Chapter 573

The topic fell back onto Mu Youyu and Jiang Liangjin.

After chatting with everyone a bit more, Mu Youyu tugged Jiang Liangjin and spoke softly: "Aunt Shen, grandparents, Grandpa Jiang, I'll take A Jin upstairs first."

She lightly hooked his palm with her fingertip; that warm touch made Jiang Liangjin's eyes crinkle with a smile, and he also said: "Mom, grandparents, Grandpa, I'll follow A Yu upstairs."

"Go on, go on," Grandma Song said, waving her hand with a smile, her eyes full of indulgence, "Upstairs is quiet; if Xiao Jing wakes up, tell him not to disturb you."

Grandfather pretended to be dissatisfied and let out a muffled hum: "Hmph, now that you have a little fiancé, you don't even stick to grandfather and grandmother anymore."

Although he said that, he secretly gave Mu Youyu a look, signalling her to slip away quickly, and he would handle the rest himself.

"No way!" Mu Youyu tugged Jiang Liangjin and darted off.

In the Song family's old manor main building, only the top fourth floor is the living quarters for their generation; the other branches live in the side courtyards.

The two arrived at the fourth floor and entered Mu Youyu's room.

This bedroom is a bit smaller than the one she had at the Mu family's, but it looks more elegant; it's where she often stayed during middle school, and every table and chair are imbued with her familiar presence.

On the small tea table by the window, a plain white porcelain vase holds a few sprigs of light purple dried flowers, which she and Jiang Liangjin picked together at a private garden last autumn.

Jiang Liangjin followed her inside, his gaze leisurely sweeping over the neatly stacked art albums on the bookshelf before settling back on her face.

He could almost picture her middle‑school self curled up on the sofa, looking at paintings.

She curled up into a fluffy ball, her long hair spread over the cushion; occasionally she lifted her head to glance at him helping her with summer homework, then her eyes sparkled as she praised, "A Jin is so amazing," before burying her face back in the album.

Mu Youyu kicked off her shoes, walked to the sofa area and sat down, drawing her legs up and resting her chin on her knees, pushing aside the earlier topic about Gu Father, feeling completely relaxed.

"It's good that Uncle Gu came; otherwise you'd have almost been dragged by Aunt Shen to taste-test desserts, becoming a guinea pig."

Jiang Liangjin sat beside her, his arm resting on the back of the sofa behind her, forming a semi‑embracing pose: "I don't even know how those staff were hired."

The dessert Shen Ningmu mentioned is a new product from the Shen Group's dessert shop.

Ms. Shen Ningmu has been enthusiastic about researching new dessert items since the start of the month, and she ordered that every new item be sent first to the Jiang household so Jiang Liangjin can pick one that suits his taste, and then let Mu Youyu try it.

If they both like it, it will be placed on the engagement banquet.

Jiang Liangjin has already eaten it several times before; the flavor is indescribable—not salty, not sweet, bluntly put, it's just terrible.

Who knows who developed it; can it really be sold?

He took a bite, and Shen Ningmu finished the rest. Afterwards, he wasn't even sure whether that cake had been released to the market.

Anyway, he doesn't want this kind of "surprise" to appear at his and A Yu's engagement banquet.

February 10th, Little New Year, the sky was azure.

The Youyu Estate was wrapped in floral fragrance and a sweet, cloying scent; the atmosphere was warm and cozy, as if another season had taken over.

Inside, the lawns of several gardens had been trimmed neat; the floral designers had been preparing since two months ago, and now every cluster of flowers has been adjusted countless times in angle.

Several drones were set up in the air; on both sides of the guest passage, various roses and complementary flowers overlapped and spread, extending along the red carpet all the way to the main stage.

The venue was built luxuriously; light strings hung beneath the ceiling, visible even in daylight, and when the wind stirred them they made a soft sound, filling the whole place with a romantic atmosphere.

Mu Youyu stood before the floor‑to‑ceiling window on the second floor, her palm pressed against the cool glass, gazing down at the lawn below, engulfed in flowers.

Jiang Liangjin had already been summoned by Shen Ningmu half an hour earlier, leaving the room with only her.

Downstairs, the outdoor brothers stood together, surrounding Jiang Liangjin, not knowing what they were chatting about.

