The Cinnabar Mole of a Beijing Circle Tycoon

With fewer courses in her senior year, Shen Qingyao joined a research group, assisting her senior classmates while also working on her own graduation thesis topic.

Xiang Yu started dating at the very end of her university years. Her boyfriend was a graduate student in the computer science department. One was calm and quiet, while the other was cheerful and lively.

Xu Huihui's desk was piled high with civil service exam textbooks, past exam papers, and colorful notes, with highlighters marking up the pages with dense notes.

She gets up at six o'clock every day without fail to memorize current affairs, then goes to the library to practice questions. She has accumulated a thick stack of draft paper, and even her speech has a bit of an "essay writing" feel to it.

Occasionally, when she saw Xiang Yu and her boyfriend being affectionate, she would sigh, pen in hand, "Nothing beats getting out of trouble!"

After saying that, he buried himself in the sea of ​​questions again, his pen swishing across the paper with a soft rustling sound.

Lu Ying was also busy preparing for her wedding. The wedding preparations were very complicated and required a year in advance.

-

The moonlight, like a ribbon, poured onto the glazed tiles of Fenghua Palace, coating them with a layer of clear, cold jade-like radiance.

The artificial lake is as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the full moon in the sky as if it were a pair. In the shimmering waves, the upturned eaves of the painted boats on the opposite bank can also be seen swaying.

The sounds of silk and bamboo instruments and gongs drifted on the evening breeze, a melodious Peking Opera performance of "The Drunken Beauty".

A round table made of rosewood sat in the lakeside pavilion, with fruits and mooncakes exquisitely arranged on a celadon plate. The aroma of osmanthus wine filled the air, sweet and refreshing.

Meng Jiangyu rested one hand on the back of Shen Qingyao's chair, his knuckles tapping casually. His gaze was not on the lake, but fixed on the person beside him as she lowered her head to eat a mooncake, a hint of tenderness playing at the corners of his mouth.

Shen Qingyao's cheeks flushed from his gaze. She reached under the table and gently pinched his palm, her voice low as she said, "Don't stare at me."

Meng Jiangyu's Adam's apple bobbed. He grabbed her wrist with his other hand, his fingertips tracing the white diamond bracelet on her wrist. His tone was indifferent yet authoritative: "Is there anything wrong with looking at my people?"

Zhou Yanqiu, who was standing next to him, joked, "Cousin, it's been three years already, how can you still be so lovey-dovey?"

Meng Jiangyu was in a good mood, a smile playing on his lips: "Don't even mention three years, it would still be the same in thirty years."

Xu Mingxuan took a sip of tea. "Oh my, so this is how old houses catch fire."

Lu Linchuan raised an eyebrow and changed the subject at the right moment, "Oh, that voice is so bright, you can tell at a glance that it's a Mei School performer."

"Yes." Zhou Yanqiu held a cigarette between his fingers, not lighting it, just playing with it.

Xu Xi, a rising star in the entertainment industry, was standing beside him, wearing a light pink cheongsam that accentuated her slender figure. She was timidly pouring him wine, her voice as soft as cotton: "Brother Yanqiu, this osmanthus wine is sweet, would you like to try some?"

"Alright." Zhou Yanqiu took a sip of the wine that was brought to his lips, glanced at the lake, and chuckled, "Mingxuan, the one next to you is quite quiet."

Xu Mingxuan, whose name was mentioned, looked up, put his arm around Wen Qing's waist, and smiled casually: "My wife doesn't like to talk much, unlike Miss Xu, who knows how to coax people."

Wen Qing was a model, wearing a simple white dress. She had a cool and aloof demeanor. Upon hearing this, she simply nodded slightly and said nothing more. Her gaze was fixed on the full moon, as quiet as a painting.

On the stage, the imperial concubine was singing "The moon rises over the sea," the melody melodious and gentle, blending with the lake breeze and moonlight, tender and lingering.

Shen Qingyao listened intently, leaning her head against Meng Jiangyu's shoulder, her nose brushing against the faint scent of cedar on his shirt.

Meng Jiangyu lowered his eyes and gently tidied her wind-blown hair with his fingertips, his movements incredibly light.

"Just before the family dinner, I was chatting with my grandma in the room, and she gave me a white jade hairpin." Shen Qingyao looked at Meng Jiangyu's glasses.

