Chapter 29 Sincerity
"What I can give you is more than just affection."
Lin Yujing and Qi Woxue were not there to steal the bride, nor were they interested in a cowardly man who even tried to turn his first love into a mistress.
But I just can't swallow the fact that Li Qin stole someone else's boyfriend and then gloated and protested.
During this period in particular, Qi Woxue frequently received abusive text messages and phone calls.
The day before yesterday, when she went back to the school lab for a meeting, her supervisor subtly reminded her to be mindful of her personal conduct and not to damage the school's reputation.
The anger that had been suppressed for so long was finally ignited this time.
-
Independent designer store.
Lin Yujing and Qi Woxue were each recommended different styles of dresses.
Lin Yujing has a face with a unique temperament. Her base is a clean and cool artistic style, but her eyes, which are black and bright, seem to shimmer with ripples, and also reveal a bright and flamboyant allure.
The stylist styled her long hair up, leaving no stray hairs to cover her face.
Choose only one jade hairpin to style your hair.
As for her attire, she wasn't the main focus of the wedding today, but she wanted to support Qi Woxue.
So she wore a bright green satin cheongsam with a purple-green, shimmering gold silk brocade overcoat.
She possesses a mature, aloof, and elegant "old-fashioned Chinese style" beauty.
Chen Jingshu sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, rested his chin on his hand and looked at it for a while, then said, "I remember your master has a glass-type jade bracelet in his collection. Let's bring it over for this young lady to try on."
Lin Yujing was standing in front of the mirror, putting the jade Maitreya pendant around her neck outside the collar of her cheongsam, when she heard Chen Jingshu's voice behind her. She quickly refused, saying, "Please don't, I'm already burdened with favors from you."
Chen Jingshu stood up and walked towards her with his hands behind his back.
He adjusted her necklace from above, saying, "It's just a favor. Get used to it beforehand. You'll have to learn to accept gold and jade in the future. What I can give you is more than just affection."
Lin Yujing looked up and exchanged a glance with Chen Jingshu in the mirror.
The dignified man was dressed in a Chinese-style suit, with a jade crane brooch in the same color scheme as her clothes pinned to his chest.
His features were clear and bright, exuding an air of pride and nobility.
Lin Yujing smiled and tilted her head to break free from his embrace.
He thought to himself, there's not much she can take in him.
Just then, Qi Woxue walked out of the fitting room, wearing a champagne-colored belted feather sequined dress paired with a dark khaki fur coat.
A rare Hermès crocodile leather handbag in the same color scheme makes the wearer look elegant and luxurious.
Unlike the strict and meticulous young ladies of Beijing's elite circles, she is more like a spoiled and pampered heiress from a wealthy Shanghai family.
Chu Yan's mission today was to protect Qi Woxue, so he changed into a suit that matched her.
Yuan Shu also changed to a minivan and took the four of them to the hotel where the wedding was being held on time.
-
For the traditional Chinese wedding, the Li family generously booked the entire hotel, from the garden landscaping to the hotel decorations.
Chen Jingshu first stepped onto the red carpet covering the parking lot, then turned around and reached out his hands to catch Lin Yujing.
After she got off the bus and stood still, he lingered and stroked her hand before putting his arm around hers and walking towards the hotel lobby.
It was time to welcome guests, and Li Qinci wore a champagne-colored sequined modern Chinese-style cheongsam.
Upon seeing Qi Woxue and Lin Yujing arrive together, she first looked nervously at Liu Hua.
Chu Yan narrowed his eyes, leaned close to Qi Woxue's ear and whispered, "Holy crap, in my straight man's eyes, you and that woman are dressed exactly the same. Now who can tell who's the bride between you and Li Qinci?"
At the same time, Liu Hua also looked over, but her gaze missed the crowd and landed directly on Qi Woxue.
His eyes gleamed with undisguised joy. He ruthlessly pulled away from Li Qinci's hand and jogged straight toward Qi Woxue.
"Xiaoxue, did you come to see me?"
However, just as Liu Hua was about to approach Qi Woxue, Chu Yan quickly stepped between the two and said, "Congratulations on your marriage, President Liu."
Li Qinci also caught up, pulled Liu Hua aside, and looked at Qi Woxue, saying, "Let me greet the female guests."
