The engagement ceremony was held at José’s private villa.
The villa was very similar to the Zhuang family's manor, and there was also a white fence around it. However, the fence was not entwined with roses, but with lush green ivy, with unknown white flowers blooming and emitting bursts of fragrance. The fence was decorated with pure white flower balls, which looked very beautiful.
Before entering the villa, you can hear the soothing sound of violin, which is elegant and beautiful.
Although it was just an engagement, the courtyard of the villa was decorated beautifully and exquisitely, and it was obvious that Qiao Se valued Mu Lianru in his heart. In the middle of the courtyard was a ten-meter-long white dining table, on which were placed wine and food .
The most eye-catching one should be the greenhouse built with white roses. José wore a white tuxedo, his hair was neatly combed, and he wore white gloves, looking gentlemanly and noble. Mu Lianru wore a white fishtail dress, the long skirt dragged on the ground, also outlining her beautiful figure. Her curly hair was tied up, dotted with white flowers in the middle, looking very beautiful. The two stood in the greenhouse hugging each other, accepting the blessings of everyone.
Ding Xuan was also forced to wear a black dress and a red bow, looking very handsome. I put on a random outfit, stood in the middle of the crowd, and watched silently.
Many people came today, including Shen Meng. It turned out that Shen Meng's mother and Mu Lianru were good friends, no wonder Ding Xuan gave her some face. It can be seen that Shen Meng was obviously dressed up today. She wore a pink low-cut dress, which outlined her waist very gracefully. Her long hair was tied into a braid, fresh and moving. On her right wrist, she tied a pink lace scarf into the shape of a rose, and the scarf left behind danced with the wind.
Shen Meng has a natural noble temperament that makes people unable to take their eyes off her.
But Shen Meng was just a show-off. Her eyes were glued to Ding Xuan, as if she was afraid that others didn't know that she liked Ding Xuan.
Shen Meng's mother gave Mu Lianru a pair of jade bracelets as a gift, and the two of them talked to their children together.
"Congratulations on your engagement today. I really envy you for having such an outstanding son. He is already a great painter." The first person to speak was Shen Meng's mother.
Mu Lianru said with a smile on her face: "Your daughter is not only beautiful, but also excellent."
"They are all young people and should be allowed to hang out more."
The meaning of the words is self-evident.
Shen Meng looked shy, and Ding Xuan frowned slightly, already impatient.
Mu Lianru pulled Ding Xuan and said, "There are too many people today, and mom is too busy. Please help mom take care of Shen Meng."
Ding Xuan refused to give face and directly said, "I don't have time."
"How do you talk like that?" Mu Lianru scolded Ding Xuan, then smiled apologetically to the people in front of her, "Xuan'er is a little immature, please don't be offended."
Shen Meng's mother smiled and said nothing, but Shen Meng was a little unhappy. She pouted and asked in a low voice: "Ding Xuan, can you take me to visit the villa?"
Ding Xuan replied unhappily: "I'm not familiar with it."
Shen Meng refused to give in and shouted arrogantly, "Ding Xuan, you clearly know that I like you! Why do you treat me like this?"
The high-decibel sound attracted the attention of everyone in the courtyard.
I stood aside and watched the show with glee.
Ding Xuan turned away indifferently and said bluntly: "I have never liked you."
Shen Meng's palm-sized face was almost wrinkled into a ball, with tears in her eyes. She suddenly pointed the finger at me and asked angrily, "Have you liked your sister for many years? Have you?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the guests were in an uproar and began to whisper.
Mu Lianru's face changed immediately, but she didn't lose her temper because of the presence of many guests and Qiao Se. Shen Meng's mother dragged Shen Meng, who was still making a fuss, to apologize and say goodbye, and hurriedly walked out of the villa.
Mu Lianru secretly glared at me fiercely, then smiled apologetically to the guests, "Children are ignorant and talking nonsense. Everyone, eat and drink well and have fun."
José also went to greet the guests awkwardly.
Ding Xuan stood there, head down, and said nothing. I couldn't see his expression, but I felt that his silence was inexplicably frightening.
When they got home at night, the atmosphere was particularly tense. Mu Lianru did not remove her makeup, but just changed her clothes and pulled Ding Xuan to sit on the sofa. Ding Xuan changed his clothes early and sat beside him obediently.
I stood aside with my arms folded, quietly waiting for Mu Lianru to speak. I guess Shen Meng's words today have become a thorn in her heart. How could she allow an outsider to block the future of her precious son? What's more, that person might be the person she hates the most.
Ding Xuan is Mu Lianru 's son, and his thoughts can never escape Mu Lianru's eyes.
