1979: My fiancée is a goddess

The noise subsided, and the office returned to quiet in the afternoon.

The events of today, like threads, are entangled in everyone's thoughts.

First, Cheng Kaiyan gained fame abroad, then the Hu family uncle and nephew engaged in illicit transactions, and someone even embezzled...

It's fair to say that I haven't encountered as many things in the past month as I have today, nor have I experienced as many complex or emotionally turbulent events as I have today.

Fortunately, everything was quickly brought to a swift end thanks to Minister Lin's decisive action.

Tang Minghua shook her head, gathering her gaze and thoughts.

I casually picked up the teacup, gently blew on the slightly hot water, and then brought it to my somewhat dry lips.

"呷-"

The white porcelain cup clinked against my teeth with a clear sound. I tilted my head back slightly, and the warm, sweet tea moistened my dry lips, like a stream flowing over stones, making a soft sound.

"Minister Lin, looking at Cheng Kaiyan's condition, do they still need to apologize?"

After swallowing a mouthful of tea, a look of contentment appeared on Tang Minghua's face, and she asked softly.

“Of course, they are the culprits, and they have to go regardless of whether they can be forgiven. However…”

Minister Lin nodded, then paused after speaking for a while: "However, since this matter is to be resolved, we must take a stand. How about this, in a couple of days, over the weekend, we'll go to Comrade Cheng Kaiyan's house together."

While an apology is necessary, it is hoped that he can forgive and forget, and not hinder the development of domestic children's literature, and continue to serve as vice president.

"You're going in person?!"

Tang Minghua's voice, which had just calmed down, suddenly rose a few sentences again.

With a population of one billion across the country, officials at Minister Lin's level are probably few and far between.

Is this high-ranking leader going to personally lead them to Cheng Kaiyan's home to apologize?

It can't have come to this, can it?
Cheng Kaiyan is only just beginning to make a name for herself abroad; she is still far from being truly internationally renowned.

To put it bluntly, even if he became an internationally renowned writer, he probably wouldn't be qualified to have Minister Lin personally come to apologize.

Tang Minghua frowned, her heart filled with doubt and uncertainty. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she chuckled softly in a gentle, clear voice:
"Uncle Lin, I am considered an elder of Kaiyan. To put it more closely, I almost became his mother-in-law. Moreover, his aunt is my sister-in-law and a close friend."

"This is such a small matter, how could I let you go in person? I'll have Jiajia make the trip and have Kaiyan come to see you personally!"

"Moreover, if word gets out that you personally came to apologize, wouldn't people blame Kaiyan for being ignorant and for not having an elder to guide her? As an elder, I can't allow that."

"Yes, Minister Lin, we know you mean well, but outsiders don't see it that way. Comrade Cheng Kaiyan has always been respectful to his elders, filial, and sensible. He certainly doesn't deserve such treatment from you..."

Seeing this, Chen Zijun patiently offered advice.

After some discussion, Minister Lin frowned, his face serious and thoughtful. In the end, he had no choice but to reluctantly nod and agree, "Let him come to my house, we'll talk about it, and then we'll have a meal together."

"Oh! This is wonderful! It seems that Kaiyan has truly caught your eye this time. Over the years, I have hardly seen any young people who have been able to enter your home!"

Tang Minghua couldn't help but clap her hands and exclaimed sweetly. Her bright and dignified face looked as charming as a young woman in her late twenties.

"Minister Lin is so thoughtful!"

Chen Zijun echoed her, and the two of them sang in harmony, like a comedian playing the straight man.

"Okay! Next Saturday then."

Minister Lin laughed loudly, waved his hand, and gave the order. Then he suddenly instructed Tang Minghua: "Have Jiajia send a message later. Bring Jiajia along for dinner next Saturday."

"...Okay, I understand."

Tang Minghua gave a bitter smile. How could she not see through Uncle Lin's scheme?

This is clearly an attempt to use this opportunity to bring them together.

