"Yo, we're talking Eastern turf, Z city.

Man, that July sun was scorching everything, like it had a grudge or something.

So, we're chilling at the Gu family's spot:

"Dad, what's with this talk about me getting hitched? Are we so strapped for cash that you're thinking of selling me off? Ain't you worried about getting roasted by everyone? Doesn't your conscience ache even a bit?"

Just got back home after finishing my exams, and bam! Gu Nuannuan gets hit with a serious joke.

She straight-up gives Dad a piece of her mind, three times over.

Who in their right mind would want to marry her, anyway?

When Mrs. Gu hears her daughter, she gives her a pat on the shoulder. "Listen to yourself. I brought you back home this time to talk about this marriage business."

Gu Nuannuan points at the pile of gifts on the floor. "Mom, you call this discussing? You already accepted the dowry without me?"

She's just a sophomore, trying to keep her nose clean. And just as her summer break's about to start, her mom hits her with a call saying someone's interested in her and wants to propose.

Who, you ask?

Only the big-shot Jiang family from the neighborhood.

When Gu Nuannuan hears that, she's shook. Like, she's glued to the sofa, not moving an inch.

The folks exchange worried looks, watching their daughter like she's about to explode.

They're all like, "Tomorrow, we're sitting down for dinner, and you..."

And she's like, "Mom, just let me vibe, okay?"

So, Gu Nuannuan heads upstairs to her room. Looking around, she's thinking, any other family, she could just brush 'em off. But not the Jiangs. They're in a league of their own.

The Jiangs? They're the OGs of Z city, been in the business game for generations.

Mess with them, and the whole city feels it.

Seriously, you don't mess with the Jiangs.

She's sitting there, holding her face in her hands, thinking, "What the heck do I do now? A blessing in disguise is about to crush me."

Should she roll with it? Or freak out? Man, she's stressing.

Next day rolls around.

Families meet up, and she's dragged along.

Her face? Covered in all these red marks, like she's got a rash.

And when she talks, her breath's like, whoa, seriously rank, and she's even missing some teeth!

Still rocking that hideous yellow scarf on her head, with lipstick that screams '90s Barbie, and nail polish in every shade under the sun...I'm talking ten fingers, ten different colors.

Seriously, she's not your average cute, chubby, or ugly chick anymore—just plain gross!

Her old man's like, "Yo, Jiang Lao, meet our girl, Nuannuan."

She's standing there, like, is this for real?

Jiang Lao's squinting at her through his glasses, comparing the photo with the hot mess standing in front of him.

In the pic, she's all cute and sweet, like she stepped out of a rom-com. But here she is, with greasy hair, zits everywhere, and a smell that could knock out a horse. Even ghosts would be like, "Nope, not dealing with this."

Thankfully, his second son ain't here. If he saw her like this, he'd shut this whole marriage thing down, no questions asked.

And he's like, "Why's she look nothing like the photo?"

She's trying to play it cool, like, "Yeah, the photo? Total Photoshop magic. This is the real deal, baby."

Jiang Lao's hesitating.

And she's thinking, "Yes! Dodged that bullet!"

Even her folks are like, "Yeah, our girl's got this."

Then outta nowhere, the Jiang fam shows up, all like, "We're here to seal the deal, no backing out."

But her old man's like, "Nah, sorry guys, our bad. That photo was some serious catfishing. Let's just call it quits, and we'll send the dowry back."

But Jiang Lao's like, "Nah, I'm into her, for real."

And she's just standing there, like, "Seriously?!"

This old man must be blind.

Although Jiang Lao is old, his heart is still young.

He understands the Gu family’s reluctance to marry off their daughter, but fate has chosen her as the one.

“I think August 15th is a good day. Let’s set the wedding for that day.”

Not only did a meal fail to change the Jiang family’s attitude, but it also locked him into the arrangement, with the wedding date already set.

Gu Nuannuan said to her parents, “I’ll marry.”

“Nuannuan...” Mrs. Gu was worried about this forced marriage.

Today’s meeting was supposed to be a chance for them to get to know each other, but only Jiang Lao and Mayor Jiang from the Jiang family showed up—no women from their side.

Even the groom, Jiang Chenyu, didn’t bother to make a phone call.

Mr. Gu felt that his daughter had been wronged. “Let’s not go through with this. We’ll go back, and I’ll annul the marriage.”

She was their only cherished daughter. Why should she marry Jiang Chenyu, who was eight years her senior and not respected by his family? No matter how powerful the Jiang family was, they could always let go of their company.

They only had one daughter, and her happiness was everything.

Mrs. Gu was also excited. “Yes, we make money to give our children a good life. Now money has become a burden. We can just let it go.”

Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu were determined. They got into the car and headed home.

Gu Nuannuan was moved to tears.

But how could she bear to let her parents give up their years of hard work? They could have everything, but what about her brother? She couldn’t be so selfish.

Jiang Group CEO’s Office.

In the CEO’s office, the man working at his desk, Jiang Chenyu, had a cold and stern demeanor that could be felt from a distance. His features were sharp and handsome, with a high nose and a rugged face full of toughness.

When his father entered, Jiang Chenyu just glanced at him before returning to work.

Jiang Lao sat down on the sofa and announced, “August 15th is your wedding day.”

Jiang Chenyu paused in his signing, his body still, as he looked up again at his father on the sofa.

