"Вut wоuldn't Gu Ноngdao оffеnd Ning Zhеng bу dоing this?" Wu Mangmang соuldn't help аsking curiouslу аgаin. "Оnе shоuldn't flirt with a friend's wifе."
Lu Qingqing laughed. "Haha, that's оnlу when thе friend's wifе isn't riсh еnоugh. Who wоuldn't likе а wоmаn like Shеn Yuanzi, who's prасticаlly studded with diamоnds? He аnd Ning Zheng arе just friеnds, but if hе mаrriеs Shеn Yuаnzi and solidifiеs his rеlatiоnshiр with thе Shen fаmily, wоuld hе reallу bе afrаid of offending Ning Zhеng?"
Wu Mangmang thоught thаt mаde sеnse.
"Are уоu gоing to thе еngаgеmеnt рartу tоmorrоw?" Lu Qingqing teхted Wu Mаngmang аgаin.
"Yеs," Wu Mаngmаng rерlied. Shen Yuanzi hаd personally dеlivered the invitаtion—how сould shе nоt go?
Аctually, Wu Mangmang felt rather "flattered." She never thought she could threaten Shen Yuanzi's position as Mrs. Ning. They really thought too highly of her.
At the engagement party, Shen Yuanzi looked truly beautiful. The red gown made her appear as noble as an empress, though her smile was a bit too icy, while Ning Zheng remained expressionless.
Liu Lewei brought Wu Mangmang and Wu Dandan over to greet Shen Ting's aunt, Shen Jingmei. Both siblings were very well-behaved, as Ms. Liu had threatened them before coming—one with allowance money and the other with the threat of smashing a car model.
"So this is Mangmang? So pretty and well-behaved. Lewei, you're very fortunate," Shen Jingmei said unexpectedly kindly, a world apart from Shen Ting and Shen Yuanzi.
Wu Mangmang quickly thanked her.
"Truly beautiful, no wonder even someone like our Shen Ting nodded in approval when he came back last time," Shen Jingmei said. "But our Shen Ting is a bit cold by nature. He never shows what he likes on his face. Actually, if a girl takes the initiative a little, she could definitely win him over."
Wu Mangmang could only smile politely. She couldn't stand Shen Ting's cold demeanor.
"Yes, this is a new era. If women nowadays don't take the initiative, all the good men will be snatched away by others," Liu Lewei flattered.
Shen Jingmei smiled and nodded, then turned and waved to Shen Ting, who was not far away.
When Shen Ting walked over, Shen Jingmei said with a smile, "Shen Ting, why don't you help me entertain Mangmang? I still have something to discuss with your Aunt Liu."
This was undeniably a "blatant" matchmaking attempt.
Shen Ting nodded and stayed to stand with Wu Mangmang for a while. After a minute, he asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Wu Mangmang lifted her eyelids. "Didn't you say you were very satisfied with how little I talk?"
Shen Ting actually smiled, which was rare. After a moment, he suddenly asked, "Last time you were with Gu Hongdao, were you acting as his translator?"
Wu Mangmang didn't understand why Shen Ting suddenly brought this up. "Oh, not exactly a translator. He paid me to be his companion."
Shen Ting frowned. "How does he know you? Are you short on money?"
Wu Mangmang said, "I was a bit short at the time. His secretary found me online."
Shen Ting frowned again. "You should do less of that kind of thing in the future. It's too dangerous for a girl."
Wu Mangmang blinked, somewhat confused by Shen Ting's attitude.
Shen Ting fell silent. He wasn't very good at socializing with women—usually, women were the ones who socialized with him.
And if Wu Mangmang didn't pick up the conversation, Shen Ting didn't know how to continue.
Shen Ting regretted misunderstanding Wu Mangmang last time. Later, after becoming familiar with Gu Hongdao, he asked him about it, and Gu Hongdao explained that he and Wu Mangmang weren't in that kind of relationship.
Now, Shen Ting wanted to apologize, but he had no proper reason to do so.Wu Mangmang, however, didn’t care much for Shen Ting’s tone, which felt like that of an elder. She responded perfunctorily and fell silent.
In the end, it was Shen Ting who spoke first. “Why didn’t you return my calls after we got back from the yacht?”
Wu Mangmang answered honestly, “Actually, I’m usually quite talkative. That day, I only seemed quiet because you were on the phone the whole time.”
Shen Ting hadn’t expected to hear such a refusal from Wu Mangmang. He wasn’t a shameless person, and bringing this up again today was already quite unusual for him.
Hearing this, Shen Ting nodded apologetically and then left.
Wu Mangmang breathed a sigh of relief. Aloof male gods were a bit too much for her to handle. Besides, with Shen Ting’s proper demeanor, he probably wouldn’t be able to handle her when she had one of her episodes.
