When Madam Yu asked this, Yu Wanru instinctively covered her mouth. Before she could speak, her face had already turned red, and she stammered, “N-no, it’s the same…”

Madam Yu had only asked casually, but seeing her daughter’s reaction, she immediately became suspicious. She stepped forward, removed her hand, and tilted her chin to examine her lips. “It’s different. Even though it’s still red, I bought you a vermilion red, but what you have on now is pure red.”

Yu Wanru was caught, her face flushed as she lowered her head.

If she had lied and said it was from eating, Madam Yu might not have suspected it, but since Yu Wanru had never lied to anyone since she was young, she already felt guilty when she denied it earlier.

Madam Yu, seeing her daughter’s expression, guessed what had happened.

She felt a strange mix of emotions—on one hand, she was happy that her daughter and future son-in-law were getting along well. On the other hand, seeing her delicate daughter, still so innocent and young, about to become another man’s wife, she felt a little bitter.

She couldn’t help but feel that Xiao Anlan, who she usually thought highly of, now seemed less pleasant.

She sat next to Yu Wanru and softly asked, “Was it Xiao Anlan?”

Yu Wanru subtly nodded, her ears burning red.

“Tell me, did you do it willingly?”

Yu Wanru, too shy to speak, remained silent.

Madam Yu sighed and continued, “You two aren’t married yet. If you’re not comfortable with Xiao Anlan being close to you and feel awkward rejecting him, I can talk to him.”

Yu Wanru, in a small voice, replied, “It… it wasn’t that I didn’t want to.”

Madam Yu sighed again. It seemed her precious daughter had been influenced by Xiao Anlan.

But at least this gave her some peace of mind. If Wanru and Anlan could get along, that would be the best outcome.

A marriage built on affection could thrive if nurtured.

Seeing Yu Wanru still too shy to look up, Madam Yu decided not to press the topic further. “Go change into another pair of shoes for dinner. I’ll go check on the kitchen.”

“Okay, mom.”

After Madam Yu left, Yu Wanru slowly walked to the dressing table, picked up a mirror, and looked at herself.

She felt the color of her lips was almost the same as in the morning, only a little darker now. How did her mother notice?

… And how did she find out Xiao Anlan had kissed her?

As she thought about it, her face reddened again. She slapped her rosy cheek with the back of her hand and put the mirror down, too embarrassed to look any longer.

…..

Two days later, the Xiao family sent the engagement gifts and finalized the wedding date with the Yu family. It was set for the 18th of August.

The engagement ceremony was grand, and with the generous gifts, the Xiao and Yu families once again made headlines in Liucheng newspaper.

The whole city buzzed with talk about how much the Xiao family had given to the Yu family.

Meanwhile, since Zhou Cheng hadn’t returned yet, Xiao Anlan stayed at the Wanchang Hotel these past few days.

But every day, he had someone send gifts to Yu Wanru—sometimes new pastries, sometimes a rose, and sometimes a book he had recently acquired.

The gifts weren’t expensive, but the Yu family saw the sincerity in them.

..

The weather grew hotter, and one afternoon, Yu Wanru’s friend Su Xiaoman suddenly arrived at the Yu family home.

Su Xiaoman was two years older than Yu Wanru, 19 years old that year. The Su and Yu families had always been close, and since they lived near each other, Su Xiaoman and Yu Wanru had grown up together.

Until two years ago, when Su Xiaoman married and moved with her husband to the provincial capital for his job, their visits had become less frequent, though they still kept in touch by letters.

When Yu Wanru saw her, she was both surprised and delighted, forgetting her usual poise. She ran up to her, “Xiaoman, when did you come back? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Su Xiaoman smiled and took her hand. “I just got back this morning. I came to see you this afternoon.”

Yu Wanru took her back to her room, and after they sat down, Su Xiaoman asked, “I just got off the boat and heard the news that you and Xiao Anlan are getting married. Such a big thing, why didn’t you tell me?”

Yu Wanru acted like a little girl in front of her, smiling and playfully saying, “It’s something recent, I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet. Xiaoman, how long will you be staying this time?”

“This time, I’m staying for good,” Su Xiaoman replied.

“What about your husband? Did he come back with you?”

Su Xiaoman’s smile slowly faded. “He didn’t come back. We’ve separated.”

Yu Wanru was startled and immediately asked with concern, “What happened?”

