Chapter 47

On the girls’ side, things were far more harmonious.
No arguments, no quarrels, it was just exhausting to try on dresses.
The young lady’s wedding gown had been booked early, and Wen Jiu had accompanied her for two weeks of fittings.
Fourteen days in total, each day presenting luxurious wedding dresses from all over the world, each more stunning than the last.
At first, Wen Jiu found it fun, happily photographing the young lady and debating which dress looked best.
After spending eighteen hours on the first gown, by the next day Wen Jiu had lost all interest in wedding dresses.
But since this was the young lady’s dream wedding, she forced herself to evaluate each dress, noting pros and cons and attaching photos for better selection.
Luckily, the fittings lasted only two weeks. If it had been longer, Wen Jiu might have cried. She’d heard some friends of the young lady had tried on dresses for an entire year, she couldn’t even imagine that spectacle.
Today’s bridesmaid dresses were chosen in the same color family as the young lady’s final wedding gown. The designer was in another room and could immediately make adjustments.
The groomsmen’s suits matched the bridesmaids’ dresses and would be tailored after selection.
Seeing three racks of dresses, Wen Jiu felt the same fear as when surrounded by wedding gowns before. Her scalp tingled instantly.
The young lady was more excited than anyone else, not just because it was her wedding, but because her girlfriends changing dresses made it like a real-life dress-up game.
Su Yaoyao and Yue Ling were used to this routine. Lin Yu and Wen Jiu exchanged a glance, the first two outfits were fun, but by the third, all enthusiasm had drained.
They communicated silently with their eyes:
Remember, it’s the young lady’s wedding!
Remember, the young lady has a fortune of a hundred million!
Holding onto a never-give-up mentality, they tried thirty dresses.
The groomsmen also tried thirty suits.
Everyone needed to stand together for the young lady to see the overall effect.
Finally, on the thirty-fifth try, the young lady picked the most satisfying dress, the third dress they had tried on.
Wen Jiu cried tears of joy. “The young lady has such amazing taste.”
Lin Yu mimicked her, “Of course it’s the young lady.”
In a happy mood, the young lady waved her hand and handed both of them red envelopes.
“No reason, I just wanted to give them,” she said, swirling the champagne lightly.
Wen Jiu and Lin Yu checked their phones in the dressing room.
“Ten thousand?!”
“You typed it wrong, it’s a hundred thousand!”
“No way, really a hundred thousand! Wen Jiu, life in a wealthy family suits you too well. Someone seeing this might think you’re the one getting married, not the young lady.”
Wen Jiu: “...”
Wen Jiu: “The young lady also invested a hundred million in your company.”
Lin Yu: “So knowing that she invested a hundred million for you makes me even more envious.”
Lin Yu: “No wonder the online villagers kept shouting about gold bars being distributed. Turns out it’s real, not fake.”
Wen Jiu: “If our southern village really distributed gold bars, would you and I dare go back?”
Lin Yu shrugged. “I’d be fine, but you haven’t cut ties with your family, might be tricky. And they probably won’t find you in Beicheng anyway.”
Wen Jiu folded the bridesmaid dress and thought: “They never came during college, no reason to come now. Even if they somehow came to Beicheng, it’s such a big city, they wouldn’t know where I live. Someone can’t just lead them here.”
“You’re right.”
After changing into their own clothes, the dresses were handed to the designer for alterations. They had a simple dinner and returned to hotels or homes to rest.
Ji Yujing should’ve gone back with Ji Yanting, as the Ji family’s main residence was in Beicheng.
Su Yaoyao had booked the two rooms next to Wen Jiu’s suite; Lin Yu and Song Qin moved in accordingly. That’s why Lin Yu and Wen Jiu were together.
Ji Yujing didn’t return with his brother and eagerly followed along.
Lin Yu, not sure whether to tease him, suddenly turned back. “Are you sleeping with me tonight?”
Wen Jiu, mid-sip of water: !!
