The Shen Family residence was a flurry of festive red decorations, buzzing with activity since the early hours of the morning. Today was the eldest daughter's big day, and there was no room for error.
Meanwhile, the wedding's VIP father-of-the-bride, Shen Huaiqiu, was still sitting blankly on the living room sofa, weighed down with anxiety. He hadn't even changed his clothes yet; his left eyelid had been twitching continuously since he woke up, and it hadn't stopped for a second.
Xu Manyu, the mother of the bride, had already finished her makeup and changed into her formal attire. Seeing Shen Huaiqiu still sitting there, a wave of fury hit her instantly. "Shen Huaiqiu, what are you still spacing out for? Go and change your clothes right now! If you ruin our daughter's auspicious day, I won't let you hear the end of it! Just wait until the Elder Shen deals with you!"
With a nervous and unsettled heart, Shen Huaiqiu said, "I don't know what's wrong. Ever since I woke up this morning, my eyelid hasn't stopped twitching."
Suppressing her anger, Xu Manyu asked anxiously, "Left or right?"
Shen Huaiqiu replied, "The left!"
Xu Manyu let out a long sigh of relief and said, "A twitching right eye means disaster, a twitching left eye means wealth! Doesn't your left eye twitching mean our Shen Family is about to come into a fortune? Wealth brings prosperity and joy! It means our daughter Liuli is destined for immense wealth and nobility, doesn't it? It's a great thing! Why are you pulling such a long face and worrying yourself sick? Go change your clothes quickly, and don't actually make us late and ruin our daughter's auspicious hour."
Shen Huaiqiu nodded with a forced smile and said, "I hope so!"
Xu Manyu emphasized, "What do you mean 'hope so'? It already is!"
Nodding, Shen Huaiqiu went back to his room to change.
Over at the wedding venue, the Chen Family had already arrived.
Chen Zhenghe, the head of the Chen Family, was over eighty years old. Despite his white hair, he was still full of vigor and in high spirits.
Guests were arriving one after another. The old man made a round, greeted each guest personally, and after returning to take his main seat, he had his eldest son, Chen Changsheng—who was also the groom's father—summoned over.
Coming before the old man with a puzzled look, Chen Changsheng asked, "Dad, what is it?"
Chen Zhenghe asked, "Changsheng, was it you who gave advance notice to the media telling them not to report on Qingdi and Liuli's wedding today?"
Looking blank, Chen Changsheng replied, "Dad, I didn't do any such thing."
Stroking his beard, Chen Zhenghe said, "Well, that's strange. Not a single media outlet has shown up today."
Realizing it belatedly, Chen Changsheng immediately scanned the venue. Reporters usually came heavily equipped with professional cameras and were easy to spot, but as it turned out, not a single one was present.
Chen Changsheng quickly said, "Dad, I'll go check what's going on."
Chen Zhenghe nodded.
For a family like theirs, even the slightest ripple on an ordinary day would result in news headlines blanketing the city. Today was the grand wedding of the Chen and Shen families—such a massive event, yet not a single media outlet was present. It simply defied reason!
Chen Changsheng returned shortly after, looking furious. "Dad, someone slapped an industry-wide ban on them, so none of them dared to come."
Remaining completely calm, Chen Zhenghe asked, "Who is it?"
Shaking his head, Chen Changsheng replied, "We haven't been able to trace it yet!"
Chen Zhenghe smiled with narrowed eyes. "They didn't come with good intentions!"
Then he added, "Changsheng, go take care of things first. Don't let anything delay the auspicious hour."
Chen Changsheng nodded and said, "Understood, Dad!"
Not long after Chen Changsheng left, the Shen Family arrived as well.
Chen Zhenghe went personally to the entrance to greet them. "Brother Shen Yin!"
Elder Shen smiled and said, "Brother Zhenghe! Our children failed to become in-laws back then, but at least our grandchildren have finally fulfilled our long-held wish."
Chen Zhenghe laughed heartily. "Indeed!"
"Please, come right in!"
"After you!"
The senior figures of the other top elite families in Modu—families on par with the Chen and Shen families—had also arrived. Shen Yin and Chen Zhenghe welcomed them personally, including the grandparents of the members who had participated in the bride-snatching motorcade.
Time ticked away second by second. The auspicious hour was fast approaching, and the bride and groom finally arrived at the venue.
