Zhou Xingxing was awakened at 5 o’clock in the morning. With so much to do for Zhou Qiaoqiao’s wedding, and today being the day the bride would leave the house, it was only natural that Zhou Xingxing didn’t get to sleep in.
As a result, even though she was the one helping, Zhou Qiaoqiao was still sleeping while Zhou Xingxing had gotten up. She wondered why he was still sleeping.
Zhou Yingjie only replied with a muffled voice, “She’s pregnant. Are you pregnant?”
Zhou Xingxing clicked her tongue and said, “My belly hasn’t grown that big yet…”
“Go help your mother and wake up Zhou Xiongxiong,” Zhou Yingjie said with a cigarette in his mouth. He adjusted the ribbons while giving instructions to Zhou Xingxing.
Zhou Xingxing pouted in dissatisfaction and went to wake up Zhou Xiongxiong.
The first to arrive was the makeup artist who came at 6:30 AM. And not just one person, but three people came together. Zhou Yingjie found this a bit strange. Makeup artists usually come alone, don’t they?
Moreover, the lead makeup artist was a man, and this man was quite effeminate as he delicately held up his painted nails and said, “Hello Uncle, my name is Burton. Chairman Yan asked me to do Miss Zhou’s makeup. Do you know where she is?”
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The bride’s makeup took some time. While Burton was doing Zhou Qiaoqiao’s makeup, Nini and another assistant were working on her hairstyle in the background.
Meanwhile, the other makeup artist was capturing every angle on camera.
Zhou Xiongxiong peeked his head in, and wow, it was grand. He turned to Zhou Xingxing and said, “Look at her grandeur. Three makeup artists! Tsk tsk, when you get married, you should also hire three. We won’t lose to her. I’ll give you the money.”
Zhou Xingxing scornfully looked at him, “Then buy me that Fruit brand computer first!” Her dad was becoming more and more stingy these days.
Zhou Xiongxiong clicked his tongue, “Why are you so demanding? That computer is so expensive. Can’t you get a domestically made one? If it’s 4000 yuan, I can afford it. But you’re asking for tens of thousands at the snap of a finger. Do I have that kind of money?”
“Then how do you plan to hire three makeup artists? What are you going to use to pay them?” Zhou Xingxing rolled her eyes.
“By then, your big brother will be making big money. Why would there be a problem with paying? Don’t worry.”
Zhou Xiongxiong indulged in the fantasy of a future prosperous life and burst into laughter. Naturally, Zhou Xingxing didn’t believe him and gave him a disdainful look. Her food expenses were down to 1000 yuan a month, thankfully her mom provided her with an extra 1000 yuan each month, or she’d have to drink the Northwest wind2No money even to eat.
By 8 o’clock, Zhou Qiaoqiao’s makeup was nearly done. Zhou Xingxing took the opportunity to come and take a look, amazed beyond words.
“Wow, it’s so beautiful, isn’t it?” Zhou Xingxing marveled.
Zhou Qiaoqiao was pleasantly surprised, “Really?” She covered her face and looked at herself, saying, “I think I look pretty good too, hahaha…”
Zhou Xingxing: …She really has no shame.
After a while, Zhou Qiaoqiao’s friends started to arrive. She had 7 bridesmaids: one from primary school, one from junior high, two from high school, and three from university. Throughout her academic journey, these people had accompanied her through the loneliest years.
Liu Zhenzhen, her primary school classmate, and desk mate from first to sixth grade, had cultivated a revolutionary friendship with her.
Xiong Yiwen, her junior high classmate, was also her classmate for three years. When Zhou Qiaoqiao’s aunt got married, Zhou Qiaoqiao faced some difficulties with meals. Xiong’s parents took care of Zhou Qiaoqiao upon hearing about it, so there was a bit of gratitude between their families.
Shi Yu and Wu Xinxian were her dorm mates during high school. Back then, there were 12 people in a dorm, and conflicts were common. Forming alliances and cliques was normal, so being able to get along was truly not easy.
It was also very rare for roommates to be as close as Zhou Qiaoqiao and her four university friends are.
The 7 bridesmaids do not resemble goddesses in beauty, but they were all youthful and tender young girls.
As the 7 people streamed in, the room became noticeably more crowded.
Upon seeing them, Zhou Qiaoqiao’s smile brightened even more.
Xiong Yiwen was the first to speak. She stepped forward and patted Zhou Qiaoqiao’s shoulder, saying, “Well well! You’re getting married earlier than me. We had agreed to get married together back then.”
