Shuixie Manor, a name known to everyone in Nanjiang City, was a villa district developed in the last century. Despite being a distance from the city center, its prices had skyrocketed. The architectural design of Shuixie Manor adopted a pure medieval European style, making the entire estate resemble a castle. Even the manor's gate was meticulously crafted by designers.
As Feng Feng stepped out of the car, she noticed roses adorning the manor's bronze railings, an embellishment that lent the setting a more dreamlike quality. Feng Feng gazed at the roses for a moment, then pretended not to see them and continued walking. Shen Su did not deliberately draw her attention to them. As the two entered the courtyard, they were greeted by a flower-lined path. Roses and lilies bloomed on either side, framed by trellises laden with balloons and candies, complementing the white buildings behind them, creating a scene as enchanting as a fairy tale.
Not far away, someone was playing the piano and violin, the atmosphere elevated to its peak by the background music.
Before Feng Feng could speak, she saw Lin Mei, Xing Zheng, Lan Lan, Liang Yu Feng, and Gu Song approaching from a distance.
"Happy birthday, President Feng!"
After they offered their well wishes, Shen Su leaned down and whispered into her ear, in a voice only they could hear, "Happy birthday."
Although she had anticipated Shen Su's "surprise" beforehand, experiencing it firsthand at this moment still filled Feng Feng with an indescribable emotion. This was the first time in her life she had celebrated her birthday in such a manner. In the past, she would have found it ostentatious, but now, her opinion had changed. She suddenly felt that a little more ritual in life wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Her imagined birthday party was likely similar to what Shen Su had prepared for Ji Tong, but she hadn't expected him to change the approach.
Even without asking, Feng Feng knew why he had done this.
After a silence of two to three minutes, Feng Feng finally found her voice, "Thank you."
Feng Feng and Shen Su took a few steps forward together, joining the others. Once they stopped, Lin Mei and Lan Lan said with smiles, "We almost couldn't keep it a secret; we almost spilled the beans several times."
As Shen Su's good friend, Gu Song naturally did not forget to speak on his behalf, "President Feng, how is it? To celebrate your birthday, Shen Su has even brought out Uncle Shen's most prized property."
Upon hearing Gu Song's words, Feng Feng turned to look at Shen Su. She had assumed the manor was rented by Shen Su. She had heard before that Shuixie Manor offered rental services, and due to its unique architectural style, it was often rented out for weddings. However, based on Gu Song's words, it seemed to be Shen Jianghe's property.
Shen Su read the confusion in Feng Feng's eyes and smiled, explaining, "My dad bought this place a long time ago. He and my mom had their wedding here. They rarely let anyone use it. If it weren't for your birthday, I wouldn't have had the face to borrow it."
Feng Feng nodded, not offering much comment on this. The group entered the villa. In the living room, Feng Feng saw many gifts on the table, but Shen Su's was not among them.
The villa was also filled with roses everywhere. Different from those outside, these were perfume roses, and upon entering, a strong, rich floral fragrance filled the air. Under everyone's gaze, Shen Su bypassed Feng Feng, stood in front of her, and took a white velvet box from his suit pocket.
The moment Feng Feng saw the box, she could guess what was inside. As she expected, when the box was opened, it revealed a ring, its large diamond exceptionally dazzling under the light.
The meaning of giving a ring was something even a child who understood things would know. Shen Su smiled at Feng Feng and asked, "Do you like it?"
Feng Feng didn't usually wear many rings, but frankly, the design of this ring was striking. Normally, rings with larger diamonds could appear gaudy, but this one did not. It was not only not gaudy but also possessed an inexplicable nobility and coolness. Without asking, Feng Feng knew Shen Su must have had it custom-made.
After gazing at it for a while, Feng Feng nodded, "I like it, thank you."
Shen Su took her right hand and brought the ring close to her ring finger. Before making the move, he paused again, "President Feng, do you know what this gesture signifies?"
Feng Feng retorted, "Should I pull my hand back?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt Shen Su grip her hand tighter. His lips curved upward, with a hint of triumph, "Too late."
With his words, the ring was successfully placed on Feng Feng's finger. Both in size and style, it matched her perfectly. Especially since Feng Feng was wearing a wine-red dress today, and her makeup was quite bold, it made her aura appear even stronger than usual.
After Shen Su finished putting the ring on Feng Feng, Gu Song was the first to lead the cheers, starting to clap and playfully saying, "The ring is on, President Feng, when are you planning to give Shen Su a legitimate status? Look, Lin Mei and Lan Lan already have children, aren't you in a hurry?"
Feng Feng's gaze shifted to Gu Song. After giving him a faint glance, she retorted, "If you're not in a hurry, why should I be?"
After all, she had someone by her side, while Gu Song was still playing the field, and she hadn't heard of him having a steady girlfriend.
Feng Feng's words hit Gu Song's sore spot. Gu Song was momentarily speechless from the retort but quickly recovered, "If that's what President Feng means, then if I find a girlfriend, you'll marry Shen Su?"
Feng Feng didn't give an answer, only saying, "You find a girlfriend first."
"Coincidentally, I actually have found one recently." Gu Song said, taking out his phone. Seeing something on it, his smile was uncontainable. "Don't worry, she'll be here soon."
Feng Feng hadn't paid much attention recently and genuinely didn't know he had found a girlfriend. Judging by his demeanor, he seemed to be introducing her to them. Having known Gu Song for so many years, Feng Feng had never seen him bring anyone to meet his friends. In this regard, he was even less forthcoming than Shen Su. Although Shen Su had dated many people, he didn't hide it, not even from his friends.
Gu Song's words clearly indicated that the person he was bringing was someone he couldn't publicly acknowledge and didn't want to take responsibility for.
Feng Feng had no intention of gossiping about Gu Song's romantic status, but hearing him say he was bringing someone over today made her a little curious. "Your girlfriend?"
Gu Song gave a mysterious smile, not answering Feng Feng, only saying, "I'm going to get her," and then he left.
As Gu Song walked away, everyone present began to discuss. Lin Mei and Lan Lan also seemed unaware of this matter.
Even when asked, Xing Zheng shook his head.
This made Feng Feng even more curious. She turned to Shen Su, "Have you met Gu Song's girlfriend?"
Shen Su was also bewildered, "I haven't heard him mention anyone."
He even suspected that Gu Song might have found someone specifically to make a bet with Feng Feng and put on a show for them.