On May 4, 2003, many people knew that this was the day when Huang He, the chairman of Jiangnan Group, was holding his wedding. Huang He had already sent out some wedding invitations, and the company had also officially announced the news on the 3rd.
However, no one received an invitation to the wedding. Huang boss personally stated on the internal forum that if he invited one person, then all his friends would have to be invited.
If that were the case, Jiangnan Group would probably have to set up hundreds of banquet tables. Huang He stated that he disliked extravagance and waste, so no one would be invited to the wedding except for his and the bride's relatives.
This sudden situation left many people feeling at a loss. After all, they had already prepared wedding gifts, and now they couldn't even send them, which was a bit frustrating.
However, most people were happier. Who could afford to give a few hundred yuan as a red envelope at Huang He's wedding?
One would have to prepare tens of thousands of yuan, which was quite a painful sacrifice.
In any case, people's moods varied after receiving the news, but no one was truly curious about the wedding. After all, in this world, besides the bride and groom, few people actually liked attending weddings.
Of course, there were still some who tried their best to attend the wedding even without an invitation. After all, as long as they could be remembered by Boss Huang, their future might be infinitely bright.
It was a pity that these people couldn't find out where the wedding was being held, no matter how much they inquired.
In fact, the wedding was being held in the Huang family's ancestral hall.
Family culture in Wenzhou was quite strong, and there were many ancestral halls. As a native of Wenzhou, the Huang family naturally had their own ancestral hall, where the memorial tablets of Huang He's parents were enshrined.
Ancestral halls were also functional for holding weddings, and many people chose to hold their weddings in or near ancestral halls, which was in accordance with the rules of the ancestors.
However, Huang He's wedding was a bit special. The entire ancestral hall was surrounded by Jiangnan Group's security guards. Except for Huang He and a few of his sisters-in-law and mother-in-law, no one could enter the ancestral hall to attend the wedding.
This was not in accordance with the rules, as the ancestral hall did not belong to Huang He alone but to the entire Huang family. However, no one in the Huang family raised any objections.
Firstly, Huang He's status was different now; he was the richest person in the entire Huang family. He also donated 1 million yuan to the ancestral hall, and everyone from top to bottom in the ancestral hall had to defer to Huang He.
Secondly, Huang He promised to donate another 1 million yuan to build a cement road in the village. At this point, no one dared to express any dissenting opinions.
Of course, there were still dissatisfactions and grumbles, such as the Huang family getting married, but the Huang family members were not allowed in, and instead, there were more Leng family members. What kind of Huang family ancestral hall was this?
However, these words could only be kept in their stomachs, as no one dared to speak them.
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"Zhiruo, you look beautiful today!" Huang He said, full of happiness, looking at Leng Zhiruo, who was sitting on an antique yadan bed that was over a hundred years old.
Because both Huang He and his mother-in-law pursued a low-key approach for this wedding, many of the wedding customs were omitted.
There was no need for a motorcade to pick up the bride, and all wedding ceremonies were canceled. Leng Zhiruo had arrived at the ancestral hall early by car.
Then, in a room in the ancestral hall that was over a hundred years old, she had her makeup done and put on a phoenix coronet and robes according to the specifications of a traditional Chinese wedding.
Afterward, she bowed to heaven and earth, her parents, and her spouse in the ancestral hall.
"Brother-in-law, my mom is asking you to come out. You can only bring the bride out at exactly 12 o'clock!" Leng Zhimeng said with a smile from outside. Huang He nodded, said goodbye to Leng Zhiruo, and left the temporary bridal chamber.
As soon as Huang He left, his mother-in-law came in, and at the same time, another bride, also wearing a phoenix coronet and robes, walked out of the room.
This was naturally Leng Zhiwen.
Fortunately, when the mother-in-law ordered the clothes, she was afraid that problems might arise, so she ordered two sets of everything. Otherwise, Leng Zhiruo would have had to take off her clothes and let Leng Zhiwen wear them.
Now, all that was needed was to change someone to sit on the bed and wear the bridal veil.
"Sister, have you really thought about it?" Leng Zhiwen asked her sister with some reluctance.
"Don't ask anymore, hurry up and sit here. I'll put on the veil for you myself!" Leng Zhiruo said with restraint, then pulled Leng Zhiwen to her position and covered her sister's head with the red veil.
In this way, her sister would represent her in marriage, while she herself... well, it was good to be able to spend a lifetime with her brother-in-law.
Afterward, Leng Zhiruo covered her face, also wearing a phoenix coronet and robes, and secretly left the room. She went to another room in the ancestral hall used for storing miscellaneous items and sat quietly, waiting for the wedding to begin at noon.
"Sister, aren't you the bride? Why is the bride sitting here?" Suddenly, Leng Zhiting walked in and asked in a childish voice.
"Oh, I felt it was too stuffy, so I came out for some fresh air!" Leng Zhiruo said. This was a sudden event, and besides her mother and Zhiwen, no one else, not even Leng Zhimeng, knew about this matter.
"Sister, the TV shows that the bride must wear a red veil. I just found a red veil and I'll put it on you!" Leng Zhiting, from somewhere, pulled out a red veil and was about to put it on Leng Zhiruo's head.