"Is it carved with orchids, and the leaves are green?"

"Hmm, you've met him before?" Shen Qingyao asked curiously.

"This is a token of love that her grandfather gave her. The jade is rare; there is no other like it in the world."

"Oh, that's too valuable. I have to return it to Grandma." Shen Qingyao hadn't expected it to be so valuable.

"It's alright. Since Grandma gave it to you, it's yours."

"That won't do."

"You'll be my wife sooner or later, and Grandma will be yours eventually."

Shen Qingyao blushed slightly, hearing him call her "wife" for the first time. "Oh dear, I'm not yet."

"It was bound to happen sooner or later," Meng Jiangyu reassured him. "Just keep the gift safe and don't think it's too valuable, because you deserve it."

"My aunt just told me that my second sister-in-law is pregnant."

"Really? After five or six years of marriage, she's finally pregnant. Second brother must be overjoyed."

Lu Linchuan leaned close to Su Wan's ear: "How did Meng Jiangyu, that iron tree, end up with Shen Qingyao? Who's ever seen him so gentle with anyone before?"

"It's not like we've never met before." Su Wan smiled, pursing her lips, and picked up a piece of lotus seed paste mooncake. "It's called one thing subduing another."

Su Wan peeled a lychee. "Yaoyao, you've met the elders of the Meng family!"

"Yes, a while ago, Ayu took me to the Meng family's old house."

"It seems the wedding is just around the corner," Su Wan said with a smile.

Meng Jiangyu picked up the conversation, "Wait until Yao Yao graduates."

Xu Xi looked at Shen Qingyao's shy appearance with envy, but she also knew that Zhou Yanqiu was the most powerful person she could get close to, so pleasing him was the best course of action.

She is determined to secure the luxury brand endorsement and the lead role in Director Zhang's new film.

The moonlight shone even brighter, bathing the entire pavilion in its light. The singing from the painted boat continued, and the air was filled with the sweet fragrance of fruits mixed with the aroma of wine.

Shen Qingyao took a bite of the butterfly pastry. "Wanwan, how have you been lately?"

"Not bad." Su Wan pondered, "The elders in the Lu family are urging us to have a baby, and we've started trying to conceive."

"So eager? You just got married."

"Grandma is in poor health and wants to see her great-grandchildren born."

"So that's how it is." Shen Qingyao said thoughtfully.

That's good too. Sister Fang has already let go of her resentment, seeing the vastness of the world and appreciating the small joys of life.

They each went their separate ways to find their own happiness.

The singing in the painted boat happened to be a high note, Du Liniang's line "The flowers are blooming in vibrant colors," the melodious tune wrapped in moonlight, flowing over the eaves, over the lake, and into the pavilion.

Looking at the painted boat and the full moon across the way, Shen Qingyao remarked, "The architecture here is so elegant. The natural scenery and man-made landscape complement each other beautifully."

"This was specially designed by a Suzhou garden designer that Yanqiu had asked." Meng Jiangyu's voice was deep and mellow, like an evening breeze brushing against the strings of a zither. He casually peeled an orange for her, arranging the peeled segments on a white porcelain plate, the thin skin completely removed.

"No wonder it's so high-end. Although it's man-made, it's as if it were made by nature." Shen Qingyao picked up a segment of orange and put it in her mouth. The sweet and sour juice spread on her tongue.

She smiled with her eyes crinkling, her profile softened by the moonlight. "The curve of the eaves and the placement of the lake stones all reveal ingenuity."

"This garden is the epitome of private garden architecture. I'll take you for a walk on the covered bridge later. Every step reveals a new scene, and the view changes with every step." Meng Jiangyu raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping across the lake and landing on the corner of her lips, which were stained with a little orange juice. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he reached out and gently wiped it off with his fingertips, a movement so natural it seemed like a habit etched into his bones.

Shen Qingyao's cheeks flushed slightly, and she turned her head away, but he took the opportunity to pinch her chin, the temperature of his fingertips carrying the cool scent of snow.

"What are you hiding from?" he chuckled softly, shimmering moonlight in the darkness of his eyes. "Are the oranges sweet?"

Shen Qingyao replied, "Sweet."