Chen Zhenghe offered his congratulations: "Brother Shenyi, you are truly blessed! To form a marriage alliance with the Jun Family, the Shen Family is bound to soar to new heights."
Shen Yin felt a pang of guilt, words failing him on his lips.
Chen Zhenghe said calmly, "Brother Shenyi need not feel this way. If anyone is to blame, it's only that good-for-nothing Qingdi. The girl Liuli deserves better."
Chen Zhenghe suggested, "Brother Shenyi, since our two families cannot become in-laws after all, I am terribly fond of the girl Liuli. Since she cannot be my granddaughter-in-law, how about she becomes my adopted granddaughter?"
Shen Yin laughed, "That would be wonderful indeed, I couldn't ask for anything better!"
Shen Yin called Shen Liuli over and had her address Chen Zhenghe as her adopted grandfather.
Jun Chen maintained his smile on the outside while cursing inwardly.
*What a crafty old fox, trying to pull a fast one and take advantage of me!*
Shen Liuli had no objections and acknowledged Chen Zhenghe as her adopted grandfather, leaving Chen Zhenghe beaming with joy.
Aside from wanting to force her and Chen Qingdi together, everyone in the Chen Family had always treated her very well; this was something Shen Liuli knew from deep experience. While you can never truly know a person's heart just by looking at their face, at least on the surface, it was indeed genuine.
After Shen Liuli called him adopted grandfather, Jun Chen had no choice but to follow suit.
*There's no helping it, who else has such high standards and fine upbringing as yours truly!*
Feeling that matters had come to a conclusion, Jun Chen acted as if he owned the place, cupping his fists toward the guests below and announcing, "Everyone, I am truly sorry! My wife is expecting, so we will call it a day here. We'll see you all next time in Kyoto!"
This wedding certainly couldn't be considered valid; even if the Shen Family agreed, the Jun Family never would.
With that, before Shen Liuli could even react, he swept her off her feet into a bridal carry and strode out of the wedding venue.
Meng Liang, Luo Yu, and a group of other young masters followed closely behind.
The guests trailed outside to find a grand procession of twenty or thirty luxury cars driving off majestically in a long, roaring line.
The old man who had earlier defended them laughed, "Old friends, didn't I tell you to wait and see first? These little rascals of yours have finally turned out alright!"
Meng Liang returned and quickly trotted over to Shen Huaiqiu and Xu Manyu, saying with a smile, "Uncle, Auntie, please do me the favor of handing over Miss Shen's household registration booklet and ID card."
Shen Huaiqiu was a hundred times reluctant, but there was nothing he could do—both the ID and the booklet were in his wife Xu Manyu's handbag.
Xu Manyu acted promptly, pulling the ID card and household registration booklet from her bag and handing them to Meng Liang, instructing him, "Don't forget to remind them to return home for a visit three days from now."
Meng Liang flashed a brilliant smile and said, "Don't worry, Auntie! It will be done."
Jun Chen's motorcade of twenty or thirty multimillion-dollar luxury cars cruised down the road, causing all other vehicles to scramble out of the way. With a distance of over a hundred meters maintained between cars without falling behind, running a few red lights was inevitable. Being "old acquaintances" with the local auxiliary police, who knew they couldn't handle the situation, they simply reported this hot potato to their superiors and left the leadership to deal with the headache.
At the Civil Affairs Bureau, the director had received orders early in the morning and waited personally in the reception hall. The moment Young Master Jun walked in with Shen Liuli, the director hurried forward with a beaming smile and personally processed the paperwork for the newlyweds. The whole process took mere minutes, prioritizing efficiency above all else.
On the way back to Tanxi Villa, Jun Chen even took the time to take Shen Liuli—still dressed in her wedding gown—for a spin through a shopping mall, turning the heads of everyone in envy. He bought her a complete outfit from head to toe, since Jun Chen's home didn't have a single piece of women's clothing, and she couldn't possibly stay in a wedding gown forever.
