Chapter 651 - 649: Presenting the Betrothal Gifts

Su Li had no idea what was happening with Tang Yuanxiao.

After getting together with Wu Sheng, Su Li had done her best to stay away from Tang Yuanxiao. Now that she was getting married, it was even more important to keep her distance.

So after Tang Yuanxiao left that night, Su Li had breathed a sigh of relief, hoping only that he could move past his fixation and begin a new Chapter in his life.

No one in this world was so indispensable that another couldn’t live without them. Even if two people were once madly in love, time would eventually heal all wounds.

Besides, she and Tang Yuanxiao hadn’t even interacted all that much to begin with.

Su Li figured that once Tang Yuanxiao let off some steam and accepted reality, everything would be fine.

After that, just as before, Su Li paid no mind to any news about Tang Yuanxiao.

The time before a wedding is incredibly busy and filled with endless trivial tasks. Many modern young couples, who had been perfectly happy, ended up breaking up over conflicts stirred up by the sheer number of wedding preparations.

Su Li was already in the process of handing off her work, preparing to request her marriage leave. A wedding was a major event; she couldn’t possibly keep working the entire time.

The TV station held Su Li in high regard, so her leave was readily approved.

Su Li was busy for two days, and once her leave began, she found herself even busier with matters both inside and outside the home. Fortunately, Tang Mo was able to help.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that Tang Mo was still just a growing boy; he was incredibly capable, a fantastic little helper.

Su Li was very proud of him for it.

Soon, Grandma Wu, his aunt, and the others all arrived from Wu Family Village.

They had rushed over to help and would also be spending the New Year in the Imperial City.

After Grandma Wu and the others were picked up, only ten days remained until the wedding.

After staying with the Wu Family for a day, his aunt moved into Su Li’s home to stay.

Su Li would be getting married from her current home, so she needed an elder from the bride’s side present. Thus, besides helping with the arrangements, his aunt was also there to act as Su Li’s family.

Ling Zhen, Mr. and Mrs. Ling, Li Hongqin, and Yin Cuihua all had the same idea as his aunt.

They bustled around helping, and Su Li’s home was suddenly filled with life and excitement.

Li Hongqin and the others took over all of her work-related duties, not wanting Su Li to worry about such things. They even helped prepare the wedding candy for the Pinjun Clothing employees.

There were simply too many employees at Pinjun Clothing. It wasn’t realistic to invite them all to the banquet—a single restaurant couldn’t possibly hold them all. Moreover, Su Li had no intention of publicly revealing that she was the owner of Pinjun Clothing.

In the end, they decided that all Pinjun Clothing employees would have their own separate banquet. Every single employee, regardless of rank, would attend a wedding celebration held just for them.

This was the plan for the Imperial City location, and the same would be done for the one in Fengcheng County.

Wu Sheng and his family had gone to make the formal marriage proposal, and Su Li hadn’t hidden the fact that she was getting married. So even though Su Li couldn’t return to Phoenix City to host their banquet, there were still many things that needed to be done there.

The branch factory manager personally supervised the arrangements. Even though Su Li couldn’t be there, the factory was still buzzing with a festive atmosphere.

The manager distributed wedding candy to everyone and booked the best restaurant in the county so that on the day of the main banquet, they could all celebrate together from afar.

The Pinjun banquet in the Imperial City was scheduled for two days later; everything had been arranged perfectly.

Aside from them, there were her classmates and colleagues, but Su Li could handle those invitations herself.

After two days of bustling activity at her home, an unexpected guest arrived—Lin Huanzhu.

Lin Huanzhu knew Su Li was busy, so after getting her address, she came straight to the door with a gift in hand.

Su Li had sent Lin Huanzhu an invitation before. When they had met at the time, Lin Huanzhu had looked quite well, but this time, Su Li noticed the faint dark circles under her eyes.

Su Li guessed that Lin Huanzhu had come to see her for a reason.

And it turned out she was right; Lin Huanzhu had come to ask for news about Tang Yuanxiao.

