Time flew by quite fast. In the blink of an eye, it was Lu Meili's engagement day.

"I'm nervous." The girl said, standing in front of the mirror. She was only in her dresisng gown, ready to dress up for the engagement banquet.

"Don't be nervous. Just pretend it's a banquet like any other."

"But this is different. Just a few hours from now, I will officially be an engaged woman. The thought of it makes me feel complicated. It's so unreal!" Lu Meili touched her blushing cheeks.

Soon, her name will be added to another family's household register.

Wan Jia held her shoulders. "You're blushing. It's a good thing. If you were not, I would think you don't want to be engaged anymore."

"How's that possible? Mu Zhichen is a nice guy and his grandma is my friend. I wouldn't want to miss them."

Wan Jia placed the new gown on Lu Meili's bed. "I'll deal with other matters first."

Lu Meili saw the vibrant red gown on the bed. "How beautiful! It's really so beautiful. Thanks mom."

"Mmh. "

___

Wan Jia took out her phone and checked on the fifteen-second commercial that had been uploaded this morning. It had already been viewed a few million times and had hundreds of thousands of comments.

Young men who wanted to propose to their girlfriends all wanted to get a pair of the new rings.

The sound of phones chiming in Lu Enterprises and Elite Fashion World was deafening. In just a few hours, it was the talk of the nation.

Lu Meili's fans finally realized the main point.

[Who is the man in the commercial? I haven't seen him before.]

[Is he a new model? He's so handsome my heart is stolen]

[Isn't that the young master from the Mu family?] Perhaps that commentator felt it was impossible for the young master from the Mu family to shoot a commercial. [They simply look similar.]

[Why Isn't anyone getting the main point? They look like a real couple!]

[You're right! I also thought it was the latest news about our Meili being engaged. Too bad It's only a commercial.]

[They look good together. Especially the part when our Little angel Li rested her head on his shoulder. I could swear I saw love in his eyes.]

Wan Jia tittered. They are a real couple. Of course they will look good together. Wait till you see the news about her real engagement tonight.

___

Later, at the Mu mansion.

Lu Xian Li kept looking at her sister.

"What's wrong with you? Do I look like an alien?" Lu Meili felt shy from being looked at too intensely.

"What alien? You look incredibly beautiful. I'm sure young master Mu will not keep his eyes off you for a second."

Lu Meili smiled slightly. "Really? But I still feel nervous."

"Come on. Are women always nervous on their engagement banquets?" Lu Xian Li taunted. If she was going to be half as nervous as Lu Meili was right now, she didn't want to be engaged.

"I don't know how to describe it. I'm not just nervous. It's more like unease. I feel something huge is going to happen tonight."

Lu Xian Li raised her eyebrows. "Your instinct is always right. Can you not scare me? What do you feel, a premonition of doom?"

"Get lost. You're crazy. Don't you try to jinx my engagement party." Why would she feel such a horrible thing tonight?

Lu Xian Li laughed. "Alright. I will get lost. I'm going to check on Xian Yu. Have you seen him yet? He looks so handsome. I could swear he looks like one of those handsome but cold and tyrannical CEOs from Webnovels."

Lu Meili giggled. "You would be in trouble if he heard you say that. Though I think he does look like a tyrannical CEO. The only difference is that he is a vice CEO and a young teenager to begin with."

Lu Xian Li waved a hand. "Wait for brother-in-law here. I'm going to greet the guests."

Lu Meili grunted in response and took a wineglass. She was in a guest room upstairs, waiting for Mu Zhichen to arrive before the banquet could start.

The latter was late thanks to a meeting he had to attend in the afternoon.

Lu Meili sipped on the wine delicately. Since he was almost here, she would just drink a tiny bit. She wouldn't get drunk unless she wanted to anyway.

"Having a good time?" The haunting voice reached her ears.

Lu Meili turned, her heart bearing awfully fast. "Xu Tang, what are you doing here?"

The man walked towards her confidently, as though he was strolling in his own garden. "Can it be any more obvious? I'm here to attend your engagement party."

Lu Meili calmed herself down. "Oh. CEO Xu, the guests are downstairs. Please show yourself out."

"But..." Xu Tang took more steps towards her. "I don't want to. I'm here for more exciting matters." He smiled wickedly. "Eloping with the bride. I did promise Mu Zhichen this."

Lu Meili was terrified. "If you come any closer, I'll yell."

Xu Tang didn't halt. "Why don't you go ahead? Let everyone know that on your engagement night, you were with another man in the guest room."

Lu Meili felt her head ache. If anyone were to see him here, it would be an embarassment to the Mu family. No one would believe that there was nothing going on between them considering their past relationship. "Xu Tang, whatever I owe you from our past life, could you cut me some slack? Don't ruin my engagement party."

"Heh..." Xu Tang laughed. "Is that what you think I'm here to do?"

"If you were only here to attend the banquet, you would be downstairs. I don't mind tarnishing my own name. I'll really scream if you don't leave."

Xu Tang clenched his fist. She hated him that much? "Pfft. You actually fell for it? It was a prank."

"What?" Lu Meili looked relieved. If worst came to worst, she was going to knock him out and have someone send him back to his home. But she really didn't want to have to do that.

Now he was saying that it was a prank?

"Sweetie, did you wait for too long?" Mu Zhichen was back.

Xu Tang faced the man who had just walked in. "What are you doing here?"

Mu Zhichen crossed his arms. "That's my line."

"I'm here to elope with the bride. What can you do about it?" Xu Tang provoked.

Mu Zhichen's lips curved into a smile. "Oh, are you?"

Lu Meili was more nervous than ever. Didn't he say it was a prank? No wonder she kept feeling something huge was going to happen tonight.

Mu Zhichen took a glance at her after thinking for a long while. "Sweetie, do you want to leave with him?"

"I..."

Xu Tang shot her a look. In his hand was a small storage device. He held it in an angle that only she could see. "Honey, are you sure you don't want to leave with me? I will make you happy."

Lu Meili was alarmed. You dare to threaten me on my engagement day, aren't you too shameless?

She knew what could possibly be in that storage device. They were pictures of them together.

Although she knew that they had never done anything beyond the boundaries of normal friendship, they looked closer to each other than other friends would be.

If he presented these photos as evidence of her cheating, everyone would believe it.

That was the reality of life.

People would see what they had been made to believe.

And the worst part was that she knew that even if she snatched that storage device from him, he would still have other copies of them.

Was she ready to be humiliated?

Or was she ready to humiliate Mu Zhichen by standing him up on their engagement day?

In the next moment, Lu Meili guffawed. "Why don't you go ahead? Let's see if you gain anything. At most, you will manage to ruin my engagement. But do you think that will make me agree to be with you? You may try."

Mu Zhichen furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you ralking about?"

Lu Meili suddenly looked sad like she had been bullied and ran to him, tugging his sleeve. "Hubby, he is threatening me. You have to protect me."

Mu Zhichen's anger all faded into a warm smile. Although he knew that Lu Meili obviously didn't need anyone's protection, the fact that she ran to him was enough to give him years of joy. And... did she just call him 'hubby'?

"Mr. Xu, you heard the girl. She doesn't want to go with you. Will you leave on your own, or do you need my guards to help you out?"

Xu Tang was furious. "Lu Meili, this is your last chance. I will not look for you again."

"I don't need it. Zhichen, the guests have been waiting for a while. Let's go and start the banquet."

___

Mini theatre.

Mu Zhichen: So annoying. Why isn't author kicking this guy out already?

Lu Meili: I don't know either. Doesn't she care about our feelings?