My Exclusive Dream World Adventures - Chapter 124

Chen Xu looked at the disbelief and shock in Liu Xiaoshang’s eyes and thought it might really be possible. He was somewhat impressed by his memory; to recognize someone he had met just once two months ago.

“Xiao Shang, hurry up, we’re about to leave.” A middle-aged woman urged from behind, seemingly his mother.

Liu Xiaoshang snapped out of his shock and said, “Why didn’t you say earlier that you were bringing someone? I wanted to include you in the wedding convoy, sigh, never mind, there’s no room in the car now, you should follow in your car.” Saying this, he ran back inside, grabbed a ‘happiness’ sticker, and asked him to stick it on the front of the car.

“Where are we picking up?” Chen Xu remembered that her girlfriend’s family lived quite far away.

“County town,” Liu Xiaoshang said as he ran to the first car.

Hearing this, Chen Xu felt a bit frustrated. He had just completed the winding mountain road, and now he had to drive back again. Had he known earlier, he would have just waited in the county town.

He stuck the ‘happiness’ sticker to the front of the car and said to Yang Jinxia, “I better drive.”

She obviously didn’t drive often. She had driven very slowly on the way there, hardly overtaking anyone, especially on this mountainous stretch, driving quite nervously.

“Sure,” Yang Jinxia handed him the keys.

After they got into the car, the convoy ahead had already started moving, and Chen Xu drove to catch up to the end of the line.

After the car took a sharp turn, Yang Jinxia suddenly asked, “Why was your classmate looking at me like that earlier? I don’t think I’ve ever met him, have I?”

Chen Xu was slightly startled and nearly forgot about that; his eyes shifted as he quickly found an excuse, “Remember the first time we met? I was having dinner with him, and I saw you through the glass window. He bet me to see if I dared to talk to you, and the loser had to buy dinner. Then I won.”

“Oh.”

Chen Xu felt that her “Oh” was somewhat profound and felt inexplicably guilty—could she have heard that he was lying? Yet, thinking it over, it seemed unlikely. In reality, they had only met a few times; how could she see through him so quickly?

Yang Jinxia chuckled lightly, “Then I really should thank him. If it weren’t for his bet with you, we might not have met.”

Chen Xu didn’t know how to continue the conversation and kept silent as usual.

Even now, he couldn’t understand why someone like her would treat him the way she did. It was precisely because he was doubtful that he didn’t know how to respond.

Some things, once pointed out, can change everything, making it impossible to return to the original feelings.

Perhaps Yang Jinxia’s approach had an ulterior motive, or perhaps it was just a momentary curiosity. But, regardless of the reason, this side of her made it impossible for him to dislike her, he even found himself somewhat attracted.

He was even more certain that, to him, Yang Jinxia was like a cloud in the sky, beautiful but unreachable no matter how close he got.

She was too mysterious; he didn’t even know if Yang Jinxia was her real name.

Last week, driven by some doubts, he had asked Old Tang to check the license plate of the Volvo; Old Tang’s uncle worked at the DMV.

The result was that the car’s owner was not Yang Jinxia but another woman’s name.

Maybe this couldn’t prove anything. But, he couldn’t just ignore it either, although he had never confronted her about it.

If one day she suddenly disappeared, he wouldn’t be surprised at all.

…

The convoy, consisting of a dozen or so vehicles, proceeded even slower to stay in formation, taking nearly forty minutes to arrive at a rather luxurious-looking hotel in the county town.

The scene to pick up the bride was quite heated, but Chen Xu didn’t join the fray.

Liu Xiaoshang was popular; seven or eight college classmates showed up and even more from junior high. A dozen or so young men in black suits and sunglasses quickly breached the defenses of the two bridesmaids accompanying the bride and stormed in to take the bride away.

The whole process took less than ten minutes.

From this, it was clear that Liu Xiaoshang had made a lot of preparations to receive the bride, which was why it all went so smoothly. The bridesmaids and relatives on the bride’s side probably hadn’t even reacted yet.

After picking up the bride, the procession turned around and headed back.

Chen Xu and Yang Jinxia didn’t even get out of the car, they just followed along and it was like a trip to fetch soy sauce.

When they got back to town, it was almost noon. After a burst of firecrackers, the main characters of the car procession got out, and the drivers parked the cars.

The streets in the town weren’t very wide, and Chen Xu drove over a hundred meters before finding a parking space.

“The street is so lively,” Yang Jinxia remarked as she got out of the car, looking curiously at the crowded street across from them.

Chen Xu looked over and said, “That should be the main street. The New Year is approaching, and those who work or do business outside have returned home to do their New Year shopping, so it’s very lively.”

“Is this what they call a market day?” Yang Jinxia asked.

“Pretty much. But it’s only a few days a year. After the New Year, once those people leave, it quietens down again,” explained Chen Xu, seeing her interest. “Let’s go for a walk after we eat.”

“Sure.”

The two walked to Liu Xiaoshang’s house, where a crowd was gathered at the door, watching the excitement.

The local customs here were quite friendly towards the newlyweds. Entering the house wouldn’t cause any trouble, and any teasing wasn’t too excessive.

Seeing so many people, Chen Xu didn’t want to squeeze in and suffer, so he stood at the entrance. Listening to the occasional cheers coming from inside, it seemed that the newlyweds were thanking both sets of parents with tea.

“Do you guys have a lot of rules when getting married?” Yang Jinxia curiously asked.

“It depends on the person. Some people are particular, insisting on elaborate betrothal traditions, and there are other unique customs too. But most people aren’t so strict, basically matching horoscopes and paying a bride price at the woman’s house, then choosing a day to hold the banquet.”

“Matching horoscopes too?”

“It’s really just for show. There are hardly any instances where the horoscopes don’t match. If there are, it’s usually an excuse because one set of parents doesn’t approve of the match.”

As they chatted, the ceremony inside finally concluded, and the people came out, calling everyone to go to the restaurant where the banquet was about to begin.

The restaurant was nearby, just a few minutes’ walk away.

Liu’s family had booked more than a dozen tables, and Chen Xu and his college friends ended up at one table. Today, his class had eight people, including him—seven men and one woman—and among them, two had been a couple since their college days, and they were still together, looking affectionate.

After everyone sat down, there was a moment of silence, and everyone seemed a bit nervous.

It was a bit awkward.

“You guys are Chen Xu’s college friends, right? Hello,” Yang Jinxia greeted them confidently, breaking the silence without introducing herself.

“Hello,” the others also responded.

“I thought I might meet his ex-girlfriend this time,” Yang Jinxia said, glancing at Chen Xu with a smile, “It seems she didn’t come?”

The classmates looked at each other, and it was Cai Bin, who was closest to Chen Xu, who said, “She wasn’t from our class and wasn’t acquainted with Xiao Shang, so she probably wasn’t invited.”

Chen Xu glared at him, feeling betrayed; that really wasn’t cool.

Yang Jinxia, clearly interested, continued, “Oh, is she very pretty?”

Cai Bin said, “Of course, not as pretty as you.”

“I don’t believe it,” Yang Jinxia said, glancing at Chen Xu again, sounding a bit resentful. “He’s so picky, and I pursued him, but he’s completely unaffected.”

Suddenly, everyone at the table gasped and stared at Chen Xu in disbelief.