This is a chest-thumping guarantee, a full commitment from Chi Wu. Cheng Ying felt that this troublesome kid, Wu Zi, was absolutely determined to drag her down with him.

There was nothing left to say to Chi Yong. He had already sealed off any retreat for her.

Chi Yong felt that after making this trip, being so thoroughly shut down by this unlucky kid had completely wiped away any residual guilt he felt toward Cheng Ying. As he left, he deliberately said something infuriating: "Yingzi, Uncle knows you and Wu Zi have been close since childhood, a mutual affection.

Even though we are in the provincial capital now, you still need to be careful, after all, you aren't engaged yet." This was purely meant to needle Cheng Ying; why should she be the only one vexed? Cheng Ying looked at Chi Yong, and 'astonished' was the only word for it.

Did his eyes grow crooked? Where in the world did he see that they had mutual affection?

If this man weren't the father of her own brother, Cheng Ying would have snatched up a handful of mud and plastered it across his face. Chin held high, she thought: Mortals, I despise your limited vision.

Is the landscape of my spirit something you could possibly glimpse? Chi Yong continued to shuttle between the elders of the two families.

Since getting nowhere with Cheng Ying, he had no choice but to approach his own kin. At least his father had shown some slight sign of yielding.

Sometimes, when blocked, Chi Yong would look up at the heavens in bitter frustration: "Old Man Chi Wu’s father is aging! If you dare show disrespect, I’ll beat you to death!

I’ve suffered all this trouble on behalf of your father!" His own mother was practically threatening to push Chi Wu out just for a tiny sliver of the Chi family property. As for reputation, Chi Yong no longer cared.

Everyone upstairs and downstairs knew Chi Yong found his elder brother's child an eyesore and was desperate to get him kicked out. Sometimes Chi Yong just wanted to grab Chi Wu’s passbook and slap people with it: "Look!

Look at a nephew like this! Do I need to drive him away?

Keeping him here is what makes him a treasure." Who can I reason with? Unlucky kid!

Everything he runs into is an unlucky kid. Lately, Chi Yong held Chi Ye close, feeling immense comfort.

A biological child is so much more endearing. Cheng Ying’s factory foundation had barely risen before Chi Wu escorted the timber back.

Of course, his medicinal herb business was stirring up trouble in its own way. When Chi Wu returned and saw Cheng Ying looking happy, he felt a little shy; after all, they were now engaged fiancés.

The kid had prematurely stepped into the role. Cheng Ying had been quite exhausted these past few days.

Had it not been for Chi Yong adding fuel to the fire, she would have largely forgotten about the matter between them. Or perhaps she had deliberately tried to forget, just to avoid the headache.

But when Chi Wu, tall and imposing, suddenly appeared right in front of her, it was a jarring reminder—a melody she couldn't forget. Cheng Ying’s expression soured.

Chi Wu’s previously cheerful demeanor instantly dropped. The boy acted more aggrieved than Cheng Ying: "What?

You’re unhappy to see me?" Cheng Ying wanted to nod. After so many years of accommodating Chi Wu’s habits, her first reaction was whether telling the truth would crush the child’s fragile heart.

A kid's self-confidence couldn't take a hit! Besides, Chi Wu wouldn't turn eighteen until after the New Year.

If this coincided with puberty and rebellion, wouldn't that be even more vexing for her? So, she shook her head.

"Tired. Too much work, can’t lift my spirits." Chi Wu’s face brightened.

Cheng Ying thought, if he weren't so prone to mood swings, he could be an actor in Sichuan Opera—his speed of transformation was incredible. Chi Wu: "That tired?

Isn’t Uncle Gan there? Are we paying him wages for nothing?" Saying that, he walked behind Cheng Ying and started kneading her shoulders.

In the past, Cheng Ying would have enjoyed this. But now, she felt goosebumps erupt all over, her entire body stiffening.

Was Chi Wu doing this out of habit, treating her like the old Cheng Ying? Or did he genuinely see her as his fiancée?

This feeling was utterly sickening. Chi Wu: "You’re all knotted up like this.

It’s fine, I’m here. You should just go rest later.

You have to be well-rested before the engagement, remember." Cheng Ying’s shoulders visibly sagged. She was too tired to even maintain the tension.

Damn annoying kid; he was truly focused solely on waiting for the engagement. Cheng Ying was annoyed but had no place to vent it here.

With a cold face, she looked at Chi Wu. "You think Uncle Gan just works because you tell him to?

Uncle Gan is responsible for my timber yard, not your furniture company." Then she closed her eyes to rest. The hands massaging Cheng Ying stiffened instantly, though they quickly regained their posture.

Yingzi valued money highly. In the future, all the money he earned would go to his wife, and if he worked hard to earn more than her, his wife naturally wouldn’t worry about him taking advantage.

When it counted, Chi Wu was quite the man—broad-minded and not petty. Especially not petty with a woman in a bad mood.

When Cheng Ying threw a tantrum, Chi Wu could only watch. From the quality of his massage, Cheng Ying knew the boy had been angry from the start.

But why didn’t he stomp off? Why recover so quickly?

It was like his health bar in a game instantly refilling after a heal request. When would this living nightmare end?

Even if he rebuilt her bones, it wouldn't be enjoyable. Feeling like a thorn in her back, uneasy whether sitting or standing—this was the sensation Cheng Ying experienced while Chi Wu massaged her.

Cheng Ying realized she could never go back. Even if they both pretended that event never happened, they couldn't return to the previous dynamic.

