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The next events unfolded more smoothly. After a large group of people boarded the vehicles, the convoy began its journey to the groom's home. However, since Wang Zhongshuai was not a local, they temporarily considered the new house as his residence.
At this time, it was just past nine o'clock, and the peak traffic had not yet fully subsided, so the convoy moved slowly along the road.
Li Xue leaned against the window, gazing at the sea of cars outside. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly as her finely shaped nose twitched. "When I get married, I need to choose a better time; it can't be as congested as it is now."
Chen Rui almost chuckled and remarked that Beijing was always congested, but then he suddenly thought of Li Li. Given his methods, he would probably just use a helicopter instead of a car by then—now that would definitely avoid any traffic.
The convoy slowly made its way into the district, where a residential building was adorned with a laid-out carpet and balloons. A crowd stood on either side of the carpet, waiting for the arrival of the convoy.
The Flower Car came to a stop beside the red carpet. A groomsman quickly got out and opened the back door of the Flower Car. Wang Zhongshuai carried Liang Yu onto the bright red carpet, and cheers erupted from both sides. Streamers shot into the air and danced in the wind.
Wang Zhongshuai carried Liang Yu all the way into the house. Apart from close relatives and close friends, others were not allowed inside. Chen Rui and Li Xue naturally fell into this category; however, due to Li Xue's special status, the newlyweds insisted on inviting her inside.
The interior was simply decorated, reminiscent of an ordinary house from the late twentieth century, yet it exuded a spacious and relaxed atmosphere.
Liang Yu descended from Wang Zhongshuai's arms and slightly bowed her head to take tea prepared by one of the bridesmaids. With a bright smile, she presented tea to Wang Zhongshuai's parents.
The Royal Elders beamed with joy; their eldest son—Wang Shi (Lion Brother)—was quite dull. After all these years, he still didn't have a steady girlfriend! No, not even a fixed girlfriend! It was their second son who had succeeded in bringing home such a beautiful and virtuous daughter-in-law.
After some brief exchanges, everyone began to shift locations and headed towards the hotel.
Chen Rui glanced at his watch; it was just ten o'clock. They were heading to the hotel now to prepare for the wedding venue. Most people standing around were relatives or close friends; once they reached the hotel, they certainly wouldn't just stand around. This left Chen Rui and Li Xue feeling somewhat awkward.
Li Xue seemed oblivious to this issue as she smiled and walked outside with Liang Yu. Chen Rui hurriedly caught up with Li Xue and patted her shoulder. She turned to look at him, only to see Chen Rui wink at her.
Liang Yu turned back along with Li Xue and inadvertently noticed Chen Rui's gesture. She immediately understood his intentions and smiled gently. "Chen Team Leader, Liang Jie, there's something I need your help with."
Chen Rui looked at Liang Yu with relief. It had been a few days since he last saw her, and the girl had become much more adept at navigating social situations. She understood the intricacies of human relationships and even helped him find a way out. "Be straightforward; if it's within your ability, don't hesitate."
"There's no need to be so serious. It's just a small matter. Since most of the Red Envelopes that Wang Zhongshuai prepared have been taken by you, could you two help buy some more? After all, there will be quite a few kids coming later, and we can't let them leave empty-handed. Today is my wedding day; we want to create a festive atmosphere," Liang Yu said with a light laugh, her eyes carrying a hint of reproach.
"You were the one who asked me to hold the fort back then. Now that I've done it, you're blaming me?" Chen Rui thought to himself with a bitter smile and nodded. "No problem. We'll head to the hotel to meet you later. The Red Envelopes can be quickly prepared in the back."
Liang Yu smiled and bowed slightly. "Thank you for your help."
As Chen Rui watched Liang Yu and Wang Zhongshuai board the Flower Car, he quickly grabbed Li Xue, who was about to get on as well, shaking his head at her. "We're going to buy Red Envelopes, so we won't be going with them at nine. We'll go after eleven."
"Why not?" Li Xue clearly hadn't caught on yet but was forcibly pulled along by Chen Rui as they walked out of the area.
After considering their location and the distance to the hotel, Chen Rui sighed. "Should we take a taxi or call for one? Walking probably won't get us there in time."
Li Xue was still pondering why Chen Rui had stopped her earlier and casually replied, "Let's take a taxi!"
Chen Rui hailed a cab, and they both got in while Li Xue continued to think about that dull question.
Chen Rui wasn't sure where to buy Red Envelopes; such items were typically sold only around the New Year in larger cities. So he asked the driver, "Excuse me, do you know if there's a Wedding Supplies Store near Jian Guo Hotel?"
The driver glanced at Chen Rui through the rearview mirror. "Is it for a friend's wedding?"
Chen Rui nodded eagerly. "Yes! The wedding is at Jian Guo Hotel!"
The driver didn't say much more; he nodded and started driving toward Jian Guo Hotel.
