Late Marriage in Luxury: The Spinster's High-Society Comeback

The picturesque fishing village of "Firefly" was nestled at the southernmost tip of Nanyan City. With its pristine beaches and azure waters, it was not only home to fishermen but also a perfect place to unwind and let go of worries. At precisely 7 a.m., as the alarm clock buzzed, a middle-aged woman in a floral apron hurried up the stairs. She stopped in front of a bedroom door, knocked a few times, and, hearing no response, pushed the door open directly. “Smack!” “Ouch… my butt!” “Xi Nanyan, you're going to be late for work.” “Mom, you hit me again!” With her hair in a messy tangle, Xi Nanyan sat up, rubbing the side of her bottom where her mother had swatted her. She grabbed her phone from the bedside table and glanced at it. “Mom, it's only 7 a.m.! I don't start work until 9!” “Stop chattering and get up now.” Faced with her mother’s authoritative tone, Xi Nanyan didn’t dare to protest. She flipped out of bed with practiced ease, her bare, fair feet padding into the bathroom. Shu Manyu swiftly pulled open the curtains in the room, letting in the salty sea breeze as she opened the windows that had been shut all night. She tidied up the messy bed and called out to her daughter, who was brushing her teeth in the bathroom. “Nanyan, finish up quickly and come downstairs for breakfast. And take Leilei to school on your way to work.” With her mouth full of toothpaste foam, Xi Nanyan mumbled a vague response. “Okay!” A few minutes later, the lively young woman came bounding down the stairs, dressed in a white T-shirt and light-colored straight jeans. She plopped herself down at the dining table in the living room. She picked up a bowl of warm, thick porridge and began eating it with some tasty homemade pickles prepared by her mother. Outside the open living room door stood a boy of about seven or eight years old, his handsome features lit with curiosity. Beside him lay a large, muscular black dog, lazily sprawled on the ground. Xi Jialei glanced up at the slightly overcast sky, then turned to his aunt, who was eating her breakfast leisurely. “Auntie, can you hurry up? It looks like it might rain soon.” “Your auntie already checked the weather forecast. It’s not going to rain this morning.” Hearing this, Xi Jialei looked at the gloomy sky again. Was it really not going to rain? After finishing her breakfast, Xi Nanyan wheeled her beloved electric scooter out of the garage. “Leilei, hurry up and put on your helmet. Grab your backpack—we’re leaving.” The salty sea breeze blew against Xi Nanyan, refreshing her spirits as she cheerfully hummed a tune from a Huangmei opera. Seated behind her, Xi Jialei instinctively wrapped his chubby little arms around her slender waist. “Auntie, I have a secret about you. Want to hear it?” Feigning curiosity, Xi Nanyan asked, “Oh, a secret? About me? What is it? Tell me!” “Grandpa and Grandma are scheming to marry you off to that Uncle Zhou who works with Dad. You know, the one who always comes over for dinner…” Hearing this, she didn’t seem surprised at all. “Oh, really?” “Auntie, why are you so calm? Aren’t you worried?” “Ever since you were born, your grandparents have been trying to marry me off. Now that you’re seven, have they succeeded?” “Auntie, why won’t you get married?” “You little rascal! Why are you so concerned about your auntie’s love life?” “Aww, Auntie~ I’m just curious! Tell me, please!” “Well, even I don’t understand it myself. Leilei, your auntie is quite the beauty—good looks, great figure—yet I can’t seem to find the right person to marry!” The aunt and nephew bantered all the way to the elementary school in town. “Go on, study hard.” “Bye, Auntie!” Watching her nephew walk through the school gate, Xi Nanyan turned her scooter around and headed toward the Hailan Bay Resort Hotel. About half a mile from the hotel, raindrops the size of beans suddenly began to pour down. By the time she took out her raincoat from the trunk, the rain had already turned into a blinding downpour. At that moment, a black luxury car “gracefully” sped past her, splashing muddy water all over her face. “Pfft! Pfft!” Wiping the mud off her face, she couldn’t help but grumble. “Just because you drive a fancy car doesn’t mean you can drive however you want! If you can’t drive properly, don’t drive at all!” Unaware of her complaints, the people inside the luxury car continued on. “President, we’re almost at the hotel.” The handsome male secretary in the passenger seat turned to remind the dignified man in the back seat. He closed his laptop, his gaze shifting from the glowing screen. Without a word, the cold-faced female secretary beside him swiftly took the computer from his lap. Days of relentless work had left He Jinyang’s shoulders and back tense and weary. He rubbed his temples, his cool voice breaking the silence. “Ziquan, is everything I asked you to handle taken care of?” “Rest assured, President. Everything has been arranged.” As the close secretary, Chen Ziquan also managed his boss’s personal matters. “President, shall I arrange for a massage therapist to help you relax?” He Jinyang didn’t decline. “Go ahead.” At the same time the luxury car pulled up at the hotel entrance, Xi Nanyan’s electric scooter entered the staff parking lot through the back entrance. Emerging from under her raincoat, she looked utterly bedraggled. Except for her underwear, everything she wore was soaking wet. As she walked into the employee corridor, the powerful central air-conditioning made her shiver. Rubbing her arms to fend off the goosebumps, she quickened her pace. In the dressing room, a young woman was standing in front of the mirror, applying lipstick. She caught sight of Xi Nanyan entering through the door. “I told you to get a small car for commuting, but you wouldn’t listen.” In front of her colleague and friend He Xinfei, Xi Nanyan peeled off her wet clothes and grabbed a clean set of work attire from her locker. “I’ll think about it.” Standing there in just her cotton underwear, she hadn’t even finished drying the water droplets on her arms and neck when a hand suddenly darted out and playfully groped her chest. “Hey! What are you doing?” “Wow, firm and perky! Your little beauties feel amazing. Come on, share your secret for such a great bust!” “Sorry to disappoint you—it’s all natural, courtesy of my mom. No secrets to share.”