PART 2
At that moment, Ning Qingqing had no idea she was about to face a shameless apology. She was sitting in the boy band’s van. Gu Youchen’s car, driven by his chauffeur, followed behind them as they all chatted.
Cui Yu had once filmed a music video in Qingtang Town, so when he heard Ning Qingqing was from there, he eagerly struck up a conversation with her.
Gu Youchen glanced at Cui Yu’s pretty-boy face, his brow furrowing slightly. He casually twisted open a bottle of mineral water and held it to Ning Qingqing’s lips.
Ning Qingqing took it from him with a smile.
Gu Youchen didn’t let go, instead holding the bottle for her as she took a sip.
Seeing this, Cui Yu seemed to realize he had been a bit too enthusiastic and immediately toned it down.
After she drank, Gu Youchen took her hand in his. “Is the AC too cold in here? Why are your hands so cold?”
“I’m not cold,” Ning Qingqing said. “My hands and feet are just naturally not very warm.”
Gu Youchen nodded. “Mm, I’ll warm them for you from now on.”
Tan Xizhou, who had been listening to the entire exchange, finally couldn’t resist pulling out his phone and texting Ning Qingqing: Sis, didn’t you say you and brother-in-law had a flash marriage and barely knew each other? Where is all this jealousy coming from?
Ning Qingqing heard her phone buzz and picked it up. Gu Youchen was right beside her, and it never occurred to her that Tan Xizhou’s message would be about him, so she didn’t hide the screen.
When she read the message, she instinctively turned to look at the man beside her.
Gu Youchen hadn’t intended to look, but seeing her subtle reaction, he glanced down at her screen.
His gaze lingered for a moment. Then, he leaned in close to her ear, his voice lower and more magnetic than usual. “Qingqing, I am a little jealous.”
Ning Qingqing hadn’t thought much of it, but his whispered words sent a flush of heat creeping up her ears.
Her hand was still held in his. The air in the car was the same as before, but now it felt charged, leaving her feeling a little parched.
Gu Youchen whispered in her ear again, “He may be younger than me, but I have more life experience. I’m more stable and mature. He’s been to Qingtang Town, but so have I.”
Ning Qingqing was speechless.
She didn’t know how to describe this feeling. How could the man beside her have the audacity to call himself ‘stable and mature’? Was this childish comparison something a man with ‘life experience’ would actually do?
But strangely, she found it a little sweet.
Details that wouldn’t have moved her before were now beginning to taste different.
Ning Qingqing looked down at her hand, enveloped in Gu Youchen’s, and thought that perhaps, just perhaps, she was starting to have feelings for him…
Before long, they arrived at their hotel.
The idols went to their rooms, while Gu Youchen and Ning Qingqing escorted Tan Haize and his son to their executive suite.
Tan Xizhou dove onto the bed in the bedroom, rolled around twice, then came out to rummage through his suitcase.
He pulled out a long, rectangular box and presented it to Ning Qingqing. “Sis, this is for you!”
Then, he found a square box. “And this is a gift for my brother-in-law.”
Gu Youchen had also brought gifts and had already given them to Tan Haize. He opened his own and found an anime figurine.
Tan Xizhou looked proud. “I made it myself! Am I talented, Brother-in-law?”
Though Gu Youchen was past the age of being into such things, the character was indeed one he had been very fond of in his youth. He held it in his hand, a genuine smile in his eyes. “Yes, thank you, Xizhou. I like it very much.”
Beside them, Ning Qingqing had opened hers. It was a painting—a cute, chibi-style portrait of herself, signed by Tan Xizhou. In the picture, she was wearing a simple, elegant qipao, standing amidst a classic Jiangnan water town scene. It was adorable yet possessed a quiet grace.
One glance was all it took for Gu Youchen to be reminded of the first time he ever saw her.
He loved the painting. “Xizhou, did you draw this?” he asked.
Tan Xizhou nodded. “I love painting, but my dad wants me to study business.”
Tan Haize chimed in, “I’ve told this kid many times, I’m not against him painting, but he has to learn business too.”
Gu Youchen could tell this was a point of contention between them. He offered a solution. “There’s no problem with learning business. If you get into a university in Dicheng in the future, I can teach you. As for painting, my mother is Li Lan. She’s a realist oil painter. I don’t know if you’ve heard of her?”
Tan Xizhou practically jumped out of his skin. “Ahh! How could any of us who love painting not know our goddess!”
Seeing his excitement, Gu Youchen felt as if he had been transported back to his own youth. “In that case,” he said, “why don’t you and your father come to my family’s home tomorrow? I can introduce you to my mother.”
“Really?” Tan Xizhou was ecstatic. “You’re the best, Brother-in-law!”
Tan Haize was about to say that it was already imposing for his son to have tagged along on this trip, and going to the Gu family home seemed even more inappropriate. But seeing his son’s sheer joy, he ultimately agreed.
And so, after making sure the father and son were settled and arranging a time to meet the next day, Ning Qingqing and Gu Youchen left the hotel.
The next day, the two families met.
The location was a winery not far from the Gu family’s estate. Though Gu Heng and Ning Ruojun had never met, they knew of each other by name and found they had much to discuss regarding business development. Meanwhile, Tan Haize, with his more relaxed personality from years of investing in the entertainment industry, found common ground with an artist like Li Lan. Tan Xizhou spent the entire time gazing at Li Lan with pure adoration, practically attached to her hip.
This left Ning Qingqing and Gu Youchen with little to do. They held hands, watching as their families strolled and chatted.
