Not only did she fail to catch the person, but she also had to attend Du Ningyang’s engagement banquet that evening!
The Du residence was brightly lit, the main hall adorned with flowers and bustling with excitement.
With the Du-Mu marriage alliance, nearly every prominent family in Haicheng had come, congratulations rising one after another, and Du Ningyang was undoubtedly the center of attention.
The Du family’s current generation had far more sons than daughters, with only two young ladies in total.
Usually, the two girls fought like cats and dogs, and the elders would both fret and enjoy the spectacle. Now that Du Ningyang had finally found her match, the elders naturally couldn’t resist some nagging.
“Look at Ningyang—in the blink of an eye, she’s getting married. She was still such a tiny little baby back then. Once you’re married, you’re an adult now. You can’t keep doing what you used to do, spending all day teasing your little sister and sending her running around the house in a fury.”
“That’s right, Ningyang. Though the Du family’s eldest daughter will never worry about finding a match, once you’re in the Mu family, you still need to rein in that personality of yours. You look like the most sensible one, but really, you’re full of mischief.”
The elders chattered on, surrounding her with endless advice.
Du Ningyang smiled and nodded casually, but in her heart, she was thinking about how to use this golden opportunity to show off in front of Du Youling.
Just as she was thinking, she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye and spotted Du Youling shuffling listlessly through the front door in a tracksuit.
Du Ningyang’s eyes lit up instantly.
“Oh, don’t just keep nagging at me!” Du Ningyang cut off the elders’ chatter with a bright smile, her gaze fixed on the entrance. “Look, Youyou’s back!”
In an instant, the whole group of elders turned around in a flurry. The moment they spotted Du Youling, the target of their nagging immediately shifted, and they swarmed around her.
“Youling, where did you run off to this afternoon? Your sister’s already settled down—you should start taking things seriously too. You’re a young lady, don’t go around all day like some disillusioned slacker. Take some time to dress yourself up.”
“Look, your sister’s already ahead of you now. I’ve seen that Mu boy myself—he really is handsome. Why not have your brother-in-law scout out a fine young man from the Mu family’s younger generation for you? There are plenty of good prospects among them.”
Seeing the elders’ enthusiasm rising, looking like they were about to flip open a marriage registry and play matchmaker on the spot, Du Youling immediately shook her head frantically like a rattle-drum. “No need, no need! I already have someone I like!”
The moment those words left her mouth, the chattering elders froze in place, stunned.
A long pause.
“Oh my! Really? Our Youling has finally come around?”
Beside her, Du Ningyang blinked, staring at Du Youling with suspicion.
Wasn’t this little firecracker usually a stone-hearted tomboy? Where did this sudden “someone I like” come from? Could she be making it up just to brush off the elders?
The elders’ interest was instantly piqued, and they crowded even tighter around her, firing off questions one after another.
“Tell us quickly—which family’s young master is it? What does he do?”
“That’s right, that’s right. We know everyone of note in Haicheng’s circles. Tell us who it is, and we’ll give him a once-over first, see if he’s reliable!”
Faced with the elders’ overwhelming curiosity, Du Youling, sweating bullets, announced loudly, “Oh, I can’t say yet! I’m still pursuing him! Once I win him over, I promise I’ll bring him back to show you all!”
Du Ningyang nearly laughed out loud at that. She reached over and gave Du Youling’s puffed-up, pretty little face a firm pinch.
“So someone not only got engaged after me, but is still pining away in unrequited love.”
“My dear little sister, the menu tonight is quite lavish. I specially had them prepare your favorite king crab. Eat plenty to nourish that brain of yours—after all, the next time you want to eat it, you’ll have to wait until I’m married into the Mu family and come back for the return-visit banquet.”
“And if you really can’t catch him, your big sister will look after you well in the Mu family. I won’t let anyone bully you!”
Du Youling glared at her smug, gloating face, swatted her hand away, and ground her teeth with a cold laugh. “What kind of big sister are you? You’re only three months older than me! Du Ningyang, don’t get too cocky!”
“Three months older is still older. What’s the matter—couldn’t you have been born three months earlier? Little sister, keep chasing! Big sister’s waiting for your good news!”
Du Youling gritted her teeth, then suddenly fixed Du Ningyang with a sinister smile. “Who laughs last doesn’t always win! Before your wedding, I’m definitely going to give you a bombshell of a gift!”
With that, Du Youling turned and left the hall without looking back.
Du Ningyang stood in place, watching the little firecracker’s furious retreating figure, the smile at the corners of her lips impossible to suppress.
Before she could pull her gaze away, a sturdy arm slid around her waist from the side.
Mu Jingyao walked over with a wine glass in hand, following her line of sight, then looked down at her with some exasperation. “You’re teasing her again.”
He’d been watching from nearby while the elders swarmed Du Youling with their nagging.
These two sisters had never been able to stay peaceful whenever they were in the same room, and today Du Ningyang’s fox tail was practically wagging into a blur.
Du Ningyang tilted her head to glance at him, then her gaze drifted back to the direction Du Youling had gone.
She pressed her palms together, tilted her head to rest against her hands, and cooed with affectionate amusement, “Oh my, oh my, Youyou is just too adorable! An explosive-level gift? I can’t wait.”
Du Youling returned to her bedroom and flopped onto the soft bed without a shred of dignity.
The video call had barely rung twice before Song Shan’s face appeared on the screen, looking like she’d just crawled out of a coal mine.
Seeing the murderous look on Du Youling’s face, Song Shan carefully adjusted the edge of her face mask while clicking her tongue and shaking her head. “Didn’t catch Mu Linjiang, did you? I told you, that old man isn’t so easy to ambush. My advice? Give up!”
“Give up? Those two words don’t exist in my dictionary!”
Du Youling sprang up with a fish-flip, her eyes blazing with fierce determination. “I can lose to anyone in this life, but never to Du Ningyang! I have to land that old man!”
Song Shan on the other end of the screen wore an “I knew it” expression, crooking her finger at Du Youling. “Alright, alright, I know you’ve got a stubborn streak. But lucky for you, your chance has come again. I just dug up some first-hand confidential intel from my dad’s secretary—Mu Linjiang is meeting an important client at the Tingfeng Private Tea House tomorrow night at nine.”
“Tingfeng Tea House?” Du Youling raised an eyebrow.
“Yep, that Tingfeng Tea House at the foot of South Mountain with the notoriously insane security.” Song Shan ripped off her mask. “The bamboo grove corridor behind the tea house is a security blind spot. You sneak in through the bamboo, and the moment you see him, you hit him with that aggressive overtaking move you use on the racetrack—and propose to him directly!”
“Once you propose, how far off can Du Ningyang calling you ‘little auntie’ be?”
Du Youling’s blood was boiling. She slammed her fist into her pillow. “Deal! That ‘little auntie’ seat is mine! If I don’t bag him tomorrow night, I’ll flip my name around and go by Ling Youdu!”