Chapter62

Cen Zhen and Xiao Yunqi indeed quietly arrived in Hong Kong on the sixth day of the first lunar month, but accompanying them were also relatives and friends from the Meng family who had flown on a chartered plane to Hangzhou. More than 50 people all checked into the Harbor Yi Hotel on that day.

Although both are five-star hotels, Harbor Yi may not be as popular as the newly built internet-famous hotels in recent years, but it has a much bigger brand and a long history. Most importantly, the hotel is owned by Zhuang Jiayi's brother, who is also Meng Fanchuan's maternal uncle. There was no need to worry about security, and it was guaranteed that there would be no incidents like staff snooping or media leaks.

This was also Zhuang Tai's idea. There are only a few top-tier hotels in Hong Kong, and it was more convenient for Cen Zhen to stay at a family-run hotel than anywhere else.

When the old man made his decision, his second son had no choice but to comply. After all, it was the eldest daughter-in-law’s wedding, and Cen Zhen was a hot star at the moment. Even if the hotel services were provided for free, he would indirectly gain this wave of attention, which was not a loss.

That evening, Meng Fanchuan hosted a banquet at his uncle's hotel, inviting Cen Zhen's family with ten tables of food. It was partly to honor his wife's family and partly because he wanted to see Cen Zhen.

This year, the couple had spent time with their respective parents. Meng Fanchuan had accompanied his mother back to Hong Kong for New Year's greetings on the second day of the New Year. Since then, he had been busy with wedding preparations. Now, after so much waiting, he couldn’t wait to see her.

At the banquet, Meng Fanchuan behaved with great courtesy and was praised by Cen Zhen's second uncle. But as soon as Cen Zhen stood up to get some dessert for the children, he quietly pulled her into a small room where the alcohol was stored.

When the door closed, their breaths came close.

“What are you doing? You scared me.” Cen Zhen held back a laugh.

The man in front of her bent down and hugged her. “Let me hold you for a bit.”

From the airport to the wedding venue, then back to the hotel for dinner, Meng Fanchuan had barely found a moment to be alone with Cen Zhen.

Cen Zhen was completely in his arms, her lips tightly pressed. “I was going to get pudding for Xiao Yuan.”

“Let her wait a while.”

“But she just called you ‘little uncle’.”

“…”

The sound of the little girl calling him "little uncle" echoed in his ears, her voice soft and obedient, and it made Meng Fanchuan's heart melt.

At the mention of “little uncle,” Meng Fanchuan let go of Cen Zhen. “Get her a couple more pieces.”

Cen Zhen couldn’t hold back her laughter. “You’re that easy to bribe?”

Meng Fanchuan hummed, lowered his head, and kissed her. “You can try it too.”

“Try what?” Cen Zhen lightly wrapped her arms around his waist in response. “I don’t need to bribe you.”

“Don’t need to?” Meng Fanchuan raised his head. “Have you forgotten what you did back in Hangzhou?”

Cen Zhen froze, surprised that he remembered. She felt a mix of anger and amusement. “It was just a little joke with you. Why are you so petty?”

— Just a joke.

Meng Fanchuan smirked and kissed her again. “Alright, I’ll also play with you later.”

“…”

They only stayed in the small room for a little while, but Meng Fanchuan had already planned to enjoy some private time with her later. However, just after the banquet, Xiao Yunqi suggested taking the younger generation for a tour of Hong Kong’s night scenery.

She was unfamiliar with the place, so she needed Meng Fanchuan and Cen Zhen to accompany her.

When the mother-in-law spoke, Meng Fanchuan could not refuse. Plus, with the children surrounding him, calling him "little uncle" and "little aunt’s husband," he could not say no. He willingly acted as their tour guide for the night.

When they returned to the hotel at 10 PM, Meng Fanchuan still wanted to find an opportunity, but Xiao Yunqi subtly told him, “You must be tired today, get some rest early. Don’t stay up these two days, you need to conserve your energy.”

She added, “Tomorrow, you and Zhen Zhen should avoid meeting to not disturb the festive mood.”

Xiao Yunqi’s words were layered with meaning. She did not say it outright, but Meng Fanchuan understood her intention.

The day after tomorrow was a major event, and anything else had to be put aside. The wedding had to be the priority.

In fact, Meng Fanchuan knew very well that if he and Cen Zhen were alone in a room tonight, they’d probably end up staying up until dawn.

