The car door swung open, and Ruan Jiujiu sat inside the wedding car, trying to calm her nerves.
In the morning, she had been attending someone else’s wedding, and now, in the afternoon, she was becoming a bride herself. It was an unprecedented and incredibly surprising turn of events.
Ruan Jiujiu’s feelings were somewhat complex, giving her a surreal sensation…
She was actually going to marry someone?
There was no chosen date, no hotel reservations made by herself, no tasting of the wedding banquet, no family, no wedding invitations, no fussing over the wedding decorations, and not even the long-awaited sleepless nights.
But…
Ruan Jiujiu’s hands rested on the soft bridal gown covering her knees, and she marveled at the delicate texture in her palms. It felt as light as clouds in the sky, like cotton candy that had been roasted by the sun and was about to melt into droplets.
She tilted her head upward, blinking back tears that welled up in her eyes, despite the makeup artist’s assurance of waterproof makeup. She didn’t want to smudge her eye makeup.
The uncle driving the wedding car glanced at the rearview mirror and offered a comforting smile. “Don’t cry; we’re almost there.”
“Okay.”
Ruan Jiujiu sniffled.
Behind the wedding car, there was a line of sleek black sports cars, perfectly aligned. If you didn’t know better, you might think that a wealthy tycoon’s daughter or a gang leader’s daughter was getting married, given the grandeur of the scene.
While waiting at a traffic light, Ruan Jiujiu noticed people on the sides of the road taking out their phones. She blushed, her skin thin as she realized that this extravagant display was most likely orchestrated by Tu Nan and Cheng Jun!
If it weren’t for the fact that people outside couldn’t see her, Ruan Jiujiu would probably have hidden under the seat.
She had imagined her wedding many times, but she had never expected to be with someone like Cheng Jun.
During the short twenty-minute drive, Ruan Jiujiu’s mind was filled with memories from her past life and the present, making the scene before her seem somewhat unreal.
It felt as though the dust had finally settled, and she was truly going to become someone else’s wife.
The wedding car came to a slow stop, and the driver said with a gentle smile, “Miss Ruan, are you ready?”
“Miss Ruan?”
It was the first time he had called Ruan Jiujiu by her unmarried title, and she hesitated, her eyes welling up with tears again.
“Oh, oh, don’t cry. You’ll need to be happy for the wedding later.”
As soon as the driver finished speaking, Ruan Jiujiu couldn’t control her tears. She couldn’t help but cry. It was all Cheng Jun’s fault; weddings should be happy occasions, yet everyone seemed to be trying to make her cry. She had held back for so long, and now she couldn’t control herself.
Uncle Meng and his wife, along with the secretary and the driver, were all at a loss and hurriedly tried to comfort Ruan Jiujiu, wiping away her tears gently so as not to ruin her makeup.
The more they said, the more emotional Ruan Jiujiu became, crying uncontrollably.
If someone unaware saw them, they might think that the bride didn’t want to get married and was being forced into wearing her wedding gown. It was truly embarrassing. They were all in their twenties; how could they let themselves cry like this in front of everyone?
Ruan Jiujiu felt so embarrassed that she wanted to cover her face, but everyone was worried about smudging her makeup, so they carefully wiped away the tears on her cheeks as if comforting a little girl.
A distant memory suddenly surfaced in her mind.
Back when she was struggling to make ends meet and refused to accept financial support when her parents divorced, she had once been so exhausted that she lay on her dormitory bed without moving. She heard the girl on the neighboring bed hesitantly say that her parents had come all the way to celebrate her birthday and had brought a big cake to share with everyone.
While the others joyously devoured the cake, Ruan Jiujiu, just like today, blinked back her tears, refusing to cry in front of others.
She didn’t want to cry in front of anyone.
But what was happening today? It was as if her tear glands had burst, and even though this was supposed to be a happy occasion, she couldn’t control herself.
“Don’t mention it; this makeup is indeed waterproof. After crying so much, not even the foundation smudged. Can you give me a bottle to take home later?” Uncle Meng teased, causing Ruan Jiujiu to cry and laugh.
Finally, she managed to stop her tears and composed herself.
“That’s more like it. You look so beautiful today; you should keep smiling happily.”
The secretary chuckled.
Ruan Jiujiu raised her head and suddenly noticed a camera that had been continuously recording her every move. A drone was hovering in the sky, capturing the entire wedding process from an aerial perspective.
Feeling as if she were a celebrity caught up in a scandal, Ruan Jiujiu was startled and quickly waved her hand. “No filming, don’t record this part! Cut it off!”
She didn’t want to be seen by Cheng Jun in such a teary-eyed state; he would surely tease her.
Ruan Jiujiu had her pride and didn’t want Cheng Jun to see this footage.
The cameraman nodded. “Alright!”
