Chapter 39 [VIP]
Chapter summary: "The bride is just average-looking; the previous one was much prettier."
Ni Zhenzhen arrived too early.
Following the signs in the lobby, they arrived at the banquet hall on the second floor. The entire reception area was deserted except for a display board and a bare table. There were a few people in the banquet hall, but they were staff members setting up equipment.
Ni Zhenzhen told Xu Tianzhou to find a place to sit for a while, and she went upstairs to the guest room to say hello to Rong Xiaodan.
Ni Zhenzhen reached the top floor and, just as she stepped out of the elevator, encountered a group of people in the hallway. She stepped aside to let them pass, but one of them suddenly stopped in front of her, looked at her, then glanced at the box on the floor, and asked, "You've come?"
She was a plump auntie, wearing a maroon dress. She wasn't tall, but she had a strong presence.
Ni Zhenzhen didn't know that person, but Rong Xiaodan was a local, and it wasn't surprising that her relatives and friends had visited the bank branch and knew her.
Sure enough, the man asked, "Did Xiaodan send you here?"
"right."
"Then come on over." The aunt waved her hand, signaling Ni Zhenzhen to follow her. "Take your things with you." The aunt said reproachfully when she saw Ni Zhenzhen coming over empty-handed, as if she was blaming her for having to remind her.
Ni Zhenzhen looked down and saw a black briefcase against the wall, so she quickly picked it up.
Ni Zhenzhen followed her aunt through the corridor and into a suite, which contained some wedding items, but she did not see the bride.
Just as Ni Zhenzhen was about to ask a question, the aunt impatiently said, "What are you standing there for? Let's get started."
"Start?" Ni Zhenzhen looked bewildered.
"Didn't Xiaodan tell you to do my makeup?"
"..." Ni Zhenzhen was certain that Rong Xiaodan hadn't said anything. Rong Xiaodan had only called her up and hadn't said who she was going to do makeup for. Could it be that she hadn't had a chance to say it yet?
Seemingly noticing Ni Zhenzhen's hesitation, the aunt frowned and clicked her tongue sharply.
Because of her presbyopia, she held her phone far away, tapping away as she complained, "That Rong Xiaodan, she's always so careless, no matter how many times I tell her, she never takes it seriously..."
Seeing that the battle was about to break out, Ni Zhenzhen hurriedly explained with a smile, "I told you, I was just looking at what kind of makeup suits you." She moved a chair over, "Please sit here, the lighting is better here."
The aunt's expression finally softened a bit. She sat down in the chair, closed her eyes, and said imperiously, "Make it look nicer."
Ni Zhenzhen opened the suitcase, and as expected, it was full of cosmetics. She quickly found the primer and foundation and began to apply makeup to her aunt.
She was busy choosing eyebrow powder shades when three or four aunties came in. From their greetings, Ni Zhenzhen learned that the auntie who had asked her to come for makeup was Deng Maolin's mother and Rong Xiaodan's mother-in-law.
The aunts and uncles sat down on the sofa, each grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds and starting to chat.
As they chatted, the topic of weddings came up, and one of them said, "The bride is just average-looking; the previous one was much prettier."
Mrs. Deng scoffed lightly, "Doesn't that person have a younger brother, and he's not even a local?"
"That's true. She's an only child. When the land is demolished and redeveloped, all the houses will belong to our Beibei."
"Hahaha……"
Their laughter was particularly jarring. Even though Ni Zhenzhen was focused on her makeup, she was still pricked by something like a needle. Her hand holding the eyeliner trembled uncontrollably, and a black mark flew out, like an abrupt ink stain that stained the entire canvas.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Deng's mother asked unhappily, "What's wrong with you?"
"I'm sorry." Ni Zhenzhen bowed and apologized while looking for makeup remover pads.
"Hurry up and get to work." Mrs. Deng adjusted her pink embroidered shawl and casually instructed, "Do their makeup in a bit too."
The women over there hesitated and said, "Let's just forget about it."
"What's the big deal? I've already paid for it." Although the money only covered the bridal makeup, a single bridal makeup session would cost over two thousand yuan. It would be a waste not to do more makeup. Anyway, this person seemed easy to talk to, and it was unlikely that she would turn on him just because he did a few more makeup sessions.
Deng's mother frantically tried to signal to those people with her eyes, and they immediately understood, all looking eager to try.
Ni Zhenzhen then realized that the other party had mistaken her for a makeup artist, but at this moment, it seemed inappropriate for her to deny it.
Ni Zhenzhen could only bite the bullet and say, "Okay."
One of the people said, "I remember my ex-girlfriend was a teacher, and she had a good job. Now she works at a bank and always has to go out for social events. She doesn't seem like someone who can take care of a family."
"That's right." Mrs. Deng sighed. "Teachers are so good. They have summer and winter vacations, and they can tutor the children in the future. If it weren't for our poor financial situation... Just because I separated them, Beibei still harbors some resentment towards me, and..."
Deng's mother suddenly lowered her voice, and her expression became somewhat subtle.
