Chapter 64: Young Mr. Wen’s Influence Is Far from Ordinary

Gu Pingsheng’s deep, enigmatic gaze flickered for a moment. Seconds passed, and just as the call was about to be disconnected, he finally picked up his phone.

Zhao Fuhuo watched him answer the call without moving a muscle.

“Xia Xia…”

Wen Zhixia asked, “You’re still not back?”

Gu Pingsheng paused. “I’m out discussing business. I’ll return later. Go to sleep first.”

Wen Zhixia felt a pang of disappointment upon hearing this. After all, tomorrow was the day they would hold their postponed wedding ceremony. She had hoped they could fall asleep in each other’s arms the night before, perhaps discuss the details of the ceremony. Yet she almost never interfered with his work; despite her regret, she still said, “Don’t work too late.”

“All right, the night is getting chilly. Make sure the windows are shut, don’t catch a cold.” His low voice sounded as calm as usual, and Wen Zhixia could discern nothing more.

She often said she could no longer understand him, and it wasn’t just a momentary complaint. With honors bestowed upon him, President Gu was no longer the impulsive youth, bold and reckless. The depth and coolness in his eyes spoke volumes.

Wen Zhixia assumed that by “later,” he meant he would return late at night after finishing his work. Yet as dawn broke and sunlight flooded the earth, the gates of Lanhu County finally opened.

But it wasn’t him who entered.

“Good morning, Mrs. Gu. We are the makeup team arranged for you by President Gu. We’ll be with you all day…”

A dozen people, each dressed identically and carrying their tools, appeared before Wen Zhixia in perfect order.

Sitting in the living room, Wen Zhixia nodded, her gaze drifting toward her phone.

“Zhixia!”

Hua Qianjiao, dressed in a pink bridesmaid dress, burst in cheerfully, her skirt drawing a nimble arc through the air. Her overflowing smile would make anyone believe she was the bride.

“President Wen.” Following her was Ye Lanzhou, serene and smiling, nodding to Wen Zhixia.

Wen Zhixia smiled, “Why are you both here so early?”

“Oh, Brother Lanzhou said he’d come to take you to the wedding venue, so I followed along,” Hua Qianjiao replied without hesitation.

She hadn’t noticed that after her words, Wen Zhixia’s smile froze ever so slightly—a subtle shift only the attentive would catch. “Take me?”

Only Ye Lanzhou and the makeup artist, busy with her hair, noticed this change.

“Pingsheng drank too much last night. After resting, he’ll head straight to the venue. He asked me especially to pick you up,” Ye Lanzhou explained with a laugh.

Whether Wen Zhixia believed this reason or not was unclear. Her cool, indifferent gaze swept across his face, but she said nothing, staring quietly at the mirror.

Ye Lanzhou sat beside her, casting a glance at Hua Qianjiao, hoping she might say something to ease the tension.

But Hua Qianjiao, oblivious to his silent plea, flitted around Wen Zhixia like a butterfly, watching as the makeup artist worked. “Zhixia, you should wear makeup more often. You look even better than those celebrities I saw last time…”

“Zhixia, remember you promised to toss your bouquet to me. Don’t forget.”

“Are you nervous, Zhixia? I’m a little nervous. Don’t be too tense on stage. I checked this morning—the wedding arrangements are all set, there’ll be no mistakes… This is my wedding gift for you. Am I the first to give you one?”

She chattered on, only realizing after a lengthy monologue that her hands were empty. “Wait, where’s my gift?”

A gentle, teasing laugh sounded nearby. “Just now you remembered?”

He thought she’d forgotten.

Hua Qianjiao touched her head and spotted the gift box by Ye Lanzhou’s seat. She realized she’d rushed in so quickly she’d left her gift with him.

Miss Hua took the gift, solemnly handed it to Wen Zhixia. “I spent days picking this. It’s the same as the bracelet I’m wearing today.”

She waved her wrist, showing off a uniquely designed bracelet: simple, yet shimmering and exquisite.

“Let me put it on for you,” Hua Qianjiao said.

Wen Zhixia extended her hand.

“Mrs. Gu, this bracelet doesn’t quite match your makeup and wedding dress. Perhaps you should…wear it later?” The designer glanced at the bracelet Hua Qianjiao gifted—beautiful and expensive, but disruptive to the overall look.

Hua Qianjiao paused, disappointed, and withdrew her hand. “Maybe another time…”

“Put it on me. I like it very much,” Wen Zhixia said.

Hua Qianjiao looked up. “Hm?”

Designer: “But, Mrs. Gu…”

“It’s fine. Since it’s Qianjiao’s token, I must wear it into the ceremony. It’s lovely, isn’t it?” To those close to her, Wen Zhixia always showed unconscious indulgence.

Those she kept in her heart, she treated with a forgiving spirit.

She was this way with Hua Qianjiao, even more so with Gu Pingsheng.

