When Su Qingning woke up, it was already nearly noon. The entrance to Chunyu Pavilion was bustling, with an endless stream of luxury cars carrying guests from the city's most elite families.

Lin Xiao knew that Su Daonong had invited nearly every distinguished figure from Jinling City. He did it all so they could witness his daughter's grand wedding. Of course, the more important reason was to show off to the elite families of Jinling City just how well his daughter was marrying.

Truthfully, the Su Family didn't rank very high in Jinling City. However, Su Qingfeng's marriage was a different matter entirely—it had been personally arranged by the King of the Southern Town. Therefore, when everyone received Su Daonong's invitation, not a single person declined. After all, everyone knew that Su Daonong's daughter, Su Qingfeng, was about to marry into a prominent family from Shengjing. No one was willing to miss such a perfect opportunity to curry favor with the Su Family.

Seeing Su Qingning open her eyes, Lin Xiao smiled. "You're awake!"

Su Qingning nodded. "How did I fall asleep?"

"Maybe you were tired, or perhaps it was the anxiety," Lin Xiao explained.

Su Qingning sighed. "What time is it?"

"Almost twelve."

Su Qingning's heart sank. She knew that Su Qingfeng's wedding was about to begin. She turned to glance out the car window, where she saw a steady stream of guests from prominent families entering the restaurant.

A wave of gloom washed over her. Of course, her gloom wasn't because Su Qingfeng was marrying into a true elite family—in fact, Su Qingning couldn't care less who she married. What she cared about was Lin Xiao and her mother.

"Husband, why didn't you leave? Why did you insist on staying?" Su Qingning asked, her voice heavy.

Lin Xiao smiled. "I couldn't bear to let you face all this alone. Besides, there's a good show scheduled for today. How could I miss it?"

"But you should know, once Su Qingfeng is married, she's going to start taking revenge on us."

Lin Xiao just smiled. "Then let her."

Su Qingning gave Lin Xiao a complicated look.

But Lin Xiao gently caressed her hair. "You're so good and so kind. How could heaven stand by and let others bully you? Don't worry. The things you're worried about won't happen, I guarantee it."

Su Qingning stared at Lin Xiao, mesmerized. She was truly captivated by his impossibly gentle voice. Combined with his eyes, which were so deep she felt she could get lost in them, Su Qingning had the distinct feeling she was falling for him.

"What's with that love-struck look? Have you fallen for me?" Lin Xiao asked with a grin.

Su Qingning's face flushed. "W-what nonsense are you talking about? I was just going to ask, where's my mother?"

Taking in her flustered state, Lin Xiao chuckled. "Oh, Shao Mei'er and Shen Jingzhe went to pick her up. They should be arriving soon."

Su Qingning nodded, her expression turning serious. "Husband, if anything happens at the wedding, please protect my mother first. It would be best if you could get her away from here as quickly as possible."

Seeing her still so worried about retaliation, Lin Xiao pulled her into his embrace. Su Qingning didn't struggle, her soft body relaxing against his. She liked this feeling of being held by him; it always made her feel incredibly secure. Their faces were no more than ten centimeters apart, close enough that they could feel each other's breath.

Lin Xiao looked at her tenderly. The moment her eyes filled with shyness, he leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss.

"Don't worry," Lin Xiao said softly. "What you're afraid of won't happen. Besides, instead of worrying about all this, you should be thinking about our grand opening tomorrow."

She knew Lin Xiao was trying to stop her from being tormented by the thought of Su Qingfeng's revenge. She knew she shouldn't dwell on it, but whenever she thought about Su Qingfeng going after Lin Xiao and her mother, a terrible panic seized her heart. Su Qingning wasn't a timid person by nature. But ever since her father passed away, she and her mother had to rely on each other, living cautiously just to get by. Even so, they were still subjected to all kinds of bullying and humiliation from the Su Family. This was especially true of Su Qingfeng. Relying on the fact that her in-laws were a second-tier family in Jinling City, she never missed an opportunity to cause them trouble. Back then, however, she still showed some restraint. But things were different now. She was marrying into a major family from Shengjing, one that was countless times more powerful than her previous in-laws. With a personality like hers, she would surely become even more brazen in her efforts to humiliate Su Qingning, Lin Xiao, and her mother. That was why Su Qingning was so afraid, so worried.

Just then, a convoy of Rolls-Royce Phantoms pulled up slowly to the entrance of Chunyu Pavilion. The first person to step out was Su Daonong.

Upon seeing him, Su Qingning's face paled. Lin Xiao felt the girl in his arms stiffen. He followed her gaze and saw Su Daonong. No wonder she reacted like that.

Lin Xiao smiled to himself. A moment later, Su Daonong fawningly opened the door of the middle car, and Su Qingfeng emerged in a white wedding gown, appearing before the crowd.

By now, a large group of distinguished guests had gathered at the entrance to Chunyu Pavilion. Upon seeing Su Qingfeng, they all began to shower her with flattery.

"Wow, Daonong, your daughter is absolutely stunning! Not only is she beautiful, but she's also incredibly fortunate!"

"You can say that again! You're a lucky man, Daonong!"

"Daonong, my own daughter is of marrying age. Perhaps she and Qing Kun could get to know each other?"

The flattery continued, with everyone chiming in. Su Daonong was grinning from ear to ear. He couldn't help but smirk. Before his daughter was engaged to a major Shengjing family, these people were all so arrogant whenever they saw him. But now that she was marrying up, look at them, fawning all over him. Not that it mattered. The important thing was that from this day forward, no one would dare look down on the Su Family again.

Su Daonong beamed and said, "Today is my daughter's big day. We can discuss these other matters later."

The guests nodded eagerly and quickly cleared a path. Su Daonong then escorted his daughter into Chunyu Pavilion.

Watching this unfold, Su Qingning's eyes began to well up.

Yes, she felt a pang of envy for Su Qingfeng. It wasn't about how well she was marrying, but about the snow-white wedding dress she was wearing. Her thoughts drifted to her own marriage with Lin Xiao. They had just rushed to register it, and that was it. There was nothing else. She, too, wanted to wear a beautiful wedding dress and marry the man she loved most, surrounded by the blessings of others.

Lin Xiao noticed the flash of envy in her eyes. He smiled softly before pulling her into a tight hug and placing a gentle kiss on her rosy lips.

"Don't worry," he murmured. "When the day comes that you truly want to marry me, I'll have you wear a phoenix crown and a traditional wedding gown. I'll pave the streets of Jinling City with your favorite flowers. I'll bring you to my door in an eight-bearer sedan chair with a dowry procession stretching for ten miles. I will make you the most beautiful and happiest bride in the entire world."

Su Qingning's whole body trembled. She looked up at Lin Xiao, and in the instant their eyes met, he saw that tears were already streaming down her face.

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