Early the next morning, everyone in the Shen family knew it was the young couple’s birthday. Old Madam Shen had ordered a birthday cake well in advance.
Shen Zui and Jiang Wanting arrived at the dining room one after the other, where everyone was waiting for them.
Once they were seated, the people at the table said in unison, “A Zui, Wanwan, happy birthday to you!”
Except for Shen Yichen, who had returned home after celebrating Old Madam Shen’s birthday the previous night, all the Shen family members were present.
Jiang Wanting was slightly taken aback. She hadn’t expected them to remember that she and Shen Zui shared the same birthday. She thanked each of them one by one.
The Shen family had always adhered to the tradition of not speaking during meals. As the two elders remained silent, everyone quietly ate their breakfast.
After breakfast, Old Madam Shen elegantly wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief and said, “Old He, bring in the cake.”
Not long after, Butler He slowly pushed a cart over. It was a three-tiered couple’s cake, with two cartoon figures in wedding attire—a bride in a wedding dress and a groom in a suit—in the center, along with the names Jiang Wanting and Shen Zui. The cake was adorned with fiery red roses around the edges.
Jiang Wanting fell silent for a moment. This didn’t look like a birthday cake; it looked more like a wedding cake. Still, it was quite beautiful.
Shen Zui’s gaze deepened as his eyes lingered on the cartoon couple on the cake—Shen Zui and Jiang Wanting.
“Grandma, you have such great taste!” Shen Yiyin couldn’t help but exclaim. “How romantic!”
Old Madam Shen couldn’t hide her pride, her face beaming with a smile.
After everyone had enjoyed the young couple’s birthday cake, they presented their gifts one by one. Since Jiang Wanting had not yet officially joined the family, the Shen family paid extra attention to her birthday.
“Sister-in-law,” Shen Yiyin said, taking out a box. “This is my birthday gift to you.”
Jiang Wanting was momentarily stunned. What in the world is that? It was a complete set of gold jewelry—all real gold. The gleam nearly blinded her.
“Thank you, sis.”
Shen Yiyin gave her a playful, reproachful look. “What’s there to thank? We’re all family now.”
Shen Chi and his wife, along with Shen Yichen, gifted Jiang Wanting a seaside villa. When she received the property deed, Jiang Wanting was momentarily speechless—it bore only her name. A four-hundred-square-meter villa.
Shen Yang and his wife, on the other hand, gave Jiang Wanting a storefront in the city center, telling her she could do whatever she wanted with it. Jiang Wanting struggled to contain her excitement and thanked them with a smile.
Wow! I’ve really struck it rich this time—a villa, gold and silver jewelry, and a storefront.
Truly befitting a wealthy family, their generosity was nothing short of extravagant. Jiang Wanting couldn’t help but wear a smile on her lips.
“Now that you’ve all given your gifts, it’s my turn,” Old Madam Shen said, taking Jiang Wanting’s hand and signaling to the butler with her eyes.
“Wanwan, this is the Shen family’s heirloom jade bracelet. Grandma is passing it on to you.”
The jade bracelet was delicate and translucent, with a vibrant and pure color. It was clear at a glance that it was priceless.
Lin Wanyu couldn’t help but feel a pang of surprise. She had been married into the Shen family for so many years, yet Old Madam Shen had never passed it on to her. Now, skipping over the eldest daughter-in-law, she was giving it directly to the youngest daughter-in-law. It was evident just how much Old Madam Shen doted on Shen Zui.
Jiang Wanting was momentarily taken aback and glanced at Shen Zui for help. “Grandma, this is too precious. I can’t accept it.”
Shen Zui paused briefly before saying, “Take it.”
Seeing Jiang Wanting accept the bracelet, Old Madam Shen’s eyes filled with warmth. “Wanwan, A Zui is often busy with work and can’t always take care of you. I’m sorry you have to endure that.”
“It’s no hardship at all. I can take care of myself,” Jiang Wanting replied, shaking her head.
