The journey from the villa to the wedding venue took roughly an hour. The heavy traffic slowed them down in such a densely populated city, but it was all accounted for. Zong Qifeng’s inquiries about an auspicious time were narrowed down to ten minutes past three. He was not concerned that they would be late.
The wedding entourage stood out like a sore thumb. Soon, the major media outlets had caught wind of this.
Everyone was curious to see Zong Jinghao’s betrothed and wanted to confirm if it was the woman they had spotted at the mall with him. After all, the news had made them seem quite intimate with each other.
The presence of this woman intrigued them.
Everyone realized she wasn’t a gold-digger based on what little they knew about the leaked news involving her extravagant dowry.
There had been other speculations as well. Some had claimed that the woman was planning on using her child to gain the upper hand.
They obviously couldn’t say that now, since she was proven to be from a rich and powerful family. There was no need for such tactics in the first place.
An extravagant wedding where both parties were a good match for each other naturally garnered blessings from the public.
Since the bride was beautiful and came from a good family, everyone was envious of her.
If Lin Xinyan had been a nobody from a normal family, the rumors about her alleged marriage of convenience would have been worse. She’d have been accused of marrying into money and power. Who wouldn’t want their own Cinderella story?
It would be impossible for the public not to feel jealous about this.
An incident similar to this had caused quite a stir a while back. A younger student from a prominent university had married an old divorcee twenty years her senior. To the public, it didn’t matter how good she was. They only assumed that she had married for money and not love. All this because that gentleman was rich.
Upon their arrival at the venue, Zong Jinghao brought Lin Xinyan to the lounge to rest. Some things needed his attention, so he left to sort them out.
Lin Xinyan sat on the sofa with sweaty palms. Throughout the ride there, Zong Jinghao had clasped her hands too tightly. Previously, she hadn’t even given the wedding much thought.
But the day had now come, and she was left with a plethora of different feelings ranging from longing to excitement, and even nervousness.
I don’t even know why I’m nervous. I just am!
She was a mess of emotions when Zong Jinghao held her hands and she thought of all that had happened in the past. It’s supposed to be a happy day, damn it. Why am I sniffling in front of him like this?
Qin Ya noticed her unease and tried to soothe her. “Don’t worry, we’re all here with you.”
Lin Xinyan looked up at her and said, “You know what? I thought I’d be used to this, but who knew I’d be this anxious now?”
Qin Ya said, “That’s understandable. Women are sentimental creatures after all.”
Marriage was an important rite of passage for women, akin to a rebirth of sorts.
“You should feel lucky,” said Qin Ya as she squeezed Lin Xinyan’s hand. “Most people get married first and then experience married life. You, however, got to experience married life first, and now your marriage is such a grand affair. Isn’t it less risky that way? If things hadn’t turned out so well, you’d not marry him again. This is a blessing.”
Lin Xinyan gave Qin Ya a faint smile, seeing the sense in her words.
Just then, a knock came at the door.
Qin Ya went to see who it was and found that it was one of the hotel staff. “Is Ms. Lin Xinyan here?” she asked.
“Yes, how can I help you?” replied Qin Ya.
Seeing as the other person had a staff member’s uniform, Qin Ya did not dwell on the matter.
“Well, I have a gift here intended for Ms. Lin,” said the staff as she extended a parcel.
Before Qin Ya could respond, a man’s voice rang across the room.
“Who told you to send it?” asked Shen Peichuan as he walked over.
With no news pending the incident with the Gu family, Zong Jinghao was worried that someone would intentionally stir up trouble. Shen Peichuan was put in charge of security for Lin Xinyan, and other security personnel had been contracted to help with surveillance throughout the event.
Knowing that Zong Jinghao put his trust in him, Shen Peichuan vowed to ensure everything went without a hitch.
Qin Ya was initially curious, but Shen Peichuan’s tone of voice stopped her from saying anything. Instead, she looked at the girl expectantly for an answer.
