The Nan Family resided in Chengbei, an old villa district that didn't seem extravagant at first glance. However, it was home to military and political families, commonly known as the big compound.
No sooner had Nan Mufeng stepped through the front door than a throw pillow came flying at him.
"You little rascal, you actually know how to come back!"
Caught off guard, Nan Mufeng was smacked in the face. He caught the pillow and looked at his grandpa in the living room, who was fuming with anger, and cracked a wry smile, "Grandpa, are you trying to murder your own grandson?"
"That's right! If you didn't come back today, you would have been no grandson of mine!" Old Master Nan grasped a crystal ashtray in his hand, still seething with rage.
Nan Mufeng hurried over to rescue the crystal ashtray, "Grandpa, calm down, I'm back, aren't I?"
"Why only return home now?"
"I went to the hospital with Rui Kun."
The expression in Old Master Nan's eyes shifted subtly as he sat down indignantly, "You rascal! How many times have I told you? Your engagement is tomorrow; you should have come earlier! But you insisted on waiting until the last minute!"
"I actually planned to return tomorrow..."
"What did you say!!"
Old Master Nan raised his voice instantly.
Nan Mufeng covered his ears, "Grandpa, you don't seem like a seventy-year-old at all, so full of energy and with a booming voice, just like an eighteen-year-old!"
What a nice piece of flattery that was!
Old Master Nan snorted but let it pass. He picked up a photo from the coffee table and handed it over, "Here, this is your fiancée."
It was indeed her!
Yet, it wasn't quite her.
Having met her twice today, he was certain that Jian Xi was a chilly person. The girl in the photo had dyed her hair a tawny yellow, was dressed in a white uniform, sitting on the grass with a guitar in her arms, her eye corner outlined with a sweeping swath of black eyeshadow...
"Don't disdain this child for being non-mainstream. She has grown up abroad and is somewhat different from the girls here."
"Grandpa, your taste... really sucks!"
Nan Mufeng sighed, thinking that if he hadn't seen Jian Xi on the airplane today, he really might have had the impulse to throw the photo and walk away.
"Anyway, you must marry her."
"Let's talk about it after the engagement!" Nan Mufeng threw the photo to the side, "Grandpa, where are my dad and mom?"
"They haven't come back."
Nan Mufeng's eye twitched, "It seems they don't agree with my engagement to Jian Xi!"
"I agree, and that's enough."
"Exactly! As long as Grandpa agrees, that's enough! In our family, Grandpa has the final say!"
"Hmph! Go upstairs and check out your suit."
"Yes, sir!"
Nan Mufeng saluted mock-seriously and ran upstairs.
Old Master Nan picked up the photo again, looking at it over and over. A torrent of complex emotions swirled in his murky eyes.
Eventually, they culminated in a long sigh, "Poor child, how did you end up like this..."
——————
After a deep sleep, Jian Xi sat up to find the room shrouded in darkness.
She sat for a while, then got out of bed to draw back the curtains, peering outside.
The villa district, unlike the bustling city streets, was very quiet. The heavens were strewn with stars, and the summer insects chirped.
"At last... I'm back..."
She opened the window, greeted by the night breeze, and sighed softly.
The wind blew in, stirring her sleep robe. Her cool eyes, reflecting the starlight, seemed even deeper.
"Jian Xi, you must live well..."
The cool voice was barely audible.
After standing there for a while, she turned, turned on the light, opened the wardrobe, and took out the engagement dress for tomorrow to try on.
The white off-the-shoulder dress was embellished with many tiny diamonds, which refracted dazzling light under the lamp. Her smooth shoulders exposed to the air, and the subtle cleavage were neither too revealing nor perfectly showcased her figure. Her slender waist was enough to take one's breath away, and the floor-length gown made her legs seem even longer.
So beautiful, so ladylike.
This was the life Jian Xi should have had!
Jian Xi's lips curled into a relaxed, pure smile.