Chapter 79
Flights resumed the next day, and the couple took the earliest flight back to Tianhai. They had originally planned to visit their grandmother in Zhangyuan, but upon exiting the airport, their elderly father stopped them.
"I never agreed to you entering the entertainment industry. It's a mixed bag, full of all kinds of people."
Jin Xiao had always thought she was just recording a normal show in Nanbu, until the news broke that something so serious had happened. If it weren't for the typhoon traffic restrictions, he would have flown there long ago.
He's been extremely anxious these past two days, his tone filled with fear: "This kind of social scum, I'm going to make him spend the rest of his life in jail..."
Wen Zhenni, noticing her father's furrowed brow, guessed he was about to bring up her acting career. She quietly nudged Ciheng with her knee, gave him a quick wink, and then covered her arm, frowning and crying out, "Ah, ah, ah!"
Ciheng understood what she meant, and although she felt helpless, she still cooperated by holding her arm and asked with concern, "Does the wound hurt?"
"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Jin Xiao suddenly looked worried.
Ci Heng took over the conversation without changing his expression: "Maybe I accidentally bumped my arm yesterday."
"What are you waiting for? Let's go to the hospital!" Jin Xiao no longer cared about anything else. While urging, he hurriedly took out his cell phone to call the driver.
The private hospital operates a membership system, offering excellent service and a fast process. Upon arrival, the examination was scheduled immediately.
After taking the X-ray, Wen Zhenni's arm recovered well. The doctor said that she no longer needed to wear protective gear and she just needed to rest assured and take care of herself.
The fracture healed, but her menstrual issues remained. After leaving the orthopedics department, Tzu-Heng accompanied her to the gynecology department.
The test results showed that I was not pregnant, but had menstrual irregularities. The doctor prescribed some regulating medicine.
Wen Zhenni took the test results and looked at them. She felt happy and unhappy at the same time. Her mood was quite complicated. "I thought I was pregnant."
But as expected, she didn't feel too much loss.
Ciheng smiled and said, "Very good."
"What's good about that..." Wen Zhenni narrowed her eyes slightly, "Do you not want to have a baby, or do you not want to have a baby with me?"
Sometimes Ciheng really wants to see her brain structure. How can she change her expression faster than turning the pages of a book?
He patiently explained, "I'm happy for you. We're about to start filming a new drama, with over a hundred days of intense shooting. Are you sure you want to be the lead while pregnant? That's not only irresponsible to your body, but also to your career. That's not professionalism, it's poor planning."
“…” You know what, his words always make sense and it’s hard to refute them.
Wen Zhenni curled her lips: "What?"
"Don't worry about that for now." Ci Heng lifted her hand after removing the protective gear and kindly reminded her, "Why don't you think about how to explain it to your father-in-law first?"
Wen Zhenni didn't worry about this at all: "That's something you, as a son-in-law, should worry about. I don't want to worry about it."
Ci Heng was rarely choked by her, and chuckled softly: "You are becoming more and more fearless now."
"So what?" Seeing her father coming towards her, Wen Zhenni said with an expression that said, "Just tell me whether you're going or not."
"What did the doctor say?" Jin Xiao asked as soon as he came up.
What else could Ciheng do? She could only bite the bullet and accept the challenge: "He's recovering well. Just avoid strenuous activities for the next month."
Jin Xiao saw that the protective gear on his daughter's arm had been removed. What else did he not understand? He was angry and helpless: "Zhen Ni, you have learned to lie to Dad now, right?"
"Dad." Wen Zhenni held onto him, shaking him in a feigned anger. "I'm fine now, but you're not happy either?"
"I don't want to listen to Daddy's nagging, so I'll just say it straight. How can you joke about your body and make Daddy worry?"
Jin Xiao wanted to say a few more words to her, but Ci Heng intervened at the right time: "Dad, Ni Ni has been frightened a lot recently. I plan to take her out for a walk to relax."
As soon as he said this, Jin Xiao's nagging was immediately swallowed back, leaving only a look of heartache in her eyes: "It's good to go out and relax."
Wen Zhenni was surprised by the sudden mention of going out to relax. She didn't ask any further questions in front of her father, but only after returning home did she ask, "You never mentioned this to me before... Was this planned a long time ago? You're so secretive. Where are we going?"
Ciheng did not hide it from her: "Go to the Taraf royal family for an invitation and attend the celebrity charity ball they are hosting."
Wen Zhenni was not only surprised, but also a little excited: "You mean, I will attend the dance with you as your dance partner?"
Seeing Ciheng nod, she happily held his face and gave him a loud kiss, then grabbed her phone and excitedly shared the good news with Xi Miao.
Xi Miao replied with a string of ellipsis: [……]
Another follow-up sentence: [Wow, sister, your career and love life are going to be so successful this year.]
Who said it wasn’t? Wen Zhenni was in such a good mood that she almost lost her mind.