But Cheng Kaiyan and Liu Xiaoli are already engaged and even living together.

However, upon closer reflection, Jiajia and Cheng Kaiyan are not without a chance, after all, they haven't gotten married and registered their marriage yet.

Moreover, Liu Xiaoli is only a freshman in college, and she can't get married in three years.

Three years is enough time for many changes to occur.

if……

These somewhat dark and selfish thoughts flashed through Tang Minghua's mind; they were entirely subconscious.

But she quickly gritted her teeth and put it out of her mind.

The well-informed noblewoman understood perfectly well that this idea stemmed entirely from Cheng Kaiyan's astonishing abilities and potential displayed once again today.

Even though the Ning and Tang families are powerful families in the capital, Cheng Kaiyan is now a perfect match for Jiajia, and even better than her.

With the matter settled, Minister Lin waved for the guests to leave.

Tang Minghua and Chen Zijun got up and left, returning to their respective offices, their minds still preoccupied with Cheng Kaiyan's situation.

Tang Ming returned to his office, asked his assistant to bring him a copy of the New York Daily News, and curled up on the sofa to carefully and patiently read through the article.

The more I learned, the more intense and profound my amazement and appreciation became.

……

At 5:30 p.m., the sun gradually began to set in the west, and the air temperature cooled down a bit.

"It's the weekend, that brat Jiajia is probably at home with her aunt, snacking and watching TV! Hurry up and go home!"

Tang Minghua stuffed the newspaper into her briefcase, turned off the ceiling fan and lights in the office, and went home early.

She had long been unable to suppress her desire to confide in her daughter, even though she knew that telling her daughter might make her fall even deeper into trouble.

I got home at six o'clock and hurriedly pushed open the door.

Looking up, I saw it was true.

In the living room, two women, one tall and one short, one slender and one plump, were huddled together on the sofa.

Ning Wanjia and Ning Qiuyue were seen embracing each other intimately, like a mother and daughter.

A person was holding a beautifully designed white porcelain fruit plate in their arms, watching TV intently, occasionally picking up a toothpick, sticking a piece of fruit into their mouth.

These two guys haven't moved an inch all day, have they?!
Tang Minghua's sharp and capable eyes discovered an indisputable fact.

My sister-in-law was the apple of her father's eye. Her brothers and elders spoiled her, and she has become a pampered, willful, and self-centered good-for-nothing.

She was extremely worried about letting her daughter spend all her time with this guy, fearing that her own genius daughter, who had been admitted to Peking University at the age of nineteen with top marks, would follow in her footsteps.

Tang Minghua approached with a dark expression, glancing at the small pieces of yellow fruit in the fruit platter. "Pineapple? Where did that come from?"

“My aunt’s company gave them to her. They said they were purchased from overseas and air-freighted back. My aunt brought back several boxes of fruit! Their company’s benefits are too good.”

Ning Wanjia subconsciously replied, then was startled by a sudden sound from beside her and quickly turned her head: "Mom, why are you back so early today?"

"There wasn't much going on at the department today, so I came back early."

Tang Minghua's eyes flickered, and she casually replied with a few words.

She walked to the sofa, gestured for the two of them to move over a bit, then patted the hem of her skirt behind her ample hips to smooth out the wrinkles, squeezed herself down, and stuffed a piece of pineapple into her mouth.

The sweet and sour, cool and refreshing pineapple juice fills your mouth, making it irresistible.

It was obviously chilled as well.

"Ugh... It's so hot."

With a sigh of relief, Tang Minghua leaned back on the sofa, facing the electric fan opposite her.

"Covered in sweat!"

Ning Wanjia moved further away, looking somewhat disgusted.

"You're starting to look down on me now?!"

Tang Minghua questioned in a cold voice.

"How could I dare? You're just sweating profusely, and you smell wonderful!"

Ning Wanjia quickly flattered her mother, then stuffed the fruit plate into her mother's arms and stood up, saying, "Alright, I'll go get you a towel to wipe yourself down."