“Miss Qi, Miss Lin, let’s go to the Hibiscus Hall in the back to talk. That’s a dressing room I specially prepared for the female guests.” Li Qinci still maintained a poised and calm demeanor, and even said to Liu Hua in a coquettish tone, “Honey, then you take President Chen and President Chu to the tobacco and alcohol area next door to talk.”
Lin Yujing and Qi Woxue exchanged a glance, linked arms, and left with Li Qinci.
On the way there, there were many guests, but she still pretended to be friendly and explained to the two of them, "The main hall is still being decorated with flowers. We are afraid that the ladies will not like the smell of smoke and alcohol, so we are following the Chinese style and having men and women sit separately before the ceremony."
"It seems that Miss Li takes her wedding very seriously and is personally handling every detail."
"Yes! After all, you only get married once in your life."
After bypassing the guest area, Li Qinci looked at the two smiling faces and finally dropped her pretense.
Then he pushed open the door to the dressing room and said, "I still think we need a quiet, private space to have a proper chat."
"..." Lin Yujing and Qi Woxue were speechless, not understanding what Li Qinci was up to.
"I thought Miss Qi wouldn't be attending my wedding with Liu Hua," Li Qinci said, raising an eyebrow with a hint of surprise in her eyes.
Qi Woxue chuckled, her expression turning disdainful. "Miss Li, despite your busy schedule, you still managed to have a friend send me an invitation. I naturally couldn't refuse you, so I had to come and congratulate you in person."
Li Qinci looked at Lin Yujing and said coldly, "It seems that Miss Lin did not relay everything I said to Miss Qi. Otherwise, you should have accepted your fate and hid in a corner to cry, instead of dressing up and appearing at someone else's wedding."
Lin Yujing was shocked by Li Qinci's words. It was the first time in her life that she had heard such domineering and unreasonable remarks. "Miss Li, my senior sister and I have already thought it through. Didn't President Liu tell you that my senior sister took the initiative to break up with him and blocked all his contact information?"
"If it weren't for Miss Li's extra effort, President Liu would probably have forgotten what his senior sister looks like."
Li Qinci frowned. "What did you say?"
Lin Yujing curled her lip, her gaze filled with disdain and disdain. "Now it seems that Miss Li didn't listen to me. You're still stubbornly insisting on this marriage that only you are satisfied with."
Li Qinci looked completely unconvinced and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Perhaps it's because our social classes are so different. This is the first time I've heard someone tell me that marriages between aristocratic families also require mutual affection."
"For ordinary girls like you, isn't the ideology you've been taught since childhood to study hard, graduate, find a stable job, marry a man who is good in all aspects and loves you, and have children? On the contrary, if your husband stops loving you, the sky will fall."
Qi Woxue felt that this woman was simply unreasonable, and could even be described as mentally ill. "Miss Li, you and I have never understood each other because of Liu Hua. This is the first time I have faced you directly, and I really cannot agree with your point of view."
"You say that girls from ordinary backgrounds have simple and rigid mindsets, but what about you? You went to Germany to study, wasn't it so that you could better carry on the family business after graduation? Isn't that the same as our pursuit of a stable job to make a living? Aren't we just different paths leading to the same goal?"
"You forced Liu Hua to marry, even at the cost of the Li family's interests. Wasn't it because you admired him and longed for a happy married life? If you were really allowed to marry any young master Zhao or young master Liu, would you still have the audacity to say those things just now?"
Li Qinci's lips twitched for a moment before she finally frowned and replied, "Miss Qi, you have quite the sharp tongue. It's a pity that Liu Hua chose me over the Li family. No matter how angry or dissatisfied you are, you'll have to grit your teeth and swallow it. Just watch Liu Hua and I get married, have children, and grow old together."
"You shameless woman!" Lin Yujing was so angry that she almost lost her usual rationality.
“Miss Lin, if you hadn’t spoken, I would have almost forgotten you existed.” Li Qinci looked her up and down and said sarcastically, “Actually, the one I understand the least is you. You’re such a high-minded woman, yet you can accept all the good things Chen Jingshu has done for you so readily. Now you’re putting on an act, pointing fingers at my marriage. May I ask, who gave you the right?”
