Three days later, the two families finally gathered for their arranged meeting.
The elders from both sides sat around the main table, chatting warmly with one another.
Wen Shushu wore a moon-white qipao with a matching cardigan. She sat quietly beside her parents, her eyes lowered as she sipped her tea.
Every movement was graceful and composed, her posture impeccable. There wasn’t the slightest flaw in her manners.
Yet nearly an hour had passed, and the man everyone was waiting for still hadn’t arrived.
Old Master Fu stepped outside to make a phone call, his temper already flaring.
“You little brat! We’ve been waiting for you for an entire hour! Just how important do you think you are?”
“Old man, you’ve dumped an entire company’s worth of work on me. Do you think I have as much free time as you lot, sitting around drinking tea and taking your birds out for walks all day?”
“Enough nonsense! Get over here!”
“Then keep waiting!”
Old Master Fu returned to the private dining room, suppressing his irritation before addressing Wen Shushu with a gentle smile.
“Shushu, if you’re getting bored waiting here, why don’t you take a stroll through the courtyard? The scenery is lovely. Fu Yan got held up by some company matters, so he might be a little longer.”
“All right, Grandpa Fu.”
Wen Shushu rose gracefully and gave the elders a slight bow before making her way toward the courtyard.
As luck would have it, the gardenias were in full bloom.
Their rich fragrance filled the entire courtyard, so intense that one almost wanted to escape it, yet so enchanting that leaving seemed a shame.
Wen Shushu gazed at the blossoms.
Perhaps gardenias were the most honest of all flowers.
They never bloomed halfheartedly, never hid their beauty behind hesitation.
They either remained quietly in bud or opened themselves completely, blooming with all the passion and brilliance they possessed.
She raised her hand and gently supported a gardenia blossom between her fingers.
Tilting her head, she leaned closer and breathed in its fragrance.
How she wished she could live like that.
Freely and passionately.
Without having to conceal who she truly was.
She closed her eyes, allowing herself to become lost in the delicate scent.
So absorbed was she that she failed to notice someone standing behind her.
Fu Yan had just arrived.
As he entered the courtyard corridor, his gaze was suddenly drawn toward a figure bathed in the soft morning light.
He stopped.
A young woman stood among the blooming gardenias, her pale clothing seemingly wrapped in a gentle glow.
She tilted her face toward a flowering branch, her lips slightly parted as she breathed in its fragrance.
A white butterfly had even settled upon her hair, yet she remained completely unaware.
The scene was so peaceful and beautiful that Fu Yan found himself staring.
A breeze swept through the courtyard, carrying the sweet fragrance of gardenias toward him.
Without realizing it, he held his breath.
For some inexplicable reason, his heart seemed to skip a beat.
It wasn’t until Chen Zhou, standing behind him, lightly touched his arm that Fu Yan finally returned to his senses.
He looked away and continued toward the private dining room.
Upon entering, he swept his gaze around the table.
The little seamstress was nowhere to be seen.
A mocking smile tugged at his lips.
So he wasn’t the only one reluctant to go through with this marriage.
Interesting.
That would make things much easier.
Meanwhile, Wen Shushu was still standing beneath the gardenia tree.
She had originally intended to pluck a blossom and take it home.
Her hand reached toward the branch, but just before her fingers touched the stem, she hesitated.
After a moment, she slowly withdrew her hand.
Better to let it bloom freely where it belonged.
There was no need to take it away.
With that thought, she turned and headed back inside.
She gently pushed open the door.
And immediately saw him.
This was her first formal meeting with Fu Yan.
He wore a black leather jacket that emphasized his tall frame.
His features were strikingly sharp, as though carved by a master craftsman.
His dark eyes carried a fierce, almost dangerous intensity, along with an unmistakable air of authority and control.
His presence was so commanding that most people would instinctively hesitate to meet his gaze.
The moment their eyes met, Wen Shushu’s heartbeat faltered.
She hurriedly lowered her head and returned to her seat.
