Chapter 65: Xia Xia, Marry Me.

“Sir is still in Berlin,” Jin Mao replied upon hearing the question.

Wen Zhixia withdrew her gaze. “Is his health… any better?”

Jin Mao answered honestly, “Sir said he’s much better.”

She arched an eyebrow. “He said that?”

“Sir instructed, if Miss Wen asks, tell her I am much better.” Jin Mao repeated the words verbatim.

Wen Zhixia smiled. “It’s rare that Qichen has kept you by his side all these years.”

Jin Mao, as if oblivious to her teasing, handed her the fresh flowers he held. “Sir picked these in the garden last night. He hopes Miss Wen will like them.”

Wen Zhixia was surprised. “Isn’t he always treasuring the flowers he grows himself the most?”

“In Sir’s heart, Miss Wen is much more important than lifeless things.” Jin Mao raised his hand, and the bodyguard behind him stepped forward, unlocking a safe. Inside was a brooch, dazzling with white and colored diamonds, exquisitely crafted into the vivid shape of a peacock with its tail spread.

Each delicate, expensive colored diamond—deep purple, blue, pink, green, yellow, and orange—was cut into marquise, round, and heart shapes, tightly set together to create a lively and radiant peacock.

The guests present were all distinguished, and as soon as the peacock brooch appeared, collectors narrowed their eyes, trying to take a closer look.

“It’s… the Graff diamond peacock brooch, it really is!” someone exclaimed. The Graff diamond peacock brooch is ranked second among the world’s jewels, surpassed only by the fabled Hope Diamond, known as the King of Diamonds.

Even the wealthy businessmen who recognized it had only glimpsed it years ago at the Maastricht TEFAF Art Fair.

Now, to see such a brooch given as a gift—how could anyone not be astonished?

“A belated wedding, and the congratulatory gift is worth over a hundred million dollars. They say the Xu family in Beijing is richer than some countries, and it’s true…”

“The Xu family always keeps a low profile, and their heir, Xu Qichen, has lived abroad for years. How does Miss Wen keep in touch with him?”

“Even though he didn’t appear in person, the one who came—if I’m not mistaken—is Xu Qichen’s assistant, who handles all his affairs and is essentially his voice outside. For the Xu family to send someone back from abroad for this wedding, their relationship must be extraordinary.”

…

Hua Qianjiao simply found the brooch exceptionally beautiful, so dazzling it caught everyone’s eye. She whispered, “Brother Lanzhou, is that little brooch very expensive?”

“Not at all—just enough to buy an estate overseas,” Ye Lanzhou replied with a smile.

Hua Qianjiao was speechless.

Li Yueting listened to the murmured discussions, clenching her fists. She couldn’t understand why Wen Zhixia was always so lucky, always in the spotlight.

Even if she had never heard of the Xu family in Beijing, the guests’ conversations told her all she needed to know.

She had yet to rein in her jealousy when, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a tall figure who shouldn’t have been there, and her expression froze.

Wen Zhixia was not particularly interested in such extravagant luxuries, but from the murmurs behind her, she could guess the brooch’s value. “I can’t accept this. Please take it back.”

Jin Mao removed his sunglasses and hung them on his suit. “Please, Miss Wen, don’t make it difficult for us. If you don’t accept what Sir sent, we’ll have no way to answer to him.”

He glanced at his watch. “Let’s not delay your wedding, Miss Wen.” He bowed. “Please—”

Wen Zhixia hesitated, when suddenly a pair of large hands landed on her shoulders. Gu Pingsheng had approached unnoticed, and Jin Mao, recognizing the groom, showed no surprise.

“If such a precious gift has traveled so far, you should accept it,” said Gu Pingsheng, fixing Jin Mao with a steady gaze.

Wen Zhixia turned to him, a little surprised he was willing to accept such an expensive gift.

“Guests should be honored. Assistant Jin, please join us,” Gu Pingsheng said, assuming the host’s role.

Jin Mao looked at him a moment longer, as if quietly weighing something.

“Sir, this Gu Pingsheng is not worthy of Miss Wen,” Jin Mao had said in the study, shadows flickering across Xu Qichen’s face before he returned to the country.

Xu Qichen coughed lightly. “She’s made her choice. She won’t want others interfering. She’ll see clearly for herself.”

“But—” Jin Mao began.

“There’s no room for sand in her eyes. They’ll go their separate ways,” Xu Qichen replied.

Gu Pingsheng personally pinned the peacock brooch on Wen Zhixia, and Jin Mao’s gaze flickered.

As the couple walked together down the aisle, Wen Zhixia glanced sideways at him. “Where did you go just now?”

“I took a call. Were you anxious?” His thin lips curved in a teasing smile, as if she couldn’t bear to be apart from him.

She shot him a sidelong look. “Smooth talker.”

He suddenly bent down and pressed a light kiss to her cheek, prompting the master of ceremonies to joke, “It seems our Mr. Gu cannot wait for the ceremony, with such a beauty by his side! It’s not yet time to kiss the bride, so let’s ask our groom for a little patience—we all know your bride is stunning…”

Laughter rippled through the crowd.

