Chapter 228: Willing
The sudden greeting made the surrounding laughter and chatter stop abruptly in an instant.
It seemed as if everyone sensed that something important was about to happen, so they all simply stopped talking and turned their gazes over.
Right as he was discussing with Yan Bei and Fu Jiaming whether they should inform Old Master Tong and ask about the progress, he heard his godfather calling him and beckoning her over.
Grandpa Yan and Grandma Yan nearby both had excitement and joy in their expressions and eyes. With just a slight thought, the clever pair immediately understood what it was about.
In a swish, Su Ning’s face uncontrollably began to flush warm, her eyes flickering with a rare shyness.
She shot a glance at the person grinning foolishly, but not wanting to keep the elders waiting, she steadied her mind and quickly stood up to come before them.
Yan Bei also obediently followed right behind, quietly coming to her side.
“Ning Ning, your godmother and I want to arrange the engagement between you and Xiao Bei with the two elders of the Yan Family. Do you have any ideas or opinions?”
Although he had some thoughts in his heart, the moment he heard it with his own ears, Yan Bei’s mind went blank fiercely, and all his senses surged with elation and excitement.
With the engagement set, how far could it be from truly bringing her home?
From now on, she would no longer be just a partner, but a fiancée.
A huge sense of happiness enveloped him completely, making even his breathing somewhat difficult.
“I, I’ll listen to Godfather and Godmother.”
“Hahahaha, good, good!”
Hearing her answer, Yan Changrong laughed happily, even raising the still somewhat hot tea cup in front of him to clink with Liu Wenbo beside him, downing it in one gulp like drinking alcohol.
“Congratulations, congratulations! Yan Qi has finally gotten his wish, and that old man should wake up laughing even in his dreams!”
“Hahaha, exactly, congratulations to both!”
At this moment, everyone was sincerely happy for the two families from the bottom of their hearts, and they all spoke up to send their most sincere blessings to the two juniors who were about to get engaged.
Under everyone’s witness, Yan Changrong directed his grandson to hand the prepared engagement gift to the brand-new prospective grandson’s wife.
He himself held the written marriage contract with both hands and solemnly handed it to Zhang Fu.
Next came writing the wedding details, exchanging tokens.
Yan Bei couldn’t suppress the upward curve of his lips at all, and the tenderness pouring from his eyes seemed able to drown someone directly.
He reached out and took out a jade pendant from his chest pocket that still carried some warmth.
The round jade pendant was a piece of emerald green, with a string tied at the end woven into a safety knot.
One side of this jade pendant was engraved with the seal script character for Yan, the other side had his rank and name; all the grandsons of the Yan Family had one like this.
It was specially commissioned by Yan Changrong from a carving master, made from the same piece of imperial green stone material of glass type, given on the day his grandson turned one month old.
Calculating it, it had been with him for a full twenty-two years.
Originally, Yan Bei wore this jade pendant with him everywhere except when bathing, but after getting the jade token from Su Ning, it was completely out of favor.
The string had even turned from a neck cord into a knotted one.
Amid everyone’s laughing gazes, Su Ning pursed her lips, but the flush on her face lingered hotly without fading.
After taking the jade pendant he handed over, Su Ning thought for a moment and also took out a small and exquisite safety lock from her chest pocket—which was actually from the Peach Blossom Spring Bedroom.
This was the hundred-day gift her maternal grandfather had started preparing right after she was born, engraved with the four characters for fortune, longevity, health, and peace.
It contained both her maternal grandfather’s blessings and expectations, and cleverly included her childhood name; it was one of the few things she truly cherished.
After the two exchanged tokens, while the elders were happily discussing future wedding matters on their own, Yan Bei took her hand and unobtrusively sneaked her out.
Fu Jiaming, who had been thinking of stepping forward to tease his two friends, saw them exit the room door and his legs uncontrollably prepared to follow.
“Jiaming, do you want to get hammered?”
“Ah, big brother, I didn’t! I just want to…”
“Let them two be alone for a bit. If you follow like this, believe me, that kid Yan Qi will really turn against you.”
“Oh, alright then, hehehe~”
Fu Jiatan let go of the hand tugging him and smiled helplessly: this silly younger brother of his had a partner too, and marriage wasn’t far off, yet he was still like he hadn’t grown up.
