Chapter 56 Qingyun sat on my lap.

Jiang Mingxue was taken aback, not only by his sudden kiss, but also by the sweet words he uttered.

Every word was unlike what a rigid and ascetic Colonel Rong would utter.

However, Rong Chengzhou didn't give her time to think. He wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her closer. With the other hand, he held the back of her neck and deepened the kiss.

Jiang Mingxue had no choice but to swallow her question and close her eyes in response.

The setting sun dyed the sea into melting gold leaf, and the helicopter's rotors shattered the rosy glow. They sat in the cabin, kissing under the setting sun on the deserted sea.

Everything was bathed in a warm golden hue; the clouds were ablaze, and the cabin windows reflected a dazzling halo of light.

The sea breeze blew against the exterior glass, the aircraft swayed slightly, and the roar of the engine continued incessantly, but this small space was unusually quiet.

The magnificent sunset, the boundless sea, and the enormous clouds all faded into a blurred background.

In the center of the background, the couple's breaths and heartbeats are palpable.

After an unknown amount of time, Rong Chengzhou reluctantly released her.

He gazed at her, his eyes burning with intense passion: "It's time to go back."

Jiang Mingxue was slightly out of breath, and when she opened her eyes, her gaze was still a little hazy, reflecting his appearance and the sunset glow outside the window.

She paused for a moment, then nodded softly and said, "Mm."

My hands and feet were still a little weak when I tried to restart the helicopter.

Rong Chengzhou took her hand at the right moment and together they piloted the helicopter back to base.

A fulfilling and special day of dating has come to an end.

In the evening, I drove back to Songyunting.

"Did you have fun today?" Rong Chengzhou asked.

Jiang Mingxue nodded emphatically, still somewhat reluctant to leave: "I'm very happy."

Rong Chengzhou: "It's too late today. If you haven't had enough fun, I'll go with you another day."

Jiang Mingxue's eyes brightened: "Okay, let's go play again next time I have a break. I haven't tried fancy flips yet."

Rong Chengzhou smiled slightly: "Okay, I'll teach you next time."

It was almost eight o'clock when they got home. Rong Chengzhou took her hand and walked towards the elevator.

After taking only a few steps, Jiang Mingxue suddenly remembered: "Hey—, my bear!"

Rong Chengzhou stopped in his tracks and remained motionless: "Put it in the trunk, it won't get lost."

"No." Jiang Mingxue insisted, tugging at his sleeve. "I want to hug you today."

Rong Chengzhou: "......"

The last shot should have missed the target.

Unable to resist her insistence, I moved and went to open the trunk.

Without any attempt to hide his disgust, he pulled out the "stinky bear".

After taking a shower that evening, I returned to the bedroom and saw this 1.8-meter-tall, smelly bear blocking the way between us.

Rong Chengzhou frowned: "Does it really have to be here tonight?"

Jiang Mingxue propped herself up on her arms, peeking her head out from behind the stinky bear: "Yeah, its fur is so soft, it's so comfortable to hug, come and pet it."

Rong Chengzhou pursed his lips and coldly refused, "I won't touch it."

Jiang Mingxue scoffed, "No luck with hands."

Rong Chengzhou turned off the light and lay down. Because of the presence of this fat bear, his bed felt narrower.

He lay on the bed and said in a flat voice, "It's a bit cramped."

Jiang Mingxue: "Oh, I'll move over here."

Rong Chengzhou: "......"

never mind.

Helpless, she turned over and lay on her side facing the middle.

He habitually reached out to grab someone, only to find his hand covered in hair.

"......"

His once sweet and gentle wife had turned into a stinky bear, even wider than him.

Rong Chengzhou was unwilling to accept this fact.

Jiang Mingxue, on the other hand, was enjoying herself immensely, hugging the soft plush bear contentedly and sleeping soundly.

The next morning, when I opened my eyes and moved my fingers, the soft bear belly in my hand had somehow transformed into an eight-pack.

