Chapter 58

Ruan Ning hastily clamped a hand over her cousin's mouth, her heart crawling with unease. "Cousin, don't talk nonsense. I don't have a boyfriend."

Her cousin's words landed like a bombshell among the gossiping relatives. Ruan Dahong, who had been raising his glass, turned his head as well, and Qiu Yan's voice shot up an octave. "What? Ningning has a boyfriend? Since when? Why don't I know about this?"

Ruan Ning's lips twitched into a strained smile. "There's nothing like that. Don't listen to my cousin's nonsense."

"How am I talking nonsense? He came all that way to find you—is that not true?" Her cousin protested, pulling Ruan Ning's hands away from her mouth and announcing loudly over the noisy dinner table, "Last time Ningning stayed at my place, some rich second-generation guy chased after her all the way to the countryside early in the morning."

Qiu Yan's eyes lit up at the words "rich second generation." "What rich second generation? What does he look like? Did you see him?"

"Didn't see his face clearly, but his profile was pretty handsome. The moment Haozi and I got back, he drove off. But that car was clearly a luxury car—his family must be loaded." Her cousin described it vividly.

"You little brat, someone's chasing after you and you don't even tell your family? I've been worrying for nothing." Qiu Yan frowned and pinched her daughter's arm, but her voice carried a hint of barely concealed delight.

Her greatest worry had been that Ruan Ning would remain closed off and refuse to resume a normal life, especially since her daughter had been in school for nearly half a year without showing any signs of brightening up. That had only deepened her concern.

Now that her niece had delivered this earth-shattering news, Qiu Yan finally felt the weight that had pressed on her for half a year begin to lift.

"Is he really a rich second generation? And he chased her all the way to the countryside?"

"Of course it's true. That bearing of his—even in the city, only celebrities have that kind of presence, let alone in the countryside. Ningning's really something, landing such an impressive catch." Her cousin chuckled, her eyes full of admiration for her younger cousin.

"Stop it already. I'm going to check if the puppies have eaten." Ruan Ning's face burned hot. She made an excuse and slipped away from the table, head lowered.

The dining room fell silent for a few minutes before everyone busied themselves with other topics and let the gossip drop.

"What's so embarrassing about finding someone? Kids these days." Qiu Yan muttered, then smiled and continued chatting with her niece. "By the way, when are you going to find someone and get married? Your mother was just telling me about you—she's worried too."

Her cousin took a sip of soup and shook her head with a grin. "I'm not looking. What's so great about marriage? I just need my new idol, Zhang Hao. Could I ever find someone that handsome in real life?"

"You kids, honestly." Qiu Yan smiled and shook her head, sighing that she was falling further and further behind the younger generation.

After Ruan Ning stepped out, she walked alone into the garage and rolled up the metal door. The puppies were still fast asleep. They were curled up in a ball, their bodies soft and pliant, a few with little pink tongues sticking out. A sudden warmth and tenderness washed over Ruan Ning's heavy heart.

She crouched by the cardboard box and carefully touched one puppy's tiny tongue, gazing out at the pitch-black night scattered with starlight.

She wondered how the other birthday party in this city was going.

The Kamu family's dinner.

In the ancient marble ballroom, the lights blazed bright and the orchestra played melodiously. Though the guest list tonight wasn't large, the arrangements were simple and understated, yet the service was flawless—every detail impeccable, leaving guests with nothing to fault. It spoke to the deep heritage of old-money aristocracy.

Jiang Yihao had arrived early with his mother. After greeting Aunt Bai at the door, he walked over to one side of the ballroom, leaving the two old friends to chat and exchange pleasantries.

Jiang Yihao hadn't worn formal attire in a while and felt out of sorts. Loosening his bow tie as he walked, he drifted to the window with some irritation, staring blankly at the garden nightscape outside the castle.

Tonight was a birthday dinner for Bai Xingmiao's mother. Bai Xingmiao, as the host, seemed somewhat distracted—he'd only given Jiang Yihao a faint greeting at the door, clutching his phone and staring at something.

Using your phone at a formal dinner was a major social faux pas, and Bai Xingmiao usually wasn't dependent on his device—in fact, he was often unreachable. His behavior tonight was so unusual that it would normally have given Jiang Yihao, who was used to being on the receiving end of Bai Xingmiao's sharp tongue, the perfect chance to strike back. But he no longer cared, and didn't want to bother.

