Chapter 3

Once everything was ready, Jiang Lai and Yan Zijin went into the church first to wait for Xia Wanwan. It wasn’t until she arrived that Jiang Lai realized the person sitting beside her was still Cheng Shuyang.

She managed to keep a smile on her face as she sat down beside her. Yan Zijin, on the other hand, greeted Cheng Shuyang with obvious enthusiasm.

"Aunt Cheng, you look so beautiful today!"

Cheng Shuyang rested both hands on her lap and smiled gently at Yan Zijin. "You look beautiful today too."

After saying that, she deliberately glanced at Jiang Lai. "A-Lai does too. Very beautiful."

Jiang Lai’s limbs went stiff. It felt rude not to greet her, so she said awkwardly, "Cheng... Aunt Cheng, hello."

At that, the woman’s smile deepened. "Good, that’s progress. At least you’re not calling me Teacher Cheng anymore."

Jiang Lai felt deeply uncomfortable and leaned slightly toward Yan Zijin, lowering her voice to whisper in her ear, "Zijin, why don’t we switch seats? Sitting next to Teacher Cheng makes me a little uncomfortable."

"What are you nervous about?"

Yan Zijin looked at her in confusion. "Wasn’t it the same on the plane? You even had the nerve to call her older sister. You weren’t nervous then; why are you nervous now?"

"I didn’t know she was the one sitting next to me back then. If I’d known, who would’ve dared say that? Hurry up, switch with me!"

"I’m not switching."

Yan Zijin leaned comfortably back in her chair. "This was Wanwan’s special surprise for you, Jiang the Great Designer. Your idol is sitting right beside you now; shouldn’t you be trying a little harder? You’re about to succeed in your fan-chasing goal."

"Fine, don’t switch. Why do you talk so much..."

The girl resentfully sat back down. Seeing her like that, Cheng Shuyang grew a little curious and leaned slightly toward them. She couldn’t help asking, "What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly unhappy?"

Jiang Lai’s alarm bells went off at once. Before she could cover Yan Zijin’s mouth, Yan Zijin had already blurted out the answer.

"Auntie, you don’t know this, but A-Lai really likes you. She’s watched every movie you’ve ever acted in, and she said she feels a little awkward sitting with you, so she wants to switch seats with me."

"She was fine with it on the plane, though. What, now that she knows who I am, she doesn’t even want to sit with me anymore?"

The woman’s tone carried a faint hint of complaint as she looked at Jiang Lai with an affectionate gaze.

"It’s not like that, please don’t misunderstand."

Jiang Lai’s face reddened slightly. "It’s just... the kind of reaction a fan has after seeing their idol. Aunt Cheng, you should understand that, right?"

Cheng Shuyang let out a soft laugh. "I’m teasing you. I know that’s not what you meant. All right, the wedding’s about to start. Don’t overthink it."

The wedding march began on time, and the church doors slowly opened. Sunlight spilled in, falling across the figure standing at the entrance.

Outside, Xia Wanwan walked in step by step on Xia Er’s arm, flower petals raining down around her. It was a very romantic scene. Everyone around them clapped, smiling.

Jiang Lai clapped along, while also worrying about Cheng Shuyang beside her. When Cheng Shuyang and Xia Er divorced, things had been ugly, and their relationship had fallen apart completely. Jiang Lai quietly shifted closer to her. "Aunt Cheng, are you okay?"

Cheng Shuyang froze, a little unsure what Jiang Lai meant. But following her gaze, she immediately understood. She smiled faintly, amusement obvious in her expression as she looked at Jiang Lai.

"This child usually seems so carefree, but she’s actually very thoughtful..."

"Aunt Cheng?"

Seeing that Cheng Shuyang still wasn’t answering, Jiang Lai was genuinely anxious.

"I’m fine. Don’t worry. If I couldn’t handle even this little setback, I wouldn’t need to be in the entertainment industry at all."

Cheng Shuyang said it plainly, but Jiang Lai’s tightly furrowed brow still didn’t relax. She looked at the person onstage, then at the person across from them, and, as if gathering her courage, quietly reached out with her right hand and took Cheng Shuyang’s hand.

Cheng Shuyang paused, but she didn’t pull away.

"What does this mean?"

"...Auntie, I’m nervous."

The words had barely left her mouth before Jiang Lai wanted nothing more than to bite off her own tongue. That excuse sounded fake at a glance; how could Cheng Shuyang possibly not see through it? She looked at Cheng Shuyang uneasily, but to her surprise, the woman didn’t expose her or say anything. She simply let Jiang Lai hold her hand.