Su Xiaoman spoke calmly. “He had an affair with a female reporter from his newspaper company. I found out.”

Yu Wanru didn’t know what to say to comfort her, but gently took her hand and held it, “Xiaoman…”

Su Xiaoman looked at her, smiling. “I’m not sad anymore. Why would you be sad?”

Yu Wanru didn’t say anything.

Since childhood, Su Xiaoman had always been the gentlest person Yu Wanru had known. She had never seen her get angry with anyone, nor had she ever argued with anyone. To those who didn’t know her, her soft and gentle demeanor might have made them think she was easy to bully.

But in reality, Su Xiaoman had strong opinions. Beneath her gentle exterior was a decisive and firm heart.

If an ordinary woman found out her husband had another woman, she might try to compromise and win back his heart. But Su Xiaoman was different. Her husband, who had shared their bed for two years, likely never imagined she would so decisively ask for a divorce.

Su Xiaoman continued, “Alright, let’s not waste energy on someone who’s already in the past. Let’s talk about your Young Master Xiao. When you get the chance, bring him out for me to see him. I need to check who is marrying my beloved friend.”

Hearing her mention this, Yu Wanru was no longer upset. She shyly replied, “He’s been a little busy lately, so he might not be able to meet up.”

Su Xiaoman smiled. “Then I’ll wait until he’s free to meet him. I have to see him, otherwise I won’t feel at ease.”

Yu Wanru nodded. “Okay, when he comes to see me, I’ll ask you to come along. By the way, Xiaoman, I recently got a lot of new books. Since you’re back, we can read them together.”

Su Xiaoman said, “I also brought a box of books from the provincial capital. The bookstores there are much bigger than the ones here in Liucheng, and they have everything. We can exchange books.”

Yu Wanru was delighted. “That’s wonderful. Xiaoman, I’m so happy you’re back. Now we can read books together again.”

Seeing her happy, Su Xiaoman wore a gentle smile.

For several days, Xiao Anlan hadn’t seen his fiancée and had felt unmotivated about everything. One day, he finally couldn’t resist, pushed his work onto his assistant, and brought over a set of new lipstick he had bought from a cosmetics shop.

Since their last meeting at the Xiao family home, this was the first time they were meeting again.

As soon as Yu Wanru saw the lipstick in his hand, she remembered the incident where her mother had discovered the difference in colors. She couldn’t help but murmur to Xiao Anlan, “The lipstick you put on me last time is a different color from the one my mother bought for me.”

Xiao Anlan was puzzled. “Aren’t they both red?”

“One is vermilion red, and the other is pure red.”

Xiao Anlan raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t noticed any difference and asked her, “How did you know?”

Yu Wanru’s face flushed, and she muttered, “It was my mother who noticed.”

Xiao Anlan was about to ask if Madam Yu had questioned her, but upon seeing Yu Wanru’s flushed face, he understood the answer. He rubbed his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed, as if he were a little boy caught doing something mischievous.

However, he quickly pushed the embarrassment aside and pointed to the row of lipsticks he had brought, saying, “I had the store staff pack all the colors from this brand. From now on, you can carry a lipstick with you when you go out, so your mother won’t notice.”

Yu Wanru understood that he meant he would still kiss her in the future, or why would she need to carry lipstick?

She blushed and said, “I won’t go out anymore.”

Xiao Anlan tested, “Then should I kiss you at home?”

Yu Wanru’s face turned completely red. “Can.. can we not kiss?”

Xiao Anlan quickly shook his head. How could he give up such an opportunity?

Yu Wanru quietly asked, “Why do we have to… I find it strange.”

Xiao Anlan tried to coax her, “That’s because you don’t know how to do it yet. Try it a few more times, and you’ll see how fun it is. Let me teach you, okay?”

Yu Wanru gave him a wary look. “Are you trying to trick me into kissing you again?”

Last time he said it would just be a simple kiss, but he didn’t keep his word, and used his tongue. That warm, slippery feeling was so strange, as if it was still on her lips…

Realizing she was recalling those embarrassing moments, Yu Wanru’s face burned, and she quickly shook her head to try and forget the memory.

“Uh…” Xiao Anlan thought to himself. She hadn’t fallen for it this time—seems he still had to work on his charm. He couldn’t let his future wife escape his grasp, nor lose out on these little benefits.