them later."
"Okay, I've transferred two million yuan to you, just buy whatever you like,"
Chen Pingjiang nodded, showing an apologetic expression.
Watching the two get out of the car, Chen Pingjiang gave a self-deprecating smile, thinking,
"I said we'd buy clothes together, what a joke."
"Chairman Chen, where are we going now?"
Li Fu asked.
Chen Pingjiang shook his head:
"I don't know either."
He had just come from Zhongshan Villa, so there was no need to go back right away.
It was Saturday, so no need to go to the company.
Where else could he go now?
"How about this, you take me to the bar."
Waiting around like this was pointless, and since he hadn't rested well last night, Chen Pingjiang decided to go catch up on some sleep.
He hadn't been to the bar for a while.
Zhao Shaoyang had already withdrawn his shares from Tiangong Bar, supposedly at his own strong insistence.
Zhou Guanghan and Dai Sheng couldn't refuse and had to buy them back at a high price.
In Zhao Shaoyang's words,
"I'll be permanently based in Shanghai from now on, only occasionally returning to Dongjiang. I definitely won't be able to manage the bar, so I won't occupy that spot. Besides, Brother Chen left me some shares in the film and television company; I'm in the entertainment industry now, so I need to cut ties with the bar."
Upon arriving at the bar, after greeting Zhou Guanghan and Dai Sheng, Chen Pingjiang went to his exclusive suite.
This suite, even when he wasn't there, would be cleaned once a day and was never sold to outsiders.
He didn't know how long he had slept, but Chen Pingjiang vaguely felt someone pressing on him.
He felt like he was having a dream, but couldn't see who the person was.
He only felt that in the dream, he was wantonly indulging, even unable to distinguish between dream and reality.
So much so that Chen Pingjiang even pushed upwards forcefully, and the realism of that sensation astonished him.
He was clearly sleeping, but his brain was in a semi-conscious state, until he realized he was dreaming.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but when Chen Pingjiang woke up, he was startled to find someone lying next to him, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Why are you haunting me? Weren't you with Yan Yan buying clothes?"
Pushing Cong Nini and waking her up, Chen Pingjiang asked.
Cong Nini yawned, looking utterly languid.
"One of Yan Yan's colleagues, Cao Jie, I think, also went later. I saw that she had company, so I said I was on my period and had a stomachache, and she told me to go back and rest."
Chen Pingjiang was speechless,
"Then how did you know I was here?"
Only then did Cong Nini slowly perk up, giggling:
"Where else would you go? I guessed you'd be here, and sure enough, you were when I arrived."
Chen Pingjiang's expression suddenly turned strange as he recalled his earlier erotic dream,
"Did you do anything to me just now?"
"You mean...?"
Cong Nini said, a smile hidden in the corner of her eye, unable to hold it back.
"Don't play dumb with me."
"Alright, darling,"
Cong Nini said coquettishly, throwing herself into Chen Pingjiang's arms:
"I just wanted to tease you, but who knew you'd react so quickly? It was shockingly big, and I couldn't hold back."
Chen Pingjiang's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
He had even wondered what kind of dream could be so real, with the exact same sensations.
Cong Nini continued in a soft, sweet voice:
"Just one look at you this morning, and I couldn't resist. I haven't seen you for months, you know. And tomorrow you're getting engaged, you'll be someone else's husband. Ying ying ying, I'm afraid you won't want me anymore."
"Can you just talk properly?"
This girl's schemes were too deep.
"Okay, but I still want more."
Chen Pingjiang:
"Are you serious? You know I'm getting engaged tomorrow, so you're deliberately trying to drain me dry now?"
Cong Nini looked utterly self-righteous:
"If I don't 'eat' now, who knows when the next time will be? I'll starve to death. I'm so pathetic, I just want you to spend more time with me."
Before Chen Pingjiang could speak, Cong Nini lowered her head again...
...
The engagement banquet was held at Liu Cheng's restaurant, with almost all the closest relatives from both families attending.
On Chen's side, none of the old family members from Tongcheng were called; it wouldn't be too late to call them for the wedding.
Among the relatives, only Zhou Guanghan came.
The Yan family's side was slightly better.
Yan Yan's maternal uncle and aunt, and paternal aunt and uncle came, along with her maternal grandmother.
Yan Liming was from out of town, so no relatives from his hometown were called either.
In Liu Cheng's words, it was outrageously low-key, completely inconsistent with the identities of both families.
Today, Yan Yan was wearing a wine-red dress, with light makeup, and a wine-red bow on her head.
When he saw her, Chen Pingjiang's first thought was: truly beautiful.