Wu Mangmang actually felt a little regretful too. Looking at Shen Ting’s waist and hips, his figure was quite nice.
Just as Wu Mangmang was lost in thought, Liǔ Lèwéi grabbed her by the elbow. “Lu Sui is here. Come with me to say hello.”
Wu Mangmang glanced over. Lu Sui’s entrance was like a star surrounded by the moon, almost stealing the spotlight from the newlyweds. A crowd of people was waiting to chat with him, and Wu Mangmang didn’t think it was a good time.
“There are too many people around him. Isn’t it a bit rude for us to barge over like this?” Wu Mangmang said.
Liǔ Lèwéi shot Wu Mangmang a glare, grabbed Wù Dàndàn, and headed toward Lu Sui. Wù Dàndàn cleverly took Wu Mangmang’s hand.
Wu Song also walked over to join Ms. Liu, and the family of four “marched” over to Lu Sui.
Wu Mangmang felt her face flush. The feeling of rushing over to flatter someone was truly uncomfortable.
“Mr. Lu,” Wu Song called out to Lu Sui, raising his voice slightly. He was actually a bit nervous inside. Although Lu Sui was relatively approachable, he didn’t just give face to anyone.
At that moment, the people around Lu Sui turned to look at Wu Song, their expressions clearly asking, “Who is this?”
Hearing the voice, Lu Sui also looked over. His eyes swept over Wu Mangmang first before settling on Wu Song, remaining silent for a moment.
Just as everyone fell silent, waiting to see the joke of this suddenly appearing family, they heard Lu Sui say, “Mr. Wu.”
Wu Song immediately breathed a sigh of relief. When Liǔ Lèwéi had urged him to come over earlier, he hadn’t wanted to. Approaching without an introduction to make small talk was highly inappropriate.
Wu Song hadn’t expected Lu Sui to know his surname. This was truly a pleasant surprise.
The hardest part was getting started. Now that the ice was broken, Wu Song was able to exchange a few casual words with Lu Sui.
The mischievous child Wù Dàndàn, ignoring Wu Mangmang’s attempts to stop him, rushed up to Lu Sui and looked up, about to call out to him.
Wu Mangmang’s heart tightened, fearing that Wù Dàndàn would call Lu Sui “Daddy.” If that happened, Ms. Liu would certainly become famous.
“Hello, Uncle Lu,” Wù Dàndàn called out politely. “Thank you for the car model you gave me last time.”
“You’re welcome,” Lu Sui nodded.
“My mom said it’s impolite to take things from others without giving something in return, so I have to give you a gift too. But I didn’t bring it today.”
A child’s innocence was truly a powerful weapon in social settings, breaking through all barriers.
Lu Sui smiled slightly. “Thank you.”Ms. Liu quickly chimed in, "Yes, Mr. Lu, last time Dandan was being childish and caused you trouble. Would it be convenient to have the gift delivered to your residence?"
Lu Sui replied, "Thank you. You can just give it to my assistant."
Well, that concluded the pleasantries. Boss Wu and Ms. Liu were already quite pleased to have taken up so much of the "God of Wealth's" time.
More importantly, Lu Sui had graciously accepted the gift instead of refusing it.
Ms. Liu and Boss Wu were practically ready to throw a party in their hearts.
Both of them couldn't help but heap praise on little Wù Dàndàn. Ms. Liu hugged and kissed him repeatedly, and to all of Dandan's unreasonable demands, Boss Wu had only one answer: "Yes, yes, yes, buy, buy, buy."
Wu Mangmang stood silently to the side. She didn't really want to watch, but the three of them were being a bit too exaggerated, especially Ms. Liu, who had called out "Mommy's good boy" countless times.
Unfortunately, Wu Mangmang didn't have a mirror, but even if she did, she probably wouldn't dare to look at her own face right now—it was likely as sour as unripe green oranges, if not more so.
Ning Zheng stood not far away, having glanced over unintentionally, but on Wu Mangmang's face, he saw an expression he hadn't expected to see on her.
Lonely and longing.
Just a young girl—Ning Zheng had thought Wu Mangmang would only have the carefree nature of youth, with vanity, pride, and ignorant innocence.
But this kind of deep-seated loneliness was something she shouldn't have, because it truly made one's heart ache.
Ning Zheng followed Wu Mangmang's gaze.
Family affection?
Something that easily wavers when there are too many children?
For the sake of his own father's affection, he had no choice but to marry Shěn Yuànzǐ.
After watching for a moment, Ning Zheng took a step toward Wu Mangmang, but before he could take half a step, Shěn Yuànzǐ linked arms with him.
"The ceremony is about to begin," Shěn Yuànzǐ said with a smile, looking at Ning Zheng.
"Mangmang," Lu Lin's voice sounded beside Wu Mangmang's shoulder.
