Jiang Ling had come expecting a cheerful reunion; he left hollowed out. The whole time he’d stood in silence, watching the pair across from him—effortlessly intimate, speaking to each other as if the world belonged to them—doting on the child between them. It looked less like a casual meeting and more like a family outing.
He and Su Rou had been apart for three years. He had a thousand things he wanted to say, but seeing that scene made his tongue freeze.
“I’ll go first.” Jiang Ling drew a breath and turned away, refusing to look any longer. He couldn’t bear it.
“All right.” Su Rou answered easily. “When we get married, we’ll invite you.”
“...” His steps stuttered. “Mm.” There was nothing else to say. He didn’t have the stomach to watch the woman he loved walk down anyone’s aisle.
“He didn’t seem thrilled.” Su Rou watched Jiang Ling go. His agreement had sounded so forced.
“Hah, don’t mind him.” Su Yuze pulled his gaze away. He wasn’t in the business of pitying a rival. “Come on, shouldn’t we head back?”
“We already came out—how about we go for a walk? Bring Chenchen along.” Since giving birth, Su Rou barely left the house; now that she’d come out, she wanted to enjoy it.
Su Yuze’s brows twitched almost imperceptibly. Taking little Chenchen out without a stroller seemed inconvenient. “Let’s drop him back first.”
“Why?” She pouted. “Do you not like him?”
“No...” Su Yuze paused. “A little.” It was true; without a stroller, carrying an infant all afternoon was a hassle.
“You’re cheeky.” Su Rou scolded, but smiled.
When Jiang Ling stepped out of the tea shop, he ran into Xiao Yun and Yu Fei. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” he asked.
Xiao Yun spread his hands. “Would you have believed it if we’d told you straight away?” If they’d bluntly said Su Rou already had a baby, he might have doubted it—maybe thinking they were trying to shut him out. And, frankly, they’d enjoyed keeping it a surprise.
Jiang Ling thought it over, lowering his head. He might indeed have refused to believe it, imagining some scheme to keep him from her. “Still... I never expected...” He trailed off.
He hadn’t expected Su Yuze to be her boyfriend.
“There are plenty of things you don’t know yet,” Xiao Yun said, folding his arms.
Curiosity pricked at Jiang Ling. “What happened while I was gone? A lot must have changed.” Jiang Shu had told him a few surface things, but nothing real about Su Rou.
“You want to know?” Xiao Yun’s grin widened. “Come with us. We’ll tell you.”
“All right.”
“Just one thing first—after you hear everything, will you be able to let go for good?” Xiao Yun watched him closely. That was the real question.
Jiang Ling cast his gaze down. “I thought, if I came back in time, maybe I could win her before the wedding. But... she skipped straight past the wedding part,” he said bitterly. “She had the baby.”
Yu Fei gave his shoulder a sympathetic pat. “We told you long ago.”
At the jewelry shop, Yu Feng had booked several wedding planners online—after all, a wedding for Master Yu should be grand. He’d dragged Xiao Yun and Yu Fei into brainstorming; the three of them traded ideas like excited children.
“A church wedding is cliché,” someone said. “Everyone does that.”
“How about the beach?” Yu Fei suggested. “Imagine sand and sunset—so romantic.”
“The beach could work.” Xiao Yun nodded.
“By the way, Su Rou still hasn’t been proposed to.” Xiao Yun tossed the remark out.
“Mm.” Yu Feng circled the words on his notebook. “I’ll take Yu Shao to buy the ring.”
Yu Fei took the laptop. “Leave that to us.”
Time was nearly up. After waving goodbye to the two women, Yu Feng drove off with Su Yuze.
“What kind of ring do you want?” Yu Feng and Su Yuze stood blinking at the glittering display cases. Choosing a single ring from this abundance felt like an impossible task.
Su Yuze browsed the rows of stones, his voice flat. “It has to suit Su Rou.”
“Then how long will it take you to choose?”
“They’re all ordinary.” He sounded unimpressed.
“I think they’re all pretty.” Yu Feng scanned the showcases, dazzled.
Su Yuze shot him a look. “You single dogs don’t get to comment.” He was clearly in his own world: none of these rings matched the image he had of a ring for Su Rou.
The shopkeeper, spotting two well-dressed men, assumed they were high-spending clients and approached with a practiced smile. “May I show you something special?”
“Bring out your finest.” Yu Feng leaned against the counter.
“These are all beautiful.” The shopkeeper gestured toward the trays.
Su Yuze’s face didn’t change. “No, let’s go.” He turned and left before the woman could finish.
Yu Feng fell into step beside him. “Yu Shao, you changing your mind?”
“They’re not right.” Su Yuze was brief. None of the rings felt worthy of Su Rou.
“You’ve got high standards.” Yu Feng rolled his eyes. He’d seen the affection in Su Yuze’s expression—this was him showing off. “Shall we try another store?” They’d already been to three shops with no luck.
“Wait,” Su Yuze said, then paused as an idea struck. “Don’t you know Sofia?”
“Sofia?” Yu Feng thought a moment. “You mean the designer, Sofia?”
“Yes.”
Yu Feng’s face lit up. “That makes sense.” He smacked his palm into his other hand. “You want to collaborate with her.”
“I think for someone like Sofia, making a bespoke pair of rings within a month shouldn’t be hard.” Su Yuze’s mouth tilted into a small smile. “You contact her.”
“You could’ve done that yourself.” Yu Feng raised an eyebrow.
“I have other things to do.” Su Yuze’s smile deepened. “I’ll draw the design.”
So that was it—Yu Shao wanted to design the ring himself. Yu Feng rubbed his temples. Weddings were a headache. Luckily, he had no plans of his own. He picked up his phone. “Consider it done.”