Jiang Mingxue woke up with a start, and looked up to find that the stinky bear that had been in the middle was now lying crookedly on the carpet, its limbs outstretched, staring at the ceiling with its round, black eyes.

She angrily nudged the sleeping man beside her: "Rong Chengzhou, why did you throw that stinky bear on the ground?"

Rong Chengzhou opened his eyes slightly, his voice still a bit languid and hoarse from sleep: "It rolled down by itself."

Jiang Mingxue: "...Who are you trying to fool?"

The man didn't answer, but reached out and pulled her into his arms again: "It's still early, sleep a little longer."

As soon as he finished speaking, a strong arm pressed down on her waist.

Jiang Mingxue: "......"

A cunning man.

--

With less than two weeks until the wedding, there are still many things to prepare, including confirming the wedding dress, toast dress and makeup, bridesmaids and groomsmen, wedding favors, wedding candy, hotel, guest list and decorating the wedding venue, etc.

These things that Jiang Mingxue didn't have to worry about, Rong Chengzhou directly arranged with Madam Rong.

The custom-made wedding dress was completed after more than a month of working through the night. Fearing that some adjustments might be needed, it was delivered to Songyunting on Monday night, as Jiang Mingxue couldn't wait for the weekend.

Jiang Mingxue tried it on briefly and found no problems. The design, pattern, and various workmanship details of the wedding dress were all personally supervised by Madam Rong, and she couldn't find any faults.

The makeup artist created an even more exquisite look for her, and the whole evening was over after trying on the entire outfit.

Along with trying on her gown for going out and her toasting dress, the makeup artist also brought her a welcoming dress and a morning robe, which Jiang Mingxue quickly declined.

"No need to try them on, three outfits are enough."

After the designer and makeup artist left, Jiang Mingxue sat wearily on the sofa, already exhausted even before getting married.

Rong Chengzhou reached out and massaged her shoulders: "Are you tired?"

Jiang Mingxue nodded, leaning her head on his shoulder: "So tired."

He took her arm, handed her the milk he had prepared in advance on the coffee table, and said gently, "You've worked hard."

Jiang Mingxue took it, leaned against him and shook her head: "You've worked harder, you're the one who's been busy with all this."

Rong Chengzhou: "I'm on vacation and there's nothing wrong with me. It's my responsibility to take care of things."

"By the way, who do you want as your bridesmaid?"

Jiang Mingxue thought for a moment. All her peers were married, so there weren't many options: "I'll have Cheng Ying and Ayan as bridesmaids. I'll ask them if they're available tomorrow."

Rong Chengzhou hummed in agreement: "I'm thinking of choosing Yu Feijie and Song Shaojun as best men. What do you think?"

Jiang Mingxue nodded: "They are indeed the most suitable."

Yu Feijie has a lively personality and can liven up the wedding atmosphere.

Song Shaojun is relatively more composed; after all, he is a businessman, and his interpersonal skills are impeccable.

As for Pei Yichuan, Jiang Mingxue vaguely guessed that the biggest reason was his status, which made him unsuitable for attending such occasions.

Rong Chengzhou nodded slightly: "What's the guest list? Who do you want to invite?"

Jiang Mingxue took a small bite of the straw and drank two sips: "Besides family and friends, I'd like to invite people from the clinic over, but I'm not sure if there will be too many people."

After all, she was the curator, and it wouldn't be appropriate not to invite them to her wedding, but she was also worried that Rong Chengzhou's profession was not suitable for inviting so many people.

"No," Rong Chengzhou said. "The venue is large enough to invite anyone we want, so we don't need to think too much about it."

Jiang Mingxue was relieved: "That's good."

"Oh right, there's also Instructor Lu and Old Lin. They're both getting old, and I don't know how to invite them over."

Rong Chengzhou said calmly, "Leave them to me, I'll make the arrangements."

"Okay, sure."

I took a sip of air through the straw, and before I knew it, the milk was gone.

Jiang Mingxue had rested enough, so she got up to remove her makeup. Rong Chengzhou was with her, standing behind her and helping her take off her hair.