"Sister Lu Lin," Wu Mangmang switched to a smiling face.
Ms. Liu, naturally sharp-eyed, noticed Lu Lin and saw that she had actually taken the initiative to greet Mangmang. She quickly walked over as well. "Miss Lu."
Lu Lin glanced at Liǔ Lèwéi, and Wu Mangmang hurriedly introduced, "Sister Lu Lin, this is my mother."
"Miss Lu, I'm a huge fan of yours. I absolutely adore your designs," Liǔ Lèwéi said. The gown she was wearing tonight was a haute couture piece from Double L.
Lu Lin smiled. "I'm truly honored. Mangmang attended this season's new collection show. I wonder if she saw anything suitable for you, Ms. Liu. If so, I could send a piece to your mother in advance."
Liǔ Lèwéi was practically overwhelmed with joy, smiling so widely she could hardly close her mouth.
After chatting for a bit longer, Lu Lin added, "A friend of mine is holding a solo violin concert tour in the city next month. Would Mangmang be interested in attending?"
"Is it Wang Yuan?" Liǔ Lèwéi mentioned a name that was practically a household one in the country—a violinist who had successfully brought Chinese talent to the world stage.
Lu Lin nodded.
Wu Mangmang had never been able to appreciate such highbrow art. Occasionally dragged out to "cultivate her taste," she would simply sleep through the entire performance.
But in front of Ms. Liu, Wu Mangmang couldn't refuse. Suddenly, she felt she understood a little of what Ning Zheng meant.If Ms. Liu forced Wu Mangmang to marry Lu Lin, Wu Mangmang thought about it and realized she wasn’t entirely sure she would refuse.
"Mangmang learned the violin when she was young and has always greatly admired Wang Yuan," Liu Lewei said, giving Wu Mangmang’s waist a gentle pinch.
Wu Mangmang had no choice but to say, "Thank you, I do indeed admire Wang Yuan."
To achieve such accomplishments, one must practice repeatedly and tediously, right? It’s something beyond ordinary people’s reach.
"I’ll have my assistant send you the tickets later. If Ms. Liu is interested, please join us as well. Thank you very much," Lu Lin said with a smile before nodding and leaving.
The engagement banquet was a great success, and the ceremony was grand, but no matter how grand it was, what did it really matter?
Wu Mangmang couldn’t help but complain to Wu Yong, "Don’t you think they don’t respect marriage at all? Why do they even bother getting married? And why can’t they just get married directly instead of having an engagement? Isn’t this just giving everyone a chance to back out?"
"Engagements are probably just a custom in their social circle. Besides, isn’t it good to give people a chance to reconsider?" Wu Yong replied.
"No, it’s not. If there’s a possibility of regret, they shouldn’t make a marriage promise in the first place," Wu Mangmang said, lowering her head and hugging a cushion on the sofa, resting her chin on it.
Wu Yong made a few notes on his paper.
Unwilling to dwell on the heavy topic of marriage any longer, Wu Mangmang turned to a more somber subject. "Dr. Wu, I always feel like a guest in my own home. No matter how hard I try, I feel like I can never truly belong. I’m already this old, and having such thoughts—isn’t it too sentimental?"
"No, it’s not," Wu Yong told her firmly.
Wu Mangmang’s gaze drifted to the floor, looking somewhat lost. "You know, at one point, I even thought that if I could become Wù Dàndàn, I’d be willing to marry Lu Lin if Ms. Liu asked me to. Do you think I’ve gone crazy?"
She suddenly looked up at Wu Yong.
"Mangmang," Wu Yong put down his pen and looked at her seriously. "You’re not crazy. Having such thoughts just means you’re longing for something too much."
Wu Mangmang wiped the moisture from the corner of her eye with the back of her index finger. "I know, I was just thinking out loud. If there really were a magical fairy who could grant my wish, I probably wouldn’t want to be a lesbian after all."
She gathered her spirits and continued, "Actually, Dr. Wu, when I watch TV or read magazines and see women’s bodies, I also feel excited and find myself staring for a while. Do you think I might actually have lesbian tendencies?"
"Most women react the same way when they see a perfect female figure. That’s perfectly normal. But if you only feel that way toward women’s bodies, then that might indicate lesbian tendencies."
Wu Mangmang’s mind flashed to Lu Sui’s abs, confirming that she would also drool over them, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
But Lu Lin’s advances were too aggressive, and Wu Mangmang was struggling to handle them. She proactively asked Ms. Liu to arrange a reliable blind date for her.
Having a boyfriend would be a safer bet.
Wu Mangmang had never wished for a successful blind date as much as she did now. She desperately hoped that when she went to watch Wang Yuan’s violin tour next month, she could bring along her brand-new boyfriend.
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