Zeng Guai was dating someone. He was four years younger than her and had just graduated from university.
Chi Shuo teased her: “You really found someone younger than you? Good waist, good stamina, right…?”
Zeng Guai didn’t even blush. “No, no, I’m old now. I’m pursuing pure love. Even holding his hand makes me shy. Kissing him… ah, haven’t kissed yet, but I think I’d be really shy too.”
“You’re just putting on an act,” Xia Zhou saw right through Zeng Guai. “After all your talk about being ‘parched,’ you’re shy? Pure love? Who are you fooling?”
Zeng Guai wasn’t embarrassed despite being exposed. “Can’t you see through but not say it? I’m four years older than him, I can’t reveal my predatory nature so quickly!” She wiped her face. “Unlike you two, who both fell in love two years ago, and they’re even cousins. Leaving me alone to wallow in self-pity on a cold winter night…”
Chi Shuo ignored her pity party. “King bomb.” She said, “I only have one card left.”
Xia Zhou couldn’t take it anymore. “Chi Shuo, you bombed us again. Are you even human?”
Chi Shuo tossed her last card out, shaking her head with a light smile. “Can’t help it. Two years have passed, and your card skills still haven’t improved. My apprentice, He Lindi, could totally beat you now. Tell me, aren’t you guys terrible?”
Zeng Guai roared angrily, “Get lost.”
The three were still playing cards in their usual spot in the break room, still not betting money, just passing the time.
He Lindi was away on a business trip again; it was summer vacation, and events were picking up.
The break room wasn’t crowded; most people were napping in the office. Xia Zhou shuffled the cards and said, “Right, Xiao Cheng’s wedding is tomorrow. Have you guys prepared your red envelopes?”
Xiao Cheng and his girlfriend were getting married. He had already sent invitations to his close colleagues.
“Prepared,” Chi Shuo said. “I feel like I’m losing out. You all are getting married, but I won’t. I’ll never get back the money I give in red envelopes.”
Zeng Guai, who had been messaging her little boyfriend, gloated upon hearing Chi Shuo. “Alright, I get it, Shuoshuo. I’ll ask my boyfriend later when we’re getting married.”
Xia Zhou chimed in, “I get it too, Biao Sao. Forgive this Biao Didi for getting married first.”
Chi Shuo: “…”
Chi Shuo really couldn’t stand it anymore. “Starting this round, we’re playing Landlord for money.”
Chi Shuo revealed a smile. “Starting bid is one hundred yuan per round. I’ll win back your red envelope money this afternoon.”
“…”
“…”
Xia Zhou and Zeng Guai stood up. “Bye.”
After work, Chi Shuo called He Lindi.
“Sigh, thinking about it, we really are losing out.”
“Giving red envelopes here, giving them there. How can we be rich women by thirty? We’ll both be broke.”
Although Old Master He had agreed to let them be together, there was an additional requirement: the money the family gave He Lindi wouldn’t be as much as before.
Though Chi Shuo felt dizzy just knowing the amount.
But He Lindi had no objection to this requirement. She even put the money onto a separate card, didn’t spend a cent, and relied on her own work and freelance earnings.
The response she got was He Lindi’s laughter. “Hahaha.”
Chi Shuo: “What are you laughing at? Don’t you think I have a point? Five thousand here, ten thousand there, oh my god, how are we supposed to save money?”
He Lindi made a rich woman statement: “It’s fine, I have money. I earn a lot as a photographer.”
Chi Shuo: “This conversation is over.”
“But if you want to have a wedding, we can.” He Lindi put aside her playful attitude and said seriously, “We don’t need many guests, just some friends.”
Chi Shuo thought about it. “Forget it, it’s too much trouble. Getting married can kill a person.”
“Outsource everything.”
“We have to take wedding photos, right? That’s too tiring, and hiring a photographer is expensive.”
“We can ask Q Ge and the others. Q Ge is much better at wedding photos than me. Most of the freelance gigs he took before were wedding shoots.”
“Forget it, forget it, sister. If we want to have a wedding later, we can talk about it then. Xia Zhou and Zeng Guai aren’t married yet, I’m not worried.”
He Lindi replied, “Okay.” She said, “I’ll be back the day after tomorrow. Remember to miss me.”
Saturday morning, Chi Shuo woke up at nine. She dressed simply, put on light makeup, and went out with an umbrella.
The weather was hot. The wedding was held indoors. When Chi Shuo arrived, she first gave her red envelope at the entrance, looked around, and sat down next to Xia Zhou and the others.
This table was filled with colleagues from Xinyue Company. Xiao Cheng was sincere and had made many friends at the company. Now that he was getting married, he received many blessings.
The entire hotel was booked for his wedding. A band was playing at the far end, currently performing songs suitable for a wedding.
Zeng Guai hummed along: “Today you will marry me~”
Xia Zhou didn’t sing, she started critiquing: “This lead singer isn’t as good as Shuoshuo.”
At the Xinyue Company annual party earlier this year, Chi Shuo was no longer responsible for the department’s performance, but she faced an even deeper arrangement—her supervisor directly asked her to sing a song.
Chi Shuo resisted but failed, eventually going on stage to sing “The Brightest Star in the Night Sky.” Afterward, the applause was thunderous, and someone even recorded a video and posted it on Weibo, saying this young lady from Xinyue Company’s annual party sang too well.
This Weibo post was reposted widely. Chi Shuo was exposed by some colleagues, who directly revealed: Everyone, stop thinking about it, this young lady has already been claimed by He Lindi.
Chi Shuo: …
Now, hearing Xia Zhou’s praise, Chi Shuo remembered herself on the day of the annual party.
If she had known, she wouldn’t have revealed she could sing. Keeping a low profile at the company is always good; otherwise, you get pushed out to perform.
At eleven o’clock, the wedding began.
The venue was beautifully decorated, creating a dreamlike feeling. Xiao Cheng wore a suit, looking exceptionally refined.
Chi Shuo hadn’t attended many weddings, but this was indeed the most expensive one she had ever been to.
After the wedding ended, Chi Shuo, Xia Zhou, and Zeng Guai left together.
Chi Shuo held her umbrella and seriously considered whether she and He Lindi should have a low-key wedding later.
It wasn’t about recouping the red envelope money as she had joked, but she felt maybe having a wedding would make their relationship even closer.
Zeng Guai sighed beside her. “Xiao Cheng looks like someone you can entrust your life to. I think he’ll definitely be a good husband and father.”
Xia Zhou nodded. “I think so too.” She said, “I kind of want to get married.”
Chi Shuo’s eyes curved. “I’ll ask Didi later when we’re having our wedding.”