Upon returning to Tanxi Villa and stepping inside, Shen Liuli sat in the living room pouting, her brow furrowed and a look of displeasure on her face. Throughout the entire day, she had felt like a mere marionette, ordered around this way and that by the domineering Jun Chen.
Outside, Jun Chen was still giving instructions to Meng Liang, "I've transferred one million to you, split it among the guys to bring everyone some good fortune!"
Meng Liang was pleasantly surprised and stammered, "Brother Chen, what is this for? No! Really, no need!"
Jun Chen smiled, "Didn't I say? It's for good luck! It's not just for you, it's for everyone. Can you make that decision for them?"
Meng Liang reluctantly accepted, promising, "Brother Chen, don't worry, I'll handle it."
Jun Chen nodded and added, "Also, go take care of today's traffic tickets."
Meng Liang smiled, "Understood, Brother Chen."
After seeing Meng Liang, Luo Yu, and the others off, Jun Chen came inside. Shen Liuli had already found a room to change out of her wedding gown and returned to sit in the living room, her expression still rather sour.
Jun Chen walked over and sat down beside Shen Liuli, picking up an orange from the table to peel it, and smiled brightly, "What's wrong, Lady Wife? Come on, have an orange."
Shen Liuli pulled a long face and said, "Send me home!"
Jun Chen replied, "Didn't Mother-in-law say? The third day is for visiting home."
Shen Liuli retorted, "I mean send me back to my own home, not the Shen Family home."
Jun Chen chuckled playfully, "Lady Wife, my home and your home are both our home."
Shen Liuli let out a cold snort, her face flushing as she pouted, "Who is your wife?!"
Jun Chen put down the orange, wiped his hands, wrapped his arms around Shen Liuli from behind, leaned close to her ear, and whispered softly, "We've already registered our marriage and we're having a baby, if you aren't my wife, who is? If it weren't for the little one, tonight would be our wedding night, and every moment would be worth a thousand pieces of gold! I'd definitely make sure you couldn't get out of bed, my baby."
"Hiss—"
Jun Chen felt a sharp pain at his waist.
Shen Liuli's face flushed crimson, and she spat out indignantly, "Bah! Scoundrel."
Jun Chen gave a cheeky grin, "Bad boys get all the girls!"
Ten minutes later, Jun Chen finally released Shen Liuli, looking reluctant to let go.
Jun Chen asked, "What do you want to eat tonight? We'll head to the supermarket later to buy the ingredients, and I'll cook for you."
Shen Liuli was half-doubtful, "Are you sure you can cook anything I want to eat?"
Jun Chen said with absolute confidence, "Your husband here is thoroughly versed in all eight major cuisines of Huaxia Country, and I have a fair grasp of foreign cuisines as well."
Shen Liuli rolled her eyes and said, "Keep boasting, there won't even be enough cows left in the world for all the hot air you're blowing."
Jun Chen stood up and said, "Lady Wife, if you don't believe me, why don't you put it to the test? Tonight, your husband will show you what I can do, and it won't even cost a thing."
Shen Liuli nodded, thinking that made sense.
Jun Chen walked into the kitchen, picked up a vegetable basket, extended a hand, and said, "After you, Lady Wife, let's go buy some groceries."
Shen Liuli glared at Jun Chen, then stood up and walked toward the door on her own.
Jun Chen hurried after her, slipping his arm through hers, hand in hand, with their fingers intertwined.
Walking down the street hand in hand, Shen Liuli felt the gazes of passersby upon them, making her terribly shy with a heart racing fast.
So this was what falling in love felt like.
The walk from Tanxi Villa to the nearby large supermarket took just over ten minutes, and the market was bustling with a dense crowd of people pressing in from all sides.
Shen Liuli still remembered the days when she was a little girl shopping at the supermarket with her mother Xu Manyu; it felt just like this.
Following Shen Liuli's directions, Jun Chen bought plenty of things.
Naturally, Jun Chen carried everything!