Chapter 751: Chapter 650: Lu Jianling’s Wedding

After dropping Xiao Man off at home, Gu Shaozheng went back to the hotel to continue partying. Before he left, he smiled and reassured his sister-in-law that he would stay away from Zeng Rong. Xiao Man felt her words hadn’t been wasted.

It wasn’t that she was being paranoid. According to Wu Xiangyun, Zeng Rong was a textbook case of a deeply paranoid, twisted person. She was truly capable of anything. It was better to take precautions now than to deal with the fallout later.

The reason Zeng Rong had become this way was that she possessed memories from a past life.

Xiao Man had overheard a conversation between Zeng Rong and Gu Shaofeng, so she knew what was going on. Gu Shaofeng didn’t believe Zeng Rong’s claims that they had been married and had a son together in a past life, dismissing it all as nonsense. ’This must be incredibly painful for Zeng Rong, but it’s probably more about indignation and resentment. It’s not that she can’t live without Gu Shaofeng; it’s that she believes he belongs entirely to her, only to be snatched away by someone else. She can’t tolerate it!’

’Fundamentally, Zeng Rong and Jun Ran are the same. They’re both arrogant, conceited, and incredibly haughty. They can’t accept something they’ve set their sights on slipping from their grasp, especially when it falls into the hands of someone far less exceptional than them. How could they stand for that? To prove their own worth and save face, they have to snatch it back. They act recklessly, almost madly, inevitably stirring up trouble. Innocent people are bound to get hurt in the process, but they couldn’t care less who becomes their stepping stone and suffers the consequences.’

Xiao Man went to the trouble of warning Gu Shaozheng for two reasons: first, for her brother-in-law’s own good, and second, to prevent Zeng Rong from stirring up more trouble for the Gu family.

’Of course, Xiao Man knew Gu Shaozheng was no fool. He had traveled far and wide, diving into the business world as a teenager and becoming wildly successful in his own right. That proved he had his wits about him; he wouldn’t be easily coaxed by Zeng Rong. But there was always a chance of an accident, a ’what if.’ Besides, as the most restless of the Gu brothers, Gu Shaozheng had a playboy’s heart. He had a weakness for beautiful women and wasn’t above playing along for fun. If Zeng Rong managed to seize just one opportunity, it would lead to major trouble.’

Xiao Man managed to spend the last week of summer vacation peacefully at home with her grandmother and little brother. Then September arrived, and school started. Toward the end of the month, Gu Shaojun returned to Beijing, just as he had promised.

This time, Gu Shaojun wasn’t back for a vacation. He didn’t go home or even show his face anywhere, only calling Xiao Man on the day he arrived. Even so, Xiao Man was overjoyed. ’Being in the same city, compared to being separated by vast distances... the feeling is completely different. It’s as if I can smell his scent in the air.’

It wasn’t until after the National Day holiday that the two, who longed for each other day and night, finally managed a hurried meeting. They only had two hours—just enough time to share a meal and exchange a few words. For a couple so deeply in love, those two hours were like drinking poison to quench a thirst, yet they savored every moment.

The two met one more time before Gu Shaojun left Beijing. When it was finally time to part, Xiao Man couldn’t bear to see him go and clung to him, refusing to let go. Gu Shaojun was just as reluctant, but he had to leave. He could only try to placate her with another grand promise. "Hey," he said softly, "I’ll be back in Beijing next year. We’ll be able to see each other every day."

Xiao Man pouted. "You’re just trying to placate me again. You’ve been back for half a month, and we’ve only met three times. This goodbye is only happening because it’s on your way! ’See each other every day?’ Even Shaoying wouldn’t believe that. Mr. Gu can’t even come home every day."

Gu Shaojun smiled wryly. It was true; a soldier’s time was not his own. However, when he returned to Beijing next year, his work would initially be focused at the National Defense University, so he should have a bit more personal time. ’Besides,’ he thought, ’neither I nor Xiao Man are ordinary people. It really will be easy for us to meet.’

