Desperate Pretense At Being Poor

Chapter 77 – Photo Album

Although Wen Ruan recognized the person in the photo, she still asked in disbelief.

“Is this really Fu Mingheng?”

Although she did not have much contact with Fu Mingheng, almost everyone has the impression that this Eldest Young Master of the Fu Family is a typical domineering president with unparalleled standards.

A young man who can handle the company with ease, polite and well-mannered during business discussions, and an extraordinary conversationalist.  He is considered to be a steady, outstanding, and extremely talented business and social elite.

He completely did not match up with the young and beautiful girl in the photo!

Fu Zhihuan nodded slightly and said in a lazy tone.

“To be frank, I got the apartment in Jiang City from Fu Mingheng with this photo.”

……Extremely ruthless!

Wen Ruan stared at the photo for a while and had a thought.  She asked quietly.  “…….Then can I also save a copy of this photo as a backup?”

This kind of weakness that can make one feel happy and at the same time gives one benefits…….she must have it too!

Fu Zhihuan who did not expect Wen Ruan to have this thought was silent for a while and then his lips twitched.  The hand that was holding her wrist did not loosen and with a flip of his hand, he pressed her down on the bed.

“It’s fine but what are you going to give me in exchange?”  He asked in a casual tone.

Only then did Wen Ruan realize the ambiguity of their actions.

The distance between them was very close and it was almost like he was embracing her in his arms.  She could even feel the hot air gently brushing across her cheeks causing a tingling sensation.

Fu Zhihuan’s voice was low and husky and her ears turned soft.

This dog!

This move again!

But this time, she held back and did not shift her eyes away.  Instead, she stared straight at him in silence as if she refused to admit defeat.

Then the next second, she suddenly raised her hand to hook it around his neck, pushed herself up with force, and kissed him with lightning speed.  Then she quickly withdrew and made a move to turn over to pretend nothing had happened.

An attack executed by her!  An absolute win!

However, Fu Zhihuan did not expect Wen Ruan to counterattack and was dragged down by her.  Although his reaction was quick and was able to support himself with his elbows, the distance between the both of them had suddenly narrowed by this action and they were so close that they could feel each other breathing.

He was stunned for a while and it took him a long while to react.  His eyes darkened as he looked down at Wen Ruan who was pretending to be calm and with a smile in his eyes, he pressed the tip of his tongue to the corner of his lower lip.

Her present appearance was like a rabbit that could no longer hold back and had arrogantly stretched out her paw to scratch the lion’s chin.

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Fu Zhihuan laughed, released his hold on Wen Ruan’s wrist, and hugged her.  He lifted her chin with the other hand and leaned over to kiss her on the lips.

His palms turned fiery hot and the temperature seemed to spread from his back and burned through his whole body.

The ambiguous warm airflow continued to rise like thousands of fireworks were converging and exploding beside their ears.

It was as if they could feel each other’s heartbeats.

Wen Ruan moaned.  She subconsciously lifted her hands to hook around Fu Zhihuan’s neck and there was a layer of mist over her shining eyes.

A long time later, Fu Zhihuan finally stopped when she panted breathlessly and raised his thumb to gently wipe the corner of Wen Ruan’s tear-filled eyes.  His voice was warm and husky.

“Little kid, you still haven’t learned what I taught you earlier.”

When Wen Ruan who was gasping heavily heard the words, she bit her lips tightly and her cheeks turned red.

“Be a man!”

Damn it…….lost again!

Sure enough, she can never be more flirty than this dog!

With this thought, she turned her head and said in a sour tone.

“So you’re very skilled?”

Fu Zhihuan pondered for a while and seemed to suddenly understand her meaning.  His eyebrows and eyes relaxed and the corners of his eyes raised with a slight smile.

“It turned out you’re angry because of this.”

She did not say a word.

“Wen Ruan…….”  Fu Zhihuan called out her name softly and said in a serious tone.  “I’ve never liked anyone before and this is the first time I’m in a relationship.”

“……”

“You’re my first love.”