Although everyone present besides Wen Jiu, Lin Yu, and Song Qin were truly wealthy, they refused to let the driver drive, didn’t use their own cars, and insisted on squeezing into Wen Jiu’s little corn-colored car.
In the end, Lin Yu and Ji Yujing took the back seat. When Wen Jiu turned on the headlights, it illuminated the corridor outside. Snowflakes fell, silent and cold, like an icy mockery.
Wen Jiu didn’t have time to notice the outside, but overheard Lin Yu and Ji Yujing’s conversation, ears perking up. She patted Shen Xingzhou’s arm to continue driving, keeping her own eyes on the rearview.
Ji Yujing’s face instantly turned crimson, transforming from handsome to a cooked tomato. His long legs fidgeted, hands squeezing and releasing nervously.
Only a second had passed, but it felt like a lifetime.
Blushing, Ji Yujing hesitated: “Is this really okay?”
“Click, ” There was no music in the car, only the crisp sound of someone cracking sunflower seeds.
Ji Yujing finally realized he was in Wen Jiu’s old car, there was no partition.
He looked up and saw Wen Jiu in the passenger seat, eating seeds, head nearly reaching the back seat.
Seeing him notice, she turned the phone toward them and took a selfie, capturing him and Lin Yu.
The camera was high-resolution, he could clearly see his bright red face.
Ji Yujing: “...”
A fire seemed to ignite on his head. Seeing Lin Yu looking at him, he recalled the female companions his brother brought to the party and, with a hum, collapsed into Lin Yu’s lap.
He was big; half his body remained on the seat, squeezing Lin Yu out of position.
Lin Yu sat behind Wen Jiu. If Wen Jiu hadn’t turned her head, nothing would’ve been visible.
No sound came from Lin Yu’s side, whatever he did, it was silent.
Wen Jiu pressed her ear to the seat but didn’t hear a thing.
Ji Yujing wouldn’t have been “eliminated” by Lin Yu, right?
Finally, they reached the hotel. Wen Jiu got out and saw Ji Yujing standing straight behind Lin Yu.
Lin Yu smiled at Wen Jiu, tugging Ji Yujing by the tie into the elevator.
For some reason, Wen Jiu felt she shouldn’t have shared the elevator with the two of them, preferring to stay put in the parking lot.
Soon, Su Yaoyao and the others arrived.
Wen Jiu hesitated a moment, then pulled Su Yaoyao and Song Qin aside. “You two will sleep with me tonight. No going over to Lin Yu’s side.”
Su Yaoyao, catching on immediately, covered her mouth with both hands, nodding furiously in silent agreement, cheeks flushed.
Song Qin no longer felt like speaking.
After continuously seeing the sons and daughters from the last two books, and then the second daughters and sons, she realized that not a single CP line matched.
Each child would have their own luck, and behind closed doors, she would enjoy her peace.
She didn’t care anymore.
As long as the world didn’t collapse again, that was enough.
Since the young lady’s wedding was coming up, Wen Jiu and Song Qin had stayed up all night, scribbling notes and sketches.
“You said you had a premonition something would happen at the young lady’s wedding, what exactly do you think will happen?” Wen Jiu asked, utterly puzzled.
Reality was nothing like the original book’s plot; no one knew what would happen next.
Song Qin patted her chest. “I am the author, the creator of this world, ”
Wen Jiu tapped her on the head. “You went to Lin Yu’s side to help with some game background stuff. Why are you suddenly so… dramatic? Just get to the point!”
Song Qin pressed her forehead. This time, she spoke more fluently: “My stories are all full of twists and turns. Sweet, happy love is impossible. We’ve eliminated the risks for our cousin, but there’s still falling into the sea and losing memory, mistaken identities, runaway marriages, car accidents…”
Wen Jiu’s head spun; she threw down her pen, hand raised. “Stop! Stop! The young lady and Chu Yan got their marriage certificate in three days. There were no obstacles at all, it went smoothly.”
Song Qin carefully picked up the pen. “I’m just being cautious, preventing problems before they arise.”
