Starting a new chapter in life

After dinner, both sets of parents started discussing serious matters, beginning with the house—where to buy it and who would make the purchase. Before the conversation could even begin, He Jin'an announced that the house had already been bought and renovated, ready for immediate move-in. It was only a 15-minute drive from Fu Zixu's company, which was quite close.

The house isn't big, just two bedrooms and a living room, less than 90 square meters, but it's enough for the young couple to live in, and even if they have children in the future, they'll still have enough space. The Fu family is very satisfied with this.

Regarding the bride price, the Fu family asked for 20,000 yuan. Of course, they would also provide a dowry, which would be given to the young couple themselves, and the bride's family would not be greedy.

This amount of money wasn't much for the He family, so they readily agreed. Jing Yan took out a jewelry box from her bag and handed it to Fu Zixu, saying gently, "This is a gift for you."

Fu Zixu hesitated for a moment, then looked at He Jin'an. An'an nodded, "It's from Mom, so just keep it." She then took it and thanked her softly.

Seeing the little girl's face turn completely red, Jing Yan found it quite strange. She herself had never known what shyness was, so she couldn't empathize with her.

The little girl returned to her seat, and Fu's mother opened the jewelry box under the table. The emerald green bracelet lay quietly in the velvet box, which startled her. She tugged at her husband's arm and showed him the bracelet.

Mr. Fu was also surprised, but then he was happy. It seemed that the groom's family really cared about their daughter, and the expensive gift showed how much they valued her.

He cleared his throat. "Well, we discussed it at home beforehand. Xiaoxu is our only child. Our original plan was to give her a dowry of 30,000 yuan, and the bride price would also be given to her."

We originally planned to contribute part of our budget to buy a house, but of course, we wouldn't be able to get one in such a good location—the prices are really high. We were thinking of buying one in a slightly out-of-the-way area, around 7,000 or 8,000 per square meter, which would be about right.

"But Xiao He is a reliable kid. He prepared the house in advance, so we plan to give him 130,000 yuan as a dowry. It will be easier for the young couple to make ends meet. Adding your 20,000 yuan, it will be exactly 150,000 yuan. What do you think, in-laws?" Mr. Fu's tone was full of uncertainty.

He Jin'an interrupted with a smile, "Uncle, we bought our house for 8,000 yuan per square meter. I found a house and bought it right after I went on a blind date with her last year, so the price was okay. I didn't expect the house price to rise so fast this year. It's already 12,000 yuan per square meter now. We got a good deal."

Not only the Fu family, but even He Zhijun and his wife didn't know about this. "Did you have enough money at that time?" Jing Yan asked, genuinely puzzled.

He Jin'an smiled somewhat embarrassedly: "I really don't have enough of the seven hundred thousand, so I took half of the investment money you gave me, Mom, and bought a house first. I guess I should also be considered as embezzling public funds."

Jingyan glared at him: "The investment I gave you is my money, it's money I gave you for our wedding, you don't need to include it in your calculations. You kid, you should have told me earlier, if you had told me earlier we wouldn't have been in such a hurry to buy this house. Do you have enough working capital for the company? If it really doesn't work out, I can withdraw the money I invested in your Aunt Yuan's construction company to subsidize you."

He Jin'an quickly waved his hand: "No need, really no need. Around the end of last year, Cousin Fu gave me a few resources, one of which I arranged for Zhizhi to film. That income is enough for the company's operations."

Jing Yan nodded: "Okay, just tell me if you don't have enough money. Your Aunt Yuan's business has been doing well these past few years, so even if I withdraw the funds, it won't affect the company's operations."

He Jin'an nodded: "I understand, Mom. It's so convenient and effortless for you to invest in Aunt Yuan's company. It would be a shame to withdraw it. I can still manage to keep things running, so you don't need to worry."

Since both families are satisfied with the marriage, the wedding date should be moved up. The He family thinks that the National Day holiday is perfect, with moderate weather and a seven-day holiday with extended weekends. It would be a waste not to hold a wedding during this long holiday.

The Fu family probably prefers to have someone choose an auspicious date for their wedding because they own a company.

Jingyan had no objections and waited for the Fu family to finalize the date. The two children's horoscopes were matched, and the final date was set for the end of September, which coincided with the National Day holiday. This was considered lucky, as the guests attending the wedding would not need to take time off work.

