Chapter 674 - 582: Engagement Ceremony
Chapter 674: Chapter 582: Engagement Ceremony
Chapter 582
Just as Xiao Man had expected, her engagement ceremony seemed to have truly broken the mold. It could only be described as extravagant and ostentatious. The hotel venue was decorated in a style that was both luxurious and romantic, brimming with joyous cheer. There were so many guests that Xiao Man felt a little dizzy just looking at them.
Pang Xiaoji stayed by Xiao Man’s side, her eyes shining and her face flushed with excitement. Gripping Xiao Man’s hand, she said she felt like screaming. As they entered the lounge to change, she exclaimed excitedly, "Anyone who didn’t know better would definitely think this was a wedding—a once-in-a-lifetime, super-luxurious wedding! AHAHAHAHA!"
She told Xiao Man that at the beginning of the year, she had gone with her mother to a wedding in a wealthy coastal city. A tycoon from Hong Kong was marrying a socialite from a prestigious mainland family. The sheer luxury and pomp of that event were eye-catching enough to be featured in newspapers and on TV for quite some time. And now, Xiao Man’s event was just an engagement ceremony, yet it already left that wedding in the dust. It felt absolutely amazing!
Xiao Man smiled, pressing her lips together. ’She wouldn’t mind if this were the actual wedding,’ she thought. Gu Shaojun wished he could fold time, and how could she not feel the same? But alas, reality loved to test and torment people. All they could do was endure it.
The ceremony proceeded, one event after another. Finally, Xiao Man could stand together with Gu Shaojun. They exchanged engagement rings, and Gu Shaojun leaned down to place a kiss on Xiao Man’s cheek. The entire hall fell silent for a moment before the younger people suddenly erupted in a clamor, their cheers thundering through the room. The older guests all wore smiles of blessing.
The engaged couple followed their elders to offer a symbolic toast to the guests. Afterward, they were surrounded by their young friends for a bit of fun. After sharing a dance when the ball began, the main events for the two of them were over.
Gu Shaojun had to leave Beijing and return to his military base the next morning, and he didn’t want to spend the rest of his time on social obligations. He held Xiao Man’s hand tightly, gazing at his darling. Her exquisite makeup deliberately concealed her youthful immaturity, revealing a touch of a mature woman’s charm and grace. His heart swelled with tenderness, and he wished he could keep her by his side to cherish and protect from this day forward. He could already imagine how heavy and reluctant his steps would be when he left tomorrow.
When the surrounding guests weren’t looking, Gu Shaojun leaned in and whispered in Xiao Man’s ear, "I want to take you away from here. Let’s leave."
Xiao Man glanced at him with a smile and nodded.
With Gu Shao Feng and Gu Shaozhen providing cover, Gu Shaojun led Xiao Man out of the hotel. A black sedan was already waiting at the main entrance. The two got into the back seat, and the car immediately drove away.
Thinking they could finally begin to enjoy some private time together, Gu Shaojun took a deep breath. He smiled and rested his chin on top of Xiao Man’s head, nuzzling her gently.
His gaze shifted to the window, and he let out a soft "Huh?" on instinct. Xiao Man looked up, followed his gaze, and froze as well. Two groups of people were in a standoff on the street. Someone in one group was pointing a finger at the other, their exaggerated expression suggesting a verbal assault. Xiao Man and Gu Shaojun recognized both groups. On one side were Bai Qingyue, her two grown nieces, and several well-dressed middle-aged women. On the other were Lu Jian Country, Yang Liu’er, Lu Jianling, and Weiwei.
It was dusk, and the streetlights were just beginning to flicker on, brightly illuminating the street. The two groups had likely just left a banquet and were strolling home while window shopping when they somehow ran into each other. Bai Qingyue and the Bai Yifen sisters had always looked down on Yang Liu’er, believing she was just a lowly country girl who should have stayed meekly in the Bai Family’s estate like Shun Ma, serving and slaving away for young ladies like them. But instead, Yang Liu’er had ungratefully left the Bai Family and even dared to become successful and live a vibrant life on her own. The Bai Family aunt and nieces could never stomach this. Whenever they saw Yang Liu’er, they would start trouble, claiming she had stolen Bai Junfan’s money back then and that Bai Junfan should own half the shares in the clothing company she started. They were demanding she pay them back!
Every time Yang Liu’er mentioned this family, she would grit her teeth in hatred. It was true that she had over two thousand yuan of Bai Junfan’s money when she left the Bai Family, but he had given it to her for safekeeping—she hadn’t stolen it! After Bai Junfan returned from studying abroad, he had taken over thirty thousand yuan from her on separate occasions. Yang Liu’er had been too embarrassed to even mention she was at a loss, yet they had turned the tables and falsely accused her, even trying to claim shares in her clothing company. They were utterly shameless.
Gu Shaojun asked the driver to pull over slightly and slow down. He rolled the window halfway down to listen. Sure enough, this chance encounter was just a repeat of the same old story: the Bai family was harassing Yang Liu’er for money again.
Just then, Bai Yifen’s finger was about to poke Yang Liu’er in the face when Lu Jian Country stepped forward and slapped her hand away. Bai Yifang immediately lunged forward, and she and Bai Yifen both began clawing wildly at Lu Jian Country, while Bai Qingyue continued to point and curse at Yang Liu’er.
Xiao Man saw Weiwei struggling several times to break free from Lu Jianling’s grasp, wanting to rush forward to help his parents. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead from anxiety. She asked if they should stop and check on them. Gu Shaojun shook his head and told the driver to keep going. "Don’t worry, Lu Jian Country can handle it," he said. "He’s probably just deciding which method to use right now."
Xiao Man remembered that Yang Liu’er had discovered Lu Jian Country’s identity from his past life. Glancing at the driver, she knew it wasn’t a good topic to discuss, so she brought up the banquet again.
"There were so many guests, we couldn’t possibly meet everyone. But we didn’t get to see some people we should have. The Lu Family doesn’t really matter, since we can see them anytime. But I don’t know if Mrs. Wei was upstairs or downstairs; I feel bad about that. On the other hand, we saw plenty of people we shouldn’t have. How did Bai Qingyue and Ai Baoguo, and Wu Yu Xuan and Lin Aizhen get in? I specifically asked Mr. Tang, and he said he wouldn’t send them invitations," Xiao Man said, confused.
Gu Shaojun stroked the round bun at the back of her head and explained in a low voice, "Don’t worry about Mrs. Wei. I had our mother keep an eye out for her. As for the invitations for the Bai and Ai Families, some of these superficial pleasantries are unavoidable. We don’t need to pay them any mind. The Wu Family indeed wasn’t given an invitation, but they’ve been hounding Uncle Tang for a while. In the end, he was pursued so relentlessly that he probably got soft-hearted and brought them in. Uncle Tang only brought the two Wu elders; the rest of their large group was stopped at the door. They were only allowed to attend the banquet and mingle with the other guests, not get near you."
"Of course I wouldn’t let them get close. The moment I saw them standing there staring at me, my mood was ruined. I was worried that if Lin Aizhen started something, I’d have to put her in her place. That would cast a shadow over our happy day, and it would have been awful."
"How could I ever let that happen? You silly girl. This world has too many imperfections, and we can only do our best. But the joy and happiness that belong to us—we must absolutely protect them. We can’t allow any outside factors to affect us!"
"Mhm!" Xiao Man nodded earnestly. They snuggled together, fingers intertwined, and looked at each other with a smile. A feeling of sweet bliss filled both their hearts.