The woman’s hand was smooth and delicate, the joints clearly defined. Jiang Lai’s ears flushed red without her noticing. She steadied herself and shifted her gaze to the stage, completely missing the fond smile in the woman’s eyes.

The wedding progressed step by step. From her seat below the stage, Jiang Lai watched Xia Wanwan and Yin Zheng kiss, and tears slowly welled in her eyes. The flower she had carefully nurtured for fifteen years was finally being handed over to someone else.

Xia Wanwan onstage seemed to sense it too and looked over at her, flashing a sly smile. Jiang Lai suddenly had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, when it came time to toss the bouquet, Jiang Lai did her best to shrink back, lowering her presence as much as possible. But she couldn’t resist Yan Zijin tugging at her; before she knew it, she was dragged to the front.

"What are you doing!"

Jiang Lai broke free of Yan Zijin’s hand and asked in a low voice.

"Getting you to catch the bouquet, of course. Wanwan and Yin Zheng dated for eight years; you and Qin Huaicheng aren’t far behind, are you? At least it’s been several years! Aren’t you going to get married already?"

"..."

Jiang Lai suddenly went silent. She didn’t know how to explain her relationship with Qin Huaicheng to Yan Zijin.

Xia Wanwan onstage seized the opportunity. While Jiang Lai was still dazed, she quickly tossed the bouquet into Jiang Lai’s arms. Something suddenly landed there, and Jiang Lai instinctively reached out to catch it. The bouquet settled securely in her hands.

Jiang Lai: "..."

Seeing that her plan had succeeded, Xia Wanwan raised an eyebrow at Yan Zijin. Then she picked up the microphone and handed it to her husband. Yin Zheng was especially cooperative; he took the microphone and said, "May I ask Miss Jiang Lai if you know the story of the bridal bouquet?"

"I do..."

"Then let me boldly ask on Huaicheng’s behalf today: when is Miss Jiang planning to marry him?"

Jiang Lai curved her lips into a smile. She didn’t refuse, but she didn’t agree either. "Things like that depend on fate. I’m not in a hurry."

"All right, then I’ll wait for the good news between Miss Jiang and Huaicheng."

Jiang Lai smiled and said nothing more, setting the bouquet aside.

Qin Huaicheng was handsome, and his acting was quite good. With Stranger, he was nominated for Best Actor and became a well-deserved new film emperor.

He was Jiang Lai’s current boyfriend. By now, the two of them had been together for many years, and both inside and outside the industry, everyone thought highly of them; they were all waiting for the grand wedding between the two.

By the time the wedding ended, it was nearly evening. Jiang Lai declined Xia Wanwan’s invitation to stay the night and drove back to the home she shared with Qin Huaicheng.

The moment she unlocked the door with her key, the warm yellow light spilling from the living room made her freeze for a second.

Hearing the door open, the man lifted his head from behind a newspaper. "When did you get back?"

"I got off the plane this morning, then went straight to the hotel."

Jiang Lai bent down to untie her shoes.

"Sorry. I didn’t have time to pick you up."

"It’s fine. I know you’re busy filming."

"Were you at Wanwan and A-Zheng’s wedding today?"

"Mm."

Jiang Lai sat down not far from Qin Huaicheng. "The wedding was pretty well done. The two of them finally got what they wanted."

"What a pity I didn’t get to see it myself."

"It really is a pity."

Jiang Lai’s lips curved slightly. "Do you know? Wanwan’s mother is Cheng Shuyang."

"Then you must be very happy."

Qin Huaicheng’s tone gave away neither joy nor displeasure.

"It’s okay. But Aunt Cheng is really beautiful—much prettier than on screen—and she’s especially nice too, very gentle. Have you ever worked with her?"

Jiang Lai half sat up as she spoke to Qin Huaicheng.

The man’s brows furrowed as he stopped moving. "No, but I heard that for Director Chen Shu’s next film, there’s an intention to pair me with Teacher Cheng."

"Then I’ll definitely have to visit the set when that happens."

"Sure. You’re welcome anytime."

"By the way, about what’s online..."

"It’s all fabricated rumors. You don’t need to pay attention to it."

"Okay."

Jiang Lai nodded and pushed open the bedroom door. "As long as you know what you’re doing. I’m going to rest first."

"Okay, good night."

The bedroom door closed. The man leaned back against the sofa, deep in thought.