It was March again.
The wedding of Demon King Ren and Xiao Ningzi was held as scheduled in the serene and peaceful Huanglongxi Ancient Villa.
The winding red stone path, the ancient temple with wisps of smoke, the thousand-year-old camphor trees that seamlessly blend with the low-roofed houses, and the grand red wedding sedan... Due to the heavy influence of mainland period dramas on the wedding planner, Grandma Lucy, she insisted on a traditional and extravagant wedding, emphasizing the need to fully showcase the importance of the groom and bride. As a result, the tacky red wedding sedan, phoenix crown, and traditional wedding carriage were all on display.
The banquet hall was also decorated like a magnificent film set. To accommodate the guests, a long red carpet was laid out on the lawn outside the hall, with numerous tables set up on both sides, offering a variety of dishes.
The peculiar fusion of Eastern and Western elements marked the starting point of the wedding ceremony.
In the inner chamber, the male protagonist, Demon King Ren, was struggling to put on the complicated traditional wedding attire, his gaze distant and his palms slightly sweaty. How long had it been since he last spoke with that stubborn girl?
Ever since the misunderstanding between them, Demon King Ren had voluntarily moved to the study to sleep. Although they both had their reservations, they pretended to be sweet and loving in front of their parents, and the wedding proceeded as planned.
Just last night, Ren Han had left the bride's dress on the sofa with a note saying, "If you still don't believe me, you don't have to appear at the wedding tomorrow," and walked away without looking back.
In retrospect, it seemed like such an impulsive act. What if Bai Ning really didn't show up? How would the wedding proceed? How would they explain it to their parents?
With these thoughts in mind, Demon King Ren let out a heavy sigh. The person next to him suddenly burst into laughter.
Li Ziru said, "This is a classic case of saving face and suffering in silence. Didn't Boss Liu try to help you explain, why did you interrupt it?"
In reality, the situation was indeed more complicated than what met the eye.
"Food & Fashion" experiencing a financial crisis is true. The shareholders demanding layoffs is also true. Demon King Ren and the big boss successfully thwarted the decision to lay off employees by proposing a salary cut. Ren Han kept his promise before marriage and kept "absolutely no lies" from his beloved, he just didn't tell the whole story.
Although the salary cut can temporarily alleviate the company's financial situation, it is not a fundamental solution. After much consideration, the senior management felt that the best approach was to find new investors. And coincidentally, the investor they found was Lucy, who had come to China to look into projects. They quickly reached an agreement, but they didn't immediately announce this news to the internal staff.
Firstly, Demon King Ren's consideration was that the financial crisis of "Food & Fashion" was actually related to the magazine's positioning and internal management. After obtaining financing, the first thing to do was to revamp the magazine, and the newborn would be called "Food Phoenix".
Secondly, concerning the company's employees, many of them had various complicated relationships, and there were many unclear historical cases within the company. After Heart Magazine was established, the best way to distance themselves from these people who were just there for a free meal was to conduct a test.
Based on this, Demon King Ren, the big boss, and Li Ziru, the three major powerhouses, directed a great drama of "the company is about to collapse." Before the drama began, the well-informed mole, Xiao Fu, jumped ship, followed by the aunt of the finance department's ** and the relative of the head of the journalist department, Xiao Zai... After the salary cut, those who needed to leave had left, and those who needed to stay had stayed.
After the drama unfolded, Demon King Ren and Li Ziru had completely grasped which employees were sincerely working and which ones were playing tricks. With a clean slate, just as the big boss was about to announce the merger of "Food Phoenix," Cheng Yaojin unexpectedly appeared.
- Bai Ning discovered a secret.
It was only a partially understood secret.
- In addition to Xiao Fu's provocations and manipulation, the naive Xiao Ningzi completely believed the fact that her husband was a corporate spy and, in despair, said to Demon King Ren, "You should turn yourself in--"
At that moment, Ren Han really wanted to just strangle this little idiot.
After being together for so long, living together for so long, and talking for so long, it turned out that this was how Ning Ning saw him.
"Damn girl!" With that in mind, Demon King Ren's fists clenched and made a cracking sound. "Sometimes, I really want to cut open her head and see what's inside."
