Two months after their public announcement, the fiery online discussions about Gu Qingtong and Yan Chi finally began to settle.
However, whenever the two appeared together at events or interacted sweetly on social media, the CP fandom inevitably reignited into a frenzy of nationwide excitement.
Since their marriage was already publicly acknowledged, the elders of both the Gu and Yan families began urging them to hold the wedding that had been skipped during their low-profile and private union.
Hearing these reminders, Gu Qingtong remembered that their arranged marriage had indeed left a wedding ceremony pending.
Thus, before the early summer arrived, both the Yan and Gu families became busy planning the couple’s wedding.
Initially, the two family patriarchs intended to hold a grand, elaborate event that would invite all the prominent figures within the upper-class circles.
But Gu Qingtong knew that Yan Chi disliked the flattery-filled social galas typical of business interactions, and she herself had never gotten along with the younger generation of heirs from the high society in City A. Inviting them felt like courting bad luck.
With Gu Qingtong’s firm objection, the wedding location was ultimately set at the Yan family’s vineyard, limiting the guest list to close friends and family for an intimate celebration.
Beyond just the wedding itself, this was also an opportunity to make up for all the other traditions they had missed in the past.
At the moment, Gu Qingtong and Yan Chi were in the middle of a wedding photoshoot.
Thanks to Hua Yan’s coordination, almost everything had been perfectly arranged, requiring no effort from Gu Qingtong. From a fully handmade haute couture gown by ML, a top international designer, to a collaboration with Shui Xin’s photography team, every detail was meticulously planned.
Shui Xin was the renowned photographer they had worked with during the magazine cover shoot for S. The results of that previous collaboration had taken the industry by storm—
The magazine sold out almost instantly and became widely regarded as the ultimate CP masterpiece across various fandoms.
Even those who weren’t die-hard fans of the pair couldn’t help but be captivated by their stunning visuals. For fans of the “Devil-and-Angel” concept, their contrasting yet magnetic aura created an unbeatable visual tension.
It was so breathtakingly perfect that, back then, Yan Chi’s fans, who had initially pledged to boycott the magazine, secretly bought it in droves.
Those who didn’t act quickly enough had to turn to CP fans, begging to buy secondhand copies of the preorder issues, much to the amusement of “Silent Gaze” shippers.
The success of that magazine cover brought unexpected benefits for both sides.
For Gu Qingtong, it elevated her fashion career to new heights. Previously limited to less notable magazine shoots, she suddenly became a sought-after figure, with the most prestigious fashion publications scrambling to invite her for collaborations.
After all, the fashion world adores beautiful people, especially someone under the care of Yan Chi. Everyone was more than willing to discreetly extend her some courtesy.
Shui Xin, on the other hand, had become one of the most renowned freelance photographers in the magazine industry thanks to her exceptional performance during their last collaboration.
For this wedding photo session, the familiarity on both sides made communication effortless.
The outdoor shoots had already been completed a few days earlier at a sea of flowers estate in Provence, owned by Gu Shuyu. Today, they were focusing on indoor scenes.
Gu Qingtong had just stepped out of the dressing room.
Initially preoccupied with her thoughts, her expression visibly carried some worry. But as soon as she glanced into the mirror, catching a glimpse of herself adorned in the pure white haute couture wedding gown, her breath hitched, and she momentarily forgot everything.
The gown featured a strapless design, with lace gently clinging to her skin, extending from her collarbones down to her slender arms, perfectly accentuating her graceful neckline and shoulders.
Even though she’d seen the design sketches before, she was still struck by the meticulous craftsmanship—every detail painstakingly crafted by hand, from the intricate lace to the layered folds, abundant yet never heavy.
Even someone like Gu Qingtong, whose wardrobe boasted more than two full closets of luxurious attire, couldn’t help but feel an explosion of pink, dreamy bubbles in her heart at the sight of this gown, even more enchanting than a princess dress from a fairy tale.
Tilting slightly to one side, she admired the back view in the full-length mirror, taking it all in.