Hua Qianjiao happily fastened the bracelet. The designer frowned but said nothing more; they were only here to provide makeup, not to dictate the client’s preferences. Their suggestion given, their duty was done.

Ye Lanzhou, witnessing this, gently tapped his temple. Indeed, Wen Zhixia was a woman who carried a rare, comforting grace.

Worldly yet unworldly, experienced yet innocent.

The makeup and styling took nearly two hours. Wen Zhixia grew weary from sitting so long, but Hua Qianjiao remained energetic. Watching her, Wen Zhixia’s fatigue seemed to fade.

Once everything was ready, Wen Zhixia donned her wedding gown. Her long hair was swept up, revealing a slender, fair neck and bare shoulders. The pure gemstones on her chest glimmered softly, complemented by matching earrings that set off her snowy skin. Her waistline, elegantly defined, was wrapped in exquisite lace; the sacred mermaid dress, noble and refined, cascaded in a silvery waterfall train, adding to its splendor.

Even Ye Lanzhou was stunned—his admiration was not desire, but the natural appreciation for beauty.

Hua Qianjiao couldn’t look away, reconsidering her earlier words. Perhaps Zhixia shouldn’t dress up too often—she’d attract too much attention.

The bridal car lined up outside Lanhu County, skirts fluttering in the breeze. Wen Zhixia hesitated, but ultimately didn’t make the call she’d intended.

In the car, Ye Lanzhou sent Gu Pingsheng a message: the bride had been picked up, urging him to hurry.

The phone vibrated. Zhao Fuhuo glanced toward the bathroom, deleted the message, and lay on the bed, pale and unwell, softly calling Gu Pingsheng’s name.

In the bathroom, Gu Pingsheng heard her voice, his deep, narrow eyes squinting as he rubbed the pad of his ring finger.

In the middle of the night, Zhao Fuhuo had suffered severe pain, rolling on the bed. Gu Pingsheng had taken her to the hospital, and after a thorough examination and treatment, it was now morning.

Gu Pingsheng glanced at his watch and stepped out of the bathroom.

“Senior, I feel awful…”

Zhao Fuhuo gazed at him pitifully.

“If you’re still uncomfortable, let the doctor give you more painkillers,” Gu Pingsheng said, picking up his phone.

As he was about to leave, Zhao Fuhuo, barefoot, clung tightly to his arm. “Senior, don’t go.”

Gu Pingsheng turned, his fingers brushing her brow, his eyes cold and deep. “My patience has limits.”

He had spent the night with her before his wedding—the most he could offer.

“Senior, do you love me?” Zhao Fuhuo suddenly stood and asked.

Gu Pingsheng looked at her, silent.

At the seaside wedding venue.

Wen Zhixia remained in the bridal car, getting touch-ups from the makeup artist. As time drew closer, Ye Lanzhou stepped out under the pretense of taking a call and tried to reach Gu Pingsheng.

But no one answered.

Ye Lanzhou frowned in frustration. What on earth was Gu Pingsheng doing? On such an important day, why was he not picking up?

As an outsider, he could stay by Wen Zhixia’s side for a while, especially with Hua Qianjiao present. But as time dragged on, his position became increasingly awkward.

“What is he doing?” Ye Lanzhou called three times, but it was as if his calls vanished into the void.

As the time they’d agreed upon drew near, Wen Zhixia, supported by Hua Qianjiao, stepped out of the car.

Half the city’s political and business elite had gathered at the venue—a tide of people.

“Is Pingsheng here?” Wen Zhixia asked.

Ye Lanzhou, unable to reach him, paused. He couldn’t be sure if Gu Pingsheng had arrived, but given the importance of the occasion and Gu Pingsheng’s feelings for Wen Zhixia, there was no reason for him to miss it.

“He’s here, but busy somewhere. He hung up after only a few words.”

Wen Zhixia smiled faintly. “Let’s go in.”

Since he was here, there was nothing to worry about.

As Wen Zhixia entered, Li Yueting glanced around and sent Zhao Fuhuo a message: Are you here?

Zhao Fuhuo replied simply: Yes.

Li Yueting’s lips curled as she read the brief response.

“Secretary Li, you’re here. Where’s President Gu? Why haven’t we seen him yet?” an executive asked.

Li Yueting answered evasively, “I didn’t come with President Gu. I’m looking for him myself.”

One after another, people asked about Gu Pingsheng’s whereabouts, and Li Yueting deflected with the same excuse.

As expected, gifts from the city’s elite were abundant.

But only Zhang Zhiyan gifted a property deed—a newly developed villa. Curiously, the deed bore only Wen Zhixia’s name.

While everyone admired Zhang’s generosity, they teased him playfully.

Zhang Zhiyan simply smiled, swirling his wine as he looked at Wen Zhixia.

Wen Zhixia overheard the makeup assistants whispering about this.

