Chapter 1

Today, it was a wedding taking place indoors; with billowing curtains and pink roses that can be seen everywhere.

The hall was filled with guests, all waiting for the arrival of the bride and groom.

In the makeup room at the other end, people were bustling around, making final preparations for their appearance.

"Guan Xi, Guan Xi? What are you thinking? I'm talking to you, do I look good?" In front of the makeup mirror, a woman in a wedding dress turned around.

Guan Xi snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the mirror in front of her. Her mind was a bit chaotic, and she took a moment before saying, "You look good. I picked it, how could it not look good?"

"That’s right," the woman, immersed in the joy of the wedding atmosphere, touched the valuable necklace around her neck. "It's a good thing I took you with me that day. Your taste is impeccable."

Guan Xi's lips curled up slightly, "Of course."

"Is the bride ready? We can start now," the makeup room door opened, and the staff came in.

"Okay, I understand."

People in the makeup room started leaving one by one. Guan Xi stepped aside, watching as everyone helped the bride, Zhong Lingfan, out. Zhong Lingfan was her childhood friend, and today was her wedding day. Guan Xi was one of her six bridesmaids.

"Stop daydreaming and come with me," another friend, Lang Ningyi, who was also one of the bridesmaids, pulled her hand.

Guan Xi nodded.

Lang Ningyi held her hand, and they left together. When no one was paying attention, she leaned in close to Guan Xi and whispered, "Lingfan didn't know about your situation, right?"

Guan Xi's expression subtly changed, "I only told you, please don't let it slip up."

"Don't worry, I wouldn't casually reveal something this big," Lang Ningyi said with concern. "But what are you planning to do next? Are your parents going to bring that estranged daughter back?"

Guan Xi's steps paused slightly, and her tense face relaxed a bit, "Not yet. Dad said to give it some time."

"Give it some time? It’s been a month already...? Who can wait for something like this?"

Guan Xi lowered her gaze slightly, "We'll discuss it after the wedding."

"In that case, I'll come find you after the wedding."

“Alright.”

The two of them sat down at the bridesmaids' table, and Lang Ningyi discreetly assessed Guan Xi.

In fact, she had only found out about this yesterday, and it had kept her awake all night. Putting herself in Guan Xi's shoes, if someone had told her one day that she was adopted from an orphanage while her parents had their own biological daughter, she would have probably had a breakdown.

Yet, the princess of the Guan family, who had experienced such a melodramatic plot twist, was here attending her friend's wedding with a calm demeanor.

It's truly Guan Xi...

Lang Ningyi couldn't help but glance at her again. She had been friends with Guan Xi for so many years, but this woman still managed to capture her attention.

The bridesmaids at their table were all dressed in matching dresses, but Guan Xi effortlessly stood out. Her features were exquisite, her skin was flawless, and she was so beautiful that it was hard to look away.

She was simply sitting there, but people from neighboring tables would occasionally shift their gaze towards her.

She still looked like the dazzling golden phoenix soaring in the sky...

The wedding proceeded smoothly, and after completing all the scheduled events, it was time for the traditional toasting by the bride and groom. The bridesmaids had to follow the newlyweds throughout this process.

After toasting at each table, they arrived at the table of Jin Kaicheng's (the groom) friends.

"Jin Kaicheng's friends are so handsome, did you see that guy? Handsome!"

"Yeah!"

"Go for it! Aren't you Lingfan's cousin? Have your brother-in-law introduce him to you."

"Hehe, I'll find out in a bit. Oh, I've got his drink covered, so don't try to steal it from me."

Relatives and friends were all toasting, but the bride and groom had limited alcohol tolerance, and getting drunk on this day was not a good idea. So, the bridesmaids and groomsmen were responsible for sharing the toasts. Guan Xi overheard two bridesmaids murmuring softly beside her and followed their gaze to the man they were discussing at the opposite table.

The man was dressed in a slightly casual suit, sitting quietly in his seat, completely unruffled by the bustling atmosphere. He wore a pair of glasses with silver frames, and the cold-toned blue stage lighting occasionally glided across them, causing the lenses to gleam regularly.

He was very good-looking, handsome, and carried a hint of aloofness.

Guan Xi glanced at his tableware, and it appeared untouched. The red wine in his glass was still level, showing no signs of having been consumed.

She hadn't seen him when she first arrived, so he must have just arrived. He was the kind who would arrive precisely on time. He had always been like that, with a strict sense of timing, as if being a minute early would infuriate him.

Perhaps sensing the scrutiny, the man's gaze turned in her direction.

Their eyes met in the air, and Guan Xi casually averted her gaze. The man, on the other hand, let his gaze linger on the dress she was wearing for a while before looking away.

There was no interaction; it was as if they didn't know each other.

Meanwhile, the newlyweds began toasting at another table.

Before Guan Xi could say anything, she watched as the bridesmaid who had been engaged in an animated discussion earlier ran to the table opposite her and went to the man to offer a toast.

The man noticed someone approaching and politely stood up. As he stood, he naturally fastened the button at his waist and nodded slightly in acknowledgment to the bridesmaid.

Guan Xi was too far away to hear what they were saying; she could only see the young woman talking to him. Amidst the surrounding noise, he cooperated by tilting his head slightly, listening attentively due to the difference in height between them.

He exuded a calm and self-assured demeanor, which seemed to make the young woman's face flush madly.

It seemed like quite a rosy scene.

But as Guan Xi observed the man's polite demeanor, she couldn't help but roll her eyes a bit.

"This bridesmaid, isn’t she Lingfan's cousin?" Lang Ningyi glanced at the opposite table.

Guan Xi replied, "Seems like it."