With only one month to prepare, it was quite a tight schedule. The two families discussed it and decided to invite their own guests. The Fu family would find a hotel for the wedding, since they were more familiar with Beijing. They would also handle the preparation of the wedding dress and suits.

The He family was responsible for decorating the bridal chamber festively, and they also arranged for the wedding planning company and wedding cars. In recent years, with China's reform and opening up and the influence of Western countries, Western-style weddings have become more popular among young people than traditional Chinese ones.

Jingyan is quite traditional and prefers a bright red wedding, which is festive. White always feels a bit out of place. However, since children nowadays prefer Western-style weddings, she won't interfere and will just go with their wishes.

The Fu family was satisfied that they wouldn't interfere. After all, it's their own daughter, so they were naturally a little biased. Originally, the Fu family was worried about future conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and were even considering playing the villain by demanding that the young couple live separately.

Fortunately, the He family was quite open-minded and didn't intend for the whole family to live together. When they learned that An'an had bought a wedding house, which was only a two-bedroom apartment, her mother was already relieved. Living alone meant that her daughter wouldn't suffer too much hardship.

With the help of both sets of parents, the couple getting married actually had the most free time. Apart from going to the bridal shop to try on dresses at the time given by the Fu family, they didn't really have anything to do. They just needed to focus on their own work.

Oh, if buying a ring counts as one thing, then it's the only thing they need to do themselves.

Gold rings are now considered "old lady aesthetics," leading young people to choose platinum diamond rings for their weddings. Although they don't know what's so great about that piece of junk and why it's so expensive, it's the trend, and parents just go along with it.

So, the two happily went to the jewelry store and chose a pair of couple diamond rings. Fu Zixu's fingers were slender, and He Jin'an originally wanted to choose a ring with a large diamond for her, but after trying it on, it looked very...nouveau riche. In the end, they chose a one-carat diamond ring, which looked good on her but wouldn't be too flashy.

The men's ring was much simpler, just a band with a small diamond in the center, very ordinary and understated. He Jin'an was very satisfied. After asking the jewelry store to take the chosen ring to be resized, their task was considered complete, and they could pick it up in a few days.

After a busy month, everything was settled just before the big day. On the day itself, He Jin'an got up early in the morning, and He Zhijun and Jing Yan moved into Zhizhi's apartment from the suburbs in advance so as not to delay things.

Early in the morning, the family sat down together for breakfast, and then accompanied An'an to the wedding company for styling. Yes, styling. This was the first time Jingyan had ever heard of men getting styling done.

Watching the makeup artist apply layer upon layer of cosmetics to An'an's face, she felt for the first time that her worldview was about to shatter. Her eldest son, who originally had some masculine charm, had been transformed into a pretty boy under the makeup artist's skillful hands.

Jing Yan pursed her lips. If it weren't for the fact that today was a big day, she would have definitely made a few sarcastic remarks. Seriously, she couldn't understand this aesthetic, but she would respect it.

An An probably wasn't used to her look either. She had makeup on and a lot of hairspray on her hair. If a fly came along, it would probably split in two. Her hair was so oily that she would have to wash it several times to get it clean.

He ruffled his hair, which was stiff and unruly, and pouted. His eyes were filled with grievance as he looked at Jingyan. Jingyan looked away and pretended not to see it. He Zhijun and Zhizhi, who were standing next to him, almost burst out laughing.

The groom's preparations were relatively simple. After getting ready, they drove to the bride's house to pick her up. The groom's parents and relatives could go to the restaurant first; they didn't need to come along.

Ten cars, with floral wreaths fixed to the front of the wedding cars and nine cars following behind with red ribbons tied to their door handles, drove in a row, creating a truly festive atmosphere.

He Zhijun took his wife and daughter to the restaurant first. They had booked the entire main hall for the day, with about thirty tables, half for the men and half for the women, and only two tables for Jingyan's relatives.

The eldest brother's family, Xiao Li's family, Ci En's family, and the third sister's family, as well as Xiao Xiao's family, and the remaining thirteen tables were all An An and Zhi Zhi's colleagues and friends. To be honest, Jing Yan didn't expect them to know so many people.

Once the wedding car carrying the bride arrived, the venue immediately became lively. Both sides greeted the guests at the entrance, and the guests arrived in an endless stream, spontaneously finding seats without needing anyone to guide them.

