The bells are ringing
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"The bride is radiantly beautiful."
The makeup artist looked at Wu Jianwei in the mirror and couldn't help but exclaim. Then, she picked up a pearl necklace and gently placed it around her neck. "How about this set of pearls? It goes perfectly with your main dress, it's so elegant and refined."
"And these." The makeup artist opened another row of jewelry boxes. "Your husband also prepared some jeweled ones. Which one would you like to wear?"
Wu Jianwei shuddered when she heard the words "your husband". This address was really awkward. She glanced at a row of jewelry and suddenly asked, "Excuse me, do you have any wet wipes?"
"Yes," the makeup artist said, swiftly taking out an individually wrapped wipe from her work box, tearing open the package and handing it to her. "Be careful not to touch your makeup."
"Thank you." Wu Jianwei spread out her hands and carefully wiped the blood stains on the pair of glass jade earrings in her palms with a wet towel. Then she turned her face to the side, picked up the crochet hook and passed it through the tiny hole on the earlobe.
After putting it on, Kirimi raised her eyes slightly and said to the makeup artist, "You don't need any other jewelry."
The makeup artist looked in the mirror and said, "It looks really good, it matches perfectly. The appropriate amount of white space makes it even more special."
Wu Jianwei also looked in the mirror. She was a little dazed. The earrings were finally worn on her ears again. They were heavy, not just in weight.
"Come over here and take a look at the overall effect." Two makeup artists helped her to her feet and lifted the hem of her skirt. They slowly moved to a full-length mirror. "Is there anything else that needs adjusting? You're so beautiful! Let me take a few pictures of you."
Kirimi shook his head slightly: "No, thank you, that's all."
"You're not going to take any pictures?" the makeup artist's eyes twinkled. "This couture wedding dress suits you so well. It doesn't need any alterations at all. It fits you perfectly. It would be a shame not to take some pictures."
"Well, really, there's no need." Kirimi's eyes were calm, not like a bride-to-be at all. Except for her, no one else in the room looked happier than her.
The makeup artists exchanged regretful glances with each other, then took a long veil from the wedding dress rack, held it carefully in their hands, and said softly, "Please lower your head for a moment."
Kirimi nodded slightly, closed his eyes, and felt an inexplicable solemnity.
Several makeup artists worked together to gently and firmly embed the veil deep into the bun. The veil slid along the beautiful and full curves of her head, spreading graceful ripples behind her.
"Please take the bouquet." Finally, the makeup artist handed her a bouquet of teardrop-shaped lily of the valley. "Just clasp your hands and place them in front of your waist."
Kirimi glanced down slightly and said, "Okay, thank you."
The dressing room was still filled with the subtle vapor of setting spray and the fragrance of lily of the valley. Kirimi Wei, dressed in a white wedding dress, looked like a still statue, waiting for the bell to ring.
"Bride, are you ready?" The makeup artist's face was filled with anticipation, and he was eager to see her walk into the wedding hall.
Wu Jianwei held the bouquet tightly, his face calm: "Yes."
The hotel had someone in charge of keeping track of the time, and soon the hotel manager arrived. As soon as the makeup artist opened the door, the hotel manager blinked repeatedly and looked at her in surprise: "Ah? Miss Wu?"
"Hello, nice to see you again." Kirimi smiled slightly.
Before the hotel manager came, he heard from his colleagues that Wu Jianwei and Meng Yanxiu seemed to be fighting in the room. Unexpectedly, she has become the protagonist of today's wedding.
"Ah... this way, please." The hotel manager immediately controlled his expression and led the way for them. He couldn't help but turn around to look at Wu Jianwei, and finally uttered only four words, "Congratulations, congratulations."
"Thank you." Wu Jianwei pretended to be calm, but she was actually extremely embarrassed. Anyone who saw her today would be shocked. She sighed secretly, but fortunately, with Meng Yanxiu's personality, he would not invite too many people.
The dressing room was very close to the wedding hall, and they arrived there by just going down two floors.
Standing in front of the auditorium door, the makeup artists let go of Kirimi Wei's hands and adjusted her veil and skirt, confirming the details inch by inch.
"Thank you." Wu Jianwei was not used to being treated so carefully. She turned her head and asked the hotel manager, "Should I go in directly? Where should I stop?"
"No, no." The hotel manager waved his hands and said hurriedly, "Someone will accompany you in. Wait until the door opens before entering."
"Huh? Who is it?" Wu Jianwei thought, did Meng Yanxiu find someone to take her in?
"Mi Wu." A voice came from behind my ear.
Wu Jianwei couldn't turn around, but the voice was so familiar that her nose felt sore before she even saw the person.
A muffled sound of footsteps approached, and the rest of the staff retreated to the back, making room. Wu Zhang walked over to her, carefully avoiding the hem of her skirt, and turned sideways to look at her in her wedding dress.
"Dad...why are you here?"
Wu Jianwei saw him for the first time wearing a suit, with his hair combed back neatly. Her eyes suddenly reddened and she tilted her head back to wipe away the tears: "Aren't you in Suzhou?"
Wu Zhang took out a few folded tissues from his pocket and raised his hand to wipe away her tears: "My daughter is getting married, it's such a big event, how can I not come?"
"I..." Wu Jianwei was choked with surprise, "When did you come?"
"You've been a crybaby since you were little. Don't ruin your makeup by crying." Wu Zhang sighed, and the wrinkles on his forehead deepened. "Your mother and I came here yesterday. Your mother is waiting for you inside."
"Mom is here too? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hide it from you." Wu Jianwei had no idea how to explain. This was too ridiculous. Three hours ago, she would never have believed that she would be standing here, waiting to attend a wedding.