“This Zhang is really something—giving the bride a villa at the wedding. He must be loaded…”

“But isn’t it unlucky? President Gu doesn’t lack money or houses. Giving the bride a house at this time—isn’t he hinting at separate living?”

“If someone gave me a villa, I’d gladly live apart from my husband…”

Such a lavish gift—it felt heavy to Wen Zhixia.

Moreover, if memory served, Zhang Zhiyan’s name was not on Gu Pingsheng’s invitation—so how…

But even more unexpected was yet to come. Shortly after Zhang Zhiyan appeared, his father, Zhang Zhanrong, arrived.

Chairman Zhang’s presence drew subtle reactions from a few older executives who knew the underlying history.

Gu Pingsheng, after his mother’s sudden death in youth, had severed ties with the Zhang family. Now, at his wedding, the father and son arrived together—had reconciliation been reached?

After greeting a few acquaintances, Zhang Zhanrong walked straight toward Wen Zhixia.

Wen Zhixia’s gaze flickered, but she did not rise—only nodded slightly, her manner somewhat cold.

“Why haven’t I seen Pingsheng yet?” Zhang Zhanrong asked, ignoring her attitude.

Wen Zhixia replied, “He’s probably still busy. If you wish to see him, Chairman Zhang, you could have someone look for him.”

Zhang Zhanrong’s eyes lingered on her, noting her coolness. “You’re my daughter-in-law now, yet you don’t even know basic respect for elders?”

He stood while she sat, her words devoid of deference. If she hadn’t known his identity before, she ought to after his visit to Lanhu County.

Everyone said the young President Wen was elegant and polite, but to Zhang Zhanrong, it was undeserved.

“Chairman Zhang, you must be joking. Pingsheng always said his parents are deceased.” If both parents were gone, what daughter-in-law could there be?

Zhang Zhanrong’s expression darkened. “Ill-mannered.”

Ye Lanzhou, calling again, overheard their exchange, and his gaze grew somber.

“Zhixia’s manners are impeccable. Why do you speak this way, Grandpa?” Before he could respond, Hua Qianjiao, with her skirt in hand, had rushed over, instinctively protective and unconcerned with cause.

Seeing the girl before him, Zhang Zhanrong recalled her identity. “You’re Hua Qianjiao?”

“I am,” she replied, somewhat brusquely.

Zhang Zhiyan, observing the scene, came over as well. “Zhixia.”

Wen Zhixia nodded—neither close nor distant.

“Father, some uncles want to see you. Let’s go over,” Zhang Zhiyan said.

Zhang Zhanrong glanced at him, unsure who he was helping.

Just then, a helicopter began its descent overhead, stirring up dust and drawing everyone’s attention.

“Is that President Gu?” Hua Qianjiao asked Wen Zhixia. “Is it a surprise for you?”

Wen Zhixia clearly knew nothing about it; even Ye Lanzhou was puzzled. He hadn’t heard Gu Pingsheng mention anything about arriving this way—it was rather extravagant.

As the crowd speculated, the cabin door opened, and a line of impeccably dressed men disembarked.

Unlike the others’ curiosity, Wen Zhixia, seeing the distinctive emblem on their chests, smiled.

She evidently guessed who they were.

Lifting her skirt, Wen Zhixia rose and walked toward the helicopter.

At the same time, a man wearing sunglasses descended, holding an enormous bouquet, with another carrying a security case behind him.

“Miss Wen.”

The line bowed to her, evoking a sense of being whisked back to a medieval age.

Even Wen Zhixia was surprised by such a gesture.

Behind her, Ye Lanzhou spotted the emblem and narrowed his eyes… Could it be?

The Xu family?

But why…?

“Who is that? Such a grand entrance?” an executive asked his companion.

Among the newer families, none recognized it.

Those with vague memories, after some hesitation, whispered to their friends, “Is that…the Xu family from Beijing?”

The words sent shockwaves through the crowd.

The Xu family—a century-old, hidden clan, rarely seen in public. Today, they…

“If it’s really the Xu family, Miss Wen’s connections are extraordinary.” The statement was understated; to invite the Xu family, especially with such a display, was a feat few could accomplish.

“The one in front—is he the heir to the Xu family?” Someone speculated, and many were eager to approach.

“Brother Lanzhou, what are they talking about?” Hua Qianjiao, unfamiliar with the Xu family, was baffled by the commotion.

Ye Lanzhou replied, “…The Xu family from Beijing has survived dynasties, with branches spread throughout the Chinese world, both domestic and abroad.”

A simple explanation, yet enough to hint at the family’s power.

Ye Lanzhou watched Wen Zhixia’s silhouette, swirling his wine, wondering if Gu Pingsheng knew his wife possessed such influence. The Xu family was not accessible to just anyone.

“Has he arrived?” Wen Zhixia looked at the man with the bouquet, peering into the cabin.