After taking a shower, she picked up the smelly bear.

I symbolically patted off non-existent dust from its body, then hugged it and lay down on the bed.

When Rong Chengzhou came out of the bathroom, his brow furrowed again: "Why do you like hugging it so much?"

Jiang Mingxue: "Because I can hug it however I want, and I don't have to worry about accidentally rolling over on it in the middle of the night."

Rong Chengzhou took a few steps closer, his expression somewhat serious: "What you're saying, I can do too."

Jiang Mingxue couldn't help but laugh, and moved the stinky bear to the other side: "Then I'll sleep in the middle, is that okay?"

The man's brows relaxed slightly, and he turned off the light and lay down.

His bed was halved simply because of the stinky bear.

Moreover, since Jiang Mingxue insisted on hugging the plush bear, he could only hug her from behind.

I was still somewhat annoyed.

But it's okay.

Jiang Mingxue falls asleep quickly, so he has plenty of time to throw that troublesome bear down.

--

The next morning, as expected, the bear lay on the ground again.

Jiang Mingxue didn't even need to guess; she knew it was Rong Chengzhou's masterpiece.

Jiang Mingxue was in a hurry to get to work and didn't have time to argue with him.

On the way to the clinic in Rong Chengzhou's car, I sent a message to Cheng Ying to ask if she would be available to be a bridesmaid at her wedding.

[Cheng Ying]: Of course I have time. I'd quit my job to go to your wedding!

Jiang Mingxue replied with a smile:

Okay, tell me what gift you want, it doesn't matter how expensive, I just didn't know what to give you as a wedding favor.

[Cheng Ying]: Don't worry, I won't hold back.

After ending the chat, Jiang Mingxue compiled her banquet guest list and sent it to Rong Chengzhou.

They didn't plan to accept any money as a wedding gift, so they invited many apprentices from the medical clinic.

While scrolling through her contacts, Jiang Mingxue caught sight of Ning Jialing's name, and her fingertips paused involuntarily.

"By the way, should we invite Ning Jialing and Ning Yanze?"

The siblings' identities were both quite unique, which gave her a headache.

Rong Chengzhou gripped the steering wheel, his profile sharp and defined: "You can invite Ning Yanzhe, but whether Ning Jialing invites you is up to you."

He certainly didn't want to see Ning Yanzhe, but the wedding was another matter.

As for Ning Jialing, he preferred not to invite her. Their relationship wasn't that good to begin with; he just wanted to see what Jiang Mingxue's attitude was.

Jiang Mingxue was very straightforward and immediately decided, "Then let's invite them all."

They happened to be stopped at a red light. Rong Chengzhou turned his head to look at her and asked casually, "You don't mind?"

Jiang Mingxue scrolled through her contacts without looking up: "What do I mind?"

"..." Rong Chengzhou choked on his words.

Oh well, it was within his expectations.

When Cheng Ying went to the clinic to invite Xu Yan to be her bridesmaid, she was even more excited than Cheng Ying: "Sister Ming, I don't need a gift. This is my first time being a bridesmaid. I'd even pay out of my own pocket to be one!"

Jiang Mingxue couldn't help but chuckle. College students fresh out of school are so innocent: "There will definitely be a souvenir. Some of your comrades from the military in Chengzhou will be coming. We'll see if there's anything you like then, and I'll help you make the connection."

She still remembered that Xu Yan had always wanted to find a pilot as her boyfriend.

"Ahhhhhh—" Xu Yan almost jumped up with excitement, "That's wonderful! Long live Sister Ming!!"

Rong Chengzhou finalized his best man list even faster, directly tagging Yu Feijie and Song Shaojun in the group chat.

【CZ】: Are you free to be a groomsman on September 20th?

Pei Yichuan's message popped up first: [Isolating me?]

【CZ】：My budget is limited, I can't afford to hire you.

[Pei Yichuan]: Don't talk nonsense.

Yu Feijie and Song Shaojun both laughed heartily, and then replied, "No problem!"

