Chapter 224: Losing the Smile

Chapter 224: The Missing Smile

The guards taking care of Zhang Kaiyuan were thrilled.

"That's wonderful!"

The guards were now very friendly toward Song Guangjing and Ye Xiaoxiao.

His recovery made them even happier than Zhang Kaiyuan himself.

Ye Xiaoxiao said to Song Guangjing, "*Shifu*, are you available tomorrow? Lu Hanchuan and I have arranged for both families to get together for a meal the day after. We’d love for you to join us."

There weren’t many elders Ye Xiaoxiao respected, but Song Guangjing was definitely one of them—he had done so much for her.

Song Guangjing: "Oh? Getting married?"

Ye Xiaoxiao covered her face: "Not so fast, *Shifu*! But since my parents are here, we thought it’d be good for everyone to meet."

Song Guangjing: "Alright, my schedule’s open."

Ye Xiaoxiao told Miao Cuifang and Ye Jianguo about it, and both got nervous.

"Xiao Xiao, we won’t know what to say..."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Mom, just relax and enjoy the food. And don’t be nervous—be yourselves."

Miao Cuifang: "No way! We can’t embarrass you. Old Ye, come on, let’s pick out some nice outfits."

She usually didn’t care about appearances, but Miao Cuifang was really nervous now.

Luckily, Ye Xiaoxiao had already bought them several new sets of clothes, so no extra preparation was needed.

Ye Jianguo stood up, clearly nervous as well.

...

Meanwhile, the wedding at the Beijing Grand Hotel had just ended.

Because of the earlier commotion, Xu Jianwen and Hao Yanyan felt the tension when they made their entrance.

Hao Yanyan wore a custom-made gauze dress, a far cry from the traditional red wedding attire.

But no matter how beautiful the bride and groom looked, no one was paying attention.

Concerned about the elderly’s stamina, Xu Jianwen’s grandparents showed up just before the banquet began.

As soon as the Xu family’s grandmother arrived, she started looking for Xu Jianli. The family couldn’t bring themselves to tell her the truth and quickly covered for him.

Xu Xia sat beside the old lady. "Jianli went out with his cousin. The kids have been busy all day—they don’t need to stay here the whole time."

Only then did the grandmother stop asking.

When Hao Yanyan walked down the aisle, the old lady frowned again.

"Why is she wearing white? It’s not very cheerful."

Xu Xia didn’t mind. "Young people like this these days. It’s called a wedding dress."

The grandmother still wasn’t pleased.

But she didn't say anything more, just didn’t like what she saw.

The next part of the ceremony was the newlyweds' toast. Hao Yanyan didn't see Ye Xiaoxiao and thought she hadn't come.

She whispered to He Qiaoxiang.

"Mom, is Xiao Xiao not here?"

He Qiaoxiang pursed her lips, "She came. Your dad even went to see her."

Hao Yanyan: At least she showed up. Even though we didn't speak face to face, her being here means we're good now.

He Qiaoxiang had also heard about the earlier fight but didn't know the specifics.

She just thought the Xu family had no manners. If the matter hadn't been resolved quickly, the wedding would have been ruined.

He Qiaoxiang asked, "Your dad mentioned you gave money to the Ye family. What's going on with that? Did you do this?"

Hao Yanyan's face fell. Ye Xiaoxiao had actually revealed this.

What else does she know?

Did Ye Xiaoxiao know everything?

With Ye Jianguo and Miao Cuifang's character, Hao Yanyan didn't think they would talk, but Ye Changning was unpredictable.

Ye Changning's appearance had come out of nowhere, and such an accident had led to these consequences.

Seeing Hao Yanyan's flustered look, He Qiaoxiang let it drop.

"Alright, we'll talk about this at home. Go make your rounds with the elders."

Many from the Zhao and Hao families were unfamiliar to Hao Yanyan, so He Qiaoxiang had to lead her around for the toasts.

"So this is Yan Yan. Qiaoxiang, while getting your daughter back is good for the family, you'd better raise her right. Make sure she doesn't become ungrateful."

He Qiaoxiang's face darkened. "Sister-in-law, worry about your own children. Jingxuan and Jinghong aren't exactly prize children themselves."

The sister-in-law immediately got defensive. "Hmph, even if my children occasionally misbehave, they're still good kids. At least they didn't exclude their adoptive parents from their wedding."

As the sister-in-law kept going, Hao Yanyan couldn't even fake a smile.

Only when Xu Jianwen came to toast did the sister-in-law finally shut up.

He Qiaoxiang's brother told his wife off half-heartedly, but his tone wasn't stern.

He Qiaoxiang glared, visibly pissed.

It was obvious this family had their own agendas.

Zhao Hongxia was too worried to focus on her youngest son.

Xu Jianwen had just learned about Jianli and Huang Zhi's fight sending them to the hospital, he looked pissed.

Hao Yanyan's smile was stiff after everything that happened.

When the cameras came to film, everyone was repeatedly told to smile, but it still looked forced—it looked like the newlyweds were reluctant and their families disapproving.

When they finally got through the reception, Zhao Hongxia and Xu Guochang immediately went to the hospital.

Hao Yanyan and Xu Jianwen still had to bid farewell to the guests, but their minds were elsewhere.

Hao Yanyan asked, "Is Jianli alright?"

Xu Jianwen: "He's fine. His asthma is a long-standing issue. This time, he lost his temper fighting Huang Zhi. Luckily, Xiao Xiao was there—my mom was in shock at the time."

Hao Yanyan bit her lip.

"Xiao Xiao left early. Does she not want to wish us well?"

Xu Jianwen said flatly, "With what happened at the wedding, quite a few people left early. Besides, Xiao Xiao had a medical kit with her—she must’ve had other things to do."

Hao Yanyan could only manage an awkward smile.

She had already prepared an explanation, but Xu Jianwen didn’t ask about the rumors circulating at the wedding today.

Hao Yanyan was now ready to confess, but no one gave her an opening, so she had no choice but to keep it hidden.

It felt like sitting on a time bomb, unsure when it would explode.

Deng Xuefeng bid farewell to Xu Jianwen at the restaurant entrance. "Jianwen, I’m sorry about what happened today. Huang Zhi spoke out of line, and that’s why Jianli reacted."

Though Deng Xuefeng might’ve been a playboy, compared to certain scoundrels, he wasn’t a bad guy.

Xu Jianwen asked darkly, "Where’s Huang Zhi?"

Deng Xuefeng: "He’s too ashamed to show his face now. He’ll probably come to apologize to you in person tomorrow."

Xu Jianwen wasn’t exactly eager to accept his apology.

Only after seeing off all the guests did Xu Jianwen and Hao Yanyan finally take a car home.

When they got back, they didn’t even have a moment to reconnect—they were so exhausted they passed out immediately.

The next day, the two first went home to check on Xu Jianli.

By the time Xu Jianli went to the hospital, he was already fine. The doctor prescribed some standard asthma medication and told him to take it easy at home.