Chapter 23: Blessings from the Doting Sons

"President Peng, are you saying you want to buy a diamond ring?"

The assistant was long accustomed to being called in for overtime at the company, fully prepared for a major project, only to find the situation much less dramatic than expected. Well, it made sense; it was hard to imagine why a president would go to such lengths just to release a song. After handing the demo to the staff, all that remained was to wait. Buying a ring was clearly Peng Jiaxin's true objective.

"Very well, President Peng. Could you please provide the ring size for you and your husband?"

Silence.

Peng Jiaxin quietly set down her fountain pen, resting her chin on her interlocked fingers. This was her first time getting married, and she honestly hadn't realized such data was required. If she had to guess... they hadn't held hands enough times for her to even have a frame of reference.

"One moment."

Peng Jiaxin made a call, waking up Zhou Xuejing, who was still asleep at home. Dazed, she answered the phone, muttering to herself, "Mmm... let me sleep a little longer."

"Zhou Xuejing, quick, go help me measure Chen Fan's ring size."

"Hmm... what?"

"Didn't you say I should buy a ring? I left in such a hurry that I forgot about this."

Zhou Xuejing woke up instantly. She had only mentioned it in passing last night—"You're already married, how come you don't have diamond rings?"—and now, she was going to buy one today? Her execution was terrifyingly efficient.

"Chen Fan told me earlier that he went out to see some friends. I don't know where he is right now." After a moment's hesitation, Peng Jiaxin added, "Keep it a secret, please."

"Don't worry, leave it to me."

After hanging up, Zhou Xuejing quickly changed and headed downstairs. Just as she was putting on her shoes, the door opened. She looked up to see Chen Fan returning with a bag of barbecue. Too lazy to ask why he was eating barbecue so early in the morning, she grabbed him and dragged him inside.

"What are you doing?"

"I need a favor."

Pulling Chen Fan to the living room, Zhou Xuejing took a deep breath, her eyes filled with resolve. *Peng Jiaxin, if your future child doesn't let me be their godmother, it won't be worth the sacrifice I’m making today!*

"Chen Fan, can I borrow your hand for a moment?"

"?"

"I’ve decided to go back to the capital to make a final break with a certain man. His hand is about the same size as yours, and I want to..."

Chen Fan raised a hand, signaling her to stop.

"I understand. Measure away. If, after all this, that guy still doesn't know what's good for him, feel free to take your pick of the groomsmen when Peng Jiaxin and I hold our wedding."

Zhou Xuejing’s eyes lit up. There was such a thing as this? "Really?"

"Of course. They’re all my college roommates; they aren't any less handsome than I am." Chen Fan pulled out his phone and flipped to a photo of himself with his "sons" from the dormitory. "You can inspect the goods first."

Zhou Xuejing took the phone. In the photo, Chen Fan stood in the center, arms draped over the necks of two men, while behind them stood someone half a head taller than the rest. Zhou Xuejing gulped. As the old saying went, birds of a feather flock together. How did these four exquisite beauties end up in the same place?

Chen Fan introduced them helpfully: "The one on the left smiling like an idiot is my eldest son. 180cm, six-pack abs, loves working out. He thinks about dating every day but lacks the nerve, so he’s been single for four years with that face."

"The one on the right with the glasses is my second son, 178cm. If all goes according to plan, he should be in grad school right now—the intellectual, the brains of our dorm."

"As for the one in the back, he’s even more impressive. My third son, whom I’m most proud of. 188cm, captain of the school basketball team. He single-handedly shattered the stereotype that art students are physically weak by leading our school team to the national tournament and winning the championship!"

As he spoke, Chen Fan suddenly realized he hadn't told his "sons" about his marriage yet. He would mention it in the group chat later. "How about it? Not bad, right?"

"Not bad" was an understatement! Zhou Xuejing felt like she was experiencing the ancient tradition of choosing a concubine; it was exhilarating.

*Ding!*

A message from Peng Jiaxin urged her to hurry. Zhou Xuejing wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, coming back to her senses. That was close; she almost got lost in the male beauty!

"Right, but before that, let me make my break with him."

"Sure, go ahead and measure." Chen Fan held out his hand.

Caught off guard, Zhou Xuejing had to improvise, finding a piece of string. Once measured, she rushed upstairs. Chen Fan scratched his head. Was she in such a rush? He had wanted to ask if she wanted some barbecue.

He was already full from breakfast, but that didn't stop him from laying out the barbecue on the table and snapping a photo to post in the "One Dad, Three Sons" group chat.

Soon, three question marks appeared.

"You haven't said a word in ages, and now you pop up with a luxury breakfast? Can you even finish all that?"

"Send me some."

"Plus one."

Although Chen Fan had been less in touch since graduation (he was too busy), the bond between men didn't fade with time. All three had stayed in the capital after graduating.

"I'm giving you all a chance to mooch off me. Coming?"

"Whoa, the young master Chen is actually willing to spend money on us? Does this mean you've given up on your 'white moonlight'?" Like Chen Mengting, the three roommates had long hoped Chen Fan would give up on Guo Yue'er; it was obvious to anyone with eyes that the woman was just leading him on. They had even been harsh with him for it in the past.

"Yeah."

That single word caused Bai Yuming, who was working in the capital, to fall off his chair.

"Manager?" The assistant pushed the door open at the sound.

Bai Yuming waved his hand, his face beaming with uncontrollable joy. "It's fine, I'm fine. You can go."

"Okay." Bai Yuming suppressed his excitement and kept typing. "Is this for real? You can lie to your brothers, but don't lie to yourself."

"Why would I lie? I'm already married. My parents are coming tomorrow to discuss the wedding date."

"Holy sh*t" * 3

"Is she rich?"

"???" * 3

"And pretty."

Three sixty-second voice messages followed. Chen Fan didn't bother listening; he knew they were just his "sons" offering their blessings.

"Alright, once the wedding date is set, none of you are allowed to bail." Chen Fan figured that with Peng Jiaxin's personality, once she decided to hold a wedding, there was no turning back.

"No problem, I'm available anytime." Meng Wei (the basketball captain) had joined the national basketball association after graduation, but his blunt personality led to him being blacklisted within a year, so he returned to school as a PE teacher. Of the three, he was the easiest to get leave from.

"I should be fine, too." Su Shaoming adjusted his glasses. Once he finished his current project, he was due for a break.

"Good brothers! Bai Yuming, what about you?"

"I'm definitely coming, you jerk! Even if I have to burn through all my annual leave, I'm drinking at your wedding. Just wait until you have to call me 'Dad'!"

"...I'll let you know when the date is set."

"OK."

"By the way, do you guys have girlfriends yet?"

"..."

*What is this, trying to kill us with misery?*