For some reason, Wen Ruan’s heart suddenly softened into a ball and she blushed.  After feeling embarrassed for a long while, she who obviously had a lot of things to say only uttered a simple ‘Oh’ in the end.

Fu Zhihuan laughed and leaned down to bury his face in her neck.  He said softly.  “Let’s get engaged.”

“Uh?”

The speed of this topic jumped too fast, right?

Wen Ruan thought for a while and although she was already agreeing in her heart, she was still a little emotional due to the failed provocation just now, so she snorted and turned her head away.

“You must be joking.  We just got together, so how can I agree to an engagement so quickly?”

As soon as the words slipped out, she felt regretful and then added in a soft voice.

“……..At least give me a day more before agreeing.”

Fu Zhihuan got up with a smile and held out his hand to Wen Ruan.

As soon as she placed her hand in Fu Zhihuan’s palm, she was caught off guard and pulled towards him.  She fell into his arms with her back pressed against his chest.

“Why are you so clingy recently?  You’re the same as your Earl!”

Her face had turned red and after struggling for a while, Wen Ruan realized that Fu Zhihuan’s arms were hugging her tighter and tighter.  She could only let him do whatever he wanted and was imprisoned in his arms.

She puffed out her cheeks and reached out angrily for the album at the side.  She turned a few pages and said.

“Why aren’t there any scandalous photos inside here?”

Fu Zhihuan replied calmly.

“As your boyfriend with this level of standard, there shouldn’t be any such photos.”

……So arrogant!

However, Wen Ruan realized it seemed to be true.

His entire photo album was like a photo magazine and not a single photo could be used as a tool to smear him.

After turning a few more pages, she was about to close the album in frustration when she suddenly caught sight of a photo.

The picture seemed to be a snapshot of a basketball game.  It was not a clear shot of Fu Zhihuan but she found the surrounding scene particularly familiar.

…….Isn’t this the basketball hall in her high school?

Fu Zhihuan noticed her hesitation and followed her gaze.  His eyes wavered slightly and said in a calm voice.

“This picture was taken during the school league.”

Wen Ruan suddenly realized…….

The basketball hall in her high school was built at a great expense so it was frequently used and turned into a venue for various competitions.

Most of the colleges and universities are located close together in Tong City.  Therefore, it is not surprising that Fu Zhihuan has been there.

As if instigated by an unknown force, she lifted her index finger to poke Fu Zhihuan’s face in the photo and said softly.

“Such a pity…….whenever there’s a game in our school basketball hall, I’d sneak into the canteen to buy snacks, otherwise……….could we have met earlier?”

At this moment, Fu Zhhuan did not reply immediately and just laughed.  He lowered his head to rest his chin on her shoulder and after a long time had passed, he said softly.

“Um…….maybe……..”

At this moment, Fu Mingheng’s loud voice suddenly sounded from the door.

“You have to know how much effort I made today to arrange the location of the engagement banquet for you.  How can you threaten me with the photo and ask me to help you without giving me advance notice?  You owe me a favor this time…….”

And the next second, the door was pushed open.

Then with just a glance, he noticed Fu Zhihuan and Wen Ruan’s spectacular posture.

………..The exact scene a few days ago.

Fu Mingheng was silent for a moment and then exited and shut the door.

Wen Ruan pondered for a while and turned to Fu Zhihuan.

“Did you threaten Fu Mingheng with that photo of him dressed up as a woman to help you solve the problem of booking the engagement banquet venue?”

“Well, that shouldn’t be considered so.  It’s mainly my parents who are doing it.”

Fu Zhihuan stroked Wen Ruan’s hair and said slowly.

“Time is very tight and it’s not sure whether the place can be reserved, so I wanted to tell you only after it’s confirmed.

She did not speak and only lowered her eyes.

He reached out to pinch the tip of her nose and coaxed softly.

“Not happy?”

“It’s not that.”

She shook her head and thought for a while.  Then she said in a serious tone.

“I almost forgot.  I must have a backup copy of Fu Mingheng’s photo in women’s clothes!”

This is simply an invincible and easy-to-use cheating hack!

