A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

"Um... Brother Zheng, I'll go back to the car and get my things."

"Haha, okay, go ahead."

"I'll go offer you a toast in a bit."

"good."\

After they parted ways, Li Mu politely bowed slightly to Brother Zheng, then followed Bie Yan out again.

Bie Yan drove straight to his Accord and opened the trunk.

But instead of searching for things, he held up two fingers to Li Mu and whispered:

"The second-in-command's secretary."

Li Mu was taken aback and subconsciously asked:

"city?"\

"No, even higher."

Li Mu's eyes widened immediately:

"ah?"\

"..."\

Bie Yan nodded silently, then began to mutter:

"His surname is Dong... Dong... who is he?"

He kept thinking about it.

But for Li Mu, he only realized one thing…

The engagement party that allowed Brother Zheng to attend in someone else's place...

Who is Weiwei's boyfriend...?

He pondered for a while, then suddenly felt Brother Bie's gaze fall upon him.

Then, regaining his senses, he asked:

"Brother Bie, what's wrong?"

"Little Li...you really are a lucky charm."

？\

Li Mu was taken aback.

But Bie Yan knew perfectly well that, putting aside other circumstances for now, she should just focus on one point… engagement banquets are usually for family and friends; outsiders are rarely invited.

After all, this isn't a wedding banquet.

The reason the two of them received invitations was because of their dinner at Director Zhang's house last month, wasn't it?

So the question is, why did the old director invite us to dinner?

It's very simple... a thank you.

What should I thank you for?

Thanks to Xie Biege's connections, the former director, who had been ostracized, was able to continue contributing to *Finance* magazine instead of wasting his time at *Men's Wear*.

To put it bluntly, in this organization, the salary of a retired director is a level lower than that of a retired editorial board member.

It was Xiao Li's suggestion, "Why not become friends?", that spurred me to put the former director, who had essentially been ousted, in my brother-in-law's care.

But at this critical juncture, he hadn't seen Zhang Wei for about two or three years, so naturally he didn't know anything about the girl's situation.

In other words, this was a timely act of kindness; as a former "student," seeing the teacher suffer injustice, he prepared a way out for her.

Both emotionally and rationally, this is a precious sentiment.

The old director had led so many people, but in the end, when he was about to leave, only he himself came to see him off.

Most importantly, the entire matter was not motivated by any utilitarian motives.

When I was young, you took care of me. Now that I'm grown up, it's my turn to make plans for you.

But now... when he met Brother Zheng, the situation suddenly changed.

Adding flowers to brocade is worthless, but offering charcoal in the snow is an act of kindness that overflows.

And all of this...

It was Xiao Li who instigated it.

"ha."\

He chuckled softly and said to Li Mu:

"Let's go, this engagement party seems to be quite high-profile. Let's go check it out and see what kind of boyfriend Weiwei has up her sleeve!"

"……OK."\

The two closed the trunk of the car, took out the invitations, and went into the restaurant.

Following the signs, we arrived at the banquet hall. After presenting our invitations, the receptionist politely seated us at a table near the front of the small banquet hall.

After taking his seat, Bie Yan began his inspection.

But I found that all these people were quite unfamiliar.

They must all be relatives of both sides. But… his journalistic intuition keenly detected a subtle difference.

Some of my relatives have a certain air about them that's not quite right.

Or rather, it's different compared to the relatives on the old director's side.

He even heard some accents from other regions.

But he didn't say anything, and instead sat quietly with Li Mu, waiting for the engagement banquet to begin.

Time passed by, second by second.

As it approached midnight, the waiters started pushing carts and serving the dishes.

At that moment, Li Mu suddenly noticed that the side door at the far end of the small banquet hall, next to a small red stage symbolizing a happy marriage, had opened.

"Brother Bie."

Li Mu nudged Bie Yan.

Following the sound, Bie Yan saw the old director and his wife, along with Zhang Wei, emerge first. Then, an unremarkable-looking young man and a middle-aged couple followed behind.

Li Mu's attention was entirely on the young man.

Judging by his age... he should be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, definitely not thirty.

Her appearance... is indeed rather ordinary.

The kind of person you wouldn't notice even in a crowd.

Wearing a well-fitting suit and black-rimmed glasses, she looked remarkably similar to Zhang Wei, who was made up and looked even more beautiful...

Well.\

How should I put it?

At this moment, Li Mu's truest thought was that a toad and a swan were a perfect match.

This was his very, very truest thought.

Just imagine how stark the contrast is.

