Chapter 686: A Million Times for You (48)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Tuoba Gucheng casually glanced with longing at the woman beside him.
An Xiaoning felt a little disturbed by the way he was looking at her.
Nonetheless, she took the initiative to greet him politely, “Greetings, Mr. President.”
“Hello, Ms. An.”
An Xiaoning planned to put an end to their conversation right then and there.
However, he clearly planned otherwise. How could he possibly give up the chance to have a conversation with her openly?
Noticing that An Xiaoning was engrossed in watching the newlyweds exchange their vows, Tuoba Gucheng asked softly, “Are you thinking of getting married too?”
“No, I’m sick and tired of marriage. I don’t have plans to get married again in the future.”
“Oh?”
“Are you doubting my words, Your Majesty?”
“I believe you, of course. Because you were the one who said it,” he answered softly, so softly that they were the only ones who could hear it.
She suddenly recalled the text message she received from him that night.
“I’m missing you already.”
An Xiaoning felt nothing but fear the moment she read the message.
In fact, it made her feel extremely ill at ease.
She dared not reply to him and, instead, deleted the text message right away.
She was unsure if he had sent that text when he was sober or muddled up, though she hoped that he would never say anything of the sort again.
After all, it would be disadvantageous for both of them.
Yet, she could not tell him off directly and instead just hoped that he had that bit of awareness.
Somehow, images of the innocent Jiang Feng, who had died because of Tuoba Danxue, popped up in An Xiaoning’s mind when she watched Tuoba Danxue smiling blissfully in her gorgeous wedding gown.
A few days ago, she thought that Tuoba Danxue had really walked out of the trauma of Jiang Feng’s incident. However, it seemed not to be the case.
Sometimes, it’s not too bad of a thing to sugar-coat one’s sadness and misery by covering it up with smiles of happiness.
After the wedding ceremony, the guests moved off to the banquet area to enjoy the food prepared.
Apart from the newlyweds and their respective parents, everyone took their seats casually.
An Xiaoning, Gu Beicheng, and Lin Mingxi sat down together, alongside Lin Junnan and Jin Qingyan, who “tactfully” sat down opposite An Xiaoning.
Although he did not sit next to her, he constantly played footsie with her underneath the table.
During the meal, An Xiaoning constantly felt a sinister glance of malice opposite her. He reached his leg out toward her and hooked it around her leg.
She feigned ignorance and kept a straight face while continuing to enjoy the food and chatting with the other guests at the table.
Unfortunately…
Her tolerance allowed him to push his limits.
She could not tolerate it any further.
Thus, she lifted her foot and stomped her stiletto down onto his foot without hesitation.
A piercing shriek filled the air, though it did not come from Jin Qingyan.
Unlike what she had expected, it came from Gu Beicheng instead.
An Xiaoning peeked below the table, only to find that she had stepped on the wrong foot.
Gu Beicheng could feel Jin Qingyan wiggling his foot inappropriately under the table during the meal. Hence, he’d reached his foot out in an attempt to kick Jin Qingyan away, only to receive such an excruciating experience.
An Xiaoning glanced at him with a look of guilt and remorse. One can only imagine how much pain Gu Beicheng must have felt, especially since she was wearing stilettos that had sharp heels and had driven her foot down with so much force.
Lin Mingxi burst into laughter and continued to eat her food leisurely.
When Jin Minxing and Tuoba Danxue approached their table to toast to them, An Xiaoning raised her glass of liquor and said, “I wish you a blissful marriage that’ll last forever.”
“Thanks, Sis.” Jin Minxing clinked glasses with her, after which they both downed their drinks in one go.
So did everyone else at the table.
Well aware that she could not hold her liquor well, An Xiaoning refrained from drinking too much and limited her intake to just three glasses of liquor.
When the wedding banquet ended, all the guests proceeded to leave the venue. Due to the fact that she was wearing stilettos, An Xiaoning found it difficult to walk and missed a step while going down the stairs, causing her to stumble forward.
At this very moment, she was saved by two arms, which had grabbed her just in the nick of time.
One belonged to Gu Beicheng, and the other, Jin Qingyan.
An Xiaoning heaved a huge sigh of relief. She was so close to publicly embarrassing herself.
“Thanks.”
She thanked them both.
“Mind your step,” Gu Beicheng said softly.
“Yes.”
“Xiaoning,” Lin Junnan called.
She turned around calmly and asked, “What is it?”
“Father and Mother would like you to go over.”
He was referring to Commander-in-chief Jin and Madam Jin.
“Alright.”
“We shall wait for you at the hotel then,” said Lin Mingxi.
“Sure.”
An Xiaoning walked down the stairs and turned around to proceed on another path. Jin Qingyan did not stop her and, instead, watched her from afar, feeling a little upset.
Perhaps it was because he had clearly witnessed Tuoba Gucheng whispering something to her during the ceremony.
Jin Qingyan stood rooted to the ground for a while before walking away.
An Xiaoning arrived at a room where the Tuoba family and the Jin family were having a conversation. As soon as she entered, she caught sight of Tuoba Shuo, who was not present earlier during the solemnization. She reckoned that he must have arrived at a later time.
Madam Jin approached An Xiaoning while smiling and held her hand. “This is my daughter, Xiaoning. Danxue has met her before.”
Tuoba Rui shifted his gaze onto An Xiaoning.
Meanwhile, Shi Xiaoyu stared at An Xiaoning so intensely that it was as if she wished she could drill a hole through her.
An Xiaoning pretended not to notice and greeted, “Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Tuoba.”
Shi Xiaoyu’s forehead creased into a frown the moment she heard An Xiaoning’s voice, which sounded rather familiar to her.
“You must be the legendary Ms. An. You’re really beautiful. Although we’ve never met previously, I’ve heard about you several times before. I heard that you were precise and accurate with your fortune-telling. Is that true?” said Shi Xiaoyu.
“I do know a thing or two about fortune-telling,” An Xiaoning answered softly.
“You’re being too modest, Ms. An. Hurry and have a seat,” said Shi Xiaoyu, motioning for her to sit down.
An Xiaoning sat down together with Madam Jin, facing Tuoba Gucheng, Lin Shishi, and the newlyweds.
“How old are you this year, Ms. An?” Shi Xiaoyu asked.
“Thirty years old.”
Shi Xiaoyu burst into peculiar and bizarre laughter that was rather hair-raising. “You look so young, though.”
“Madam, you look very youthful too,” An Xiaoning said to patronize her.
“I heard you’re still single now. Do you need me to introduce you to some handsome and outstanding young chaps?”
Tuoba Rui shot her a glance, seemingly trying to tell her to watch her mouth.
Madam Jin tactfully avoided the topic and said, “Madam, Old Jin and I have already set Xiaoning up with a prospective partner a while ago. He’s a young Major and an eligible bachelor. They’re in the midst of dating and getting to know each other better.”
Tuoba Gucheng looked at the ground abruptly upon hearing her words.
“Oh, so he’s a military officer. Sounds like a good catch. Ms. An, I know you have three sets of godparents, but do you still keep in touch with your adoptive parents?”
An Xiaoning was peeved. Why is Shi Xiaoyu asking when she obviously knows the answer? Since she’s asking, I shall answer her, then.
At the same time, she decided to let her biological father learn about how Shi Xiaoyu had dumped her outside the palace.
He would have never expected that Shi Xiaoyu had left me to fend for myself, would he?