"Nobody wants to criticize your marriage." Lin Yujing composed herself and retorted in the calmest tone, "Besides, who's being hypocritical? You stole someone else's boyfriend and then tried to smear her with the stigma of being a homewrecker. I doubt anyone knows better than you."
"I'll just take it as Miss Li's words just now being a form of jealousy towards me."
"I'm jealous of you?" Li Qinci looked incredulous.
Lin Yujing: "You are jealous of all couples who love each other, and jealous that some people can love each other regardless of class. Unfortunately, your marriage is something you forced, and you still refuse to believe it. You insist on tearing off the fig leaf you use to cover up your inferiority and stuffing it into other people's mouths. Then don't blame others for embarrassing you and poking your soft spot."
"As for whether you and Mr. Liu will have a long and happy marriage, surrounded by children and grandchildren, please accept all the joys and sorrows as they come. My senior sister and I have said all we have to say. Goodbye."
Seeing the two preparing to leave, Li Qinci suddenly blocked the doorway, insisting, "Miss Lin, I still have the Li family as my backer. As long as the Li family doesn't fall, Liu Hua will have to depend on me."
"And what about you? What will you rely on to keep Chen Jingshu? Your pretty face? But beauty fades quickly, and how will you live when you grow old? In comparison, money and interests are the most stable things. So I still advise you two to wake up and not use your knowledge and perspective to judge my choice."
Lin Yujing smiled, grabbed Li Qinci's wrist, and pulled her aside with a gentle force. "Then I won't wish Miss Li a long and happy marriage, but I wish your Li family will last a hundred years. Otherwise, you'll lose the only thing you have to keep your husband."
After saying that, Lin Yujing took Qi Woxue's hand and left the dressing room.
Even after they had walked quite a distance, they could still hear Li Qinci's heart-wrenching roar.
Qi Woxue: "Although I still hate Liu Hua, I feel sorry for him when I think about him having to live with such a crazy woman."
Lin Yujing: "It was his own choice."
Qi Woxue nodded and saw Chen Jingshu and Chu Yan standing at the entrance of the women's lounge waiting.
"Is Mr. Chen here to protect you because he's worried you'll be bullied?"
"I'm being bullied?" Lin Yujing smiled. "I only accept being bullied if I want to be bullied."
-
Ten minutes before the wedding ceremony began, all guests began to take their seats.
"I've been looking for you two at the entrance for ages." Inside, the air conditioning was on. Chen Jingshu took off his coat and draped it over his arm, his expression nonchalant and aloof. "Where did you go?"
Lin Yujing shrugged. "The bride brought us to the dressing room to show off and put on a show."
Chen Jingshu turned to look at Chu Yan, raised his arm and rubbed Lin Yujing's shoulder as if to comfort her, and said, "Li Qinci has been corrupted by her repressive and strict family style. Don't take it to heart."
Lin Yujing pursed her lips and sat down next to Chen Jingshu. "So, is this how life is for all the young men in Beijing's elite circles?"
They may appear distinguished in public, but some may experience loneliness due to unfulfilled desires.
“What you protect, you will be bound by. In the face of desire, everyone is equal.” Chen Jingshu patted her hand and said, “Jingjing, I also have things I can’t have. Do you think I might one day use my power to imprison what I want?”
Chen Jingshu's gaze was intense. Although he spoke cryptically, Lin Yujing knew what he meant. She frowned and pushed him away, saying, "We live in a society governed by law. That's immoral. It will only push your lover further away. You're not that kind of person."
Chen Jingshu smiled and took the opportunity to hold her hand and stroke it. "So, people are different, and they choose different ways. I will definitely not stubbornly imprison my spring. I want to plant peach trees all over my spring."
Lin Yujing's heart suddenly felt a surge of emotion, burned by Chen Jingshu's deep gaze and stirred by his touching words.
It was as if he was expressing his love for her in a million ways.
Finally, the music and the emcee's voice pulled her back from her brief reverie.
"The ceremony has begun." Lin Yujing pulled her hand out of Chen Jingshu's palm and looked at Qi Woxue again.
"Senior sister, are you alright?"
"Don't worry, I've thought it through."
As the wedding march played, the doors to the viewing hall were opened.