After Ruan Ning returned the bag he'd given her, Jiang Yihao had spent a long time not knowing what to do about the girl he loved to the bone.

Today was Ruan Ning's birthday. A month ago, Jiang Yihao had prepared a pile of birthday surprises, waiting to give them to her today.

But at the comic convention, Ruan Ning had personally admitted she was in contact with Bu Chen and had resolutely cut ties with him, shattering his heart. The birthday plan he'd meticulously prepared for over a month, costing millions, had instantly become a joke.

Jiang Yihao hated Ruan Ning for her ruthlessness and had resolved to break things off with her completely. But on reflection, he thought at least she'd been honest with him—she hadn't joined forces with Bu Chen to deceive him.

Bai Xingmiao had said, "She's unwilling to deceive herself, so why are you deceiving yourself?"

Jiang Yihao's mind had exploded, his body drained of strength. The clamor around him seemed irrelevant; the whole world had reduced to a single voice looping endlessly: "Why are you deceiving yourself?" "Why are you deceiving yourself?"...

Jiang Yihao glanced at his watch in irritation. It was barely past seven; the dinner still had another hour to go. Restlessness spread through his limbs like tremors from an earthquake.

The phone in his pocket buzzed, the vibrations only deepening his annoyance. He pulled it out impatiently—it was Manager Wang, the head planner for Ruan Ning's birthday celebration.

Jiang Yihao turned around, shielding the phone as he answered in a low voice. "Hello? What is it?"

Manager Wang trembled at the sound of Jiang Yihao's voice, desperate to get the words out in one breath. "Young Master Jiang, I finally got through to you—it's me, Xiao Wang. About the fireworks you booked at Woyi Bridge... do you still want to go ahead?"

Woyi Bridge was a landmark of Talun. On major holidays like National Day and New Year's Eve, the bridge hosted musical fireworks displays that drew countless citizens and tourists.

Though Talun City had other places to set off fireworks, none matched the splendor and spectacle of Woyi Bridge's display. The Woyi Bridge fireworks had become a national calling card, one of Talun's most famous annual events.

As such, the government had strict regulations on fireworks at Woyi Bridge—they were only permitted for major, professional events. Since the founding of the Republic, the bridge had never hosted a fireworks celebration for a private individual.

When Manager Wang had first taken Jiang Yihao's case, he'd been too excited to sleep—not just because of the generous fee.

More importantly, if he actually pulled it off, he'd become the first planner in the Republic's history to successfully host a private celebration at Woyi Bridge.

That honor alone would illuminate any professional planner's entire career.

So Manager Wang had thrown himself into the coordination, spending millions to grease the right connections. Just as everything was ready, Jiang Yihao suddenly called to say he wasn't doing it.

A thunderbolt had struck Manager Wang's mind.

He'd risked being investigated, racking his brain to devise a perfect plan that could both pass public scrutiny and meet the young master's demands. Everything was in place—and then the young master had a tantrum and called it off.

"Young Master Jiang, this, this... don't blame me for nagging, but if you don't go ahead now, you might not get another chance."

Jiang Yihao cursed into the phone. "Are you teaching me how to do my job?"

"No, no... that's not what I meant. Please calm down." Manager Wang apologized carefully, thinking to himself, what's gotten into the young master? A few days ago he was fine, eagerly asking about progress every day—why the sudden change of heart?

As the contractor, Manager Wang didn't dare press further, especially with someone as powerful as the young master of the Taper family. He was about to dejectedly contact the venue to cancel when Jiang Yihao suddenly called back. "Wait—don't cancel yet."

Manager Wang was baffled. Was it on or not? Jiang Yihao hadn't given him a straight answer. Now, with less than two hours until the scheduled start, Manager Wang couldn't make the call and had come to ask the young master directly.

"Young Master, about the fireworks..."

Jiang Yihao paused briefly, his mind wandering. "The drones at the Grand Palace—those can't be arranged, right?"

Manager Wang was taken aback. The drone display at Grand Palace Square was another project Jiang Yihao had wanted to do.

Drones were banned in Talun's urban area, especially within a five-kilometer radius of the Grand Palace, which was a permanent no-fly zone. Only on holidays did the government grant special permission for drone performances—another incredibly romantic national showcase. If he could land that one, he'd be able to brag about it for the rest of his life.