"...Does Tang Yuanxiao know that you’re getting married?"

Watching Lin Huanzhu’s expression, Su Li nodded slightly. "Yes. He found out a few days ago."

When Lin Huanzhu asked for the date, her brow furrowed slightly.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Su Li asked in a gentle voice.

Because of her history with Tang Yuanxiao, Su Li and Lin Huanzhu had rarely spoken of him in the past.

But Su Li wasn’t blind or stupid; she could tell Lin Huanzhu’s feelings for Tang Yuanxiao were different.

’It seems she likes him,’ she thought.

As Su Li was thinking this, she saw Lin Huanzhu shake her head. "It’s not really anything major. It’s just that Tang Yuanxiao went away on a mission, and I’m a little worried."

Su Li let out a small sigh of relief at her words and patted her hand. "They go out on missions all the time."

Lin Huanzhu seemed to pull herself together and nodded. "Yeah, I know. I shouldn’t be overthinking things."

She scratched her still-short hair and looked at Su Li with a slightly awkward expression.

"When I got the invitation, I didn’t dare tell Tang Yuanxiao. I was just trying to figure out how to tell him you were getting married, and then he ended up finding out on his own."

"He still can’t get over you," Lin Huanzhu concluded.

Su Li rubbed her nose. "It’s not really... It’s just..."

"It’s fine, you don’t need to feel awkward. I’m just a bit too blunt. I’m actually very happy you’re getting married. There’s even a small, secret part of me that’s thrilled, because I feel like I have a chance again."

Lin Huanzhu pinched her fingers together to show just how small that "secret part" was.

Then she chuckled. "I’ve set my sights on Tang Yuanxiao. I’ve actually been trying to pursue him, but he just keeps avoiding me."

Lin Huanzhu was very forthright.

The moment she became aware of her own feelings, she boldly confessed them. After her confession, she wasn’t shy or hesitant. She actively pursued him, unconstrained by convention, and embarked on the path of a woman chasing a man.

As the old saying goes, a man chasing a woman is separated by a mountain, but a woman chasing a man is only separated by a layer of gauze.

Lin Huanzhu, however, felt that wasn’t right at all. She wasn’t separated by gauze, but by a mountain.

Tang Yuanxiao rejected her, and after that, he started avoiding her.

He avoided her in every way he could, forcing Lin Huanzhu to find creative ways to run into him.

Of course, Lin Huanzhu wasn’t in a rush, but a whole year had passed, and they were still playing this game of hide-and-seek. It was getting a little... pathetic.

She could never be like Su Li in her entire life, but then again, she had never wanted to be.

She wasn’t insecure or jealous; she thought she was great just the way she was and had no issues with Su Li.

Coming here today had been a bit impulsive, but she had also just wanted to talk to Su Li.

Su Li hadn’t expected Lin Huanzhu to be so candid. After a moment of shock, she couldn’t stop a smile from spreading across her face.

She had always had a very good impression of Lin Huanzhu and truly admired her character and personality.

She smiled, extended her hand to shake Lin Huanzhu’s, and said, "Good luck."

It wasn’t an outsider’s place to interfere in matters of the heart, so cheering her on was the best she could do.

Whether it was Tang Yuanxiao or Lin Huanzhu, she hoped they would both find happiness in the end, even if they didn’t end up together.

"Thanks. I’ll get going, you’re so busy."

Lin Huanzhu came and went in a hurry, staying for only about twenty minutes before she left.

As Su Li saw her off, she thought about Tang Yuanxiao being on a mission and could only offer a silent prayer for his safe and smooth return.

Two days later, Wu Sheng came to present the betrothal gifts.

These betrothal gifts were nothing like those of later generations, which would be worth tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions in cash.

There was no cash, only objects.

Early in the morning, Grandma Wu, his aunt Wu Qihua, along with Wu Xia, Wu Dong, and Wu Sheng himself all arrived.

They arrived in a lively procession, everyone carrying something, and setting off firecrackers as they came.