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"What are you doing?" Chen Rui looked at Li Xue in confusion, though he had already guessed her thoughts. This outfit should also be in Chen Zijing's wardrobe, and it was a custom-made match.
"Why do you care?" Li Xue said, looking at the photo she had just taken, clearly pleased. She smiled as she put her phone away and stared at Chen Rui, hesitating before asking, "Isn't wearing a tie like this a bit disrespectful to the newlyweds?"
Chen Rui decisively loosened his tie. "Definitely! Have you ever seen anyone wear a tie to a wedding? And especially one that's so loose and sloppy!"
Li Xue pouted in displeasure. "It matched so well! Hmph! I'll let you off this time, but next time you have to do as I say."
"Sure, sure!" Chen Rui chuckled wryly as he glanced at Li Xue. "But don't you think wearing such bright colors to the wedding might steal the spotlight?"
Li Xue wrapped her arm around Chen Rui's and laughed as they walked toward the changing room. "It doesn't matter. According to their wedding decor, both the groom and bride will be dressed in white, and so will the groomsmen and bridesmaids. So we don't need to worry about standing out; no one will even notice us."
"That's right. After all, we're just friends of one side; being invited is already an honor. If we draw too much attention at the wedding, that would be a real shame!" Chen Rui picked up the trench coat and blocked Li Xue at the door with his arm. "I need to change now; please wait a moment."
"Hmph! How dare you make me wait! Someone, come in!" Li Xue laughed and was about to rush into the changing room, completely unconcerned about Chen Rui's awkwardness.
Seeing that Li Xue was genuinely going to barge in, Chen Rui quickly said in a gentle tone, "Wait! Just wait a moment! I can't get this outfit dirty; what will I do if I ruin it?"
Li Xue thought for a moment and stepped back from the changing room. "Hmph! I know how careless you can be; it's really possible for you to get this outfit dirty. Hurry up! If you're slower than me, hmph!"
Finally closing the changing room door, Chen Rui leaned against it and took a deep breath but quickly began to remove his casual suit jacket.
Since it was a fitted suit jacket with a shirt underneath, it was quite snug. This made changing difficult; trying to switch back into his previous outfit before Li Xue would be quite a challenge.
After finally putting on his original trench coat and shirt again, Chen Rui carefully placed the expensive-looking suit into a bag and stepped out of the changing room.
As expected, Li Xue was already waiting outside for him. Chen Rui smiled awkwardly as he slowly walked over to her.
Li Xue shot him a resentful glance but didn’t complain; instead, she wrapped her arm around his as they headed toward the store's entrance.
The attendant opened the door and slightly bowed as they left.
Stepping onto the street, the chilly wind crept into their collars, making it feel far less comfortable than inside the store.
"Are you satisfied now?" Chen Rui glanced at the cheerful Li Xue beside him and smiled slightly. He then looked at the time displayed on his phone screen and was suddenly shocked.
It had already been an hour and a half since they entered the store. During this time, they had only tried on some clothes, exchanged a few words, and played around for a bit, yet time had passed so quickly.
"Not yet, this is just the beginning," Li Xue said with a smile. "The rest of the time has been scheduled for you. We still need to pick up your shoes, do your hair, and get a facial..."
Li Xue began to recall her meticulously planned itinerary, which made Chen Rui beside her feel a headache coming on.
It seemed like they would be busy until evening again... Chen Rui thought with a wry smile as he rubbed his forehead.
The custom-made shoes and outfits were indeed a perfect match and were handcrafted. Chen Rui's shoes were a pair of beige low-top canvas sneakers that looked particularly youthful and vibrant when paired with his outfit. Li Xue's were beige high-heeled Roman sandals, and the blue fitted dress she wore complemented them beautifully, making her appear mature and beautiful while still retaining her unique innocence and charm.
Chen Rui glanced at Li Xue and couldn't help but think that every woman was born a fashion designer, at least far better than men when it came to selecting suitable, attractive clothing without losing the essence.
Li Xue had not overlooked any accessories; she had prepared watches, necklaces, and even rings.
As Chen Rui watched Li Xue slide a diamond ring onto her left middle finger, he smiled as he placed another matching ring onto his own left middle finger.
"Hey!" Chen Rui couldn't help but exclaim. When he bought the rings initially, he had only purchased one. The matching ring that Li Xue had managed to acquire must have taken quite some effort.
Wait, there was another possibility: when Qin Xin bought the rings, she might have purchased a pair but only brought out one of the women's rings while temporarily hiding the matching one to give it to Li Xue later.
Goodness, he realized he had been completely deceived by this group all along and was only now discovering the truth.
While Chen Rui was lost in thought, the platinum ring set with a diamond was already on his left middle finger. When he came back to reality, he was met with Li Xue's radiant smile.