He sighed, comforting himself—just 24 more hours to wait.

“Alright, then you all get some rest.”

Cen Zhen was reluctant to say goodbye, but he shook his head, signaling her to let it go. Finally, she had no choice but to follow suit. “Then take your time coming back.”

The young couple’s last meeting before the wedding ended like this.

Cen Zhen had told Meng Fanchuan before that she could wait for an entire year, but now, she realized that the closer the wedding got, the stronger the feeling of impending happiness became, and everything seemed to be unbearable.

The countdown before the wedding felt more excruciating than any previous separation.On the seventh day of the first lunar month, Qiao Tingting, Chi Yu, Mo Xiang, and others checked into Harbor Yi. Cen Zhen's mentor, classmates, and senior Bai Yan, as well as friends from two previous filming projects like Xie Qingzong, also arrived one after another on this day.

Harbor Yi had already suspended bookings from the sixth to the ninth of the first lunar month a month ago. For these four days, the hotel was not open to the public and exclusively hosted the wedding guests. Because of this, along with the fact that the hotel was owned by the Zhuang family, the Hong Kong media immediately speculated that the bride would leave from here. For the past few days, they had gathered outside the hotel, some even sleeping on the floor overnight, doing anything to grab headlines.

"These Hong Kong media are really just like what they show on TV. So competitive," Chi Yu remarked as he pulled open the curtains the next morning and saw the reporters outside with their cameras.

But Cen Zhen had not left the hotel today.

Not only had she not left the hotel, but she hadn’t even had a chance to step out of her suite. Since she woke up in the morning, she had been busy nonstop—

Busy with makeup trials, busy with outfit changes, busy taking photos.

This time, Cen Zhen’s styling was entirely handled by Bella Wang's team. When the wedding news first broke, many teams had called Mo Xiang to try to get the chance to do Cen Zhen’s styling, but Cen Zhen had chosen Bella Wang without hesitation. After all, it was Bella Wang who had helped her when she was still an unknown newcomer in the fashion industry.

Cen Zhen was always a person who valued gratitude.

The brand representatives for her wedding dresses also sent a professional team. Nine different dresses were tried on one by one, with no detail overlooked. The team was worried they wouldn’t have enough time for photos the next day, so the photographer took some pictures in advance, just in case.

After a whole day of busyness, it was already 8 PM. Cen Zhen was too tired to move. Even her dinner was ordered to her room by Chi Yu.

After eating, she lay down for a bit before finally thinking about Meng Fanchuan. She wondered what he was doing and was about to call him, when Meng Wenno sent her a WeChat message:

"Sis-in-law, look at my brother, hahahaha, completely distracted!"

The photo was taken from a sneaky angle. Meng Fanchuan was sitting at a mahjong table with a few elderly women, holding a tile in his hand, seemingly deep in thought but not playing.

Even though it was a side profile, Cen Zhen couldn’t help but look at the photo several times. After being together for so long, that feeling of instinctual fondness when seeing him couldn’t be hidden, and it leaked from her eyes.

Cen Zhen pursed her lips and immediately called Meng Fanchuan: "What are you doing?"

Meng Fanchuan sighed, clearly a bit bored. "Playing mahjong."

Tomorrow was the big day, and his mother Zhuang Jiayi’s relatives had all gathered in Hong Kong. A few elderly ladies from Macau had trouble adjusting to the hotel and were taken to Zhuang Jiayi's house. They would be traveling to the wedding venue in the Meng family’s cars tomorrow.

Hong Kong people are famous for their love of playing mahjong, before and after celebrations. The elderly ladies rarely gathered together, so after dinner, they set up a table to play.

At first, Zhuang Jiayi played a few rounds with them, but then she had some things to attend to and left. With three people left, the elderly ladies called Meng Fanchuan over to complete the table.

"Did you win?" Cen Zhen asked from the phone.

Meng Fanchuan lazily threw a tile on the table. "Lost."

Meng Fanchuan was distracted, but he also deliberately let them win. After all, what was the point of competing with three elderly ladies? Losing a bit of money to make them happy wasn’t a bad thing. Every time they won, the elderly women would cheer happily:

"Oh, thank you, A-Chuan!"

"Tomorrow you’re becoming the groom! Auntie wishes you both a harmonious and happy marriage, a hundred years of bliss!"