Gu Pingsheng smiled in response, playing along. “She certainly is.”

Wen Zhixia gave him a look, warning him not to say more and become a laughingstock.

The ceremony proceeded in order. Jin Mao, seated in the front row, watched Wen Zhixia’s bright smile, his own face expressionless.

In his view, Gu Pingsheng was not worthy of Wen Zhixia. If not for his own master’s years abroad for treatment, how would Gu have had the chance to step in?

His master remained unmarried, always citing ill health as the reason, not wanting to hold up any young woman. But Jin Mao, who had been by his side for years, knew there was regret buried in his heart.

“Wow—” Ye Lanzhou watched as Gu Pingsheng knelt on one knee and held up a ring, unable to keep from exclaiming.

This scene was not in the plan, for after all, this was not a new marriage, and Gu Pingsheng was no longer the penniless youth he once was. To propose so publicly did not suit his current status.

Wen Zhixia was taken aback as well, for the script had merely called for an exchange of rings.

“You—”

“Xiaxia, marry me.” His long, deep-set eyes lifted to hers, recreating the scene from three years ago when he first proposed.

Back then, the Gu Xia Group had only just been founded, and he was not yet the respected Mr. Gu.

Wen Zhixia looked at the man kneeling before her, surrounded by so many eyes. She did not immediately offer her hand, but instead asked, “Pingsheng, will you ever betray me?”

He replied, “Never.”

Even a shattered soul would long to pluck a flower for the gods.

His humble posture left the audience unable to hide their astonishment.

After a few seconds, Wen Zhixia finally extended her hand.

Thunderous applause erupted, but two people remained silent—Jin Mao and Li Yueting.

Li Yueting’s fingers clenched tightly. She had never imagined Gu Pingsheng would appear. Hadn’t Zhao Fuhe told her he would be tied up and wouldn’t come? How could he not only appear, but do so with such devotion?

First, Zhang Zhiyan high-profiled a house as a gift. Then the Xu family sent jewelry worth hundreds of millions. Now Gu Pingsheng was kneeling in proposal—every bit of glory was Wen Zhixia’s!

It was the opposite of all they had planned. Li Yueting clutched her palm, a flash of ferocity in her eyes.

While all attention was on the stage, she failed to conceal her expression. Suddenly, Jin Mao turned and caught her gaze.

For a moment, Li Yueting felt as though everything about her had been seen through, sending a chill through her heart.

When she tried to look again, Jin Mao had already turned away, as if nothing had happened.

If not for that clear-eyed look, Li Yueting might have thought she’d imagined it.

Ye Lanzhou, fingers pressed to his temple, took in Jin Mao’s movements.

Among so many present, the only one truly clapping for joy without ulterior motives was Hua Qianjiao. “Mmm—”

When the MC finally announced, “The groom may kiss the bride,” Hua Qianjiao covered her mouth, laughing like a mischievous cat.

Click—the moment was captured by the photographer.

As soon as the wedding ended, Jin Mao bid Wen Zhixia goodbye and flew out. He spoke to no one else—such was the Xu family’s stature.

That night, news of the extravagant, high-society wedding spread online. Many details became the talk of the town. Netizens, ever curious about the love lives of the wealthy, eagerly speculated.

Naturally, the priceless peacock brooch caused a stir among collectors.

Lanhu Manor.

“You sent Jin Mao without telling me, and brought such an extravagant gift.”

Weddings are exhausting affairs. Fortunately, Gu Pingsheng had cleared her schedule for the evening, or Wen Zhixia felt she might have needed two days to recover.

With some time to herself, she called Xu Qichen.

“You’re getting married—there had to be a show of honor, so no one would look down on you,” Xu Qichen said.

“Your show of honor was a bit too lavish.”

“It’s just a trinket, nothing important.” For the deeply-rooted Xu family, it was indeed nothing remarkable.

“You’re abroad. Having Jin Mao appear so publicly—will it cause trouble for you?” she asked.

“It’s nothing,” Xu Qichen replied.

Only then did Wen Zhixia feel at ease, about to ask about his health when a burning chest pressed against her back and a warm breath touched her neck.

The suddenness made her freeze, especially as his hand circled her waist and his lips pressed to her delicate nape, sending a shiver through her. “Mmm.”

“What’s wrong?” Xu Qichen asked, hearing the sound through the phone.

Wen Zhixia gripped the phone. “Nothing.” She turned, signaling to Gu Pingsheng not to act up—she was on a call.

What she didn’t know was that Gu Pingsheng had been aware she was on the phone all along.

Just a quarter hour before, Gu Pingsheng had received a call from Ye Lanzhou. “About what you mentioned before, I looked into it. The one who nearly killed Zheng Xuancheng was most likely from the Xu family.”

If Jin Mao hadn’t shown up, Ye Lanzhou wouldn’t have traced it to the Xu family. After all, there was no reason for them to target such a scoundrel.

