Wan Ru stared intently at the woman sitting in the living room.
The woman wore a light pink dress, her skin was fair, and her face was beautiful.
She guessed that the woman wasn't much different in age from Chen Jiancheng.
Thinking of this completely new character, she suddenly felt anxious. If she hadn't realized she had transmigrated into a book, she would have thought this was another life of hers, a life with unpredictable events.
"Let's go in, dear!" Chen Jiancheng walked over, extending his hand to hold hers.
Wan Ru looked at his outstretched hand, at the gentle way he looked at her, and her heart softened.
She took his hand and they went inside.
Inside the house, the eldest old man was sitting in his special chair. Chen Licheng and Huang Mingjian were also seated nearby.
Opposite them was the other woman.
Seeing Chen Jiancheng lead Wan Ru in by the hand, the old man laughed heartily.
"You're here, you're here. Why are you so late, my girl?"
Even Chen Licheng was surprised by how quickly the old man changed his address. Even now, he himself hadn't naturally called Wan Ru "dear" or referred to himself as "I" in an intimate way.
Another reason it was hard to change was that Wan Ru still consistently called him "Uncle."
Wan Ru smiled and bowed to greet the old man, then turned to greet Chen Licheng.
She brought her gift package and politely handed it to the old man.
"I brought a gift for you, Grandpa. It's not anything valuable, so please accept it to make me happy!"
The old man took the gift and looked at her, smiling. He asked, "Can I open it now?"
"Yes, yes, of course. As long as you don't dislike it, I'm happy." Wan Ru smiled to ease her shyness.
The old man removed the outer bag. Chen Licheng helped him with one hand.
Opening the gift box revealed a double-layered jacket. The inner layer was discreetly made of cotton, and the outside looked like a vest.
The old man suddenly laughed with delight. He was immensely pleased with the gift, and he smiled at Wan Ru as if praising her.
"I love it very much. I'll save this jacket to wear at your wedding!"
Huh? Wan Ru's face went blank as she looked at Chen Jiancheng.
Chen Jiancheng just smiled back at her.
At this moment, the other woman suddenly spoke up.
"Is this Brother Chen's girlfriend?"
Wan Ru stopped smiling and looked at the woman.
The old man, overjoyed, replied, "That's right, that's right. My daughter-in-law."
"It's getting late. Please invite the chairman out to say a few words."
Chen Licheng helped the old man outside.
Everyone else also followed them out.
As the woman passed by the two, she smiled and nodded at Chen Jiancheng.
"Who is that, Brother?" Wan Ru asked him.
"An old acquaintance, not very close now." He answered indifferently.
"An old girlfriend, but he calls her an old acquaintance. Who is he fooling!" she mumbled under her breath.
"What did Meijin say to you?" Chen Jiancheng bent down and whispered into her ear.
He stroked her head and continued, "I'll tell you everything later, so let's go find something to eat now."
The two held hands and went out to the courtyard. Chen Jiancheng also introduced her to everyone as his girlfriend.
Everyone congratulated him.
Wan Ru, walking beside him, could only smile shyly.
Because too many people were asking questions, she told Chen Jiancheng that she would go find Meijin to play with. Seeing her awkwardness, he let her go.
Wan Ru walked around the courtyard but couldn't find Meijin, but the food on the table suddenly attracted her.
The golden, rich egg tarts seemed to be beckoning her.
She couldn't let the chef down and had to stop and eat.
As she was standing, picking a few onto her plate, a voice sounded from behind her.
"Li Wanru, may I speak with you for a moment?"
Wan Ru turned around to look; it was the woman from the living room.
Her expression changed as she put down the half-finished plate of pastries she was taking. She asked,
"What do you want to say?"
"Don't be hostile towards me. Let's go somewhere private to talk."
The woman flashed a harmless smile.
Wan Ru had no choice but to follow her to a secluded spot to talk.
Mei Jin, who was talking to Ming Jian in a hidden corner, saw Wan Ru leave with the woman and suddenly frowned.
Arriving at a dimly lit, less crowded corner, the woman seriously introduced herself.
"Hello, I am Xin An!"
Wan Ru looked at her suspiciously. She wondered if this was like other novels or TV dramas? The ex-girlfriend returns crying, and the new girlfriend immediately loses? Hundreds of stories about her returning to reclaim Jian Cheng popped into her head.
While she was still dazed, the other person added a sentence that stunned Wan Ru.
"Should I call you Li Wan Ru or... Cai Jin Ru?"
Hearing a name no one had called her in a long time, Wan Ru was suddenly flustered. She looked at Xin An with disbelief.
She had never told anyone about transmigrating into a book, and even if she did, no one would believe her.
Wan Ru stammered, asking again,
"Who are you? How... How do you know?"