Ren Qing couldn’t help but ask, “When did you two get to know each other?”
Xiong Yiwen waved her hand grandly and said, “We knew each other from a young age.”
Ren Qing followed up, “Did you discuss the wedding plans back then? Isn’t it a bit early?”
Xiong Yiwen: “…”
So the 7 young girls continued to introduce themselves to each other, and they quickly became friends.
Burton had Nini bring the other two bags of luggage and then said to the 7 girls, “Alright, ladies, let’s change into your dresses.”
Because they had already gotten their measurements earlier, everyone knew that bridesmaid dresses had been prepared.
The bridesmaid dresses Yan Wei prepared for the girls were quite ordinary, partly because Zhou Qiaoqiao didn’t want to choose another high-end and luxurious gown. She genuinely liked the wedding dress YanWei had bought for her and didn’t feel the need to have another million-dollar gown lying around at home.
Therefore, since Zhou Qiaoqiao’s wedding gown was already there, the bridesmaids’ dresses couldn’t be more extravagant than her gown. Also, even for the ordinary bridesmaid dresses, they couldn’t choose ones that were too flashy, so as not to overshadow the bride.
Hence, the bridesmaids’ dresses fell within the realm of what ordinary people could accept.
Burton brought two assistants along, one helping with makeup and the other with hair. With the addition of the bridesmaids’ makeup, without overshadowing the bride, the makeup process proceeded quickly.
At 9:30, a beautiful and elegant bride and seven bridesmaids with different looks emerged.
Around this time, Zhou Qiaoqiao received a message from Yan Wei, which consisted of just four words: “I’m on my way.”
Zhou Qiaoqiao smiled and turned to her friends, saying, “Don’t be too soft when you ask for red envelopes later.”
Liu Zhenzhen teased, “Turn your elbows out[Take the side of the other person. In this case, she’s taking her friends’ side against Yan Wei’s.”
Zhou Qiaoqiao chuckled, saying, “It’s a habit.”
The bridesmaids burst into laughter. While waiting for the groom to arrive, the photographers took hundreds of photos and videos of Zhou Qiaoqiao and her bridesmaids. With Zhou Qiaoqiao’s amiable personality and her good circle of friends, each scene captured was filled with warmth.
During this lively time, Zhou Yingjie repeatedly urged Lin Meisu to arrange the fruit platters, desserts, and firecrackers outside the door.
Zhou Qiaoqiao stood up, trailing the long train of her wedding gown, and walked out of the bride’s room. She told Zhou Yingjie, “They’re on their way.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yingjie muttered, “Why haven’t your grandmother and them arrived yet?”
Zhou Qiaoqiao didn’t respond and went back into her room. The lack of attention from other relatives in the Zhou family towards Zhou Qiaoqiao was directly related to how Zhou Yingjie had treated her with indifference since childhood.
Liang Jiamin tugged on Zhou Qiaoqiao’s wedding gown and said, “This wedding gown looks so beautiful! It must be worth millions, right?”
Zhou Qiaoqiao’s steps faltered for a moment, and she looked at Liang Jiamin with a puzzled expression, “Who gave you that impression?”
Liang Jiamin proudly lifted her chest and said, “Your husband.” Given Chairman Yan’s net worth, even an exaggerated estimation wouldn’t be far off.
Zhou Qiaoqiao chuckled and said, “It’s not even 100,000.”
Liang Jiamin was immediately shocked, exclaiming, “Your husband actually didn’t buy you a million-dollar wedding gown? You can still settle for something worth 100,000?”
Zhou Qiaoqiao didn’t need to respond. As an ordinary person from a normal family, Shi Yu and Wu Xinxian were even more astonished.
“Oh my god, Jiamin, does your family work in the mining industry? A 100,000 yuan wedding gown! Are you complaining that it’s too cheap?” Shi Yu exclaimed first.
Wu Xinxian laughed, “I apologize for bringing down the level of this conversation. As an ordinary person, I don’t even have 100,000 yuan in savings right now.”
Liang Jiamin immediately waved her hand, “No, no, that’s not the case! I don’t have that much either. I only have 200,000 yuan in savings, okay?”
And so, the other bridesmaids burst into laughter once again.
After a while, people from Zhou family’s hometown started arriving one after another. The first to enter was the old lady of the Zhou family, Grandma Zhou.
As Zhou Qiaoqiao walked out, many people followed behind Grandma Zhou, including Zhou Qiaoqiao’s aunts, uncles, and quite a few children. As soon as she saw the kids, Zhou Qiaoqiao wrinkled her nose. It’s not that she disliked children; she understood that most mischievous kids were like that. But the children in the Zhou family had clearly gone beyond the adjective “mischievous” and into the realm of “bear child.”