She realized belatedly that she had made a huge mistake. To her, this was just a deal, a formality, not a real marriage. But in the eyes of her loving family, the wedding was incredibly important. She didn't dare to think about the feelings her parents had when they came here. The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she became.
"Are you afraid we won't agree, so you don't dare to say it?" Wu Zhang held his daughter's hand.
Wu Jianwei quickly shook her head, but couldn't explain: "Dad, I have my reasons."
"Is it him?" Wu Zhang asked again, with an unconcealable resentment in his words.
Kirimi tried her best to control her emotions: "What?"
"The person who hurt you so much that made you cry and go home in the middle of the night even though you were 2,000 kilometers away." Wu Zhang felt heartbroken when he mentioned that day.
"Yeah." Wu Jianwei didn't want to worry her family, "But..."
Wu Zhang sighed repeatedly and interrupted her: "But you still want to marry him?"
"I..." Kirimi Wei is usually eloquent, but now she was stuck at sentence after sentence.
She never thought that Meng Yanxiu would actually invite her parents.
But then he thought, Meng Yanxiu is such a face-conscious person, he would not allow his wedding process to have any flaws. If the bride was allowed to walk on the stage alone, people would inevitably gossip about her, and he was just afraid of losing face.
"No need to say anything. Today is a happy occasion. We are here to bless you, not to blame you." Wu Zhang bent his arms and nodded to her. "Mi Wu, no matter what choice you make, we will be with you."
Listening to these heartfelt words, Wu Jianwei felt as if a thousand words were stuck in her chest. She was moved by the fake wedding, but also felt guilty for deceiving her family.
But she had been put in this position, so she could only calm down and let the sounds, which became heavier and heavier, reach her ears clearly.
It’s 12:08.
The solemn bell rang on time, and the two doors opened at the same time.
In an instant, the door hinge turned, the light gap suddenly opened, and dazzling white light poured out.
"Enter the bride." The master of ceremonies gave the signal in a clear voice.
The guests in the audience all turned their heads, their eyes fixed in the same direction, eager to see the "answer" clearly.
Kirimi Wei reached out and took Kiriaki's arm, slowly walking into the auditorium. The bright lights shone on her like a spotlight. Flowers were everywhere, everything was bright, and melodious piano music played. Pure white was dotted with quiet green.
But her heart suddenly began to beat like a drum, she felt panicky and had a dangerous illusion that this was too much like a real wedding.
She had never imagined the scene inside the door, and her fingertips subconsciously shrank. Wu Zhang noticed the slight tremor, covered the back of her hand with his other hand, and patted it steadily.
"It's normal to be nervous." Wu Zhang whispered to comfort her.
"Yeah." Kirimi swallowed slightly, holding the bouquet in her hand, stepped onto the long road paved with tens of thousands of white Burgundy roses, and looked towards the end.
At the end of the road, under the five-meter-high white rose arch, Meng Yanxiu stood there with a majestic posture, staring at her straight, her appearance reflected in his pupils, quietly waiting for her to walk towards him. The surrounding noise, the guests' exclamations, and the luxurious decoration instantly blurred into the background.
He only had eyes for her.
She wore a classic satin mermaid wedding gown with a one-shoulder neckline, her long hair tied up, revealing her prominent brow bones. As she walked, the close-fitting skirt floated like clouds and mist, revealing a lustrous luster, but it did not in the least conceal her ethereal elegance, simple and unique style.
The road was very long and she walked slowly, but even from such a distance, she seemed to be able to see clearly the look in Meng Yanxiu's eyes, which was a kind of deep affection that was extremely confusing and deceptive.
"Ouch! Look! Look!"
Zhou Lian'an, who was sitting in the middle of the auditorium, slapped his thigh and shouted to a table of colleagues, "I told you I wasn't mistaken in the elevator. Who else could it be but Wu Jianwei?"
"Oh my God, it's really Secretary Wu. Fortunately, President Meng doesn't accept gifts, otherwise he would have to give double..." The colleagues were all dumbfounded.
Lin Jue was so surprised that he stood up without caring about his image, stretched his neck and looked around without moving his eyes.
Zhou Lian'an exclaimed in disbelief. He dragged Lin Jue back to his seat and said, "Assistant Lin, you don't even know?"
"Am I crazy?" Lin Jue sat there in a daze, facing a table of colleagues, but no one understood what he was saying. Only he himself knew that he had just been talking nonstop about Wu Jianwei in front of Meng Yanxiu, and these two people were both more vindictive than the other.
"I don't know if you're crazy or not, but President Meng must be pretty crazy," Zhou Lian'an muttered softly, "You're not going to bring the company to the brink of bankruptcy again, are you?"
Lin Jue immediately came to his senses and glared at him, "Do you dare to say that to President Meng? You only talk behind my back. No wonder Wu Jianwei hated you the most in the company. President Meng has treated everyone well over the years. Even when the company was in its most difficult times, he never treated you poorly financially. Don't be ungrateful and act like a mean person."
"Why are you so anxious? Why are you speaking so harshly..."
Zhou Lian'an couldn't afford to offend Lin Jue, and his face was ashamed, so he simply changed the subject and said to the Human Resources Director beside him, "Sister Yuan, now you believe I saw Wu Jianwei, right? Just now you all said I had delusions."
No one paid any attention to Zhou Lian'an. Everyone was immersed in this huge gossip. Yuan Qing was so shocked that her mind went blank. After a while, she said, "What day is today?"
"What day?" No one at the table understood.
Yuan Qing adjusted her glasses, suddenly realizing, "Four years ago, it was this very day! Don't you remember the total solar eclipse in 2009?"
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# Volume 2: The Past
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