Chapter 16: A Sense of Rival Meeting

Jian Yao shook her head, her tone firm, “No.”

Lin, the assistant, was Lu Chengze’s confidant. His every word and action almost represented Lu Chengze’s thoughts.

If it were because of something else, and she and Lu Chengze had a falling out, she might have taken the opportunity to back down if Lin gave her a way out.

But this time was different.

Lu Chengze had even skipped their engagement party for Liu Yiyi, which had crossed her line.

Every time Liu Yiyi had a headache or a stomachache, Lu Chengze would leave her immediately to go to Liu Yiyi.

Because she was gentle, generous, and didn’t mind, she deserved to be the one abandoned.

But she was also a person, she had a heart, and she got tired too.

From now on, whether Lu Chengze wanted to repay her kindness or marry her, it had nothing to do with her.

Xu Si observed her expression, seeing that she had truly come to terms with it, he secretly let out a sigh of relief and took out his phone, “Then I’ll post the photos from today on Weibo.”

Jian Yao closed her eyes to make it easier for the makeup artist to touch up her makeup, and softly hummed in agreement.

Her engagement was legitimate, there was no need to hide it.

The door was knocked on, Xu Si opened it, and saw Gu Zhiyan standing at the door.

Seeing that it was her who opened the door, the warmth in the man’s eyes instantly faded, revealing a hint of detachment, gradually merging with the Gu Zhiyan she had heard about.

Indifferent and cold.

Xu Si raised an eyebrow, sizing him up, thinking to herself: Changing faces so quickly, he’s really two-faced without any pretense.

Gu Zhiyan let Xu Si examine him, stepped back half a step to keep a distance from Xu Si, and nodded politely, “Hello, I’m here to pick up Yaoyao.”

Xu Si saw his actions and was satisfied.

Other than that, the most important thing was that he had a sense of proportion, which alone could put him ahead of Lu by a few streets.

She stepped aside to let him in.

Jian Yao had just finished getting ready and came over, “I’m all set.”

She looked up at Gu Zhiyan, as she moved, the tassel on the jade hairpin swayed gently, the lustrous green color made her black hair appear like ink, and her fair cheeks had a hint of confusion.

“Why did you come over?”

Gu Zhiyan readily raised his arm, letting her hold his hand, his voice gentle, “You don’t understand.”

“Now that you’re not here to support me, it’s hard for me to stand my ground in front of the Gu family.”

Jian Yao was confused.

Gu Zhiyan rarely kept her in the dark, he winked at Jian Yao, “You’ll know in a moment.”

When he said this, he leaned closer to Jian Yao, his eyes revealing a hint of grievance and teasing.

Jian Yao looked at his eyes that were inches away, clearly reflecting her small figure, pure and flawless.

She was momentarily dazed, then came back to her senses, her body slightly leaned back an inch, her stagnant breath slowly returned.

She heard herself reply, “Okay.”

Then, she tightened her grip slightly on Gu Zhiyan’s hand.

He was indeed the one who had always topped the school forum and confession wall, a single glance was enough to make people fall into a daze.

As they spoke, they had already reached the front hall.

Their seats were at the main table, as soon as Jian Yao arrived, almost everyone’s eyes were drawn to her.

Being watched by so many people, she unconsciously leaned closer to Gu Zhiyan.

Gu Zhiyan squeezed her hand reassuringly, preparing to introduce her to the elders at the main table.

Old Mrs. Gu warmly got up and pulled Jian Yao to sit down, not even giving Gu Zhiyan a glance, “We’re all family, no need for formalities.”

The old lady patted Jian Yao’s hand, “You’ve been busy all day, are you tired?”

“What do you like to eat? Grandma will get it for you.”

As she looked up, she saw Gu Zhiyan picking up a shrimp, his eyes narrowed. “Yaoyao hasn’t eaten yet, how dare you use your chopsticks first?”

Gu Zhiyan’s smile remained unchanged as he placed the shrimp in Jian Yao’s plate. “I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. This is for Yaoyao.”

As he spoke, he stole a glance at Jian Yao.

As if to say: See, I wasn’t wrong?

The old lady gave him a “That’s more like it” look and also picked up a piece of shrimp for Jian Yao, placing it in her bowl. “Hungry? Eat slowly, no need to rush.”

Jian Yao blushed, her peach blossom eyes sparkling as she smiled, her voice sweet and soft. “Thank you, grandma.”

The word “grandma” made Gu’s grandmother overjoyed. Before she could say anything more to Jian Yao, Gu’s mother picked up a piece of foie gras and placed it in front of her.

“Yaoyao, it’s mom.”

“Thank you, mom.”

Then came Gu’s father, uncle, aunt, and cousin, one after another.

Within three minutes, Jian Yao’s plate was piled high with food.

When it came time to toast after dinner, Jian Yao was already surrounded by various gift boxes.

With Gu Zhiyan and his family present, those who had planned to watch Jian Yao and the Jian family’s jokes all shut their mouths.

Besides the Gu family’s extraordinary warmth, which made Jian Yao a little overwhelmed, the toasting process went surprisingly smoothly.

The last table was a group of handsome young men. As soon as they saw Gu Zhiyan and Jian Yao approach, they all stood up and grinned, “Hello, Brother Gu, Hello, Sister-in-law!”

Gu Zhiyan glanced at them coldly, then lowered his eyes to look at Jian Yao. “They are my former teammates and brothers from when I played esports.”

Seeing Gu Zhiyan introduce them, the group of young men straightened their backs, like a row of white poplars in the wind.

Jian Yao nodded, her gaze sweeping across their faces, almost all familiar.

It wasn’t because she followed the esports scene, but because geniuses have genius friends.

Some of them were still active in the scene, while others, though retired, were big streamers on live-streaming platforms.

In this age of information overload, it was hard for her not to recognize them.

The one who caught her attention the most was probably Pei Yi.

The most widely circulated rumor was about him and Gu Zhiyan’s CP.

They grew up together, went to school together, and started businesses together after graduation.

Pei Yi’s presence in Gu Zhiyan’s life was over 90%.

Most importantly, he came from a good family, had high looks, and was on par with Gu Zhiyan, a perfect match!

When they greeted her earlier, everyone stood up, except for him. He sat lazily in his seat, leisurely sipping the red wine in his glass, his long, narrow phoenix eyes raised to look at her, captivating and alluring.

Jian Yao’s eyes widened, her dark pupils sparkling like stars.

Sss…

This look, this posture, it felt like a rival meeting!

Seeing Jian Yao staring at Pei Yi, Gu Zhiyan’s thin lips pursed slightly, and he stepped forward half a step, blocking Jian Yao’s view.

Out of her sight, he shot a cold glare at Pei Yi, who was preening like a peacock.

Receiving Gu Zhiyan’s warning, Pei Yi chuckled and finished his wine in one gulp, then straightened his clothes and stood up. “Hello, sister-in-law, I’m Pei Yi.”

When he stood up straight and became serious, he looked quite like a proper gentleman.

The change was too fast, leaving Jian Yao a little dazed. She hesitated for two seconds before replying softly, “Hello, I’m Jian Yao.”

The young lads beside them watched the interaction between the three, winking and nudging each other.

One of them, a bold red-haired kid, loudly teased, “Sister-in-law is so beautiful!”

As soon as he spoke, the others immediately echoed, “Sister-in-law is so beautiful!”

Gu Zhiyan gave him a cold look, but the red-haired kid wasn’t afraid. He chuckled and said, “Brother Gu, it’s a big day today, you can’t punish me!”

As he spoke, he turned to Jian Yao for help. “Sister-in-law, don’t you think so?”