A flash of insight hit Wen Jiu’s mind.
Before the author appeared in this world, there were hardly any obstacles. But once the author appeared, she claimed that her books were full of twists, including incidents of her “cousin” and Su Yaoyao “plagiarizing.”
“Just tell me, what do you think will happen at this wedding?” Wen Jiu decided to test her guess.
“The wedding in Beicheng will end, and the young lady will go to an island in the Southern Hemisphere… I think falling into the sea and losing memory is very likely.”
“Who loses their memory?”
“Obviously the male lead,” Song Qin replied matter-of-factly. “After he loses his memory, he becomes extremely cold toward the young lady. When he recovers, it’s the classic ‘chasing the wife’ ordeal. My readers loved that.”
“And ideally, he’s saved by an innocent girl from a small fishing village. That way, when the young lady finds him, she’ll be heartbroken, thinking he’s transferred his affections.”
Wen Jiu: “...” You could just be an author yourself.
But she silently added: “The young lady won’t actually collapse in sadness. She’ll cry while tying Chu Yan to herself and then… make love to him ninety-nine times.”
Song Qin: ?
Was the secondary female character in her writing really like this?
The young lady she had seen in daylight was so cute and delicate, how could she possibly do such devious things?
Wen Jiu nodded firmly. “Okay, I trust you this time. We absolutely must make sure the male lead doesn’t fall into the sea on the island next week.”
Song Qin: “It’s good you trust me. I’m telling you, this plot will definitely happen.”
Wen Jiu tilted her head, hiding her thoughts.
If the author’s words were that decisive, would it really happen in reality?
If this proved true, then whether the world would collapse as predicted remained to be seen.
The day of the young lady’s wedding arrived quickly.
The formal ceremony and banquet were in Beicheng; the island event would follow afterward. Only the closest friends and family would go to the island, and the three days there could also be considered a vacation.
The Beicheng event had many attendees. The hotel’s entire seating was booked. The Chu and Qin families were top-tier elites; those invited were impressive, while a crowd outside could only watch from afar.
Anyone who seized an opportunity here could rise swiftly in society.
Wen Jiu didn’t pay much attention.
During the day, as a bridesmaid, she was busy taking photos and videos and had even forgotten to grab the bouquet.
Wen Jiu raised her expensive camera and turned her head. Shen Xingzhou, stepping in the warm winter sun, held the bouquet the bride had thrown directly toward her.
Today there was no snow, and for once, the sky wasn’t gray-blue. Sunlight poured down like scattered jade across the bright blue sky.
Shen Xingzhou approached, his eyes sparkling like a sky full of stars, his refined face radiant with a cheerful smile. When he grinned, the flash of white teeth somehow looked adorably silly.
Wen Jiu blinked. The bouquet was handed closer this time.
A group around them cheered, mixed with envy and admiration.
She recognized the voices of envy, Ji Yujing and Su Tan.
“Unbelievable! The younger brother actually didn’t let the elder have it! This is outrageous! That bouquet was almost mine!” Ji Yujing shouted.
“You’re poisonous, Ji Yujing! If you hadn’t pushed me just now, I’d have caught it!” Su Tan yelled.
Fearing they might fight, Wen Jiu’s newly stirred romantic feelings nearly dissipated.
Still, she was happy to receive the bouquet from Shen Xingzhou.
She knew the symbolic meaning.
In front of everyone, she accepted the bouquet, rose onto her tiptoes, lifted her head, and pecked Shen Xingzhou on the lips.
The girls around screamed: Ahhhhh!!!
Screams pierced the sky.
Even the men cheered.
Only Su Tan and Ji Yujing: Hah! Our cousin/cousin just got a thrill.
At the banquet, there was both a buffet and table seating.
The older generation sat at round tables; the young people went to the buffet.
Everyone wore understated formal attire, looking more like they were at a high-end gala than a wedding banquet, chatting and laughing amidst luxury.
Wen Jiu ate until she was full. Shen Xingzhou rubbed her stomach.