A short while later, he returned with a wet towel.

"I'm busy, wipe me clean."

Tang Minghua gave the instructions.

"Are you treating me like a servant? Even my third aunt has never treated me like this!"

Ning Wanjia stood with her hands on her hips, protesting. "If you serve me well, I'll tell you something that concerns Cheng Kaiyan."

Upon hearing this, Tang Minghua gave a jealous snort. This brat still loves A-Ting the most!
"what's up?"

Ning Wanjia immediately came closer out of curiosity.

"Look at you, so eager to throw yourself at me! You have no ambition at all!"

Tang Minghua, with a stern face, slapped her thigh, furious.

Even though she knows her daughter still can't forget him, you can't really act that eager!

"I didn't!!"

Ning Wanjia raised her chin and said disdainfully, "I call this knowing yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Sooner or later, I will make him regret it for the rest of his life!"

"Come on, you?"

Ning Qiuyue, who had been silent for a while, looked up at her niece and said indifferently.

"You...you guys!"

Ning Wanjia's delicate face flushed red with anger. After stammering for a while, she could only stand with her hands on her hips and sneer disdainfully, "What do you know? I'll make that bastard pay sooner or later!"

"Heh, anyone can say tough words. If you're so capable, try saying them in front of Cheng Kaiyan."

Ning Qiuyue could only laugh inwardly.

"Okay, stop arguing."

Tang Minghua, with a stern face, beckoned to her daughter: "Come here, there's something your mother really needs you to do today."

“No!”

Ning Wanjia refused firmly, her little face full of arrogance, but then she weakly added, "I'll listen from here."

"Here's the thing, do you still remember your Grandpa Lin? Your Grandpa Lin is planning to invite Cheng Kaiyan to his house for a meal, and he wants you to run an errand for him."

Tang Minghua got straight to the point.

"Why did Grandpa Lin invite that bastard to dinner? He's a vice minister."

Ning Wanjia curiously came closer.

"What else could it be? It's about that vice president election last time!"

"Oh! Grandpa Lin invited him to dinner, is it to seek justice for him? To apologize to him? No, no, what is it because of?"

Ning Wanjia frowned slightly, her mind racing. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she exclaimed, "Could it be that bastard has done something extraordinary again?! Or has he received some great honor that makes Grandpa Lin have to take him so seriously!"
That must be it!

Otherwise, given the mindset of officials like you, you'd just let a powerless writer bully you, but you'd never actually come to apologize!

"..."

After a brief silence, Tang Minghua laughed with a mixture of complex emotions and pleasure: "Jiajia, you're behaving like that genius girl who got into Peking University with the third-highest score."

"Humph!"

The little girl hummed proudly, a haughty smile appearing on her fair face.

"Take a look at this newspaper, and you'll understand."

Tang Minghua looked at her daughter with satisfaction and pride in her eyes, opened her briefcase, and handed her the newspaper.

Ning Wanjia took it and sat back down, and then Ning Qiuyue curiously came over as well.

"Auntie, can you understand English?"

"Who do you think you are?! You brat!"

Ning Qiuyue was furious. Although she hadn't graduated from university, she had at least studied at Tsinghua University.

He immediately raised his hand and pinched his niece, leaving two nail marks on her fair arm, before looking down at the newspaper with satisfaction.

"what?!"

However, she quickly exclaimed in surprise.

"Is this about Cheng Kaiyan?! This is the New York Daily News, right? When did this kid start publishing his papers and novels abroad?"

"It's definitely him! That bastard really stole the show at the Sino-foreign academic exchange conference that Mom hosted last time! It must have been Professor Ansel's help!"

Ning Wanjia, however, was absolutely convinced. Her pair of deep brown, glass-like eyes were bright and sparkling, even more beautiful than the clearest crystal.

"Tsk tsk, a hidden dragon rising from the abyss, huh?"

Ning Qiuyue thought back to Cheng Kaiyan's behavior in southern Xinjiang last year, so she wasn't surprised.