Using his somewhat cool fingertips to prop up his chin, he wondered if he should discuss with his mom what to eat to grow a brain.
……
The snow was still falling silently, drifting and swirling down abundantly.
Only the soft crunching sounds came from stepping on the fluffy snowflakes.
Walking to the end on the left side of the Su Family Ancestral Home led to a cliff edge.
At the edge of the cliff stood a bare osmanthus tree with all its branches and leaves fallen.
Without taking her further, Yan Bei let her go and skillfully cleared the accumulated snow at a certain spot under the tree.
In no time, he dug out a smooth-surfaced oval stone, big enough for two people to sit without feeling cramped.
“I, cough, Ning Ning, the stone is a bit wet. Should I hold you?”
Yan Bei sat down first, opening his arms toward her a bit stiffly.
He seemed nervous or embarrassed and didn’t dare meet her eyes.
His feet sank into the snow; no matter how thick the soles were, they would get soaked soon. Thinking that they were already engaged as fiancé and fiancée, trying out post-marriage interaction in advance wasn’t bad.
So the usually bold and meticulous Su Ning didn’t act coy. Though she still inevitably felt shy, relying on the seclusion with no one around, she neatly nestled into his lap, casually lifting her feet to shake off the snowflakes.
A faint fragrance wafted from her body to his nose, and Yan Bei’s stiffly open arms hesitated to hug back.
His self-proclaimed calm and composure always crumbled uncontrollably in front of the person he loved, with no resistance.
So, better not to overestimate himself.
If he really had a reaction later, embarrassing himself was minor; making her feel scared would be the big problem.
Thus, Yan Bei tried hard to ignore the sweet scent drilling into his nose and spoke to divert attention.
“Ning Ning, are you really willing?”
“Hehe, just exchanged tokens and already regretting?”
“I’m just worried…”
Turning her head to look at him, Su Ning’s brows and eyes were all serious. “It’s you, I’m willing.”
Without her own nod of agreement, Godfather and Godmother wouldn’t force her.
She was cowardly about marriage, even losing confidence, but if it was this person Yan Bei, she was willing to take a big gamble.
Even if she lost, she was prepared with the courage to face failure since she dared to give it.
“Ning Ning…”
Because of this position, their faces were very close, his exhaled breath all spraying on her face.
This intertwining of breaths created an intimate and alluring atmosphere, making both their hearts race uncontrollably.
When meeting her slightly parted red lips, Yan Bei couldn’t help inching closer, his eyes already showing a near-loss-of-control expression.
“Hoo~”
Using the last shred of reason, Yan Bei turned his head and took a heavy breath.
But Su Ning, who clearly saw his rolling Adam’s apple from above, felt the string in her mind snap with a crack at that moment.
As if enchanted, without thinking, she leaned in, accurately and fiercely pressing onto it.
“Hiss—”
“Ning Ning, you…”
That voice, slightly hoarse and magnetic, calling her name, made Su Ning’s heart tremble.
Before he could react, she flipped over to straddle him, wrapped her arms around his neck, fiercely pushed him down onto the snow, and messily pressed onto his opening and closing thin lips.
“Boom~”
The chill of the snow behind him, the heat on his lips—one cold, one hot, two extreme opposite stimuli—made the dark depth in Yan Bei’s eyes surge out with no possibility of retreat.
His large hand pressed onto the back of her head as she tried to pull away, skillfully forcing her closer, accurately covering her lips and impatiently savoring that sweetness.
Until the friction between their lips could no longer satisfy the increasingly urgent need in his heart, Yan Bei instinctively nipped her lower lip.
The moment she subconsciously parted her lips, he plunged in.
Su Ning’s eyes were hazy, feeling her whole body burning up, while that person was still wantonly setting fires everywhere.
“Rumble—”
“Whoosh~”
A sudden intense shaking came, causing all the accumulated snow on the osmanthus tree above to shake off completely.
The chill on their necks jolted the two entangled in fiery heat back to clarity.
Panting a few breaths, Yan Bei released his grip on her nape, quickly tightened her collar that she had unknowingly tugged open, then hugged her and stood up.
“What was that sound just now?”
“Earthquake?”
“Doesn’t sound like an earthquake; more like something collapsed.
