Chapter 418: I Wasn’t Sugarcoating, It’s The Truth
“What’s the matter?” Ruan Keshan turned to ask Chen Minxia.
“This person looks extremely familiar but I just can’t seem to recall who she is.” Upon further reading, Chen Minxia noticed Liu Ronghua’s name sprawled across the article. She said, “Didn’t you used to tell me this name sounded familiar to you?”
“Yeah.” Ruan Keshan nodded. He felt slightly annoyed as he was troubled by that feeling of knowing something at the tip of his tongue but was not able to put his finger on it. This feeling was driving him crazy.
“You thought her name sounded familiar and I’m certain she look familiar. Perhaps it was someone we knew,” Chen Minxia said as she too was annoyed by her familiarity. Being a high school chemistry teacher should, in theory, mean she possessed a pretty amazing memory. She was puzzled by her sudden amnesia.
“It’s pretty impossible since both of us clearly know this person. How is it that none of us can recall who she was?” Chen Minxia said as she shook her head. Grabbing the Ipad over, she stares deeply at the picture on the Ipad. However, she still could not recall who that person was.
“Stop thinking about it if you can’t seem to recall for a moment. Who knows… Maybe out of nowhere, when you least expected it, yo” somehow recalled the identity of that lady,” Ruan Keshan told her as he gently patted her hands.
Chen Minxia nodded as she placed the Ipad down then proceeded to resume cooking in the kitchen.
…
Whatever Jiang Yuan said to Liu Ronghua was as if every single word was physically carved and seared onto her brain, making the very act of forgetting about the event impossible.
Liu Ronghua was currently living in a huge, rented home. She spent a good amount of years living in a mansion, and although this house was no mansion—since there was no way she could afford renting one—she still rented a 3 bedroom with 2 living room high-end home for the rich.
She did not take a single step out of her home ever since she returned yesterday. She had absolutely no clue as to where these journalists got the address to her residence from; as these journalists camped by the front gate of an alley near her house, it made it extremely difficult for her to leave her residence.
As her current situation dictated, Liu Ronghua’s inability to drive, the absence of a car, her inability to afford a personal driver and a car—especially after hearing everything Jiang Yuan had said to her—she was forced to remain in her own house. It was painfully obvious that Qi Chenglin had a vice grip over her accounts, thus the entirety of her future livelihood and the state of her future was completely at the mercy of Qi Chenglin. Hence, her current state of extreme fury and dissatisfaction.
Her forced exile made it easy for her to think and reflect. Liu Ronghua was a selfish person, and the very sin of selfishness clouded one’s mind easily. However, clouded judgment was not the same as insanity. As she pondered and reflected upon her unfortunate downfall, her mind directed her in the direction of Chang Jingqiu.
During her manic contemplation, she could not help but feel something was indeed off. The deeper she thought, the more things did not seem to add up for her, thus her conclusion for being a pawn to Chang Jingqiu.
Thus, Liu Ronghua proceeded to give Chang Jingqiu a phone call. However, after several attempts at reaching her, it was proven to be futile as she never picked up. Unfortunately for her, since Liu Ronghua never had the number to Chang Jingqiu’s office and she was being surrounded by persistent journalists camping outside her house, making leaving her residence extremely risky and difficult. She had no choice but to wait for her situation to progress to a less heated state.
…
Qi Youxuan would be attending a winter camp event with his school on Friday and thus, Ruan Zeer planned for a playdate with them next week.
A huge bus arranged by the school was already parked in the school’s parking lot. As Qi Youxuan got out of the car, Qi Chenglin proceeded to get his tiny suitcase out from the trunk. As Qi Chenglin brought his son to him, he felt slightly reluctant to send his son off.
Since she had been living with Qi Youxuan together now, this would be his first time leaving for such a long period of time. A full three days of absence. Ruan Danchen was already extremely heavy-hearted before he even left.
“Mom packed some anti-diarrheal meds, flu meds, anti-inflammatory meds and paracetamol for you. Just in case you don’t feel too well, just bring these meds over to your teacher to let your teacher decide which one you’ll need and how much you should be taking. Also, I’ve packed some band-aids in the left pocket of your backpack. Just be careful not to hurt yourself alright,” Ruan Danchen said with extreme reluctance, thus prompting her to nag further, “Be sociable, make sure you take part in any group activities alright, don’t be a picky eater. If you find any food you don’t like eating and don’t finish it, no one would care if you’re hungry or full. So remember to clean your plate, understand?”
