Chapter 6: Newlyweds (II)

Zhou Xiaoqian shot her a glance and said, "Are you alright? Today you are the main character, and with Tu Ran's appearance, who can compete? However..." She continued, "It's a pity you wore heavy makeup; ultimately, it falls a bit short." Seeing her friend silent, Zhou Xiaoqian comforted her, saying, "In fact, at most weddings, the bride is merely a decoration, a symbol, serving a role similar to that of the British royal family, without much practical significance. In other words, once you are married, others have no hope, cannot make a move, so everyone attending the wedding is looking at bridesmaids like me, or unmarried young women who are slightly less appealing than the bridesmaids, and so on. If you think of it this way, doesn't it make you feel a bit better?"

Tu Ran was momentarily stunned, her attention entirely focused on the person before her. She had no idea that the boring host was extending the damned microphone towards her to satisfy the lewd desires of the crowd, wanting to hear the sounds of kisses that did not exist.

The person behind him uttered an "mm" and said to Old Master Lu, "It is getting late; why don't you all head back first and call it a day."

Tu Ran picked up on her words and continued: "Because Lu Chengyu's relationship with your father is not good"

Then, the voice of the bride came through the loudspeaker, and that fool said: "So expensive? Remember to give me the receipt"

Lu Chengcheng said with concern: "But... my brother rarely comes back," she was unsure whether some things should be mentioned, and thus appeared somewhat hesitant

Once everyone had left, Lu Chengyu finally said to her: "In such a short time, you have gotten along quite well with them."

Zhou Xiaoqian pulled Tu Ran and asked, "What strange things did you say on stage just now, something about a receipt?"

At that moment, a woman approached, smiling as she said to Tu Ran, "The bride is quite beautiful"

Tu Ran shook off her hand, walked aside, and said: "I still appreciate it; they seem quite well-matched."

Lu Chengcheng complained again, saying: "My brother and my dad are like this, and it's all because of that Sun..." Before she could finish her sentence, she noticed Tu Ran slightly shaking her head at her. Lu Chengcheng understood immediately and swallowed back the name that had not yet been spoken. She turned her head and saw her father and stepmother walking towards them.

Lu Chengcheng thought for a moment before asking, "Sister, will you come home often in the future?"

She also noticed that just before he took the stage, he gently tossed the large red silk flower with the words "groom" written on it onto the table. She thought this was quite good; otherwise, it would have been a waste of his well-tailored, elegant black suit. However, when the two stood face to face, Tu Ran discovered that he hadn't even tied his tie, and the collar of his white shirt was slightly open, revealing half of his collarbone.

Others also laugh

Tu Ran smiled and said, "You think so too."

Tu Ran thought for a moment and nodded seriously: "Oh?"

The applause from the audience was chaotic, and for some reason, Tu Ran felt a bit flustered as well. He lowered his head and slowly leaned closer to her, as if they had never been this emotionally charged in his memory. In the brilliant lights, his dark hair contrasted sharply with his deep-set features, and she could even see the shadow of his nose tip falling on his face. A warm breath brushed against her earlobe, and then she heard him whisper, "The ring is a bit too big."

Since her parents' divorce, Lu Chengcheng has been living with her father. Subsequently, a stepmother joined the family, bringing along a girl of similar age. The stepmother's name is Sun Huiguo, and the girl, who is not related by blood, is named Sun Xiaobai. At this time, the old master of the Lu family, along with his wife Sun Huiguo, is busy socializing with a group of business associates, having long neglected his own daughter, while the stepdaughter Sun Xiaobai did not attend the wedding.

Before their marriage, Lu Chengyu had taken her to meet Old Master Lu. Just before entering, he said to her: "My dad doesn't really concern himself with my matters. This time I came back just to say hello and let you two get acquainted. It won't take long." He indeed acted as he said; upon arrival, he stated his purpose, and before Old Master Lu could recover from his surprise and joy, he pulled her out the door, seemingly unwilling to linger for even a minute longer. Rather than saying that the old master did not inquire much about his son's affairs, it would be more accurate to say that this young man simply did not regard his father at all. At the same time, Tu Ran also noticed an interesting phenomenon: Sun Huiguo was extremely polite and considerate towards his stepson.

"Your brother is a gourd without a mouth," Tu Ran said with a smile, "He hasn't said much, but it's not hard to tell.

Tu Ran was busy all day, and since the discomfort of early pregnancy had not yet subsided, she had long felt a bit dizzy. At this moment, she was forcing herself to engage in small talk with others. It seemed that her sister-in-law noticed her pale complexion and reached out to support her arm. She then heard Lu Chengcheng softly say: "Brother, sister-in-law has been tired all day, you all should head back early."