Mu Lianru looked at the silent Ding Xuan, anger on her face. She suddenly cursed like a shrew: "Ding Lanyin, you ungrateful bitch! The Ding family has raised you for so many years, and you actually seduced my son. How can you be so shameless? I was really blind not to kick you out of the Ding family!"
I said sarcastically, "You know exactly why the Ding family adopted me. Wasn't it because of the huge sum of money my father left behind? That money was more than enough to feed me, clothe me, and send me to school! And a large part of the money was supposed to be inherited by me when I turned 18, but you embezzled it all!"
She was so angry that she suddenly stood up and slapped me, catching me off guard. Before I could react, Mu Lianru had already pounced on me and pulled my hair. I quickly hid aside .
Some of these things were heard from neighbors, but I wasn't sure if they were true. I said these things just to test them. But when I saw Mu Lianru's sudden change in expression, I realized that those things might be true.
Those words seemed to slap Mu Lianru in the face, making her even more angry. She retorted: "Which eye of yours saw me swallow your money? Ding Lanyin, don't change the subject. It was you who shamelessly seduced my son! I warned you not to hinder Ding Xuan's future!"
She picked up a cup and other objects on the table and threw them at me. I dodged left and right, but I was still hit. The room was in chaos.
Mu Lianru threw almost everything she could at hand, which showed how angry she was inside, and this anger was a cover-up for her guilty conscience.
I stood by the wall, looked at her coldly, and asked, "If I was wrong, why do you feel guilty?"
"Ding Lanyin , if you keep talking nonsense, get out of the Ding family!" Mu Lianru rushed into the kitchen, took a broom and waved it angrily.
Ding Xuan stood up and rushed to me, protecting me, and said loudly : "Have you guys had enough of the trouble? Does this family still look like a home?"
His eyes slowly turned red, and the tense atmosphere instantly calmed down. After a long while, he slowly said, "Mom, I like Yin, and I have liked her for a long time, but this has nothing to do with her."
I stood there in a daze. I never expected Ding Xuan to admit it so easily.
After hearing this, Mu Lianru became even angrier and pointed at my nose and cursed, "Ding Lanyin, from today on, you get out of the Ding family and never come back!"
"Just go!" I shouted angrily.
Looking at the coldness in Mu Lianru's eyes, despair rose in my heart. When Ding Xuan admitted that he liked me, I knew it was impossible to have any family affection anymore. The last warmth collapsed, and the only reason to stay in the Ding family was gone.
I glanced at the messy living room, took a last look at Ding Xuan, then turned and rushed out of the house.
The Ding family abandoned me time and time again, and their reasons for taking me in were so snobbish. What reason did I have to stay in the Ding family and not leave?
My steps were hurried and chaotic, as if I was trying to escape from something. Tears flowed uncontrollably and my vision was blurred. I couldn't tell which way was which.
I heard Ding Xuan calling my name from behind, and the voice was getting closer and closer. I don't know why I was so scared, so I didn't dare to look back and walked faster.
Suddenly, Ding Xuan grabbed my wrist tightly. I turned around and looked at him, shaking his hand away, as if to shake off the past.
The fragments of light in Ding Xuan's eyes disappeared bit by bit with my movements.
My face took on a cold expression, one that was so unfamiliar, so unfamiliar that even I was scared.
"A Yin..." He called me in a low voice.
I turned around and said nothing.
Ding Xuan suddenly hugged me from behind, so tightly that my arms hurt. I don't know when his weak arms became so strong.
He rested his chin on my shoulder and said, "Ayin, I love you. I have loved you for many years. No one in this world loves you longer and more deeply than me. I have always been cowardly and timid, and never dared to say it out loud. But now everyone knows it, and I can't do anything about it. Ayin, this is why I have never wanted to call you sister. Will you accept me? Let's face mom together. If mom doesn't accept us, I will take you away..."
At the end of his speech, his voice was choked with sobs, and his tears fell on my neck, so cold that they chilled my heart . He continued, "I have always been timid and weak, but for you, for love, I want to be brave once."
After listening to such a long and passionate confession, I was not shaken at all and still said firmly: "It's impossible for us!"
"Why is it impossible for us? We are not related by blood, and I am not bad either. I am now a famous painter. Ding Lanyin, I am worthy of you!" He said the last five words with great force.
"I don't love you, I just treat you as my younger brother. And you can only be my younger brother forever."
"I don't want to be your brother! I am a man, and I want you to treat me as a man!" Ding Xuan's emotions were completely out of control. He forcefully turned my body to face him, with no mercy at all.
I saw his eyes were red, like an angry lion. Suddenly he leaned over, held the back of my head tightly with his palm, and then kissed me.
