Chapter 2

As soon as the plane landed, Jiang Lai hailed a taxi straight to the wedding venue. Unfortunately, it was rush hour, and the car sat stuck in traffic for ages without moving an inch.

Luckily, the jam didn’t last too long. About five or six minutes later, the road ahead finally cleared, and she relaxed at last, leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes to rest.

The car rolled along smoothly after that until it stopped outside an elegant church. She got out, paid the fare, and only then took a proper look at the building in front of her.

As expected of Xia Wanwan, even her wedding had to be held at such an upscale, grand venue. It really made Yin Zheng’s life difficult.

Everyone heading inside was dressed in evening gowns and long dresses, carrying themselves with poise and grace. No one had shown up as casually dressed as Jiang Lai.

Even someone as thick-skinned as Jiang Lai felt a little awkward at that point. She touched her burning face in embarrassment and walked inside with her head lowered.

“Oh my, and who do we have here? Let me take a look—why, isn’t this our great designer Jiang Lai? What wind brought you here today?”

The moment she stepped in, Jiang Lai heard that line and rolled her eyes helplessly. “Yan Zijin, do we really only see each other when you can make fun of me?”

“You know it!”

Yan Zijin hooked an arm around her neck, and Jiang Lai nearly ran out of breath on the spot. She shoved at her hard. “Yan Zijin, let go! You’re choking me to death!”

“Let’s see if you dare next time.”

Though she said that, her arm had already loosened.

Jiang Lai rubbed her neck and looked around. “Where’s Wanwan?”

Yan Zijin pointed toward the dressing room. “Inside, changing into her wedding dress. It took a ton of coaxing to get her to agree to change. She kept insisting she’d only put it on after you got here. I was just thinking—if you didn’t come, Wanwan wouldn’t be able to get married today!”

“How could that be? Wanwan and Yin Zheng have been in a long-distance relationship for eight years. How can you say they won’t get married just because of me? Don’t dump such a huge mess on me. I’m not taking the blame for that!”

While the two of them were arguing, the dressing room door suddenly opened, and Xia Wanwan walked out in her wedding dress, like an angel who had accidentally fallen into the mortal world.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Lai’s face broke into a satisfied smile, and she carefully smoothed out the wrinkles in the fabric. “Beautiful.”

“Damn! Wanwan, you’re way too gorgeous! Honestly, if you don’t want to marry Yin Zheng anymore, come with me instead. I’ll definitely treat you well.”

Jiang Lai frowned and tugged her away at once. “If Yin Zheng hears you say that, you’re dead.”

At that, Xia Wanwan gave an embarrassed smile. Then she looked at Jiang Lai, who had been standing off to the side in silence, and complained, half huffing and half grumbling, “Lai, you finally came. I thought you weren’t coming!”

“What are you talking about? It’s our Miss Xia’s wedding. How could I not come?”

“That’s more like it!”

Xia Wanwan lifted her wedding dress and sat down at the vanity, where the makeup artist began applying a light makeup look.

“Wanwan, is this wedding dress designed by Lai?” Yan Zijin’s eyes were full of envy.

“Yes. Why? You want one too? Oh, right, I forgot to tell you—Lai also designed a phoenix coronet and bridal robe set for me. The patterns on it were all embroidered by her hand. How about it? Jealous?” Xia Wanwan looked smugly at her.

“Ahhh, I can’t take this!” Yan Zijin shook Jiang Lai’s arm. “Lai, I want one too.”

“For you? What do you need a wedding dress for?” Xia Wanwan mocked her mercilessly.

“Can’t I wear it myself? Just to look at it.”

Yan Zijin clenched her fists; she was smiling, but every word came out through gritted teeth. “Xia Wanwan, today is your big wedding day, so I won’t argue with you. If it were any other day, we’d have to settle this!”

“Bleh, bleh, bleh. Today I’m the biggest!” Xia Wanwan stuck out her tongue at her playfully.

“Fine. Next time, I’ll definitely design you a new outfit too.”

“That’s more like it.”

Jiang Lai wisely chose to retreat from this dangerous place. “Um, I’m going to change into my bridesmaid dress. You two behave yourselves, especially you, Xia Wanwan. Don’t keep provoking Zijin!”

“Go on, go on. Once you’re done changing and come back, I’ll tell you a huge surprise.”

Jiang Lai shook her head, already half inside the dressing room, yet still poking her head back out. “What surprise? Can you give me a hint first?”

“Stop asking questions and change already. You’re so nosy.”

Yan Zijin shoved Jiang Lai and practically forced her into the dressing room.

“Wanwan, are you almost done?”

“Almost, Mom.”

At just the right moment, a woman’s voice came from outside. Jiang Lai felt it sounded a little familiar, but she couldn’t quite remember where she had heard it before.

Maybe she was too anxious; when she pulled up the zipper, she accidentally yanked out a lock of her own hair.

“Hiss!”

Looking at the handful of long hair in her hand, Jiang Lai felt like crying without tears.

“Lai, what’s wrong? What happened?”

Xia Wanwan’s worried voice came from outside. Jiang Lai lowered her head and fumbled her way out. “Zijin, can you come help me with this? I think my hair got caught in the zipper.”