Who could refuse the request of the adorable Leng Zhiting?
Besides, Leng Zhiruo also longed to wear the red veil and wait for her husband to lift it. It was just that she didn't have the chance. Perhaps she could only wear it in this dim room!
So Leng Zhiruo did not refuse Leng Zhiting. She let her put the veil on her head, and then leaned against the wall blankly. After an unknown amount of time, her mother's voice said, "Zhiruo, you've suffered."
At the same time, the sound of gongs and drums could be heard from outside, followed by the explosion of various firecrackers.
"Has the wedding started?" Leng Zhiruo asked with a hoarse and despairing voice.
"Yes!" Her mother nodded.
"That's good!" Leng Zhiruo stopped talking.
"Child, let's not stay here anymore. Staying here is torture. Mom will take you home!" said the mother-in-law.
"Okay!" Leng Zhiruo nodded blankly. Just as she was about to lift the veil, she heard her mother say, "Don't lift it. Why bother looking at what's going on outside? Mom will take you home!"
"Okay!" Leng Zhiruo nodded again, as if she were still the bride without lifting the veil.
Thus, Leng Zhiruo let her mother lead her, not knowing where she was going, nor thinking. If the wedding had already begun, as the mother of the bride, she should be seated in the main hall, waiting for the newlyweds to pay their respects. What reason did she have to accompany her?
However, Leng Zhiruo's mind was in chaos at this moment, and she couldn't think about these issues. She was just woodenly led by her mother until a certain place, where she heard her mother say, "Child, Zhiruo is entrusted to you!"
"Mom, don't worry about Zhiruo. I've got her!" said a man's steady voice. It was Huang He's voice.
"Brother-in-law!" Leng Zhiruo shivered and was about to lift the veil, but then she heard Huang He say, "Silly girl, if you lift the veil now, the wedding will be ruined. You'll regret it for the rest of your life!"
"Ah!" Leng Zhiruo was stunned again, so she gave up the idea of lifting the veil and was led by Huang He. Then she heard Leng Zhimeng's voice shouting from outside, "First bow to heaven and earth!"
"Second bow to the honored guests!"
"Spouse bows to each other!"
After this part was completed, Leng Zhiruo trembled with excitement. It seemed that she had indeed bowed to Huang He and married him, but what about Zhiwen?
She had also worn the phoenix coronet and robes, so what would happen to her?
Could it be that she and her mother were the ones who had conspired together this time, setting this trap to trick her into marrying obediently?
If that were the case, wouldn't her brother-in-law still be unable to have his own children for life?
Thinking of this, Leng Zhiruo couldn't hold back anymore. She absolutely could not let the marriage begin like this, so she forcibly took off her veil, intending to escape directly.
However, the moment the veil was lifted, Leng Zhiruo was stunned because in front of her, not only was Huang He, but there was also another bride wearing a phoenix coronet and robes, with a veil on.
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"So, it turns out that Zhiwen and I both bowed to brother-in-law today?" After the wedding ended and they were back in the car, Leng Zhiruo still hadn't processed what she had seen.
"Yes!" Leng Zhiwen, the other bride, also sat beside Zhiruo. She nodded with a smile, her face filled with the smug look of a mischievous prank.
"What's going on?" Leng Zhiruo questioned Huang He, who was driving.
"Actually, last night, when I was still ordering food outside, Zhiwen called me and confessed everything!" Huang He said calmly. "So, starting last night, I've been thinking of a way to satisfy both sides."
"A way that would make you willing to become my wife, without worrying about children, and without hurting Zhiwen!"
"I thought for a long time, and even when I got to my doorstep, I hadn't come up with such a method. Whether I married Zhiwen or Zhiruo, one of you would be sad, and this would be unfair to both of you!"
"Until I saw two bright stars shining side by side in the distant sky, I suddenly realized that since you two are women I can never leave in this life, why shouldn't I be more domineering and marry both of you?"
"Although this is illegal, and if exposed, I and Jiangnan Group would be completely ruined by public opinion, and I might even have to go to jail for a few years, but if it can prevent both of you from being hurt, then this is the best way!"
"I am not the urban male protagonist in some starting point novels who plays around with ambiguity for a lifetime without getting married. Since things have reached this point, I have to take responsibility."
"So you said last night that you wanted to exclude all those few tables of guests and keep the entire venue so secret that no outsiders were present except our family, all to keep this secret?" Leng Zhiruo suddenly understood.
"That's right. I know this will be unfair to both of you, and this wedding seems to be no different from not having one, but after all, we have bowed to our ancestors in the Huang family. According to our Chinese traditional customs, we are truly a family!"
"However, I probably won't be able to register our marriage with either of you. I've thought it through. No matter who I register with, it will hurt the other. So, let's just not register. The three of us understand the relationship between us, and that's enough!"
"This is the only way I can think of. If Zhiruo, you are unwilling, I will never force you!" Huang He said in the end.
"You're taking advantage..." Leng Zhiruo was somewhat shyly angry. Although this wedding seemed unacceptable, upon closer thought, she seemed to have accepted this outcome.