Chapter 7
In the evening, Chen Pingzhou told him that a branch of the Shang familyâShang Ze Nianâs cousinâwas getting engaged tomorrow, and Jiang Cheng should prepare and go with them.
Since it was Shang Ze Nianâs cousin, Shang Ze Nian would definitely be there. Jiang Cheng was now extremely afraid of seeing him. Just at the right time, tomorrow was also the day exam results would be released, so he used âchecking scoresâ as an excuse and asked Chen Pingzhou if he could not go.
Chen Pingzhou also knew that exam results were very important for someone like him who was relying on education to change his fate, and wanting to check them first thing was reasonable, so he didnât force him.
Although Shang Ze Nianâs cousin was from a branch family, she was still part of the Shang family, so the engagement banquet was held very grandly.
Lu Xiyuan was also invited. He found Shang Ze Nian on the terrace.
Shang Ze Nian was holding a wine glass, his long legs crossed casually without a proper place to rest, leaning against the railing. His gaze occasionally drifted downstairs.
When he saw Shang Ze Nian, Lu Xiyuan exaggeratedly said, âWow.â
âBrother Shang, you look pretty handsome today. Donât you usually hate this kind of restraint?â
Today, Shang Ze Nian wore a sharply tailored dark suit. It made his shoulders look broad and his waist narrow, his tall frame like a straight pine tree. His usual lazy, unruly aura was restrained by the suit, giving him a more proper and noble young master air.
Because it was a formal banquet, many male guests dressed like thisâbut he was still the most eye-catching one. No one knew how many girls he would charm.
Lu Xiyuan suddenly thought of something. âIs that Miss Chen coming today?â
Shang Ze Nian did not hide his intention. âOtherwise, who do you think Iâm dressing up for?â
âYouâre making me even more curious about that Miss Chen. What kind of beauty could make someone like you fall so hard?â
This cold-faced âmad dogâ in love looked completely different from his usual self.
At that moment, Shang Ze Nianâs gaze dropped to the first floor.
Lu Xiyuan followed his line of sight eagerly.
A black Maybach stopped at the entrance. The valet opened the door, and a couple in their thirties stepped out one after another, then walked into the venue arm in arm.
The Maybach was driven away for parking, and no other car followed.
Shang Ze Nian narrowed his eyes.
âHuh? Which one is Miss Chen? I donât see any young woman,â Lu Xiyuan said, like an excited gossip goose, stretching his neck.
âShe didnât come,â Shang Ze Nian said flatly, taking out his phone.
Lu Xiyuan swallowed his teasing when he saw Shang Ze Nianâs dark expression.
Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng was walking outside with the old master. The sky had just turned dark, and the evening finally cooled down. A breeze carrying lake water freshness blew over, very comfortable.
The wheelchair moved forward automatically. Jiang Chengâs hand rested absentmindedly on the back of it.
Exam results would be out at 7 oâclock. It was already past 7, and his heart was boiling with impatience.
âMove faster, legs!â
But the wheelchair couldnât go any faster.
The old master looked tired, eyes half closed. Jiang Cheng was thinking about secretly checking his phone when it suddenly buzzed.
It was Shang Ze Nian on WeChat.
Shang Ze Nian: Why didnât you come today?
Jiang Cheng quickly replied:
Chen Yin: Iâm not feeling well.
Shang Ze Nian: Sick?
Chen Yin: No⊠itâs just, you know, that time of the month. My stomach hurts.
Shang Ze Nian: I thought I scared you last time, so youâre avoiding me.
Jiang Cheng thought: Youâre right! I am avoiding you!
After thinking, he sent a tongue-out emoji and let him interpret it himself.
Shang Ze Nian didnât reply.
After finishing the walk with the old master and accompanying him for a while, the old master went to rest. It was already eight oâclock.
Jiang Cheng quickly returned to his room and opened the score website.
He logged in, entered his exam number, took a deep breath, and clicked âcheck.â
The site wasnât busy anymore, so the page loaded quickly. Even though he already had a rough idea, his heart still pounded hard.
When the number appearedâsix points higher than he expectedâJiang Cheng let out a long breath. His heart finally settled.
With this score, based on previous yearsâ admission lines, getting into Capital University was absolutely safe.
He couldnât help smiling and made a small âyes!â gesture.
Years of hard work finally paid off. Happy, very happy.
He really wanted to share this joy with someone, so he opened WeChatâand just then it vibrated again.
Shang Ze Nian: Still not feeling well?
Jiang Cheng didnât dare say he was fine, afraid Shang Ze Nian would force him to go to the engagement banquet, so he casually replied âmm,â then was about to switch accounts.
But WeChat buzzed again.
Shang Ze Nian: Wait.
