Lu Xinyi stared at her reflection on the mirror, clearly surprised to see a beautiful woman staring back at her. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. She glanced back at her reflection, still couldn’t believe that the beautiful woman staring back at her was herself.
She sat there in a daze while Shen Yuyan was close by, playing with the flower petals in her basket.
“Mommy, how long should we wait?” the little girl asked her mother impatiently. Her mother had helped her to choose her dress for today and was excited to see her parents having their wedding ceremony.
Lu Xinyi blinked before smiling at her daughter’s question.
“It will start soon. Do you want to go and check with your Daddy and your brother?”
“Nope.” Little Yuyan declined her suggestion. “Daddy said I should accompany Mommy until the ceremony starts.”
Lu Xinyi sighed and checked her reflection in the mirror once again.
This… it wasn’t her first time wearing a wedding dress since she had worn one during their wedding photoshoot with the twins. However, today was different. She couldn’t even recognize herself.
The white wedding dress thrown at her by Xia Yuhan was a ball-gown type, longer and more expensive from the previous she used for the photoshoot. It had a fitted bodice and a full skirt. It was made of high-grade silk and finest satin fabrics, with trimmings of laces fitted with Swarovski crystals.
This reminded her of those princesses on TV dramas she used to watch as a kid. Lu Xinyi didn’t dare to ask her Grandmother Tang and her mother-in-law where they got such a luxurious wedding dress, but she didn’t dare to voice out her question in fear of hearing how much fortune the two spent to produce this elegant dress.
Her long hair had been curled and placed elegantly on top of her head before a thick veil was placed by her mother-in-law, which lightly concealed her face from everyone. Her makeup was also professionally done, smartly concealing the imperfections and darkness under her eyes that appeared during the time she was busy with Flair Apparel’s launch and attending school.
When her makeup was done and her veil securely pinned on her hair, Lu Xinyi was left with her daughter. As they waited, Little Yuyan started humming the song Lu Xinyi had chosen for the wedding. She couldn’t believe how easy it was for the girl to memorize the song.
Since she was too busy to be bothered to plan their own wedding preparation, she’d asked her mother-in-law politely if she could help her and her Grandmother Tang to prepare. Zhang Jingwei had been so thrilled by her request that she decided to file for a leave of absence on her work to focus on her son’s wedding.
The woman had been working nonstop to make sure everything would be in place and not miss a single thing needed. Lu Xinyi hadn’t seen the entirety of the villa, as well as the courtyard where she and Shen Yi would exchange their vows; but she bet it’d be unforgettable.
The thought of seeing her husband in a tuxedo, waiting for her at the other end of the aisle was enough for her to feel the pit of her stomach.
Someone knocked twice outside the door before it was shoved open, and three people stepped inside to see her. Lu Xiulan gasped when she saw her cousin, seated in front of the vanity table with her hands holding her flower bouquet that rested on her lap.
“Woah. So pretty.” She gave Lu Xinyi a bearhug and patted her back gently. “Congratulations! I’m really glad you and President Shen decided to throw a ceremony for us. I must say I was really disappointed when the two of you married secretly and didn’t bother to call any of us.”
“Hey, Xiulan. Can you release the bride? I wanna see her, too!” Yuan Jin complained behind Lu Xiulan.
“Oops, sorry. Here, here.” Lu Xiulan giggled and stood beside her cousin. She gently lifted Lu Xinyi’s veil when the latter asked her to do so. “Just make sure you won’t dare to run away with the bride. We wouldn’t help you if President Shen goes on a manhunt.” ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
“Don’t worry though. Lu Xiulan and I will retrieve your corpse to bury it in a secluded area once he’s done torturing you,” Xia Yuhan interjected.
Yuan Jin scoffed and rolled his eyes to the other women. However, when he saw his best friend clearly on her wedding dress, a genuine smile spread on his lips.
“Xinxin, I told you’ll be beautiful on your wedding day,” he reiterated. “I’m sure President Shen wouldn’t be able to take his eyes away from you today.”
Lu Xinyi laughed. “I suppose women can only be beautiful when they are going to get married. I surely do hope he wouldn’t forget his vows later.”
“Are you nervous?” Yuan Jin asked as he watched Lu Xiulan put her veil back in its rightful place.
“A little,” Lu Xinyi admitted, “but I’m more worried about Yi.”
“How so? Do you think he will back out at your wedding ceremony?” Lu Xiulan inquired. She didn’t think so. Based on what she knew about President Shen, he wasn’t someone who’d abandon his wife at this moment.
“Should I see him? You know to see if he’s really fine.” Lu Xinyi turned to look at her friends.
“Should you?” It was Yuan Jin who answered her. “Xinxin, although the two of you have been married for more than half a year now, it’s normal to get nervous,” he reassured her.
“I did notice something off with him, too. I thought I was worrying too much.” Zhang Jingwei appeared at the doorway and walked towards her daughter-in-law and took her hand to hers.
“Anyway, I think you know my son better than I do, Xin’er. Now, more than ever, you’ll need to depend on each other,” she said affectionately and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Lu Xinyi’s ear. “You’ll need to trust one another, even in silent moments. But of course, it’ll be better if you discuss the problem clearly to avoid misunderstandings and wrong assumptions.”
If there was something Zhang Jingwei learned from her failed marriage with Shen Huang, it was that a healthy communication between couples was extremely important. She had blamed herself for incompetence and not being able to save her husband’s brother years ago. If only the facilities before were as advanced as what they had today, she might be able to save his life.
“Anyway, you’re a big girl now, Xinxin. You’d been left on your own devices for a long time to make your own decisions.” Yuan Jin hummed. “If you’re really worried about your husband, then go ahead and check on him. I’m just not sure if Doctor Zhang and Lady Tang will allow you to ruin their plans.”
Another knock was heard from the door, and it was Shen Xue who appeared next. He stepped inside and greeted his mother before turning his attention to Lu Xinyi.
“Big Sis, do you think you can go and talk some sense to my brother? I think something is up with him. He’s been acting weird since morning.”
Lu Xinyi bit her lower lip and glanced at her friends and mother-in-law.
“Alright, I’ll go and talk to him.”
