The wedding was livestreamed by the sister, revealing his identity as a Taoist priest.

The living room of the Shen family villa was brightly lit.

At 11 p.m., the old house was packed with people!

Normally, there are only two possibilities in this situation: either it's the Lunar New Year, or something bad has happened.

Today it is clearly the latter.

Shen Nianqing sat in the center of the main sofa, with a cup of Longjing tea that had gone cold on the coffee table in front of her.

She stood upright, her back slightly straight, her eyes calm.

The people around him had various expressions.

Shen's mother, Lin Ruolan, sat to her left, patting the back of her hand from time to time.

The eldest brother, Shen Xingzhou, leaned back on the single sofa next to him, crossed his legs, and played on his phone with a look of schadenfreude on his face.

No, he was holding a slice of watermelon in his hand.

Shen Zhengting, the father, stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window with his back to everyone, his shoulders taut.

Old Master Shen Chongshan sat in a grand chair, his eyes half-closed, holding two walnuts in his hand.

Aunt Shen Yingxue sat opposite, her face as long as a horse's.

Grandma Zhou Shuhua sat next to her, her prayer beads spinning rapidly in her hand.

There was silence for about thirty seconds.

Shen Yingxue fired the first shot.

"Nianqing, your aunt has a question for you."

Her voice was shrill.

"You're a PhD from MIT, the daughter of the Shen family, and you've announced your engagement to the whole world?!"

"And we don't even know who your partner is!"

"You...you're being far too willful!"

Shen Nianqing looked up.

My fiancé's surname is Chen.

There was a two-second silence.

Shen Yingxue quickly went through it in her mind.

The Chen family?

Which Chen family?

The Chen family of Beijing?

Is it the one on Hong Kong Island?

Which Chen family?

"It's not the Chen family you're thinking of."

Shen Nianqing spoke in a flat tone.

"His family is just an ordinary person."

"general……"

Shen Yingxue's lips twitched.

"Ordinary people?"

"right."

Shen Yingxue turned to look at Shen Zhengting's back, then at the old lady.

Zhou Shuhua stopped using her Buddhist prayer beads.

"Nianqing".

Zhou Shuhua spoke, her voice slow and hesitant.

"Were you scammed?"

Shen Xingzhou burst out laughing.

Everyone looked at him.

Shen Xingzhou raised his hands.

"No, Grandma, are you serious?"

"Who is she? Nianqing! She can't be fooled? Do you think there's anyone in this world who could fool her?"

Zhou Shuhua glared at him.

"Shut up."

Shen Xingzhou shrugged and continued scrolling through his phone.

He swiped the screen asking for cigarette cards with great interest.

Shen Zhengting finally turned around.

His features were stern, and his brows were so furrowed they could trap a mosquito.

"Nianqing, I only have one question."

"Dad, ask away."

"You're twenty-four this year, and every decision you've made has never let this family down."

Shen Zhengting paused for a moment.

"But can you give me a reason for this?"

Shen Nianqing looked at her father.

"Because I want to marry him."

It's just six simple words.

Shen Yingxue stood up abruptly.

"Ridiculous! Shen Nianqing, do you even know what your marriage means? The Zhou family, the Lu family, the He family—aren't they all lining up to form an alliance with the Shen family through marriage? If you choose any one of them, the Shen family's market value could double! And now you're telling me you want to marry an ordinary person?"

"aunt."

Shen Nianqing looked at her.

"My marriage is not part of Shen's acquisition deal."

"I have the right to choose!"

Shen Yingxue choked for a moment.

"you!"

"alright."

An aged voice came from the armchair.

Shen Chongshan opened his eyes.

A sharp knife was hidden in his murky eyes.

Everyone shut up.

The old man looked at Shen Nianqing.

"Girl, are you sure about this person?"

"I've got my eye on it."

"No regrets?"

"No regrets!"

Shen Chongshan nodded and closed his eyes again.

"That's fine then. My granddaughter's judgment is beyond anyone else's control."

Shen Yingxue became anxious.

"Dad! This isn't a matter of taste! This is..."

"Reflecting the snow!"

Shen Chongshan did not open his eyes.

"When you got married, you were matched with someone from a similar social class, and look what happened. Do I need to remind you?"

"Our Shen family doesn't need to rely on marriage alliances to increase our market value!"

Shen Yingxue's face turned pale, and she opened her mouth but didn't make a sound.

Zhou Shuhua sighed.

"Old man, don't be so protective. I'm not against Nianqing finding a partner; I'm just curious about where the boy is from."

All eyes turned to Shen Nianqing once again.

Shen Nianqing picked up the glass of cooled Longjing tea and took a sip.

"From the mountains."

The living room was silent for a full five seconds.

Shen Xingzhou almost dropped the half-eaten melon rind on the ground.

He looked up, his lips twitching wildly, clearly trying to suppress a laugh.

Shen Yingxue's face had turned pale.

"In the mountains...?"

"Yes, my family is from a mountain village in the southwest. My parents run a small business."

Shen Nianqing put down her cup, her tone unusually calm.

Zhou Shuhua's Buddhist prayer beads snapped with a "crack," and the beads rolled all over the ground.

Shen Yingxue's voice immediately rose eight octaves.

"Shen Nianqing, what are you talking about!"

"I'm not joking."

"You're worth hundreds of billions... and you're marrying someone from the mountains?"

Shen Yingxue's brain circuits are clearly malfunctioning.

"What...what will people outside think of the Shen family?"

Lin Ruolan finally spoke.

She held her daughter's hand the whole time, her tone gentle but her attitude clear.

"Yingxue, her father and I will take care of Nianqing's marriage. You just need to take care of yourself."

Shen Yingxue: "Sister-in-law, you..."

"and."

Lin Ruolan looked at her.

"I've met the child Nianqing mentioned."

Everyone was stunned.

"When?"

Shen Zhengting looked at his wife.

"Nianqing brought it back once last month."

Lin Ruolan smiled.

"A very down-to-earth young man, not talkative, but reliable in his work."

Shen Zhengting's brows relaxed slightly.

He knew his wife well; she didn't praise someone easily.

Before Shen Yingxue could say anything more, Shen Nianqing had already stood up.

"Regarding the betrothal gifts."

She glanced around the room.

"He said he would send the first betrothal gift in a few days. He meant that even if the conditions were not as good as the Shen family's, the proper etiquette would not be lacking."

"bride price?"

Shen Yingxue sneered.

"What kind of betrothal gifts can people from the mountains offer? Three pounds of walnuts or two free-range chickens?"

Shen Nianqing did not respond.

She only glanced at her aunt, her gaze indifferent, devoid of any emotion.

But it was this indifference that sent a chill down Shen Yingxue's spine.

"You'll find out what it is when you get there."

Shen Nianqing turned around.

"I'm going back to my room now."

Just then, Butler Liu strode in.

"Young Miss, several young masters are requesting an audience outside: the second young master of the Lu family, the eldest grandson of the He family, and the Zhou family..."

"not see."

Shen Nianqing didn't even turn her head.

Uncle Liu nodded and was about to leave when he paused.

"Oh, right, Miss, there's one more person..."

"She's not from our circle. She said her name is Chen Xiaoyu, and that she's your...your fiancé's sister!"

Shen Nianqing stopped in her tracks.

She turned around.

A smile appeared on his face for the first time that evening.

"Quickly, let her in!"