Shen Liuli, dressed in a wedding gown and escorted by her father Shen Huaiqiu, stepped into the hall. The entire venue fell instantly silent. Every single person's gaze landed on the bride, Shen Liuli, and everyone was utterly stunned. Beautiful! She was simply too breathtaking!
Chen Qingdi was completely dazed. Even after his future father-in-law, Shen Huaiqiu, had led the bride, Shen Liuli, right up to him, he still hadn't snapped out of it.
In the eyes of the guests, the only people who could truly be called a match made in heaven were the Chen Qingdi and Shen Liuli standing right before them.
Only Dongfang Zijin wore a vicious look in her eyes, full of hostility toward Shen Liuli on the stage as she gritted her teeth. *Hmph! I'll let you bask in your glory for a little while longer. Soon enough, I'll make you, Shen Liuli, utterly disgraced. The higher you fly, the harder you'll fall. Chen Qingdi can only belong to me, Dongfang Zijin.*
It was a Western-style wedding. The priest asked the first of his three questions: "Miss Shen Liuli, do you take Mr. Chen Qingdi to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
In a daze, Shen Liuli replied, "I do." She was waiting—waiting for Dongfang Zijin to push her into the abyss.
The priest then asked: "Mr. Chen Qingdi, do you take Miss Shen Liuli to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
Chen Qingdi remained silent, saying not a single word for a long time.
The expressions on the faces of the Shen Family members began to change, and Chen Zhenghe furrowed his brow slightly.
Noticing the shift in expression on his father Chen Zhenghe's face and those of the Shen Family, Chen Changsheng hurriedly signaled the priest to skip the question.
The old man might not have known Qingdi's true wishes, but how could he, as his own father, not know? However, both Chen Changsheng and Madam Chen firmly believed that Shen Liuli was the only suitable match for Chen Qingdi, possessing outstanding capability. How could she possibly compare to that willful and pampered eldest daughter, Dongfang Zijin?
Hastily skipping the second question, the priest moved on to the third: "Is there anyone present who objects to the union of Miss Shen Liuli and Mr. Chen Qingdi in holy matrimony?"
Before the priest's voice had even faded away, Dongfang Zijin stood up from her seat and announced loudly, "I object!"
"Shen Liuli is completely unworthy of Qingdi! Not only did she cheat before marriage, but she's also carrying some stray man's bastard seed! How can a woman like this be allowed to marry into the Chen Family?"
As soon as Dongfang Zijin dropped these words, the entire hall fell dead silent! Then came a wave of buzzing discussions, as no one could believe that Miss Shen Liuli would ever be that kind of person.
Shen Liuli's expression remained calm; she had anticipated this long ago.
Flying into a rage, Shen Huaiqiu stood up to defend his daughter. He absolutely refused to believe that his own daughter would ever do such a thing.
Furious, Shen Huaiqiu demanded angrily, "Is this how the Dongfang Family teaches its daughters? Spreading groundless rumors, stirring up trouble, and publicly tarnishing the reputation of my daughter, Shen Liuli! Do you take the Shen Family for pushovers?"
Dongfang Wenxuan, the head of the Dongfang Family and Dongfang Zijin's father, immediately stood up to apologize, glaring at Dongfang Zijin and ordering her to apologize to Shen Liuli at once.
Unflustered, Dongfang Zijin pulled out photos from her bag showing Shen Liuli entering a hotel room with an unfamiliar man. While the man's face was blurred, Shen Liuli's face was crystal clear. Along with the photographs, she produced a medical diagnosis certificate issued by a hospital.
Dongfang Zijin sneered, "With this evidence right here, will the head of the Shen Family still claim I'm spreading rumors?"
Stepping forward, Shen Huaiqiu snatched the photos and the diagnosis certificate from her hands. Confirming that Dongfang Zijin was telling the truth, the world went completely black before his eyes. If father and son Chen Changsheng and Chen Qingdi hadn't rushed forward to steady him just in time, he would have collapsed onto the floor from sheer rage.
From Shen Huaiqiu's extreme reaction, the guests realized that everything Dongfang Zijin said was true. Yet, they still found it hard to believe. Knowing Shen Liuli's character to a certain extent, they believed she was incapable of doing such a thing. Could there be some hidden story behind all this?