One of the kids who came in immediately spotted Zhou Qiaoqiao and pointed at her, exclaiming, “Great-grandmother, is that the bride?”
Grandma Zhou looked at Zhou Qiaoqiao, her eyes reflecting a sense of admiration.
Grandma Zhou didn’t like Zhou Qiaoqiao, and it wasn’t just surface-level. From the depths of her heart, she didn’t like her. Zhou Qiaoqiao’s mother was a vixen in her eyes. After her son Zhou Yingjie got together with Bai Shulan, he distanced himself from his siblings. He became less dutiful, which made Grandma Zhou resent Bai Shulan. Moreover, even if Bai Shulan respected her, she was proud and didn’t flatter Grandma Zhou like other daughters-in-law did.
Therefore, among all the daughters-in-law, Grandma Zhou disliked Bai Shulan the most.
Unfortunately, Bai Shulan’s first child was a daughter. She spent a large sum of Zhou Yingjie’s money during her hospital stay, and that wasn’t all. When Zhou Qiaoqiao was discharged, Zhou Yingjie’s business took a direct hit.
With a granddaughter like this, who could like her? She was a jinx, right? Indeed, not long after, Zhou Qiaoqiao’s mother died. Grandma Zhou became even more convinced that Zhou Qiaoqiao was an unlucky presence.
With old age comes stubbornness, and Grandma Zhou was no exception. While Bai Shulan was alive, except for the holidays, Grandma Zhou barely contacted them.
Later on, Zhou Yingjie had an affair outside, though Bai Shulan was the last to know. But it was clear that Grandma Zhou wasn’t the last; she had received the news early on and had met Lin Meisu a long time ago.
Lin Meisu, as a shampoo girl, had flattery ingrained into her instinct. Her gestures and words brought great satisfaction to Grandma Zhou.
After Bai Shulan’s death, Lin Meisu took over. Of course, in China’s 5,000-year history, there haven’t been many harmonious mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships, and Lin Meisu and Grandma Zhou were no exception.
However, Grandma Zhou’s indifference towards Zhou Qiaoqiao turned into dislike. This was due to the timing and circumstances of Bai Shulan’s death, which deeply unsettled her. She always felt Bai Shulan had done it on purpose. With a daughter like that, Grandma Zhou didn’t like Zhou Qiaoqiao.
Therefore, this meeting was the first time Grandma Zhou and Zhou Qiaoqiao had seen each other since their university graduation.
Seeing the wedding gown Zhou Qiaoqiao was wearing, Grandma Zhou frowned, “On such a joyful day, why wear white? It’s so inauspicious!”
Zhou Qiaoqiao smiled and said, “I like it!”
Grandma Zhou: “…” You see, this is why I don’t like this girl.
As the adults behind Grandma Zhou found seats on the couch to rest, Grandma Zhou was helped over as well. However, the children didn’t follow them. With excited cries, they ran to the walls to climb and try to grab balloons. Some of them saw the red balloons hanging from the ceiling in Zhou Qiaoqiao’s room and cried, demanding balloons.
Zhou Yingjie hurriedly said, “Don’t move, don’t move. Uncle will inflate balloons for you.”
But the kids wouldn’t listen! They cried out, “I want, I want, I want it now.”
Grandma Zhou, with a furrowed brow, said to Zhou Yingjie, “Are two measly balloons worth this fuss? Why not just give them two balloons each?”
Saying this, Grandma Zhou went to the wall and plucked balloons for each of the children. Soon, the once dreamy living room turned a bit desolate, with only two lonely ribbons swaying in the air.
Upon seeing the change, Zhou Yingjie sighed and was about to turn to get more balloons to replace them. But before he could act, firecrackers sounded from downstairs.
Yu Beibei, who was standing by the window enjoying the breeze, peered out and immediately turned around, shouting, “They’re here, they’re here!”
Hearing this, several bridesmaids rushed to the window to see.
As soon as Grandma Zhou heard, she also shouted, “Quick, children, into the bride’s room, quickly!”
Then, in a rush, 4 or 5 little rascals dashed in. Zhou Qiaoqiao was pushed slightly and stumbled. Fortunately, Burton was right beside her. He quickly reached out to steady her, saying, “Madam, be careful. You have a child in your belly!”
Zhou Qiaoqiao immediately responded with a touch of distress, “I didn’t do anything wrong! I was just standing properly!”