Li Ziru chuckled and played with his phone. "The wedding is starting in ten minutes. Uncle Ren, you're not young anymore, so stop sulking. Quickly give your delicate bride a call, or should I even continue as your groomsman?"
Upon hearing this, Demon King Ren paused for a moment and then pressed the end call button on his phone directly.
"No need. I won't explain to her. If she can't trust me over such a trivial matter, if we can't overcome such a small obstacle..."
Ren Han's eyes were deep, and he pressed his lips tightly without saying another word. He didn't know how it would turn out, but he hoped the foolish girl wouldn't disappoint him and wouldn't regret it herself.
Li Ziru silently sniffed and smiled wryly, "Xiao Han, have you thought it through? Bai Ning has a history of running away from weddings."
Demon King Ren nodded, gritting his teeth. "Just wait."
Ten minutes.
Seven minutes.
Six minutes.
Lucy's people came to urge them several times, and Demon King Ren's palms grew increasingly sweaty. Finally, in the last five minutes, Ren Han's phone rang. The screen displayed "Ning Ning."
She didn't show up at a time like this but called instead. Could it be...
Pressing the answer button, Demon King Ren found his voice trembling a bit. "Where are you?"
A voice on the other end of the phone, filled with tears, said, "Demon King Ren, come and save me!"
Ren Han's heart tightened, and he stood up. "What happened?"
"I... I... I got lost."
On the other end of the phone, Demon King Ren fell into silence.
Complete and utter silence.
Okay, he admitted it. The woman he found is directionally challenged. She can't even find her way back to the starting point after paying a fee in a shopping mall. But they've been to the wedding hall together at least ten times! Why would she get lost at a time like this?
On the other end, Bai Ning heard Demon King Ren's silence and worried that her husband wouldn't believe her. She took a deep breath and changed her tone to a serious one. "Ren Han, I've thought calmly about this matter this month, and we're both at fault. I despise your domineering behavior, and you despise my suspicion. But do you know? You protect me too well, only willing to share happiness with me and not share the pain. It's in distressing, on the path of marriage... we still need to learn to communicate, learn to share both honor and disgrace. So, I wanted to play a small trick to teach big lesson!"
The bride changed the topic, becoming more and more pitiful as she spoke. "I just wanted to step into the wedding hall at the last minute and make you worry a bit... sob, isn't that how it's done in TV dramas? The female lead only appears at the most crucial moment... sob, I just wanted to make a grand entrance at our wedding to extinguish your arrogance. Maybe because I was too excited, I took the wrong path. And this dress is heavy, the phoenix crown on my head weighs at least four catties. Now it's getting more and more desolate as I walk, with only rapeseed fields around me..."
Upon hearing this, Ren Mo Wang clenched his teeth. The emotions that had just built up due to his wife's sincere confession suddenly disappeared. Stepping into the wedding hall at the last minute? Making a grand entrance? Extinguishing arrogance?
Bai Ning, well done.
"Bai Ning, you just wait for me."
"En, Demon King Ren, come and save me quickly. I'm scared that there will be wolves when it gets dark later. Sob."
"I'm coming to rescue you!"
And so, the wedding was delayed for an hour and a half because the leading lady got lost.
At half past noon, the wedding ceremony finally came to an end. The guests, who were already famished, were preparing to pounce on the food when they heard the host, the "Food & Fashion" magazine's big boss, Mr. Liu, announce, "Starting from tomorrow, 'Food & Fashion' magazine and 'Food Phoenix' will officially merge!"
In the audience, the bride, Xiao Ningzi, opened her mouth wide in surprise, and the groom held her hand and whispered, "I'll explain to you when we get back tonight."
Unexpectedly, Bai Ning smiled enchantingly and looked back. "No need."
"No need?"
"Mm," the blushing bride lowered her head coyly. "Because that's no longer important."
What's important is that I trust you, love you, and maybe the day it ends will be the end of the world.
(End of the book)
MiraiSaesang's notes:...Mm...Okay...It's finally over, but there's a few extra stories, should be out soon, aiming to complete this today!