Jiang Yihao figured that since both required government approval, he might as well do them together.

Unfortunately, Manager Wang had learned that another event had already claimed the slot that day. He'd reported this to Jiang Yihao before, but for some reason the young master had brought it up again.

Manager Wang said with a placating smile, "As I mentioned before, the Grand Palace already has an approved event today. If there were no event, I could try, but since there is one, there's no way around it. I really can't swing it."

"..."

Manager Wang heard silence from Jiang Yihao's end. With only two hours left until the event was supposed to begin, his heart was in his throat.

"Young Master Jiang, just give us a straight answer." Manager Wang rubbed his forehead in distress.

Then the phone clicked—Jiang Yihao had hung up abruptly, because through the shifting crowd, he'd suddenly spotted Bu Chen.

Ever since the two of them had ended up in the police station together, Bu Chen had ceased to be his brother.

Jiang Yihao watched Bu Chen standing between his mother and Aunt Bai, a wine glass in hand, chatting and laughing. The veins on his forehead bulged as blood surged hot to his head.

Bu Chen carried an air of a dashing gentleman, and he knew how to talk—his witty remarks had the two elder ladies beaming.

With his hands in his pockets, Bu Chen stood before the two most powerful elders without the slightest hint of intimidation, composed and mature as if he were their peer. "Aunt Bai, you look younger every year. Last time I came for your birthday, you looked just like this, and this year you still look the same. You truly never age."

Bai Fuzhou, who loved lively conversation and jokes by nature, laughed heartily and patted Bu Chen's shoulder. "I've lived this long and never met anyone with a sweeter tongue than yours."

The Jiang and Bu families had always been close. Du Yue had long admired this capable young man, and Bai Fuzhou wasn't one to hold grudges—even if she had grievances with Bu Kai, she wouldn't take them out on the younger generation. Besides, Bu Chen got along well with Bai Xingmiao, and as an elder, she genuinely liked him.

The three were deep in cheerful conversation when Jiang Yihao suddenly walked over from behind, his voice cold. "What are you doing here?"

Bu Chen took a sip of wine and turned around.

"Xiaohao." Du Yue's red lips parted slightly, her stunningly beautiful eyes shooting a warning glance. "Don't be rude in front of Aunt Bai."

Jiang Yihao's mother, Du Yue, had a striking, opulent beauty—fair-skinned, with a slender waist. At 170 centimeters tall, adorned with the Taper family's heirloom set of sapphire diamond necklaces, brooches, and earrings, she radiated such brilliance that one might mistake her for the queen of a neighboring monarchy in attendance. By comparison, Bai Fuzhou, the hostess, was dressed far more plainly—just an old dress, with no large colored gems.

Du Yue and Jiang Yihao shared similar features; it wasn't hard to see that his handsome looks came from his mother's genes. Jiang Yihao's father was an ordinary-looking man who'd joked more than once that he was lucky the child took after his mother.

True to her noble appearance, Du Yue placed immense importance on family reputation and etiquette. Jiang Yihao provoking Bu Chen in front of their host had already crossed the bounds of what a noble young man should do.

"Where are your manners?" Du Yue asked.

"They grew up together—they're just joking around." Bai Fuzhou smiled, telling her friend not to make a fuss.

Tonight, Du Yue was decked out in jewels, and all the guests instinctively gave her a wide berth. Only Bai Fuzhou chatted with her easily and warmly.

Bai Fuzhou was a few centimeters taller than Du Yue and, in the male-dominated Congress, moved like an invincible queen. Though her features were simply handsome—thick eyebrows and large eyes—she wasn't a conventional beauty. But her hearty, open smile outshone any delicate, refined face.

Bai Fuzhou usually dressed in beige suits, but today, to reunite with her childhood friend, she'd put on a long gown she hadn't worn since her youth, and she felt a bit out of place.

"Let the three of them entertain themselves." Bai Fuzhou waved toward the back and called Bai Xingmiao over.

Bai Xingmiao was indeed leaning against the wall, phone in hand, lost in thought. In his fitted formal attire, with his long legs, he looked like a prince who'd just stepped out of a comic book.

Since the host had smoothed things over, Du Yue let it go. Her gaze shifted to a cluster of wealthy young ladies chatting excitedly nearby—all dressed in elegant gowns, young and beautiful. "Xiaohao, let me introduce you to some new friends."