“Alright,” said the kid as he nodded.
Since they were not allowed to have their phones with them during the winter camp, Ruan Danchen could not call her son even when she missed him.
Upon noticing Ruan Danchen was at the brink of tears, Qi Chenglin gave his son a stern glare. Seemingly realizing his father’s wrath, Qi Youxuan instantly wrapped his arms around his mother’s neck giving her a hug as well as a kiss on her cheek. He said, “Don’t worry mom. I’ll be fine. Three days will go by in a flash.”
“Yeah,” Ruan Danchen replied with a sad tone.
Noticing his mother’s sadness, Qi Youxuan released his mother all of a sudden as he puffed out his chest to stand as tall as he could. He said, “To be worried for a son’s voyage to afar, reciprocated were the feelings of worry to the son. Cease your worry mother, for my voyage to a land afar will be a pleasant one.”
“…” Ruan Danchen was completely speechless.
Ruan Danchen could not help but look up directly at Qi Chenglin as she wondered what on Earth had gotten into her son?
Qi Chenglin, too, was stunned by what Qi Youxuan had said earlier. However, he soon understood what his son meant. Thus, Qi Chenglin proceeded to gently pinch Ruan Danchen’s chin.
Ruan Danchen proceeded to look around in her current direction. She noticed Dai Zhiyao was being led by his mom over to their direction. Qi Youxuan only had the uniform for Jixia highschool on. It looked like a chinese tunic suit, and was undeniably adorable on him. It was similar to an already adorable doll being dressed in a much adorable suit by the owner.
Dai Zhiyao, on the other hand, was dressed like a gentleman. He looked smart and mature for such a young age. The way he dressed brought an illusion of maturity that was unmatched to his age.
Unwilling to allow his immaturity to show in front of Dai Zhiyao, Qi Youxuan forced a look of maturity onto himself.
The edge of Ruan Danchen’s lips twitched at the sight of her son’s awkward, forced look. She was tempted to tell her son to stop. However, in an effort to preserve her son’s reputation, she held back and just watched.
At last, both Ruan Danchen and Qi Chenglin watched as their son carried his little backpack while pulling his suitcase and waved goodbye to both of them with every tiny step he took. As he entered the school, worn on his face was a look of heavy yet calm expression.
Both Ruan Danchen and Qi Chenglin did not leave immediately as they waited outside the school’s gate, watching the kids get in line according to their class. As chaotic as the scene may be, it was without a doubt a parent’s talent to identify their own kids amongst the sea of children. In an instant, Ruan Danchen was able to pick out her son amongst the crowd, watching him get in line. It was an unpleasant feeling to say the least, as she felt mixed emotions of contempt and sadness.
The kids lined up in an orderly fashion and boarded the bus. After a headcount to make sure no kid was left behind, they got ready to depart the school. As the bus left the main gate of the school, Qi Youxuan leaned against the window as he watched his parents wave goodbye to him by the road. He began to tear up.
The kid too was reluctant to part with his parents for three whole days.
…
Qi Chenglin was still pondering on what plans he would have with Ruan Danchen for their hard-earned date night since he was keen to seize the very rare occasion of Qi Youxuan’s absence. However, he had received a phone call on Friday noon notifying him that Ruan Danchen’s wedding gown was completed and that she was able to try it on.
Guan Liya had apparently contacted Dynasty in regards to booking a hall with the dates they had chosen as reference. Since she had taken care of that beforehand, they were able to begin trying on Ruan Danchen’s wedding gown.
Ruan Danchen was drawn to the same designer that made Song Yu’s wedding gown. She loved the style the designer went for., thus Qi Chengzhi gave Qi Chenglin the contacts for that designer.
Fortunately for her, that designer had opened a workshop in B City. After a phone conversation with that designer, she went over to the shop for some measurements to be taken.
Since plenty had happened recently in a short amount of time, Ruan Danchen had totally forgotten about it.
Since they had no plans, they decided to try on the wedding gown this Saturday.
Although she had initially forgotten about the wedding gown’s appointment, the instant Ruan Danchen was reminded about it, it rekindled her feelings of excitement almost instantly.
It would be the first and only time she would have the opportunity to be the bride and put on a wedding gown. She used to think she would never in her lifetime see this day through. However, beyond anything in her wildest dreams, she was actually going to marry the man she loved and was actually going to spend the rest of her life watching over a man she initially thought nothing of.
