The living room was lively. The TV was on and singers were singing cheerful and festive songs.

Elder Lu sat in his wheelchair with a relaxed smile on his face, watching TV intently.

Rong Xuan walked to the door of the kitchen. The auntie was putting dumplings into the pot one by one, splashing some boiling water.

Everyone was doing their own thing without disturbing each other but the atmosphere was still warm.

At this time, Rong Xuan’s phone vibrated. She had a feeling in her heart and took out her phone to take a look.

Sure enough, it was a text message from Gu Ye.

【Happy New Year, Little Bride.】 Along with the text message was a photo. The background should be Gu Ye’s home with the smooth marble floor. Half of his hand was revealed holding a red envelope.

【Where are you? I’m coming to give you your New Year’s money.】

New Year’s money means blessing and peace among the people. In the past, the elders gave it to the younger ones, hoping that they would be safe and sound in the new year. However, in recent years, there have been many cases of peers giving New Year’s money to each other. Whether it’s money or not was secondary, the most important thing was that it represents a blessing.

Rong Xuan pursed her lips while looking at these words.

Gu Ye must have also heard of the things circulating recently, right? Even others have heard of it, so it’s impossible that he, the party involved, did not know. After all, Ji Ning and her daughter intentionally revealed this matter to let him know.

Rong Xuan felt that it was better to clarify some things in person.

She replied to Gu Ye’s message and told him that she’s at her grandfather’s house. Then she went back to her room to prepare a red envelope for Gu Ye as well. The money wasn’t much as it’s just reciprocal gift.

When Rong Xuan walked out of the room, her grandfather saw the red envelope in her hand and asked curiously, “Who’s that for?”

Rong Xuan smiled. “I’ll, give it, to Gu Ye, when he, comes over later.” Rong Xuan spoke slowly and her sentence was broken into several fragments, but her speech was clear and easily understood.

When Elder Lu heard Rong Xuan spoke again, tears appeared in his eyes. He almost thought he was hallucinating.

He said with trembling voice, “Child, you can…… speak?”

Rong Xuan walked to her grandfather, squatted down, and looked up into her grandfather’s gentle eyes. “Yes, Grandpa.”

Elder Lu’s hands trembled slightly from emotion. “When did it happen?”

“Just, these couple, of days.”

“Good, good, good.” Elder Lu repeated the word ‘good’ a few times and his words were a bit incoherent. “It’s a good thing, a good thing. You can finally speak again.”

Rong Xuan hummed.

Not long after, the auntie also found out about it.

She let out an exclamation. “This is really great. It looks like next year will be a prosperous year. Old Master, you can now feel at ease!”

Elder Lu had a wide grin. It was a great joy for Rong Xuan to be able to speak. The auntie specially opened a bottle of red wine to celebrate. Elder Lu said, “It just so happens that Xiao Gu will be here later. Let’s have some wine together.”

Gu Ye’s speed was very fast. Only three songs had passed on the TV.

As soon as Gu Ye arrived, Elder Lu’s house became noticeably livelier. Gu Ye saw the red wine on the table and smiled. “Grandpa^[1]maternal grandfather wants to drink?”

Because Elder Lu was Rong Xuan’s grandfather, Gu Ye shamelessly followed suit and addressed him as so.

Elder Lu nodded. “Yes. Xuanxuan, this child, can now talk again! Let’s drink some wine to celebrate!”

Gu Ye was surprised upon hearing Elder Lu’s words, and then he was delighted, “She can speak now?”

“Yes. Xuanxuan, why don’t you say a few words to Xiao Gu?”

Elder Lu now wants everyone to know that his family’s Rong Xuan could now talk again. At this moment, he was like an old child flaunting and showing off his treasure.

Rong Xuan actually didn’t know what to say to Gu Ye. It took her two seconds to say, “Happy New Year.”

She said these words smoothly. Her voice was slightly low and it sounded like it was ringing in his ears. However, even though the volume wasn’t high, Gu Ye still heard a timbre that was unique to a girl.

Mellow, crisp, sweet.

Gu Ye felt his ears itch a little. His little bride’s voice was really nice. It’s so great that she could speak again.

Gu Ye put his hand against his lips and replied, “Happy New Year.”

After saying that, he took out the New Year’s money he had prepared and handed it to Rong Xuan.

Rong Xuan took it and pinched it. The red envelope was a bit thick. She also gave a return gift.

After receiving New Year’s money from Rong Xuan, Gu Ye raised his eyebrows in surprise. It really didn’t matter how much or how little the money was. What was important was the surprise he got when he received it.

Gu Ye smiled mischievously. “Thank you, Little Bride.”

Rong Xuan gave a low hum, then went into the kitchen to help the auntie bring out the dumplings.

With a table full of dumplings, the smell alone makes people want to eat.

The auntie knew that this was her employer’s future grandson-in-law, so she was very enthusiastic and introduced, “These dumplings have a lot of different fillings. Whatever is popular in the market, you can eat them here today.”

Gu Ye was particularly cheerful. “Then I’ll have the meat ones.”

“Okay, I’ll help you pick out the dumplings with meat stuffing. How many do you want?”

“I’ll start with thirty first.”

Thirty dumplings were lined up in a whole plate. Elder Lu passed Gu Ye the vinegar for him to dip into.