Jiang Lao picked up a teacup from the coffee table and placed it near his mouth. Blowing away the foam, he took a sip of the tea. “I know you’ve been insisting on this for so many years. Your mother, even in heaven, wouldn’t want to see you still unmarried.”

Then, Jiang Lao continued, “The wedding date is set. The bride is from the Gu family, named Nuannuan. She’s a very special girl. She’s 20 this year and still a student.”

“Huh! 20, perfect for Jiangsu.” Jiang Chenyu smirked sarcastically, without even thinking.

“Rascal!”

“Jiang Chenyu! She’s your wife, not someone you can just give away to your nephew!” Jiang Lao was always half-dead from his conversations with his second son.

He was like his own thorn, always going against the grain in his speech and actions. Jiang Lao generally preferred not to see this second son of his.

Jiang Chenyu said, “Then how about we decide who marries her?”

“Jiang Chenyu!” Jiang Lao was again infuriated by his son’s remarks.

“This time, it’s not up to you. The dowry is already prepared, and we’re ready to go to the Gu family to propose. I warn you, Jiang Chenyu, even if you die, you’ll still have to marry her.”

Jiang Chenyu’s eyes were sharp as he coldly replied, “Impossible!”

Jiang Lao’s Adam’s apple rolled as he looked at the resistant Jiang Chenyu, throwing out his trump card, “Marriage, and I’ll tell you everything about her.”

This time, Jiang Chenyu was taken aback.

He knew who “her” referred to.

He squinted, “You’re investigating too?”

Jiang Lao hadn’t drunk his new tea yet. He got up. “August 15th is the wedding date. Prepare yourself.”

Time flew by, and the wedding day arrived as scheduled.

It’s said that the wedding dress of Gu Nuannuan was personally customized by a famous designer from the southern country, costing millions, which gave the Gu family enough face. However, wearing such an expensive wedding dress, Gu Nuannuan didn’t feel particularly happy. She looked at herself in the mirror, the red marks on her face disappeared, and she returned to her delicate appearance. With her small, fair face and baby fuzz on her cheeks, she looked youthful. But she wasn’t particularly tall to begin with.

Mrs. Gu walked into the room, waved away the makeup artist, and left only the mother and daughter in the room. “Nuannuan, you shouldn’t have agreed.” Gu Nuannuan smiled and comforted her mother, “I suddenly feel that getting married is quite fun, hehe.”

Mrs. Gu reached out and placed her hand on her daughter’s head. Her eyes flashed with self-blame as she gently stroked Gu Nuannuan’s face, asking, “Nuannuan, what did Old Master Jiang say to you that day?” Gu Nuannuan was taken aback, thinking of Old Master Jiang’s words that day!

“Nuannuan, do you know the consequences of offending the Jiang family?” Gu Nuannuan remained silent. Mrs. Gu continued, “You know it in your heart, and your eyes tell me that you’re not afraid of offending the Jiang family. But have you ever considered your parents? What about your younger brother? You can’t be so selfish in life.”

“You should have heard of the Wei family, right?” Gu Nuannuan widened her eyes in disbelief as she looked at Mrs. Gu. The Wei family was once a century-old business in Z City in the Eastern country, with a vast business empire and strong backing. But inexplicably, it went bankrupt in a single day. The company’s executives went to jail, and those who fled abroad dared not return home. And the Gu family couldn’t be compared to the Wei family back then. If he used this method to deal with his own family, Gu Nuannuan didn’t dare to imagine.

...

Gu Nuannuan unconsciously clenched her hands tightly and took a long time to speak up. “Old Master Jiang, can I know why you chose me?” Old Master Jiang smiled, his eyes shining brightly. “It’s a bit ridiculous to talk about it, but when the time is right, I’ll definitely tell you.” Gu Nuannuan nodded. “I hope the timing won’t be too long.”

“Have you agreed to marry Chen Yu?” “The condition is that you can’t target my family. My parents worked hard to start their own business.” Coming back to her senses, Gu Nuannuan looked at her mother’s worried face and pretended to smile happily. “It’s nothing! Mom, actually the Jiang family is quite good. They have a large family business. You and dad don’t need to worry!”

In another room, Old Master Jiang took out a bundle of documents and a USB drive. “Here is all the information you want.” When Jiang Chen Yu reached out to take it, Old Master Jiang retracted his hand. “Come find me after the wedding.”

Jiang Chen Yu was caught in his father’s grip, his throat tight. He swallowed hard, got up, put on his groom’s suit, and pushed open the door.

A marriage, thus began.

On the day of the wedding, guests gathered. The paparazzi were all kept outside, and those who came to attend without status didn’t receive invitations from the Jiang family. Jiang Chen Yu’s wedding put an end to countless people’s thoughts. Marrying into the Gu family made the Gu family suddenly rise in status.

In the bride’s dressing room, Gu Nuannuan was also feeling nervous about the life that was about to come.

The time had come.

She held up her wedding dress, wearing uncomfortable high heels, and took steps toward her father who was waiting for her. Looking at her father’s slightly red eyes, Gu Nuannuan suppressed the sourness in her heart.

As the door opened, all the lights in the room shone on her and Mr. Gu.

Gu Nuannuan held her father’s arm and walked on the petal-strewn path. She glanced from afar at the man waiting for her.

This was the first time Gu Nuannuan had seen him—Jiang Chen Yu, her husband.