Since her days were blessed with such overwhelming joy, she could not help but feel slightly anxious with this feeling of joy. She was worried if the heavens would punish her due to her overwhelming joy.
As she sat up, Qi Chenglin wrapped his long, strong arm on top of Ruan Danchen’s soft belly. Since Qi Chenglin was still in a deep slumber, he could slightly feel Ruan Danchen’s movements in his dazed state.
Ruan Danchen proceeded to turn to face Qi Chenglin. Upon noticing his gentle yet elegant slumbering eyes, Ruan Danchen decided to give him a gentle kiss to wake her man up. As the tip of her tongue slithered its way into his mouth, the taste was not too awful even though his mouth was sealed the entire length of the night. Instead, a strong wave of familiarity was emanating from his body.
As Qi Chenglin slowly woke up from his deep slumbering daze, he proceeded to inch the arms that were already wrapped around her waist higher, hugging her closer and tighter, thus locking the kiss firm as she laid herself on top of his body.
Ruan Danchen used both her arms to squeeze his cheeks, peeling her lips free. She said, “Come on. Hurry up and get up already.”
“It’s a Saturday… Let me sleep a little longer,” Qi Chenglin said in a dazed mumble, then proceeded to flip over, collapsing the upper half of his body directly on top of her as he buried his face in the nape of her neck. As he took his breath, in his mind he planned to resume sleeping while cuddling up with his wife.
“…” Ruan Danchen was completely speechless.
Confused at the sight of his awkward movements, she wondered if he was mimicking the movements of pigs being fed.
Ruan Danchen was indescribably excited today. She was excited to finally try on a wedding gown, and was even more excited to see what she would look like wearing one. To be in this moment was every woman’s biggest dream.
As the saying goes, the luxury of being a bride would bring out the best of a lady in a lifetime.
Thus, Ruan Danchen proceeded to forcefully nudge his calf and said, “Hurry up and wake up already. I need to try on the wedding gown today.”
“Just a little longer alright. It’s still early. There’s no need to rush,” Qi Chenglin replied in a mumble, drowsy tone as he cuddled her tighter.
“Say there’s no need to rush once more. I dare you,” Ruan Danchen replied harshly as she noticed Qi Chenglin’s lack of concern along with his lazy expression toward their wedding.
She was told by her colleagues during a session of office gossip that a man would be extremely excited to see their lady in a wedding gown.
Even if he was not by the slightest bit excited, he was well aware of just how excited she was. How could he still present an expression that lacked any sort of concern on his face?
Ruan Danchen gave her man a look filled to the brim with absolute disdain and discontent. She was aware of how much her impatience had grown due to being spoiled rotten by her man. Hence, the occasional petty outburst. However, she wanted Qi Chenglin to take a much-needed break during his weekend as well.
However, she was just too overwhelmed by excitement!
“…” Qi Chenglin said nothing as he could feel the impending fury of his wife. Feeling his wife’s boiling rage, he got up instantly.
Upon lifting his head off the nape of her neck, he noticed Ruan Danchen’s sharp and furious gaze staring directly at him. Those huge black pearly eyes, with her impatience spilling over from her eyes. It stood out to him as her eyes reflected brighter than before.
Her look of discontent tempted Qi Chenglin to squeeze her cheeks. However, with her growing fury, Qi Chenglin dared not to provoke her.
“There’s absolute undeniable need to rush, of course there is. I’m getting up this instant!” Qi Chenglin’s replied with his quick wit.
After replying her, Qi Chenglin instantly bolted up from his bed. That swift, fluid motion was an astounding feat nonetheless.
Thus, Ruan Danchen simply observed a strong, fit man bolted as he changed into his clothes, rushed into the washroom to freshen up as fast as he physically could, then proceeded to make his way out the washroom feeling refreshed. Although he remained the same man of few words, he snuck a couple of winks in Ruan Danchen’s direction in an attempt to cheer her up.
Since Ruan Danchen would be trying on her wedding gown later, she made efforts to put on some make-up even though she was never the type who was fond of cosmetics. Upon noticing Qi Chenglin’s goofy expression reflected upon the mirror, she laughed and thus she walked over to him. She then kissed him on the lips while standing on the very tip of her toes. After doing so, she resumed applying her make-up.