She had originally chosen a fully backless design for the gown, but after much persuasion from Yan Chi, she relented and agreed to add a layer of lace with hollow details.
Now, her elegant butterfly-shaped shoulder blades and smooth, porcelain-like back were delicately veiled, faintly visible through the lace in an irresistible allure.
Even Gu Qingtong herself couldn’t resist wanting to reach out and touch those delicate bones.
Before her fingers could make contact, however, they were gently caught by someone else.
The touch was cool despite the warmer weather, a sensation she had come to associate with Yan Chi.
Just this familiar touch, even just from her fingertips, sent a current tingling through her, spreading across her whole body.
Every part of her seemed awakened by it, quietly longing for the feeling to deepen.
In an instant, her fingers grew even hotter, almost as if aflame.
She recalled teasing Yan Chi during their first meeting in the hospital, joking about cooling down in summer by holding her hand.
But what cooling? It was clearly an intentional ignition.
In the next moment, the full-length mirror reflected Yan Chi’s figure standing behind her.
Dressed in a different wedding gown, Yan Chi’s attire contrasted sharply with Gu Qingtong’s lace-trimmed ball gown. Her choice was closer to a formal evening gown—a mature, modest fishtail design that hugged her figure, emphasizing her slender and tall frame while exuding a sense of unparalleled elegance and nobility.
Gu Qingtong turned her head and was met with the V-neckline of Yan Chi’s gown.
But….hadn’t the neckline on the design sketch been deeper?
She distinctly remembered getting quite excited about that detail at the time. Yet now, even as she tilted her eyes and tried her hardest to sneak a glance, there was little to see.
“So many times already, and you still haven’t had enough, Tongtong?”
Yan Chi didn’t release her hand. Instead, she naturally tightened her arms around Gu Qingtong’s slim waist, pulling her into an embrace.
Holding her in this position from behind, Yan Chi didn’t lower her gaze to look at her petite wife. Instead, her cool eyes lingered on Gu Qingtong’s expression reflected in the mirror, a subtle smile playing on her lips.
Her teasing tone made it clear she had no intention of letting Qingtong see. Yet, at the same time, Gu Qingtong suddenly felt a soft, cotton-like sensation brushing against her back.
Was it…? She froze for a moment. It brushed again.
Now it was unmistakable!
Gu Qingtong’s cheeks flushed red, her mind overwhelmed with unspeakable thoughts.
Biting her lip, she began to suspect that Yan Chi had assumed this embrace-from-behind pose with an ulterior motive.
“This isn’t about keeping others away—it’s to keep me out, isn’t it?”
After struggling with her thoughts, she finally blurted this out.
“It’s because I want you to be the only one who sees me. Just like your back, it’s only meant for my eyes.”
As Yan Chi spoke, her gaze drifted to Qingtong’s back—enticingly half-concealed beneath the lace overlay. The suggestive allure of the delicate design only intensified her emotions.
Yan Chi knew full well the beauty that lay beneath this teasing layer of lace—she’d already seen it for herself earlier when Qingtong’s zipper broke, and she’d been asked to help. That alluring sight had been etched into her mind ever since.
And so she had pleaded relentlessly to ensure her petite wife wouldn’t reveal too much to anyone else.
A moment later, Gu Qingtong felt something soft and warm lightly grazing her back. It was precisely the spot her fingers hadn’t managed to reach earlier.
A touch as light as a feather—gentle kisses, brief yet affectionate caresses.
Looking into the mirror, Gu Qingtong could see Yan Chi’s head bowed ever so slightly, her coldly elegant features partly obscured by Qingtong’s own frame, casting a shadow over her shoulders.
“Stop teasing me, big sister…..we still have to take photos, mmm~”
Her back trembled slightly from Yan Chi’s overly tender kisses, and the rising intonation at the end of her sentence betrayed her growing fluster.
Gu Qingtong’s delicate nature had truly been cultivated by endless love and affection.
This was indeed not the ideal moment for tenderness, but Gu Qingtong wasn’t worried about the wedding photo session being interrupted.
