Cheng Hai walked directly in front of Jiang Mengxin, smiled, and called out, "Mengxin."
The moment she saw Cheng Hai, Jiang Mengxin's face immediately lit up with a smile.
She said, "Senior, congratulations. You've grown the company into a powerhouse all by yourself, and this year you were even invited by the mayor. Your future is boundless."
Cheng Hai waved his hand, "You flatter me. Compared to your Jiang family, my company is nothing."
"How can you say that?" Jiang Mengxin replied, "Senior, you started from scratch, and achieving so much is not easy. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't be able to achieve what you have."
As they chatted.
Cheng Hai coughed and said, "Um... Mengxin, could I... ask you for... a dance?"
"Ah?"
Jiang Mengxin, Lu Ming, and the people around them were stunned.
What was going on?
You had to know, an invitation to dance at this kind of event was very significant. Only couples who fancied each other would dance together.
Jiang Mengxin was already engaged to Lu Ming!
Cheng Hai actually publicly invited another man's fiancée to dance? Wasn't he afraid of getting beaten up?
Jiang Mengxin was also taken aback, her face flushing.
She said somewhat awkwardly, "Senior, isn't that inappropriate?"
Cheng Hai smiled, deliberately glanced at Lu Ming, and said, "It's just one dance, it won't be a problem. Brother Lu Ming won't mind."
Whether he minded or not, you decided?
And yet, Jiang Mengxin believed him!
She nodded, "Then... one dance, just one."
After that, Cheng Hai took Jiang Mengxin's arm and walked onto the dance floor. Under the elegant music, the two of them danced gracefully.
The surrounding people were dumbfounded.
"No way, she's engaged but dancing with another man? Has she no shame?"
"Haha, Cheng Hai is a rising star, a talented young man. Lu Ming is just a grave-watcher, a nobody. Even if he's unhappy, what can he do? He can only endure the humiliation."
"Tsk tsk, that's a huge green hat he's wearing. If it were me, I'd rather die."
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
Lu Ming, however, acted as if nothing had happened. He sat on his chair, picked up a glass of red wine, and savored it slowly. He paid no attention to Jiang Mengxin dancing with Cheng Hai.
It was simply because he had no feelings for Jiang Mengxin.
He had agreed to the engagement and stayed with the Jiang family only to fulfill the dying wish of his mentor, Jiang Dingbian. Jiang Mengxin had nothing to do with it.
Sooner or later, Lu Ming would leave.
Having no feelings made it even better.
Just then, a girl in a floral dress walked over indignantly and asked, "Brother-in-law, how can you still be in the mood to sit here?"
Lu Ming looked up and saw it was Jiang Lan.
He smiled and asked, "What, I can't sit?"
Jiang Lan sat down next to Lu Ming and said, "Do you know what dancing here means?"
Lu Ming nodded affirmatively.
"Then why are you letting Sister dance with Cheng Hai?" Jiang Lan was surprised. At the same time, she frowned and asked, "Do you... not love Sister at all?"
This time, Lu Ming didn't answer, because any answer would be inappropriate.
Jiang Lan's heart trembled fiercely.
An unrealistic thought popped into her mind, and a strong emotion swept through her.
Her face flushed as she said, "Then can you... dance with me..."
She stopped herself mid-sentence, forcing the words back down.
No!
Absolutely not!
Jiang Lan shook her head vigorously, feeling ashamed of her unrealistic thoughts. What was wrong with her for wanting to ask Lu Ming to dance?
If she invited him, wouldn't that mean confessing her feelings?
How could she do something so against natural order?
"That was close," Jiang Lan breathed a sigh of relief. She had almost committed a monstrous sin.
But.
For some reason, Jiang Lan felt a pang of sourness in her heart, a deep sense of discomfort, injustice, and even a desire to cry.
Amidst the chaotic scene.
Suddenly!
Cheng Hai took half a step back and, in front of everyone, knelt on one knee.
He knelt before Jiang Mengxin!
What was going on? Everyone stopped what they were doing, staring at Cheng Hai in astonishment.
Jiang Mengxin was also startled and asked, "Senior, what are you doing? Get up, this is too embarrassing."
Cheng Hai shook his head, took out a small red box from his embrace, and opened it, revealing a dazzling diamond ring.
He said earnestly, "Mengxin, I've waited for this day for a long time. I've loved you for a long time! I know I shouldn't do this, I know you're already engaged, but my love for you is too deep, and I can't bear the pain of losing you! Mengxin, I want you to know my true heart, I want you to know—I love you!"
He stared into Jiang Mengxin's eyes and uttered words no one could have anticipated: "Mengxin, marry me!"
Whoosh—
The entire hall was stunned.
"No way, going this far? Proposing to someone else's fiancée in public?"
"Is this some scene from Titanic?"
"Haha, this is truly a sight to behold. Cheng Hai has some serious nerve. Lu Ming can tolerate this?"
Jiang Mengxin was completely frozen.
She looked at Cheng Hai, then at Lu Ming sitting on the sidelines, and for a moment, she didn't know how to choose.
Refuse?
Agree?
She was in a dilemma!
Lu Ming narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at Cheng Hai, his mind racing.
If it were any other man proposing, perhaps Lu Ming would have voluntarily broken off the engagement and wished them a lifetime of happiness.
Because Lu Ming didn't love Jiang Mengxin, why should he delay her?
But the one proposing was Cheng Hai, and that changed everything.
Cheng Hai was two-faced, greedy, and lustful. He was by no means a good person! In the previous Qunhui Road project, Cheng Hai had almost bankrupted the Jiang family. It was possible that this proposal was also filled with ulterior motives.
For the sake of protecting the Jiang family, and for the sake of protecting Jiang Mengxin, Lu Ming could not accept this.
He put down his wine glass and stood up.
"Cheng Hai, what do you want?"
Everyone could hear the displeasure in Lu Ming's voice. Others assumed Lu Ming was angry because he had been cuckolded; only Lu Ming knew that his anger stemmed from Cheng Hai once again targeting the Jiang family.
Lu Ming's reaction was entirely within Cheng Hai's expectations.
Cheng Hai also stood up, looked at Lu Ming provocatively, and declared, "Everyone has the freedom to pursue true love! I like Mengxin, so I'm proposing to her. Is there a problem?"
Before Lu Ming could answer, Jiang Lan, standing nearby, angrily retorted, "Sister is already engaged, why are you proposing? Have you no shame?"
Cheng Hai sneered, "It's just an engagement, not a marriage license. It doesn't count!"
The crowd shook their heads.
Logically, that was true, but who would actually do such a thing? Proposing to an engaged woman, tsk tsk, how shameless could one be?
Following that, Cheng Hai uttered even more arrogant and provocative words.
He pointed at Lu Ming and said, "Lu Ming, I challenge you to a duel! Whoever wins will marry Mengxin! What do you say, do you dare?"