What Old Wu had said at the factory was heard clearly by both mother and daughter; the man had revealed some inside information in an attempt to save his own life.
Lin Zhengrong had been upstairs at the time and knew nothing about it.
His expression darkened slightly. "I will look into this thoroughly. No matter who it is, anyone who dares to harm my family will pay the price!"
Xiao Yang said nothing more. The business world was a battlefield; without a certain ruthlessness, Lin Zhengrong's business would have been swallowed up by others long ago.
With the day still young, Xiao Yang and Lin Yufei went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to register their marriage and collect their marriage certificate.
Stepping out of the bureau, the two of them looked at the certificates in their hands, feeling as though they were dreaming.
"We're married. How do you feel?" Lin Yufei initiated a conversation with Xiao Yang for the first time. From this moment on, she was someone's wife.
Xiao Yang pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and slowly replied, "Just feels a bit like a child's game..."
"How so?"
Xiao Yang weighed the marriage certificate in his hand. "It seems to lack a sense of occasion..."
At these words, the exact same feeling welled up inside Lin Yufei, and she bit her lower lip, nodding slightly.
"Come with me." Xiao Yang took the initiative, gently grabbing her small hand and breaking into a light run.
It was the first time a boy had ever held her hand, and Lin Yufei's delicate body trembled as if she had been struck by lightning.
Yet she did not struggle. On the contrary, the moment her hand was caught in his, a profound sense of security washed over her.
Not far from the Civil Affairs Bureau was a jewelry store.
Xiao Yang pulled her inside by the hand, and a sales associate immediately stepped forward to welcome them.
Upon seeing Lin Yufei's heavenly face, every sales assistant in the store drew in a sharp breath.
No woman is ever willing to admit that someone else is prettier than her, but that competitive spirit vanished into thin air the moment they laid eyes on Lin Yufei.
In terms of both looks and figure, they had lost completely and utterly.
An instant later, their gaze shifted to Xiao Yang. With his well-proportioned facial features and an air of heroism radiating from him from time to time, the roughness and impatience of his youth had long since been polished away by thirteen years deep in the mountains. In their place were a steadfast determination, coupled with a restrained sharpness and edge.
A match made in heaven!
The idiom involuntarily surfaced in their minds.
"Sir, miss, would you two like to look at rings, necklaces, or perhaps some of our other products?" The sales associate who had greeted them quickly regained her composure and returned to work.
"Let's look at rings first," Xiao Yang said.
"Right this way, sir." The associate led the two of them to a counter displaying rings. Inside, a dazzling array of rings in various styles was laid out for them to choose from at will.
Lin Yufei found herself overwhelmed with choices, unable to decide which style to try on first. Thinking every design looked lovely, she turned her head to Xiao Yang and said, "Why don't you pick for me?"
Xiao Yang pointed to a ring with tiny, scattered diamonds embedded in the band. "This one, let's see it."
"Certainly, sir." The associate took out the ring Xiao Yang had pointed to and placed it on the glass counter.
The ring not only featured diamonds embedded along the band, but its meticulously carved edges also added a great deal of aesthetic appeal—especially the bluish diamond, which instantly struck a chord deep within Lin Yufei's heart.
The sales associate introduced it: "This ring was designed by the top master artisan Sophie. The diamond-encrusted band reflects light from any illuminated surface, and it is guaranteed to catch everyone's attention."
"And as for the large diamond in the center, sir, you can lift it up and aim it at the ceiling bulb, looking straight up from underneath."
Following the associate's advice, Xiao Yang lifted the ring toward the ceiling bulb. The diamond, which had originally emitted a blue glow, turned pink right before their eyes.
"How beautiful!" Lin Yufei exclaimed in surprise.
"Shall we go with this one, then?" Xiao Yang asked.
"Mm." Lin Yufei gave a soft response no louder than a mosquito's buzz, then lowered her head shyly, beginning to fidget nervously with her fingers.
"How much is it?" Xiao Yang asked the associate.
"One million nine hundred and ninety thousand." The associate quoted the price.
"Darling, you simply must buy me a ring today!"
"Alright, alright, darling will buy it for you!"
At that moment, a couple strode through the store entrance, the woman's affected, sugary voice grating uncomfortably on the ears.
"Sir, miss, are you two looking to buy a ring?" Another associate stepped up to greet them.
Xiao Yang took out his bank card and said, "Put it on this."
"Very well, sir." The associate accepted the card with both hands and turned to head toward the cash register.
Right then, a shrill scream rang out.
"Ah! I had my eyes on this ring first!" The woman who had just entered trotted over, dropping the affected baby talk entirely.
Xiao Yang wrinkled his nose, disliking the heavy perfume radiating from the woman, and stepped aside a couple of inches. "Did you pay for it?"
"I—" The woman was choked up for a second, then immediately turned to the man for help, reverting to her sugary tone. "Darling, you said you were going to buy me a ring!"
The man's attention had clearly not been on this side just moments before; he had been staring at the sales associate serving him. Hearing the woman come over and link arms with him, he reluctantly pulled his gaze away. "Buy it, buy it, of course we'll buy it!"
Having placated the woman, the man caught sight of Lin Yufei, whose beauty stunned everyone present. He blanked out for a moment before exclaiming in surprise, "Yufei? What are you doing here?"
Yufei?
Lin Yufei frowned slightly, a trace of displeasure crossing her face. "Liang Kai, we aren't that close. 'Yufei' is not what you should be calling me."
Clearly, the two of them knew each other.
Then again, it would be hard not to know her. After all, Lin Yufei was the most stunning flower in Jing City, not to mention that they moved in the same social circles.
Ignoring Xiao Yang standing right beside her, Liang Kai smiled and said, "Yufei, are you here to pick out a gift for Young Master Ye?"
Seeing that Liang Kai was incorrigible, Lin Yufei didn't say much despite her inner annoyance. With a cold huff, she retorted, "You're overthinking it!"
"Hehe, I understand, I understand. Girls are always a bit reserved!" Liang Kai chuckled.
Unable to argue with Liang Kai, Lin Yufei simply chose to ignore him entirely, acting as if the man didn't exist.
As for Xiao Yang, he didn't even need to be mentioned; he had already mentally written Liang Kai off entirely. Seeing that the sales associate still hadn't gone to process the card, he urged, "Could you hurry up, please?"
The associate finally snapped back to her senses and nodded repeatedly. "Right away, sir, please give me a moment."
"You are not allowed to move!" The woman suddenly pointed at the sales associate, shouting viciously, "I laid claim to this ring first!"
Then, putting on a pitiful, wronged expression, she shook Liang Kai's arm and whined, "Darling~"
The affected voice gave everyone else present goosebumps, save for Liang Kai.
He gently patted the back of the woman's hand and said, "Don't worry, your husband is here."
With that, he slapped a bank card onto the counter and snapped at the associate, "Hey, my wife wants that ring. Take the card and swipe it!"
"But..." The associate was caught in a difficult position. She didn't want to offend either party, nor could she afford to offend either of them.
Liang Kai glared at her with displeasure. "What? You won't even listen to what I, Liang Kai, have to say? Believe it or not, I'll get you fired!"
Since the ring was in Xiao Yang's hands and he was an unfamiliar face, Liang Kai had nothing to fear.
Thus, from beginning to end, it had never crossed his mind that Xiao Yang and Lin Yufei were a couple.