So, every time he let them win, the elderly ladies would shower him with sweet blessings, and Meng Fanchuan didn’t mind losing the money.

Hearing that he lost, and recalling what Meng Wenno had said about him being distracted, Cen Zhen smiled softly on the other end of the phone. "Then don’t play anymore. Go rest early."

"I can’t sleep," Meng Fanchuan admitted honestly.

He hadn’t exactly been idle today either. There had been a constant stream of guests bringing gifts, and he had to handle all the obligatory small talk. He should have been exhausted.

But lying in bed, knowing the big day was tomorrow, he couldn’t sleep no matter what.

His mind kept wandering, wondering if it would rain tomorrow, if there would be traffic, or if he would handle the bridesmaid group’s teasing well.

But the most absurd worry of all was whether he would oversleep and miss the procession to pick up the bride.

The man, who had always been calm and indifferent about everything, was surprisingly nervous the night before his wedding at the age of 25.

"What are you thinking about?" Cen Zhen laughed when she heard him. "Go to sleep early, you need to rest."

She paused and then said softly, "I’m waiting for you to come marry me tomorrow, looking handsome."

All of a sudden, all the tension in his body melted away at those gentle words.

— She was waiting for him.

Meng Fanchuan relaxed, a faint smile spreading across his face. "Okay."

After hanging up, he dropped the mahjong tiles in his hand. "I’m not playing anymore."

The elderly ladies stared at him. "Why?"

Meng Fanchuan stood up, casually putting his hands in his pockets. "My wife told me to sleep."

"…?"

After Meng Fanchuan went upstairs, the elderly ladies looked at his back and teased, "A wife’s slave!"

He turned the page on this year...The old almanac clearly marked "Suitable for marriage" on the eighth day of the first lunar month.

Just past seven in the morning, the gates of Harbor Yi hotel were still tightly shut, but the roads outside and along the hotel were already packed with reporters.

At 7:10, some staff pushed a cart outside and began handing out food to the media, who had been waiting all night, saying, "Mr. Meng and Miss Cen have prepared breakfast for everyone. Thank you for your hard work."

One reporter eagerly asked, "When will the wedding car arrive?"

The Harbor Yi staff remained tight-lipped, all claiming they didn’t know.

Meanwhile, upstairs in the suite, Cen Zhen was already taking photos in her morning robe.

She had been woken up at 4:30 AM and started the same process as yesterday—various makeup and outfit changes. After shooting the morning robe, she moved on to a festive red halter-neck dress, and finally, she put on the dragon and phoenix robe, custom-made by an experienced tailor that Zhuang Jiayi had arranged.

In Hong Kong, most brides wear a skirt-style dress, and the embroidery inside varies in complexity. The "guahuang" (dragon and phoenix robe) is the most luxurious, with gold and silver thread woven at 100% density. When worn, the gold shines so brightly that the red fabric beneath is almost invisible.

Cen Zhen's "guahuang" had been hand-embroidered by the master for three months, each stitch a work of art.

While changing into the gown, Xiao Yunqi, her mother, was beside her, helping with the details and reciting old sayings: "When a girl wears a silk skirt, grandchildren will soon follow."

Being parents on this day is a complex feeling. The mother, watching her daughter, whom she had raised for so many years, finally getting married, felt reluctant to let go. But seeing how loved she was by so many people, Xiao Yunqi also felt comforted. The night before, with red eyes, she had followed the local custom and performed the "head covering" ceremony for Cen Zhen, offering her blessings, "First comb the hair to the end, second comb the hair to a balanced height, third comb to make the pair fly together..."

...

Finally dressed in the heavy "guahuang," with her entire look complete, Cen Zhen sat in her room, both excited and nervous, waiting. She occasionally asked Chi Yu, "Has he arrived yet?"

She also reminded Qiao Tingting, "Don’t make it too difficult for him."

The bridesmaids immediately teased, "Oh, you're already protecting him?"

While the room was filled with laughter, a knock finally came at the door.

As the chief bridesmaid, Qiao Tingting confidently called out to the others, "Ladies, let’s go!"

Everyone rushed outside, and the bedroom door was closed. Cen Zhen sat alone inside, listening to the commotion outside, occasionally biting her lip, her gaze fixated on the door. Every second felt like an eternity as she waited for the person she loved to walk in.

At the same time, the media downstairs had already posted the latest news online.

