Chapter 46 Understanding: "I still only love you."...

This night was destined to be a sleepless one.

The "professionals" Wen Hong invited and the people attending the wedding were arranged in the guest rooms on the second floor, while only Shen Qingli and Wen Miao stayed downstairs with Qiao Yunzheng.

It was already late at night, and there were less than three hours left before the planned makeup and styling time, so the three of them decided to go to Qiao Yunzheng's room to chat.

Three girls, wearing face masks and loose-fitting loungewear, lay side by side on the bed.

Such days seem to provide a legitimate reason for unrestrained indulgence in the monotony of daily life. The liveliness on the second floor continues unabated, with occasional clanging and banging sounds coming from across the floorboards.

Shen Qingli stared at the ceiling, listening to the lively noise, and asked curiously, "Azheng, I thought I was your best friend in Shencheng, but I didn't expect you to know so many people."

Qiao Yunzheng realized she had misunderstood and explained somewhat helplessly, "You mean those bridesmaids? They were arranged by Wen Hong. I don't actually know them."

"Don't you know her?" Shen Qingli tilted her head in surprise. "I've only ever heard of professional makeup artists, professional photographers, and professional hosts. This is the first time I've ever heard of hiring a professional bridesmaid!"

Qiao Yunzheng nodded in agreement: "Yes, I just found out that it can be done this way too. I heard from Assistant Chen that Wen Hong made these arrangements to show off his status as a top lawyer."

"Extravagance?" Shen Qingli laughed out loud as if she had heard something incredible. "When has Wen Hong ever cared about face?"

Suddenly, she remembered something from earlier and said, "When I was arguing with Song Nanchen and ignoring him, Wen Hong called me and said that Song Nanchen was drunk and had nowhere to go, so he asked me to pick him up. I said, 'You're his boss, and you're so rich, isn't it only natural for you to take care of him? Why do you need me, a girl, to make a special trip in the middle of the night?' Guess what he said?"

Qiao Yunzheng's curiosity was piqued: "How so?"

Shen Qingli mimicked Wen Hong's tone, speaking in a deep voice, perfectly imitating that arrogant and carefree manner: "Ah, I can't control him, don't you know? The richer people are, the stingier they are. If you don't take care of him, I'll just leave him at the entrance of your community."

Qiao Yunzheng chuckled; this was indeed something he was capable of doing.

Shen Qingli concluded: "So, in my opinion, Wen Hong is just stubborn. He says it's for the sake of face, but actually it's because he likes you so much that he wants the whole world to know that he's going to marry the girl he loves."

Qiao Yunzheng murmured softly, "Is that so?"

“Trust me,” Shen Qingli patted her chest confidently, “As a veteran online novelist, I know this all too well. Look at Alice, she’s incredibly difficult for ordinary people to hire, even third-tier celebrities have to wait in line for her, and besides…” She leaned closer to Qiao Yunzheng and teased, “I heard from Song Nanchen that if it weren’t for time constraints, he would have loved to publish an announcement in the newspapers!”

As Qiao Yunzheng listened, she became somewhat dazed.

It was as if a hand had gently parted the fog obscuring her vision, and from then on, almost everyone told her in different ways that Wen Hong loved her very much.

This fact, which is beyond doubt in the eyes of others, is something that Qiao Yunzheng has only recently dared to believe.

The two chatted casually, while Wen Miao lay beside them, her breathing even and deep. Qiao Yunzheng had assumed she was asleep.

A casual glance back revealed the little girl staring intently at her with wide eyes, listening silently without saying a word.

She was usually very talkative, so it was rare for her to be so quiet. Qiao Yunzheng found it strange and asked, "Why isn't Miaomiao saying anything?"

Wen Miao's fair face slowly turned red at a visible speed. She hesitated for a long time before whispering, "Sister-in-law, actually, there's something I've been wanting to apologize to you about."

She looked so cute that Qiao Yunzheng couldn't resist pinching her cheek: "What's wrong?"

Wen Miao said embarrassedly, "I saw you and Jiang Qi together at the coffee shop before, and I mistakenly thought you were on a blind date... I was in a hurry at the time, so I didn't think much of it and called my brother over. Later, I found out from Jiang Qi that I had misunderstood you..."

Recalling Wen Hong's terrifyingly sour face that day, Wen Miao shuddered and moved closer to Qiao Yunzheng in a fawning manner: "Sister Lili is absolutely right. My brother is stubborn and has a bad temper. Did you two argue about that later?"

So that's what she was referring to.

Qiao Yunzheng didn't take it to heart. She knew that Wen Miao was a straightforward and passionate girl with no guile.

She felt a little itchy from the girl's fluffy head nuzzling her, and couldn't help but reach out and rub it: "Miaomiao didn't do anything wrong, there's no need to apologize."

Qiao Yunzheng was even secretly pleased with what Wen Miao had done.

What's gratifying is that there is such a passionate and sincere girl in this world who is willing to stand by his side unconditionally, so that he won't be all alone behind him.

Wen Miao had been bothered by this matter for a long time, but after hearing what Qiao Yunzheng said, she finally felt relieved.

She jumped out of bed, shuffled out in her slippers, and came back with a red handbag in her hand.

