Volume One, Chapter 10: Do You Really Think You Can Get Engaged?

Some things he did not fear, and they even had no impact on him, but for her, they were a catastrophe.

If her ambiguous relationship with Li Shiyan were exposed, the Lin family would certainly break ties with the Ning family. She did not care about the Ning family, but at the very least, until she found Yan Yan, the Ning family could not afford any mishaps. Otherwise, if the Ning family suffered a crisis because of her, her father would undoubtedly take it out on Yan Yan.

Ning Yu did not want to argue with him; besides, eight years had already passed, so what was there to argue about?

She looked at him, expressionless: "Dr. Li, the engagement party is in two days, and I will be your nephew's fiancée."

"So?" Li Shiyan raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at his lips. "You don't actually think you and he will be able to get engaged so smoothly, do you?"

Ning Yu wanted to ask what he meant by that, but just then the traffic light turned green. The man turned his head and stepped on the gas, leaving her no chance to ask.

As soon as they arrived at the villa entrance:

"Thank you, Dr. Li. I'll treat you to a meal another time." As Ning Yu stepped out of the car, she saw a snow-white figure rushing toward them.

Looking at Ning Yunyun, who was wearing exquisite full makeup and a specially chosen white dress, Ning Yu truly understood that some people were simply like ghosts that refused to be exorcised—like Li Shiyan, and like Ning Yunyun.

Ning Yunyun didn't look at Ning Yu at all. She walked straight to the car window and reached out toward Li Shiyan: "Hello, Uncle!"

The voice she made was so affected that it gave Ning Yu goosebumps. She looked at Ning Yunyun as if she had seen a ghost.

Ning Yunyun had eyes only for Li Shiyan; she couldn't care less about Ning Yu standing to the side. In her eyes, Li Shiyan was handsome, wealthy, powerful, and held absolute decision-making power within the Lin family—wasn't he much better than Lin Haoyu?

Li Shiyan swept a playful glance at her. "If your throat is uncomfortable, go to the hospital early. People might mistake the Ning family for a family that got rich raising ducks."

"Pfft." Ning Yu couldn't help but chuckle; she really couldn't hold it in.

Ning Yunyun was so angry she glared fiercely at Ning Yu, then turned back to Li Shiyan, putting on her practiced look of delicate, obedient charm: "I'm so sorry, Uncle~ That was an accident at the hospital earlier. I had a small disagreement with Haoyu, so I didn't notice you. I was crying so hard my makeup was ruined, and I must have looked terrible, so I didn't dare to greet you."

"You did look terrible, otherwise a younger sister wouldn't be getting married before the older one," Li Shiyan sneered.

The smile on Ning Yunyun's face froze: "U-Uncle, those words really make me feel ashamed to death."

"Is it that painful?" Li Shiyan tapped his fingertips on the steering wheel, smiling coldly. "Do you need me to help give you a send-off?"

The ruthlessness and coldness in his eyes didn't look fake. That one sentence made Ning Yunyun's face turn deathly pale, and she waved her hands frantically: "No, no, no..."

Li Shiyan glanced at her dismissively: "Don't wear white next time."

Ning Yunyun was just about to follow up by asking what colors he liked so she could wear those instead. But the man, with his cold eyes and sharp tongue, added: "It looks like you're mourning for Lin Haoyu."

By the time Ning Yunyun realized what he meant, the black G-Wagon had already sped away.

Ning Yu was so amused by this short scene that, while eating dinner and working that night, she couldn't help but smile whenever she thought of Li Shiyan's mouth. She wondered if he had truly been blessed with a sharp tongue.

And as it turned out, Ning Yu and Lin Haoyu's engagement party two days later really didn't go off smoothly.

An elder of the Lin family's second branch passed away suddenly, and the next day's engagement party was transformed on the spot into a funeral. The deceased was the wife of the second branch, Lin Haoyu's second aunt.

The old Lin family residence was shrouded in sorrow. Guests who came to pay their respects entered the venue; the women mostly stood around the altar, covering their faces and weeping, while most of the men wore solemn expressions, with close relatives showing genuine grief.

Only Ning Yu, dressed in a form-fitting black qipao, stood to the side with a half-opened white rose pinned to her chest, her face devoid of either sorrow or joy. She didn't like to cry; her tears had run dry eight years ago. Besides, at an occasion like this, gathering the upper echelons of the capital, everyone was putting on a show, hiding their true intentions behind masks of pretense. There was no shortage of people looking to make a scene, and it wasn't her place—a woman not yet officially engaged—to be the one wailing.

People came and went, and the order of paying respects was dictated by rank. The Ning family, being nouveau riche, naturally came last. Father and Mother Lin wore obsequious smiles, forced to wait.

Ning Yu had been standing in her eight-centimeter heels for over four hours, and her feet were already sore and aching. Seeing that most guests had left, it was finally the Ning family's turn, and Ning Yu followed them up to pay her respects.

Off to the side, Old Master Lin stood at the head of the crowd, leaning on his dragon-headed cane, and scanned the area: "Where is the fifth one?"

The eldest of the Lin family replied in a flat tone: "He said he had a surgery and we'd have to see."

The third uncle of the Lin family also let out a cold laugh: "You know how it is, Father. It's not like we can easily summon our fifth brother."

The second uncle of the Lin family, having just sent off his wife, showed no signs of grief and said nothing. Old Master Lin, who valued decorum and rules above all else, was so enraged that he slammed his dragon-headed cane twice: "He can't even distinguish between outsiders and his own family, the unfilial son!"

Just as the words left his mouth, a mocking voice drifted in from outside:

"Calm down, old man. Be careful, or you'll have a stroke and we'll have a double funeral."

No one dared to say such things except Li Shiyan, and naturally, no one dared to respond.

The man strode in with an air of dominance, his crisp black suit making him look even more tall and imposing. He ignored everyone's gaze and turned a deaf ear to Old Master Lin's fury.

Li Shiyan walked up to the altar, took three sticks of incense from a servant, inserted them casually, and gave a slight, perfunctory bow.

Just then, the Ning family came forward. How could Ning Yunyun let such a perfect opportunity slip by? She clutched the incense, crying so sorrowfully that tears streamed silently down her face like broken beads, refusing to stop. She was crying even harder than the women of the Lin family. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was the one who was supposed to be getting engaged.

Ning Yu glanced at her, feeling a hint of amusement. She said nothing and quietly stood in line behind her, holding her own incense.

Mother Ning, standing beside her, nudged her with her elbow: "Look at Yunyun. You should at least learn a thing or two from her about how to conduct yourself. On an occasion like this, you should at least cry symbolically. You really are a heartless, cold-blooded animal."

Ning Yu was about to respond, but her attention was drawn to what was happening in front.

Ning Yunyun was still crying.

Li Shiyan, having finished offering the incense, straightened his back. As if drawn by Ning Yunyun's sorrowful weeping, he said in a playful tone:

"Stop crying."

Every eye in the room—both the Lin and Ning families—fell upon them. The Lin family looked on without much reaction, but their gazes were like skinning knives; give them the slightest gap, and they would carve out one's very bones.

Mother Ning practically had the word "surprise" written in her eyes. She calculated that if Yunyun could win the favor of this Fifth Master Li, it would be infinitely better than Ning Yu! A Lin Haoyu and a Fifth Master Li were simply not in the same league; even mentioning them in the same breath was an insult to the Fifth Master.

Ning Yunyun stopped crying immediately, feeling a surge of joy. She looked up at Li Shiyan: "U-Uncle..."

Li Shiyan clicked his tongue against his teeth, his voice mocking: "You’re crying as if both of the Ning family elders were dead."