Clearly, her action wasn't to prevent anyone from overhearing, but rather to create a certain atmosphere. She spoke in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "I asked Beibei, and Beibei said he still prefers the previous one."
"What?!" This question caused an uproar among the relatives, who all chimed in, "Beibei still has feelings for him?"
"Tsk tsk... This one is so pitiful now." While everyone expressed their regret, they couldn't hide their schadenfreude.
Deng's mother disagreed, "What's there to pity? With Beibei's conditions, she can have whatever she wants. If she weren't pregnant, we would have been even more picky."
"That's true..."
The group chatted and laughed, creating a lively atmosphere, but Ni Zhenzhen remained expressionless.
It wasn't that she was devoid of emotions; rather, her entire being was filled with a multitude of emotions, and she truly didn't know which one could best express her grief and indignation at that moment.
This luxurious guest room, facing the sunlight and decorated primarily in champagne colors, resembled a magnificent robe. Upon closer inspection, however, it was infested with annoying lice. Ni Zhenzhen gradually felt nauseous, as if the lice had crawled all over her body, impossible to remove or shake off.
She stood in the center, holding a lipstick in her hand, like a red candle in the dark night, but it was unknown whether it could illuminate others besides herself.
Deng's mother glanced at the lipstick in her hand and said disdainfully, "This one is too dark, change it."
The others gathered around, all wanting to offer advice to Deng's mother. They reached into the makeup case and picked and chose, saying, "This one is good, this one is not bad either."
Ni Zhenzhen was thus forced out.
She put down her lipstick, thinking she might as well find an excuse to leave, when suddenly a commotion broke out outside, as if someone had lost something.
The man quickly found them and asked in a flustered manner, "Have you seen my makeup case?"
"A makeup case?"
Without much searching, the woman spotted the makeup case on the table. "That's it! How did my makeup case end up here?" She had come over to do the bride's mother-in-law's makeup, but halfway there she realized she had forgotten something. When she returned with her things, the makeup case was gone.
"Your makeup case?" Mrs. Deng looked the person up and down. "You are..."
"I am a makeup artist."
If this person is a makeup artist, "then you are..." Everyone looked at Ni Zhenzhen.
"I..." Ni Zhenzhen didn't know how to answer. She avoided everyone's gaze and said hastily, "I'm going to the restroom..."
Ni Zhenzhen practically fled in panic.
She left the guest room and walked around aimlessly for a while, not knowing where to go. She had given up on finding Rong Xiaodan and had no choice but to go downstairs back to the banquet hall.
Ni Zhenzhen wandered along the red-carpeted corridor of the hotel, as if she had been torn in two by the crystal chandelier in the sky. One half was clamoring to tell Rong Xiaodan immediately, while the other half was saying that she must not make her sad.
Ni Zhenzhen didn't know what to do either.
She wrapped her trench coat tighter around herself and walked into the banquet hall with the other wedding guests. Unlike before, the banquet hall was now full of people. The two sides of the runway were adorned with flowers and twinkling lights like fireflies. At the end of the runway, a silhouette of a couple kissing was engraved on a white backdrop with simple strokes.
Everything was so beautiful and dreamlike.
The moment the spotlight shone on them, the voice that wanted to tell the truth was silenced.
Ni Zhenzhen comforted herself like an ostrich, thinking that perhaps Rong Xiaodan knew everything.
Ni Zhenzhen looked around but couldn't find Xu Tianzhou. Just as she was about to call him, Xu Tianzhou's phone rang first. His familiar voice flowed through the noisy crowd like a clear spring, "I'm behind you."
Ni Zhenzhen turned around and found someone waving at her.
Xu Tianzhou sat at a table near the corner, surrounded by people of all ages. He felt completely out of place.
His features were cool and aloof, and his gaze was distant. Even amidst the lively wedding banquet, he still exuded an indifference, as if he were detached from the event. Only when his eyes met hers did his eyes involuntarily curve into a smile, revealing an intense tenderness.
Xu Tianzhou had already seen her; she seemed lost and listless.
Xu Tianzhou didn't know what Ni Zhenzhen had encountered; the only explanation was that she was perhaps reminded of something painful.
After all, their marriage was so rushed; they registered on a whim, and then nothing happened. There was no wedding, no rings, no wedding photos, and no blessings from their parents.
After Ni Zhenzhen sat down beside him, Xu Tianzhou asked, "What's wrong?"
Ni Zhenzhen shook her head and did not answer.
"What are you doing here?" She thought Xu Tianzhou could get a good spot, preferably close to the catwalk, so it would be convenient for her to take pictures.
Xu Tianzhou said with a wry smile, "It's a long story."
He was indeed originally sitting in the middle, but then several people arrived, and from their conversation, they seemed to be the groom's colleagues.
Isn't that an employee of Cinda?
Xu Tianzhou suddenly felt a sense of kinship with those strangers, and he couldn't help but ask, "Are you all from Xinda?"
“Xinda?” Those people were clearly taken aback.
