One year later:
"Mei! Are you ready?" Song Ren asked her sincerely. Song Ren wore a satin-gold dress as required of her maid of honour.
Qian Meigui smiled nervously; her stomach fluttered. She loosed a breath, smiling. "Yes, I am ready," she responded.
Just before Qian Meigui left Song Ren"s house where all the women were preparing, she hugged Song Ren, pulling Song Jinyi in as well. "Thank you," she whispered to them.
Song Jinyi smiled, "We"re sisters, forever and always," she responded. Qian Meigui"s eyes welled with tears, holding the hands of the girls who never treated her wrongly, for always being there for her when she needed it. She was lucky.
Qian Meigui was fortunate to have been raised alongside a family that wasn"t arrogant, that valued family and respect more than selfishness and greed. Her biological family were full of vultures while the Song family were full of doves.
Song Jinyi"s hair grew long; she was now twenty-years-old and beginning to look more like Song Ren. There is no doubt that men will be giving her offers soon. But when she told that to Song Jinyi, she pouted and stubbornly said "I won"t give myself up so easily," and at that, Qian Meigui laughed.
Xue Guangli descended the stairs, interrupting shortly before helping Qian Meigui carry the train of her dress.
Song Ren, Song Jinyi, and Xue Guangli accompanied her to the limo where the car drove towards Qian Meigui"s home.
Not long after they got engaged did Song Sheng buy them a property with a house under renovations. They spent the year working on the law firm and perfecting their new home.
"I want to get married at the new house," he said to her, one night.
"Mhm? All right," she responded by kissing him deeply.
Since then, they waited because where they wanted to start their new lives was at a place that they will be at, until the end. Their home had everything they needed and more. There were many bedrooms made for children and guest rooms in case any of Song Sheng"s siblings wanted to stop by.
It was a family home. There was a pool, a garden, one large office with two desks and two pairs of bookshelves for the two of them to complete work, sometimes together.
By now, everyone knew about their relations.h.i.+p; there was no hiding it.
They were a trending topic for weeks under social media as many were intrigued by the fact that Qian Meigui was pretending to be a daughter of the Song family, and afterwards, she revealed her relations.h.i.+p with the reserved and aloof eldest son of the Song family, the CEO of Song Entertainment.
During a movie premiere, Song Sheng brought Qian Meigui to the red carpet, and he held her, tugged to his waist the entire time as people snapped photos of the two of them. Song Sheng kept his face hard and taut, but there was no denying the chemistry whenever he gazed at his fiancée softly.
Qian Meigui reflected on her relations.h.i.+p with Song Sheng, and she was happy. In fact, Qian Meigui felt like she was falling in love with him more each day. He consistently gave her surprises and a.s.sured her that he loved her when she needed to hear it most—and there was the pa.s.sion.
Song Sheng and Qian Meigui were practically like rabbits when it came to pa.s.sion; they didn"t want children yet so he would either pull out or use a condom during climactic moments.
Both Song Sheng and Qian Meigui were busy people, working on different projects, and they were still young; therefore, children would come after they"ve settled down.
But now they were settled.
Qian Meigui stepped from the limo once they"ve arrived; her heart pounded, and she felt fuzzy all over. She was marrying the man of her dreams, her childhood friend; her companion since the tragedy she faced.
It was bright outside but cloudy. Xue Guangli had walked around the car to help Qian Meigui exit the vehicle without ruining the dress. Once she left the car, Song Ren helped them, by adjusting the train of her gown. It was custom-made by Xue Designs.
She wore a full-neck lace white dress with a long train that followed her. Qian Meigui had a crown of white flowers over her head with a long-laced veil that concealed her completely.
Song Ren and Song Jinyi flared out her dress so that she walked with gracefulness as she entered her house. Song Sheng was in the backyard, waiting for her along with the guests.
Qian Meigui met Song Rui in the foyer of her home, who waited for her patiently.
Song Sheng surprised her with an orchestra to play the music at their wedding. As soon as she heard the violin and piano fill the sound around them, Song Rui locked arms with her. He then guided her outside where Song Sheng waited at the end of the aisle.
Song Sheng wore all black inside and out. His hair kept to the side, long to his ears, but handsome all the same. Qian Meigui was too nervous to look at him. Song Rui could feel her shake from nerves. He then tightened his grip on her.
"Thank you," Qian Meigui whispered to him.
Song Rui responded by tapping the hand that held him.
"Thank you," she continued, "for being the father that I needed," she finished. Song Rui didn"t say anything, but she could see him wiping the welling tears from his stark golden-brown eyes; underneath his eyes were the ageing laugh lines.
Qian Meigui then looked ahead of her. She wished her parents were here. They would have been happy for her.
But she focused on Song Sheng who gazed at her deeply. She could see the tears cascade down his face as he saw her, and she felt a sudden burst of emotion.
Song Sheng stood at the end of the aisle, waiting for his bride. Song Jun, Su Feng, and Rong Ming were at his side.
When Qian Meigui stepped down the aisle, he felt stunned, lost for words. She was the most beautiful thing that he"d ever seen, and he realized why he was foolish enough not to give them a chance earlier? But it wasn"t the time to dwell. Qian Meigui was with him, and every day he cherished their time together.
Because after combating many obstacles, they ended up winning.