Outside, the sky had turned pitch black, yet the hall remained bustling with noise. Tu Ran glanced around and finally spotted the young lady of the Lu family standing alone not far from her.

He bent down to help her pick up the ring, and the guests below began to cheer, saying that the groom should kneel on one leg to put the ring on the bride's finger, as that would demonstrate sincerity

Lu Chengcheng followed her father outside, but after taking a few steps, she turned back to look at Tu Ran. Tu Ran called out to her, saying, "In a couple of days, let's go out together for a stroll." Only then did Lu Chengcheng smile and wave her hand at her.

Tu Ran said: "It must be an auditory hallucination; I didn't say anything at all"

He did not kiss her; it was merely that the angle was a blind spot for those in the audience. It was akin to an actor performing a scene, exuding ambiguous gestures yet lacking any physical contact. His movements appeared gentle and graceful, and one could only hear him whispering in her ear once more: "It costs over 10,000 yuan; why not return it and you could still make some money to pay off the mortgage."

Lu Chengcheng has a gentle personality. Seeing her speak this way, she followed her into the hall. Tu Ran chatted with her, mainly discussing Lu Chengcheng's work situation and the baby who would be born in six months. Lu Chengcheng has never been good with words and is shy by nature, but when the topic of her future nephew came up, she became excited and spoke more. Tu Ran is accustomed to interacting with various people, so she is very good at taking care of others' emotions. Additionally, her lively and straightforward manner, combined with a natural sense of affection for her sister-in-law's character, made their interaction quite intimate despite having only met a few times.

Tu Ran suddenly asked quietly: "Hey, who do you think is prettier, your friend or her?"

As soon as these words were spoken, another round of laughter erupted. Sun Huiguo was even more unable to contain his laughter, his face beaming with delight, yet he said: "Oh, you are a leader, a state official, how can you be compared to those people"

Tu Ran was waiting to watch the show, when unexpectedly, he looked at her with a smile that was not quite a smile and said, "The ring has fallen, the groom is about to kiss the bride"

It is nothing but mockery

It was clearly a polite remark, but when it came from the lips of a delicate and graceful person, it was a different matter. Tu Ran felt at ease listening to it and was about to say thank you, but the girl had already walked up to the groom, smiling as she said, "You look very handsome today, truly."

On weekdays, when she sees him, he is either wearing a white coat, with every button fastened meticulously from the first to the last, or he is casually draped in a coat or down jacket over his shirt, as casual as can be. However, Tu Ran does not particularly like men who deliberately make a statement with their clothing; she believes that is a sign of femininity

It is not easy to extract some money from the old man, he smiled lightly, his expression calm, and said, "Be mentally prepared."

Seeing Lu Chengcheng sitting alone and looking uncomfortable, Tu Ran walked over, took her hand, and said: "It's windy at the door, let's go sit on the sofa for a while. Your dad and the others might not be able to leave for a little while."

As the wedding concluded and the guests gradually departed, a newlywed couple stood at the entrance to bid farewell to their guests, while also allowing them to take photos with the couple as a backdrop

Tu Ran felt as if his voice was right beside her ear, and she did not know when he had arrived. Suddenly, her heart began to race intensely

It must be said that Lu Chengyu's outfit truly caught Tu Ran's attention.

Zhou Xiaoqian said: "Yes, everyone is hearing things."

Zhou Xiaquan tugged at Tu Ran's arm, urging, "Hurry up, hurry up, you should go over and take pictures too"

Zhou Xiaquan felt that the girl must have poor eyesight; otherwise, why would she be standing so close yet still staring at the groom? She quietly asked Tu Ran, "Hey, who is that woman?"

Lu Jia's younger sister, named Lu Chengcheng, is six years younger than her brother Lu Chengyu. Her appearance is not as outstanding as her brother's, and her attire does not resemble that of someone from a wealthy family, making her the type of girl who would be easily overlooked in a crowd. When they first met, Tu Ran truly could not discern any particular strengths or characteristics in her, so she complimented her name as elegant and unique, jokingly saying, "I see, you were born in the year when 'Shanghai Bund' was all the rage across the country." When they first met, Tu Ran truly could not discern any particular strengths or characteristics in her, so she complimented her name as elegant and unique, jokingly saying, "I see, you were born in the year when 'Shanghai Bund' was all the rage across the country."

Zhou Xiaquan could not help but exclaim, "What a complete waste of time!" As she spoke, she turned and walked over, smiling, "Lu Chengyu, Lu Chengyu, you didn't even invite me to the betrothal banquet. Surely we can take a few pictures together, right?" She twisted her body and stood between the two, subtly pushing the girl aside.

