Chapter 95 The Zhou Family Caravan is Here
After discussing the aftermath with Zhao Wei, Xia Mian continued driving towards Xia Garden, wondering who had leaked the information as she drove.
Many people flashed through his mind: servants from the Zhou and Xia families, Aunt Cheng, the restaurant owner, and even Xia Dongbo and Tang Wenhua themselves.
And... Zhou Ting and Xia Mingzhao.
Anyone who knew about or participated in this ceremony could be the culprit who leaked the information.
However, judging from the implication conveyed between the lines of the marketing account, it seems that the other party not only wants to expose the information, but also wants to use the information to put him down.
If that's the case, the scope will be much smaller.
The situation is unclear now, but once he finds an opportunity, he will definitely find this person.
In the following days, even though Zhao Wei told her to focus on preparing for the wedding, Xia Mian still felt a lot of pressure subconsciously.
There was self-blame for disappointing and hurting fans, doubt and frustration from always getting into trouble, and of course, there was also some public opinion—if Zhou Pingchuan really was just given some "trinkets" to send him away as netizens speculated, he... might really go crazy.
He was pampered growing up. After transmigrating into the book, he experienced a low point and was criticized by the entire internet, but he proved himself right each time.
However, he was powerless to clear his name in this matter at hand, and everything depended on Zhou Pingchuan's conscience.
The feeling of placing your hopes on another person is really, really unpleasant.
The unpleasant feeling lasted until the night before the ceremony. Xia Mian couldn't sleep at all, tossing and turning in bed, counting more than 10,000 sheep.
Zhou Pingchuan also got up half an hour earlier than usual, washed up, and entered the ancestral hall.
As dawn broke, the altar in the ancestral hall was already crowded with people, led by Zhou Ting's father, Brother Zhou, who were gathered together discussing something.
These are all direct descendants of the Zhou family, who are to go to the Xia family with Zhou Pingchuan to present betrothal gifts.
According to ancestral rules, no one should make noise in the ancestral hall. When they saw Zhou Pingchuan enter, they immediately shut their mouths as if they had drunk glue, fearing that this living devil would hold a grudge and seek revenge.
But strangely, Zhou Pingchuan didn't say anything.
"Three minutes left, are you ready?" Brother Zhou prompted.
Zhou Pingchuan grunted in agreement and walked to the offering table.
On the large table, offerings of gold leaf, pastries, fruits, and garlands had already been laid out, with two bright red wedding candles flickering. Directly in front of the offering table stood a half-person-high incense burner, its accumulated ash a testament to the family's long history.
Brother Zhou timed it perfectly, and after a moment, indicated that the auspicious hour had arrived. Zhou Pingchuan skillfully lit incense, placed it on his head, and informed his ancestors that he would be going to the Xia family to propose marriage today, hoping for their blessings for a smooth process.
In fact, he had done this many times before. As the head of the family, he would offer incense to his ancestors and pray for the Zhou family descendants on every major festival.
This was the first time he prayed for himself.
Do we need our ancestors' blessings?
No, he has no say in what he wants to do, and no one can stop him. Today, he is determined to succeed.
After paying respects to the ancestors and verifying the gifts, the servants and young men of the Zhou family worked together to carry the betrothal gifts onto ten explosion-proof special transport vehicles.
Armed special forces from the escort company took their positions, firecrackers and fireworks went off simultaneously, and the lead vehicle set off at an auspicious time. Eight main vehicles, along with ten special transport vehicles, drove in a grand procession towards Xiayuan.
At the other end, in Xia Yuan's bedroom.
Da Huang smoothed out the last strand of Xia Mian's hair, quite satisfied with his work: "Wow, so handsome! So handsome that just looking at you makes me pregnant! I definitely have to take a picture and post it on my WeChat Moments. Maybe if I ever lose my job, I can try my luck in the wedding makeup industry!"
Xia Mian rolled her eyes at him: "Why don't you have a baby for me to see?"
