Just as Fang Yuan's heart began to race and she was preparing to warn Jiang Cheng to be mindful of his boundaries,
Chen Chao happened to arrive with a grand procession of waiters, carrying drinks and a dazzling tower of fireworks.
"Distinguished guests, the drinks are here!" Chen Chao's voice boomed.
Immediately after, the club's DJ received the signal. The music volume dropped slightly, and his provocative voice echoed throughout the venue via the top-tier sound system:
"Ladies and gentlemen! Please turn the spotlight to our VVIP booth—A01!"
A powerful spotlight hit the booth where Jiang Cheng and the others were sitting, instantly making them the center of attention.
"Let's use our loudest applause and screams to thank Young Master Jiang from booth A01 for generously ordering one 'great divine dragon' set and one 'little divine dragon' set for the lady beside him, Ms. Fang Yuan! We wish Ms. Fang Yuan a wonderful night! And to all our bosses tonight, don't go home until you're drunk! Let's rock the house!"
"Whoo—!!!" The entire venue erupted into massive cheers and whistles, pushing the atmosphere to a peak.
However, the A01 booth under the spotlight fell into a brief, subtle state of frozen silence.
Looking at the dazzling Divine Dragon sets before her, covered in sparklers that were currently sizzling and spewing golden sparks, and the various premium liquors being efficiently arranged on the table by the well-trained waiters,
Fang Yuan was completely stunned, her eyes widening slightly.
Did the DJ just say "Ms. Fang"?
Recalling how Jiang Cheng had suddenly called Chen Chao over just now... was this a surprise he had specifically arranged for her?
He didn't use "Zhou Ying," but rather her own surname, "Fang Yuan."
This was the first time that she, under the name "Fang Yuan," had been so grandly and publicly "gifted" and "blessed" in such a noisy and uninhibited setting.
A strange feeling, tinged with a bit of helplessness but filled more with an indescribable throbbing and a warm current, surged into her heart.
She subconsciously looked at Jiang Cheng, her gaze complex.
She turned her head to look at him, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow under the spotlight, and asked softly, "You... why did you use my surname?"
Jiang Cheng looked at the touching glimmer of moisture and the confusion in her eyes, the smile on his lips deepening.
He didn't answer directly, but simply handed her a glass of champagne garnished with edible gold leaf.
Then he raised his own glass and lightly clinked it against hers with a crisp "ding."
"Whose else would I use? In my eyes, you have always been you."
Jiang Cheng was never stingy when it came to saying sweet things.
Once he said this, Fang Yuan's beautiful eyes couldn't help but blink repeatedly.
What did he mean by that?
Jiang Cheng had told her many times that she looked very much like Zhou Ying.
She had always thought that it was because she resembled Zhou Ying so much that Jiang Cheng couldn't control himself.
But now he was saying he never treated her as Zhou Ying... She had even grown accustomed to using "Zhou Ying" as a shield to explain away the inappropriate ripples in her own heart.
She told herself that his kindness and his flirtations were all because of Zhou Ying.
But now, he was telling her that wasn't the case.
An indescribable sourness suddenly rushed to her nose, and her eyes instantly grew hot.
The person he had been seeing all along was Fang Yuan.
It was her—the woman much older than him, with a failed marriage, raising a daughter alone, yet still harboring the lingering insecurities and longings of a young girl.
The impact of this realization made her heart tremble far more than the grand fireworks and the cheers of the crowd ever could.
At this moment, Congcong, Wang Zheng, Qin Fen, and Shen An were also stunned, looking at each other in confusion.
Wang Congcong frowned and lowered his voice, speaking with a face full of bewilderment: "Fang Yuan? Which Fang Yuan? Isn't her surname Zhou?"
Shen An was equally confused and poked Wang Zheng beside him: "Hey, didn't you just call her Sister-in-law Zhou?? Who is this Fang Yuan?"
Qin Fen looked at Wang Zheng and grumbled: "Old Wang, what's going on? Did you recognize the wrong person?"
Compared to the others, Wang Zheng was clearly the most petrified.
That's right, out of everyone here, he was the only one who had seen Zhou Ying a few times.
"That's not right... how could I have the wrong person? Could they be twins again?"
Qin Fen interrupted him directly: "You've drunk yourself stupid. One is named Fang and the other is named Zhou, how can they be twins?"
Shen An countered: "No, Brother Qin, I have a friend who's like that. Her surname is Lin and her brother's is Wu, but they have the same father and mother..."
Once he said that, the group suddenly understood.
If they were biological sisters with different surnames, then it must be because their parents divorced and they changed their surnames after a remarriage.
Everything clicked into place instantly!
Wang Zheng slapped his thigh and sighed: "Holy crap, Brother Cheng really knows how to play..."
Shen An tilted his chin: "It's not just Brother Cheng; this woman doesn't show any sign of protest or embarrassment at all. She completely accepts the title'Sister-in-law'... comparing this, I suddenly feel like my usual play is a bit boring..."
Wang Congcong rubbed his chin, his gaze shifting between Jiang Cheng and Fang Yuan with a look of realization and amusement.
"Based on what you guys are saying, tsk... no way? He's that good? Just 'going along with the mistake'?"
Qin Fen made a "shh" gesture: "Pretend we don't know! We didn't hear anything! Ms. Fang is Ms. Fang, and Sister-in-law is Sister-in-law! Let's just mind our own business!"
"Are you stupid? Why pretend we don't know? Since they're going along with it, let's make them kiss..."