Chen Rui wanted to say something but seeing Li Xue's expression made it hard for him to voice his thoughts; he could only silently let her enjoy her happiness.
A silver watch was placed on Chen Rui's left wrist. The simple silver dial paired with a black leather strap made the watch seem understated, yet the "A. Lange & Söhne" engraving on the dial clearly indicated that its price would not be less than six figures in Renminbi.
Suddenly, Chen Rui felt an immense weight on his shoulders; the happier Li Xue smiled, the more guilt he felt.
He wasn't him! She wasn't her! He wasn't the one she loved!!!
Chen Rui could no longer accept this happiness that should belong to Chen Zijing. He also couldn't accept that he was starting to develop feelings for Li Xue. Most importantly, he couldn't accept that Li Xue would come to love him as if he were Chen Zijing!
But Chen Rui just couldn't bring himself to be harsh and tell Li Xue that she was not him! Because the Li Xue in front of him was so happy!
"Calm down!" Chen Rui warned himself in his heart. After Li Xue was happy, he had to make her see the truth.
It wasn't that Chen Rui disliked being taken care of; on the contrary, he believed that a man who could enjoy such treatment had personal value rooted in his male charm. Therefore, he thought there was nothing shameful about it, or perhaps he didn't even have that concept.
However, Chen Rui could not accept this love that should belong to someone else!
Was he just a substitute? What kind of situation was this!!!
The entire afternoon, Chen Rui pondered over this issue with a heavy heart, while Li Xue remained immersed in joy. They spent time grooming their hair and doing facial treatments until Chen Rui stood in front of the full-length mirror and snapped back to reality...
"What?!" Looking at himself in the mirror, Chen Rui felt as if he had returned to five years ago, around a year after graduating from college. He carried a hint of the world’s experience but hadn’t lost the simplicity and youthfulness of his student days. The perfect blend of maturity and innocence harmonized beautifully within him. Even the beautician standing nearby was captivated by Chen Rui's unique charm.
"See! This is you!" Li Xue laughed as she playfully pinched Chen Rui's cheek, not using much force, which instantly brightened his previously gloomy mood.
"Whatever, later!" Chen Rui thought to himself, smiling as he began to playfully tease Li Xue.
When Chen Rui came back to his senses, he realized that the entire afternoon had passed without him noticing. The colors outside had gradually turned golden, and the empty clouds were painted with the golden glow of the setting sun.
"What's wrong?" Li Xue leaned against Chen Rui's arm and asked with a light laugh. She had been smiling non-stop all afternoon, and Chen Rui genuinely worried that her muscles might start to ache from all the laughter.
"Nothing much. Let's go home."
"Okay."
At Chen Rui's place:
"Why did you follow me?" Chen Rui leaned against the door, weakly asking while rubbing his forehead.
Li Xue feigned confusion. "You're going home, so I just followed you back, right?"
"What I mean is: we should go our separate ways!" Chen Rui shot her a glance. He really didn't dare let her stay overnight. If Li Li found out that his precious sister was staying at his place, who knew what kind of trouble would arise! At that point, he wouldn't even be able to run away!
"Yes! I'm home!" Li Xue exclaimed with a smile as she plopped down onto the sofa bed, looking at Chen Rui with that very expression.
Chen Rui shook his head helplessly and said with a wry smile, "The food I make isn't nearly as good as what your brother makes, and the ingredients aren't even in the same league."
"It doesn't matter! I just want to eat what you make."
Because of Li Xue, Chen Rui's cooking speed was nearly halved compared to usual. He carefully added seasonings one by one, afraid that if he made it too flavorful, Li Xue wouldn't like it.
After finally managing to bring three dishes to the living room table, Li Xue complained that the food was too bland.
Great! She's got quite a taste for strong flavors!
"Hurry up and eat! After we finish, we need to shower and sleep! We have to get to Liang Yu's mother's house before nine tomorrow! Considering travel and washing up time, we need to get up around seven!" Li Xue said seriously, putting away her smile.
Chen Rui swallowed his mouthful of rice and looked at Li Xue in confusion. "Why? Aren't we guests supposed to go directly to the hotel at noon? Going to Liang Yu's family is a matter for her relatives; what do we have to do with it?"
Li Xue pulled out her phone and opened the chat history with Liang Yu. "Look! She invited us over to help them out. It seems that Wang Zhongshuai has gathered a bunch of guys ready to wrap things up quickly! Liang Yu's family is short-handed and worried they won't be able to handle it."
Chen Rui thought silently that it wasn't so much about not being able to handle it but rather about the groom's side not being sincere enough! He tossed another bite of rice into his mouth and sighed; it seemed tomorrow would be chaotic again.
"Well, it's not so bad. There aren't many people these days who still play the bride-snatching game. It’ll be good to go and have some fun," Chen Rui thought to himself.
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