After a while, two middle-aged people approached.
Middle-aged in age, young-looking in appearance.
The woman was beautiful, elegant, and striking; the man had noticeable crow’s feet but overall a handsome face.
Wen Jiu glanced at them, then at Shen Xingzhou.
They resembled him, could it be…?
She straightened immediately, no longer caring about her bloated stomach.
All her assumptions melted away the moment she met her boyfriend’s parents.
Only nervousness remained.
Her dress had been chosen by the young lady, put on after changing out of the bridesmaid dress.
Wen Jiu trusted the young lady’s eye, but at this moment she wanted to ask Shen Xingzhou: What style does your mother like?
This was not how she imagined it.
In her imagination, she was a strong daughter-in-law, unafraid of her mother-in-law, her husband kneeling to her, reality:
“Dad, Mom,” Shen Xingzhou said, helping Wen Jiu stand. He gently brushed her palm with his own.
Wen Jiu instantly snapped to attention.
She didn’t even have time to notice how ticklish it felt.
Her mouth opened, brain trailing behind: “Dad, Mom.”
Shen Xingzhou’s parents: ?!
Mrs. Shen reacted faster than Mr. Shen. She withdrew the hand holding her husband’s arm, gently removed Shen Xingzhou’s hand, and warmly took Wen Jiu’s small hands. “So well-behaved, more like a real person than my son.”
Wen Jiu’s eyes went wide, spinning in her sockets.
She remembered never seeing a boy as well-behaved as Shen Xingzhou.
“This was my first gift when meeting my mother-in-law; now it’s yours.”
Mrs. Shen removed a warm jade bracelet from her wrist and placed it on Wen Jiu’s wrist.
It fit perfectly.
The residual warmth from the bracelet made Wen Jiu, usually so talkative, go completely silent. Not a word could escape.
She hurriedly recovered her voice. “Thank you, Mom.”
She, she,
No! She had meant to say “Auntie”!
How could her mouth not obey her brain to such a degree?!
“It’s fine, I like being called Mom.”
Wen Jiu: ?
“Your father and I are usually abroad, and we haven’t been paying much attention to Shen Xingzhou lately. You’ve been taking care of him. I didn’t expect a girl could tolerate his bad temper.”
“Shall we exchange WeChat, daughter-in-law?”
Wen Jiu: ??
Huh?
She looked up, astonished.
Bad temper? Shen Xingzhou has a bad temper?
And then suddenly: “Exchange WeChat”… is this really what rich ladies say to Cinderella?
Wen Jiu didn’t even pay attention to the words “daughter-in-law,” her mind fixated on “Exchange WeChat, exchange WeChat…”
Fine, she’d exchange it.
The moment she showed her QR code, the usually quiet Mr. Shen extended his phone as well.
So down-to-earth, so grounded, Wen Jiu felt like she was back at the village entrance.
“Ding ding, ”
As soon as they added her, both Mr. and Mrs. Shen sent WeChat transfers.
Mr. Shen: 200,000 yuan.
Mrs. Shen: 200,000 yuan.
“A little pocket money. The app has a limit, so take it first,” they explained. Being abroad long-term, they hadn’t increased the limit.
If not for fearing to shock her with a bank card, they wouldn’t have gone online just to transfer money to this young girl.
“This…” Wen Jiu glanced at Shen Xingzhou. He understood and stepped beside her.
She removed her hands from Mrs. Shen’s, letting her usual hand movements linger at his waist, whispering into his ear, “Quick, tell them to take it back.”
Shen Xingzhou held her close.
Wen Jiu, much shorter than him, fit perfectly against his chest, snug as if made for each other.
He smiled. “Then I’ll accept it on behalf of Jiujiu.”
He tapped to receive the transfer on Wen Jiu’s phone.
Finally, he sent a message to the elder Shens from his own phone: Don’t be stingy.
Shen Xingzhou: She now owns a web novel company valued at 4.5 billion yuan and has another 100 million invested in a gaming company.