"Doesn't the groom work at Cinda?" Xu Tianzhou understood. "You were his former colleagues?"
"Former company?" The group looked at each other suspiciously, as if they had discovered something significant. "Deng Maolin is changing jobs?"
Xu Tianzhou realized he had said the wrong thing and immediately tried to salvage the situation, saying, "Maybe I remembered it wrong."
A few more colleagues arrived shortly after, but by then there were no seats left. The table was full of Deng Maolin's colleagues, except...
Everyone looked at Xu Tianzhou in unison, "Look..."
Xu Tianzhou tactfully stood up and said, "Excuse me."
He left that table and found a new seat, saying, "This is the only one left."
“Okay,” Ni Zhenzhen said.
After what just happened, even the most romantic wedding seemed like a soulless puppet show to Ni Zhenzhen. She found it hard to believe that the man who had sung so passionately to Rong Xiaodan and vowed to love her forever actually had another side to him.
Ni Zhenzhen was filled with emotion.
Why do people say women are materialistic? Actually, men are the most pragmatic. They say they love their ex the most, but then they turn around and marry their current partner who is better off, all while pretending to be the one who's suffered the most.
She turned to the man beside her, carefully examining the face that had captivated her at first sight, and seemed to realize something: "You're not lying to me, are you?"
"Lie to you?" Xu Tianzhou asked calmly. "Lie to you about what?"
Just as Ni Zhenzhen was about to say that there didn't seem to be anything to lie about, Xu Tianzhou sighed amidst the applause, "I did lie to you."
"What?"
Xu Tianzhou leaned closer, his lips almost touching her earlobe, and said in a breathy voice, "You're just trying to seduce me."
“…” Ni Zhenzhen said dejectedly, “I’m not joking with you.”
She met his unfathomable eyes and said solemnly, "If you find someone better, I won't stop you."
This time, Xu Tianzhou glanced down at her face, and with a confidence that seemed to come from nowhere, calmly said, "Don't worry, I don't need it."
As the waiters began serving chopsticks, the ceremony came to a close. The newlyweds went back to change their clothes and then began toasting the guests.
When Deng Maolin arrived at his colleagues' table, one of them couldn't wait to ask him for confirmation, "Wow, you've secretly switched jobs!"
Deng Maolin's face changed instantly, but he forced himself to remain calm and asked, "Who said that?"
“That’s him…” The man looked around, found Xu Tianzhou, and pointed him out to Deng Maolin, “That’s him…”
Another person put his arm around his neck and said with a grin, "Never mind who said it or whether it's true or not. Why didn't you tell us about this great opportunity? Cinda is a big company."
"That's not true." Deng Maolin's expression grew even more unpleasant.
He did intend to work at Cinda and went through four rounds of interviews. He was almost certain to get the job, but at the last minute, they discovered that his resume was falsified, and the deal fell through.
His colleagues didn't believe him and insisted that he was going to switch jobs.
Deng Maolin was speechless and even went so far as to swear a solemn oath on the spot, "Whoever jumps ship will be childless and have no descendants, okay?" Of course, he couldn't admit it. If the boss found out that he had ulterior motives, how could he ever work there again?
Only then did the crowd let him off the hook, saying, "It's so unlucky to talk about having no descendants when getting married."
After toasting the entire table, Deng Maolin angrily left Rong Xiaodan and went home alone.
Rong Xiaodan followed, "What are you doing?"
As soon as they stepped out of the banquet hall, Deng Maolin launched into a tirade: "What's wrong with your colleague? Why is he talking nonsense?"
Why are you taking your anger out on me?
Rong Xiaodan felt wronged. She had imagined her wedding countless times, but due to her unexpected pregnancy, it became incredibly rushed, and none of them came to fruition.
The wedding was entirely organized by Deng's mother. The wedding dress was rented, the diamond ring was fake, the wedding photos were taken in a studio, there was no wedding car procession, and the wedding venue was rough and simple, practically like a rural stage. The mother-in-law even said she was worried about Deng being too tired, but it was clearly just an attempt to save money.
Rong Xiaodan poured out all the grievances she had accumulated over the past few days, only to be met with Deng Maolin's remark, "My mother has had it so hard, and you're still complaining." Unsurprisingly, this stirred up a hornet's nest, and the two had a huge argument, forgetting all about the toasts they were supposed to offer each other.
Ni Zhenzhen was completely unaware of what was happening here; they were still waiting at the table in the corner.
A few tables ahead of us had already started to leave. A little while later, the aunt at my table took out a plastic bag, pointed to the braised fish on the table, rolled her eyes and asked, "Are you still eating? If not, I'll take it to go."
Ni Zhenzhen quickly said, "I won't eat anymore."
As the people at the table gradually left, Xu Tianzhou asked, "Aren't you leaving yet?"
"Xiaodan hasn't arrived yet."
"..."
After a while, Ni Zhenzhen probably finally realized that Rong Xiaodan wouldn't be coming. She stood up in the empty banquet hall and said, "Let's go."
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