The musicians were stunned. Was this Miss Asia too fierce or what?

Under these circumstances, wouldn’t any groom-to-be lose their temper?

Under the moonlight, silence fell over the scene.

No one dared to make a sound. The only thing audible was Jiayi’s slightly labored breathing after fiercely throwing the ring.

To be fair, throwing a ring required strength, and for a pregnant woman carrying two Little Baozis, it was indeed a bit tiring.

Huo Zhenyang’s handsome face turned pale, but he wasn’t the least bit angry. Stretching out his arm, he grabbed her delicate hand and pulled her in:

"Careful with your back."

The musicians who understood Chinese took a deep breath—

Mr. Huo didn’t show the slightest anger, only an overwhelming sense of indulgence and affection.

Jiayi was pulled into his embrace, panting lightly. She placed a hand against his firm chest, just in time to hear his teasing, slightly mocking voice deepen: "If you don’t want to, that’s fine. But a few days from now, when you’re in the mood, I might not be. And if we delay further and you end up giving birth during the wedding, don’t blame me then."

How was this democratic? It was blatant, naked coercion!

She pouted but said nothing.

She didn’t really want to go into labor during the wedding and become a laughingstock.

"Still not handing over the ring?" He gave her a sidelong glance, already seeing through her antics. This woman had become more and more unruly around him.

Only then did she unclench her palm to reveal the tight grip she had on the diamond ring. Just now, it had been all for show—she was never actually going to throw it away.

Fine, for the sake of looking beautiful in her wedding dress, she wouldn’t push him any further!

The diamond ring slid back onto her ring finger little by little. The moment it was secured, the fine veins leading from her ring finger to her heart seemed to throb gently in sync with her heartbeat.

Music began to play softly in the background.

He lifted her bride-like in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her mind distracted by something—she had already remembered everything.

As she hesitated, his low whisper reached her ears, outlining the plans ahead:

"...The plane is ready; we can leave anytime. But your body still needs time to recover. Next month, we’ll fly to France to register the marriage, then head straight to French Santo Roy Island. By the time we get there, Zaizai, your mom and dad, Grandpa, Little Doubao should already have arrived, along with Liang Family’s trio, Nie Yixiao, Fang Yao, Xue Jingchuan—they’ll all come over gradually."

No one understood better than him who she wanted to see and share her happiness and joy with.

Her gaze was like the brightest star in the night sky over the West Coast: "...So many people will be there?"

"Yes." He cupped her little face in his hands and, seeing her curious expression, said calmly, "I’ve booked three planes to deliver all your acquaintances to the wedding. That should be enough space, no?"

She paused and looked at him, asking, "What about Teacher Jiang? And En’en... Will they come too?"

Jiang Pinhao, Tang En’en...

They were memories from the year she first met him.

His heart stirred, as though struck by a heavy and resounding bell. One glance at her expectant eyes, and he understood everything.

She remembered.

She remembered everything.

**********

A City is located in the north, near H City. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Though not as large as H City, and not very prominent on the map of China, it was a quiet, peaceful seaside town suitable for living.

Liang Anya had been living here with her dad and brother for five months.

The Liang Family primarily worked in real estate within China and had already invested in several properties here. The apartment in A City wasn’t large but resembled a hidden little peach orchard—secluded and a perfect escape from people.

Originally, this place was meant to be Liang Tao’s retirement home. Unexpectedly, he moved here earlier with his two children and granddaughter, all to—stay away from the man his daughter had gotten involved with.

Liang Tao had never fully come to terms with Liang Anya’s situation.

After all, which father could remain calm about his beloved daughter having a child out of wedlock with some inexplicable man, without even dating first?

At first, Liang Tao hadn’t even looked directly at Xiaoxiao. But blood is thicker than water. At some point, he couldn’t stay indifferent anymore.

Xiaoxiao was remarkable—only a few months old and could already giggle at her grandpa. Every time she laughed, it melted Liang Tao’s heart completely.

Over time, Xiaoxiao became Grandpa’s little darling. Liang Tao held onto his granddaughter every day, not letting go, caring for her even more than Liang Anya did, to the point where he would criticize his daughter and son for not being meticulous enough in their caregiving.

Liang Tao had worked for most of his life. Though his business wasn’t massive, his savings were enough to ensure that the family could live worry-free in A City as long as they weren’t extravagant. But Liang Jue, being a man, didn’t want to rely entirely on family wealth and found a temporary job locally.

Truthfully, Liang Anya felt a bit guilty towards her father and brother.

The Liang Family’s real estate business had originally motivated Liang Tao to establish a company in Italy. Because of her, he returned to China and moved to A City, forcing the company abroad to close down. It wasn’t convenient to return to the old business in H City either.

Her brother, who majored in architecture, had greater potential for career development in first-tier cities in China. But to stay near her and their father, he limited himself to a job in A City, which couldn’t compare in benefits to similar positions in bigger cities.

She knew her brother had originally wanted to start his own construction company. Her father’s savings were enough to help support his venture.

But things weren’t the same as before. Starting a business always came with risks. What if there were cash flow issues or unforeseen expenses? They didn’t know how long they would stay in A City. If Si Yuheng kept searching for her, they might have to live here for years. Her father’s savings needed to sustain the entire family, so using them to start a company felt risky and unwise. That’s why Liang Jue gave up the idea.

After her postpartum confinement period, Liang Anya found herself restless at home.

More importantly, she didn’t want her dad and brother to sacrifice so much while she stayed idle at home, doing nothing.

Her majors in both Jin University and during her studies in Italy were in design. Though she lacked work experience, her credentials as a foreign-educated graduate were strong enough. Within two weeks, she found a job at a local interior design firm in A City.

Time flowed by like water.

If not for the sweet little addition by her side, sometimes, Liang Anya felt her experiences with Si Yuheng were nothing but a dream.

...

That day, during a break at work, Liang Anya opened her private email inbox.

Since moving to A City, she had abandoned her old phone number and all previous means of communication.

Fearing that Si Yuheng might trace her, she refrained from calling any of her old acquaintances. Nor could her old acquaintances reach her. The only thing she kept was this email account.

If anything came up with Jiayi or any other issues, the Huo Family could still contact her through this email.

She had grown accustomed to checking it weekly, never receiving any messages.

Today, upon opening it, an unread email quietly awaited her.