Zhang Wei is really beautiful, whether it's her height, her temperament, or her looks. Even though Li Mu has seen many celebrities in the film and television industry...

That's what everyone thinks.

But paired with this guy, the contrast is even stronger.

But just then… Bie Yan’s eyes widened suddenly, as if she had seen something extremely surprising. She quickly pulled Li Mu aside and whispered in his ear:

"Prosecutor's Office."

？\

While Li Mu was still in a daze, the older brother added:

"Province."\

"..."\

Li Mu's lips twitched.

Goodness.

It's a case of mistakenly trespassing into the imperial palace.

……\

The engagement party was actually quite simple. After the parents and the couple made their entrance, they went up to the stage, greeted the guests, and then announced the couple's wedding date.

September 1st in the Gregorian calendar, July 24th in the lunar calendar.

Sunday is a good day.

Then, witnessed by the guests, the two families exchanged a dowry of 10,000 yuan, along with three gold pieces and other betrothal gifts including tobacco, alcohol, candy, tea, and lotus root.

Finally, the newlyweds bowed to the guests, and the banquet began.

To be honest, it's very simple, even quite understated.

Especially considering the scale of this restaurant... it's incredibly understated and simple.

But the taste was just right.

The kind that no one can find fault with.

As for the taste of the food... it was pretty good.

Li Mu seemed to enjoy the meal.

Next comes the toasting ceremony by the newlyweds.

Dong Huaiming and Zhang Wei, holding cups of drinks, went from table to table offering toasts.

Soon they arrived at Bie Yan and Li Mu's table.

"Brother Bie, Little Li."

Zhang Wei greeted them first, while Bie Yan smiled and said:

"Haha, Weiwei, you've finally decided not to hide anymore?"

"hey-hey."\

Zhang Wei smiled happily, then said to her future husband:

"Da Ming, this is Bie Yan, the brother I told you about. This is Xiao Li, Xiao Li is really amazing, he just won the first prize of the National News Award."

Li Mu quickly smiled and said:

"Sister Weiwei, you're making me blush with your praise."

Dong Tianming laughed:

"Hello, Brother Bie, I always hear Weiwei mention you."

"Haha, hello hello, congratulations!"

"Thank you... Xiao Li, come on, thank you for coming."

"You're too kind, Brother Ming."

Then, the newlyweds greeted the others at the table, shared a drink with them, and then moved on to the next table.

After the newlyweds finished their toasts, the engagement banquet was nearing its end.

After the meal, the host left first, and relatives saw the guests off at the door.

"Let's go."

Hearing Bie Yan's words, Li Mu nodded and followed his older brother outside.

An engagement party is that simple.

After going downstairs, not seeing Brother Zheng, he didn't linger and got into the car.

"Tsk."

After getting on the bus, he sighed and then said:

"Get me a cigarette from the storage compartment."

"You're still smoking?"

"I need to calm down."

Hearing this, Li Mu had no choice but to open the storage compartment and take out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes for his older brother.

Bie Yan took two puffs, then coughed and casually tossed the cigarette away.

No, these cigarettes have been in the car for who knows how long; the tobacco is completely dry, and they'll be very pungent when you smoke them.

"Little Li."

"Um?"\

"What are your thoughts?"

"I……"\

Li Mu thought for a moment and said:

"I was just wondering, what if those people who ousted the director found out about this...would they be scared? After all, according to you, Brother Bie, for a provincial-level unit like ours, they're like a sword of Damocles hanging over our heads."

"..."\

Bie Yan remained silent.

Because he knew that Xiao Li was telling the truth.

Who could have come up with that question?

Who would have thought that simply ousting an unsociable newspaper department head would result in his daughter... marrying into a wealthy family?

In Li Mu's opinion, today's meal was an accidental intrusion into the imperial court.

But as she thought about it, a smile suddenly appeared on Bie Yan's face.

ha.\

Putting everything else aside... at least my act of kindness in helping the old director was flawless.

"Little Li."

"exist."\

"I owe you a big meal."

"Then I want steak."

"..."\

Bie Yan's lips twitched, and he glared at his younger brother with annoyance.

"You look like a steak to me. Uh... hahahahaha."

"Hehehe..."

The two laughed and drove straight to their workplace.

When he arrived at work, Li Mu didn't tell anyone and focused on doing his job diligently.

Bie Yan also returned to her office.

As for what they were really thinking, no one knows.

But no matter what...

This dinner felt like a dream.

It seems it has never happened.

However, Li Mu still has to attend the wedding banquet on September 1st.

We have to give a gift.