Elena Shen didn't quite understand why Ethan Jiang insisted she stay in his studies.
His study was on the third floor, just like her room.
Did it really matter where she waited for a bit?
Ethan's study was spacious—about the same size as the CEO's office at Tiansheng headquarters.
Even the mount was similar.
All cold-toned minimalism.
Elena let her eyes wander briefly around the room before obediently lowering her gaze. Holding the phone that Uncle Li had just brought her, she began scrolling through videos to kill time.
Ethan turned on his computer and began replying to emails.
In between typing, he glanced toward the lounge sofa in front of him.
Elena sat curled up in the corner of the sofa, watching videos silently with her phone.
Ethan spent quite a while handling work.
Elena watched the clock tick from 2:03 to 2:25.
Her back had been held straight for so long, her waist was starting to ache.
She moved her eyes from the screen, sneaking a glance at Ethan, and seeing that he was fully focused on his laptop, she slowly shifted her posture—turning slightly to her left with her back to him, relaxing her waist, resting one arm along the back of the sofa, and using the crook of her elbow as a pillow for her chin while continuing to scroll on her phone.
Though Ethan was working, a part of his attention remained fixed on her.
When she turned her back, his gaze lingered briefly on her figure.
Then he picked up his phone and ordered the staff to bring in some refreshments.
Elena was unaware of Ethan's instructions. When she looked up from her video, a servant had already knocked and entered, carrying a tray with several of her favorite drinks.
With no classes that afternoon, Annie Gu, remembering her best friend's birthday, began messaging her on WeChat.
Annie Gu: "Babe, are you in the apartment? I'm coming over to celebrate your birthday!"
Elena sipped her juice and tapped into the message, replying:
Elena: "I'm at the old house."
The moment her message was sent, the typing indicator on Annie's side appeared, and then a flurry of messages came in:
Annie Gu: "The old house? 👀"
Annie Gu: "I heard from my brother that today's the Jiang family banquet! Ethan had just come back from overseas—it was his first banquet. He should be there, right?"
Annie Gu: "Are you two together? 🤩"
Elena had just tapped the keyboard to reply when another message popped up, complete with a giddy emoji:
Annie Gu: "Babe, I'm not important. We see each other every day. Missing one time doesn't matter. But it's rare for you to see Mr. Jiang. Focus on your future hubby and work on securing that lifetime meal ticket! I'll come celebrate your birthday tomorrow."
Before Elena could react, Annie, ever the hopeful matchmaker for her bestie, sent another:
Annie Gu: "Alright, no need to reply. Every minute counts! Go work on your life's greatest mission. Mua~ 💋"
Elena: "..."
She'd never seen anyone use "every minute counts" quite like that before.
At exactly 3:00 PM.
Just when Elena felt her entire body going numb from sitting too long, Ethan finally wrapped up his work.
Coming down from the third floor, he arrived in the main hall where several uncles had already left. Even Adrian Jiang was gone. Only Mr. and Mrs. Jiang remained, seated on the sofa, fiddling with their phones and tablets.
Seeing them come down, Mrs. Jiang beamed and waved Elena over.
"Elena, come here."
"One more minute. Sit with me for a bit and chat."
Elena walked over and sat down, puzzled by the mention of "one minute."
"Auntie, what happens in one minute?"
Mrs. Jiang smiled even wide,You'll see. Just wait.
Uncle Li took over more juice.
Seeing Elena, he was reminded that earlier, just before Adrian left, he had knocked on her bedroom door for quite a while. He was just about to mention it when Ethan, who had walked a few steps behind, looked up with a cold, sharp gaze that seemed almost tangible.
"Uncle Li."
The housekeeper froze mid-sentence.
Instinctively, he turned to Ethan.
The man's expression was calm and detached. His suit jacket had been removed during the banquet earlier, and his sleeves were rolled up, revealing clean, defined hands as he strode past and headed toward the sofa.
"—Have someone bring in some fresh fruit."
Uncle Li blinked slowly, glancing at Elena, then back at Ethan, who was now seated beside her without hesitation.
Only then did the realization strike him.
Miss Elena had already registered her marriage to Ethan. What was he doing trying to report that Adrian had looked for her?
Realizing this, and recalling that heavy stare Ethan had just given him, cold sweat broke out on Uncle Li's forehead.
Without another word, he hurriedly went off to arrange the fruit platter.
Elena didn't notice what had happened behind her.
All her attention was on Mr. and Mrs. Jiang.
As the minutes passed, before Elena could even ask what was going on, a procession of luxury branded attendants entered the hall, all dressed in matching uniforms, each carrying a tray covered in red velvet cloth.
They lined up in front of the sitting area.
Elena stared in stunned surprise.
"Auntie, this is...?"
"A marriage gift from me to you," Mrs. Jiang said warmly. "Take a look, see if you like anything."
"Marriage gift?" Elena glanced at Ethan beside her.
He was sitting comfortably, legs crossed, holding a water glass. Noticing her glance, he said calmly:
"A token of my parents' goodwill."
Mrs. Jiang's gentle voice chimed in again, urging Elena to browse the jewel.
The red clothes were pulled back simultaneously, revealing tray after tray of luxurious, custom-designed pieces. The attendants tilted each tray to a 45-degree angle for better viewing.
Raised in the Shen family, Elena saw her fair share of luxury goods. A brief glance told her each piece was easily worth eight figures.
Especially considering the sheer number of trays, stretching from the sofa all the way to the hall entrance—at least twenty or thirty in total.
Elena knew the Jiang family was wealthy, but this level of extravagance still left her speechless.
Mr. and Mrs. Jiang didn't seem to think it was excessive.
To them, this was the least they could offer their daughter-in-law.
Ethan and Elena's marriage had been sudden. If they hadn't heard about it from Ethan at today's banquet, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang wouldn't have known at all.
Now that they were officially married, it was only proper for the in-laws to offer a wedding gift.
But with such short notice, they hadn't had time to prepare anything meaningful. So, they ordered their staff to collect the most luxurious and stylish pieces suitable for a 20-year-old girl from the top boutiques across Huaihai City.
These may look lavish...
But Mrs. Jiang wasn't satisfied.
She had already made plans to attend major domestic and international auctions starting tomorrow to personally select meaningful gifts for her daughter-in-law.
And she would also go through her personal collection to see if there were any pieces a young woman like Elena would appreciate.
While Mrs. Jiang was racking her brain to make sure she didn't shortchange the daughter-in-law she had waited twenty years for. Elena could only stare at the dazzling display of jewels, mouth twitching.
"Auntie, you really don't need to—"
"Why not?" Mrs. Jiang interrupted. She turned to the staff. "Take everything upstairs."
Then she smiled even more lovingly. "Elena, isn't it time you changed how you address us?"
Ethan and Mr. Jiang both looked over with gentle anticipation.
Elena curled her fingers nervously.
Then softly called out, "Dad, Mom."
Pleased by the new title, Mrs. Jiang stood and took Elena's hand. "Now that you've received your marriage gifts, it's time for your twentieth birthday celebration."
"I've arranged a small party in the reception hall of the villa next to the main house. This afternoon, you can enjoy yourself to the fullest."
The birthday party had been in preparation since early morning, but because of the family banquet, it had to be postponed until the afternoon.
The guest list was carefully curated by Mrs. Jiang to ensure Elena could relax and have fun—most were peers from similar backgrounds rather than powerful elites.
The only regret was that Annie, who had just been about to leave home, was suddenly summoned back by her father and couldn't attend after all.
By the time the festivities wound down, night had already fallen.