Picking up her teacup, she pretended to drink, hoping to conceal her sudden nervousness.
Fu Yan, however, was momentarily stunned.
It was her.
The little fairy from the courtyard.
He was the first to break the silence.
His voice was deep and slightly husky, carrying the natural authority of someone accustomed to being obeyed.
“Fu Yan.”
Just two words.
No unnecessary pleasantries.
No elaborate introduction.
Wen Shushu gently raised her eyes.
Her voice was soft and pleasant.
“Wen Shushu.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Fu Yan extended his hand.
She hesitated briefly before placing her hand in his.
His palm was broad and unusually warm.
There were thin, hardened calluses along his fingers, giving his touch a slightly rough texture.
His grip was firm and powerful, yet he released her hand almost immediately.
The contact lasted only a moment.
But to Wen Shushu, it felt as though a heated iron had briefly pressed against her skin.
A faint tingling sensation spread through her fingertips.
The tips of her ears quietly turned pink.
Fu Yan’s fingers curled slightly at his side.
Soft. So incredibly soft and delicate.
Her skin was astonishingly smooth.
It was the complete opposite of his own hands, which had grown rough and calloused from years of handling hard objects.
Such a fleeting touch, yet it had somehow stirred an unexpected restlessness within him.
He glanced at the young woman sitting quietly before him.
Her demeanor was gentle, her expression serene, and every movement reflected an upbringing steeped in refinement.
Strangely enough, he found it difficult to reconcile the woman before him with the dull, rigid, hopelessly old-fashioned seamstress he had imagined.
Wen Shushu, meanwhile, was still thinking about that brief handshake.
The unfamiliar sensation lingered in her mind.
She was even quietly considering what she ought to say next.
After all, this was supposed to be their first proper conversation.
Surely they would need to exchange a few words, learn something about each other, and perhaps discuss their expectations for the future.
But before she could decide how to begin, the man lowered his head and took a sip of tea.
Then he looked up.
His next words were delivered with startling decisiveness.
“I agree. Let’s get it done as soon as possible.”
Wen Shushu’s hand froze around her teacup.
For a moment, her mind went completely blank.
He agreed?
Just like that?
They had barely exchanged their names!
They hadn’t even had a proper conversation, yet he had already decided on something as important as marriage?
Wasn’t this man being far too casual about a decision that would determine the rest of their lives?
“Good! Good! Excellent!”
Old Master Fu exclaimed three times in succession, his face lighting up with delight.
It seemed his troublesome grandson had finally taken a liking to his future wife.
He couldn’t have been more pleased.
“Then let’s arrange for you two to register your marriage as soon as possible. There’s no need to rush the wedding ceremony itself. We can take our time planning that and make sure everything is properly arranged.”
The elders from both families readily agreed.
No one raised any objections.
The atmosphere instantly became cheerful and harmonious.
Everyone seemed delighted with the outcome.
Everyone except Wen Shushu.
Her heart slowly sank.
Her entire future had just been decided by a single sentence from a man she barely knew.
She tightened her fingers around the teacup and bit her lower lip.
Yet she said nothing.
Fu Yan appeared indifferent, casually sitting in his chair as though the matter had already been settled.
In truth, he had noticed every one of her subtle reactions.
The way her fingers tightened.
The faint pressure of her teeth against her lip.
The unmistakable reluctance she was trying so carefully to conceal.
It seemed the little seamstress wasn’t particularly pleased with the arrangement.
Fu Yan gave a quiet snort.
A faint, mischievous smile curved his lips.
How interesting.
At the elders’ insistence, the two exchanged contact information through WeChat.
Wen Shushu’s profile picture was a gardenia.
Fu Yan’s was a blazing flame.
One was a delicate white flower, quiet and restrained, hiding a passionate spirit beneath its gentle petals.
The other was a fierce, untamed fire, burning brightly without the slightest intention of being controlled.
Just like the two of them.
Wen Shushu.
Fu Yan.