Yu Feijie tagged Pei Yichuan again:

[Brother Pei, hurry up and marry your girlfriend. By the time Lao Song and I are married, you won't even have enough groomsmen.]

Pei Yichuan sent a voice message: "Heh."

The four bridesmaids and groomsmen were thus decided.

--

In the evening, after Jiang Mingxue took a shower, she went to the study to organize medical records for a while. When she returned to her bedroom at 10:30, she did not see Rong Chengzhou.

He then went to his study, knocked on the door, and went in.

Rong Chengzhou was sitting at his desk, writing with a calligraphy brush in his hand.

Jiang Mingxue stood at the door and asked, "What are you writing? Why aren't you asleep so late?"

After writing the last word, Rong Chengzhou put down his pen and gestured to her with his finger: "Come and take a look."

Jiang Mingxue walked over, and her gaze froze on the spot as soon as it fell on the gold-embossed red pages in front of him.

The gold foil patterns shimmered under the light, the ink still wet from his writing. He used small regular script, but it wasn't as restrained as usual. The brushstrokes were clear and vigorous, each stroke powerful and forceful, showing a greater degree of solemnity than his usual handwriting.

The above are several lines of traditional Chinese characters:

"Congratulations on the successful completion of this auspicious occasion, and the union of our beloved."

Presented to my esteemed teacher, Ying Guangyao

It is hereby decided that on September 20th, 2025

July 29th, Year of Yi Si (lunar calendar)

The wedding ceremony of groom Rong Chengzhou and bride Jiang Mingxue was held.

The banquet was set up in the brocade pavilion.

"Invitation"

Ying Guangyao was her university mentor and had been instrumental in her success; he was on the list sent to Rong Chengzhou.

Several still-wet red pages were spread out on the large desk, with a tall stack neatly arranged in the upper left corner.

All the wedding invitations were handwritten by Rong Chengzhou himself.

The scent of ink mingled with the fragrance of paper, and Jiang Mingxue's eyes suddenly welled up with tears. She raised her hand and gently stroked the paper, her fingertips pausing on her own name, her voice unconsciously softening:

"Why bother writing your own invitations when you can just buy ready-made ones?"

Rong Chengzhou tapped his fingers lightly on the table, then looked up at her: "I don't want to treat your wedding as a perfunctory affair."

His tone was solemn, and my soft left atrium felt as if it had been pricked by a tiny needle, a warm feeling welling up inside me, both bittersweet and tender.

So this is what it feels like to be valued.

Jiang Mingxue suppressed the bitterness in her eyes, curved her lips into a smile, and spoke in a relaxed tone:

I'd like to try it too.

Rong Chengzhou handed her the pen: "Okay."

Looking around, there were no extra stools.

He then said to Rong Chengzhou, "Why don't you stand up for a moment?"

The man remained silent, raised his hand to grasp her waist, and pressed her down.

Jiang Mingxue was caught off guard and bent her knees. At the same time, a cold, flat tone came from behind her, without any inflection:

"Sit on my lap."

Jiang Mingxue: "......"

"Alright."

Anyway, she only wrote a few words.

On the desk were several invitations written by Rong Chengzhou, with only the name-filling templates remaining.

Jiang Mingxue picked one of the cards and slowly and awkwardly wrote down the three characters "Rong Chengzhou".

She had learned some calligraphy from Grandpa Jiang before, but didn't stick with it for long.

The calligraphy he wrote wasn't bad, but you couldn't see any brushstrokes.

Jiang Mingxue glanced at her own handwriting with disdain; compared to Rong Chengzhou's, it was worlds apart.

"I've ruined it, maybe I should just throw this one away."

Rong Chengzhou glanced down at him and said, "No need."

She picked up a calligraphy brush and wrote the three neat characters "Jiang Mingxue" on it.

He then put down his pen, looked at the wedding invitation with the couple writing each other's names, and smiled slightly with satisfaction:

"This one is for Ning Yanzhe."