Chapter 388: The Engagement (2)

After stepping out, Shen Jingchen eyed Zhao Chengning for a long while before he finally spoke up.

“Ah Ning, looks like you’ve landed my sister as your wife.”

“Huh, I thought you realised it a long time ago.”

Shen Jingchen sucked in a breath of air. “In the past, I did have an inkling that the two of you might work out, but it was more of a feeling than anything. The reality of it only really sunk in when I saw the two of you exchanging engagement rings today. I feel empty… I only have one sister, and even though we might argue with one another, I...I don’t really know how I feel right now. It just feels weird. I didn’t call you out for anything in particular, I just wanted to tell you that while that girl may look like she’s even tempered on the surface, in reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth. When the two of you get married in the future, you should give in a little more to her. If she gets mad, she might get violent. Even then, she doesn’t hit too hard - sort of like a cat scratching you - so make sure you don’t retaliate… Sigh, why does it feel like I’m her ex-boyfriend and I’m telling her current boyfriend how to deal with her?”

Looking at how conflicted Shen Jingchen was, Zhao Chengning laughed and gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, I know what you’re trying to say. I promise to treat her well.”

“It’s not that, you’re the one who’s going to be henpecked. But… Sigh, just what am I trying to say?”

Zhao Chengning laughed as he watched Shen Jingchen repeat himself over and over like a broken record.

In truth, he understood why Shen Jingchen was so anxious. He’d grown up with his sister, and now there was all this talk about her getting engaged. Before long, she’d wind up leaving to be with another guy. Once that happened, the other guy would be the one eating, gaming, watching movies, or anything else with her instead. Shen Jingchen wasn’t in love with his sister or anything, but it was more of a sense of loss and being forced to get used to a new way of life. Zhao Chengning doubted his reaction would be all that different if he were in Shen Jingchen’s shoes and his beloved sister was about to get married.

Different from how Zhao Chengning acted, Mama Shen went looking for Shen Jingbin right after Shen Jingbin made her Weibo post.

Their mother-daughter relationship was very good in spite of them rarely having any heart-to-heart talks. The reason why they didn’t have this kind of talk much was because Mama Shen didn’t have the time, and also because that was just the way the two of them were.

Shen Jingbin was a little surprised when her mother appeared before her.

“Mum!” Shen Jingbin cried out as she stood up.

“Have a seat. I came over to have a talk with you,” Mama Shen said as she sat by Shen Jingbin’s side.

Shen Jingbin obediently sat down.

“How do you feel after the engagement?” Mama Shen had always been a straightforward person, and this time around was no different.

“I feel blessed,” Shen Jingbin replied just as bluntly.

Mama Shen scrutinized Shen Jingbin for several seconds, making sure that she wasn’t faking it. “I realised this hasn’t been brought up yet. What stage of your relationship are you and Zhao Chengning at?”

Shen Jingbin froze and her eyebrows knitted, but she replied honestly, “We haven’t gotten to the very last step yet.”

Mama Shen’s delicate face remained expressionless, making it difficult to tell whether she was satisfied or upset by Shen Jingbin’s answer. “Zhao Chengning is 26 or 27 years old. He’s at an age where he’s just able to hold back his urges and be responsible for you. My reason for coming here today was to say that now that you’re engaged, we’ll be watching how he treats you. You don’t have to worry about holding back if there ever comes a day when you aren’t able to restrain yourselves. But, I hope you’ll know how to moderate yourselves and refrain from getting pregnant before you graduate.”

“I know.”

“At first, I felt that either getting engaged or married was too early for you. But, I changed my mind when I saw how determined he was, and I didn’t want to play the bad guy by saying no. Your life is your own to walk. Regardless of how it turns out, make sure you see it through to the end; even if that means you have to crawl to get there. That’s the type of attitude a daughter of the Shen family should have. You hear me?”

“Mm.”

“Are the two of you planning to go out at night? Your Grandfather asked me to pass along a message: no matter how late you stay out tonight, you have to spend the night at home. Otherwise, it’ll be inauspicious. The older generation believe in this sort of thing, so you should show some restraint.”

“Mm.”

“That’s fine then. I don’t want to drag things out, and I can’t play the part of an all-knowing mother either, so I’ll be going.”

“Mum!” Shen Jingbin suddenly called out as Mama Shen was about to go out the door. Mama Shen turned back.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. I just suddenly felt like saying thank you, and that I love both you and Dad.”

A thin smile appeared on Mama Shen’s lips. “You should be saying that to your father. He’ll be overjoyed to hear it.”

“He’ll be even happier if you pass it on to him instead.”

Noticing the sly smile on Shen Jingbin’s face, Mama Shen glared at her before walking out.

Shen Jingbin fell back onto her bed and brought up the hand with her engagement ring to inspect it. The light shining in from the window gave it a beautiful sparkle.

She rubbed the ring with her other hand. It felt cold to the touch, but her heart was filled with warmth.