CHAPTER 171: CHAPTER 171: WISHES FULFILLED

Xia Mian turned her head and looked at Song Juan in surprise.

"If you don’t live together, how can you know what kind of person the other is? It’s better than finding out after marriage that you’re not compatible." Song Juan sighed softly.

In this life, she had chosen the wrong person. Xia Mian’s biological father deceived her body and mind and then vanished without a trace.

The one who picked up the pieces later, Xia Jianguo, was only interested in the Song Family’s wealth, coming to bleed them dry.

"Mom, even if I marry Lu Zechuan, I’ll still be your daughter! You can live with us if you want, as long as you’re happy, you can do whatever you like!" Xia Mian noticed the emotional gap in Song Juan and smiled to comfort her.

The identity of a daughter doesn’t disappear just because she gets married.

Song Juan forced a smile, "Silly child, when you have your own little family, you’ll understand. Having both families involved only brings trouble to the couple."

After saying this, Song Juan waved her hand, "Go back and rest well, you’ll be busy tomorrow!"

Mrs. Lu said the engagement banquet would be held tomorrow. It’s a bit rushed, but fortunately, the Song Family doesn’t have many relatives; they only need to invite some business partners.

Compared to the Song Family, the Lu Family needs to invite more people.

The Lu Family is large and prosperous, with not many relatives, but many are eager to become relatives and lots want to establish connections with the Lu Family.

Mrs. Lu is straightforward and quickly booked a hotel, called Song Juan.

The hotel belongs to the Lu Family, it’s a nationwide chain of five-star hotels.

After booking the hotel, it’s time to invite guests from both sides to witness the engagement of the young couple.

The news of Lu Zechuan’s engagement was sudden, but none of the invited guests dared to complain.

After all, the notorious temper of this Lu Family elder brother is well-known. Not long ago, he was missing for a while, the Lu Group was hit by those with ulterior motives, and upon his return, Lu Zechuan retaliated decisively.

The groups and forces behind those with ulterior motives suffered greatly, making it difficult for them to stand their ground in Beijing within just two days.

That day, the whole of Beijing became busy, with invited guests abandoning their work to seek suitable gifts throughout the city.

This day, families had different reactions.

Some felt the family’s backgrounds were not on par and the relationship wouldn’t last long, others were envious and greedy.

Lu Zechuan, however, was unconcerned; he only knew that the girl he dearly loved was going to make a lifetime commitment with him, and from then on, they’d walk hand in hand through life.

As he had long planned to be engaged to Xia Mian, the preparations for the engagement had been underway, so even with just one day to prepare for the engagement banquet, Lu Zechuan did not seem rushed.

Every detail appeared to have been carefully pondered by him—from the arrangement of the engagement venue to the allocation of guests, Lu Zechuan handled everything personally.

That day, Lu Zechuan felt fulfilled.

With anticipation, the engagement banquet arrived as scheduled.

Early the next morning, Lu Zechuan went to the cemetery to light incense for Shen Xiang and told his mother about today’s engagement to Xia Mian, praying for her blessing for a long and enduring marriage.

Then, dressed in a custom-made black suit, he went with his grandmother to pick up Xia Mian.

He carried a delicately packaged box in his hand.

Inside was a custom-made dress for Xia Mian, matching his.

The black dress was exquisitely made, without a single loose thread, with high-quality materials, feeling extremely silky to the touch.

A hundred meters from the Song Family Villa, Lu Zechuan instructed the driver to light firecrackers, the sound heralding to Song Juan and Xia Mian that he had arrived.

Outside the Song Family Villa, Hu Lai and Hu Yuan immediately lit firecrackers as well, welcoming their young master’s arrival.

When Lu Zechuan and Mrs. Lu arrived at the Song Family, Song Juan and Xia Mian were already ready.

Lu Zechuan handed over the gift box he brought and smiled at Xia Mian, "Go put it on."

Xia Mian received the gift box and gave it a curious look.

Lu Zechuan gently explained, "It’s a dress, matching mine."

Xia Mian glanced at Lu Zechuan, amused that he even wanted to wear matching outfits.

However, Xia Mian didn’t refuse and went to her room to change into the dress.

Coming downstairs, Xia Mian noticed that Lu Zechuan’s gaze had become somewhat intense.

"Mianmian, you look beautiful in this outfit!" Lu Zechuan softly pursed his lips, his eyes full of admiration.

Song Juan also nodded in agreement, "Indeed, it suits my Mianmian’s temperament very well."

"Let’s go to the hotel!" Lu Zechuan stepped forward and gently took Xia Mian’s arm with a warm smile.

Xia Mian nodded slightly and turned to look at Song Juan.

Song Juan picked up her bag and glanced at Mrs. Lu, "Old Mrs. Lu, let’s go too; it’s not good to keep the guests waiting."

Mrs. Lu smiled and left with Song Juan.

Lu Zechuan had been outside for quite a while, and by the time he and Xia Mian arrived at the hotel, it was already packed with guests.

As soon as Xia Mian and Lu Zechuan entered the venue, they immediately became the focus of the crowd.

The two were wearing matching outfits, the man was exceptionally handsome, and the woman was breathtakingly beautiful, hand in hand as they walked into the hotel’s lobby, like a picture pleasing to the eye.

Song Juan and Mrs. Lu followed behind them, one dignified and lovely, the other imposing and majestic, prompting one to sigh in admiration: they are truly the women who support an entire family.

Grandfather Ji of the Ji Family became inexplicably excited upon Xia Mian’s entrance, "Miss Xia and Mr. Lu truly are a match made in heaven!"

Ji Hua, standing by, echoed continuously, "Yes, yes! Miss Xia is so outstanding, probably only Mr. Lu is worthy of her!"

The three sons of the Ji Family all expressed their agreements.

Gu Heng, the head of the Gu Family, sat in the VIP seat, his gaze lingering on Xia Mian briefly before he looked away.

Towards Xia Mian, he felt more wary than appreciative.

Having encountered someone like Gu Zhi’s mother, Gu Heng always kept his distance from women with extraordinary abilities, especially recently since he’d seemingly stirred up some trouble he couldn’t shake off.

"Zechuan, congratulations on getting your wish!" Gu Xiao approached Lu Zechuan and Xia Mian, speaking celebratory words with a smile.

Lu Zechuan responded with a smile, "Thank you!"

To say he got his wish wasn’t quite accurate; he simply pre-emptively marked Xia Mian as his own.

Gu Xiao and Gu Xuan had a minor accident just yesterday, with large band-aids on their foreheads and chins, looking somewhat comical.

Lu Zechuan glanced at Gu Xiao, his expression complex, "What happened to you?"

Gu Xiao sighed and waved his hand, "Don’t mention it! Yesterday, Gu Xuan was driving and had a bit of an accident."

A tree root appeared out of nowhere, puncturing their tire. It sounded strange, unlikely to be believed even if told, so Gu Xiao chose to downplay it lightly.

Lu Zechuan gave an indifferent hum and asked no more.

Why Gu Xiao had a car accident, he knew better than anyone else, but he didn’t say.