"@Hong Kong Island Entertainment: #Cen Zhen Meng Fanchuan Wedding# At 8:30 AM, the Meng family's wedding car fleet arrived at Harbor Yi hotel. The lead car is still the black 'Knight Rider' supercar that Mr. Meng used in Mainland China, but it now has the sweet Hong Kong license plate 'ILOVEU'. The groom, Mr. Meng, refused interviews and went straight into the hotel. Seems like he's really in a rush to marry his bride! Stay tuned for further updates!"

The netizens, who had been waiting online, were excited to see the news and began discussing:

"??? Wait, is it really possible to get a Hong Kong license plate like that?"

"Hahaha yes! You can DIY your own plate. A friend of mine made one with their English name!"

"Meng Fanchuan loves his wife so much, hahaha. Not only did he drive the car himself to pick her up, but even the license plate is a love confession!"

"How is this headline from the Hong Kong media? 'In a rush'—this cracked me up. I imagined the young master lazily not bothering with anything and just rushing up to find his bride."

"He's getting married today! Let him be, haha!"

"This car fleet seems endless. Did Meng Fanchuan bring every sports car in Hong Kong for the wedding?"

"Ahhhh, my brother-in-law is so handsome!!!"

While the netizens were enjoying the excitement online, little did they know that in the hotel, Meng Fanchuan was enduring all sorts of challenges from the bridesmaids.

Inside the room, Cen Zhen only heard the loud noise from outside, where Qiao Tingting insisted that Meng Fanchuan should remember that every step he took towards her was hard-earned and that he should cherish it. So, she "thoughtfully" prepared a foot massage mat for him.

Chi Yu, although saying he dared not mess with his boss, was more eager than anyone else. He had made a big wheel with over ten extreme challenges, and whatever challenge Meng Fanchuan landed on, he had to do.

Cen Zhen listened carefully to the sounds outside and guessed that Meng Fanchuan probably had drawn a physical challenge, like push-ups or planking. She heard repeated comments like "Wow, the groom is so amazing," "666," and "Arm strength 100 points."

Finally, there was a burst of cheering outside. The bridesmaids, satisfied after receiving large red envelopes, opened the door for Meng Fanchuan. They intentionally mimicked the TV scene, bending down in a polite gesture:

"Young master, your wife is waiting for you inside."

The door opened, and after waiting for so long, Cen Zhen’s heart skipped a beat. She looked up and saw Meng Fanchuan finally standing in front of her.

He looked so handsome today.

In his black suit, neat white shirt, and Windsor knot tie, he was both formal and gentle.

When their eyes met, Cen Zhen, amidst the laughter of the others, suddenly felt a bit shy and lowered her gaze. Meng Fanchuan walked up to her and slightly crouched down, just about to speak, when Chi Yu blocked the way in front of Cen Zhen: "Young master, you have to find the shoes first. You can’t take your wife without finding the shoes."

"Hahahahahahaha!"

Meng Fanchuan, helpless, looked around the unusually spacious bedroom, paused, and asked Chi Yu, "Who hid the shoes?"

Chi Yu pointed at Cen Zhen: "Your wife."

Meng Fanchuan’s gaze fell back on Cen Zhen. They exchanged a few seconds of eye contact, and without saying a word, it felt as though they could understand each other’s thoughts.

"My wife wouldn't make things difficult for me," Meng Fanchuan said with a confident smile. He thought for a moment, then lowered his head and lifted the hem of Cen Zhen's gown. Sure enough, a pair of hand-embroidered shoes was quietly placed at her feet.

"Ahhhhh, Zhenzhen, you!"

"So, you gave your husband the answer to the final question?""Okay, okay, once we kiss, this will all be over!"

"Hahahahaha, hurry up and kiss her!"

Amid the teasing and noise, Meng Fanchuan helped Cen Zhen put on her shoes, then focused on looking at her.

Cen Zhen sat quietly on the edge of the bed, her hair pinned up low, wearing the embroidered phoenix and dragon "guahuang" that was both dignified and stunning.

In that moment, it seemed as though the two of them ignored everyone else in the room, their eyes only on each other.

Looking at each other with new identities, Cen Zhen's heartbeat uncontrollably quickened, as if she were a new bride, her face turning faintly red.

The surrounding noise gradually quieted. After a brief pause, the rebellious and unruly man lowered his head and gently placed a kiss on Cen Zhen's lips, then took her hand and said:

"I've come to marry you."