Chapter 2

As the coming-of-age ceremony reached its conclusion, guests were drinking and mingling.

Uncle Gu and my father went to the back room to discuss the marriage arrangement between our families.

Gu Shiqing appeared, supporting Shen Ruobai in a high-profile manner.

Shen Ruobai's dress did not appear as neat as before, her lips were swollen, and the lipstick had slightly smeared at the corners.

No one in the upper circles was foolish, and when they saw this scene, they all turned inquisitive gazes towards me.

Shen Ruobai raised a humble paper box in her hand towards me and said, "Cousin, this is the gift I prepared for you. Happy birthday! Brother Shiqing, what did you prepare? Aren't you going to give something to your sister?"

I didn't respond, and a waiter beside me took Shen Ruobai's box on my behalf.

Gu Shiqing then took out a not-so-neatly folded silk scarf from his suit pocket, revealing a jade bracelet of quite good quality inside.

He pushed it towards me with one hand, saying as if offering a royal favor, "Grandma asked me to give this to you."

"Such a delicate bracelet." Shen Ruobai's eyes lit up as she raised her hand to touch it, but then carefully withdrew, "So beautiful."

Gu Shiqing directly slipped the bracelet onto Shen Ruobai's wrist, "What you want is yours!"

"This won't do, it's from Grandma Gu to the future granddaughter-in-law!" Shen Ruobai said as she tried to take off the bracelet.

"Ha!" Gu Shiqing sneered, "My grandma has four grandsons, can she give to all?"

With that, he casually plucked a light pink rose from a vase on the buffet table and placed it into the champagne glass in my hand, "Didn't you beg me to give you flowers? Are you happy now?"

Rose petals trimmed neatly fell into the glass, stirring the champagne and staining my expensive dress.

The guests, now tipsy, gazed at me with undisguised mockery.

I lowered my gaze to glance at the rose in front of me, feeling indifferent inside.

On a past Valentine's Day, I once used my status as the heiress of the Qin Group to pressure him just for a bouquet.

Because of the Qin Group, he indeed relented.

But it was merely a wildflower casually picked from a roadside greenbelt.

Even just that wildflower was enough to make me happy for half a year and even flaunt it on social media.

Yet, the consequence was ridicule throughout the capital and increasingly excessive humiliation from Gu Shiqing.

Thinking of this, I directly took the flower out of the glass and casually tossed it into a nearby trash bin.

"Ungrateful!" Seeing me throw away the flower, Gu Shiqing's face turned cold, and he started to leave with Shen Ruobai.

I could only feel that such a game of playing hard-to-get was utterly childish, and I turned to leave as well.

Unexpectedly, after just a couple of steps, Gu Shiqing grabbed my wrist, "Qin Yue, what kind of attitude is that? I've known Ruobai longer than you. Besides, I'm the future successor of the Gu Family. It's inevitable to fraternize with women; do you have the grace to become Mrs. Gu?"

I suddenly withdrew my hand, lowering my voice in warning, "Show some respect, Fourth Young Master Gu, this is my coming-of-age ceremony!"

A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes but was quickly replaced by mocking, "What are you pretending for? Didn't you always say you would marry me as soon as you came of age? Weren't you hoping I would touch you? We're about to get engaged, what's with the sainthood act!"

I laughed instead of getting angry, thinking about how Uncle Gu mentioned today that all four Gu sons were now adults.

But to avoid them coveting the CEO position of the Gu Group, there's a need to keep secret whom I chose.

Otherwise, I would really want to bring the marriage agreement and throw it in his face.

"Gu Shiqing, are you so sure that on the marriage agreement I signed with Uncle Gu today, your name is the one in the groom's section?"

His face turned alternately pale and flush, but he soon regained composure, picked up a glass of champagne, pointed at me with a smile, "You've been pining after me for three years, who in the circle doesn't know?"

"Among the four Gu sons, the eldest was left behind by the deceased one, he can't even speak clearly, the least favored by Father."

"The second brother is already engaged to the daughter of an international corporation, and the third brother is a top idol with millions of female fans."

"Apart from me, who else do you think you can have a business marriage with?"