“Tsk tsk tsk, poor thing,” Ji Fei commented.
Others heard her but didn’t realize she was talking about Jing Yan.
“Yeah, Cen Ting is going to marry someone like that. It’s really pitiful. I really want to sabotage their engagement party,” Guo Yalan boldly chimed in. “Maybe I’ll arrange for a few handsome men to charm Cen Ting away so she doesn’t end up with such trash.”
“I think Cen Ting wouldn’t pay any attention to you,” Luo Fei said.
Guo Yalan pouted, “Cen Ting told me she’s only going to be a nominal wife to Jing Yu. They’ll have kids through IVF later.”
“That makes sense. Cen Ting has a bit of a cleanliness obsession,” Bai Xiaoxi added.
This was the first time Ji Fei had heard of it, and it made her feel much better. Otherwise, she always felt like a good girl was being tainted by something filthy.
However, seeing the two continue with their engagement ceremony and exchange rings still made her feel disgusted.
Finally, Jing Yu picked up the microphone.
“I’m very happy to have entered into an engagement with Cen Ting. I believe it won’t be long before we smoothly step into the marriage hall.”
[He sure knows how to say pretty words. I thought he’d act up and cause a scene at this kind of event.]
Finally, Jing Yu looked at Cen Ting with deep affection and said, “Cen Ting, from now on, you are officially my fiancée.”
After saying that, Jing Yu pulled Cen Ting into a hug.
Cen Ting was taken aback. She found his words strange, as if he was deliberately emphasizing ownership, which made her uncomfortable. She had thought Jing Yu knew their relationship was just a partnership.
However, Cen Ting didn’t call him out and played along perfectly.
Ji Fei was silently watching all this when suddenly Qin Xian, who was beside her, spoke to Guo Yalan, “Yalan, can I borrow your sunglasses?”
Guo Yalan's sunglasses were quite exaggerated (over-the-top), covering half her face. They were part of her look, so she hadn’t taken them off since entering.
Hearing Qin Xian’s serious tone, Guo Yalan didn’t think much of it and handed them over.
Then she saw Qin Xian immediately put the sunglasses on Ji Fei.
Ji Fei: ?
“There are paparazzi,” Qin Xian said with displeasure.
Ji Fei: !
It wasn’t that she was afraid of being photographed. There had been reporters at previous events, but those were all credentialed and knew what not to shoot. Today, however, no reporters had been seen at the entrance, so she thought the Jing family wasn’t arranging any coverage.
If this was the case, then it was a sneaky shoot. Such unauthorized photos could easily be used to fabricate stories and stir up rumors. Ji Fei had been reminded by her manager, Sister Pei, that in such situations, at least covering her face would make dealing with the aftermath easier.
She hadn’t sensed anything, but Qin Xian, her artist, was more sensitive than she was.
Ji Fei obediently wore the sunglasses and asked, “Where are they?”
“What, are there really paparazzi? How could the Jing family do this without saying anything?”
The small group was all surprised.
Qin Xian frowned and said, “Jing Yan didn’t arrange for them. It must be Jing Yu’s doing. They’re from his company’s partner table, sneaking around and taking photos.”
Everyone looked over and indeed saw some people hiding various equipment, clearly up to no good.
“What is Jing Yu trying to do? Is he filming himself?” Yu Yue was incredulous.
Qin Xian didn’t answer but directly contacted Jing Yan via phone to inform him of the situation.
The ceremony had ended, and people were starting to toast. Jing Yan saw the message and immediately went to find Madam Xie.
Madam Xie quickly called Jing Yu over and interrogated him.
“What? I wanted to create some buzz for my own engagement party, isn’t that allowed? Even though my company isn’t up to your standards, Mom, I’ve been putting in effort to manage it.”
Seeing her son’s defiant attitude, Madam Xie felt truly powerless. Why could she raise other people’s children well but her own was a complete mess?
“Hmph, always going to Mom to tattle. You just wait.”
Jing Yu often made empty threats, and Jing Yan usually pretended not to hear them, knowing Jing Yu couldn’t do anything to him anyway.
Madam Xie rubbed her temples in frustration before speaking, “Today is a special day. Don’t cause any trouble. If you insist on filming, then I have only one request: don’t film the guests.”
Jing Yu shrugged indifferently, as if he hadn’t planned to film the guests anyway.
Seeing him not argue for once, Madam Xie breathed a sigh of relief. Then, as if remembering something, she asked Jing Yan to leave so she could speak to Jing Yu alone.
Jing Yu, however, seemed impatient. “What now?”
Madam Xie had wanted to be warm and affectionate, but Jing Yu’s attitude made her unsure how to proceed. “I know you’ve always been at odds with Jing Yan, and I can guess at your feelings. But remember, we are mother and son. I could never like Jing Yan more than you. The reason I’ve invested more effort in him is because he truly has talent and can shoulder the responsibilities of the Jing family.”
Madam Xie felt she was being fair and impartial, but Jing Yu’s expression changed. “So in your eyes, I’m just not as good as him, huh?”
Madam Xie truly couldn’t understand Jing Yu. Her husband and she had a traditional arrangement where he handled internal affairs and she handled external ones. Her husband was like a shadow, never feeling uncomfortable about it, as everyone had their strengths. Why was their son so aggressive?
“You have your own strengths. And as long as Jing Yan takes over the family business, you can do whatever you want. That’s not bad either,” Madam Xie tried to soften her words, not wanting her son to be unhappy on the verge of his marriage.
Jing Yu’s expression faltered. “So today you’re going to announce him as the heir, and you’re here to comfort me beforehand?”
Madam Xie could only say, “This is the decision of the entire family’s elders.”
Jing Yu couldn’t accept that. He only believed that if his mother didn’t support Jing Yan and fully sided with him, the position would be his.
He didn’t care whether he had the ability or not; he just felt he could do it. It was everyone else who looked down on him, and Jing Yan’s existence that blocked his path.
So don’t blame him for dragging everyone down with him.
Jing Yu snorted coldly, “Jing Yan may not be as good as you think. You chose him; don’t regret it.”
With that, Jing Yu walked away without looking back.
Meanwhile, Jing Yan had already sent a message to Qin Xian, who he knew would be worried about his artist wife. He reassured Qin Xian that the reporters wouldn’t dare to film the guests.
Even so, Qin Xian didn’t let Ji Fei take off the sunglasses.
“What’s going on? Is he using this engagement party to boost his company’s hot searches? Is he that ambitious?” Guo Yalan mocked.
“If they’re not filming the guests, then why the sneakiness?” Bai Xiaoxi wondered.
“Something feels off,” Yu Yue said.
Luo Fei thought for a moment and looked at Qin Xian. “Maybe because they were caught and had to give that excuse. But afterward, they probably won’t dare to anymore.”
Ji Fei looked curiously at Qin Xian.
Qin Xian, however, frowned. “It shouldn’t be that simple. He went through so much trouble to arrange this; there must be another purpose.”
Given that, it would be rude not to investigate further.
[This engagement party… Jing Yu isn’t just having an affair, is he also arranging for something else? Let’s see… bringing these paparazzi here is mainly to… what? Catch him cheating?!?!?!?!?]
