The hotel was filled with a joyous atmosphere, with lavish decorations decking the lobby. It was not a modern wedding, but a traditional Chinese one. A festive-looking red color scheme was chosen to highlight its strong Chinese influence. The wedding hall – the focal feature of the entire place – was similarly decorated.
The venue was very crowded. Although Bai Yinning did not have a lot of relatives, many of his business partners attended the wedding. There were also the company’s upper management and the bride’s friends. The entire hall was packed with people.
As everyone’s eyes were glued to the hall, no one would notice anyone entering. It was the most exciting part of the wedding now. In a traditional Chinese wedding, there was no exchange of vows. Instead, they bowed to their ancestors.
The bride wore a Chinese-style Qun Kwa, which was elaborately adorned with embroidered flowers. A phoenix coronet was perched on her head, with a red veil covering her face. She looked demure and beautiful.
On the other hand, Bai Yinning did not wear a Chinese-style Tang suit. Instead, he wore a formal Western suit. He was smiling, looking very satisfied with this wedding.
Zong Jinghao was in no mood to appreciate the wedding. All he wanted to do was to find Lin Xinyan as soon as possible. However, he could not spot her immediately as there were many people present.
The bride’s parents were pretty powerful people. They went onto the stage and gave a speech, expressing their satisfaction with their son-in-law.
Except for being crippled, Bai Yinning was capable, good-looking, and exceptional.
The only flaw he had was the inability to walk like normal people.
Although the wedding was very grand, it omitted a lot of details, such as the bride’s speech and the toasts.
Standing under the red banners at the right side of the hall, Lin Xinyan watched the scene silently. As she was quite closed to the stage, she could see the bride’s face clearly. Although her facial features were pretty, there was nothing exceptional about her, nor was she breathtakingly beautiful. Still, there was beauty in her unassuming and gentle look.
Her eyes were as clear as a lake, devoid of any corruption.
After the wedding rituals, Bai Yinning exited the stage with the bride and headed towards Lin Xinyan.
“Where are you bringing me?” asked Zhou Chunchun curiously as she followed him obediently.
Bai Yinning smiled. “I’m bringing you to meet someone.”
Soon, they reached Lin Xinyan. Bai Yinning introduced her to Lin Xinyan with a smile, “This is my wife, Zhou Chunchun.”
Lin Xinyan greeted her politely, “Hello.”
Blinking her innocent eyes, Zhou Chunchun said, “I’ve seen her before.”
Still smiling, Bai Yinning asked, “Oh, really? Where have you seen her?”
Lin Xinyan also searched through her memories, but she could not recall anyone who resembled Zhou Chunchun.
Indifferently and calmly, Zhou Chunchun explained, “I met her when I was ordering a tailor-made wedding dress at Cloud Corporation. Another designer welcomed mother and I, so she didn’t notice us.”
Lin Xinyan had a sudden revelation. No wonder her wedding dress looked so familiar! She remembered seeing the design on Qin Ya’s design drafts. It was Qin Ya’s first design task after the opening of Cloud Corporation.
She only remembered after Zhou Chunchun mentioned that.
My memory is getting worse. Could it be that my memory will regress when I’m pregnant?
But this didn’t happen when I was pregnant with Yanxi and Yanchen. Is it because I’m too exhausted? Although I really want to go back, rest, and return to C City, this is Bai Yinning’s wedding. I can only leave after it ends.
“As I came too hurriedly, I didn’t prepare any special wedding gifts for you. That’s why I gave you a huge red packet. Have a great wedding,” said Lin Xinyan with a grin.
Feigning anger, Bai Yinning exclaimed, “You’re so insincere! Do you think I’ll be satisfied just by a red packet?”
“It’s because you didn’t tell me beforehand, not because I didn’t prepare any gifts for you. If I knew this lady was going to be your bride, I would’ve told Qin Ya to not accept any fees and gift the wedding dress to your wife instead. Do you want me to refund the fees for the wedding dress?”
Bai Yinning was speechless.
Am I that poor?
“Now that I’m married, are you still wary? Why are you speaking in such a distant manner?” asked Bai Yinning.
Lin Xinyan frowned. Isn’t he being too inconsiderate of his wife’s feelings? How can he say that in such a scenario?
She could not help but sneak a glance at Zhou Chunchun. However, no strange expression appeared on her face after hearing Bai Yinning’s words. Instead, she looked calm, blinking her wide eyes.
“She…”
Lin Xinyan sensed that something was amiss.
Bai Yinning raised his head, gazed at Zhou Chunchun, and reached his hand out to her. Squatting down, she obediently placed her hand over his palm and called happily, “Yinning.”
“Do you like me?” asked Bai Yinning.
Zhou Chunchun nodded honestly. “I do.”
“Isn’t she so innocent? You can tell it from her face.” Bai Yinning’s gaze then landed on Lin Xinyan.
Pursing her lips, Lin Xinyan remained silent.
Bai Yinning stroked Zhou Chunchun’s forehead. Whenever he talked to her, she would obediently squat beside him. “She’s 23 this year, but she has the intelligence of a 13-year-old. Such an innocent girl. She doesn’t know the workings of the world, nor has she witnessed the dark side of humanity. She’s the simplest-minded girl I’ve ever met.”
Lin Xinyan did not know what to say.
What is Bai Yinning intending to do?
“Aren’t we so compatible? A crippled man with a fool,” lamented Bai Yinning self-deprecatingly.
Lin Xinyan did not seem to find it amusing at all. She asked softly, “Why did you make such a choice?”
“What’s wrong with it? As the apple of the Zhou family’s eye, she can aid my career significantly. She’s just an innocent girl. I’ve experienced too many malicious schemes and vicious lies. If I marry such an innocent woman, I can at least fall asleep peacefully without worrying about someone backstabbing me while I’m asleep. Isn’t that great?”
Immediately, he spotted a man walking towards them from the crowd. His grin widened as he asked, “Yan, since it’s my wedding, why don’t you give me a present?”
“What gift?” Lin Xinyan was completely oblivious to the person approaching her from behind.
She was still shocked by Bai Yinning’s marriage with Zhou Chunchun. If the bride were just a normal girl, she could be nonchalant about it. But now…
Bai Yinning stared at her stomach, a complex emotion brewing in his eyes. However, keeping a smile on his face, he asked, “Can I touch your baby? I probably won’t ever have a kid. This is my only wish…”
Lin Xinyan remained silent, her frown deepening.
“If you don’t say anything, I’ll just take that as a yes.” As he spoke, he stretched his hand out.
Lin Xinyan knew she should refuse. Regardless of anything, that was the necessary action to take. However, when Bai Yinning placed his palm on her stomach, she did not dodge instantly.
For some reason, she found him to be an extremely pitiable person. There was no other way to describe him.
Similarly, if a pitiful beggar asked her for money, she would unhesitatingly empty her wallet for him.
“If your petty husband sees this, will he be mad with fury?” joked Bai Yinning with a smirk.
Lin Xinyan lowered her gaze. When she thought of that man, the memories of those indecent photos would surface in her mind. Her heart sank, a wave of sadness came over her.
Instead of replying to Bai Yinning, she said, “I think I should go back now.”
“Okay. I probably won’t need to send someone to drive you back,” agreed Bai Yinning coolly as his smile widened.
When he saw the man’s sullen expression, he felt happier. The corners of his lips lifted upwards into a bright grin.
“Why?” Looking at his smile, Lin Xinyan thought that he was up to no good again.
Holding Zhou Chunchun’s hand, Bai Yinning quietly glanced over her shoulder, still smiling.
Only then did Lin Xinyan notice that someone was standing behind her. She turned around slowly.