A man who has been tempered and tested by life and death is unstoppable once he sets his sights on something.

"150,000 sales, it seems he has made another step forward in literature."

Ning Wanjia felt that she was once again captivated by Cheng Kaiyan, the last time being during the exchange meeting.

Hearing this, Ning Qiuyue's eyes lit up, and she immediately sat up straight excitedly: "What did you say? 150,000 sales in a week? And in America? Cheng Kaiyan is going to make a fortune!"

This beautiful woman, with her willful and capricious nature, had her eyes gleaming with greed, even brighter than Ning Wanjia's.

"Get rich?"

Ning Wanjia and her daughter Tang Minghua also realized this problem at this moment.

"150,000 sales in a week, that's a terrifying little guy! Won't he be heading for 600,000 a month? How many US dollars will that earn?!"

Tang Minghua knew that there were royalties abroad, and it wasn't just a matter of paying a sum of money. With 600,000 copies sold, even if each book only earned one dollar, that would still amount to 600,000 US dollars!

"Six hundred thousand US dollars is easily converted to several million RMB! On the black market, it's probably worth more than three million!"

Ning Qiuyue gripped the soft, jade-like arm in her hand tightly, wishing the money were hers.

"More than three million! Wow... Oh my god!"

The three women were stunned and remained in shock for a long time.

Even Tang Minghua, a beautiful woman from a top-tier noble family and holding a high position, couldn't help but feel a jolt of shock when she thought of this number!
This young man is outstanding, so excellent!
She had never seen a young man like him in her entire life!

She now truly understands why her precious daughter, who is clearly such a proud, noble, and haughty little princess, is so fond of this guy and can't forget him!
Just this ability to make money is enough to make even capitalists blush with shame!

But this money was perfectly legitimate, and no one could find fault with it. It even made a huge contribution to the country's foreign exchange earnings!

"If I had met a man like that when I was young, I probably wouldn't have been able to resist either, right? Maybe I would have been even more obsessed than Jiajia..."

Tang Minghua's mind was wandering when this thought suddenly popped into her head, and her mature and dignified face flushed slightly with embarrassment and heat.

Ning Wanjia was also shocked by this number, her heart filled with pride and joy.

As expected of him!
"Mom! Why are you blushing!"

But she quickly noticed the strange behavior of her mother and aunt, and immediately started to puff up her fur and hiss like a kitten guarding its food!

"You brat, I'll tear your rotten mouth off! Mom's hot!"

Tang Minghua glared at him, but quickly calmed down and sneered, "What are you jealous of? He's already Liu Xiaoli's man! And you're still acting all proud and smug?"

"you!"

Ning Wanjia was so angry and aggrieved that she wanted to bite her mother's arm.

"Hehehe! Sister-in-law, I'm not trying to be mean, but what's wrong with having feelings for someone who's single? If you ask me, you couldn't find a man as outstanding as him even with a lantern!"

Ning Qiuyue giggled, pulled her niece into her arms, and whispered, "Jiajia, let your aunt teach you a few moves..."

Ning Wanjia frowned upon hearing this: "I wouldn't stoop to such a thing. My liking him is my own business, and it has nothing to do with him!"

"Yes, yes, yes! You are a princess, but if you have the chance, you mustn't let it slip by!"

"Do you need to tell me that?"

Ning Wanjia's mind was in turmoil after hearing her aunt's words. Suddenly, she remembered the scene in the office that day when Cheng Kaiyan massaged and rubbed her third aunt's shoulders.

She didn't feel there was anything ambiguous about it.

But the atmosphere between the two of them gave her a sense of even greater understanding and trust than when she was with Liu Xiaoli.

It was as if there was no distance at all.

"It's probably because they went through life and death together in southern Xinjiang, redeeming each other... wait!"

Ning Wanjia's thoughts raced, then suddenly her heart skipped a beat, and her exquisite, jewel-like eyes flashed with an unbelievable light. (End of Chapter)