Lu Chengyu also felt that her makeup looked a bit strange, unsure if it was due to the lighting. No matter how he looked at it, one half of her face appeared pale while the other half was... ghastly white. In any case, it seemed as if she was wearing a mask that was not delicate enough. The officiant instructed the two to exchange rings, and Tu Ran's ring fell off her finger twice, likely because it was too large. As she bent down to search for the ring, Lu Chengyu noticed that the powder on her face was falling off in flakes, as if sunlight were shining into a dark corner, causing dust to dance lightly. Tu Ran's ring fell off her finger twice, likely because it was too large. As she bent down to search for the ring, Lu Chengyu noticed that the powder on her face was falling off in flakes, as if sunlight were shining into a dark corner, causing dust to dance lightly.

In contrast, Tu Ran felt that she had become a fool due to her overly extravagant attire and makeup

At this moment, a young man ran over wanting to take photos of Lu Chengyu and the others. Tu Ran stepped aside, but it seemed that the man had no intention of photographing her. The flash kept going off around the groom and the girl, creating a flurry of light.

Old Master Lu felt that it was somewhat impolite for his son to speak to him in such a manner, especially in front of so many people. However, today he was too lazy to fuss over it and instead cheerfully said: "Let us idle folks disperse, disperse, so as not to disturb the young couple."

Before Tu Ran could stand up straight, Sun Huiguo had already enthusiastically grasped her hand, saying: "Little Tu, in the future, whenever Lu Chengyu goes abroad, you must come home often. Our old man is always looking forward to holding his grandson. Right now, the eldest in the family has just gotten married, and there’s already a grandchild on the way; you can imagine how happy he is. He drank quite a bit tonight... Now that you’re pregnant, you need to pay attention to your nutrition. If you want to eat anything, just give me a call, and I’ll have the nanny prepare it for you. Our old man is always looking forward to holding his grandson. Right now, the eldest in the family has just gotten married, and there’s already a grandchild on the way; you can imagine how happy he is. He drank quite a bit tonight... Now that you’re pregnant, you need to pay attention to your nutrition. If you want to eat anything, just give me a call, and I’ll have the nanny prepare it for you. Our nanny, well, she’s not great at taking care of people, and she has no experience with children. She doesn’t have any other skills, but her cooking is quite good, whether it’s Sichuan, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, or Cantonese cuisine, she can handle it all. The money I spend on her could easily hire a chef from a five-star hotel. I often tell her, you need to learn some new dishes and try out new styles; otherwise, it wouldn’t be worth the salary I pay her." With that, she broke into a smile.

Tu Ran smiled and said, "Of course, a family should get together often"

Tu Ran did not speak, she merely shook her head slightly

Indeed, she thought, it is very tiring

There were several accompanying guests nearby, who were also laughing and joking. One of them jokingly said: "Mr. Sun, your housekeeper has such a good life, doing nothing but cooking. It seems I should change careers. Does your family still need a housekeeper? I am quite skilled at making Hunan cuisine."

Everyone, of course, looked at her with a bewildered expression, including her newlywed husband

Tu Ran thought: "This person is strong, and he looks to be around fifty years old, his skin is much thicker than mine, making this Mr. Sun very happy." She further reflected, "Every word Mr. Sun says is laden with meaning, with such a sharp tongue, he must be quite bold in dealing with people. With a sister-in-law of such a character, she must feel uncomfortable in this family." Glancing over, she indeed saw Lu Chengcheng beside her, lowering her head and remaining silent, yet her eyes betrayed an unmistakable disdain and contempt.

Tu Ran said: "Hmm, I feel even worse."

Lu Chengcheng nodded and asked her, "My brother has spoken to you, right?"

Tu Ran was momentarily taken aback, raising her eyebrows and looking at him, waiting for him to continue. She then heard him say: "In those two factories, the old man holds 51% of the shares, and the rest are all in Sun Huiguo's hands, with the entire sales segment under her control"

Zhou Xiaoqian further stated: "She said two sentences, but the emphasis is on the second sentence"

Lu Chengcheng immediately blushed and shyly smiled, saying, "Because my mother’s surname is Cheng, both my brother and I have the character 'Cheng' in our names." Her speech was somewhat slow, and her smile carried a hint of foolishness. Tu Ran felt that this expression was somewhat familiar; after thinking for a long time, she vaguely recalled that many years ago, she often had a similar look.

The two did not speak again, and they saw the groom and the girl chatting softly to one side, presumably already acquainted. Lu Chengyu was not someone who easily experienced great joy or sorrow; at times, he even appeared serious or indifferent, which made it easy for him to create a sense of distance from others. However, at this moment, his expression was quite gentle