But today, with Jin Mao presenting such a grand gift and showing Wen Zhixia clear respect, Ye Lanzhou remembered certain details he’d overlooked.

“To be connected with the Xu family, Pingsheng, your wife is quite something.” Ye Lanzhou laughed.

“Who is the ‘Sir’ Jin Mao refers to?” Gu Pingsheng asked.

“You mean Xu Qichen? I don’t know much—just met him once abroad. Exceptionally handsome, remarkable bearing.”

“Go on,” Gu Pingsheng prompted.

“Well… I really don’t know much more. Just that he’s the eldest legitimate grandson of the Xu family. He showed great business talent from a young age and was entrusted with half the family’s assets. And…” Ye Lanzhou paused, as if intentionally, “he’s unmarried.”

A young, wealthy bachelor, spending hundreds of millions on a wedding gift—there was no way it wasn’t suggestive.

The recollection ended as Gu Pingsheng’s lips pressed to her ear, his voice low. “Time to rest, Mrs. Gu.”

Wen Zhixia pressed her lips together, covering the phone. “Go shower first. I’ll finish the call.”

Gu Pingsheng glanced at her phone and, surprisingly cooperative, stood up without a word. Just as Wen Zhixia turned to resume her call, he swept her up into his arms.

Caught off guard, she let out a startled cry.

Their conversation carried clearly through the line to Xu Qichen.

“Let’s shower together…”

“Gu Pingsheng, put me down!”

By the time Wen Zhixia struggled free of his arms and glared in annoyance at her phone, Xu Qichen had hung up, clearly having heard everything.

She turned and angrily tossed her phone at Gu Pingsheng. “Are you not embarrassed?”

First Zhang Zhiyan, now Xu Qichen—he was Mr. Gu, after all, yet acted with no sense of propriety.

Gu Pingsheng looked at her deeply, loosening his tie and tossing it aside. “Is it embarrassing to be intimate with my own wife?”

“That’s different,” she retorted.

He spun his wedding ring thoughtfully. “Zheng Xuancheng’s trouble—that was Xu Qichen’s doing, wasn’t it?”

His sudden question made Wen Zhixia’s brows arch slightly. She didn’t answer.

Her silence was confirmation enough.

He asked nothing more, half undressing as if nothing had happened. “Go shower. You need to rest.”

She knew his temperament well—if it were the past, he would have insisted on an answer. Now, he dropped the subject almost as soon as it arose.

He undressed her from her ornate wedding gown as gently as unwrapping a delicate gift.

The expensive gown, trailing in the bathwater, unfurled in the tub, its luxury stirring a hint of destruction.

Water splashed onto the floor, rising and falling.

“Xiaxia, you are mine,” Gu Pingsheng whispered, caressing her cheek and kissing her with heated lips.

Wen Zhixia’s eyes fluttered shut, lost between wakefulness and delirium.

Chengya Residence.

Zhao Fuhe, watching the wedding coverage on the news, overturned the entire table in a fit.

Li Yueting, who had suppressed her doubts all day, chose this moment to call.

“You said Mr. Gu wouldn’t come. How did he manage to appear at the wedding on time?”

Zhao Fuhe gripped her phone, her tone sharp. “Are you questioning me?”

Li Yueting pressed her lips together and softened her voice. “I just feel our plan failed, and Wen Zhixia stole the spotlight. I just don’t get why Mr. Gu left you alone to attend.”

“His heart belongs to Wen Zhixia. How could he bear to let her be humiliated?” Zhao Fuhe’s words were squeezed through gritted teeth.

Li Yueting sensed something off. “Did something happen?”

Did something happen?

Zhao Fuhe clenched her hands. After a moment, she suddenly laughed. “What could happen? The senior just said I no longer need to grovel in fear of being abandoned. Whatever Wen Zhixia has, I will have too.”

Her words rang false, and based on her understanding of Gu Pingsheng, Li Yueting doubted he’d ever say such a thing.

After all, this was Wen Zhixia—the woman he had chased and cherished for years. Zhao Fuhe, at best, was a substitute, a pale imitation. How could Gu put them on equal footing?

Could something have happened before Gu Pingsheng’s timely appearance at the wedding—something she didn’t know about?

“What happened between you two? Did Mr. Gu really say that?” Li Yueting pressed.

Zhao Fuhe’s voice turned chilling. “What, now even a little secretary doubts me? Or do you think I’m less important to the senior?”

Li Yueting wisely chose not to argue at such a time. She laughed. “Of course not. Mr. Gu treats you especially.”

“That’s enough. I’m going to rest,” Zhao Fuhe said.

“Alright, get some rest. If anything comes up, we’ll—”

Before she finished, Zhao Fuhe hung up.

Li Yueting pressed her lips together, lost in thought. What did Zhao Fuhe mean?

On the other end, Zhao Fuhe hurled her phone to the ground. “Ahhh!” She clutched her head, screaming her rage.

“Wen Zhixia!”

“Wen Zhixia!”