QAQ
Jiang Cheng didnât dare switch accounts anymore.
He quickly asked: âWhat are you going to do?â
Shang Ze Nian: Bring you something to relieve your stomach pain.
Chen Yin: No need! Iâll sleep and be fine! Arenât you at your cousinâs engagement banquet? Donât worry about me, Iâm not that fragile!
Chen Yin: Iâm going to sleep! Donât come! Really!
Shang Ze Nian: Iâm almost there.
Shang Ze Nian: [Image]
It was a photo of the entrance of his residential area.
Jiang Cheng: ââŠâŠâ
His scalp went numb, like he might faint.
It was over. The fiancé was coming to his door.
Authorâs note:
Chapter 6
Jiang Cheng realized that pretending to be a turtle hiding in its shell was useless. In Shang Ze Nianâs eyes, as long as he hadnât clearly rejected the engagement, it meant he accepted it by default.
He didnât know what to do now, and he didnât dare casually say he didnât want the engagement. So he quickly told Chen Pingzhou what happened.
Chen Yin: Can I just directly refuse him?
Chen Pingzhou replied immediately: No.
Jiang Cheng quickly typed: But Iâm a man. If I reject him, I might get exposed. And Iâll be leaving soon anywayâhow do we explain it later?
Chen Pingzhou sent several voice messages. Jiang Cheng converted them to text.
âListen to me. You cannot refuse him. If you do, your identity will raise suspicion in Lin Min and Chen Pingyeâs eyes. In their view, marriage with the Shang family is extremely beneficial to us. There is no reason you would refuse.â
âIf you reject him when Shang Ze Nian already shows interest, they will think something is wrong. Theyâll suspect weâre hiding something and are afraid of being exposed, so we would rather give up the benefits of the marriage.â
âMy younger brother is very suspicious. Right now, he believes you look like my sister Chen Yin and has no choice but to accept it. If you refuse, he may secretly take your DNA sample for testing. Then everything will be exposed. Not only will you lose the money, you might even go to jail and leave a criminal record.â
Jiang Cheng: ââŠâŠâ
When he saw the words go to jail, he was completely stunned.
That serious?
QAQ he suddenly wanted to run away.
But he was already here. Backing out now seemed even worse.
Noâworse than that, he would also have to pay breach penalties. Chen Pingzhou had signed a contract with him to prevent him from backing out. If he quit midway, he would owe triple compensation.
Triple means 300,000. Even selling himself wouldnât cover that.
Chen Yin: Even if I pretend to be with him now, how do we end this later?
Chen Pingzhou: At that time, Iâll say Iâm sending you abroad for studies. Then you can say you donât want a long-distance relationship and, after two months together, youâve lost feelings. Thatâs how we break up. You donât need to worry about anything after that. Iâll handle it.
Chen Yin: But isnât that basically scamming his feelings?
Chen Yin: I donât want to deceive him.
Chen Pingzhou replied coldly:
âYouâre thinking too much. What feelings? Shang Ze Nian isnât really in love with you. This engagement benefits both families. It lets the Shang family grow further and saves them ten years of effort. Heâs just acting like he likes you for profit.â
âThink about it. Heâs seen countless girls chasing him over the years. Why would he suddenly fall for youâa plain, inexperienced, barely educated mute country bumpkin?â
âItâs all for profit.â
Jiang Cheng felt a bit shaken.
Yes⊠someone like him, from a small town, who couldnât even recognize the brand of Shang Ze Nianâs car, and who couldnât speak⊠why would Shang Ze Nian like him?
After hearing that, it suddenly made sense.
Chen Pingzhou sent another picture.
âLook, todayâs bride is Shang Ze Nianâs cousin. Her marriage is also an arranged one. The two of them barely interact and sit back to back. Thereâs no such thing as true love in wealthy families.â
Jiang Cheng opened the image.
It showed the bride and groom sitting togetherâbut turning away from each other, not speaking at all. They didnât look like a loving couple at all.
He was deeply shocked.
He couldnât understand. These rich people had so much money, yet they couldnât even choose their own marriage. What was the meaning of that?
No wonder there were so many scandals in wealthy circles. It turned out most marriages werenât even based on love.
Naive Jiang Cheng completely believed it.
At that moment, WeChat buzzed again.
Shang Ze Nian: Iâve arrived. If youâre in pain and canât move, Iâll ask a servant to bring it up.
ââŠâŠâ
So fast.
It felt like Shang Ze Nian was giving him a choice: if he went down personally, it meant he accepted the engagement; if he let a servant bring it up, maybe Shang Ze Nian would give up.
Of course, Jiang Cheng didnât knowâonce Shang Ze Nian set his eyes on someone, giving up was impossible.
What should he do⊠was he really going to date a man for two months?