Shen Zui glanced sideways at the girl beside him. She wore a knitted cap, her small face the size of a palm was free of makeup, and her almond-shaped eyes sparkled like stars.
Old Madam Shen sighed softly, “You’re such a sensible child.”
Lin Wanyu chimed in from the side, “Wanwan, if that brat Shen Zui ever bullies you, just tell me.”
Hearing Lin Wanyu refer to herself as “Mom,” Jiang Wanting felt her ears grow warm. They weren’t officially engaged yet—it was only a nominal engagement.
Shen Zui: “…”
After a moment of silence, Old Master Shen spoke up, “Wanwan, come visit often when you have time.”
“Okay,” Jiang Wanting nodded obediently. “Please take care of yourselves, both you and Grandma.”
…
On the way back, Shen Zui took out his phone, opened his WeChat QR code name card, and gestured with his eyes for her to scan it.
Jiang Wanting paused for a moment before taking out her own phone and scanning Shen Zui’s QR code.
With a soft “beep,” what appeared before her eyes was a landscape photo, and the nickname was simply “Shen Zui”—no need for any additional notes.
The driver first dropped Jiang Wanting off at Qianxing Court.
As they neared her home, Jiang Wanting felt for the first time that a short journey could also be painful.
“Contact me on WeChat if anything comes up. Take good care of yourself.”
The man’s deep voice came from above her head.
Jiang Wanting blinked her moist almond-shaped eyes, nodded obediently, opened the car door, and stepped out.
Only after the girl had gotten out of the car and he had watched her enter the building did Shen Zui speak to the driver, “Let’s go.”
Shen Zui took out the gift Jiang Wanting had given him from his pocket—a small blue square box. With his long fingers, he untied the ribbon, revealing a black velvet ring box inside.
With a soft “click,” he opened it to find a Tiffany couple’s ring.
Shen Zui’s deep, cool eyes flickered slightly. As if guided by some inexplicable impulse, he slipped it onto his middle finger. The next moment, he couldn’t take it off.
Shen Zui: “…”
So this was meant to be worn on the ring finger?
Giving a ring as a birthday gift—what was she doing? Proposing? Silly girl. Shen Zui shook his head helplessly.
…
Since adding each other on WeChat last time, Jiang Wanting hadn’t chatted with Shen Zui yet. She knew filming was busy, so she didn’t dare disturb him.
In the past, when she had been a fan of celebrities, it was all online admiration from afar. She had never pursued a guy in real life, so now she truly didn’t know how to interact with Shen Zui.
She posted a Q-version drawing of Shen Zui she had made in his super topic, captioning it: “#Shen Zui# Another day missing my brother [cute]”
Soon, comments started rolling in.
“First floor: OP’s username is pretty straightforward.”
“Second floor: So cute and bouncy! Following you as a content creator.”
“Third floor: The drawing is really good—captures the vibe perfectly.”
Jiang Wanting read through the comments one by one and noticed she had gained quite a few followers.
It seemed being a content creator wasn’t so bad after all.
Hengdian, Shen Zui’s dressing room.
The makeup artist noticed the ring on Shen Zui’s middle finger and paused, makeup brush in hand. Was he engaged? Married so young!
Wang Shan’s gaze lingered on Shen Zui’s slender, well-defined middle finger. The minimalist Tiffany diamond ring looked strikingly handsome on his large, elegant hand.
“A Zui, take off the ring.”
Shen Zui lowered his eyelids slightly, his voice deep. “Can’t take it off.”
Wang Shan’s lips twitched slightly as she instructed her assistant, “Xiao Qing, bring some laundry detergent.”
The ring wasn’t actually too tight—it just happened to be stuck at the knuckle. With a bit of laundry detergent, it slipped right off.
Shen Zui lowered his gaze and meticulously wiped the ring with a tissue, then proceeded to clean each finger of his left hand one by one.
The assistant and makeup artist on the side were stunned. This man was too extraordinary—not only was his face handsome, but even wiping his hands looked so graceful.
Wang Shan glanced at her wristwatch to check the time. “Alright, change clothes.”