Chapter 186 - 168: The Wedding

Zhou Dawei’s wedding was held at a rose manor in the suburbs.

It was May, the peak season for roses. While Ni Bingyan’s own wall of climbing roses at home was plenty romantic, the wedding venue was a veritable sea of roses.

The weather was clear, and the entire garden was fragrant.

When Ni Bingyan arrived, the bride and groom were at the entrance greeting their guests.

Because the wedding had been postponed, the couple, who had registered their marriage long ago, were already expecting a child.

The bride, with a slight baby bump, sat gently on a red velvet chair, a warm and constant smile on her face.

Zhou Dawei hovered protectively by her side. Having just won Best Actor at the Golden Statue Awards for his role in *Breakup*, he was now marrying his beautiful wife and was soon to be a father. It was truly one good thing after another.

A joyous occasion brings out the best in a person. Zhou Dawei was beaming and flushed with joy as he greeted guests, a stark contrast to his usual rakish self, who was known for talking a load of nonsense.

’Truly, everyone meets their match,’ Ni Bingyan marveled once more, then smiled and presented the red envelope she had prepared.

As a veteran of singledom, Ni Bingyan had attended far too many weddings; she knew the whole routine like the back of her hand.

"Congratulations on this double blessing! When is the baby due?"

"September tenth. Not many months away, haha!"

Since she had spent so much time with the couple on set, Ni Bingyan was quite familiar with the bride. Seeing Zhou Dawei busy with guests, she took the opportunity to chat a little longer with her.

The bride laughed cheerfully as she answered, touched by Ni Bingyan’s interest in the baby.

"This is so wonderful for you two! I wish you a long and happy life together, and a healthy, clever child!"

After offering her sincere praise, Ni Bingyan was already making a plan in her head. ’After the banquet, when I go to order a custom longevity lock for Luo Susu’s baby, I must remember to get an extra one for them.’

Seeing more guests arriving, Ni Bingyan exchanged a few more pleasantries and headed inside.

In addition to the greeting party, the families had also arranged ushers. Worried she might get lost, a bridesmaid with an oval face immediately came over to guide her.

They exchanged a few words as they passed through several rose-covered trellises and arrived at a wide, open lawn.

The lawn was surrounded by fields of fiery red roses, but the ceremony area in the center was decorated primarily with pristine white roses, accented by elegant, champagne-colored ones.

On the stage stood a flower wall adorned with the couple’s names. Below it, white chairs were arranged in neat rows, and ethereal white draperies fluttered in the gentle breeze. The whole scene was not just romantic, but also incredibly tasteful.

As it was still early, the guests hadn’t taken their seats. They were standing around on the lawn in small groups, chatting.

"Bingbing, you’re a little late, aren’t you!"

She had just drawn near when she heard someone call out to her.

Ni Bingyan looked toward the voice and saw the tall, slender Chen Zhiwen waving at her.

Chen Zhiwen had a stern and proper-looking face, but in reality, he was a gentle and sensitive soul.

Last year, while they were filming, his wife had gone back to her parents’ home to give birth to their second child. Ni Bingyan had attended the baby’s one-month celebration and was on good terms with his entire family.

Seeing him call out to her, she happily walked over to greet him.

She was familiar with Chen Zhiwen and knew he wasn’t as serious as he looked; she often joked around with him.

When she reached him, Ni Bingyan greeted him with a "Brother Chen." Seeing he was in a good mood, she decided to play along with his jab.

"Oh, my apologies! Here, let me punish myself with three drinks."

As she spoke, she curled her fingers to mime holding a cup, tilted her head back, and heroically pretended to down three drinks in a row.

To her surprise, Chen Zhiwen stopped her. "What are you messing around for? Get over here and meet President Wu."

He wasn’t wearing his signature long gown today, having opted for a Republic-era style suit instead. He still had on his favorite round glasses, and with such a stern expression, he looked surprisingly imposing.

Ni Bingyan knew he was just a paper tiger, so she wasn’t the least bit intimidated.

But she understood he was about to introduce her to a valuable contact, so she instantly dropped her playful act, put on a dignified smile, and extended her hand.

"Hello, President Wu. I’m Ni Bingyan, an actress."

President Wu was of average height and had an unremarkable appearance, but no one dared to underestimate him. He was, after all, one of the top producers in the business.

