Chapter 7 I Will Give You the World

“The Chu family of Great China is here to present their betrothal gift.” The elderly herald had an energetic voice that resounded throughout the hall. Immediately after, he waved his hand and the gift bearers standing by opened their boxes and displayed the betrothal gifts. “May abundant wealth fill your hall. Here is a platinium necklace.” “May your love for each other be eternal. Here is a diamond ring~” “May your love be truer than gold. Here is a pair of gold earrings~” “You are one in a thousand. Here is ten thousand and one in cash~” One by one, the boxes were opened and the gifts presented. All at once, the air shimmered with the gleam and sparkle from all the jewellery. And finally, after all the jewellery had been presented, a brand new sports car was pushed forward by an underling. “This~” “This… This is?” “A car fit for a CEO. It’s a Maserati!” “Whoa. They are giving away a car just like that. It must be worth millions?” The Qiu family members had worked themselves into a state of frenzy. Their eyes were filled with shock and amazement as they stared at the precious offerings in front of them. Only a tycoon could afford all that! To think that, they would give away a betrothal gift that was worth millions. “A tycoon. That’s a tycoon right there.” The assembled guests were full of praise for this overwhelming display of wealth. As for Qiu Mu-Cheng, she was in a daze. “All these are for me?” “Stop dreaming. You’ve been married for three years already. Why would you get any betrothal gift? These are obviously for our Ying-Ying.” “Ying-Ying, come quick. Say your thanks to our in-laws.” Wang Qiao-Yu was overjoyed. She thought that they had lost face today, but who would have thought there would be a plot twist and the Chu family would deliver such valuable gifts in the end. After making their delivery, the gift bearers left without a word. At the restaurant, only the betrothal gifts and the Qiu family members were left hanging around. “Wen-Fei, we have misunderstood you.” “Your family must have gone to great expense, to deliver so many valuable gifts.” Wang Qiao-Yu had once again resumed her friendly demeanor with Chu Wen-Fei. Qiu Mu-Ying was also smiling now, after her earlier tantrum. She stepped forward to hug Chu Wen-Fei and said cutely: “Darling, you are so mean. Since you have already prepared so many gifts, why didn’t you say so earlier?” The change in their attitude came so fast that it was enough to make anyone speechless. And of course, the other guests had nice things to say as well. “Wen-Fei’s family is so rich.” “That’s a tycoon for you. A single betrothal gift costs several million.” “A life of comfort awaits Ying-Ying~” The onlookers were full of envy. Although they had heard the herald ask for the third daughter of the Qiu family, they just assumed that the other party had made a mistake. After all, it was the day of the fourth daughter’s engagement. Nobody would think that the betrothal gifts were for a woman who had already been married for three years. Of course, Qiu Mu-Cheng and her family felt rather unpleasant. “Ai, look at their son-in-law. His betrothal gift is a car that’s worth millions. And those jewellery must be very valuable too. And look at ours. What did he give us?” Qiu Mu-Cheng kept quiet and not a trace of emotion could be seen on her face. As for Chu Wen-Fei, he was pleasantly surprised. He had thought that his father was ready to abandon him. But then, looking at the betrothal gifts, it was obvious that no expense had been spared to prepare them. To think that his own father would try to surprise him by pretending to belittle him at first and then raise him up later. “Haha~” “It’s a piece of cake. It’s not a big deal.” “Ying-Ying, in the future, I won’t be giving you just cars. But also luxury yachts and private planes as well. I will bring you on a trip round the world.” Chu Wen-Fei could not resist showing off again. As for Qiu Mu-Ying, she was eager to try out her new gift. “I haven’t had the chance to sit in a Maserati before. I want to see what it feels like.” “Okay, Ying-Ying. Your husband will take you out on a spin.” Chu Wen-Fei laughed and stretched out his hand to open the car’s door. But, no matter how hard he pulled, the door wouldn’t open. “Shit, it’s locked?” Chu Wen-Fei was stunned for a