Chapter 387: The Engagement (1)

After accomplishing his goal in A City, Zhao Chengning stayed for another two days before returning to B City. When Old Master Zhao and Papa Zhao got wind of the Shen family agreeing to the couple getting engaged, they happily gave Zhao Chengning a slap on the back, with Mama Zhao being the only one left pouting. She muttered something to herself, but no one could make out the exact contents of what she said.

With the coming of spring, the days became progressively hotter. During this time, Shen Jingchen had started on his internship and moved out of the villa to move to B City on his own.

When he arrived at B City, Zhao Chengning rounded up a group of his friends and welcomed Shen Jingchen at the airport. Following that, they ate a meal together.

On that day, this group of rich wastrels realised that the untouchable Zhao Chengning had gotten himself a brother-in-law who hailed from A City.

That night, when Shen Jingbin was talking to Zhao Chengning over the phone, she asked why he'd introduced Shen Jingchen. Zhao Chengning laughed and explained why he, who'd always done his best to keep a low profile, had done something so conspicuous.

The rich folks in B City were an extremely xenophobic bunch. Previously, the siblings hadn't stayed for long when they'd visited B City, so the thought of coming into contact with B City's upper class had never crossed their minds. The people they did meet with were all Zhao Chengning's friends, so they weren't exposed to any xenophobic sentiments. But, it looked like Shen Jingchen was planning to stay in B City for an extended period this time around. He had to do something like this to ensure that this bunch of rich wastrels - who tended to have more of an ego than your average person - would know that this 'newcomer' wasn't someone they could pick on.

The Shen family had power and influence, but a faraway river wouldn't be able to put out a fire nearby. Papa and Mama Shen's influence didn't extend all the way to the upper echelons of B City, so there weren't many people who knew of the Shen family's might over here.

But, things were different now that Shen Jingchen's association with the Zhao family was made clear. Those who wanted to make things difficult for Shen Jingchen had to think about whether they could afford to go up against Zhao Chengning.

Shen Jingbin was touched by how considerate her boyfriend was being towards her family. So much so that she felt like flying over to give him a kiss.

After discussing amongst themselves, the parents from both the Zhao and Shen households decided to hold the wedding on April 15th. It's said that a day as auspicious as that was one that didn't even come by once every hundred years, and it was the best day to hold a wedding.

As usual, the engagement party was held in the bride's hometown. As both families had influential personages, the engagement party turned out to be quite the grand affair. The ones who attended the engagement banquet were all rich and influential individuals. It was more or less a gathering of the who's who of both A and B cities.

Shen Jingbin only invited her three dormmates to her engagement party, while Zhao Chengning invited Xi Qihui and Xu Ya. Jiang Weiwei kicked up a fuss about wanting to come as well, but she was firmly denied.

During the engagement ceremony, when the couple were exchanging engagement rings, Huajuan and Xiaohe were crying as they clung to Jiangmeng. They cried so much that all of their makeup was washed away. Those who weren't in the know might have even thought that they were crying because they were holding a flame for Zhao Chengning. It turns out that these two single dogs were actually crying for their own lonely and miserable existences.

Once the engagement party was over, the groom-to-be wasn't allowed to stay the night in the bride-to-be's house. It'd be best for the groom-to-be to return home. Unfortunately, Zhao Chengning didn't live in A City, so he had no choice but to make his way back to his hotel with a frown on his face.

The VIPs that attended the engagement party bid their farewells as they made their way back, each appearing to be in more of a rush to leave than the last. The only ones left were those from the younger generation, who looked like they wanted to run wild for a little while longer.

When Shen Jingbin looked at the engagement ring that adorned her finger, an indescribable sense of satisfaction and happiness welled up within her. She pulled out her handphone, and for the first time ever, she made a Weibo post, complete with a picture of the engagement ring on her finger.

The Weibo account she used was one with her real name on it that, with Keyuan's recommendation, had received Yellow V status. Although she'd only created her account recently, and she'd only retweeted several news articles, she had a shocking number of followers.

She had over 9 million followers. In fact, she'd almost caught up to a few female celebrities.

"Shen Jingbin: Congratulations to myself. [Picture]"

As soon as she made the post, the number of comments and retweets she received went through the roof. At first, the comments expressed surprise that she'd finally made her first official post on Weibo, and that she wasn't retweeting news articles anymore. But, they later turned into sighs of admiration or howls of anguish that the Goddess had finally gotten engaged, and that the love of their life was gone, just like that.

Zhao Chengning just so happened to be hanging out with Xia Qihui, Xuya, and Shen Jingchen when he heard his handphone go off. His newly recognized wife-to-be had made a Weibo post. When he opened up the post, he was greeted with a picture of her engagement ring adorning her hand.

Shen Jingbin possessed a beautiful hand. It was fair and slender, and she had well-defined knuckles. The silver engagement ring sat atop her ring finger and the happiness that she was experiencing could be felt through the camera's lens.

Zhao Chengning retweeted the post with a smile and added a picture of his own engagement ring into the mix.

"Zhao Chengning: Mm, congratulations to myself too. [Picture]//@Shen Jingbin: Congratulations to myself. [Picture]"

Zhao Chengning's retweet brought forth a tidal wave of tears from everyone online. After looking through a few comments, he smiled and stowed away his phone.

Xuya, who'd been secretly keeping an eye on Zhao Chengning, was immediately unsettled by Zhao Chengning's smile. "Tsk tsk tsk. Take a look at my bro Chengning's killer smile."

Zhao Chengning glared at him. "Can it beat yours?"

Xia Qihui burst out laughing. "Xuya, Brother Ah Ning's finally seen a glimmer of hope at leading the good life. He might hold it against you if you make fun of him."

Xuya's lips curled. "Hey, why're you making fun of me now?"

"Weren't you asking for it?"

"As if!"

Shen Jingchen didn't joke around with the rest of the group like he did in the past. Instead, he wore a serious look on his face and turned to face Zhao Chengning. "Ah Ning, step out with me for a bit. I'd like to have a word with you."

Zhao Chengning grunted in acknowledgement and followed him out. Xia Qihui and Xuya exchanged a glance before Xuya spoke up. "What's Brother Chen up to?"

Xia Qihui took a sip of his tea and shrugged. "Dunno."

"..."