Burton chuckled and gestured toward the kids, “I’ll ask them to leave.”
Zhou Qiaoqiao rolled her eyes, “They won’t leave!”
Burton went outside to find Zhou Yingjie and said, “Hello, Mr. Zhou, when I arrived, Mr. Yan specifically instructed me to ensure Miss Zhou’s safety. Just now, a few of those kids went in and immediately pushed her. Miss Zhou almost fell. She’s just over three months pregnant now, so she’s not very stable.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yingjie furrowed his brow and said, “Let those kids quiet down a bit! I’ll go talk to them.”
Burton pointed elegantly with his finger, “Mr. Yan will arrive shortly, within just over 10 minutes. If anything happens during this time, the losses would outweigh the gains. When Mr. Yan sees so many kids in Miss Zhou’s room, I think he might not be pleased either. Why bother? Mr. Zhou, don’t you agree?”
Zhou Yingjie felt like he wanted to kneel down and beg Yan Wei for mercy, along with everyone he brought along. Yan Wei’s dominance was simply overpowering. What’s more, you’re just a makeup artist – why are you interfering so much in my family’s affairs? But I had no reason to retort.3The make-up artist is so powerful and will not take BS. (ᗒ ᗨᗕ)
With a vexed expression, Zhou Yingjie went into the room and shooed the children away. The kids were unhappy and clung to Zhou Qiaoqiao’s dress, pulling and tugging. “Not leaving, not leaving! I want this dress, I want it, I want, grandma, grandma, I want the dress.”
Zhou Qiaoqiao was caught in their grasp, panic-stricken, “Oh my god! Help me!”
So, the bridesmaids rushed over and separated the kids. Zhou Yingjie took a look – this was really too chaotic! Kids were climbing onto tables, hiding in cupboards, stepping on beds with shoes, and jumping to grab balloons. It was utterly chaotic. Not to mention whether they would accidentally bump into Zhou Qiaoqiao, even if Yan Wei saw all these kids upon arriving, his expression wouldn’t necessarily be good.
Therefore, Zhou Yingjie’s determination to shoo the kids out grew stronger.
Then, the room was filled with a chorus of crying and wailing.
Grandma Zhou sighed and turned around, shouting, “Yingjie! What are you doing, quarreling with little kids?”
Lin Meisu peeled an orange for Grandma Zhou and smiled, “Exactly, a few kids are locking the bride’s door to make some pocket money!”
Zhou Xingxing kicked Lin Meisu, who stopped talking.
In private, Zhou Xingxing talked to Lin Meisu, “Can’t you see how dark Dad’s expression has become? Are you living with my dad or with Grandma? Can you not be so dissatisfied with my sister for one day? Just endure it today.”
What Lin Meisu wanted to say was, after today, did you want to see your sister’s displeased face again? After today, you might not even get to see your sister a few times in a year!
But saying so, even Zhou Xingxing could tell that her dad’s mood wasn’t good. Lin Meisu had been kicked by Zhou Xingxing, so she wasn’t naive. She timely kept quiet and winked at Zhou Xingxing, “Let’s go! We should quickly go into the room too.”
Zhou Xingxing thought for a moment and chuckled. Well, she really needed some money. So, she entered the room with light footsteps.
Zhou Xiongxiong, as the younger brother-in-law, was given quite a bit of money. He wasn’t in the mood to go inside and squeeze into a room with so many women.
The group downstairs was quickly dismissed by Yan Wei. Zhou Qiaoqiao saw that Zhou Yingjie had shooed the kids away and immediately closed the door.
Liu Zhenzhen finally had the mood to look around the first floor. Once she took a look, she stayed and turned back to Zhou Qiaoqiao, saying, “Qiaoqiao, your wedding car is so red!”
Zhou Qiaoqiao walked over to take a look. Indeed, it was quite red. Yan Wei’s car shouldn’t be cheap!
Xiong Yiwen also hurried over to look and exclaimed, “Oh my god, a sports car! A sports car leading the convoy. Nice, Qiaoqiao, your husband has quite the assets, right?”
Shi Yu immediately said, “If this isn’t rented or borrowed, it must be a wealthy family. Qiaoqiao, you’ve made it.”
Wu Xinxian also said, “There’s a high probability they’re wealthy, a convoy of sports cars.”
Zhou Xingxing was listening from behind, feeling a bit puzzled. She wanted to take a look, but she couldn’t see clearly. She only knew that her brother-in-law was quite wealthy. Would driving a sports car make him even wealthier?
