Chapter 77
As the two stepped into the hotel, they were almost dazzled by the scene in front of them. The hall was decorated with lights and was arranged into a dreamy fairy tale world. There were ribbons and streamers hanging from the ceiling. Dozens of round tables were covered with purple tablecloths, and the table legs were all wrapped with shiny yellow and green cellophane. There was a flower wall in the center with a golden "囍" character in the middle of the wall. A heart shape was formed around it with red roses, and then wrapped with a layer of pink and yellow gauze. It looked like a wedding scene in a Hong Kong or Taiwan videotape, worthy of being a newlywed couple who had returned from studying abroad in Hong Kong.
It was only a quarter past nine, and the hall was already packed. Mo Daoyan clutched the palm-sized red paper invitation and chuckled to himself. He had assumed Tong Zhaoyang wasn't that serious about the wedding, just going for a casual affair, but he'd gone to such a lavish ceremony. It seemed he and Miss Ren were very close. At the start of the new year, high-end hotels were already sold out, and state-owned hotels were more concerned with class. Only the Tianyue Pavilion, with its drab facade and interior, was a standout. But it was well-equipped, and the service was free, allowing brides with unique aesthetics to design their own space to their heart's content.
At Tong Zhaoyang's wedding, his future brother-in-law, Qiao Zhuoyuan, was absent because he was in Moscow for overseas business, but he gave a generous gift and also sent his sister and brother to support him. At this time, Qiao Zhuoqun, wearing a rouge-red cheongsam, was flying around the room greeting guests. Seeing the two people enter, she hurriedly pulled one of them in each hand and said, "Finally, you're here. We've reserved a seat at the main table and are waiting for you to start the feast."
Qiao Zhuocheng followed behind. Although the two brothers had been fighting openly and secretly over trivial matters at home for years, they never lost face in the Qiao family. Today, for his brother's brother-in-law, he condescended from boss to waiter, carrying gift boxes of cigarettes and alcohol to distribute them table by table. Only when he saw the ground covered with melon seed shells and a few banana peels did he frown and resume his boss's status: "Do you all treat this as your own kang? If you let the elderly and children fall, you'll be in trouble. Don't blame me."
Besides the main hall, the six private rooms were also packed with people. Tong's father sat at the head of the table. He was already relieved to have reconciled with his son, and now he was being treated as a distinguished guest. The old man was extremely excited and praised his son's filial piety to everyone he met. However, when he mentioned his daughter Ji Xilin's fiancé, Qiao Zhuoyuan, he was very dissatisfied. He had gotten his daughter pregnant before they even got married. His brother-in-law was getting married, but he didn't even show up. Did he think that just throwing some dirty money would solve the problem? How could this be?
Although seats were reserved for Mo Daoyan and Tong Yufei at the main table, all the people present were the parents and relatives of the newlyweds, all strangers. The two of them consciously retreated to the second box and sat at the same table with their new colleagues. Chen Ruchao was also at this table. Ji Xilin was more than three months pregnant and had severe morning sickness. She went to the bathroom three times in half an hour. If not for this, with her ability, she would not have to owe Qiao Zhuoyuan any favor.
"Did Brother Zhuo Yuan say when he'll be home?" Chen Ruchao gave Ji Xilin a vitamin tablet to help with the vomiting. "If you keep vomiting, your electrolytes will be disrupted. It's bad for both the fetus and you. Get hospitalized as soon as possible. The world won't turn without him. Can't you hand over the work to someone else for a few days?"
Zhou Dinghe continued, "Listen to Ruchao. If you need to be hospitalized, we will take care of the work."
Mo Daoyan asked in a low voice: "Are you really on a business trip?"
Of all the people present, he knew Qiao Zhuoyuan best. Being career-oriented was understandable, but being so focused that he didn't even go home was another matter. In the past, it was normal for Qiao Zhuoyuan to be away from home six and a half days out of seven, either at business events or out having a good time. Now that Ji Xilin was with him, it was unclear whether he would become more restrained. That time in the hospital, he had repeatedly reminded Qiao Zhuoyuan that Ji Xilin was someone who would rather die than live in disgrace. If his wild nature remained stubborn, it would be better to abort the child and put an end to it all. Qiao Zhuoyuan rarely showed his sincerity, saying that with Ji Xilin and the child, he would never again let his unruly ways run wild.