Mr. and Mrs. Shen: “......”
Mrs. Shen: Didn’t you say something different last month?
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have thought her daughter-in-law was a timid Cinderella, afraid to use a black card, and could only make tiny WeChat transfers, barely enough for pocket money.
Wen Jiu spent the whole night thinking: 400,000 yuan was too much, she couldn’t possibly spend even a fraction.
She couldn’t return it either, so she silently hid it.
She thought that would be the end of it.
However, the next morning, Wen Jiu received another transfer from Mr. and Mrs. Shen… this time a stock transfer.
She must have still been half-asleep.
She closed her eyes, turned off her phone, and buried her head in the pillow.
Time passed. Wen Jiu thought it had been half an hour before she finally lifted her head from the pillow, only to find it had been two minutes.
Not knowing how to respond, she called Shen Xingzhou. “Immediately. Right now. I want to see you at the door in ten minutes.”
The next second, someone knocked.
It was Shen Xingzhou, who had apparently been waiting outside for who knows how long.
In his hands was Wen Jiu’s favorite breakfast from Beicheng.
“Good morning, Jiujiu.” He smiled, showing his teeth. The sunlight seemed to make Wen Jiu smile along with him, her eyes curling like his.
In that instant, all her anger melted away like a sunbeam drifting through the room.
“This was sent by your mom. I really can’t accept it,” Wen Jiu said, placing the breakfast on the table and handing her phone to Shen Xingzhou.
Mr. and Mrs. Shen were not like the young lady. If it had been from the latter, she would have accepted it without a second thought, but from them? Absolutely not.
Shen Xingzhou: “It’s okay. I refused it for you.”
He used his own phone, and Wen Jiu didn’t peek. She just opened the breakfast containers.
Just after finishing breakfast, Wen Jiu saw another 200,000-yuan transfer from Mr. and Mrs. Shen.
This time, Shen Xingzhou said, “Accept it. This is the most suitable pocket money they could think of for you.”
“It won’t be every day, right?” Wen Jiu held her phone, eyes wide, looking like a startled, oversized kitten.
“No, there’s a limit.”
On the third day, she received two more 200,000-yuan transfers, and the fourth and fifth days were the same.
She asked Shen Xingzhou, “Wasn’t there a limit?”
Shen Xingzhou: “Daily limit. Only 200,000 per day.”
At that moment, Wen Jiu felt her brain short-circuit.
How exactly was “limit” supposed to be understood?
“I really can’t take any more,” Wen Jiu said helplessly.
“Okay, I’ll tell them,” Shen Xingzhou said, typing on his phone.
By the sixth day, Wen Jiu finally didn’t receive a transfer from Mr. and Mrs. Shen, but she did from the young lady.
It was the third day of their island trip.
The young lady’s wedding followed a day-by-day cycle, and the formal celebrations had concluded.
She actually wanted to visit other places too, but since Chu Yan had to return to work, she didn’t push it. Besides, they could always travel more on their honeymoon.
On the yacht, the young lady swung her legs, waiting for fish to bite.
She caught ten, while Wen Jiu didn’t catch a single one.
Since it was newlywed honeymoon time, the young lady was in an excellent mood.
To Wen Jiu, who felt like crying but couldn’t, she said, “It’s fine, you’ve done very well.”
“If we can’t catch them, we can just buy fish,” she added, transferring 5,000 yuan to Wen Jiu.
Looking at the bucket, she added another 10,000 yuan.
Her reasoning: “I think the fish I caught with my skill are worth more.”
In other words, the young lady believed her fish were worth 15,000 yuan, not just 5,000.
Before Wen Jiu could respond, Lin Yu hurriedly emptied his own bucket, sighing sadly: “Wen Jiu, I didn’t catch a single one either.”
Ji Yujing perked up his ears. He hadn’t heard anything before, but this one sentence was clear. Carrying his bucket, he shouted, “I caught a lot! You can have mine!”
Lin Yu: ......