She had a dreamless night.
By around ten o’clock that morning, a lavish wedding was underway at Jincai Mansion.
The ground floor was already filled with fresh flowers and bows tied from white tulle. The main entrance hall was also lavishly decorated. Flanking the glass doors stood two enormous trees with intertwined branches, from which hung two calligraphic scrolls:
A lifelong love, eternal,
A deep devotion, true.
The wedding atmosphere was undeniably festive. A long red carpet stretched from the street, past a fountain, and into the main lobby, its path strewn with flower petals. Arriving guests followed the carpet to the elevators, where staff showered them with confetti. Everyone received this "baptism" of sorts, a way to share in the couple’s good fortune.
Even though Jiangg Ning wasn’t in the best of moods, she couldn’t help but be affected when she saw the radiant smiles of the greeters and the cheerful faces of everyone in the main hall.
She was swept up in the joy.
Her cousin at her side chattered nonstop, explaining that the bride had a vision for her wedding from the very beginning. Instead of leaving everything to a professional company, she’d been heavily involved, even pulling several all-nighters to finalize the plans.
The trees at the entrance, the layout of the ceremonial stage, even the music that would swell at the climax of the ceremony—
—it was all the bride’s decision.
Her meticulous care was evident in every detail.
Jiangg Ning found herself feeling rather moved.
"It seems the bride really cares about the ceremony," Jiangg Ning remarked.
"Of course! How many times does a person get married, right? Even if no one else cares," her cousin said, not slowing her pace as she puffed out her cheeks in complaint, "you have to make sure you have beautiful memories for yourself! I regret mine now. It was all so rushed."
"That’s not true. Yours was lovely..."
As they spoke, Jiangg Ning and her cousin reached the main entrance. They spotted several elders greeting guests and immediately cut their conversation short to smile and exchange pleasantries.
Perhaps because it had been a while since they’d last seen her, they seemed hesitant to recognize her at first.
It wasn’t until Jiangg Ning, slightly embarrassed, clearly addressed them as "Auntie" and "Uncle" that they exclaimed in surprise, "You’re Ningning? Good heavens, how many years has it been?"
From the moment Jiangg Ning stepped out of the car and onto the red carpet, all eyes had been fixed on her.
Even though she’d done her best to dress down...
When she’d picked out her dress yesterday, she’d deliberately chosen a modest and elegant style, afraid of stealing the spotlight. She’d settled on a long, rose-colored gown and a pair of small earrings. Her makeup was formal and tasteful—exactly the kind that would please the elders.
But her exquisite features were still too striking.
No one who saw her could help but be stunned by her beauty.
More than a few young men had already started asking about who she was.
However, as soon as they learned she was Jiangg Ruxue’s daughter, they all dropped the idea of approaching her...
What could they do? The "venomous woman" reputation preceded her.
After the pleasantries, Jiangg Ning and her cousin went upstairs. On the twelfth floor, in the main hall where the ceremony was to be held, she first congratulated her cousin on his marriage. Then, she dropped off her gift before heading to the side hall where the immediate family was gathered.
Aside from the wedding itself, the most important reason for her visit today was to see her grandmother.
The relationship between Jiangg Ning’s grandmother and her mother, Jiangg Ruxue, was abysmal, but that was a feud from the previous generation and had little to do with the grandchildren. She vaguely remembered her grandmother doting on both sisters when they were little. It was only after her own father passed away that her grandmother had grown completely cold.
She hadn’t visited much over the years.
But they were family, after all.
Her grandmother was pleasantly surprised to see Jiangg Ning. She took her by the hand and asked her all sorts of questions, though they both instinctively steered the conversation away from any mention of Jiangg Ruxue.
The side hall was filled with so many relatives that she could barely keep up with greeting them all one by one.
Many of the younger relatives were clustered around Jiangg Ning’s grandmother, their chatter filling the air. A toddler, just over a year old, even ran over to hug Jiangg Ning’s leg.
A little boy even came up to ask, "Miss, who are you?"
Jiangg Ning exchanged a few words with one person, then another. Amidst the cheerful chatter, the topic of conversation somehow suddenly shifted to her.
Some asked about her job, others asked if she was seeing anyone, and another cousin even wanted to know about her earrings.
Her head was starting to spin.
Jiangg Ning’s grandmother looked at her kindly and asked in a low voice, "Yaoyao didn’t come?"
"She hasn’t been feeling well lately, so she couldn’t make it back to Mingzhu City."
"I see. You two need to take good care of yourselves out there. You’re the older sister, so you have to look after her."
"Don’t worry, Grandma."
...
Jiangg Ning kept up her social butterfly act until noon, when the wedding officially began. By then, she was completely exhausted.
Only then did she head to the main hall.
She joined the other guests to watch the bride’s arrival and her walk down the aisle.
The main hall was filled with tables under dazzling lights, and waiters weaved through the crowd with trays of champagne. Jiangg Ning made a point to snap a few photos to send to her sister. The wedding decorations really were quite romantic.
It was the kind of scene that would make any woman’s heart flutter.
However, just before noon...
A group of middle-aged men made a grand entrance into the main hall on the twelfth floor, surrounded by an entourage.
The moment her cousin, the groom, saw them, his eyes lit up. A delighted expression spread across his face as he rushed forward to greet them.
Many other guests turned to look as well, a murmur of discussion rippling through the crowd.
In an instant, the new arrivals became the center of attention.
"Who’s that?"
"I couldn’t get a good look."
"Probably some of the groom’s business associates."
"Is that President Jiang?"
Once someone identified him, realization dawned on those nearby.
Jiangg Ning looked over as well. She was stunned to see her cousin’s face filled with reverence as he bowed and shook the man’s hand.
Her cousin was a well-known tycoon in Mingzhu City with a substantial net worth. With his family’s backing, he was already the owner of several companies in his early thirties. He was, by all accounts, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, having reached heights most people could only dream of.