Ji Xilin laughed and said, "It can't be fake. I haven't even given birth yet. Even if he's just acting, he has to do it in full."
Mo Daoyan asked again, "Sister Zhuo Qun and Zhuo Cheng coming over to help, was it his idea or Mr. Qiao's idea?"
Ji Xilin was stunned. Although Qiao Zhuoqun and Qiao Zhuocheng both said the same thing, saying that Qiao Zhuoyuan had asked them to come, Qiao Zhuoyuan had never mentioned this to her on the phone. When she was hesitant about marrying Qiao Zhuoyuan, Mo Daoyan had told her about the past between Qiao Zhuoyuan and his first love, He Qiu, and asked her to think carefully. In fact, this had long been no secret. Qiao Zhuoyuan had confessed this relationship when he was pursuing her, saying that she and He Qiu were somewhat similar. However, he emphasized that he was not the kind of person who dwelled on the past. Always grieving over things lost and being unable to move on was something that only children would do.
Ji Xilin didn't necessarily believe everything Qiao Zhuoyuan said, but she simply didn't take it too seriously. His feelings for her weren't deep to begin with; the fact that he felt a little more than 50 percent, and that he was willing to give her the status of marriage and meet all her needs besides companionship, was already beyond his expectations. She wasn't yet "in love" with him enough to need him around all the time. When the child was born, fulfilling his wish to have an heir, if she still wanted to continue, then she could. If not, she would leave the child at the Qiao family and, while the child was still young, persuade Qiao Zhuoyuan to marry a kind woman to be the child's stepmother, so that the child wouldn't feel the pain of losing his mother. If she waited until the child was three years old and had memories, she would cling to him regardless of whether Qiao Zhuoyuan was willing or not.
She never wanted her children to go through the same hardships she had gone through, so she said, "We're not good, but we're not bad either. We can get by, but if we end up falling apart, we'll be gone. There aren't many people like us in the world, are we?"
Mo Daoyan couldn't answer. These words were like a mirror, reflecting the past between him and Tong Yufei, but it was only the past.
"Yufei, can you please do me a favor?"
During this time, Qiao Zhuoqun hurriedly pushed the door open and walked in, saying that Ren Zhanyue's wedding dress was torn by the burrs on the chair. The dress was custom-made by the old Shanghai "Hongxiang" fashion company, and there was no spare model. Qiao Zhuoqun had heard from Qiao Zhuocheng that Tong Yufei was very skilled in needlework, so he hurried to ask for it.
Tong Yufei had no choice but to refuse the urgent matter. Just as she was about to stand up, Ji Xilin grabbed her hand. Ji Xilin turned to Qiao Zhuoqun and said, "My eldest cousin is in Hall 4. She's an experienced seamstress at the city garment factory. Let my dad ask her to come and mend it."
Qiao Zhuoqun hesitated slightly. "This isn't just ordinary mending. It has to be so unnoticeable that there's no sign of it." His eyes swept across, stopping at the red heart on the right chest of Mo Daoyan's shirt. "Isn't this Yufei's masterpiece? My wife has an identical one, and the original didn't have this heart. Everyone here, take a look. Can anyone tell this was added later?"
Sister Zhuo Qun had an excellent memory. The red heart was indeed embroidered by Tong Yufei. In the past, Mo Daoyan had soldered circuit boards to test the performance of different components. When using the soldering iron, he accidentally burned a burn mark on his shirt. Normally, he would have thrown it away, but this was a birthday gift from his mother and one of his favorite clothes. He asked Tong Yufei if there was any way to remedy the problem. She then embroidered a small heart with red thread to cover the damage, which added some interest to the original one and was similar to the maple leaf on the jacket.
Ji Xilin was extremely resolute: "Let my cousin come. Miss Tong is a guest. It would be bad if she doesn't satisfy her."
"Yufei, if you don't do it, you can just give some pointers from the side, right? What if your cousin can't do it..."
"Nothing will happen."
Qiao Zhuoqun glanced at Ji Xilin's slightly bulging belly, thinking that pregnant women really have bad tempers. She was so stubborn about such a small matter, so she stopped arguing and said, "Just call her cousin."