Now that her makeup and dress were changed, Mu Youyu checked her reflection in the mirror, and then the door was knocked.

She walked over, pulled the door open, smiled, and said, "Ningning."

Lin Ning wore an apricot‑colored simple little dress; as soon as she entered, she quickly stepped around Mu Youyu and spun once.

"Wow, my baby looks too gorgeous today! I'm so jealous of Jiang Liangjin—someday I'll get to marry my fragrant, soft little lady."

Mu Youyu smiled slightly, "Don't kid."

"Come on, come on, look at the camera." Lin Ning raised her phone to take a selfie of the two, and while scrolling through the shots she couldn't help but click twice.

After the photo, Mu Youyu caught her expression in the mirror and casually asked, "Did Ye Zeli not come?"

"He did," Lin Ning replied, still lowering her head to edit the picture, "He's with your second brother."

A commotion came from downstairs; Lin Ning put her phone away, "Almost time, we should head down. Grandma Song just saw me and asked me to call you down."

Mu Youyu finally smoothed her skirt in front of the mirror, "Okay."

Lin Ning smiled, extended her right hand, "Let's go, my beautiful princess."

The two stepped out, walked down the hallway toward the stairwell, and at the corner they happened to run into Mu Xin coming from the other direction.

Mu Youyu called out, "Brother!"

Mu Xin's gaze swept slowly over her, finally settling on the faint glint flickering at the corner of her eye.

The first set of engagement attire was specially made by Yan Yuejiu, cut from the same fabric as Jiang Liangjin's outfit.

The light red skirt's arc is modest, but it's just enough to lend a light rhythm to her steps.

Yan Yuejiu's designs usually favor simplicity, avoiding heavy ornamentation; however, when the garment is meant for Mu Youyu, he often extends the production time to create a more luxurious version.

The dress's fabric shimmers with tiny sparkles; the embroidery design is exquisite, and the waistline features a subtle taper, giving the silhouette a natural air of elegance.

Mu Xin praised, "Looks good."

"Brother is handsome too."

Mu Xin smiled indulgently, curled the corner of his mouth, reached out to ruffle her hair, "Dear, let's go downstairs; everyone's waiting for you."

"Okay!" Mu Youyu followed at his side as they went down; the red carpet stretched from the foot of the stairs all the way to the venue.

This is a banquet jointly hosted by the four major conglomerates—not only Jiang Liangjin's birthday, but also the engagement day of Jiang Liangjin and Mu Youyu.

Besides domestic aristocratic nobles, Jun Chenling, Qing An, and the royal family members also came.

The venue already had many seated; not only were all four conglomerate members present, but their business partners basically all showed up, and many nobles from Y Guo and M Guo also made special appearances.

Just a glance at the guests reveals how grand this long‑anticipated national engagement banquet is, and how highly the four conglomerates regard it.

The media reporters assigned to the designated area, upon seeing the other protagonist finally appear, swiftly turned their equipment and stopped filming Jiang Liangjin, Lu Yuchu, and Song Yan.

"Quick, quick, quick, Miss Mu is here! Focus on her!"

Several veteran entertainment reporters sighed, their eyes glued to the viewfinder.

「Tsk, that face value—looks even better than online… No wonder it's the pearl spoken of, raised in the palms of several great families。」

「Born already winning at the starting line. 」

「Don't talk, hurry up and shoot! Once this footage goes out, the click‑rate will definitely explode! 」

「……」

Mu Youyu stood on the red carpet, her gaze sweeping over the crowd and landing on that figure ahead of the venue.

Jiang Liangjin stood at the edge of the main stage, listening sideways as Mu Nian and Mu Xi spoke.

His suit today and the fabric she wore came from the same bolt, identical in color, embroidered with gold thread.

Jiang Liangjin, with his back to her, seemed to sense something; he turned his head, his brown eyes cutting through the throng and meeting her gaze.

He didn't move, just stood there, staring at her, waiting for her to walk step by step toward him.

Mu Xi couldn't bear it any longer, she slapped his shoulder harder, "Young Master Jiang, what are you spacing out for? My sister's waiting for you."

Jiang Liangjin responded with a sound, smiled, and stepped toward her.

Seeing this, Mu Youyu lifted her skirt hem and also walked toward him.