Beijing Marriage Entanglement

Inside the extended Lincoln limousine.

Shen Yu sat in the second row, his chair swivel to face the third row.

The car was spacious. He crossed his long legs, holding his phone in his palm. Messages from Yuan Ji and the others kept coming in.

He ignored it and focused his gaze on Lu Xingci across from him.

Lu Xingci sat upright with his hands on his knees, looking as proper as a primary school student in class.

There were two girls beside her; one was applying makeup with a brush, and the other was doing her hair and makeup.

Although I was in the car, the car was driven smoothly, so I was quite comfortable with it.

Lu Xingci had never ridden in such a long car before, nor had she ever done her makeup and hair in a car. She was a little uncomfortable and her eyes darted around the car.

Shen Yu picked up his phone, took a picture, and sent it to a group chat with his brothers.

Shen Yu: Don't rush me, my wife is putting on makeup.

Yuan Jitong: Wow, my sister-in-law is the most beautiful woman in the world!

Duan Lingfeng: My sister-in-law is going to outshine everyone tonight.

Jiang Lin: No rush, no rush. We're all waiting for you, sister-in-law. Those old foxes know you're coming, so they're all waiting too.

Duan Lingfeng: @Shen Yu I saw Song Qinghui. His date today is Ruan Chuxi. This kid's got some skills; he's managed to climb up the social ladder to the Ruan family.

Shen Yu smiled and edited a message with a teasing tone.

Shen Yu: Don't you know my cousin? He has bad teeth and can only eat soft food.

This is a mockery of Song Qinghui, implying he's a kept man who only relies on women.

The group chat was flooded with "hahaha" messages, and Shen Yu laughed along with them.

Lu Xingci looked up, noticed his smile, and asked a question.

"What's wrong? Do I look strange?"

Shen Yu leaned down, resting his elbows on his knees, and flipped his phone over to show her the chat history between the group.

Lu Xingci glanced at the group chat and saw people calling her "sister-in-law," so she corrected them.

"Your probation period isn't over yet, so tell them not to call you 'sister-in-law'."

Shen Yu tilted his head and chuckled softly.

"What's wrong, are you shy?"

Shen Yu still remembers the awkwardness and shyness he felt when Song Qinghui called her "sister-in-law" the first time he brought her to a party.

Her appearance, just like now, resembled a shy cat, making Shen Yu's heart itch.

After finishing the makeup and styling, Shen Yu asked the driver to drop off the makeup artist and stylist halfway through the journey.

As soon as the car door closed, Shen Yu tapped the seat twice with his index finger, and the driver tactfully raised the partition, leaving space for the two of them in the back.

Shen Yu straightened up, leaned back in his chair, and stretched his long legs out to the opposite side, trapping Lu Xingci within his small space.

He lightly nudged Lu Xingci with his knee, raised his chin, and spoke lazily.

Are you scared?

Lu Xingci was replying to Jiang Wenzhao's message when he heard this and looked up.

"What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of this kind of occasion? It's alright."

Shen Yu smiled.

"Song Qinghui was also there, and he even brought Ruan Chuxi with him."

Lu Xingci's hands didn't pause for a moment while editing the message; she spoke without hesitation.

"Don't be afraid, I still have you, right? You'll protect me, won't you?"

After she finished speaking, she looked up at Shen Yu.

In fact, Lu Xingci himself couldn't explain why.

I used to think that Shen Yu was a dissolute and unrestrained playboy.

Based on our recent interactions, Shen Yu seems to be a pretty reliable person.

At least for tonight's party, he was very reliable.

Shen Yu pursed his lips and nodded smugly.

"That's natural."

When the car arrived, Shen Yu buttoned up his suit jacket and got out first.

He stood sideways by the car door, extending his right hand in a gentlemanly manner, his eyes smiling.

"Mrs. Shen, let's go, I'll take you to conquer all."

Lu Xingci really liked the phrase "slaughtering all sides".