At lunch, they finally got to the main topic of their meeting.
Gu Heng began, “CEO Ning, CEO Tan, my wife and I feel that the children’s wedding must be a grand celebration. Though they married in a hurry, their feelings for each other are clearly growing. We already skipped the engagement, which was unfair to Qingqing, so we must prepare a magnificent wedding this time. We’ll invite all our friends and relatives from both sides to come and bless the children.”
Ning Ruojun replied, “I have no objections, but I’m not very familiar with the details of wedding planning. Are there any specific customs here in Dicheng?”
Li Lan shook her head. “We aren’t too particular about customs. As for whether to have a Western or Chinese-style ceremony, I think we should listen to what the children want.”
She then turned to them. “Qingqing, Youchen, do you two have any particular preferences?”
Ning Qingqing had thought about getting married before, but she had never planned the specifics of a wedding. Caught off guard, she felt a little flustered and turned to look at Gu Youchen.
He looked down at her and asked softly, “Qingqing, which style do you prefer? Or we could do both styles in one day. Don’t worry about anything else. A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and I don’t want either of us to have any regrets.”
Hearing the words ‘once-in-a-lifetime event,’ a sweet feeling blossomed in Ning Qingqing’s heart. She thought for a moment. “I think one ceremony is enough. From what I’ve seen on TV, I think I prefer an outdoor, Western-style wedding. But I don’t like ceremonies that are too complicated, and I’m not a fan of segments that are intentionally sappy or cheesy.”
She had always preferred a white wedding dress. Perhaps because everyone in her small town got married in traditional attire, the novelty had worn off. Watching weddings on television as a child, she had developed a special yearning for a white gown.
“Alright,” Gu Youchen said, looking up at his mother. “Mom, I remember my cousin had a brochure when he got married, where you could choose the wedding style?”
Li Lan nodded. “Yes. I’ll have someone send over the latest one this afternoon.”
Then, her eyes lit up. “Qingqing, you and I can go pick out a wedding dress this afternoon.” She turned to Ning Ruojun. “The three of us women will go choose, and we can show Youchen after we’ve made our selection.”
Ning Qingqing remembered she had a meeting with Si Yunli that afternoon and was about to mention it when her mother spoke up. “Qingqing, you can call the Si family and postpone. Right now isn’t the best time to make a move anyway.”
Ning Qingqing understood immediately and nodded. “Okay.”
Li Lan was delighted. “That’s wonderful! We’ll go to the bridal shop this afternoon for a preliminary look and get your measurements taken for a custom design.”
The two fathers, Gu Heng and Tan Haize, barely had a chance to speak as the three women finalized the plans. And so, Gu Heng took out his Go board and invited Tan Haize for a game, while Gu Youchen showed Tan Xizhou his mother’s art catalogues on his phone, making the teenager’s eyes shine.
The atmosphere was harmonious. After lunch, the three women went to the bridal shop. The staff, having been notified in advance, greeted them with warm enthusiasm.
As she stepped into the designer section upstairs, Ning Qingqing couldn’t quite describe the complex emotions welling up inside her.
After graduation, she had once fantasized about walking into a bridal shop with Shen Zhiqian, picturing herself in a wedding dress and him in a suit as they looked in the mirror together. There was a bridal shop near the Shen Corporation building, and she would instinctively glance at it every time she passed.
But she had never once set foot inside.
Now, she heard Li Lan and Ning Ruojun’s voices beside her. “This one is nice. The mermaid style is very elegant.”
“Mm, I like it too. Let’s have Qingqing try it.”
“And this strapless satin one. It looks simple, but it’s stunning.”
“Let’s have her try them all. And this one looks so sweet…”
In no time, several wedding dresses were presented before her. She looked at them one by one, her gaze ultimately drawn to the mermaid gown.
“I like this one,” she said, glancing at the size tag. It should fit.
With that, she was ushered into the fitting room.
Putting on a wedding dress was a bit of a hassle. After a shop assistant helped zip her up, she left the room. Ning Qingqing adjusted the skirt one last time before stepping out.
But as she emerged, she found the room was quiet. Ning Ruojun and Li Lan, who had been chatting happily just moments ago, were gone. She wondered where they had gone, but her curiosity first led her to the mirror.
The bodice was shaped like flower petals and encrusted with diamonds. The dress cinched at her waist, flowing into a long fishtail train that pooled on the floor. The train was dotted with tiny blue crystals, shimmering like the deep sea under sunlight. Even Ning Qingqing herself was stunned.
She looked down, about to spread out the train properly.
But a well-defined hand got there first.
A man was kneeling, gently arranging her mermaid tail. As their eyes met, he stood up.
Ning Qingqing had always thought Gu Youchen was handsome. Despite his years in the business world, he still possessed the ethereal quality of a man from a painting. Today, he wore a black suit that accentuated his tall, lean figure. The usual cool frost in his eyes was replaced by a depth she couldn’t quite decipher.
He stood beside her, their reflections captured in the mirror.
The woman, beautiful and gentle; the man, refined and noble.
Ning Qingqing felt her heart skip a beat, unsure if it was from the breathtaking sight or something else entirely.
Beside her, Gu Youchen leaned in slightly, and his reflection in the mirror did the same. She watched as the distance between them in the mirror closed. Her hand, resting on the skirt, instinctively tightened, wrinkling the silky fabric.
The man’s voice fell beside her ear. “Qingqing, you’re so beautiful. You’ve truly captured my heart.”
The next second, a light, soft kiss landed on her cheek.
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