She was too tired to speak, but Si Yanjing cheerfully introduced his family to her. “This is my brother and sister-in-law, and this is my father and mother.”
Si Yancheng politely smiled and nodded at Su Zhiyi. “Nice to meet you. I’m Si Yancheng, Si Yanjing’s older brother. You can call me Big Brother, just like Xiaojing does.”
The gentle woman beside Si Yancheng said with a smile, “Hello, I’m Lu Yan. You probably don’t know me, but I know you. I’ve heard Xiaojing mention you a lot lately.”
The elegant and noble Mrs. Si adjusted the fur on her coat and said kindly to Su Zhiyi, “I’m Yanjing’s mother. Just call me Auntie Zhou.”
The stern head of the Si family softened his威严 a bit when he saw Su Zhiyi. “You’re Su Zhiyi, right? I’m Si Yanjing’s father.”
The Si family was very friendly. Before Su Zhiyi could introduce herself, the four of them had already introduced themselves one by one.
“Hello…”
Su Zhiyi could no longer pretend to be too tired to speak. She maintained her elegant and composed demeanor and greeted the Si family members she was meeting for the first time. “I’m Su Zhiyi. Nice to meet you.”
“I just went to pick up the ring I won. Sorry to keep you waiting.” Si Yanjing approached Su Zhiyi as if no one else were around.
Like a puppy seeking praise, he opened the black velvet box in his hand, revealing the ring that had just been on the auction stage.
The gem on the ring shone brightly, but not as brightly as Si Yanjing’s eyes.
“I bid on it for you. It suits you. Can I put it on you and see?”
Huh? It was for her?
Su Zhiyi could refuse men, but she couldn’t refuse a ring worth a hundred million, especially since the ring was radiating a dazzling light, each diamond tempting her.
She felt a chill—the surrounding temperature seemed to have dropped several degrees. Turning toward the source of the cold, she saw Su Qinghuai’s increasingly grim expression and shivered.
Accepting Si Yanjing’s ring in front of Su Qinghuai didn’t seem appropriate.
Si Yanjing looked at her expectantly, while the Si and Su families beside them all watched the two of them.
It seemed… refusing would have worse consequences, right?
Before she could make a decision, another familiar gentle voice rang out.
“Oh? Why is it so lively here?”
The newcomer’s appearance temporarily broke the awkward atmosphere.
Someone else had arrived?
Just as Su Zhiyi thought someone might rescue her, she saw the person’s face clearly.
Her pupils sharply contracted, her heart plummeted to the bottom, and it felt like her blood had frozen solid.
“What’s going on here?”
Song Lian walked up to them, his gaze first landing on Su Qinghuai, whose face was dark enough to drip water, then shifting to the ring in Si Yanjing’s hand, and finally casually resting on Su Zhiyi’s half-extended hand.
He raised an eyebrow, his expression showing no anger at catching his former fiancée seemingly being proposed to.
Instead, there was a relaxed, amused, almost gloating ease.
The situation grew even more chaotic.
If the chance encounter of the four of them at the restaurant had been like a battlefield, then this crowded gathering was an interstellar war.
The Su Family Head shuddered at Song Lian’s arrival.
Already elderly, he stumbled backward a step, nearly losing his breath.
Song Lian was Su Zhiyi’s former fiancé.
So now the situation was: in front of the former fiancé, the new fiancé was about to put an engagement ring on the former fiancée…
Overwhelmed by the flood of information, the Su Family Head felt dizzy, his vision going white. In just a few minutes, he seemed to have aged decades.
Mrs. Su beside him supported him, helping him catch his breath.
He let out a turbid sigh and said shakily, “This… isn’t anything important. Xiao Song, didn’t your parents win a piece of porcelain? Shouldn’t you go check on them?”
His intention was clearly to send Song Lian away.
“No need. My parents are still in the auction hall. I just came out for some air. I didn’t expect to run into all of you and witness such an interesting scene.”
Song Lian rejected the Su Family Head’s suggestion, squinting with keen interest. “How fascinating.”
“So… my former fiancée is about to have a new fiancé?”
Su Zhiyi’s back felt cold, as if she were immersed in icy water, her bones trembling with chill.
Si Yanjing’s sudden proposal was beyond her plan.
If she had known that Si Yanjing would come to her cheap former parents and ask to be engaged to her on this day, she would never have chosen him as her tool, even if it killed her.
Si Yanjing had usually been so unresponsive—why did he have to make such a big move when he finally reacted?
Su Qinghuai being here wasn’t a big deal, but the real problem was Song Lian showing up out of nowhere.
She had planned to superficially agree to Si Yanjing’s proposal first, placating him, and then slowly find a way to back out of the engagement…
But with Song Lian here, her resolve wavered.
The Su family and the Si family were all watching her and Si Yanjing intently.
Si Yanjing was extremely displeased with Song Lian’s appearance, but only for a moment. His puppy-like eyes immediately filled with anticipation, mixed with a hint of prideful confidence and disdain for other competitors.
Si Yanjing’s emotions were simple; she could read them.
But she couldn’t read Su Qinghuai or Song Lian.
Su Qinghuai, who usually stood like the noblest flower atop a snowy mountain in front of others, now had an expression so dark and menacing it was terrifying, like a furious wolf whose territory had been taken. When Su Zhiyi accidentally met his gaze, even though she had seen many big scenes, she couldn’t help but panic.
Especially Song Lian.
Song Lian looked carefree, as if enjoying a show, his signature smile still on his lips, giving a spring breeze-like comfort.
But if she covered the lower half of his face and looked only at his eyes, she would see not a trace of laughter in them—they were colder than ice.
Su Zhiyi’s hand was slightly raised, her snow-white fingertips trembling lightly with tension, but she never extended it another inch to let Si Yanjing put the ring on her.
“Baby, are you willing?”
Si Yanjing’s voice carried a hint of anticipation.
“My former fiancée, why haven’t you made your choice yet?”
Song Lian’s voice was so gentle it could drip with water.
“Are you refusing, or agreeing?”
Su Qinghuai’s cold voice coiled around her like a venomous snake.
What was her choice…?
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Author’s note: There will be another update after midnight.