Chapter 28

After the photoshoot, the topic of buying rings, which Jiang Zhe had mentioned before, came up again.

When he brought it up, Jiang Yu thought for a moment and said, “Rings, huh. I think we can just buy them casually. We don’t need to go together, right?”

She felt their relationship hadn’t progressed that fast. After returning from her parents’ house, they went back to sleeping in separate rooms. She wasn’t ready to sleep together yet, feeling that it was too fast.

Jiang Zhe knew she wasn’t used to having someone else around, so he indulged her.

As long as she was still there, Jiang Zhe felt he had the patience to wait for her to come around. If not in a year, then in two. Someday she would realize how good he was.

But when he thought about whether he was really good enough for her to fall in love with, he felt a bit unsure.

Was he really good enough for her to like him?

Jiang Zhe wasn’t sure, but he felt lucky to have the chance to meet her. So, he had no complaints.

He felt fortunate.

Jiang Zhe still insisted they choose the rings together. He rarely had strong opinions about things, so Jiang Yu decided to grant his wish. She picked out a nice outfit for the occasion.

Jiang Yu usually didn’t fuss over clothes, but today she accidentally picked an orange-pink dress with beautiful embroidery. When they arrived at the jewelry store, she looked at her outfit and suddenly felt it looked quite festive.

She smiled at Jiang Zhe. “Doesn’t my dress look a bit too red?”

Jiang Zhe, in a good mood, looked at her and smiled. “No, I think your dress looks very beautiful today.”

Jiang Zhe usually just said things looked good, but now he said it looked very beautiful. Jiang Yu thought it might be because he was in a good mood or because he really liked her dress. Either way, she felt it was a great answer.

Jiang Yu’s lips curled into a smile as she said, “I also think my dress looks really nice today.”

As they entered the jewelry store, Jiang Zhe gently held her hand. They looked like a loving couple.

Inside the store, there were many styles of rings, and Jiang Yu felt overwhelmed by the choices. She turned to Jiang Zhe and said, “I feel like I like too many of them. How about you choose?”

But Jiang Zhe, stubborn as ever, insisted, “No, you choose. If you really can’t decide, just pick a few you like the most.”

Jiang Yu laughed, “Who gets several styles of wedding rings?”

Jiang Zhe saw no issue with it, “It doesn’t matter, we can afford it.”

His response had a touch of a wealthy demeanor.

Although she inwardly made fun of him, Jiang Yu was actually very happy.

She knew that in her previous life, it would have been unlikely for her to meet someone as good as Jiang Zhe.

However, she still felt that buying too many rings would be unnecessary. In the end, she chose a gold ring with small diamonds that was neither too big nor too small, looking very beautiful.

After selecting it, she sought Jiang Zhe’s opinion, “What do you think about this one?”

Naturally, Jiang Zhe said, “If you like it, it’s good.”

However, Jiang Yu pressed, “But do you like it?”

From her eyes, Jiang Zhe sensed a bit of dissatisfaction with his perfunctory response. After a slight hesitation, he said, “If you like it, I like it.”

Fearing his words might not please her, he quickly added, “My taste might not be that good, so you should choose.”

Jiang Yu glanced at the other rings but still felt that this one was the best. She made the decision, “Then let’s get this pair.”

Her eyes sparkled with laughter, making Jiang Zhe a bit dazzled. He had insisted on her choosing the rings, but seeing her so happy now, Jiang Zhe thought she might be really pleased too.

With the rings chosen, Jiang Zhe wasn’t in a hurry to leave. Instead, he asked, “Is there anything else you want to buy?”

Jiang Yu genuinely had nothing else she wanted. Although they hadn’t had a wedding, Jiang Zhe didn’t want her to feel shortchanged and had gotten all the traditional jewelry for her. Jiang Yu wasn’t one to like flashy things, so even if she bought more, they would just sit at home unused.

She replied, “There isn’t really anything else I need.”

But Jiang Zhe had already set his sights on something else and insisted, “Since we’re here, let’s see if there’s anything suitable for you.”

Jiang Yu couldn’t help but retort, “It’s not like it’s far away. Can’t we come whenever we want?”

Jiang Zhe, quick to follow her lead, said, “Okay, we’ll come often from now on.”