With that, the camera zoomed in even closer, capturing Ruan Jiujiu’s subtle facial expressions quite intimately.
Ruan Jiujiu: “…”
This lawn wedding must have been meticulously prepared for.
They passed through a narrow path with dense foliage on both sides, and Ruan Jiujiu’s wedding gown was carefully held up to avoid catching on branches and leaves. Fortunately, the path was spacious enough and had been manually trimmed in advance. As they continued winding their way through, Ruan Jiujiu was aware that cameras were following her, so she tried her best to maintain a poised and elegant demeanor.
She straightened her back and whispered, “Are we there yet?”
Uncle Meng whispered back, “Almost. What’s wrong?”
“I’m a bit hungry. I didn’t eat much this morning.”
Out of nowhere, the soft voice of the cameraman emerged from the jungle. “Your conversation is being recorded, just so you know.”
Ruan Jiujiu: “…”
At this moment, she just wanted the cameraman to stay far away.
A gentle breeze brushed against her cheeks, and the sunlight felt warm, as if it could melt a person’s heart. In the past few days, it had either been windy or gloomy with occasional rain. Ruan Jiujiu had been hoping for good weather, and as she thought about it during Bai Long’s wedding, she realized that an outdoor wedding would be fantastic.
As if there was a telepathic connection between their hearts, she and Cheng Jun were in sync with their thoughts.
Lost in her thoughts, they reached the end of the path, and the view suddenly opened up before her.
The wedding venue had already been beautifully decorated. Tu Nan, Fu Zicheng, and Jiao Fan, dressed in groomsmen attire, stood solemnly in their positions.
When they saw Ruan Jiujiu, their eyes lit up, and they couldn’t help but cheer, “She’s here, the bride is here!”
By this time, the sky had darkened, and the setting sun on the horizon had painted the clouds with a magnificent rose champagne hue, breathtaking in its beauty.
Lights adorned the trees on the lawn, and not only that, but the seats, arches, everything was adorned with twinkling lights. Several peach trees were in full bloom, and their vibrant petals scattered on the ground, creating a picturesque scene.
In the hazy and romantic sunset, the entire world in front of her was immersed in this enchanting halo, making her wonder whether this was the earthly realm or if she had stumbled upon a heavenly paradise.
The world fell into a quiet silence. Ruan Jiujiu stood in her place. At the end of this enchanting halo, a tall figure stood still. He gazed fixedly at Ruan Jiujiu, momentarily forgetting the next steps in the ceremony.
Tu Nan softly reminded, “Boss, you should move forward now.”
Uncle Meng also reminded Ruan Jiujiu, “Follow me and step forward.”
Ruan Jiujiu snapped back to attention and quickly took a step forward, standing before Cheng Jun, who was like a cosmic deity.
This path seemed unusually long, and Ruan Jiujiu felt like she had been walking for ages without getting any closer to Cheng Jun. She lifted the train of her wedding gown and suddenly jogged in Cheng Jun’s direction.
Her white wedding gown billowed behind her, and for a moment, it seemed like she might truly transform into a celestial being and disappear.
Amidst the astonished exclamations of the groomsmen, Ruan Jiujiu accidentally stepped on a piece of her veil, nearly stumbling.
Fortunately, Cheng Jun was quicker than her, and as the world suddenly flipped, Ruan Jiujiu fell into Cheng Jun’s embrace.
Nervously, Ruan Jiujiu lifted her head, and Cheng Jun asked, “How are you? Did you hurt your foot?”
She shook her head in a fluster.
The two of them straightened their postures, and Ruan Jiujiu whispered, “What do we do next?”
It seemed there was no officiator for the ceremony.
Cheng Jun calmly took out a ring box from his pocket and, as if arranging a task, said to Ruan Jiujiu, “Next, you just need to say, ‘I do.'”
“Isn’t this like forcing someone into a contract? What if I say ‘I don’t’?” Ruan Jiujiu regained her composure and even managed to crack a little joke.
Cheng Jun calmly replied, “Not allowed.”
Saying that, he took a men’s ring out of the ring box and said, “First, help me put this on.”
Ruan Jiujiu: ???
Could he be any more domineering?
The onlookers watched as the groom took out a ring and forcibly had the bride put it on for him, and they couldn’t help but feel baffled.
Was this not an elopement? Their boss was really lacking in spine!
Ruan Jiujiu chuckled and picked up the men’s ring. She asked Cheng Jun in a solemn tone, “I’ll restrict your snacks, get angry without reason, get mad enough to punch you, and make you less free. So, Mr. Cheng Jun, are you willing to marry me?”
Author’s Note: I didn’t write it wrong, it’s indeed “marry.” Next update at 7 o’clock! I dozed off in the afternoon and almost made Jiujiu’s wedding late (:3∠)
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