“What marriage contract with the Ruan family? How come I didn’t even know about this?”
Gu Tian was completely baffled.
“Huh? But Brother Gu, didn’t you say that at the banquet not long ago? Not only I, but A Guang and the others were all there.”
The blond younger brother listened to Gu Tian’s words and started to feel confused as well.
“Yeah, yeah, Brother Gu, that night you told us that the Ruan family only has Madam Ruan alone, struggling to hold things together.”
“Now that the Su family has entered C City, in order to protect the Ruan family’s business, isn’t Miss Ruan bound to marry you sooner or later?”
A blue-haired man beside them nodded.
“That’s right, Brother Gu! When we heard that, the brothers immediately spread the word. By now, half of C City’s high society probably knows you’re about to marry Miss Ruan!”
A green-haired guy, seemingly a little drunk, hugged a bottle and laughed heartily.
“Damn you!”
Gu Tian slapped that glossy green head.
“I was just drunk that day, bragging to you guys! Who told you I was actually getting married? And now you’ve gone spreading it everywhere! If my old man hears about this baseless rumor, he’ll chew me out for sure!”
“Oh, Brother Gu, calm down first.”
The blue-haired one flinched at those words, then his eyes flickered as he smiled slyly and leaned closer.
“The brothers thought it was true and wanted to help you save face. Who knew you and Miss Ruan hadn’t even finalized anything yet?
“Besides, even though there’s no real marriage contract between you and Miss Ruan, spreading the news early isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”
“Oh? What do you mean by that?”
Gu Tian asked with a scowl.
“Well, Brother Gu, think about it. Even if you don’t really have a marriage contract with Miss Ruan, your analysis was spot on.”
“Given the current state of C City, when Madam Ruan grows old, it’ll be hard for the Ruan family to maintain their business. For the sake of the family, Miss Ruan will have to marry strategically.”
“Since the Ruan family’s foundation still stands now, they’ll want to marry Miss Ruan off to a good family as soon as possible.”
“And isn’t the most outstanding young talent in C City none other than our Brother Gu!”
The blue-haired guy laughed and raised his glass to Gu Tian.
“By spreading this news early, maybe the Ruan family, pressured by public opinion, will be moved to propose marrying Miss Ruan to you right away. That’s a good thing!”
Hearing this, Gu Tian’s mind stirred. That’s right. The blue-haired guy wasn’t wrong. Now that the Su family’s big figure had come to C City, everyone here was on edge.
And the Ruan family, with so few members, couldn’t rely on Ruan Zhixian alone to hold their empire together.
After all, not everyone is Madam Ruan.
The Ruan family would definitely want to find reliable partners, and what could be more reliable than a business marriage?
Maybe because of the rumors spread by these guys, the Ruan family would just go along and marry off Ruan Zhixian.
There are only a handful of family enterprises comparable to the Ruan family in C City, and among the younger generation of marriageable age, he was practically the only male heir.
The Ruan family wouldn’t let their daughter marry below her status, right?
As for the Su family, Su Ling herself is a woman. There’s no way she’d compete with him for the Ruan family’s betrothal title.
Thinking of this, Gu Tian burst out laughing.
“Ha ha ha ha ha! You’re right! No one in C City is better suited to be the Ruan family’s fiancé than me! If you guys spread it like this and let the good news come early, even my old man can’t say a thing! Ha ha ha ha ha!”
As Gu Tian laughed heartily, the blue-haired guy finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking at least they had only spread rumors and nothing serious had happened.
***
Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside the private room grew livelier, with expensive bottles of liquor arriving one after another and the music becoming increasingly rousing.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing? Can you afford this outfit of mine?”
The green-haired guy shouted at a female waitress, glaring at his clothes soaked with spilled liquor.
“Yes, I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t do it on purpose…”
The waitress, looking as if she’d never seen a scene like this before, was trembling and clutching a tray.
“Hmph! Saying sorry won’t cut it! Do you know how many months’ wages this outfit plus that bottle of liquor costs? Selling you wouldn’t even cover it!”
“Y-yes, sir, I really didn’t mean it… I’ll try my best to compensate for your loss…”
The waitress trembled even more.
“Huh? I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. Are you new?”
At this moment, Gu Tian noticed the commotion and asked.
“Yes! Yes! I’m new! Sorry, sir, it really wasn’t intentional… I… I’ll do my best to compensate. Please give me some time!”
The waitress bowed repeatedly to Gu Tian, looking timid and fearful.
“He already said you can’t afford to pay for the clothes and liquor. But, if you really want to compensate, I have a proposal.”
Gu Tian looked at the waitress’s pure, delicate face and felt a mischievous fire ignite in his stomach.
“Please, please say it! If it’s within my ability, I will do everything to compensate!”
Hearing this, the waitress looked as if she had found a lifeline, lifting her face full of hope.
“Ha ha ha ha! Brother Gu means, as long as you’re willing to play along with us guys, you won’t have to pay anything!”
The blue-haired guy laughed, and together with the others in the room, they quickly surrounded the waitress with practiced ease.
“W-what!”
The waitress’s face turned pale as she suddenly realized what she was about to face.
“Pfft, disgusting b*tch, don’t just toast us, take the penalty drink!”
The blue-haired guy spat contemptuously after being fiercely resisted by the waitress, then reached out to grab her.
“Gu Tian! Get out here, you!”
“Wait, what the hell are you bastards doing!”
“Bang!” The private room door was pushed open forcefully.
A slender figure in red burst in like a gust of wind without hesitation and grabbed the waitress, who was already surrounded and disheveled.
She wore a striking red knee-length slip dress, the vivid color like a blazing flame, cutting through the smoky, chaotic room.
The delicate silk clung to her curves, exposing a graceful neckline and shoulders, while the stiletto heels on her feet made her tall frame even more imposing.
“Gu Tian! What the hell were you bastards trying to do to this girl!”
Tang Jin’er’s full red lips pressed tightly together, her chin raised defiantly, her beautiful apricot-shaped eyes burning with fury.