Especially after learning that Song Qinghui was also at the party.

She raised her hand and placed her slender hand on Shen Yu's, her long, beautiful legs extending out of the car and landing on the ground.

Shen Yu withdrew his hand and wrapped his right arm around Lu Xingci's waist from behind.

Their hands rested lightly on each other, an ambiguous yet restrained gesture that didn't seem inappropriate.

The next second, Jiang Wenzhao, who had been waiting at the door, rushed up.

His gaze fell on Lu Xingci's bright purple, modernized Chinese-style cheongsam, and then he spoke with delight.

"Xingci, you look so beautiful tonight. The cheongsam is beautiful, but you are even more beautiful than the cheongsam."

Lu Xingci smiled and said, "Thank you. Why are you outside? Didn't you go in?"

Jiang Wenzhao looked troubled and subconsciously glanced at Shen Yu.

"I didn't have an invitation, so they wouldn't let me in."

Lu Xingci looked at Shen Yu in surprise, while the latter slapped his forehead in regret.

"Oh dear, look at my memory! I only remembered that Xingci was going, and I forgot about President Jiang."

After saying that, Shen Yu patted Jiang Wenzhao on the shoulder.

"No rush. After Xingci and I go in, we'll tell the Yuan family, and then you can go in."

Please, Mr. Jiang, remain calm and patient outside.

Lu Xingci pursed his lips and hummed in agreement.

"Wen Zhao, wait outside for a while. You should be able to go in soon."

Given the relationship between Yuan Jitong and Shen Yu, coupled with Shen Yu's status and influence in Beijing's social circles.

It's just a membership to a cocktail party, it shouldn't be a problem.

Although Jiang Wenzhao was somewhat disappointed, he could only nod when he heard that he could go in soon.

"Okay, then I'll wait for your news outside."

Lu Xingci nodded and responded softly.

"Um."

The reception was held at a five-star hotel owned by the Yuan family.

Throughout the journey, waiters nodded and greeted us.

"Young Master Shen!"

"Young Master Shen!"

"Young Master Shen!"

Shen Yu stood ramrod straight, ignoring the respectful greetings from those around him.

Lu Xingci was embraced by Shen Yu as they arrived at the banquet hall amidst repeated respectful greetings of "Young Master Shen."

Inside the cocktail party, glasses clinked and sparks shone brightly under the glass chandeliers.

When Qin Leyao heard that Shen Yu was coming, she specially got her hair and makeup done and carefully selected a haute couture dress.

But after waiting for a long time, Shen Yu did not appear.

She was extremely anxious and found Duan Lingfeng and the others.

"Is Brother Shen Yu coming or not?"

Duan Lingfeng smiled and moved his lips, but before he could speak, the banquet hall doors were opened from the outside.

Shen Yu appeared at the door with Lu Xingci in his arms.

He raised his chin.

"Hey, here we come!"

Qin Leyao turned around happily, but before she could even say "Brother Yu," she saw the woman being held in Shen Yu's arms.

It's Lu Xingci again! That shameless woman, why is she always clinging to Brother Yu?

Brother Yu hasn't even settled the score with her yet because she left him on the side of the road last time. How dare she, a nobody, cause trouble at a party like this?

Unlike Qin Leyao's jealousy, almost everyone turned to look at the door the moment it opened.

Their attention was first drawn to Shen Yu, an outstanding individual, before being drawn to Lu Xingci beside him.

Before Lu Xingci had taken more than a few steps inside, many female guests had already gathered around her, asking where she had ordered her dress.

"Which studio designed this? It's so beautiful!"

"This cheongsam has a very unique style. It retains the classical beauty of the traditional Chinese cheongsam while incorporating features of modern clothing. I've never seen anything like it before. Where was it made? Please recommend a place!"

"Miss, I am the second wife of the Zhang family. Your cheongsam is absolutely gorgeous. I wonder if you could recommend it to me? My daughter is getting engaged next month, and I'd like to have one made for her as well."