Ni Bingyan had never met him in person, but having seen his picture and heard his name, she recognized him immediately—he was, after all, a senior executive at her own company.

However, since they didn’t know each other personally, she hadn’t made a move. Given his rumored disposition, she knew a brazen introduction would not be well-received.

Zhou Dawei had already held a wedding banquet in his hometown for relatives; today’s celebration was mainly for his friends in the industry.

He wasn’t exactly a social butterfly, and his eccentric temper meant he didn’t have a large circle of friends.

Only about fifty people were attending today, all of whom he had worked with and gotten along with. A fair number of them were from Ni Bingyan’s company.

This President Wu was the producer of the very film that had earned Zhou Dawei his first Best Actor award.

"Mm, hello."

Producer Wu’s response was neither cold nor enthusiastic. He simply gave a neutral nod and said nothing more.

But his gaze couldn’t help but linger on Ni Bingyan.

As he looked, his gaze seemed to drift off, becoming unfocused.

He was recalling the way Ni Bingyan had pretended to drink just now.

’Crisp and decisive, with a hint of a swashbuckling flair, yet not overly rigid...’

’A pity about her age, though. She’s too young.’

Ni Bingyan knew how obnoxious it was to try and force familiarity with a big shot she’d just met. Seeing his reaction, she didn’t say anything more to him and turned to Chen Zhiwen to ask about his second child.

Chen Zhiwen understood this principle too. Besides, while he was friendly with Ni Bingyan, they weren’t close enough for him to go out on a limb for her. Simply making the introduction so she could become a familiar face to the big shot was already a huge help.

Seeing how tactful Ni Bingyan was, he took out his phone to show her pictures of his kid.

"This little guy loves sitting up now, and he’s crawling all over the place. Sigh! Taking care of him isn’t so easy anymore."

Fathers always love to show off their children, and Ni Bingyan played the part of an enthusiastic audience perfectly.

"Look how sturdy he is! And he’s sitting up so steadily. You don’t need to worry so much. Kids have to grow up, you know? It’s a good thing that he’s so lively!"

For a young, unmarried woman, she spoke about children with the knowing air of a seasoned mother in her thirties or forties.

Producer Wu’s eyes lit up for a moment, but ultimately, he still didn’t speak.

Chen Zhiwen, who was quite perceptive, noticed this. He promptly changed the subject and asked Ni Bingyan about her painting.

"We filmed *Breakup* for months, and I had no idea you were a master of both painting and calligraphy. You really know how to hide your light under a bushel!"

That "master of both painting and calligraphy" praise was far too much, and Ni Bingyan certainly didn’t dare accept it. She just laughed and deflected.

"You know how crazy the schedule for that film was. We barely had time to sleep, so where would I find the leisure for painting and calligraphy? You think too highly of me! Besides, showing off my meager skills in front of a real connoisseur like you is just embarrassing. How could I ever claim to be a ’master’? You’ll scare me to death with compliments like that!"

"Excessive modesty is just another form of pride! I heard you’ve already been invited to participate in an art exhibition!"

’How did he know about that?’

’Did Sister Wei go around telling everyone?’

Ni Bingyan’s brow twitched.

"Don’t give me that look. I have plenty of friends in the business; how could I not know about a rising new star in the art world? Besides, I live in Shanghai now, which isn’t far from Suzhou. When there’s an exhibition, of course I’m going to check it out. And if I see something interesting, of course I’m going to ask my friends about it."

’She only used a pseudonym to hide her identity from the general public. If people within the industry really wanted to pull some strings and ask around, it wouldn’t take much effort for them to find out the truth.’

Realizing this, Ni Bingyan didn’t dwell on it and simply admitted it.

The two of them began to chat about painting techniques. Strangely, while Producer Wu remained silent, he didn’t leave.

It was awkward chatting with an acquaintance while a person you’ve just met stands silently nearby. You feel obligated to include them, but his noncommittal attitude made it strange.

Ni Bingyan glanced around and spotted Xu Liangyu not too far away. Feeling like she’d been granted a pardon, she hastily said her goodbyes to the two men and beat a retreat toward Xu Liangyu.

’My dream of starring in a Xianxia drama isn’t completely dead yet. I need to have a serious talk with Old Xu.’

’Back then, he thought my status was too low to cast me as the female lead. But now... Hmph!’

With several trophies to her name, including two major ones, Ni Bingyan felt her confidence soar.