When the time on the invitation arrived, the guests had almost all arrived. Mr. Fu instructed the restaurant manager that the dishes could be served. The dishes were served quickly, and the wedding began after almost all the dishes were served.

The emcee was a professional host who was steady on stage, humorous, and very good at creating a lively atmosphere. After that, the bride's father took his daughter's hand and handed the bride over to the groom.

After going through all the procedures, Jingyan felt nothing but happiness. It was the bride's parents, on the other hand, whose reluctance to part was palpable, their voices choking several times during their speeches.

Although the saying "a married daughter is like water spilled from a cup" no longer applies, a flower that has been carefully nurtured is still something to be reluctant to let go of.

The bride changed into a different dress midway through the wedding, then went around toasting guests at each table before the banquet began. The banquet was very lively. After the banquet, the Fu family parents and the He family parents were each driven home by drivers from Ping An Media.

As for the bride and groom, they pulled two suitcases directly from backstage and headed straight to the airport. After both sets of parents arrived home, they received calls from their respective children informing them that the couple had gone on their honeymoon.

Parents who were planning how to supplement their children's nutrition during this period were suddenly put on hold, and their faces were not very good. No one stopped them from going out to play. They didn't tell their families beforehand, and the last-minute notice meant that no one was around. Otherwise, a beating would be the least of their worries.

The two of them probably knew this, which is why they ran away. This time, Jingyan and the others weren't in a hurry; they simply took a taxi home from Zhizhi's place.

Part of Zhizhi's new film will be shot at the film studio, and Jingyan plans to make some delicious food for the child during that time, especially chrysanthemum tea, which is good for clearing heat and relieving internal fire.

Xiao Xiao also has a role in this film. This is the first time Jing Yan has seen Xiao Xiao act. Although Xiao Xiao's previous works have been released, the themes are more suitable for a younger audience.

People Jingyan's age don't like watching these kinds of shows. They prefer war dramas or spy dramas. As for romance dramas, well, they just don't understand them.

However, Jing Yan was still shocked when she saw Xiao Xiao get into character on set. It's true that every profession is difficult. There were not only staff members watching, but also some ordinary people. Being watched by so many people, she was still able to get into character without feeling uncomfortable at all. It's really admirable.

After her scenes were over, she came running to Jingyan, adorned with a head full of jewels, "Auntie, is this your first time watching Zhizhi direct a film? What do you think? Doesn't she look like a great director?"

Jingyan pulled out a tissue to wipe the sweat from her forehead and smiled, "It's not the first time I've seen her work, but I don't know if she has the air of a big director, but it's true that you two are very serious about your work."

"You two have such a good relationship, and they said they wouldn't let you pass and made you reshoot. Look how tired you are, covered in sweat!"

Xiao Xiao smiled happily: "I'm not tired. It's hot, and the palace costumes are too cumbersome and heavy, so I'm sweating. Since I chose to film, I want to make sure every shot is good."

I'm not content with just being a minor celebrity with some fame; my goal is to become a professional actor. Being serious and dedicated is a given.

Jingyan poured her a cup of chrysanthemum tea, but she shook her head, took a cup from her assistant, unscrewed it, and said, "Auntie, I can't smudge my lipstick. Could you please put some water in the cup for me? I'll drink it with a straw."

Jing Yan looked distressed again: "Being an actress is really not easy. You have to look glamorous every day. Do you only take off your makeup when you're at home? It's so damaging to your skin, day after day."

Lu Xiaoxiao pouted and said coquettishly, "I will remove my makeup at home, but I can't go out. Otherwise, even if I just go out to throw away the trash, I have to put on light makeup. Otherwise, my complexion will be bad and I will lose fans if I am photographed. Sigh, these days, it is really hard to maintain the public's love."

When Zhizhi came over during a break from filming, everyone gossiped together. She has a lot of experience now and has gained some fame in the directing circle. With Xiaoxiao joining in, she spoke less and less reservedly.

When she got to the happy part, she mentioned that an actor had tried to sexually harass her, hoping for more opportunities. However, before he could seduce her, Chu Han interfered. At this point, Xiao Xiao's smile couldn't fade.

Speaking of Chu Han, Jing Yan was also curious: "How is he now?"

"It's alright. His films are released on better platforms, unlike mine, which are mostly local TV stations. Apart from that documentary, the results of the others are just average." Zhizhi's tone was not without regret.