"Wow! You knew and didn't tell me!" Li Xue finally realized why Chen Rui had pulled her back, but then she noticed that she was actually in a taxi. "Why are we taking a taxi? I could have called for one myself!"
Chen Rui smiled wryly but didn't respond. The driver glanced at Li Xue through the rearview mirror and chuckled, "Miss, whether you hail a cab or call one from Uber, you're still going to the same place, right? Do you really need to spend extra money just to ride in a Mercedes or BMW? Besides, you're in a hurry to get to the restaurant. Who knows how long it would take for those private cars to arrive after accepting a ride?"
Li Xue realized that the driver misunderstood her intention. She shrugged helplessly and replied in her own way, "It's pretty much the same; it's just a habit."
The driver slowed down and took a closer look at Chen Rui and Li Xue's attire through the rearview mirror. "I know young people these days can earn money and aren't too concerned about spending it. But as the saying goes, if you can save a little, then do so. You never know, saving for a few years might just get you a luxury car. Then you won't have to stand by the road waiting for taxis or other private cars."
Chen Rui shook his head with a smile, knowing that the kind-hearted driver had completely misunderstood Li Xue's meaning. However, he remained silent because he was curious about how Li Xue would react.
Li Xue nodded with a smile. "You're right, Master! We should indeed save some money and avoid unnecessary expenses. But some things are worth spending on; being overly frugal can come off as stingy." After saying this, Li Xue shot Chen Rui a playful glance, her eyes filled with mock reproach.
The driver laughed heartily and patted the steering wheel. "Yes, yes! I didn't expect such wisdom from someone so young. If all young people had your mindset, we would truly be in an era of prosperity!"
Amidst the laughter, the taxi soon arrived at the entrance of a Wedding Supplies Store. Chen Rui turned to Li Xue and said, "You stay here; I'll be back soon!"
Li Xue reminded him, "Buy plenty; better too much than too little!"
Chen Rui smiled wryly as he got out of the taxi and hurried into the Wedding Supplies Store. Buying red envelopes was merely an excuse; Li Xue might not know it, but Chen Rui had indeed seen Wang Zhongshuai send another groomsman to buy red envelopes already. And since Liang Yu was aware that Wang Zhongshuai's prepared red envelopes had been 'snatched' by Chen Rui, how could he not know that another groomsman was sent to buy more?
The only one left in the dark was Li Xue!
Chen Rui purchased a stack of large red envelopes, pulled out two from the middle, and asked the boss to wrap them in a gift box tied with red string.
The boss found it strange but complied with Chen Rui's request and handed him one of the neatly packaged gift boxes.
After paying, Chen Rui picked up the gift box and got into the taxi. The driver immediately started driving towards the nearby Jian Guo Hotel.
Chen Rui took out the two separate Red Envelopes and jokingly asked Li Xue, "You didn't prepare this, did you? You think you’re so well-prepared! I see a lot of flaws!"
Li Xue looked at the Red Envelopes and playfully stuck out her tongue. "I forgot! It's my fault, right? But it’s also your fault! You never reminded me from the beginning!"
Chen Rui was taken aback by Li Xue's shamelessness. How could she blame him for not reminding her when she had been so focused on her own preparations that she hadn’t considered anything else? If it weren't for the fact that he needed to buy Red Envelopes, it would have been truly awkward when they arrived at the hotel!
With a wry smile, Chen Rui shook his head and pulled out his wallet to check how much cash he had left. He knew that someone like Li Xue usually relied on credit cards or online payments when going out, so she wouldn’t carry much cash. However, something like a Red Envelope couldn’t be replaced with online payment.
"Why do you have two Red Envelopes?" Li Xue snatched one of the Red Envelopes and stuffed it into her handbag. Then she took out a pen from her bag and wrote a blessing on the back of the other Red Envelope: 'A talented man and a beautiful woman are rare in this world; fate has brought us together without doubt. Best friend: Chen Rui with fiancée Li Xue.'
"You..." Chen Rui stared at the last line, 'Chen Rui with fiancée Li Xue,' and felt his head spin. When did we get engaged?
Li Xue glanced at Chen Rui as if to ask if he had any objections. She continued rummaging through her handbag until she pulled out a checkbook. Using the pen, she wrote 'Ninety-Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety-Nine Yuan' in capital letters after the amount line, then signed her name in the designated area below, stamped it with her personal seal, and placed it inside the Red Envelope before handing it to Chen Rui with a smile. "Use this later."
Chen Rui silently tucked his money clip away. He had completely forgotten that checks existed in this world, and there was no way Li Xue would only put a few hundred yuan in the Red Envelope.
The taxi dropped them off at the entrance of Jian Guo Hotel. Chen Rui checked his watch; it was only ten forty. Even if the wedding car fleet arrived quickly, it would still take about twenty minutes or so, and they hadn’t even finished setting up outside yet—the groom and bride hadn’t come out to greet guests.
"It seems we arrived too early!" Chen Rui thought to himself.
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