Liang Jiamin was leaning against the door, listening. She immediately laughed and said, “Qiaoqiao, they’re here, I can hear their voices.”
Sure enough, not long after, there was laughter and chatter outside the door. At this moment, Zhou Qiaoqiao couldn’t possibly know how ashamed and resentful Grandma Zhou’s face looked.
When the groom arrived, he handed a cigarette to the gatekeeper.
Upon entering, he started handing out red envelopes to everyone. Those who wanted to tease the groom or set challenges were left dumbfounded after receiving the money. As the saying goes, don’t bite the hand that feeds you. The question was whether to set a challenge or not.
Yan Wei wore a smile and greeted everyone. The people present had one thought in their minds. This man, this kind of man… Zhou Qiaoqiao had risen in status.
Yan Wei was dressed in a suit, followed by a line of groomsmen. Each one was remarkably handsome and exuded a refined air. Yan Wei glanced at the specially decorated master bedroom door, smiled, and walked over to knock on the door with the groomsmen.
Liang Jiamin’s voice came from inside: “Are the red envelopes ready?”
Yan Wei turned to look at Mao Liang, who smiled and stepped forward to shout inside: “They’re ready.”
Liang Jiamin exclaimed, “Oh my, are you a groomsman too?” In that case, I won’t say anything, let’s change to someone else to guard the door. You know, I can’t let my image of being cute and well-behaved be ruined because of Zhou Qiaoqiao’s wedding. I want to be Mao Liang’s little angel. I can’t bargain with people here.”
So, Xiong Yiwen, who was the most generous, stepped up!
She opened the door slightly, but the scene she had imagined of squeezing inside didn’t happen. Instead, there stood the handsome man with an almost god-like aura, smiling at Xiong Yiwen, asking, “What do you need?”
Xiong Yiwen: “…” The way you put it, it doesn’t seem like I’m supposed to challenge you.
However, barging in on weddings required this kind of atmosphere of bargaining and negotiating. You had to start by raising the price.
Xiong Yiwen said, “Give 1000 yuan in a red envelope for each person.”
Yan Wei had a gentle smile on his face and said calmly, “Sure.”
Then, Zhen Guoan behind Yan Wei directly handed Xiong Yiwen a stack of red envelopes.
Xiong Yiwen raised an eyebrow in confusion as she felt the weight of the red envelopes. This weight wasn’t right! She asked, “Are these all 1 yuan bills inside?” It’s so thick!
Liang Jiamin: “…” What a miscalculation. I should have done this myself. Only 1000 yuan? I’ve lost out.
Zhou Qiaoqiao quickly handed the bridal shoes to the several bewildered people, winked at them, and they hurriedly took the shoes and hid them.
On the other side, Xiong Yiwen, guarding the door, was left stunned, holding the red envelopes. She felt awkward looking inside to see how much money was there. Even if it was just 1 yuan each, this stack was worth over a hundred. She then made another request, “How about giving a pack of cigarettes to each person, just as a gesture?”
“Sure!”
Then, Xiong Yiwen looked at the several packs of cigarettes in her hand and fell silent…
With a dazed expression, Xiong Yiwen stood up, opened the door, and Yan Wei smiled softly at her, then turned to look at Zhou Qiaoqiao.
Even upon seeing her again, Zhou Qiaoqiao still amazed him, stunning his life and his time.
The first time they met, she had fallen into his arms. At that moment, he knew she was different. He enjoyed holding her. He admitted that the initial approach was for his own gain, but she made him sink too quickly.
His Qiaoqiao! The best Qiaoqiao in the world. I want to give you the wedding you’ll love.
Seeing Yan Wei staring at her without any movement, Zhou Qiaoqiao blushed.
Sansukini: Yan Wei was using the beauty trap against the bridesmaids. And Qiaoqiao’s dad gets brownie points for decorating the room, but lost it all when he failed to control his mom and all the bear children.
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Geez, that type of family x who needs them, wouldn’t have let them in my house to begin with… just a bunch of troublemakers! And Lin Meisu- I really need to see her face slapped!! She’s the real vixen! Grandma is blind – at least half siblings seem to be wising up their situation…
It’s the typical Chinese in-laws you usually meet in cnovels.
Tbh I have relatives like that. They’re really hard to control especially by one person so he doesn’t lose points imo. They wouldn’t listen even if he shouted, atleast he was able to remove them.
agreed. Brownie points for decorating, minus points for not preventing the children from harassing his pregnant daughter and destroying his decorations. Then again, unicornstory has a good point. It’s a swarm of bear children, they’re very difficult to control by definition.