After the photo session, Gu Qingtong and Yan Chi were scheduled to head to the airport together to pick someone up: Gu Qingtong’s younger sister, Gu Siyuan.
The initial reason for Gu Qingtong’s arranged marriage to Yan Chi had to do with her father, Gu Shuyu, being ousted from the company by the old patriarch. None of the family dared to tell Gu Siyuan about it at the time.
Furthermore, since Gu Qingtong didn’t want to reveal her personal motives in crossing the boundaries between duty and desire, she kept postponing bringing it up. It wasn’t until she and Yan Chi made their marriage public that the news finally traveled across the internet to reach Gu Siyuan, who was studying abroad.
When the truth about helping Gu Shuyu came to light, Gu Qingtong had barely begun to think about shifting blame when she realized her unreliable father had already gone into hiding, pretending to lose contact and leaving her to face Gu Siyuan’s questions and anger alone.
Gu Siyuan was sharp and clever—she’d long known the Gu family intended to form alliances through arranged marriages with other wealthy families as a way to deal with scheming extended relatives.
When she heard the surname Yan, she immediately assumed that Qingtong’s abrupt marriage was part of such a business arrangement between the Gu and Yan families.
She never imagined the marriage would happen without her knowing and land squarely on her dim-witted elder sister, who would not only agree to be sold out but even help count the money.
After all, Siyuan was all too familiar with just how dense Qingtong could be when it came to matters of love and relationships—years of deflecting suitors on her sister’s behalf had made that abundantly clear.
Although Siyuan typically wore a stoic expression and wasn’t the talkative type, she’d practically raised Qingtong, taking care of her foolish, scatterbrained older sister despite being three years younger.
In all these years, Gu Qingtong had never seen her younger sister get as furious as she did over this issue.
Siyuan was even ready to skip her final exams and fly home to help Qingtong annul the engagement with the Yan family.
Faced with this, Gu Qingtong had no choice but to painstakingly explain that the marriage was genuine love, confessing all her past pursuits of Yan Chi and how they’d eventually fallen for each other.
This explanation caused Siyuan to abandon the idea of canceling the marriage. However, she remained deeply upset that Qingtong had kept her in the dark for so long, refusing to speak to her sister out of sheer indignation.
As a result, Gu Qingtong was left with no choice but to call Siyuan daily with international phone calls, tearfully apologizing and pleading for forgiveness.
Siyuan, in turn, had a unique way of hanging up. She wouldn’t end the call right away or even say a word. Instead, she’d wait until Qingtong had sobbed and whimpered herself hoarse before abruptly cutting the call.
This pattern continued for two weeks, and Qingtong still hadn’t been forgiven when news arrived that Siyuan had completed her exams and was coming back to China for an exchange program at its top university.
Relieved that Siyuan would be able to attend the wedding, Qingtong nonetheless felt nervous about facing her still-angry, iceberg-like younger sister.
Today was the day Qingtong was scheduled to go to the airport to offer a heartfelt apology and pick her sister up after the photo shoot.
Thinking about this, Qingtong’s expression grew pitiful and dejected—completely defeated.
But it was indeed her fault, and she couldn’t even guess when Siyuan’s anger would finally subside.
The day Siyuan had been ready to fly back and call off the wedding in person, Yan Chi had already learned about the trouble her confused little wife had accidentally caused.
Yet no matter how Qingtong cried, rolled around, and clung to her for support, it was ultimately up to her to appease her sister.
Yan Chi had long been aware of Siyuan’s brilliance—after all, she was a direct junior from the same business school Yan Chi had attended. Mentors frequently praised Siyuan’s achievements, and Yan Chi often took note of her progress.
It was only a matter of time before Gu Siyuan emerged as a rising star in the elite social circles.
But beyond these accolades, Yan Chi was even more familiar with the meticulous care Siyuan always showed toward Qingtong.
While Siyuan might appear cold and distant to her elder sister, getting past her was bound to be an even tougher challenge for Yan Chi herself.