***☆☆☆***

“The ceremonial feel!  Do you understand what is ceremonial feel?!  I think surrounding the stage with colorful flowers is too vulgar!  Although it’s only an engagement, this kind of sloppy idea is not feasible!”

Wen Ruan stood in the long aisle of the banquet hall with hands on her waist while painstakingly instructing the workers.

“What I want is the kind of high-class atmosphere which is a little low-key, romantic but not conventional…….a design that is not too exaggerated and has the essence of simplicity!”

“Ah, ah, ah!  Who told you to put a Barbie doll on top of the cake?  Don’t you think that its body proportion is too scary?  And the skirt lacks design sense!”

“No!  If you insist on showing a PPT of me and Fu Zhihuan’s photo on the screen before the start of the engagement banquet, I’ll run away immediately!”

Sitting on a chair a few meters away, Fu Zhihuan leisurely held a cup of tea in his hand and watched Wen Ruan who was exploding in anger while the nervous wedding planner beside her was taking notes frantically.

Fu Mingheng who was sitting beside him whispered.

“Why don’t you go over to persuade her?  I’m afraid that even before the engagement can start, she’ll run away from home due to anger.”

Fu Zhihuan glanced at him.  “If I remember correctly, this engagement banquet was planned by you, right?”

Fu Mingheng lifted his head proudly.

“Yes, I had a part in it!  I’ve long wanted to try my hand at planning for this kind of event as a way to train myself.  And I think I’m pretty talented at this.  Look, Wen Ruan doesn’t seem to have any intention of changing the parts that I planned!”

As soon as the words were said, Wen Ruan walked over to them and stood in front of Fu Zhihuan.  She threw the menu on the table and curved her lips into a ‘friendly’ smile.

“The planner said that you arranged the menu.  Tell me which one of you ordered the roast suckling pig?!”

Then she added.  “…….And it’s a whole pig per table!”

“……”

Fu Zhihuan glanced at Fu Mingheng from the corner of his eye.

Fu Mingheng let out a cough, pretended to be calm, and patted his chest.

“What’s wrong with the roast suckling pig?  This year is the Year of the Pig and it’s also a famous dish in the Manchu-Han Banquet Feast.”

Wen Ruan was furious.

“Do you intend to let me walk down the aisle with those little pigs saluting me with their eyes from all directions?”

Speaking up to this point, she gritted her teeth and added.  “On top of that, it’s a roasted piglet!”

Fu Mingheng scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.  After thinking carefully, he also felt it was not good and found a way for himself to take a step back.

“It’s fine.  Isn’t it just a dish?  Just change it.”

“Yes, that’s right.  It’s just a dish.”

Wen Ruan took a deep breath, turned to the next page of the thick wedding book, and pointed to a line of words on it.

“Who was the one who came up with the great idea of inviting the orchestra to play live at the banquet?”

Fu Mingheng raised his hand energetically and said proudly.  “Me!”

Wen Ruan smiled.  “Why did you invite the Suona Orchestra?”

(Suona is a trumpet-like instrument that was first introduced to Ancient China from Persia and was used as a court instrument.  Later, it was introduced to the common people and became one of the most used musical instruments in weddings, funerals, and marriages.  It is mainly used to play classical songs.)

Fu Zhihuan coughed and choked on the sip of tea in his throat.

“What’s wrong with that?  It’s national quintessence.”

“There’s nothing wrong with the Suona but this is a western-style banquet!”

“……Okay, if you don’t want Suona, that’s fine.”

“I also suggest that the pre-opening poetry reciting event be canceled.  And that sentence ~ On this bright and sunny day, we ushered in a happy day that makes our hearts surge forth and weep tears of joy……..  The emcee will find it embarrassing to recite that, okay?”

“…….But that poem was written by me.”

Wen Ruan was silent for a moment.  “Sorry.”

Fu Zhihuan who was calmly drinking tea all this while finally put down the teacup.  Feeling a slight headache, he pinched his brow bone and his temples started to throb.

It seems this engagement banquet can’t run as smoothly as expected!