"Lingfan mentioned that her cousin came to the capital specifically for her wedding and doesn't live here regularly. No wonder... I wonder if she knows that the man she's trying to strike up a conversation with is already taken."

"Well, if one doesn't say it, how would others know it's taken?" Guan Xi shrugged nonchalantly and chuckled. "Ultimately, it's the grass being too flirtatious."

Lang Ningyi stroked her chin, "Only you would describe Jiang Suizhou as flirtatious."

Guan Xi made a light huffing sound. She was just being realistic.

Others might not know, but she was well aware that this man was secretly quite a flirt.

But she couldn't be bothered by the scene; after all, such things happened often, and she was used to it.

After the bride and groom had finished toasting, she turned and walked away.

The wedding had lasted quite a while. By the time all the scheduled events were completed, the sky outside had darkened. Guests gradually started leaving after witnessing the rituals of the newlyweds.

Inside the makeup room, the bridesmaids, who had been busy all day, could finally sit down, rest, and tidy up their things.

Knock, knock—

Someone knocked on the door.

Lang Ningyi was closer, so she went to open it. When she opened the door, she saw a man standing outside. He nodded at her, "Are you leaving?"

"Yes, we are," Lang Ningyi knew who Jiang Suizhou had come to see. After nodding, she looked towards Guan Xi, who was sitting on the nearby sofa, and said meaningfully, "Someone's looking for you."

Inside the makeup room, where all the bridesmaids were, Lang Ningyi's statement wasn't specific, so some of them misunderstood.

When Zhong Lingfan's cousin looked over and saw the man she had approached earlier, her eyes lit up, and she immediately walked over.

"Mr. Jiang." Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the room, the bride's cousin looked excited and expectant, with a hint of pride.

She hadn't expected that when she told him to contact her later, this man would come looking for her so quickly.

She tried to maintain her composure and quietly asked, "Is there something you need from me?"

However, the man's eyes behind his glasses remained calm, "I'm sorry, could you please ask Guan Xi to come out?"

The bride’s cousin's expression stiffened slightly. Wasn't he here to see her?

She slowly turned around and saw Guan Xi, the woman in question, lazily glance in their direction. She then picked up her bag and the bridesmaid gift box next to her and stood up to walk over.

Although Zhong Lingfan's cousin didn't live in the capital, she had heard about Guan Xi. She often heard about her from her cousin Zhong Lingfan, and in her cousin's words, Guan Xi was often described as a celestial being.

She, who considered herself quite attractive, had some contempt for her cousin's description of Guan Xi. But when she finally saw Guan Xi at the wedding today, she suddenly realized that her cousin hadn't been joking.

Guan Xi wasn't just a celestial being; she was a celestial being bathed in gold.

When she had some free time today, she had been messaging her group of girlfriends in the chat, talking about Guan Xi, Zhong Lingfan's good friend in the capital. They discussed her skin, her hair, and the heavyweight bag that she had brought along and casually tossed on the floor in the makeup room. However, due to her busy schedule, they hadn't yet discussed the man that this woman should rightfully have.

"What's up?" Guan Xi walked up to Jiang Suizhou.

Jiang Suizhou said, "I'm here to take you home."

Guan Xi made a casual sound of agreement and handed him the bag and gift bag she was carrying, "It's quite heavy."

Jiang Suizhou didn't say anything and naturally took the bags from her.

The bride’s cousin watched intently, her face flushed.

Soon, the two of them walked away, one in front and one behind.

The bride’s cousin came back to her senses, "They..."

Lang Ningyi expertly explained, "They're a couple."

Guan Xi got into Jiang Suizhou's car, and after closing the door, the driver in front started the car. The car moved along an open road, with streetlights faintly flickering outside the window, passing by in a flash.

"It's been a month since you last contacted me. What have you been up to?"

"Delete the girl from earlier."

They both spoke at the same time.

Jiang Suizhou glanced at her, "Who?"

Guan Xi replied, "The bridesmaid you spoke to earlier."

Jiang Suizhou seemed to recall and tapped on his phone, opened the chat with the newly added person, and deleted it with a few taps.

After deleting it, he asked, "Your friend?"

"Lingfan's cousin. I can't just let her be heartbroken because of you, can I?" Guan Xi said.

Jiang Suizhou didn't say much; whether he deleted it or not didn't really matter. However, since Guan Xi had brought it up, he decided to do it to avoid any trouble.

"What have you been doing this past month?" Jiang Suizhou repeated.

Guan Xi looked out the window, hesitating for a moment.

This past month had been the worst for her. She had learned the truth about her origins, so she had shut herself in.

However, she wouldn't tell Jiang Suizhou that she had spent almost the entire month in her room, crying until she felt nauseous.

This matter was too embarrassing for her, and she felt that if Jiang Suizhou knew the truth about her background, he would likely break up with her immediately.

"Lingfan was getting married, so I've been busy helping her choose things for the past month. It's been quite troublesome," she said.

Jiang Suizhou didn't comment on it, choosing to believe her answer.

Of course, he would believe whatever she said; he simply didn't care.

"Weren’t you taking me home? This direction is towards your place, right?" Guan Xi asked.

"We haven't seen each other for a month," Jiang Suizhou said indifferently.

Guan Xi turned to look at him.

Jiang Suizhou also glanced at her from the side, sitting close enough to see more clearly. Her bridesmaid dress didn't reveal much, but there was a slight hint of cleavage just below her collarbone, only a hint, and perhaps only visible from this sitting angle.

He knew that she was probably trying to be discreet at her friend's wedding.

"Oh, we haven't seen each other for a month, but I don't want to go to bed with you tonight," he heard Guan Xi say as he shifted his gaze away from her.