With inhuman speed, she packed everything she needed, gobbled up her breakfast, reapplied a fresh layer of lipstick, and then departed gleefully with Qi Chenglin.
As they made their way to the shop, Qi Chenglin could feel the overwhelming excitement emanating from Ruan Danchen. Seeing just how happy she felt, Qi Chenglin felt happy for her too.
Upon arriving at the store, they were greeted warmly by an employee of the store.
Qi Chenglin was first seated on a couch as condiments were served while he waited. Ruan Danchen was led into the fitting room for her to try on the wedding gown.
The wedding gown Ruan Danchen went with had a retro design. The designer incorporated the elements of embroidery onto the design of her gown. On the top half of her gown was a complicated yet intricate embroidery in the shape of a heart as it connected to the translucent fleece on her shoulders. As the corset wrapped tightly around her body, it showcased her very stunning curves. On the inner layers of her hemlines from her waist down were fold upon folds of transparent thin silk. After some impressive tailoring, it presented an illusion of Ruan Danchen standing on layers of pure crystals.
Even Ruan Danchen could not recognize her own reflection. No wonder a bride would bring out the best in a woman.
All she had on was her wedding gown. Not a single thing was done to her hair and she had no make-up on yet. Merely staring at her stunning beauty was enough to bring her close to tears.
As the staff was fixing her gown, the staff told her with a smile, “The hairdresser would be styling your hair to fit the style of this gown on that day. He showed me some of his work before, I’ll have you take a look later. Those hairstyles are masterpieces if I say so myself. The way he styled the bride’s hair made it seem like they were wearing a halo of flowers. Our designer had taken the hairstyle into consideration and had decided that your veil should be a unique one. She would be using a halo of flowers to connect your hair to the veil. According to her, that halo would be specially made to look like an illusion of you, as a flower, emerging from layers of crystals. It would be more stunning than any mediocre veils out there.”
The staff noticed Ruan Danchen was completely stunned and was unsure if she actually had heard anything she said earlier.
However, she was used to plenty of fresh new brides reacting the same way Ruan Danchen had. Thus, she understood what was happening. She chuckled and said, “Let’s show the groom then.”
It was only after the staff’s statement that Ruan Danchen snapped from her stunned daze. Thus, both of them made their way out of the fitting room with the staff lifting the tail ends of her gown.
Qi Chenglin had his full attention on every little commotion in the fitting room. It was only when he was fully seated and waiting did he feel the full brunt of his unnerving anxiety. One he paid no mind to before.
The instant Ruan Danchen walked out of the fitting room, Qi Chenglin was stunned.
Since Ruan Danchen never paid too much attention to her bland make-up, her regular appearance was simple and natural thus, making her look like a college student. However, she made an effort to put on her best make-up for such a special occasion, and paired with her white sheepskin overcoat, it made her even more stunning than usual. The only difference was the entire look she presented at this moment gave her a much more mature look.
However, the instant she changed into her intricately embroidered designer wedding gown, a surge of a queen’s elegance emanated from within her. This look stunned every man present.
Looking at her stunning elegance, Qi Chenglin unknowingly smiled extremely widely while he made his way over to her. He proceeded to grace her beauty with a tight hug as he irresistibly kissed her lips. As the warmth of the thin lips grazed the edge of her lips, he whispered, “You look absolutely stunning.”
He initially assumed all she needed to do was get the official wedding certificate and she would undoubtedly belong to him. She would officially be his wife. Since he thought a marriage’s officiality was determined by the possession of that certificate.
Trivial matters, such as the wedding ceremony, was only a ceremony to him. Since his mother and Guan Liya volunteered to plan the entire event, he simply allowed them to do so. He cared so little for these trivial things as long as his wife was with him, nothing else mattered.
However, seeing how stunning and elegant Ruan Danchen looked with the wedding gown on, it seemingly reignited a dead spark in Qi Chenglin’s heart as he now realized how reality had struck him—she absolutely wanted to marry him. Someone so stunning was willing to marry him.
Hence, his felt a sudden wave of regret and guilt for not taking the whole wedding seriously. He failed to realize how excited she was for their upcoming wedding and how desperately she was to be a beautiful wife.
Ruan Danchen was unsure what Qi Chenglin was thinking at the moment to have such an expression of heavy guilt. Seeing his guilt made her heart wrenched. Thus, she decided to distract his focus by asking, “So am I beautiful or is the gown more beautiful than me?”