Lips touching.
Unlike before, this touch made me feel dirty and my stomach acid was churning.
I struggled desperately, but when he wouldn't let me go, I raised my right hand and slapped him in anger.
Suddenly, five red finger marks appeared on his fair face.
I wiped my lips fiercely, frowned and said in disgust: "Ding Xuan, you are so disgusting! I hate you and I hate the Ding family. We will have nothing to do with each other from now on!" After saying that, I turned around and ran away, not daring to stay for another second.
I didn't see Ding Xuan kneeling on the ground in pain, crying loudly, as if something broke into pieces and fell all over the ground.
That was the heart that was broken by me.
This winter seems to be particularly long.
It's already March, but I feel cold all over.
I sat on a park bench, looking at the dark night sky, feeling very lonely. The world is so big, but there is no place that can accommodate me.
After being kicked out of the Ding family, I was left with only the mobile phone that Zhuang Li had given me. I held the phone tightly in my hand, tears streaming down my face.
The cold wind blew, and I covered my aching chest and cried so hard that I couldn't breathe.
The memories of Zhuang Li are becoming clearer and clearer in my mind. It turns out that after leaving Zhuang Li, I really have nothing.
The two years I spent with Zhuang Li were not happy, but they were the most stable years of my life.
The first holiday we celebrated together was Christmas. Yacheng High School admired everything foreign, so during Christmas, the school was decorated with sparkling lights everywhere, and there was a . During that time, the cleaners and cafeteria staff in the school all wore Christmas hats, and the whole campus was immersed in a strong Christmas atmosphere.
My classmates were discussing what gifts they should give to each person.
I hadn't originally planned to give Zhuang Li a gift. After all, our original intention of being together was not good, so I was too lazy to worry about it. Besides, Zhuang Li didn't need anything.
There were a few nosy girls standing next to me with ill intentions, discussing the gift-giving issue. One of them suddenly asked, "Ding Lanyin, what are you going to give your family? Are you so poor that you can't even afford a gift?"
"What gift I give you has nothing to do with you?" I asked back coldly.
"We're just curious about what you'll give us."
"Anyway, I'll just give the gifts when the time comes." These people didn't know whether I was really giving the gifts or not.
Unexpectedly, Zhuang Li's voice sounded behind me: "Then I'll wait."
I turned around and looked at Zhuang Li's stern face, wishing I could beat up those nosy girls.
Now that the words have been spoken, the gift has to be given.
I couldn't afford a gift that was too expensive, and Zhuang Li wouldn't like a gift that was too cheap. I hadn't decided what gift to give him on Christmas Day, so I just bought him a blank card.
Zhuang Li held the card, frowned and asked, "What is this?"
I smiled and said, "This is a wish card. Write down a wish and I will help you fulfill it. Of course, the premise is that I can fulfill it."
Seeing Zhuang Li put the card into his wallet, I breathed a sigh of relief. I had finally gotten away with it.
I don't dare to expect Zhuang Li to return the gift.
On Christmas Day, Zhuang Li took me to a concert. To be honest, I am not interested in elegant things, so I was almost drowsy during the whole concert.
When the meeting was over, people in their seats started to get up and leave. I was about to get up when Zhuang Li suddenly pulled my hand and said, "Sit down."
I didn't know what tricks he was going to play, so I just sat down obediently.
After everyone in the audience had left, Zhuang Li slowly stood up, walked towards the stage with proud steps, then stood in front of the piano and bowed to the audience.
The posture was so realistic that my eyes almost fell out of my head.
He sat upright in front of the piano and played a few notes casually, which seemed quite realistic.
The piano music that followed was not just like that. His slender fingers kept jumping on the black and white keys, as if dancing. The smooth and soothing piano music echoed in the hall , hitting the eardrums and also hitting my heart.
Zhuang Li closed his eyes and immersed himself in the music.
Only at this time can I look at him without restraint.
Zhuang Li is so handsome, I don't dare to look at him unless it's necessary. Maybe I've seen him too many times, and this serious look is the most charming.
When the last note fell, he opened his eyes and his face returned to its usual stern look. He stood up and said to me, "This is a return gift."
Those four words were so light, but they made me want to cheer.
After breaking up with Zhuang Li, the wish card was sent back to him with Zhuang Li's handwriting on it, which seemed to penetrate the paper.
He wrote: You will regret it.
Even with my eyes closed, I can imagine how terrifying Zhuang Li’s expression was at that time.
Now that things have come to this, can I still regret it?
If there had been no Zhuang Li and no bet from the beginning, and he had continued to be bullied, perhaps he would not have ended up like this.
At that time I didn’t believe that I would regret it, but now I really believe it.