Chapter 549: Zhang Lili Appears
Chapter 549: Chapter 530: Zhang Lili Appears
Once most of the guests had arrived and taken their seats, Gu’er returned to her own.
The wedding emcee stood in the center with Li Zhi and Feng Ling and began the ceremony.
Some of the guests were eating, some were chatting, and others were watching the couple in the center. The hall was crowded and boisterous, filled with the hum of countless conversations.
The more important guests of Lin Shan and Li Quan had all gone to private rooms, but Gu’er didn’t go. She wanted to watch Li Zhi and Feng Ling’s wedding.
“So, should we get our groom to kiss the bride?”
The emcee shouted to the crowd, asking for their opinion. The guests below immediately started cheering and catcalling. Feng Ling’s face flushed crimson, and Li Zhi felt awkward too. ‘With so many people here,’ he thought, ‘we should wait until we’re home to kiss. When it’s just the two of us, we can kiss whenever we want. What kind of a spectacle is this?’ But the younger people in the audience kept yelling, so he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.
Gu’er chuckled. They hadn’t done anything like this when she and Sun Jiaming got married. Weddings these days were getting livelier and much more unrestrained.
It was at this moment that someone walked in from outside, and another person led her toward the center of the room.
At first, Gu’er didn’t pay any mind. With so many people coming and going, it was perfectly normal. She only cast an idle glance that way before turning her attention back to Li Zhi and Feng Ling, curious to see if Li Zhi would actually kiss Feng Ling in public. But then, Gu’er froze. That woman… she looked so familiar. Gu’er quickly snapped her gaze back to the newcomer.
One look and Gu’er’s heart skipped a beat. She immediately shot to her feet. Jiji wasn’t with her, so she said to Marina, “You guys keep eating. I’ll be right back.”
Gu’er moved as fast as she could, reaching the woman and grabbing her arm. She could tell that if she didn’t stop her, the woman was going to walk right up to Li Zhi and Feng Ling.
Fortunately, Gu’er got there quickly; the woman was still some distance from Li Zhi and his bride.
The newcomer was startled when Gu’er grabbed her arm. She looked over, and her eyes widened in recognition. ‘Isn’t this the woman who was with Li Zhi that day? Her name is Gu’er. I thought she had something going on with Li Zhi at first, but later I found out they were just business partners. This woman has a sharp eye, spotting me and stopping me right away. Looks like she and Li Zhi are pretty close after all.’
“What are you doing here?”
Gu’er held on to the woman. She had never imagined Zhang Lili would show up. Even though she’d briefly thought of her earlier today and mused on the whims of fate, she certainly hadn’t wanted her at the wedding. ‘This woman is trouble.’
“I’m here for the wedding, Sister Gu’er.”
Zhang Lili smiled at Gu’er. It had to be admitted, she was stunningly beautiful. Her smile was dazzling. Guests at the neighboring table had already noticed the pair and began to whisper amongst themselves, wondering who this woman was and marveling at her beauty.
While Gu’er was beautiful in her own right, she couldn’t quite compare to Zhang Lili.
“Here for the wedding? Well, you’re more than welcome. Come, sit over here. Our table happens to have an empty seat.”
Gu’er pulled Zhang Lili along, forcing a smile. With so many people around, she couldn’t say what was really on her mind, but she knew Zhang Lili wasn’t here just for the wedding.
‘Isn’t she a celebrity now? When did she get back? And how did she know Li Zhi was getting married, and decide to show up? Why is she here? To cause trouble or to show off?’ Gu’er’s mind raced.
“I’ll go sit with you in a moment, Sister Gu’er. Now that I’m here, I have to at least go say hello to the bride and groom. After all, we knew each other once, and there’s some history between us. If I don’t go over and offer my congratulations, people might think I have no manners, don’t you think, Sister Gu’er?”
Zhang Lili spoke in a soft, delicate voice, a perfectly measured smile on her face. But Gu’er knew that Zhang Lili’s true feelings were nowhere near as gentle as her expression.
“Of course. But the emcee is speaking right now, and it’s the liveliest part of the ceremony. It’s not a good time for us to go over. Why don’t you come with me and wait for the bride and groom over there? They have to make their rounds for the toasts, so you’ll definitely have a chance to talk.”
Gu’er held on to Zhang Lili, not letting her move.
“Wouldn’t it be even livelier if I went over?”
Zhang Lili looked at Gu’er and even winked at her, looking impossibly cute. Gu’er’s expression, however, darkened.
Zhang Lili glanced from Gu’er’s face to Li Zhi and Feng Ling in the center. She gave a captivating smile and said, “Alright, I’ll listen to you, Sister Gu’er. It’s been years since I’ve seen you, anyway. This will be a good chance for us to talk.”
After speaking, Zhang Lili looked at Gu’er, indicating that she would follow her.
A chill flashed in Gu’er’s eyes. ‘Zhang Lili has been away for a few years, and now she’s even harder to deal with. I just hope she doesn’t cause a scene today. It would be a huge embarrassment in front of all these people.’
Gu’er led Zhang Lili to her table.
The guests at Gu’er’s table were all close friends. None of them recognized Zhang Lili. They couldn’t understand why Gu’er was paying so much attention to this woman, holding her hand the whole time. ‘Is she a relative?’ they wondered. ‘She’s absolutely beautiful, though.’
Marina gave Gu’er a questioning look, but Gu’er couldn’t easily explain.
“Sister, there’s only one seat here. It must be yours, right? You should sit, Sister. I can’t take your spot. Or maybe… I should go over there?”
As she spoke, Zhang Lili pointed to the center of the room where Li Zhi and Feng Ling were. Then she gave Gu’er a faint smile.
Gu’er wanted nothing more than to rip that facade right off her face and see if she could still keep up the act.
“Why don’t you come to a private room with me? There’s still space. You’re an important guest; it wouldn’t be right to have you squeeze in with everyone out here.”
‘I can’t hit, curse, or throw Zhang Lili out,’ Gu’er thought. ‘All I can do is try to manage her.’
Zhang Lili looked at Gu’er, smiling softly, but didn’t reply.
Gu’er met her gaze, refusing to show any weakness. ‘If Zhang Lili says something out of line or starts to cause a scene, I’d rather play the villain, clamp a hand over her mouth, and throw her out. I can just explain it to everyone later. At worst, they’ll just think I’m a shrew.’
“Alright. I’ll listen to you, Sister.”
Zhang Lili seemed to have read Gu’er’s mind. She chuckled.
“You guys go ahead and eat. Don’t wait for me.”
After a quick word to Marina, Gu’er pulled Zhang Lili toward a private room, ignoring the guests’ whispers and not bothering to introduce her.
This private room was empty. Gu’er had never intended to take Zhang Lili to a room with guests anyway. ‘Who knows what she might say or do? I have to be on guard.’
“Sister, where are the guests? Don’t tell me it’s just the two of us at this table? Isn’t Li Zhi just too generous?”
Zhang Lili understood Gu’er’s meaning, but she pretended to be confused.
“Spit it out. What are you here for? Cut the crap. I don’t have time to play along with your act. Just tell me what you want.”
Gu’er asked point-blank. ‘Zhang Lili is a celebrity now, which means she’s an even better actress. I can’t compete with her, and I don’t want to waste the energy trying.’
“Why the rush, Sister? Didn’t I already tell you? Li Zhi and I are old friends. An old friend is getting married, and I just happened to be in town, so I came to give a gift and offer my blessings. There’s no other meaning to it. You mustn’t misunderstand, Sister.”
Zhang Lili kept smiling that same way, not looking rushed at all.