Li Qinci, dressed in Song Dynasty wedding attire, walks gracefully with men in red and women in green.
However, Li Qinci had a happy smile on her face, while Liu Hua looked particularly deep and serious.
As the two passed by Qi Woxue, Liu Hua couldn't help but turn his head slightly to look over, while Li Qinci used a round fan to cover the out-of-control expression on her face and warned Liu Hua with a fierce look: "Husband, today is our wedding, and my parents are watching."
Despite being a grand wedding venue, the ceremony was repeatedly simplified.
The fact that the ceremony of reciting wedding vows was placed at the very beginning of the proceedings seemed extremely unreasonable.
Li Qinci took the microphone first, almost staring into Liu Hua's eyes, and read out each word with deep emotion.
The story mainly revolves around how they fell in love at first sight at a student dance while studying in Germany, and how they eventually became husband and wife.
The pure love story from campus to wedding dress moved countless girls in the audience to tears.
"If I didn't know the truth, I would have been moved," Chu Yan said coldly.
Looking at the stage, Liu Hua maintained a blank expression, completely unmoved.
Throughout, I felt like an observer, watching Li Qin's self-indulgent monologue.
Only after Li Qinci finished reading the oath did he finally react, and he unceremoniously snatched the microphone and faced the audience.
But just as Liu Hua finished her opening remarks and began to recount how she and her "lover" met and fell in love, Li Qinci's expression underwent a sudden and undisguised change.
Even Lin Yujing noticed that Qi Woxue's hands were trembling.
She moved closer to Qi Woxue and asked, "Senior Sister, what's wrong?"
Qi Woxue's face was filled with Liu Hua's affectionate gaze. Her eyes were slightly red as she replied, "He was talking about things between us."
Lin Yujing was surprised and looked at the stage.
Liu Hua read the vows with even greater emotion than Li Qinci. His eyes reddened, and his voice choked with emotion. At the end, he even pulled away from Li Qinci's hand, slowly walked back onto the runway, and then turned back, saying, "Today, I am very grateful to all my relatives, friends, uncles, and elders for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend Miss Li Qinci's wedding..."
"And, my clarification meeting."
These words immediately caused an uproar in the audience.
"What's the meaning?"
"Has this groom gone mad?"
Liu Hua stood beside Qi Woxue and said loudly, "From beginning to end, I was unwilling to marry Miss Li Qinci. It was Miss Li who used my Mu Mao Technology's research team as leverage. I never expected to meet a modern-day bandit woman."
“And my childhood sweetheart, my first love who grew up with me, was slandered and defamed by her, becoming the third party in the gossip.” Liu Hua jumped off the T-stage, and the spotlight shone on him and Qi Woxue. “Today, I ask everyone to be my witness. The person I love is named Qi Woxue. She is my first love. From the age of eighteen to twenty-eight, my feelings for her have never changed.”
After saying that, Liu Hua ripped off the groom's boutonniere from her dress, turned around and looked directly at Li Qinci, saying, "Miss Li, I'm not the Barbie doll in your pink bedroom. I'm not playing your twisted possessive game anymore."
Liu Hua turned around again, took out a diamond ring from the sash at his waist, knelt on one knee in front of Qi Woxue, and asked, "Xiaoxue, after experiencing so much, I realize how cowardly I have been all these years, and what kind of harm I have caused you. Now, I have seen the error of my ways, are you willing to marry me?"
Qi Woxue looked at him, but all she could hear were the various sounds coming from inside the auditorium; she was almost overwhelmed.
"Liu Hua." Qi Woxue pursed her lips and, amidst everyone's anticipation, replied, "I am unwilling."
Having said her piece, she stood up and strode out of the auditorium.
Not to mention the guests were panicked, Li Qinci stood alone on the stage, looking like a wooden statue that had lost consciousness.
Chen Jingshu and Chu Yan exchanged a smile, raised their glasses, and took a sip of champagne.
A high-society wedding farce that became the talk of the town quickly became a source of amusement.
However, the bride's reputation was ruined, and the groom failed to win back his lover's heart. His first love refused to marry him on the spot and left.
As for who the winner is, it remains unknown.
-
Lin Yujing waited until about a week before cautiously mentioning the matter to Qi Woxue.
