Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“When he fully recovers. It won’t be too late to tell you guys before I take him to our mentor’s grave.”
“Alright, I’ll go inside to look for him now.”
Xiao Chenyang gestured for her to leave and stood up straight before walking toward the swing slowly.
He placed both hands on the wooden swing and pushed it gently a few times. Nan Chuang used to love sitting on a similar swing in the yard of the Xiao family home.
Back in those blissful days, she would sit on the swing with a huge grin on her face and with her hands tightly wrapped around the metal chains while I pushed her from behind. Whenever the swing was propelled high up in the air, she would scream in shock and stare at me begrudgingly whenever the swing came down.
Her actions had never failed to put a smile on his face and lift his mood.
It felt as if everything had happened only yesterday.
Their happiness ended way too soon.
Xiao Chenyang hung his head low and appeared a lot more gaunt.
——
“Xiao Chenyang was really true to you.”
An Xiaoning’s words ran through Fang Erlan’s mind again and again.
She sat on the chair with her mobile phone, feeling empty and troubled.
Xiao Yue had to call her name a few times before she would respond.
“What’s the matter?”
“Sis Erlan, Yan Ge’s calling you,” said Xiao Yue, who was pointing at a faraway spot.
Fang Erlan looked over and stood up immediately. She then walked toward Yan Ge.
He asked, “What were you thinking about? You were so preoccupied.”
“Nothing much. What’s the matter?” Fang Erlan asked.
“I’ll take you somewhere after work today. There’s a nice spot near our filming location. You’ll love it,” Yan Ge said with a smile, seemingly in high spirits.
“Where’s that place?”
“You’ll know it once we’re there.”
Fang Erlan nodded and said, “Alright. From what you said, it must be a brilliant place.”
“Actually, you haven’t told me the result of your visit to A City today. Have you returned the wedding gown and the diamond ring to him?” Yan Ge asked, staring at her.
“I went to Wei Ni Estate but he wasn’t there. I have no idea where he had gone to. He’s already left.”
“Did you bring the things back home again? Why can’t you just get someone to hand them to him?” Yan Ge asked with a frown.
Fang Erlan said truthfully, “Sis Xiaoning said that the diamond ring and wedding gown were both tailored to my measurements and that he can’t give them to someone else even if I return them to him. She told me to just keep them. I couldn’t contact him anyway, so I had no choice but to keep them at home.”
Staring at her solemnly, Yan Ge said, “Isn’t it good to throw them away? No matter how expensive they may be, you shouldn’t be keeping them.”
“But they’re worth an exorbitant amount,” said Fang Erlan, who thought it’d be inappropriate to discard such expensive gifts.
Yan Ge insisted, “How exorbitant and valuable can they be? I’ll buy a new set for you. Where did he get the gown custom-made? I’ll buy you a bespoke one that you prefer. Where did he buy the diamond ring? I’ll get one custom-made from the same store. I don’t like the idea of you keeping the things he had given you.”
“The wedding gown was bought from an established store. The elderly tailor makes only two gowns a year, and each gown is handmade from scratch. I’m not clear about the exact price, but the gown is embellished with lots of diamonds. It looks really opulent.”
Yan Ge asked in astonishment, “Was it made in Y Nation?”
“How did you know?”
“I know of a renowned wedding gown designer from Y Nation. He’s in his late seventies and he makes only two gowns a year. One of my friends from the entertainment industry had gotten her wedding gown custom-made by that designer. She had to book an appointment with him a long time prior to her wedding. His services indeed come at an exorbitant price. That friend of mine paid 20 million dollars for her wedding gown. I remember seeing diamonds on the gown when I attended her wedding back then. Where did he get all that money from?” asked Yan Ge, who was now even more curious about Xiao Chenyang’s identity.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“Yes, I don’t know.”
Instead of probing further, Yan Ge said, “So what if the gown costs 20 million dollars? I’ll buy the exact same one for you. Do you know how much the diamond ring cost?”
“Thirty million…”
“I’ll buy another one for you.”
“It’s 30 million dollars in the Y Nation currency. That equates to more than 90 million dollars in our currency.”
“Almost a hundred million?” Yan Ge asked with shock written all over his face.
Fang Erlan answered, “Yes. That’s why it’d be inappropriate to just throw them away. But will you buy me a hundred-million-dollar ring?”
She did not expect such an expensive gift from him and was just casually asking.
However, he took her question seriously and said, “A thirty-million-dollar ring is more than good enough. There’s no need to spend so much money on a ring, is there?”
Before she could even respond, Mrs. Yan interjected, “You’re so greedy!”
Shocked out of her wits, Fang Erlan turned around and made eye contact with Mrs. Yan, who was equally astonished.
She did not expect Mrs. Yan to show up all of a sudden.
Thinking to herself that Mrs. Yan must have heard her question, Fang Erlan turned red with embarrassment and fear. I didn’t mean it that way at all, but it now looks like I’m asking Yan Ge for a diamond ring…
“Auntie…”
Not allowing her to explain herself, Mrs. Yan interrupted, “I really couldn’t tell that you’re such a greedy person. A hundred-million-dollar ring? Do you think my son’s money falls from trees? Why don’t you take a look in the mirror and ask yourself if you’re worth that much money?”
“Mother…”
“Auntie, you must be mistaken. I was just cracking a joke with Yan Ge, I wasn’t really going to ask him to buy me such an expensive ring,” said Fang Erlan, who decided to explain herself anyway, despite knowing that Mrs. Yan wouldn’t believe it at all.
“Enough, you don’t have to explain yourself any further. I thought you would be thrifty and sensible since you come from a poor family, yet you’re far from what I had expected. I knew it all along, compatible family backgrounds are mandatory when it comes to marriage.” Seething with anger, Mrs. Yan hollered at her son, “Why do you want a woman like her? She’ll be getting a lion’s share of your assets once you get married.”
“Mother, that’s not what Erlan meant. Why are you reading so much into things?” said Yan Ge, who tried to placate her.
“Auntie, I have a career of my own and I’m earning my own income too. What you just said is really awful,” said Fang Erlan, who felt insulted and humiliated by Mrs. Yan.
“You had the guts to harbor such thoughts and yet you won’t allow me to criticize you? You’re so young and you’re already so greedy and scheming,” Mrs. Yan said, pointing a finger at her.
Fang Erlan turned around and stormed off in a huff.
Mrs. Yan felt like Fang Erlan had ignored her. Thus, she said to Yan Ge, “Did you see that? You’re not married to her yet and she’s already giving me such an attitude. You can’t marry her.”
“That’s enough, Mother. Everything was going well until you kicked up such a big fuss,” said Yan Ge, who also thought that Fang Erlan was just joking about the diamond ring. He felt that his mother had read too much into things.
“Is it my fault, then?”
Yan Ge put an arm around her shoulder and walked toward the nanny van. “No… Erlan and I were talking about a hundred-million-dollar ring and she was just asking me jokingly if I would buy it for her. Didn’t I say that there’s no need for such an expensive ring and that a thirty-million-dollar one would do?”