Gu Ye hurriedly tasted one. Elder Lu laughed on the side and said, “Eat slowly, it’s hot.” Maybe because people were happy during happy events, Rong Xuan felt that her grandfather was in great spirits today, and he didn’t look as weak as before like he was going to leave the world the next second.

It was obvious that Elder Lu likes Gu Ye very much.

Rong Xuan originally wanted to make it clear to Gu Ye that it would be best if they just terminate the engagement, but seeing her grandfather’s appearance, she hesitated again.

If the engagement was broken off, her grandfather would be the most disappointed and sad.

Gu Ye finished eating one with a smile on his face. “It’s delicious.”

“Xiao Gu, you can eat more if it’s delicious.”

“Okay, Grandpa.”

Rong Xuan sat down next to her grandfather and the auntie picked out ten pork and mustard dumplings for her.

The auntie then served five more dumplings to Elder Lu. She said, “There are plenty of dumplings, everyone should eat more.”

Rong Xuan ate one dumpling and raised her head to ask Gu Ye, “Aren’t, you going, to have, New Year’s Eve, dinner^[2]family reunion dinner on the lunar New Year’s Eve?”

Gu Ye picked up another dumpling. “Aren’t I eating right now?”

Today was New Year’s Eve, so this dumpling at Elder Lu’s house was considered New Year’s Eve dinner.

“Is it okay, that you’re not, eating at home?”

Rong Xuan was aware of how much the Gu parents doted on Gu Ye. Special days like New Year’s Eve were supposed to be for family reunions. How could the Gu parents have no opinion if Gu Ye didn’t attend the family’s New Year’s Eve dinner?

Gu Ye said nonchalantly, “It doesn’t matter.” No sooner as his words fell, his mobile phone rang.

The caller was none other than Gu Ye’s mother.

He stood up with the phone in hand and walked to the balcony before answering.

“Mom, I’m having New Year’s Eve dinner right now…… Aren’t Big Sis and Big Bro back? Don’t you have someone to accompany you? No…… I…… Mom, listen to me, I…… No, no, how can I forget my mother because I have a wife…… I’ll stay here for a while. I promise I’ll come back half way. Okay, I got it.”

Gu Ye hung up the phone and turned around to see Rong Xuan standing behind him.

Rong Xuan didn’t intentionally come to eavesdrop on Gu Ye’s phone call, she just had something to say to him.

When Gu Ye saw her, he walked over to hold her hand. “Have you finished eating the dumplings?”

Rong Xuan subconsciously put her hands behind her back and shook her head.

Gu Ye didn’t mind. He didn’t take her hand. “The phone call was from my mother. I told her I’m going back later. Do you want to come with me?”

Rong Xuan shook her head again then opened her mouth and said, “You’ve…… heard, about it, right?”

“Hmm?”

Rong Xuan lowered her eyes. “How I, tried to, ran away, from the, engagement.”

Gu Ye let out an “Oh”, completely not taking the matter to heart. “We had never met each other before back then. We don’t even know what the other person looks like. In fact, I didn’t want to get engaged either, so I can understand you wanting to running away.”

Rong Xuan was surprised. “You, don’t mind?”

Gu Ye’s lips hooked in a smile. “What’s there to mind? We both don’t know each other at that time, and having an arrange marriage in this era, it’s normal to think of escaping.”

These days, who didn’t have their own temper? It would be terrible if one had no ideas and were willing to be the puppets of their elders.

“What about, your parents?”

“If I don’t mind, they won’t mind.”

Gu Ye said so with a certainty.

As the most favored youngest son of the Gu family, he was the only one who had the confidence to say this. He was everything to the Gu parents.

Having said that, in Gu Ye’s opinion, this matter should be over.

Whether she tried to escape from the engagement or not didn’t matter.

Regardless of the process, the result was that he and Rong Xuan were engaged.

The engagement party went smoothly and many of their relatives on both sides knew about it. If nothing else happens, when they reach the legal age, they could get the certificate and hold the wedding.

Just as Gu Ye was about to enter the house, Rong Xuan took the initiative to hold his wrist.

She heard her own voice slowly saying, “I had, a dream before, that you, and Ning Chun, would be, together, in the future.”

???

Gu Ye furrowed his brows and thought about it twice in his mind but still couldn’t figure out who this Ning Chun was.

Who was Ning Chun anyway?

He smiled nonchalantly. “Dreams are the opposite.”

Rong Xuan rarely insisted, “What if, it comes true?”

Gu Ye asked back, “How can a dream become true?”

“What if? If you, like her one day, you can, tell me, straight away. It’s, all right, with me.” This sentence was a bit long and Rong Xuan had just regained her ability to speak not long ago so she was struggling a bit, but no matter what, she still clearly expressed her attitude.

After the female protagonist appeared, she always had the feeling like she had stolen her boyfriend. Even though she knew that the male protagonist would be with the female protagonist, she still got entangled with him and occupied the position of his fiancée.

Therefore, the matter of terminating the engagement must be put on the agenda. However, this matter must be hidden from her grandfather, otherwise she was worried that her grandfather’s body wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

Hearing these words, a rare cynical smile appeared on Gu Ye’s face.

“Rong Xuan.”

This was the first time Gu Ye had ever called Rong Xuan’s name properly.