Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/

Chapter 30: Surprise

Song Xian didn’t reply to Jiang Liuyi. She was rushing through a shoot, and when the model struck her pose, Song Xian frowned, walking over to adjust the model’s hair and angle herself. The model was fully cooperative—everyone in the industry had heard about how Man Tong’s last issue shattered sales records. 

Now everyone wanted to work with Man Tong, especially since Song Xian’s photography was known for its unbeatable angles and flawless compositions. There wasn’t a bad side to be found in her work, which made people eager to collaborate with her.

With the model being so obedient, Song Xian could finally relax a little. She worked with a serious, focused air and had no time to respond to Jiang Liuyi.

Jiang Liuyi waited and waited but still didn’t receive a reply. She frowned. Did that mean Song Xian didn’t like any of those styles? Based on Song Xian’s personality, what kind of aesthetic would she even prefer? Suddenly, Jiang Liuyi realized—she didn’t know much about Song Xian at all.

Back when they first met, they had each shared a little about their pasts. Song Xian had said she used to draw and now worked at a magazine. For some reason she couldn’t quite explain, Jiang Liuyi had ended up sharing her own story as well. 

They’d exchanged contact information that day, met again a few more times, and eventually, Song Xian had said they’d gotten to know each other well enough. Their conditions and temperaments were compatible. Then she’d asked: did Jiang Liuyi want to get married?

She had never even considered the idea of marriage. But when she met Song Xian’s calm eyes—serious, without a trace of jest—she froze. “Marriage?”

Song Xian nodded. “Yes, marriage.”

She’d tossed and turned all night afterward, then went with Song Xian to register the marriage.

And just as Song Xian had said, everything after that fell into place seamlessly—their habits, their rhythm of life, even their intimacy—all harmonized perfectly. Maybe it was the sheer ease of it all that made her forget to ask about Song Xian’s past.

Thinking about it now, she realized how little she actually knew about her.

Jiang Liuyi thought back to how Song Xian had known about her aversion to interviews, about her past with Yu Bai, how she’d put up with comments from Jiang Liuyi’s friends, how she’d come home with her for dinner. Song Xian understood so much about her.

And she, as a wife, had done far too little.

Jiang Liuyi let out a soft sigh and made up her mind—this wedding had to be done right. Just as she lowered her head, Zhao Yuebai sent her a message: [Wanna come out?]

She replied casually: [Not going out.]

Zhao Yuebai: [Practicing piano at the office?]

Jiang Liuyi: [At home.]

Zhao Yuebai: [Why mope around at home? Come out for a stroll. HI just stocked some new stuff—want to go check it out?]

Jiang Liuyi wasn’t interested. Most of her clothes were custom-made anyway, and she had more important matters on her mind. Thinking of that, she agreed to meet Zhao Yuebai—but invited her over instead.

Zhao Yuebai had never been to their marital home. Forget shopping—she drove over right away.

As soon as she stepped inside, she glanced around and said, “Not bad at all.”

The place was in one of the city’s most coveted locations, with convenient transport, a supermarket and playground downstairs, and even a food street nearby. The property wasn’t cheap—especially since Jiang Liuyi had opted for a fully furnished luxury unit, complete with high-end décor.

Jiang Liuyi poured her a glass of warm water and said, “Help me pick a location.”

Zhao Yuebai took a sip. “For what?”

“For the wedding.”

Pfft— Zhao Yuebai nearly spit out her water. Then she frowned at herself. Why am I reacting like this? Jiang Liuyi was married—choosing a venue for the ceremony was perfectly normal.

Get a grip!

Chiding herself inwardly, Zhao Yuebai sat beside her. “Got any in mind yet?”

Jiang Liuyi shook her head, brows furrowed. “Not yet.”

Her delicate features were taut, as if she were making a major life decision. With her already striking and defined face, the seriousness only made her look sterner. Zhao Yuebai couldn’t stand it—she set her glass down and said, “Why don’t you just ask your wife?”

Jiang Liuyi glanced at her phone. Song Xian still hadn’t replied. She wondered if Song Xian wasn’t satisfied with the locations she’d picked.

A lightbulb went off in Zhao Yuebai’s head. “Wait—are you just planning to send all these to your wife like this?”

Jiang Liuyi frowned. “What else would I do?”

Zhao Yuebai pressed her palm to her forehead, her pretty face scrunching up like she was at a loss. Jiang Liuyi looked at her. “Say it.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll say it!” Truth be told, Jiang Liuyi was actually very easy to understand—her thoughts weren’t full of layers and hidden meanings. Back when she was with Yu Bai, Zhao Yuebai had always felt Yu Bai would end up hurting her. And she had.

But this time, with someone like Song Xian—such a good wife—Zhao Yuebai felt she had to give her a push.

So she asked, “Tell me, after you registered your marriage with your wife, what did you do?”

Jiang Liuyi was confused. “Was I supposed to do something?”

“The rings—have you even bought wedding rings? What about bridal photos? A proposal? I know it was a flash marriage, but you can’t just skip everything like that! You didn’t even propose?”

Jiang Liuyi thought back. None of that had happened. They’d simply gone to register the marriage, then she bought a new apartment, and Song Xian had chipped in with a new car. That was it—their life together had just begun like that.

Zhao Yuebai shook her head. “Exactly. You struck gold, you know that? Look at you—so half-hearted about everything. If your wife didn’t actually love you, what else would she be sticking around for?”

Suddenly, Jiang Liuyi remembered what Gu Yuanyuan had said before leaving—how much Song Xian valued a sense of ritual. Yet she had done none of it.

The more she thought about it, the worse she felt. A heavy weight settled in her chest, and she fell silent.

Zhao Yuebai glanced at her and said, “Still, you two just got married. All of that can still be made up for. Aren’t you looking at wedding venues right now?”