"Senior sister, Mr. Liu comes to you every day begging for forgiveness. Aren't you really going to consider forgiving him and starting over?"
Qi Woxue seemed a little lost in thought. She first shook her head, "I don't know. But I was still very moved to see him say no for me for the first time. But I can't immediately let go of all the grievances I've suffered over the years."
Lin Yujing recalled, "My first impression of President Liu was that he was prettier than a girl. He was just a bit soft-hearted. I really didn't expect him to be at the wedding..."
Qi Woxue suddenly realized something and looked at Lin Yujing, saying, "Liu Hua's sudden firm refusal is not because his personality has changed. Rather, he told me that President Chen has signed a lifetime contract with their Liu family's Mu Mao Technology."
"Furthermore, it wasn't Jing Capital, but the Huaren Group. Old Master Chen Zhenfeng personally signed and stamped it, and a photo of him with Liu Hua was made public. Only then did he have the confidence to ignore Li Qinci's threats and overturn the table on the spot."
This was the first time Lin Yujing had heard the whole story, and she was so shocked that she was speechless.
“Jingjing, I’ve thought about this for a long time. Rather than saying that Liu Hua suddenly became brave, it’s more like President Chen’s response to your lack of security,” Qi Woxue said. “He is the one who is different from those privileged children in Yijing. He dares to disregard the rules and do whatever he wants.”
Lin Yujing fell into deep thought.
It seems that Chen Jingshu only sought one person.
Lin Yujing felt a slight soreness in her nose. It seems that people can only be so easygoing and offer advice when talking about others, but once it involves themselves, they don't know what to do.
"Senior sister, am I not just another cowardly Liu Hua, hurting the person who loves me deeply as well?" Lin Yujing murmured to herself, then looked thoughtfully at Qi Woxue and said, "What does Liu Hua have to do for you to forgive the past and start over with him?"
Qi Woxue held her hand and said, "You want to know what you did that made President Chen suddenly disregard the past and decide to start over with you, right?"
Lin Yujing nodded.
No matter how many times she thought about it, she still didn't know when Chen Jingshu suddenly changed his personality.
When they first met again, he almost hated himself.
"I also want to reciprocate his love, but every time I get a little closer to him, my heart becomes filled with anxiety." A deep-seated sense of isolation is like an inescapable anchor in my heart. It seems transparent, but it is unbreakable.
Qi Woxue smiled faintly, "Jingjing, you still lack confidence in President Chen and are afraid that he won't love you for life. In the end, you will be defeated by reality, social class, and yourselves."
Lin Yujing sniffed, as if her heart had been truly pierced. "I love him. I love him so much that I'm happy just to see him every day, to work in the same building, and to have meals together occasionally."
"I'm so scared, so scared that couples break up, and spouses get divorced. The road has been so bumpy..." Lin Yujing's eyes began to well up with tears as she thought of this. "I can't live without him now. If we break up again, I'm afraid I'll be the one who dies. So it's best if we stay friends, and there will never be a reason for us to be apart."
Qi Woxue sighed. Although she was still sad herself, she patted her back repeatedly and asked to comfort her, "What if one day, another girl appears in his life? What if he starts to let go of you and loves someone else? What will you do then?"
"Then I will openly... wish him well."
"I hope that when that day comes, you can say those words with a clear conscience."
"..."
"Little Jingjing, you live too closed off and conservatively. When will you be able to face your own heart and listen to what it truly tells you?"
Lin Yujing didn't know how to face her feelings. She only knew that by running away for one more day, she could prolong her relationship with Chen Jingshu for one more day.
But there are also times when things change drastically.
On her rare day off, Lin Yujing suddenly received a call from Chu Yan.
As soon as the call connected, a slightly anxious voice came from the other end.
"Jingjing, come to the hospital near your school quickly, Jing-ge's heart has stopped beating." Chu Yan, who is usually sharp-tongued, seemed to be crying.
For a moment, Lin Yujing's heart skipped a beat. "Wait for me, I'll be there in ten minutes."
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-09-19 23:33:52 and 2023-09-20 22:58:09!
Thank you to the little angels who watered with nutrient solution: Jiu (4 bottles); Xixiu Qiangwei (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
