Chapter Sixty-Eight: Beauty That Defies Time
“The last time, that man—I know you didn’t like him. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have avoided meeting him for so long.” As her mother brought up old matters, she recalled the second-generation rich boy she’d never contacted; it turned out her mother knew everything. Her mother sighed, “If we sold the flower garden, life would be easier for everyone. You wouldn’t have to force yourself to please someone you don’t care for. After all, you’re my child. I can’t pretend not to care, watching you wrong yourself. No mother can smile when her child is suffering.”
“Mom…” She didn’t know what to say, feeling as though good fortune had arrived far too suddenly, crashing into her at the lowest point, catching her off guard and making it hard to believe.
Working in Xiaoxiao’s field meant attending countless weddings every year. Whether or not she’d coached the clients herself, as long as they sent invitations, she was obliged to go. As Manager Huang said, it was about maintaining good relations with clients; after all, their families might introduce single friends or relatives to the company, and word of mouth spread faster than any advertisement. Whenever Manager Huang said this, a group of people would always stifle their laughter, claiming that Huang’s sales tactics were truly clever—integrating into clients’ circles, becoming close friends so that even if performance lagged, those loyal “girlfriends” wouldn’t mind marrying again just to help.
“What are we compared to their joy?” He Li sat beside Xiaoxiao, watching the newlyweds recite vows on stage, secretly lamenting the cost of her gift money. “Really, it should be the person whose business it is who’s invited to the ceremony. We haven’t contributed a bit—how can we sit here with any dignity?”
“Haha.” Xiaoxiao found this amusing and teased, “Isn’t it good to let you soak up some wedding luck? Maybe you’ll finally get married—perhaps you’ll spot someone at the wedding and settle your life’s great affair right here.”
“Fine, then I’ll wait for you to invite me as the bride at your wedding.” He Li, pleased with her retort, didn’t notice Xiaoxiao’s wistful expression and kept muttering, “This bride is clever—sending out invitations to crowd-fund her wedding, getting us all to help her fight off the economic crisis! Who knew the commission we earn isn’t even enough for a proper gift?”
“Shh!” Xiaoxiao signaled her to hush; the bride and groom were embracing passionately on stage. No matter how reasonable He Li’s words were, they still spoiled the mood.
The bride turned her back to the guests and tossed her bouquet. Xiaoxiao wondered why Hua Mei’s wedding had lacked this moment. Perhaps Hua Mei had been too blissful, so happy she’d forgotten.
A group of girls scrambled for the bouquet. Xiaoxiao tugged He Li’s arm and asked why she didn’t join in, to which He Li scoffed, “Roses to love are as beauty to women—lovely but never lasting.”
Hearing He Li’s solemn tone, Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but laugh. “Sounds like sour grapes to me.”
“Hmph.” He Li sneered, “Better than swallowing it and having to spit it back out.”
The bouquet landed in the hands of the bride’s cousin. Xiaoxiao clapped along with everyone else, but He Li’s words lingered in her mind. To be able to spit it out was lucky—far better than making a mess of oneself.
As the banquet ended, Xiaoxiao finally spotted Xi Mintang seated at the host’s table. The tipsy groom clung to Xi Mintang, speaking with utmost respect. Xi Mintang maintained his gentlemanly demeanor, showing not a hint of impatience, smiling as he listened intently.