April, with its gentle willows swaying and warm breezes blowing.
The Cloud Whale Hotel was bustling with excitement.
Today was the engagement banquet of the second son of the Mingyue Group, Gu Mingting, and the eldest daughter of the Zhengheng Group, Shen Tinglan.
Shen Tinglan, dressed in a silver gown, stood gracefully beside her future mother-in-law with a smile. As for the other protagonist of the event...
"This face is not bad!"
Mingting admired his reflection in the mirror.
The young man in the mirror wore a light gray suit, with a narrow waist and long legs, his tall frame accentuated by the tailored outfit.
His shoulder-length hair had been neatly styled by the hairdresser, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses softened the charm of his peach-blossom eyes, giving him an overall gentle and refined demeanor, exuding the temperament of an artist.
"Little brother, the engagement ceremony is about to start. What are you dawdling for?"
The door opened and a tall man walked in from outside.
He bore a seventy percent resemblance to Mingting, though his features were sharper, and his aura more domineering, unlike Mingting's mild-mannered gentleness.
"Almost ready."
Mingting adjusted his bowtie.
"Big brother, how do I look today?"
Gu Mingxuan looked at his younger brother, who, despite being 26 years old, still grinned with the exuberance of a carefree boy, and the sternness on his face softened slightly.
"Extremely handsome. You're the most handsome one here today!"
"With big brother's approval, I'm relieved! I was planning to rely on this face to utterly bewitch Tinglan and secure myself a long-term meal ticket!" Mingting walked out side by side with Gu Mingxuan.
"In the future, big brother will handle the family affairs, and Tinglan will take care of the Shen Family. All I need to do is eat, drink, and be a carefree parasite."
Mingting sighed wistfully.
"Big brother, how did I get so lucky? No, I must go back tonight and properly thank Mom and Dad for giving birth to me."
After hearing Mingting's life aspirations, Gu Mingxuan felt a headache coming on.
'From childhood, aside from painting, my younger brother had never shown any other ambitions.'
'While other families might see brothers fighting over the family business, such a scenario would never happen in our Gu Family.'
'Just listen to him, he declared his intention to live off his wife so shamelessly, without a care for what others might think.'
"Little brother, how about I open an art gallery for you?"
Gu Mingxuan felt it was necessary to encourage some ambition in his younger brother.
"Brother, please spare me!"
Mingting waved his hand dismissively.
"I just got engaged and need to spend time fostering my relationship with Tinglan. I don't have time to deal with all that."
As they spoke, the two brothers arrived at the engagement party.
Since it was only an engagement, the guest list was small, limited to close relatives, friends, and a few business associates from both families.
With just one glance, Mingting spotted Shen Tinglan in the crowd.
Her figure was graceful, and her features bright and elegant. She's a poised and striking beauty.
Mingting walked over with a smile and took her hand. His initiative surprised Shen Tinglan slightly.
They had met through a blind date. Gu Mingting's looks perfectly matched Shen Tinglan's ideal type, as he's handsome and refined young noblemen she had admired in martial arts films as a child.
Under constant parental encouragement, and given the Gu Family's excellent reputation, as Old Mr. Gu and Young Mr. Gu were famously devoted husbands in their social circle, Shen Tinglan had ultimately chosen Gu Mingting as her life partner.
During their six months of dating, Gu Mingting had always been reserved, never crossing boundaries nor taking the lead.
Shen Tinglan thought that someone with his gentle, scholarly temperament was naturally inclined to be polite and slow to warm up.
However, today, Mingting was different from before. Though surprised, Shen Tinglan wasn't overly shy and let him hold her hand.
"Tinglan, you're so beautiful today."
Mingting's deep brown eyes sparkled with warmth.
"I never imagined that the usually sharp and efficient Little CEO Shen could look so enchanting in a gown."
The Shen Family had only Shen Tinglan as their heir. But her father was open-minded and never believed girls were inferior to boys, so he personally mentored her since her college days.
After graduating, Shen Tinglan had directly entered the company to gain experience, successfully leading several impressive projects. Now, she was known in the business world as 'Little CEO Shen'.
She and Mingting's older brother, Gu Mingxuan, were both considered outstanding talents among the younger generation.
Hearing Mingting's praise, Shen Tinglan felt a little flustered.
Especially when his deep peach-blossom eyes focused intently on her, making her cheeks flush and her heart race, as if a little deer were prancing wildly inside her chest.
"You look incredibly handsome today!"
No matter what, Shen Tinglan is someone who had spent six years honing her skills in the business world, so before long, Shen Tinglan suppressed her rapidly beating heart and regained her composure, then sincerely complimented Mingting in return.
Seeing him gaze at her eagerly, as if still expecting something more, Shen Tinglan added, "Well, you're always handsome."
"Really? My Tinglan has such great taste!"
Mingting's eyes lit up, and dots of starlight filled his eyes, dazzling Shen Tinglan into another momentary daze.
The second young master of the Gu family was universally acknowledged for his good looks.
Usually, he was gentle and polite, like a refined gentleman, so Shen Tinglan hadn't expected Mingting to behave like this in private.
'Was it because we were about to get engaged, becoming fiancés, that he had opened his heart to me?'
This was a good thing for her… After all, who wouldn't want a marriage filled with mutual love and understanding?
Shen Tinglan smiled, becoming more and more charming.
"Tinglan, you should smile more. Your smile is so warm, like a little sun."
Since he was already holding her hand, Mingting took it a step further by wrapping an arm around Shen Tinglan's slender waist. He then lowered his head and murmured softly in her ear, "But you're only allowed to shine for me. Tinglan is my little sun."
The warm breath against her ear was soft and gentle, and the man's refined voice carried a hint of coquettishness, which reminded Shen Tinglan of the 'little puppy' her friend talked about. (T/N: Little puppy here means a clingy and affectionate boyfriend.)
'But the contrast in Mingting's behavior was so stark… had our engagement unlocked some new skill of his?'
After years of experience in the business world, Shen Tinglan was more mature and steady than her peers.
On the other hand, her fiancé seemed like a pampered young master raised in luxury, spoiled to the core.
As his fiancée, what else could she do?
Of course, she had to spoil him!
"Alright, I'll only smile for you." After Shen Tinglan finished speaking, a warm touch brushed her forehead. It was actually Mingting's kiss.
"Tinglan is the best!"
The kiss left Shen Tinglan stunned, instantly making the young couple the center of attention at the scene.
Father and Mother Shen were very satisfied to see Mingting so openly affectionate with their daughter.
Even Father and Mother Gu were grinning from ear to ear at this moment.
Mother Gu whispered to her husband that their 'pig' had finally learned how to 'dig up cabbages'. (T/N: It's usually a way of saying a man has finally started chasing woman.)
Who knew how anxious she, as a mother, had been watching her younger son reach this age without ever having a first love?
At one point, Mother Gu had even suspected her youngest son might prefer men.
'Thankfully, with Tinglan, Mingting would never have to stay single!'