But the voice that answered her was not Yan Zijin’s; it was the strange woman’s voice Jiang Lai didn’t recognize. “Zijin went to help Wanwan get something. If you don’t mind, I can help you.”

Jiang Lai strained to lift her head, but the zipper had caught her hair so painfully that it was unbearable. In the end, she gave up. “Would that be too much trouble?”

“It’s nothing. Just a small matter.”

The woman pushed open the dressing room door, and Jiang Lai moved a little closer to her.

“My hands might be a little cold.”

“It’s fine.”

The woman’s cool, delicate fingertips brushed against her swan-like neck, and Jiang Lai felt her whole body go rigid. She couldn’t stop herself from shrinking back, not sure whether it was panic or something else entirely.

“Don’t move. I’ll be done soon.”

The woman’s fingers continued downward, sweeping aside the long hair draped over Jiang Lai’s shoulder before finally coming to rest at her back, gently freeing the strands caught in the zipper.

“All right.”

The woman stepped back, leaving Jiang Lai plenty of room to straighten herself, and studied her carefully. “This outfit suits you very well.”

“T-thank you.”

The two of them left the dressing room together. Xia Wanwan stepped forward at just the right moment. “Perfect timing, Lai. Let me introduce you. This is my mother.”

Jiang Lai gathered her long hair behind her back and lifted her head with a polite smile. “Auntie... hello.”

Only after seeing who stood before her did she finish the sentence properly, though her words came out a little haltingly.

“Whoa, this is fate! Isn’t this the older sister I ran into on the plane? She’s actually Wanwan’s mother?”

Just as Jiang Lai had imagined, the girl’s shocked expression pleased Cheng Shuyang. She smiled, then took off her sunglasses and extended a hand to her. “Hello. I’m Cheng Shuyang, Wanwan’s mother.”

Who was Cheng Shuyang?

She was the calling card of the Shen Group; since her debut, she had won countless awards of every size, and even now, she remained the most influential Triple Crown Best Actress in the country.

Beautiful and dignified, humble and proper, intelligent and mature.

Cheng Shuyang was like a flawless goddess, impossible to fault in any way. The only blemish on her otherwise perfect record was the scandal of her divorce from her ex-husband back then, which had caused a huge uproar and been known throughout the city.

Even so, no one could resist Cheng Shuyang’s charm. Her popularity remained sky-high; after all, no one disliked beautiful older women, especially not someone like Cheng Shuyang, with such exceptional professional ability and such genuine warmth.

Because of that, Jiang Lai had liked Cheng Shuyang since middle school and, in just three days, had watched every movie she had ever starred in.

What she never expected was that she would turn out to be the mother of her longtime friend.

At that moment, Jiang Lai’s expression could only be described as a kaleidoscope of embarrassment. She awkwardly took Cheng Shuyang’s hand. “Teacher Cheng, hello. I’m Jiang Lai.”

Then she shot Xia Wanwan a look that could kill. Xia Wanwan merely shrugged helplessly. “I told you already; my mom is Cheng Shuyang. You just kept refusing to believe me.”

“I thought you meant they just happened to have the same name! Who knew it was really her?”

Jiang Lai looked like she had swallowed a mouthful of bitter herbs and had nowhere to spit them out.

“Wanwan, I’ll head out first. Finish up and come out too! Hurry, don’t keep the guests waiting too long.”

“Okay, Mom.”

“Then goodbye, Teacher Cheng.”

Jiang Lai bade Cheng Shuyang farewell with perfect obedience.

Cheng Shuyang paused with her hand on the door and smiled at Jiang Lai. “You don’t have to call me Teacher Cheng. That makes me feel old. Just call me Auntie.”

“But... doesn’t it mean the same thing?”

“You’re Wanwan’s friend, so there’s no need to be so formal with me. It’s only right that you call me Auntie. What, you don’t want to?”

“No, no!”

Jiang Lai waved her hands. “Aunt Cheng.”

“Good girl. That’s better.”

The smile on Cheng Shuyang’s face deepened. After saying a few more things, she turned and left.

Only then did Xia Wanwan, who had been holding back her laughter, finally burst out. “I’ve seen it all now. Jiang Lai, in my lifetime, I actually get to see you embarrassed. This is really something!”

“So when did you meet my mom?”

Jiang Lai collapsed into the chair like she had no soul left, helplessly waving a hand.

“On the plane, like I told you. She was the one I called older sister.”

“Jiang Lai, I have to say, that was your idol from childhood all the way to now, sitting right in front of you, and you didn’t recognize her at all? You’re a fake fan, aren’t you?”

Jiang Lai slumped to the side and made a sound of protest. “Stop talking. Aunt Cheng was wrapped up so tightly, and I was so sleepy. Who could have recognized her...”

Xia Wanwan patted her shoulder comfortingly. “All right. My mom definitely recognized you on the plane. I make her look at your photos all the time. You called her older sister, and she didn’t even deny it. Looks like she quite likes you.”

“You’re sure?”

“Of course.”

The girl fiddled with her hair ornament. “That’s my mother, after all. Don’t worry; as her daughter, I know her very well.”

“I hope so. I don’t want my image ruined just like that.”

“All right.”

Xia Wanwan poked her cheek. “Stop thinking about it. Come with me inside.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming.”

“Don’t be upset. My mom won’t mind those things.”