Dahuang is a boy, so of course he can't give birth. He grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth: "Just kidding. You've had a sour face since you woke up, and I couldn't stand it, so I wanted to make you laugh."
Xia Mian didn't know how to explain it; only he himself could understand his anxiety.
"Why don't we eat something first?" Chestnut suggested. "The Zhou family hasn't arrived yet. If we go through the gift list one by one when they do, who knows how long that will take? Let's not go hungry."
After saying that, she wrapped the slightly cooled custard bun in paper and stuffed it into Xia Mian's hand. Xia Mian held the round bun, sat in the morning light, his face slightly turned to the side, looking as handsome as if he were acting in an idol drama.
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I couldn't resist taking out my phone and snapping a picture of him.
"...Stop taking pictures." Xia Mian muttered softly.
"You're always in front of the camera, why are you resisting today?" Da Huang joked. "There's a whole bunch of them outside, you're doomed today, you can't escape it."
Thanks to the marketing accounts, a large number of paparazzi flocked to the gate of Xia Garden just as dawn was breaking.
At first, they could disguise themselves by hiding in cars or crouching in bushes. But as more and more paparazzi appeared, they simply stopped pretending and brazenly stretched out their long lenses to take pictures of the villa.
Some went too far, even standing on the roof of the car to get a clearer, unobstructed view. The housekeeper checked twice but realized he couldn't manage it all, so he just let it go.
Xia Mian knew that by sitting by the window, he could see the paparazzi who arrived late and missed the main entrance, and who were now waiting at the side entrance.
He opened his mouth, wanting to tell Da Huang to retouch the picture before posting it. Just then, the butler suddenly said at the door, "The Zhou family's convoy has arrived! Young Master Xia Mian, you cannot leave your room later. After the ceremony, Aunt Cheng will invite you out."
No sooner had the butler finished speaking than exclamations and flattery erupted at the doorway, accompanied by the clicking of camera shutters.
Xia Mian couldn't help but squeeze, and the custard bun burst open. The golden filling spilled out, and even the air tasted sweet.
The milk stain wasn't on his clothes because it was wrapped in paper. After Chestnut cleaned it up for him, she rushed out to see what was going on. She had never attended a high-society wedding banquet before and was very curious. She left only Big Yellow with Xia Mian.
She left quite late and knew that the other main character was the head of the Zhou family. Almost the entire direct and collateral branches of the Xia family came out, and the living room was packed with people, so crowded that there was almost no room for her to stand.
But it wasn't too late. Just as she found an empty spot to stand, the convoy stopped right in the middle of the yard.
The quick-thinking boy ran to open the door, and then Zhou Pingchuan, dressed in a black suit, slowly got out of the car.
Unlike usual, he had his hair combed back today, revealing his prominent brow bone and deep-set eyes. His ruby cufflinks were dazzling, making one hesitant to approach him.
This was the first time the head of the Zhou family had publicly appeared in front of the media. Those who had seen him before were prepared, while those who hadn't even pressed the shutter button for a moment.
"My God, the head of the Zhou family is so young and handsome!"
"He doesn't need any other identity; just his face and physique alone are enough to make me fall in love with him!"
"God is so unfair. Why can others be both handsome and in high positions?"
"Alright, alright, enough with the sentimentality, let's get to the gift list!"
Everyone in the convoy got out of the cars, with Aunt Cheng leading the way and the housekeeper following behind her, presenting the gift list to Xia and Tang.
After Aunt Cheng said some auspicious words, the gift list was slowly unfolded, stretching from Xia Dongbo's feet all the way to the door without stopping!
This time, not only the reporters, but also the Xia family members were shocked. They had seen wealthy people compete to show off their dowries, they had seen entire streets lined with shops as dowries, and they had seen all sorts of different wedding customs, but they had never seen anything like this!
Tang Wenhua was momentarily stunned.
Standing diagonally behind her, Xia Mingzhao clenched her fist, her smile gradually fading.
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