Jiang Yu: “…”

Seeing her expression, Jiang Zhe said, “Girls should dress up more.”

Jiang Yu felt he was flattering her and asked, “Do you think I look good even without dressing up?”

Jiang Zhe nodded earnestly, “Yes, very good.”

Jiang Yu couldn’t help but smile at his compliment. Since he praised her so much, she decided to indulge him and bought some jewelry. Initially, she chose more understated pieces, but then she noticed some more extravagant ones that also looked nice. She playfully asked Jiang Zhe for his opinion and, receiving his approval, happily continued choosing what she liked.

After picking a few beautiful pieces, Jiang Zhe paid for them, and they headed home.

Once in the car, Jiang Zhe didn’t hurry to drive off. Instead, he took out the rings they had just bought and said, “Let me put it on you.”

Jiang Yu said, “I can put it on myself.”

She thought it wasn’t a formal occasion, so she could do it herself. But Jiang Zhe looked slightly displeased, his lips pressed tightly together, staring at her.

Unable to bear his gaze, Jiang Yu gave in, “Alright, alright, you put it on me.”

She extended her hand, thinking how Jiang Zhe, a grown man, could sometimes be so particular.

Jiang Zhe took the ring out of the red velvet box and gently slipped the golden ring onto her finger. Her fingers were delicate and fair, clearly hands that hadn’t done much hard work.

As he placed the ring on her ring finger, Jiang Yu, curious, asked, “Jiang Zhe, how did you know which finger to put it on? Did you secretly do some research?”

Jiang Yu had heard that rings worn on different fingers had different meanings, but she wasn’t sure of the details.

Jiang Zhe: …

He chose not to answer.

Then he handed her the matching men’s ring and said, “Put it on me.”

Jiang Yu didn’t tease him any further and took the other ring, asking, “Is it the same finger?”

“Yes.”

It was her first time putting a ring on a man, so she was a bit clumsy, taking several minutes to get it right. When she finally did, she laughed, “If I were this clumsy at a wedding, it would be so embarrassing.”

Jiang Zhe said, “No problem, you can practice with my hand as much as you like.”

Looking at the rings on their hands, Jiang Yu felt a special kind of joy, but Jiang Zhe’s words made her laugh. How could he say something so funny with such a serious face?

That night, Jiang Yu quickly fell asleep. She started with a sweet dream and soon dreamt of someone who looked just like her.

Jiang Yu saw the face and initially thought it was her own. However, as soon as the woman spoke, she realized it wasn’t.

“Hello, Jiang Yu,” the woman said with a cold tone.

“Are you… the original owner from the novel?” Jiang Yu was surprised to encounter this figure in her dream.

The woman in the dream laughed at Jiang Yu’s words and said, “No, just as you suspected, I am another version of you from another world.”

Jiang Yu was confused.

The woman continued, “If you don’t understand, it’s okay. Just know that I am a part of you. I am the evil part, and you are the good part. Everyone is imperfect, so soon I will disappear and merge with you.”

Jiang Yu was a bit stunned.

“We are destined to merge. Without merging, there wouldn’t be enough life force to support the baby in your belly, and neither of us would live long. When we merge, either you or I will dominate. If I dominate, the result will be the same as the original ending, so you came here. But don’t worry, this is inevitable.”

Although her life force was stronger than Jiang Yu’s, she chose to retreat after knowing her fate, allowing the kind Jiang Yu to stay here. She knew that Jiang Zhe had been kind to her, but she couldn’t control her temper.

“I am leaving. I hope you will be happy.”

With a sigh, the woman said, “I know he is not a good person, but I still like him.”

Then she disappeared.

Jiang Yu woke up and sat on the edge of the bed, her heart racing and feeling dazed.

Jiang Zhe, who had just come over to tuck her in, was startled to see her suddenly awake. He asked, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Yu shook her head, feeling groggy and unable to distinguish whether the dream was real or not.

“Did you have a nightmare?” Jiang Zhe asked, concerned about her pale face.

“I’m fine,” Jiang Yu said, trying to smile but failing miserably.

Seeing her distressed, Jiang Zhe gently pulled her into his arms and said softly, “It’s okay, I’m here.”

Jiang Yu nodded and slowly buried her head in his chest.