Chapter 49

He Cheng’an had thoroughly searched for his biological parents and relatives when he was dating Lu Yun, warning them that anyone who dared to seek out Lu Yun would face his wrath.

On the other hand, Li Jiao had been terrified after her previous visit to the Lu family; when He Cheng’an returned home, she had been trembling and promised not to seek Lu Yun again.

Seeing Li Jiao frowning, her boyfriend jokingly asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

Li Jiao didn’t even want to bother with him. She turned and walked away, making sure to tell him, “Don’t follow me.”

Li Jiao knew that He Cheng’an was doing business in the provincial capital, but she hadn’t expected him to be able to buy a house there. The businesses that made money were different from the ones that failed to profit just by following trends.

—o—o—o—

Zhang Hao rode his bicycle to the outside of He Cheng’an’s courtyard. “Brother He, Brother He. The shrimp you mentioned, I’ve made arrangements. On your wedding day, I’ll have someone deliver them directly to the hotel so the hotel chef can prepare them.”

Just then, He Cheng’an was about to head out. Zhang Hao stopped to wipe the sweat from his brow; he had run quite a distance and was feeling a bit hot, rolling up his shirt sleeves.

He Cheng’an had been preparing for his wedding with Lu Yun for a long time, paying attention to every detail. The Lu family wanted it to be similar to Li Ling’s, held at home with a few extra tables. However, He Cheng’an was unwilling to compromise on Lu Yun’s comfort, insisting that even if it was more expensive, the banquet should be held at a hotel.

He Cheng’an nodded, “Just cook the shrimp in a simple broth; it should be fresh and delicious. Don’t let them cut corners.”

Zhang Hao replied, “Don’t worry; I negotiated the best price for those shrimp.” After finishing his sentence, he asked, “Are you heading out? Going to your sister-in-law’s place, right?”

When they returned, the Cotton Textile Factory had already closed, so He Cheng’an didn’t go there. Instead, he returned to look through the old account books, while Zhang Hao ran another errand related to the shrimp.

He Cheng’an explained, “She resigned today and wants to treat everyone in the office to dinner. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to go, so I’ll wait for her outside the State-Owned Restaurant, and then we can head back together.”

Zhang Hao smiled and said, “Then I’ll head back too. My dad made dinner for me.”

As Zhang Hao rode his bicycle home, he spotted Li Jiao walking in this direction. Immediately, he put on a serious face. After stopping, he glanced back at He Cheng’an, who signaled for him to go ahead. Zhang Hao always listened to He Cheng’an; even though he hesitated briefly, he continued riding back home.

However, Zhang Hao had a strong dislike for Li Jiao. If they were full-blooded siblings, it might be understandable, but they were half-siblings, and since He Cheng’an had no dealings with her, what business did she have trying to approach him?

Li Jiao said, “You don’t need to worry; I didn’t go looking for Lu Yun. My boyfriend works at the Cotton Textile Factory. When I went to find him today, I happened to run into Lu Yun with Chen Zhiqiang.”

She smiled at He Cheng’an, “If it weren’t for the fact that I have to call you ‘brother,’ I definitely wouldn’t have come to find you. Lu Yun said she’s no longer pursuing Chen Zhiqiang; it’s just that her family won’t let her accept it. As for you, you can protect her. Honestly, she’s quite smart.”

He Cheng’an didn’t reveal any emotions, but his gaze was heavy. He looked up at Li Jiao and said, “Do you believe I can get you fired from the factory? If I remember correctly, your first boyfriend is already engaged, and you still have some unfinished business with him, don’t you?”

Li Jiao’s expression changed, but she quickly replied, “He Cheng’an, I’m just telling you that maybe Lu Yun isn’t really with you because she likes you. If a man treated me the way you treat Lu Yun, I’d marry him too. But since you’re willing, I won’t say much more. Your matters with Lu Yun are yours; don’t meddle in mine.”

After saying that, she walked past He Cheng’an. Even if Lu Yun hadn’t meant it that way, she was only expressing her own thoughts to He Cheng’an.

—o—o—o—

The atmosphere in Lu Yun’s office had always been very harmonious. After dining at the State-Owned Restaurant, everyone was filled with laughter. When Lu Yun went to settle the bill, she was informed that it had already been taken care of.

Instinctively, she turned to look back, and Sister Sun came over to give Lu Yun a hug.

Sister Sun said, “You’re resigning; how can we let you treat us to a meal? We each contributed a little, and it wasn’t expensive. The next time we go to the provincial capital, we’ll definitely take you shopping. When you have free time, don’t forget to come by our office.”

As they were leaving, Xiao Sun walked beside Lu Yun and quietly told her, “Lu Yun, thank you! It seems I’ve met a suitable match through this blind date. If it works out, I’ll send you an invitation even if you’re in the provincial capital.”

Lu Yun smiled genuinely and replied, “That’s great!”

Although Lu Yun felt good about resigning and going to the provincial capital, she was a bit down at that moment. Her mood only lifted again when she spotted He Cheng’an waiting for her.

