June 10, 2017, Saturday, the day of Chong Gou (Ren Xu) with negative influences from the south.
Suitable for breaking ground and weddings, avoid long journeys.
On this day in Jiangzhou, the weather was fine, and the sun was bright and beautiful.
The whole city’s media hustled, all making their way to the Sacred Heart Cathedral, fearing being even a second late would result in losing the front-page story to rivals.
The wedding of Yun Shen and Bai Ran, one a distinguished head of a newly prominent family, the other a glamorous and sexy socialite, although neither of them had a particularly good reputation, their union, once announced, created significant shockwaves.
The topics surrounding the couple were endless, stirring up their love history over and over again. Kang Jinse couldn’t avoid being mocked as part of the discourse, and even the missing Ji Lanyi, once the number one socialite of Jiangzhou, became prime gossip fodder for leisurely chats.
Ji Yunya, a child star who rose to fame through a variety show, suddenly became a person of interest. In this era, there were hardly any good stepmothers, let alone a strong woman like Bai Ran. Little Yun Ya and his brother had already been treading on thin ice at home, and with a stepmother entering the door, there certainly were no good days ahead.
Netizens felt sympathy for his background, sighing at his misfortunes. Amid the hype of Yun Shen and Bai Ran’s wedding, the show that Yun Ya participated in gained even more popularity.
As soon as the news of their wedding was released, the Bai Family’s stocks, which had reached a limit down, saw a revival trend. After three days, they were completely in the green, making Bai Lun laugh with glee. He couldn’t help but exclaim that his sister was a lucky star, a great contributor to the Bai Family.
The Bai Family.
Gu Chunrong looked at the woman in front of the vanity in a stunning white wedding dress and said with a beaming smile, "Ranran, the company has pulled through. All of this is thanks to you. Your brother and sister-in-law won’t forget your contributions. Here’s a card with five hundred thousand; it’s a token of our regard for you. With this, they won’t look down on you in your husband’s family."
Saying this, she pushed a brand-new bank card in front of Bai Ran. Bai Ran glanced at it nonchalantly, with a fleeting trace of sarcasm flashing in her eyes.
"Then thank you, sister-in-law," she said and reached out to take the card.
Gu Chunrong’s smile stiffened, and glancing at Bai Ran’s expression, she hesitated before speaking, "There’s a saying, ’a married daughter is like spilled water’. Of course, I don’t mean that literally, just as a metaphor. You’ll be part of the Yun Family now. Do you think you could transfer your shares to Xiangxiang? Of course, we’ll pay you triple the market price."
So this was what they had been waiting for. Bai Ran smiled with lips curled, her eyes not reflecting any joy. She looked at Gu Chunrong through the mirror with a chilling gaze that made Gu Chunrong unconsciously shudder.
"Elder sister-in-law, Xiangxiang is only seven years old, what’s the rush? Besides, even though I’m marrying into the Yun Family, my surname is still Bai, I can’t just forget all of you."
"But..." Gu Chunrong wanted to say more, but seeing Bai Ran’s impatience, she added, "The bridal procession must be here by now, right? Could you help me check, sister-in-law?"
Gu Chunrong bit her lip in frustration. This unyielding girl took the money without giving anything in return. How infuriating.
"Fine, I’ll go check."
As soon as Gu Chunrong left, a seven or eight-year-old girl ran in, "Auntie, auntie, you look so pretty today."
Bai Ran smiled and touched the girl’s braid, "Xiangxiang, you are pretty too."
"Hee hee..." The girl laughed cheerfully, her innocence and cuteness radiating as she blinked her big, curious eyes, asking, "I heard that only people in love get married. So auntie and uncle-in-law must love each other a lot, and you’ll have a baby, right? Then won’t Xiangxiang get a little brother or sister to play with?" With that, the girl clapped her hands excitedly, her innocence pure.
Bai Ran’s smile faded slightly, "Yes, only people in love get married..."
In love? Her husband probably couldn’t wait to strangle her; nobody knew better than she how this marriage came about.
But she couldn’t back down. She was Bai Ran, the eldest daughter of the Bai Family, and behind her stood an entire family.
And sure enough, the image of a pair of clear eyes flashed through her mind, him saying with a smile, "Ranran, be happy..."
But without you, how can I be happy?
"Auntie, auntie, why are you crying?"
"No, no, your auntie is just shedding tears of joy... ."
——
The grand wedding ceremony had Yun Ya and Yun Miao acting as flower children. The cathedral, inside and out, was filled with media. Even if Yun Shen was dissatisfied with this wedding, he intended to make the most of it.
Kang Jinse sat next to Yun Shu, witnessing the woman walking down the red carpet towards the man she deeply loved, soon to make a lifelong vow to him.
Her smile was flawless, yet her nails nearly pierced through the palm of her hand.
Watch and see, one day, I’ll take back everything myself.
Yun Shu’s smile was tender, her face gave nothing away about the thoughts at the bottom of her heart.
Kang Jinxian sat close to Kang Jinse, looking at the handsome and upright man with a sudden sourness spreading in her heart. She quickly lowered her head and blinked furiously.
Why does it hurt so much?
Yun Ya and Yun Miao held up Bai Ran’s wedding dress hem, following closely behind. The little girl in her pink puffy dress and the little boy in his black suit resembled each other with their rosy cheeks and white teeth, cute and lovely, endearing to all who saw them.
Facing countless gazes from all around, Yun Ya showed not the slightest hint of discomfort, his smile pure and graceful.
Bai Ran’s influence was more extensive than she had imagined. It turned out she actually managed to coerce a marriage successfully. With this, Yun Shen and Yun Shu wouldn’t have the time to care about her, one Bai Ran was already enough for them to contend with.
The course of events was completely different from her previous life. She was very much looking forward to what would happen next.
In the audience, Yan Song stretched his neck to look at the small figure. She seemed to have grown taller, and even thinner...
"The bride looks so pretty," Yan Ke said, clapping his little hands excitedly.
Yan Song rolled his eyes secretly. What kind of taste is that? She isn’t even as pretty as Ji Yunya’s bean sprout.
"Eh? It does seem to be the pretty sister, hehe, the pretty sister is also pretty... ." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NovєlFіre.net
Yan Song finally showed a hint of a smile. At least the kid knew what’s good.
Zhuang Xiyue patted the two little devils on the head and whispered, "What are you two whispering about?"
Just then, two uniformed police officers walked into the cathedral from outside, interrupting the emcee’s impassioned speech.
The leading officer showed his badge and said coldly, "I am Lou Zun, a second-grade inspector at Gu’an District Police Station. May I ask which one of you is Yun Shen?"
Everyone’s gaze at the scene swept towards the groom on the stage.
Yun Shen furrowed his brow and took a step forward, saying in a deep voice, "I am Yun Shen, may I know what brings the officers here?"
The police had anticipated this, so they weren’t too surprised. They spoke authoritatively, "We have received a report. Mr. Yun Shen is suspected of the crime of bigamy. To facilitate our investigation, please come with us."