This was the first time Yan Yan's parents' relatives had seen Chen Pingjiang, but they didn't dare to approach and speak, only daring to observe from a distance, the whole family appearing reserved.
Li Yuhua found it both irritating and amusing to see.
Yan Yan's cousins, however, seemed very excited after seeing Chen Pingjiang.
Among them, Yan Yan's male cousin was in his early thirties, currently unmarried, and working in a state-owned enterprise.
Yan Yan's female cousin was still attending university in Beijing.
When asked why she chose to go to Beijing instead of so many schools in Dongjiang, she said it was to be further from home and have less supervision.
Yan Yan's personality truly didn't match her cousins; judging by their demeanor, they didn't interact much normally.
The female cousin, however, kept circling Yan Yan, taking pictures and selfies, continuously saying:
"Jiejie, you are so beautiful, even prettier than a celebrity."
Under Yan Liming's introduction, Chen Pingjiang greeted the elders one by one.
Among them, Yan Yan's paternal aunt's husband was so nervous he didn't know where to put his hands.
This was a figure usually only seen on TV and in newspapers; today, they actually saw him alive.
"Yan Yan, this is for you, make sure to keep it safe."
The main event began.
Xu Fangjuan handed a Kraft paper bag and a jewelry box to Yan Yan.
At the urging of Yan Yan's cousins, they insisted on opening them to see.
There wasn't much in the jewelry box, just some metal ornaments.
But what was in the Kraft paper bag scared people.
A downtown luxury apartment with a property area of 421 square meters!
A check for 88.88 million yuan!
Combined, the two items just made a small target.
Such a generous gift stunned the relatives present, and they couldn't help but swallow their saliva.
"This, Lao Xu, it's too valuable, really."
Yan Liming and Li Yuhua were both startled, completely unaware beforehand.
Xu Fangjuan waved her hand:
"The customs cannot be omitted; this represents our family's sincerity."
"Alright then."
After some back and forth, Li Yuhua finally nodded and carefully put it away.
People are just so contradictory.
For ordinary families, the more betrothal gifts given during a wedding, the more it signifies importance.
But when it came to Chen Pingjiang's family, the money was too much; they felt it was too hot to handle, feeling uneasy, even a little panicked.
"Liming, there are too few people today, it's not lively enough. What kind of families are you two? This is too hasty and simple, after all, it's a big event for the children."
During the banquet, Yan Yan's maternal uncle remarked, seemingly inadvertently.
This immediately made Empress Dowager Xu's face look displeased.
Unexpectedly, his mother-in-law, Li Yuhua, spoke first.
"Nowadays, engagements are just a meal; who still makes such a grand show? It's not in a village around Dongjiang, and it's not even a wedding. Relatives from both sides are out of town; calling so many people back would be troublesome for them and for us."
"Brother, really, you don't even consider Pingjiang's status. Once word gets out, the media might all rush here, and all the city and provincial leaders would come, along with colleagues from their company. Then a dozen tables wouldn't even be enough. If the engagement is this grand, what about the wedding later? As long as the two young ones are happy, we don't care about anything else."
At this moment, Yan Liming also coughed and said:
"Brother-in-law, I was the one who mainly suggested this. You see, none of our old family members from either side came, precisely because we didn't want to make a big fuss. If people came, accepting gifts wouldn't be right, and not accepting them wouldn't be right either."
As soon as Yan Yan's maternal uncle thought of this brother-in-law's identity, he immediately pursed his lips and said nothing more.
The maternal aunt also complained and glared at her husband:
"Do you think we're still an ordinary family? Drink your wine, the food can't even shut you up."
The maternal uncle chuckled apologetically,
"I didn't mean it that way, I just purely thought there were too few people, not even enough to drink with."
Chen Guangming stepped forward at this point,
"I'll just follow the children's lead. Maternal Uncle, I'll have a few drinks with you."
Chen Pingjiang smiled as he looked at his father; indeed, he hadn't changed a bit.
Whenever there was trouble, he was always the first to step up.
As for the maternal uncle's words, he didn't take them to heart.
Instead, after hearing his phone vibrate, he took it out and glanced at it.
The message was from Ge Mengshi.
It read: "Happy engagement."
This made Chen Pingjiang give a bitter smile.
Presumably, Ge Mengshi must be feeling very disheartened right now.
It was only noon in China, which meant it was morning in Helsinki.
Sending the message so precisely on time said it all.
Don't let her often say she doesn't care; as long as she's a woman, how could she possibly not care?
It's just...
Alas, I hope a way can be found in the future.
(End of chapter)