Thirty-four: Dearest groom, do I look beautiful?

Because she had just lost her bicycle not long ago, Su Wan decided to deliver the goods on foot today.

Actually, their village wasn’t far from the city—it took only an hour and a half to walk there. She considered it good exercise, a way to lose some weight.

She carried her package and walked on. Just as she stepped beyond the village entrance, Jiang Mochen’s voice suddenly came from behind.

“Where are you going?”

Su Wan was in a good mood. She turned with a smile on her face. “I’m delivering goods to the city.”

Jiang Mochen walked over and took the large box from her hands. “Let me help you.”

Su Wan was more than happy to accept, and the two walked side by side along the road.

“Aren’t you curious what I’m delivering?” Su Wan asked.

Jiang Mochen turned to her at that, “Oh? What are you delivering?”

Su Wan smiled. “Lipstick.”

“I plan to open a cosmetics factory in the future. Would you mind?”

“Wouldn’t that require a lot of money?” Jiang Mochen asked.

“Yes,” Su Wan frowned, troubled, “but I plan to start small and expand slowly.”

Jiang Mochen lowered his head in thought, saying nothing.

They continued walking forward.

With someone by her side, the road felt much shorter.

While Su Wan was delivering lipsticks, Jiang Mochen wandered the mall alone.

When Su Wan found him, he was standing beside a women’s clothing store, gazing at a beautiful red velvet dress displayed in the window.

“We’re getting married next week. You’d look beautiful in that dress.”

Su Wan touched her waist—there was hardly any excess flesh left. She’d been doing yoga consistently lately, and her waistline was now well-defined.

“Then I’ll try it on. But don’t get your hopes too high,” she said, pulling Jiang Mochen into the store.

After the shop assistant took down the dress, Su Wan disappeared into the fitting room.

When she emerged, she was like a different person.

She’d always worn loose, oversized shirts, and her ample bust had hidden much of her figure; even after slimming down, the effect wasn’t obvious.

Now, wearing the form-fitting red dress, there was a hint of allure about her.

Jiang Mochen stood rooted to the spot, his gaze momentarily stunned.

Su Wan had lost so much weight for Wang Luo.

Did the broken engagement really strike her so deeply?

Su Wan didn’t notice the change in Jiang Mochen’s expression. She simply walked to the mirror and examined herself from every angle.

The velvet draped perfectly, complementing Su Wan’s striking figure.

Her skin was fair, and she’d always had a noble air about her—a little like a daughter of a wealthy family. Dressed like this, she was like a princess from a foreign land.

“How is it?” Su Wan asked, glancing back at Jiang Mochen with deliberate coquettishness.

But Jiang Mochen only stood there, stunned and silent.

Feeling something was off, Su Wan walked over and gave him a little push. “Do you think it looks good?”

Jiang Mochen finally came to his senses and uttered three consecutive “goods.”

Su Wan found it dull. The young men she used to keep were all smooth talkers; compared to them, Jiang Mochen was like a block of wood, not even knowing how to give a proper compliment.

Still, even in silence, he was more pleasing to the eye than those painted pretty boys.

Never mind—it was just his looks, after all.

Su Wan went to pick out a pair of high heels to match the dress. By the time she returned, Jiang Mochen had already paid.

Su Wan was surprised, “Where did you get the money?”

Jiang Mochen looked up indifferently. “I saved it secretly.”

“But didn’t you use all your money to pay off debts?”

Since Su Wan became engaged to Jiang Mochen, her brother Su Chen, the village gossip king, had quickly uncovered all his details. Adding to that, Aunt Wang’s malicious remarks, Su Wan learned that Jiang Mochen’s adoptive father had once been addicted to opium and gambling, owing some thirty or forty thousand in debts.

She herself had only helped pay off eight thousand; the rest, Jiang Mochen had cleared on his own.

Remembering the thick calluses on his hands, Su Wan suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

This outfit wasn’t cheap, and the high heels were something only the wealthy wore. The total cost was over a hundred, enough for an ordinary family to live on for a year.

Sensing her reluctance, a flicker of anxiety flashed in Jiang Mochen’s eyes. “We’re getting married. Isn’t it right for me to buy you clothes?”

As he spoke, several thoughts rose in his mind.

Why didn’t Su Wan want the clothes he bought her?

Was it because she didn’t want him?

Was she still thinking about Wang Luo?

No, she couldn’t be—she was about to marry him.

“If you don’t want it, just throw it away,” he mimicked something Su Wan had said before.

Yet his eyes were fixed on her, and he thought to himself: If she dares throw it away, then I’ll…

“Then thank you,” Su Wan suddenly smiled, slipping her arm through his. “Since we’re getting married, you should get a set too, my groom.”

Feeling her soft embrace and hearing her call him “my groom,” Jiang Mochen’s face flushed red in an instant.

A nearby shop assistant took the opportunity to offer her congratulations. “So you’re getting married! You really are a perfect match!”

Su Wan laughed and thanked the assistant. “Really? Thank you for your kind words. My husband is so handsome—I’m just afraid I’m not good enough for him.”

Jiang Mochen grew even more embarrassed at her words, glancing around in a fluster, his body prickling with heat and itching as if he’d broken out in hives.

But Su Wan kept tugging at him. “What do you think? Do I look good?”

Jiang Mochen’s face burned red. For a long moment, he couldn’t speak.

“So you’re quiet because you think I’m not pretty?” Su Wan teased him, sighing to the assistant, “See, sister, I told you—my groom can’t even be bothered to talk to me.”

Pressed to the limit, Jiang Mochen had no choice but to turn even redder and mutter quickly, “You look beautiful.”

Su Wan heard him, but pretended not to. “What? Too quiet, I didn’t catch that.”

This truly stumped Jiang Mochen. His face turned purple, and he was about to repeat himself.

But Su Wan, acting coy, shook his arm. The soft touch made Jiang Mochen panic; he quickly pulled his arm away and beat a hasty retreat.

Su Wan laughed so hard she couldn’t close her mouth. Even the shop assistant couldn’t help but chuckle. “Your husband is an honest man—don’t bully him so much.”

Still giggling, Su Wan waved her hand. “I won’t. I’ll never bully him again.”

But really, he was just too easy to tease!

After leaving the store, Su Wan couldn’t find Jiang Mochen anywhere. She thought he wouldn’t leave her behind and go home alone, so she wandered the mall by herself.

Wearing her new high heels and carrying her old clothes, she headed toward a men’s clothing store.

Just as she stepped over the threshold, a tall figure suddenly bumped into her. Caught off guard, Su Wan stumbled backward.

In that moment of crisis, a pair of strong, slender hands caught her by the wrist, pulling her upright.

She staggered but managed to steady herself, though her high heel flew off.

“Sorry,” a familiar voice sounded above her.

Su Wan looked up and saw Chen Tianyu, flustered, searching everywhere for her lost shoe.

He didn’t seem to recognize her yet.

Su Wan paused, then braced herself on the doorframe.

With so many people in the mall, her shoe disappeared almost instantly.

After searching for a while, Chen Tianyu could only look up, helpless. “Miss, how about I compensate—”

He stopped mid-sentence.

After a long pause, he rose unsteadily. “Su Wan?!”