No matter how much they hated it, parting was inevitable. His back was still in her sight, but in her heart, she was already looking forward to their next reunion.

Fortunately, the golden autumn of October was a wonderful season. The clear, crisp sky was uplifting, and the ripening fruit and bountiful harvests brought joy to everyone. People in both the city and the countryside chose this time of year to celebrate happy occasions. All at once, it seemed, there were weddings, birthday celebrations, full-moon parties, and housewarming festivities. The Tang family received numerous invitations. Xiao Man herself had to attend five different celebratory banquets in a single month, keeping her so busy that she had no time to wallow in the sorrow of their parting.

Of the five celebrations, four were wedding receptions and one was a full-moon party. Three were for her colleagues at De Ren Hospital, one was for a senior from her Chinese medicine research group, and the last one was for Lu Jianling.

Lu Jian Country preferred to keep a low profile, and his dealings with the Gu and Tang Families were never public. For Lu Jianling’s wedding, the invitations to the Gu and Tang Families were sent only in Uncle Lu’s name. Although the invitations were for the entire families, of course, the Gu and Tang Families wouldn’t show up in full force. They would send one or two representatives at most. Xiao Man’s attendance was a given, so this banquet was also part of her duties.

Lu Jianling and Zhao Xian had registered their marriage long ago; all that was missing was the ceremony. They had originally consulted someone to pick a date and had settled on August. However, Yang Liu’er, who was pregnant and had time on her hands, started flipping through an almanac for fun. After making various comparisons, she discovered that the chosen date was actually not very auspicious. Lu Jian Country hung on his wife’s every word and trusted her completely. And of course, Uncle Lu wanted his daughter to have a happy marriage and a good life, so he approved of anything that would benefit her. Thus, they found another "expert" who ultimately calculated that October 26th was a supremely auspicious date on the calendar.

On the day of the wedding, Xiao Man went to Lu Jianling’s house early. She had already been coming over for the past two days to help out. It wasn’t heavy labor—mostly just decorating the newlyweds’ room and doing some delicate handiwork. Plenty of people came to help, including staff from the Lu Yang Clothing Company and colleagues from Zhao Xian’s workplace. They split into groups to get everything done. Yang Liu’er kept Xiao Man with her in the new room, while other people were assigned to manage things at the hotel venue.

Lu Jianling’s new home was decorated in a very Western, luxurious, and comfortable style. A large wedding portrait hung on the bedroom wall. However, Uncle Lu had disdained the pure white wedding dress, which had been custom-ordered from overseas. "What is this?" he had grumbled. "On such a joyous day, what’s the meaning of this ghastly white getup?" As a result, the photo of Lu Jianling and Zhao Xian in her wedding dress and his suit could only be hung in the bedroom. A different portrait hung in the living room, one where the bride and groom were both dressed in festive, bright red robes—this one was put up specifically for Uncle Lu.

On the wedding day itself, the bride and groom greeted their guests wearing traditional, bright red wedding attire. The white wedding dress’s only purpose, it seemed, was for that one photograph.

Lu Jianling smiled, saying she had no regrets. She was already happy and content, feeling like the luckiest person in the world.

Watching the sweet, loving couple, Yang Liu’er felt a mix of gratification and envy, along with a touch of indignation. ’I’ve lived two whole lives,’ she thought, ’and I got pregnant without ever getting to wear a wedding dress or have a grand wedding. What a raw deal!’

She said to Xiao Man, "Just you watch. After I have this baby, I’m going to wear the most beautiful wedding dress and throw a wedding ten times more lavish than this one!"

"Given the way things are in the country right now, how much more lavish could you get? Your father-in-law considers white wedding dresses taboo. Would you really dare to wear one?"

"What’s the big deal? I’ll have a Chinese-style wedding here, and then I’ll go abroad for a Western-style one. How about that?"

"As long as it makes you happy. You’re a rich woman with plenty of money. Anyone who says you can’t is just green with envy."

At that, the two of them burst out laughing.

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