Night settled quietly over the Li private resort.
Inside the dining hall, warm golden light reflected against crystal glasses and polished silverware. The atmosphere looked elegant from the outside.
But the table itself felt tense.
Li Chengwen sat at the head of the table, reading something on his tablet between bites of dinner. Madam Li sat across from him, calm as always, while Ruoruo stirred the soup in front of her without eating much.
No one spoke for a while.
Then—
"Father," Ruoruo said softly.
Li Chengwen looked up briefly. "Mm?"
Ruoruo lowered her spoon carefully. "I was thinking… maybe we should hold another engagement banquet for jie-jie."
The table went still.
Madam Li frowned slightly first. "Another banquet?"
Ruoruo nodded gently. "The last one ended badly because of me."
That immediately changed the atmosphere.
Li Chengwen's brows tightened. "What nonsense are you saying?"
Ruoruo shook her head quickly. "It's true."
Her voice stayed soft.
Careful.
"I was the one who suggested the game that night," she continued quietly. "If I hadn't said anything, none of it would've happened."
Madam Li sighed lightly. "Ruoruo, stop blaming yourself."
"But people are already talking," Ruoruo said with a faint smile that didn't fully hide the sadness beneath it. "And jie-jie… she probably still minds it that why she moved on to Ye Chenyan."
"She's engaged now," Li Chengwen said flatly. "What's the point of another banquet?"
Ruoruo hesitated, then lowered her eyes.
"I just thought…" she began softly, "if we held another one properly, people wouldn't keep remembering the embarrassing part anymore."
Silence.
Li Chengwen immediately rejected it.
"No."
Ruoruo looked up slowly. "Father—"
"I said no." His tone was calm, but firm. "The matter is already finished."
Ruoruo's fingers tightened slightly around the spoon.
"But—"
"There will be no second banquet."
The finality in his voice settled heavily across the table.
For a moment, Ruoruo didn't speak again.
Then she smiled faintly.
"…Okay," she said softly.
Madam Li looked at her properly then.
Because Ruoruo had lowered her head already.
Quiet.
Trying very hard to look unaffected.
"Ruoruo," Madam Li called gently.
Ruoruo shook her head quickly. "I'm fine."
But her voice came out thinner this time.
She picked up her glass too quickly, fingers trembling just enough for the water inside to ripple slightly.
"I just…" She stopped herself and laughed quietly, embarrassed. "Forget it. I shouldn't have brought it up during dinner."
Li Chengwen frowned faintly now.
Ruoruo pressed her lips together lightly before speaking again.
"I know everyone thinks jie-jie was the only one embarrassed that night," she said quietly, eyes lowered, "but I never wanted things to become like that."
A pause, Then softer.
"I feel guilty too."
That sentence landed perfectly.
Madam Li's expression softened almost immediately. "No one blamed you."
Ruoruo smiled faintly again, but this time her eyes were already slightly red.
"I know," she whispered. "That's why I feel worse."
Li Chengwen finally put the tablet down.
"Ruoruo."
She looked up quickly, like she was trying not to cry in front of them.
"Sorry," she said immediately, forcing a small smile. "I didn't mean to make dinner uncomfortable."
Madam Li's heart softened instantly at the sight
Ruoruo had always been like this. Gentle, Considerate, never asking for much.
Which made moments like this feel more sincere. Even when they weren't entirely.
Madam Li looked toward her husband.
"Maybe another banquet wouldn't hurt."
Li Chengwen frowned. "What purpose would it serve?"
"At least it would smooth public discussion," Madam Li replied calmly. "And Ruoruo is right. The last banquet ended unpleasantly."
Ruoruo lowered her gaze immediately, pretending she didn't want to influence the conversation anymore.
That was the important part. 'never push too hard'.
Let them arrive at the answer themselves.
Li Chengwen stayed silent for several seconds.
Then finally exhaled. "…Fine."
Ruoruo's lashes lifted slightly.
"But this will be the last time the family addresses this matter publicly," he added firmly.
Ruoruo nodded quickly. "Of course."
Her voice still sounded emotional, soft, Relieved.
"Thank you, Father."
She looked genuinely grateful. And that was exactly why the decision stayed uncontested afterward.
Because by the end of dinner,
everyone at the table felt like agreeing had been their own idea.