Before she could reach him, He Cheng’an was already pushing his bicycle toward her.

He Cheng’an took Lu Yun home, and as she sat behind him, she hugged him tightly. “They didn’t let me treat them; everyone just chipped in a little for the meal. I was thinking that the next time I have some free time, I’ll take them out for spicy skewers.”

“By the way, you remember Xiao Sun, right? She just told me that she seems to have found a suitable partner. She said that if she gets married, she’ll send me an invitation even if I’m in the provincial capital. You’ll come back with me to attend, right?”

He Cheng’an smiled and said, “Sure.”

Lu Yun asked, “What are you laughing at?”

He Cheng’an replied, “I’m just happy that we can always be together.”

Lu Yun said, “Of course! We’re meant to be together forever.”

—o—o—o—

On her first day after resigning, Lu Yun slept in until noon, finally feeling like she could wake up naturally whenever she wanted.

However, after a few days, she started to miss her previous working days. But soon enough, those feelings faded as Lu Yun focused on studying and preparing for her wedding, and her emotions began to settle down.

On May 1st, Labor Day, many people traditionally chose this date for their weddings. To ensure that the guests could make arrangements in advance, Lu Yun and He Cheng’an needed to start preparing the invitations early and send them out.

He Cheng’an bought red invitations with gold lettering, which looked quite elegant and were to Lu Yun’s liking.

Sitting at Lu Yun’s desk, He Cheng’an picked up a pen. Accustomed to writing in cursive, he focused intently on each stroke as he wrote the invitations. Lu Yun didn’t dare to disturb him, instead resting her chin in her hands as she quietly smiled at him.

He Cheng’an spent the entire afternoon writing the invitations. It was better to send them out the next day, as the sky was starting to darken. However, Lu Yun felt comfortable with Li Ling’s family and decided that they could still go over to visit Li Ling, where they could look at some items in the shop and enjoy spicy skewers together.

Lu Yun called out, “He Cheng’an, how about we go deliver the wedding invitations to Li Ling? After we finish, we can go to the shop together.”

He Cheng’an looked at Lu Yun’s expression and cautiously asked, “We can go see Li Ling, but can we send her the invitation tomorrow?”

Lu Yun’s gaze fell on the neatly written wedding invitation and paused for a moment. Then she stepped forward and hugged He Cheng’an, her voice soft and gentle as she said, “Then let’s just send it tomorrow.”

—o—o—o—

The spicy skewer shop was unusually busy that day. When Lu Yun and He Cheng’an arrived with Li Ling and her husband, there were no empty tables available.

It just so happened that the shop was bustling, and Han Jiangang, being practical, jumped in to help out.

After a long wait, a table finally opened up. He Cheng’an took a cloth to wipe the table clean, then fetched Lu Yun’s favorite dishes and prepared the dipping sauce for her to eat first.

He Cheng’an said, “Just wait a little longer; it’s a bit busy at this time. I’ll be over soon. You can’t drink cold soda today; remember how it upset your stomach last time?”

Lu Yun wanted to point out that last time was different, but she couldn’t find a way to explain it to He Cheng’an. She simply nodded in agreement. Once He Cheng’an was busy again, Li Ling offered her soda to Lu Yun, who took a big gulp.

Li Ling remarked, “Eating this kind of food just has to go with cold soda. Ah Yun, why aren’t you drinking?”

Lu Yun glanced at He Cheng’an as he approached, silently pushing her soda aside.

After a while, as the number of diners in the restaurant decreased, He Cheng’an and Han Jiangang finally sat down to eat.

He Cheng’an noticed that Lu Yun hadn’t finished her food, so he took some hot dishes from his plate and served them to her. He also took a few spicy skewers from her plate to eat.

Li Ling watched them with envy and shot Han Jiangang a glance. Han Jiangang scratched his nose and looked down at Li Ling’s empty plate, feeling a bit awkward himself.

Li Ling asked, “Is there anything you need help with for your wedding?”

Upon hearing this, He Cheng’an paused his meal and replied seriously, “No need for help, but make sure you’re home tomorrow morning. Ah Yun and I will come by to deliver the invitations.”

Li Ling responded, “I’ll be home, waiting for you.”

—o—o—o—

On their way back, Lu Yun was still thinking about the cold soda she had drunk. Although she knew He Cheng’an wouldn’t be angry, she gently tugged at his sleeve as they reached the entrance of the alley.

Lu Yun said, “He Cheng’an, let me tell you a secret.”

He Cheng’an stopped and looked at her.

Lu Yun took a few steps forward, standing on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. However, He Cheng’an wrapped his arms around her, and she found herself completely enveloped in his strong embrace.

Lu Yun whispered, “He Cheng’an, I like you, which is why I’m marrying you.”

She attempted to push He Cheng’an away so she could run back, but he was unwilling to let go.

He looked down at her, his eyes filled with affection, and held her tightly.

He Cheng’an replied, “Yes, Ah Yun likes me, which is why she’s marrying me.”

Lu Yun smiled and said, “Yes, I like you.”