Jiang Liuyi nodded, subdued. “Mm.”

Zhao Yuebai said, “Why don’t we start with the proposal? We could choose a proposal spot first.”

Then she turned. “By the way, where’s your wife from?”

Jiang Liuyi thought for a moment. “Next city over. Jiangcheng.”

“Jiangcheng, huh,” Zhao Yuebai said. “Lots of rich folks over there.”

Jiang Liuyi knew that well enough. Though just one city over, Jiangcheng was a whole different world—an entertainment capital that never slept, a place where many people’s dreams began. To enter that city was to step into a life of glitter and illusion, where some rose to fame overnight, while others lost everything just as fast.

Zhao Yuebai asked, “Have you ever been to her home?”

Her home? Jiang Liuyi fell silent. She really hadn’t. Song Xian had never mentioned her parents either. Was her relationship with them strained, like her own? Or was there another reason?

The more questions Zhao Yuebai asked, the more Jiang Liuyi realized—she didn’t know Song Xian at all.

She pressed her lips together. “No.”

“Then find a time and go with her. You’ve been married this long and haven’t even paid a visit? That’s not right. But then there’s your side…” She sighed. “That’s gonna be a mess.”

Hosting a wedding would inevitably mean both families sitting down for a meal together. And with the way things stood now, getting Jiang Liuyi’s parents to accept Song Xian would already be hard enough. If they made a scene at the table, it would be humiliating.

If both families ended up clashing, forget the ceremony—just avoiding a forced divorce would be lucky.

Jiang Liuyi clearly saw that possibility too. She said, “After your birthday, I’m planning to go home for a visit.”

At first, she’d only planned on going home with Song Xian for a meal. But thinking about it now, maybe she could use the opportunity to bring up the wedding as well.

Zhao Yuebai nodded, a trace of worry in her voice. “What if your parents don’t approve?”

Jiang Liuyi gave a wry smile. “When have they ever approved of anything I’ve done?”

Ever since she’d decided to learn piano, her parents had opposed every single one of her choices. They’d even kicked her out of the Jiang family, thinking she’d give in. But she’d made it through on her own. Now that she had found success, her parents had nothing to do with it.

She said, “Worst case? I leave the Jiang family again.”

Zhao Yuebai knew she was thinking back to that time. She bit her lip and said, “So what? If you leave, you leave. You’ve made it on your own. Do what you want. And Song Xian supports your career, which is rare and really wonderful.”

Parental ties were always complicated.

But in Jiang Liuyi’s case, her parents truly weren’t worth it.

Her only real concern was what might happen if her parents caused a scene at the wedding.

Jiang Liuyi was clearly thinking about that too. Her expression darkened, and her sharp features grew even more severe. Seeing it unsettled Zhao Yuebai. She quickly said, “Don’t dwell on it. Let’s talk about something happy—I’ll help you plan the proposal.”

She glanced toward the coffee table and noticed a gift bag. “What’s that?”

Jiang Liuyi glanced sideways. “Song Xian bought it.”

Zhao Yuebai’s quick hands had already snatched it up. She looked at Jiang Liuyi. “What is it? A gift for you?”

Jiang Liuyi wasn’t sure. She’d assumed it was just something Song Xian had picked up while shopping—a little souvenir. But hearing Zhao Yuebai call it a gift meant for her stirred something subtle in her heart. The irritation from earlier began to fade, and a quiet joy began to take its place. She took the bag from Zhao Yuebai and muttered, “Don’t go snooping.”

“Let’s see,” Zhao Yuebai grinned. “Bet your wife was planning to surprise you.”

Jiang Liuyi’s heart skipped a beat. A warmth crept into her cheeks. “What surprise?”

Even as she said it, she opened the bag. Inside was a red box, neat and square. She lifted the lid. Inside were a pair of matching bracelets, the kind with lucky charms. Zhao Yuebai teased, “Oh my, Song Xian’s got a thoughtful side.”

Jiang Liuyi cleared her throat and replied with mock seriousness, “She’s always been thoughtful.”

Zhao Yuebai pointed. “There’s something engraved.”

She squinted. “‘Song’?” Zhao Yuebai leaned closer. “What about yours?”

Jiang Liuyi looked at the charm on her bracelet. Engraved on it was the character Jiang.

Zhao Yuebai gave a long, amused tsk-tsk. She said, “Go on, put it on. Having a wife really is something, huh? Makes you wonder if the universe saw how hard your life’s been and decided to make it up to you with such a good one. Now you’ve got me wanting to fall in love too.”

But Jiang Liuyi wasn’t even listening. She was busy slipping the bracelet onto her wrist. It fit perfectly. The charm, cool to the touch, pressed gently against her warm skin. Sunlight from the window danced across its surface, glinting softly.

After putting it on, she snapped a picture of her hand and sent it to Song Xian. Before she could get a reply, her phone lit up with a call. She assumed it was Song Xian. But when she saw the name on the screen, she hesitated for a moment before answering.

Lin Qiushui, worn down by Yu Cai’s relentless pushing, had finally reached her limit and called Jiang Liuyi. After the usual polite small talk, she shifted the conversation. “Liuyi, I actually called because there’s something I wanted to ask you.”

Jiang Liuyi was quiet. After a few seconds, she asked, “What is it?”

Lin Qiushui licked her lips, strangely nervous. “It’s about the interview you did before. We’ve received another invitation on this side…”

She spoke slowly. Jiang Liuyi cut in, her tone cold. “From who?”

Lin Qiushui gripped the phone tightly. “Yu Cai.”

Without hesitation, Jiang Liuyi replied crisply, “Not going.”

Lin Qiushui opened her mouth to say more, but all she heard was the sharp click of the line disconnecting.