Not to mention the other happy person waiting for the engagement. For the first time, Cheng Ying seriously considered their future together.

The child she raised was fundamentally good. She believed any young girl who married Chi Wu would be happy.

But now that girl was her, and Cheng Ying found it difficult to measure the standard of happiness. To actively distance herself from Chi Wu, Cheng Ying couldn't accept it herself.

Why should she? Raising a child was hard work, and she might be counting on this good child to look after her in old age.

But if she didn’t distance herself, she would have to go along with Chi Wu's plan and get engaged. What a headache!

Why did she drink that night? Otherwise, their relationship would be so good; Chi Wu wouldn't even have thought about getting engaged.

What a mess this situation is. Just as she was drifting off, Cheng Ying mused: At least there was one benefit: if Chi Wu dared to act out against her in the future, one look from her could suppress him instantly.

Cheng Ying wasn't sure if this counted as an advantage or a disadvantage. Transitioning from the role of 'mother' to 'fiancée'—Cheng Ying admitted she didn't have the acting chops for it.

Then she fell asleep. Deep in the night, the old lady waited until her granddaughter stopped tossing and turning, her breathing even, before sighing and falling asleep beside the shadow.

Her granddaughter, usually so straightforward, had been restless all night for the first time in years. How many nights had it been now?

The old lady felt heartache. She also couldn't tell if her granddaughter was restless from excitement over the engagement or distressed by the prospect of marriage.

The old lady felt her own age weighing on her; her vitality was waning. The next morning, Cheng Ying was fully recharged, her spirit high.

She even felt young again looking at her own vigor. She checked her energy level, then went with Chi Wu to the school to check their results.

This was a big day; otherwise, Chi Wu wouldn't have returned yesterday. Cheng Ying appearing on campus with Chi Wu created quite a stir—the scene was quite something.

Since her grandmother decided that once Cheng Ying graduated from high school, she no longer had to wear patched cloth vests, Cheng Ying had truly entered her own prime. Truly, whatever she wore suited her beautifully; the clothes enhanced her beauty, and she made the clothes look beautiful too.

If only she could replace those cloth-soled shoes! However, ever since Cheng Ying sang that night, her classmates no longer saw her as a hopelessly rustic country bumpkin.

Instead, they felt Cheng Ying had elevated the simple cloth-soled shoe, giving it a unique character. On Cheng Ying’s feet, those shoes looked so different!

Both boys and girls looked at Cheng Ying with bright, intense gazes. Cheng Ying felt uneasy.

How long has it been? Did they plan to lecture her again?

Why did the atmosphere feel so strange? Chi Wu: "Serves you right for showing off.

If you wanted to sing, couldn't you have sung at home for me? Always causing trouble.

Watch how I handle you." Cheng Ying: "Heh heh. Should we check in with the class advisor first?

They don't parade people around the school grounds anymore, right?" Cheng Ying was genuinely scared. Unconsciously, the two had reverted to their former dynamic.

Before Chi Wu could reply, the unkillable lunatic approached: "Classmate Cheng Ying, why are you only arriving now? I’ve been waiting here for a long time.

Let’s go check the scores together." Cheng Ying’s heart skipped a beat. Although this lunatic sounded surprisingly normal today, it still sent a chill down her spine.

Is a lunatic that easy to cure? Where did he find such a doctor?

"Oh? Are you waiting for Yingzi’s feather duster?" Chi Wu immediately moved to protect his claim.

You bastard! Dare to step closer?

Asking for a beating! The lunatic looked at Chi Wu with gentle, kind eyes.

This was his future little brother-in-law, after all; he had to treat him well. It only goes to show how sweetly naive young men can be.

So, the lunatic’s next words made Chi Wu recoil as if doused in Chi Ye’s urine: "Classmate Chi Wu, you look quite dashing today!" Cheng Ying nearly choked. Is this guy shifting into the 'bromance' route?

Chi Wu thought: Are his eyes crossed? How can he even see me?

"Can you step aside?" Cheng Ying decided watching the show was best; it was quite entertaining right now. The lunatic had apparently recovered completely in just a few days, politely yielding the way to Chi Wu.

Then, disregarding everyone's expressions, he calmly walked alongside Cheng Ying and Chi Wu into the campus. Cheng Ying thought: Has this person been possessed?

Why such a drastic change? And why did she suddenly have so many classmates surrounding her?

To put it plainly— Cheng Ying realized her popularity at school had never been this high. Cheng Ying couldn't remain calm.

"Wu Zi, do you think we scored too high? Why are we suddenly so popular?" Before Chi Wu could speak, the lunatic interjected: "Classmate Cheng Ying, this has nothing to do with your scores.

You are now the idol of the entire student body. Not just anyone can sing such beautiful music.

I always thought I represented the artistic side of things, but it turns out Classmate Cheng Ying has been hiding her talents. You wrote lyrics so beautiful!

Even though the school bans these songs, classmates have been passing them around privately." Cheng Ying's ears burned red. It struck a chord!

Were there that many heartbroken people? That many who couldn't have whom they desired?

Cheng Ying felt instantly cured. Look at that!

Most people are unhappy. Her little drama was nothing compared to theirs.

Cheng Ying followed a standard: If you’re miserable, I feel better. If everyone is miserable, then I feel completely wonderful.

Thus, she was in high spirits, while Chi Wu’s mood turned sour. ps: Given how hard I’ve worked, dear reader, please give me your pink votes!

And thank you for the mooncakes. RP