moment, and then he looked around the car for a key. Could it be that his father had forgotten to give him the key? His brother-in-law, Jiang Yang, took a look and said: “It must be a custom-made car. It has a fingerprint lock and voice activation system.” Chu Wen-Fei slapped his thigh in realization. “You’re right, Jiang Yang. I nearly forgot. I did ask my father to get me a custom-made car with a fingerprint lock and a voice activation system. Now, apart from Ying-Ying and myself, nobody else can drive this car.” Chu Wen-Fei laughed again but, no matter how many times he pressed his finger against the handle, the car’s door wouldn’t open. Later, Qiu Mu-Ying joined him in his endeavor but, even after using all her fingers, the door remained shut. Finally, Chu Wen-Fei could only claim embarrassedly that his father had probably used the wrong prints for the car. He would ask his father again a few days later. In the meantime, the car could stay at the restaurant. And since the banquet was almost over at this point, the Qiu family members started leaving for their homes. “Let’s go, Mu-Cheng. Stop looking. It’s not for you.” “Mom, you go ahead. I want to stay for a little longer.” “Ai… okay, fine.” Han Li sighed. She knew her daughter was feeling terrible, so she left without saying anything more. At the restaurant, only Qiu Mu-Cheng was left behind. She stood in front of the car for a long time and while she was lost in her thoughts, tears started streaming down her face. Just now, for a moment, she had truly thought that the gifts were for her. But in the end, that hope turned out to be a lie. The Chu family had probably made a mistake. “Mu-Cheng, are you envious?” All of a sudden, Ye Fan appeared behind Qiu Mu-Cheng. He looked at her and asked the question lightly. Qiu Mu-Cheng smiled bitterly and replied: “There is no woman who wouldn’t be envious.” Humans are susceptible to vanity and Qiu Mu-Cheng was no exception. She had her own desires. She wished to stand at the top one day, and become the object of admiration. She didn’t want to be laughed at or pitied. She wanted the people who looked down on her to regret their treatment of her. “But so what if I am envious?” “Maybe, I have no right to want good things. Maybe, I am just not good enough.” Qiu Mu-Cheng smiled self-deprecatingly and shook her head. Finally, she turned to Ye Fan and said: “Let’s go home.” Nobody knew just how much disappointment and anguish were packed into her words. This young lady once had her hopes and dreams for the future, like a flower waiting to bloom, but reality had taught her a bitter lesson. And now she was just a husk of her former self. Ye Fan remained standing at the same spot. His expression was calm but a faint light glimmered in his eyes. “Cheng, there’s no need for you to be envious.” “After all, this is yours.” Ye Fan smiled lightly and, as she looked on in shock, he grabbed and pressed Qiu Mu-Cheng’s hand against the car’s door. With a pop sound, the doors unlocked themselves and lifted upwards like a butterfly spreading its wings to embrace the world. The headlights lit up and parallel streams of orange-red light pierced through the canopy of the night sky like twin swords. “Activate!” Boom~ The low beast-like growl of the Maserati’s engine rang out, and the body of the vehicle shuddered violently. Under the night sky and amidst the roar of engine noise, Ye Fan stood against the dreamlike backdrop lit up by the car’s headlights. He looked at the dazed woman in front of him and held out his arms, as if he was ready to embrace the whole world. “Silly. You are the best woman in the world. You deserve all the good things in the world.” “As long as you are willing, I will give you the world.” Under the stars, Ye Fan stood with his hands folded behind his back and a faint smile on his face. Above him, the heavenly bodies shone brightly and turned the night sky into a vibrant garden. At this moment, the slim figure of Ye Fan looked as dazzling as the bright sun. Qiu Mu-Cheng, who was already dazed, stood rooted to the spot. Awe and splendor were reflected in her eyes as she looked blankly at Ye Fan. A feeling of infinite joy and surprise swept through her heart like a storm. Qiu Mu-Cheng was so overwhelmed that she could hardly believe her own eyes. All this, felt so illusory that it was like a dream.