To forget the embarrassment, I redirected my attention and flipped through the small booklet on the table. The Ning family printed all the information about the wedding into booklets, with each seat having a copy. The first page read, “Congratulations to Lin Muning and Song Xinxin on their wedding.”

Their daughter and Aunt Lin share the same surname, while the two sons follow Ning Renjie.

My family’s surname situation is similar to Ning Yiheng’s family. Both my parents have the surname Cheng, and so my brother and I also carry the surname Cheng. My eldest nephew follows my sister-in-law’s surname, while my niece follows my brother’s surname, Cheng.

Lin Muning is very beautiful. She resembles Aunt Lin more, with a petite stature and a round face. When she speaks, she reveals two round dimples.

Neither Ning Yiheng nor Ning Wanyu inherited such beautiful dimples.

Lin Muning’s personality seems very similar to Ning Yiheng’s. She doesn’t speak much, just silently observing her own wedding.

Song Xinxin also seems reserved, only showing a shy smile when the topic of the bride is brought up.

Marriage is so wonderful; I admire it.

I’ve had youthful fantasies before, imagining lifting the veil of my beloved and kissing her, but even if it were Ning Yiheng, it wouldn’t make much difference. He just wouldn’t be wearing a bridal veil, and he’s not a girl.

But I still want to marry him.

After Ning Renjie escorted Lin Muning and handed her over to the groom, he sat at the main table alongside Aunt Lin. After the parents’ speeches and the couple’s vows, the wedding banquet officially commenced.

Ning Xiaoyu discreetly lifted his sunglasses and wiped away tears with a napkin.

Ning Xiaoyu is quite a crybaby. I think, perhaps beneath his nonchalant facade, he has a fragile heart.

Aunt Lin enjoys lively gatherings; her smile never fades. She dragged Ning Renjie, holding a tall glass, and moved among the guests. Soon, she arrived at our table.

When she saw Ning Xiaoyu in low spirits, she lightly slapped the back of his head.

Aunt Lin said, “Why are you crying on such a good day ya.”

Ning Renjie was dragged along by his wife without losing his dignity. He maintained a serious expression but discreetly started assessing me.

I felt his line of sight and couldn’t help but sit up straight.

…After all, I told him before that I was a stripper with two jj’s, so I felt a bit guilty upon meeting him in person.

Ning Xiaoyu was grieving alone and was startled by his parents who suddenly came over. He muttered, “I can’t bear to see my meimei getting married.”

Just when I thought Aunt Lin was going to slap him again, she gently patted his head instead.

Despite the vigorous rubbing, Ning Xiaoyu’s glossy hair, fixed with gel, remained firm.

Aunt Lin said, “Qu ah, what era is it now? It’s not like your sister is being sold to the Song family. What is there for you to be so reluctant about? Your thinking is not right.”

“We should be happy for her ya.”

Aunt Lin spoke very gently and treated Ning Xiaoyu in his twenties as if coaxing a child.

Ning Xiaoyu: “Mommy…”

Blergh.

I understand now. He isn’t just a crybaby; he’s also a mama’s boy and sister complex.

I’m afraid that his previous unconventional behavior was simply due to being overly spoiled by Aunt Lin.

Subconsciously, I touched Ning Yiheng’s fingers. My Ning Yiheng always internalized his pain and rarely complained. He’s completely unlike Ning Xiaoyu, who grew up in a loving environment.

Ning Yiheng pushed away my fingers and, under Ning Renjie’s gaze, he asserted his dominance by wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

Ning Yiheng said, “Dad, this is Cheng Huaixiu.”

Ning Renjie responded with a simple “Hmm.”

When the father and son spoke, the air pressure seemed to be a lot lower.

Aunt Lin smiled and said, “Xiu Xiu is very cute.”

I replied shyly, “Thank you, Aunti.”

Ning Renjie uttered, “Cheng Huaixiu.”

That single sound transported me back to being called out by a teacher in high school. I promptly responded, “Yes, Uncle, hello, I am Cheng Huaixiu.”

“In half an hour, I’ll have Xiao Tang send you another questionnaire,” Ning Renjie said without changing his expression, making a statement that sounded quite bizarre, “This time, don’t fill it randomly.”

The questionnaire mainly included personal information, hobbies, and opinions about family. I didn’t mind revealing this information to my father-in-law, so filling it out again didn’t bother me.

Ning Yiheng immediately refused, “I don’t want my partner to fill out these kinds of things again; it’s pointless.”

Ning Renjie said, “I need to know him.”

Ning Yiheng retorted, “Questionnaires can be fabricated, creating a person who fits your preferences is easy, but these have no real significance— If you want to know him, respecting and spending time with him is enough.”

…I was just thinking about writing something nice to please my father-in-law.

I also wanted to say I didn’t mind, but Ning Yiheng’s stance was so firm that I couldn’t voice it.

Ning Renjie said, “… He won’t lie.”

“I know he won’t lie to you,” Ning Yiheng replied, “but I refuse to let you measure my partner in this way.”

Ning Yiheng trusted me so much, I was so touched.

Such words made me feel guilty.

Seeing that the father and son were about to quarrel, Aunt Lin’s smile froze on her face.

Aunt Lin pushed Ning Renjie’s hand away and whispered, “Ning Renjie, if you want to argue, do it outside. Don’t sour the atmosphere at my daughter’s wedding.”

Ning Renjie: …

Aunt Lin added, “It’s okay, Nian Nian. If your dad doesn’t catch the mood, I’ll kick him out myself.”

It turned out that Aunt Lin talking to Ning Yiheng was also like coaxing a child.

It’s hard to imagine how someone so gentle now could have teased Ning Yiheng to the point of tears when she was younger.

Ning Renji: “I didn’t…”

Aunt Lin continued, lost in her thoughts, “When we first met, you asked me to fill out a questionnaire. And when Mumu was dating, you even had Xiao Song fill out a questionnaire. What’s the point of all that writing? I even wrote that I was introverted! Yet, here we are, spending over half a lifetime together—”

Ning Renjie replied, “…I didn’t sour the atmosphere.”

Ning Xiaoyu immediately joined the fray, “You1Polite form was used. can’t be mean to my mom!”

After being chastised by his son and then by Aunt Lin, I had no chance to interject.

Father-in-law had unique preferences; despite being a CEO type, he didn’t talk about chicken soup or claim to be indifferent to money; instead, he enjoyed making others fill out surveys.

Aunt Lin said, “Forget it, I won’t argue with you, and don’t send any more questionnaires to Xiu Xiu.”

Ning Renjie added, “I didn’t intend to argue.”

Aunt Lin shook off his hand, gracefully swirled her tall glass, and turned to leave, saying, “I’m going to toast with Mumu. You stay wherever you feel comfortable.”

Ning Renjie: …

Ning Renjie: “Forget it.”

“But Ning Yiheng, I haven’t agreed to you dating men yet.”

This statement hit like a bolt from the blue, chilling my heart halfway through.

I had thought that at least Ning Renjie’s request for a survey indicated some form of approval from him…

“I don’t need your approval,” Ning Yiheng asserted firmly, his fingers wrapped around my shoulder tightening gradually. “This is my own decision.”

“I not only want to date him, but I also want to spend my life with him.”

Jie Jie: Sorry, I got busy this week so I wasn’t able to update.

Anyway, main story ends at Chapter 54 then 6 extras :blobblush: