Wen Jiao didn’t drink alcohol; Shen Zhaoli had replaced her baijiu with flat Sprite, and though Wen Jiao tasted the sweetness in her mouth, watching her father Wen Yongwei’s deeply emotional expression brought out a bitterness in reflection.
"Dad... don’t cry, isn’t my getting married a happy occasion?" Wen Jiao’s voice choked up, she said, "Shen Zhaoli is really good, he treats me well."
Wen Yongwei nodded repeatedly, holding Wen Jiao’s hand tighter, voice quivering and tremulous, "Daddy knows, daddy knows Shen Zhaoli is sincere with you, that’s why daddy is so happy today. Jiaojiao, mutual affection is certainly good, but marrying someone who considers everything for you is also very good."
Wen Jiao’s eyes felt warm, she held back her tears, and smiled, "Dad, don’t worry, Shen Zhaoli and I will be happy, I’m not a child anymore, I won’t do anything foolish."
Wen Yongwei’s smile grew more genuine, but his reddening eyes made him look more heartbroken.
"Our Jiaojiao is actually getting married, daddy always thought, Jiaojiao was still the little one cooing in daddy’s arms." Wen Yongwei reflected deeply as he looked at Wen Jiao, smiling, "From now on, Jiaojiao will be an adult, you need to learn to stand on your own, but if something unhappy happens, you still have to remember to come home and tell daddy, you know?" ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novelꜰire.net
Wen Jiao nodded repeatedly, unable to hold back anymore, tears flowed down as Wen Yongwei spoke.
"Dad! I know, don’t worry, I will often come home to see you, you will always be the person I love the most."
Father and daughter reached into each other’s hearts, thus they sobbed together amidst the wedding banquet.
Shen Zhaoli, who was originally talking with a few guests, saw his wife crying from a distance, his gaze complex.
The guests also saw it, joking with a laugh, "Miss Wen is still like a child."
"Yes, for so many years, Miss Wen has always been with Mr. Wen alone, now getting married, she must find it hard to leave."
"She doesn’t need to find it hard to leave." Shen Zhaoli lightly said.
The two guests speaking were stunned for a moment, unsure of Shen Zhaoli’s attitude.
In this marriage, Wen Jiao is indeed marrying up.
Although Shen Zhaoli spent a lot of effort on this wedding, such a match where status doesn’t align, with the groom being two years younger than the bride, inevitably makes people hesitant.
"Mr. Shen means... when a man reaches the proper age he should marry, when a woman reaches the proper age she should marry too, we still need to learn to let go..."
Shen Zhaoli’s expression was calm, he smiled lightly, his voice was even more peaceful, "She doesn’t need to find it hard to leave because, I’m moving to the Wen Family."
"Ah?" Not only the previously speaking guests, but even the others looked at Shen Zhaoli in surprise.
Shen Zhaoli downed the drink in his glass, he said, "Didn’t you know? I’m marrying into her family."
The guests were stunned, watching Shen Zhaoli walk towards Wen Jiao, none of them reacted.
It was absolutely fantastically unexpected.
Marrying into the family...
The young master of the Shen Family... marrying into an ordinary Wen Family.
But Shen Zhaoli’s words were serious, with no hint of jest.
Everyone watched Shen Zhaoli walk away, their gazes filled with complex shock.
Wen Jiao was still crying in Wen Yongwei’s arms, but when she saw Shen Zhaoli coming from afar, she realized her loss of composure and silently let go of her father, standing steady.
Wen Yongwei sobered up quite a bit, following Wen Jiao’s gaze, he saw Shen Zhaoli approaching.
"Zhaoli..." Wen Yongwei chuckled, his tone apologetic, "I really... just started talking about the heartache and couldn’t help but hold my daughter and weep. I’ve lost my composure."
"Father, you are too serious." Shen Zhaoli smiled beautifully, and his words were even more beautiful, "It’s only natural for you, having played both the roles of father and mother, to find it hard to let go after raising Wen Jiao all by yourself."
Hearing Shen Zhaoli say this, Wen Yongwei felt much relieved. He said with a smile, "Zhaoli, knowing how considerate you are, I feel very confident entrusting Jiaojiao to you."
"We are all one family, and will be living together from now on. Father, it’s really unnecessary to say such things."
Wen Jiao, who had just cried off all her makeup, was wiping her face with a tissue. Hearing Shen Zhaoli’s words, she looked surprised, "Live together?"
"That’s right, originally I wanted to bring you and Wen Jiao to my place, but seeing how reluctant you were to part with each other, I didn’t want to be the bad guy. How about I move in with the Wen Family instead?"
Wen Yongwei’s booze entirely sobered up as he suddenly coughed and covered his mouth, "You... what did you just say you were going to do?"
"I’m thinking of moving to live with you and Wen Jiao; you don’t mind, do you?"
"Of course I don’t mind, but if this gets out, your reputation might suffer," Wen Yongwei said gravely, "You young people don’t understand, living at the wife’s house after marriage can lead to misunderstandings."
"It’s already misunderstood."
Wen Jiao frowned, looking at Shen Zhaoli’s calm face, "Already?"
"I told them that I am married into the family," Shen Zhaoli said it as such.
The confusion on Wen Jiao’s face slowly turned into astonishment.
She once had a love in her youth that she could never attain, so after losing that person, Wen Jiao thought she would find it hard to feel deeply for anyone else.
But at this moment, watching Shen Zhaoli’s casual smile and chewing over his words again and again, she unexpectedly felt a long-lost warmth.
The night in Xiangjiang grew ever cooler.
Wen Jiao sat in the car, seeing Shen Zhaoli’s subordinate moving his luggage out of the villa.
"Are you sure you want to really come and live with me at my place?" Wen Jiao looked at Shen Zhaoli, who was pretending to nap beside her.
He had had a bit to drink, a faint alcoholic fragrance lingering around him—a seductively mild intoxication.
Wen Jiao watched him, her heart in turmoil, "What are you thinking? Moving out with me, don’t you need to think it over?"
Shen Zhaoli finally opened his eyes, his expression weary but with a carefree smile, "Think about what?"
"About whether moving might make people think less of you," Wen Jiao pursed her lips, speaking softly, "You moving to my place means my dad can see me every day, he’s naturally happy, but you..."
"Wen Jiao." He suddenly called her.
Wen Jiao was startled, "What?"
"I..." Wen Jiao couldn’t say the words she didn’t mean, "I’m happy."
"As long as you’re happy." Shen Zhaoli held Wen Jiao’s hand to his forehead, "I’m drunk, and my head really hurts; rub it for me."
"Die of pain, why did you drink so much!" she said this, yet her hand movements were gentle.
"I’m happy today." Shen Zhaoli smiled, gazing at Wen Jiao’s fair face and gently caressing it, "I’ve already made you marry someone you don’t love, I can’t ask for more and keep you tied to me too, right? Wen Jiao, I meant every word I said to you before; the joys and sorrows matter to me more than anything else."