During this time, Su Bai had been very busy. In addition to work, she was also occupied with discussing wedding details with Fang Cheng. Both Su Bai and Fang Cheng preferred a simple wedding, but the Fang family wanted something more extravagant.
After all, the Fang family was considered a "prestigious family" in Mingzhu City, with a large and complex network of connections. This was also the first time the Fang family was marrying off a daughter-in-law, so if the wedding were too simple, it would appear a bit tacky.
Moreover, the Fang family wanted to use this wedding as an opportunity to strengthen their ties with some of Su Bai's network. On the wedding day, several influential figures from the Su family would be present, and the Fang family naturally didn't want to miss out on this opportunity.
Su Lingfeng, on the other hand, wanted to keep the wedding low-key. But as often happens, things didn't go as planned. Someone must have leaked the news, because after it was heard that Su Bai and Fang Cheng had already registered, the Su family's phone was ringing non-stop with congratulatory calls. Most of the callers were old associates of Su Bai's grandfather, but some were simply trying to use the wedding to connect with the Su family.
Su Bai, upon hearing about all the attention on her and Fang Cheng, could only furrow her brows in resignation. She didn't realize so many people were paying attention to her and Fang Cheng. It seemed that keeping this wedding low-key was going to be impossible.
Finally, after a long day of work, Su Bai checked the calendar. There was just over half a month left before the wedding. The project she had been working on had kept her so busy that she didn't even realize an entire month had passed. During this time, her relationship with Fang Cheng hadn't changed, even though they were legally married now. They were still living in separate homes for the time being, until the wedding day.
Since the marriage registration, the Fang family had been busy planning the wedding. Fang's mother had bought a new apartment for the couple in the second ring road—140 square meters, with three bedrooms and two living rooms. The apartment wasn't overly large, but it was perfect for two people.
Although it was a fully renovated apartment, Fang's mother had hired a famous designer to help decorate it, as a wedding gift for the couple.
The Fang family also had a villa in the city, but since Fang Cheng's parents were frequently away on business, only occasionally returning during holidays, they understood that young people needed their own space. They didn't insist that the couple live with them. However, if Su Bai were to get pregnant within the next two years, they would have to move back to the Fang family's house. This was something Fang's mother wasn't willing to compromise on.
When Su Bai drove back home, she was surprised to find one of Su Miao's cars—a limited edition red Ferrari—parked outside the gate.
Ever since their last phone call a month ago, Su Miao had not been in contact with her. When she called his company, she found out that he had gone abroad for a project meeting, and his phone was always on voicemail.
Su Bai found her younger brother's behavior a bit frustrating. Perhaps it was due to her overindulgence that he was becoming more immature as he grew older. Now that he knew she had registered her marriage with Fang Cheng without telling him, he was likely deliberately giving her the silent treatment.
When she walked into the living room, she saw Su Miao sitting face to face with their grandfather. Both of them had a cup of Kung Fu tea in hand, and they seemed to be deep in conversation.
"Grandpa," Su Bai greeted, then walked over to sit opposite Su Miao.
As for the "cold war" between the two siblings, Su Bai's grandfather was well aware. After sipping a few more gulps of tea, he said he was tired and needed to rest in his room.
Once the old man left, the living room was left with just Su Bai and Su Miao. Su Miao didn't rush anything. He casually crossed his legs, lounging on the sofa, playing with his small tea cup in one hand while his head hung low, remaining silent.
Su Miao actually resembled Su Bai quite a bit. The two siblings were both exquisite and beautiful, like figures from a painting—delicately carved as children, and as they grew up, they both became outstanding individuals. One was a stunning beauty, while the other was a handsome young man—both were among the most striking in any crowd.
However, Su Bai's appearance took after their grandfather, graceful but with a certain aloofness, giving her a strong sense of distance. It was as if she had no extreme emotional highs or lows. In contrast, Su Miao took after their late mother. He had fair skin, and his features were delicate and refined, giving him a resemblance to Jia Baoyu, yet with a touch of rebelliousness, a hint of freedom, and shrewdness in his eyes, a typical merchant's sharpness.
Su Bai quietly observed her only brother and couldn't help but sigh. Su Miao was only two years younger than her. He had always been clingy towards her since childhood. When their mother passed away, Su Miao had just entered elementary school, and Su Bai had spoiled him even more. Whatever Su Miao wanted, Su Bai always found ways to fulfill his wishes. Their sibling bond was so strong that outsiders could hardly imagine it. Over the years, not only had they rarely argued, but they had almost never been in a cold war. But now, Su Miao had not contacted her for a whole month. It seemed that he was strongly opposed to her marriage with Fang Cheng.
"What's going on? Are you still angry with me?" Su Bai didn't usually show a cold, business-like demeanor in front of her brother, but now there was a rare softness in her voice.
Su Miao raised an eyebrow, slowly spinning the cup in his hand before putting it down. He suddenly leaned forward, his face coming dangerously close to Su Bai's. His eyes, which had been playful, now held a trace of hostility.
"Sis, cancel the wedding with Fang Cheng," he said, his tone firm, as though not allowing Su Bai to refuse.
Su Bai didn't expect her usually obedient younger brother to say something like this. Her face paled, and her expression grew serious.
"Su Miao, stop messing around. No matter what personal grievances you have with Fang Cheng, you have to remember that he's already your brother-in-law. The person who will be living with him is me, not you. If you don't like him, you don't have to meet him. I won't force you to get along with him, but I hope that, at least until the wedding, you won't say something like that again."
Su Miao gave a cold smile, his face full of indifference as he said, "You don't know him at all. If you marry him, you'll be ruining your life."
"I've been with Fang Cheng for two years. I know exactly what kind of person he is. Fine, I don't want to continue discussing this with you. Otherwise, we might end up arguing. Anyway, you rarely come back, so let me go to the kitchen and ask Aunt Huang to prepare a few of your favorite dishes," Su Bai said, changing the subject and adding a smile, clearly not wanting to let this matter affect their sibling relationship.
Su Miao watched her get up and leave, his expression dark. Just now, he almost blurted out what happened with Fang Cheng in the parking lot, but he held back. He wasn't sure just how deep Su Bai's feelings for Fang Cheng were, and if this information hurt her, it would only cause more harm.
It seemed that the best way to handle this was to act quickly and target Fang Cheng.
Time passed quickly, and before she knew it, the wedding day for Su Bai and Fang Cheng had arrived. Su Bai sat in her room, wearing a pure white wedding dress, letting the makeup artist work on her face. She finally let out a sigh of relief.
During this time, Su Miao had behaved, not causing her any major trouble. As for the other unstable factor, her alternate personality hadn't appeared either, mainly because she had increased the dosage of her medication, suffocating the alternate personality, making it impossible for it to come out.
Su Bai's wedding dress had been custom-ordered by Fang Cheng from France. It was specially tailored for her, with a fishtail hemline adorned with Swarovski crystals of varying sizes. The strapless design was simple but not plain, highlighting her curvaceous figure.
She was already a beauty, and once she put on the unique and beautiful wedding dress and had her makeup done, even the makeup artist, who had worked on many well-known celebrities, couldn't help but marvel.
Perhaps it was also because Su Bai came from a distinguished family, her aura inevitably carried the elegance of a noblewoman, which made her stand out from ordinary celebrities.
Su Miao's bridesmaid was his cousin, and there wasn't any bridesmaid group. Therefore, when Fang Cheng came to pick up the bride, he didn't face too many difficulties.
After a full day of preparations, the wedding banquet was held in the outdoor villa of the Royal Hotel. During the toasts, Su Bai changed into a red qipao, meticulously crafted with Suzhou-Hangzhou embroidery, which complemented her fair skin.
Everyone had heard that Fang Cheng's bride was beautiful, but when Su Bai finally appeared in front of the guests, no one could hide their surprise. It seemed that Fang Cheng's wife truly was a top-tier beauty.
Among Fang Cheng's close friends at one table, Chen Xingran took a sip of wine and then smiled as he spoke to the others, "I'll be honest, Fang Cheng really got lucky. At least Su Bai can stand on the same stage as him."
"She's beautiful, sure, but she's way too cold. She's from a prominent family, right? But her attitude is just too distant. It's hard to approach her," another person commented.
"That's what they call 'beauty meant to be admired from afar,'" Chen Xingran teased.
Zi Yu nodded in agreement, and the group shared the same impression of Su Bai. She was undoubtedly stunning, but too aloof and self-absorbed. That made her more of an object to be admired from a distance, rather than someone men could approach.
Chen Xingran continued, "Tsk, Qiao Nan's here too." He waved his glass, and everyone's attention immediately turned to a table not far away.
"Well, he's the big boss over Fang Cheng now. How could he not come? But the guy really knows his stuff. I remember he's only in his thirties, and he's already a vice president. Guess having a good father really helps, huh? It's like ten years of his own effort couldn't match his dad's influence," he added.
Zi Yu nodded in agreement with Chen Xingran, smiling as she was about to speak, but then her gaze froze as she spotted a familiar figure in a pink dress from the corner of her eye. She immediately frowned and muttered, "Damn, how did she get in here? Who brought her in?"
It turned out that two young women were sitting at another table nearby. One of them, in a pink dress, was chatting animatedly with the girl next to her, completely unaware that her presence had caused a stir among some of the guests.