For a moment, she didn't know whether to prepare the dress herself or contact a designer to customize it. However, it would be too late to start customizing it now.
Ciheng leaned against the door with her arms folded, watching her busying around the treasure room, trying on jewelry one after another. She couldn't help but tease, "So serious?"
Wen Zhenni finished trying on the last piece of jewelry and carefully put it away in the drawer. "To go to such a grand ball, of course I have to prepare carefully."
Ci Heng seemed to be lost in thought. She turned and walked back to the bedroom, took out a velvet gift box, and handed it to her: "Your necklace broke last time, so I asked someone to buy you a new pair of pearls. It's perfect to match your dress."
Wen Zhenni opened the box and found a Kongke bead.
Unlike ordinary pearls, these conch pearls originate from giant conch shells, not clams. Due to their rarity, they cannot be cultivated artificially. Overfishing has led to a sharp decline in production, resulting in them being listed as endangered. Conch pearls are rare and more precious than diamonds. To even possess one requires considerable effort.
Hers is cherry blossom pink, with a delicate surface and rich color, and it is obvious that it is worth a lot of money.
"So beautiful, thank you, husband." She placed the brooch on her chest and gestured, suddenly remembering the peacock blue dress she had customized at the beginning of the year.
She quickly contacted the styling team to create the overall look for her and Ciheng for the ball.
So, at the charity ball in Taraf where celebrities gathered, Wen Zhenni appeared in the magnificent Berna Palace wearing a peacock blue dress.
Her long hair was loosely tied up, tresses cascading down her cheeks, a pair of pearl earrings half-hidden and half-displayed. Her dress was a strapless, long-sleeved design, and a tassel-shaped conch bead brooch was pinned right in the middle of her chest. The cherry-pink pearls shone softly under the crystal light.
There are no overly complicated decorations, no deliberate eye-catchingness, but in this gorgeous feast, the rare oriental faces have a calm and outstanding aura.
Today, the scene has gathered influential celebrities and giants from all walks of life, and there are also many media present.
Wen Zhenni entered the room, arm in arm with Ciheng. She'd attended such grand occasions countless times before, and should have handled them with ease. But with so many important figures gathered today, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous. She felt her makeup, hair, and dress were appropriate, and she looked dignified and elegant enough.
"Is the big star stage fright?" The man next to her teased as he handed her the cocktail.
"A little bit..." Wen Zhenni didn't deny it, and didn't forget to save face, "I'm not like this usually."
"Is my skirt okay?" she asked again softly.
The dress was made of velvet, a low-key, calming blue, with a soft, restrained sheen that shone as she moved. Interestingly, this deep blue echoed the hue of the butterfly on Tzu-Heng's wrist.
"You're already very beautiful. Don't pay attention to your skirt." Ciheng leaned forward slightly and whispered in her ear, "You are one of the only two beautiful Oriental ladies at this ball."
How can you say "only two"? Isn't it "only"?
Before Wen Zhenni could ask further questions, several guests came towards them with wine glasses.
Tzu-Heng calmly introduced her to the guests who came to greet her. As they exchanged pleasantries, a man saw her and said with a surprised and exaggerated expression: "You look so much like Ms. Wen Han!"
Wen Zhenni recognized this man; he was an internationally renowned film director. Her mother had starred in one of his films, which had won her two international awards.
Wen Zhenni was surprised to hear her mother's name in such an occasion. She smiled and replied, "You have a good eye. She is my mother."
"Oh, what a coincidence..." The man seemed to want to continue speaking, but was interrupted by another guest.
Wen Zhenni was led aside by Ciheng and met the Hawthorne couple again after a long time.
They happened to be seated together, with Lyra sitting next to a few of her friends. They were very considerate and spoke to Wen Zhenni in English, and took good care of her during the meal.
"There are many wealthy people attending the banquet today, and the auction items are all treasures worth collecting. The competition should be quite fierce." Lyra said to Wen Zhenni, "Of all the items on auction, I like the Warhol painting the most."
It's now the silent auction, and the auctioneer is showing the painting to everyone. It's indeed a rare and invaluable work of art.
Ciheng turned her head and asked her, "Do you like it?"
Wen Zhenni shook her head: "It is indeed a very valuable collection, but I am very vulgar, and my favorite thing is jewelry."
Ciheng smiled, and seeing that she was indeed not interested, she did not raise the sign.
In the end, the famous oil painting was bought by Lyra for more than 100 million US dollars.
Later, she did show off a set of jewelry, but in terms of design and the quality of the gems, it was far less collectible than the sets at home, so she just glanced at it with little interest.
Lyra successfully bought the collection she wanted and no longer paid attention to the subsequent items. She asked Wen Zhenni if she would like to go with her to visit the Crown Princess and the Princess.