Qi Chenglin was completely infatuated as he noticed the slight twitch at the edge of her lips. Her natural luscious lips were already a product of absolute beauty, and now on top of her natural beauty, her make-up made her indescribably stunning. Unable to resist, he proceeded to kiss her upper lip. He said, “This gown could only look stunning on you.”
Ruan Danchen smiled gleefully while kissing his lips. She replied, “You’re exceptionally talented in flattery.”
“It’s not flattery that I’m saying, I’m being completely honest,” Qi Chenglin said while giving her waist a slight squeeze. As he lowered his head to look at the seams of the corset that was binding her body, he asked, “Does it fit?”
Ruan Danchen nodded, as this gown that she had on her body was more stunning than what she had imagined. It was more beautiful than her conversations with the designer and what the designer had described to her.
When the designer presented her ideas to Ruan Danchen back then, Ruan Danchen was impressed by how attentive the designer was to detail, and in her mind she imagined the wedding gown as what was described to her. However, she was worried that the truth would disappoint, but she never expected the reality of how impressively done her wedding gown was compared to her imagination.
Ruan Danchen lifted Qi Chenglin’s arm to look at the time. She said, “I’ll change back into my clothes and we’ll head back home.”
However, Qi Chenglin was reluctant to let her leave as he grabbed onto her arm. He said, “Just one more look for me alright.”
Taking a couple of steps back to admire her from a distance, he observed every detail from her head to toes; observing her beauty in that very gown. He let out an impressed sigh and said, “I honestly can’t wait to see you put this wedding gown on during our wedding day.”
“I also wanted to watch the look on your face as you walked down the aisle toward me,” Ruan Danchen whispered to Qi Chenglin as she snarkily robbed Qi Chenglin the chance of hugging her once more as she made her way back into the fitting room while lifting her gown off the ground.
Qi Chenglin smiled at the sight of her hasty escape. She looked exactly like an elf.
As elegant and beautiful the gown was, putting it on and taking it off was an absolute chore. After she had removed her gown and got dressed back into her original clothes, the staff proceeded to wrap up the gown for her to bring back home.
As Ruan Danchen walked out of the fitting room, upon noticing Qi Chenglin’s disappearance, the staff explained, “Mr. Qi is taking a phone call at the moment.”
Ruan Danchen nodded as the staff finished wrapping up the wedding gown. It was placed in an intricately decorated box. That box was almost as tall as a human as the staff placed it by the waiting area in front of her. Ruan Danchen proceeded to wait for Qi Chenglin’s return on the couch while enjoying some condiments prepared for her by the staff.
Before Ruan Danchen could get herself seated on the couch, the main door was pushed open as an elderly looking lady along with someone younger walked in the store. Upon closer inspection, never had she expected it was Grandma Chang and Chang Jingqiu.
The instant she noticed both of them, she could not believe the coincidence the universe had for her as she gobbled up the snacks while pretending she did not notice the both of them.
“Madam, Miss. Chang, this way please,” the staff greeted them. It was just the right amount of politeness as it did not seem too overwhelming.
“We’re here to pick up some clothes,” said Madam Chang as she was being led into the store by Chang Jingqiu.
She did not need any form of assistance as she was physically healthy and fit. It was enough for her to go on a trip overseas alone if she was feeling bored. However, she enjoyed the respect and kindness that her granddaughter had shown.
“It’s ready. Please wait for a short moment while I send someone to get it,” the staff replied with a smile as she sent her colleague to get their clothes. The staff added, “You both may take a look at your clothes and decide if you are fond of the design or not. If the clothes don’t fit, it’s not too late to make alterations. We’ve seen the clothes when it was sent over here. It was absolutely stunning and we thought just how special Miss Chang must be to put this on. If it were someone else, we assume they wouldn’t be able to wear such beauty. The moment Miss Chang put this on during the birthday, she would stand out as the most stunning lady in the crowd. No one would be able to rival her beauty.”
“Heheh, you certainly know your way in flattery,” Madam Chang said with a huge smile on her face as the wrinkles on her face were being clumped together. She replied, “I have full faith in your store. If everything was to my satisfaction, I’ll make sure I recommend your store to all my friends and family”
“You’re too kind, Madam. I wasn’t flattering anyone, I was just being honest.” As the staff spoke, she pointed at the direction of the waiting area and said, “Please wait by the couch, we’ll have condiments sent your way. Your dresses will be ready in a moment.”