"I'd better go with Sister Zhuo Qun to take a look."
Tong Yufei gave Ji Xilin a reassuring smile and followed Qiao Zhuoqun out the door. Ji Xilin wanted to get up and chase after him, but Mo Daoyan quietly stopped him: "You're blocking me too tightly. It's like you're trying to cover up something."
Ji Xilin pursed her lips and said nothing. She had long guessed from Tong Zhaoyang's abnormal words and deeds that Tong Yufei was the girl he could not forget. If she left a mark on his future wife's wedding dress, which was something with eternal meaning, every time the dress was worn in the future, it would be a knot in the hearts of several people. Not to mention Tong Zhaoyang, if Mo Daoyan minded it, it would be an unexpected disaster for Tong Yufei.
Mo Daoyan saw her expression and said, "If I were to care about such a small thing, I would have been exhausted long ago."
There was singing and dancing to warm up the ceremony. A tape recorder in the hall was playing "The Moon Represents My Heart." Groups of people gathered to watch the fun. Only Chen Ruchao remained in the private room, peeling sour oranges for Ji Xilin and chatting about pregnancy precautions. Mo Daoyan walked through the corridor covered in wedding characters to find Tong Yufei backstage. Outside the dressing room, he ran into Tong Zhaoyang. He was wearing a navy blue suit and matching tie, his face expressionless. If it weren't for the drooping groom's boutonniere, he'd look like a mere guest paying the price.
Tong Zhaoyang took out a Red Double Happiness cigarette and handed it to Mo Daoyan. He struck the match three times before lighting it for him, and then started talking.
"She worked through the night several days before moving. The next day, she said she was going to the tube building to continue moving things, but she disappeared for a long time. Aunt Zhang was worried, so she called me to check on her. When I got there, the pot had boiled dry. She had fainted in the bathroom and was in the hospital on an IV for three days before she woke up. Aunt Zhang wanted to contact you, but she didn't have your contact information. If I hadn't gotten there in time, it's hard to say whether you would have seen her now."
"And the message from Boss Sun the other day also reached me. I went to the woodcarving studio to see Yi Mo and left him my phone number. I told him to contact me if he encountered any uncertainties. I know my concern might attract gossip, but compared to her safety, I know which is more important."
"But she never seems to understand this and keeps refusing. Aunt Zhang said that in the year since you came back, she tried to find a nanny to take care of Yi Mo, willing to spend 60% to 70% of her salary. But she tried several and none of them worked. Either they asked for exorbitant prices, or they were stabbing each other in the back and doing bad things to Yi Mo. Aunt Zhang said that she had hired a nanny a few years ago, but because she trusted the nanny too easily, Yi Mo was seriously injured. As for the injury, Aunt Zhang refused to elaborate, only repeating that it was very tragic, which caused Yi Mo to have a shadow on the care of outsiders. But didn't she? Even so, she still thought about pushing her brother away. This kind of practice of scraping the bone to cure the poison, isn't it just to make life easier?"
"I didn't understand before. If you want someone, you have to accept her completely. Daoyan, you can do better than me, right?"
She is a smart person, but she always does stupid things. This comes a little late, but it's better than never.
Mo Daoyan twisted the red double happiness candle and asked, "Why are you telling me this now?"
"I'm getting married now. If I keep saying this, you won't think it's an excuse."
"The groom is here, come on, take your place."
The emcee greeted Tong Zhaoyang with a smile. Ren Zhanyue, accompanied by the bridesmaid, walked slowly out of the dressing room and went to the side hall for rehearsal. The fluorescent pink puff-sleeved wedding dress was as light as clouds, and every detail was exquisite, with no trace of being scratched. In Tong Yufei's hands, the needle and thread were like the colorful stones that Nuwa used to mend the sky, always able to turn decay into magic.
When Mo Daoyan came in, she was putting silver needles into the sewing box one by one, with her head lowered, and the back of her neck was reflected in the makeup mirror, shining white. She didn't say anything when she saw him come in, and raised her foot to leave, but he rushed over and pressed her in front of the makeup mirror. When their lips touched, the box of silver needles that had just been put away fell to the ground with a muffled sound. He kissed her harder than ever before, with a force that was almost painful, as if he wanted to crush her and swallow her into his lungs.
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