Wen Zhenni looked at Ciheng, who thought it was okay to go: "It's still early before the auction ends, so it's a good idea to go and take a look."
He also exchanged glances with Lyra, which made Wen Zhenni feel very confused. She always felt that this man had a secret.
She narrowed her eyes: "Are you hiding something from me?"
Ciheng remained calm and composed, and only gently urged, "Don't keep Lyra waiting."
"Hmph! Forget it." Wen Zhenni glared at him secretly, lifted her skirt and went upstairs with Lyra.
The Princess Royal is the nominal host of tonight's charity ball. Normally, she should be the one to perform the opening dance, but the Princess Royal has stated that the opening dance should go to the honorary chairwoman of the ball, Ms. Eira.
Ms. Eira is a national treasure singer. She has retired for many years and has dedicated herself to philanthropy, making significant contributions and earning widespread respect. This was her first public appearance at the dinner, now in her seventies.
After the awards ceremony, the much-anticipated opening dance began. The host announced that the opening dance would be performed by Ms. Eira and Mr. Tzu Heng, who pledged the highest amount of donations.
Wen Zhenni: "..."
Lyra couldn't help but laugh. "You can't blame Mr. Ci for this. Hawthorne previously tipped him off, saying only that the person with the highest pledge could perform the opening dance. He didn't specify that they couldn't choose their own dance partner."
Wen Zhenni was about to laugh at him for his mishap, but then she changed her mind and realized that this was a respectable occasion, so she curled her lips and said, "It's his honor to open the show with a singer like Ms. Eira."
The royal band was ready, and Wen Zhenni and Lyra also stood on the second-floor balcony with some female guests, looking down from the railing.
The elegant and soulful melody of "Waltz No. 2" flowed slowly through the brightly lit hall. An oriental man in a white bow tie took the hand of an elderly woman and walked to the center of the dance floor. He bowed gracefully, inviting her to dance. The silver-haired woman in a long white dress, Ms. Eira, the protagonist of the opening dance, smiled and gently placed her hand on his arm.
Although Eira is old, the posture she has cultivated over a long period of time makes her body look so young and strong. Every time she turns around, it seems as if time has never taken away the elegance and composure in her bones.
Ciheng matched the old man's dance steps, and when their eyes met, there was a smile of respect in his eyes. He neither overshadowed the old man nor lost his gentlemanly demeanor.
Wen Zhenni didn't expect that the two people who were dancing for the first time could move forward and backward as skillfully as if they were a fixed combination, and they coordinated so well.
The rhythm of the waltz gradually became lively, and the men and women on both sides of the hall swam into the dance floor like fish wagging their tails to the gorgeous music.
Wen Zhenni was so mesmerized that she couldn't bear to make a sound, for fear of disturbing this dance that transcended age groups and breaking the beautiful atmosphere.
As the applause roared, Ciheng shook Eira's hand, and the two of them faced the four directions and saluted. When he raised his head and gazed toward the second floor, countless flashing lights intertwined into a single scene.
Lyra whispered in her ear, "Let's go down too."
"Okay." Wen Zhenni nodded, holding her skirt and followed her down the stairs.
Watching the figure disappear on the balcony, Ciheng and Ms. Eira stepped aside to rest.
Wen Zhenni arrived in the hall. The old lady was talking, and Ciheng was leaning over to listen, a humble and focused look on his face. The two of them didn't stop talking until they came over.
Wen Zhenni, introduced by Lyra, greeted Ms. Eira before standing next to Ciheng.
"You dance well?" she praised highly.
Ci Heng smiled helplessly and said, "I originally wanted to dance with you, but who would have thought the process would be like this."
Wen Zhenni said angrily, "You've made a profit, okay? Don't be ungrateful."
"That's right." Ciheng nodded and then extended his hand towards her. "Then I'll ask for compensation from you."
The timing was just right, and the band played "Waltz of Spring", and the light and bright melody echoed throughout the hall.
Wen Zhenni suddenly remembered what Jiang Lin mentioned: the waltz that Ciheng and she danced at the graduation dance was exactly this one.
"It's really... an unexpected fate."
She sighed and placed her hand in Ciheng's palm, which he held gently.
Ciheng led her onto the dance floor. The tacit understanding between husband and wife, the collision of hearts, is the best cooperation. Only when dancing with the one you love, can your eyes reveal the indescribable love, which is the resonance of the deep soul.
The two people who had never really danced together seemed to be continuing the perfect ceremony here.
When the song ended, Ciheng embraced her and thanked her. As he left the stage, he suddenly whispered in her ear, "Look, who's here?"
Wen Zhenni followed his gaze and saw the woman in a red dress on the sidelines. She smiled and waved at her gently.
Wen Zhenni covered her mouth in disbelief and subconsciously walked towards that direction. She walked faster and faster, and finally ignored the occasion and the sight of the people around her, and threw herself into the arms she had missed for a long time: "Mom!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