"Sister-in-law, this is a wedding gift I prepared for you."

She winked her big eyes at her and smiled slyly.

Qiao Yunzheng was suspicious. She carefully opened the paper bag and then removed the exquisite gift box and packaging bag inside one by one.

"Pajamas?" Shen Qingli leaned over to look. "Try them on, Azheng."

Qiao Yunzheng stared at the smooth, nude-colored silk nightgown, her intuition telling her that something seemed a little off.

When she reached out and picked it up, sure enough, it was a spaghetti strap deep V-neck backless mini dress with very little fabric; the hemline probably only reached the top of her thighs.

Qiao Yunzheng's face instantly turned as red as a burning cloud.

Wen Miao, the youngest girl who should have been blushing and shy, was full of pride and patted her chest to guarantee: "From now on, besides my brother, I will be one of your two most loyal followers!"

Shen Qingli laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight, then keenly noticed a blind spot: "You're one of only two, so who's your dear sister-in-law's number one lackey?"

Wen Miao replied matter-of-factly, "My brother!"

They were talking and laughing when they drifted off to sleep. They were woken up by their assistant's phone call at four in the morning.

From the moment Qiao Yunzheng opened her eyes, she looked like a beautiful porcelain doll, surrounded by several people in the center, getting her makeup done, dressed in a gown, and having her hair styled. Finally, she sat in a sea of ​​flowers that had been arranged in advance, wearing an elaborate headdress.

As it turned out, the people Wen Hong found were indeed extraordinary. They arranged all the complicated and trivial details meticulously, so that even Wen Miao and Shen Qingli, who were by Qiao Yunzheng's side, didn't have to lift a finger, making their days less tiring.

Qiao Yunzheng watched listlessly as the light and shadow filtering through the window slipped quietly from the wall of the room to the foot of the bed, then splashed onto the sea of ​​flowers scattered on the floor, absorbing their fragrance before slowly slipping away through the crack in the door.

She stared blankly at the door where the light and shadow had disappeared.

Once that door opens, life will embark on a completely different path.

Seeing that she was lost in thought, Shen Qingli took her hand and asked, "Yunzheng, what's wrong? Should we close the window?"

Qiao Yunzheng was still in a daze, unable to tell whether she was more nervous or more expectant. She shook her head: "I'm not cold." After a while, she murmured softly, "I'm... getting married like this?"

Then a clear child's voice shouted, "The groom has come to pick up the bride!"

The once quiet courtyard was suddenly filled with noisy talking and laughter.

The commotion quickly moved from the courtyard to the gate, finally stopping in front of Qiao Yunzheng's door.

Everyone's face was filled with joy and blessings; they belonged to two distinct camps, clearly divided. They played games, blocked doors, and jostled and pulled at each other…

But Qiao Yunzheng seemed completely oblivious to all the commotion.

When Wen Hong appeared at the door in a formal suit, holding a bouquet of flowers, it seemed as if the sounds of the whole world had suddenly faded away from her.

She could only see him, the smile that couldn't be hidden in his deep eyes, and his tall, handsome face that stirred her heart.

The once arrogant and haughty young man now kneels at her feet.

His voice was hoarse, his Adam's apple bobbed a few times, and he said softly, "A-Zheng, I've come to take you home."

He held Qiao Yunzheng in his arms, his arms around her neck.

They walked across a red carpet strewn with flowers, which stretched from the first step of the house entrance into the courtyard, then through the gate and turned in another direction, seemingly without end.

He held her firmly, and they walked slowly and resolutely through the enthusiastic and noisy cheers of the onlookers.

After leaving the villa complex, the wedding car convoy abandoned the shortcut and took the ring road, spending more than an hour circling the city before slowly driving towards the large penthouse in the city center.

This time, without Chen Ce or Shen Qingli's explanation, Qiao Yunzheng understood the intention behind this route and couldn't help but smile.

Because there were no elders or relatives, and most of the guests were colleagues and friends of similar age, the wedding ceremony did not have many complicated and old-fashioned procedures. Instead, the big screen played some photos and videos of him and her past, accompanied by the wedding planner's emotional speech, which moved everyone present to tears.

Qiao Yunzheng stared at the images that scrolled by: Lu Yao's paulownia tree, Wen Hong's little tavern, the twilight on the mountaintop at dawn, and the sunset and sea of ​​clouds at dusk...

Without exception, she appears in every single frame.

Qiao Yunzheng was somewhat stunned; there were many photos, but she couldn't remember when he took them.

The person who once said he hated her to the core, in the long five years that followed, even knowing that they would never meet again, still cherished her silently.

The emcee then asked at the opportune moment: "...Groom, do you take me?"

Qiao Yunzheng's vision had become blurred, and she had to try very hard to barely suppress the urge to cry.

Through the blurry vision, Wen Hong took the microphone handed to her by the host.

Instead of answering the host's question directly, he took a step closer to her, solemnly and slowly.

He looked down at him.

Qiao Yunzheng firmly believed that the intense love surging in those dark eyes was not just a performance for this special moment.

He said, "Ah Zheng, all these years, I have never forgotten you."

"I still only like you."

Author's Note: Thank you so much "Sunshine" for the nutrient solution! Sending love~