Inside the grand bridal dressing room at the church, a young woman in her mid-twenties sat, observing her reflection in the large plane mirror on the wall while her two personal stylists went on putting effort into making her quickly prepared for her wedding which was set to begin at any moment from now.
The bride, Yong Qiyue, whose regular name was Evie Yong, looked absolutely stunning. Her long glossy cherry-pink hair was best described as a serene waterfall that appeared to cascade down her slim waist in simple curls. It was followed by her delicate fair skin that appeared to be accentuated by an elegant and alluring white wedding dress, which brought out the astounding charm of her startling amber eyes.
However, today seems to be a dream come true for Evie.
Ultimately, she was going to have a fairytale wedding with the most eligible bachelor in Jade City, who goes by the name Qin Shengyi; her soulmate right since the start of her youth and soon going to be her lawfully wedded husband in the next few hours.
Contemplating these thoughts sent Evie into a whirlwind of euphoria, and a soft radiant smile spread across her lips.
She thought of herself standing in front of the altar with Qin Shengyi very close to her, discussing an enchanting place for their honeymoon, talking about how many babies they would have, kissing her and even exchanging rings with her.
Everything seems just perfect!
Nevertheless, what amazed Evie the most was as a result of the fact that her stepmother who she always believed hated her to the bones and tried several ways to put her into trouble, also turned out to be in support of her marriage with the eldest son of the Qin family and had finally changed for good after some serious crisis in the family ran against her.
She even picked the most fascinating bridal dress that Evie was currently wearing alongside some expensive jewelry which were picked from the most grandest fashion store in town.
But as for Yong Ru, her eldest stepsister, Evie couldn't blame her for not being in support of her marriage with Qin Shengyi. After all, her approval was not needed as she has always been the envious type who always finds a way to criticize everything about her since they were little and also tries to snatch every good fortune that comes her way.
Evie Yong wasn't the least bit bothered by anything. Her wedding with Qin Shengyi was going exactly as planned, and If her stepsister was willing to ruin it, then she would be given a free chance to disgrace herself in front of the crowd at the wedding, because that would be the worst thing she could ever do to herself.
Just as Evie wanted to go wilder in her quiet contemplation, she felt a soft hand tap her shoulder and was pulled back into reality.
"Lady Yong." One of the young hairstylists named, Xiao Ren called, as she slowly surveyed her from the mirror, smiling.
"Do you realize how you look? Gosh! You look so breathtaking." Xiao Ren's kind words made Evie beamed.
She nodded in agreement. "Of course, I do. And thank you very much for the compliment; as it turns out that, you and Miss Luo did a great job in allowing me to look this beautiful." Evie responded by turning to look at Xiao Ren, who was finally done with her hairstyling.
"We definitely did a great job, dear," the other hairstylist, Luo Xi, who was also a professional makeup artist, finally spoke up after being silent for all this while. "You look like a goddess." She added, "I swear your new look will create a serious buzz across the media." Her eyes were shining with excitement as she continued, "And guess what will happen when your fellow C-list celebrities and uprising fans catch wind of it?"
"Really!" Evie exclaimed before admiring herself in the mirror more closely.
"They'll either want to be you or be with you," Luo Xi said with a smile.
"You'll be the talk of the town, the belle of the wedding ball. Your social media following will skyrocket, and endorsement deals will pour in." Xiao Ren chimed in, placing her two hands on Evie's shoulders.
Meanwhile, Luo Xi's skilled hands moved delicately as she applied the final touches of makeup to Evie's face.
"Young Mister Qin Shengyi is really lucky to have someone as good as you," she said softly. Her voice was filled with warmth. "Do you know how many men out there are looking for a gentle, intelligent beauty like you?"
Evie's cheeks flushed, her eyes cast downward, shyly accepting the compliment.
"You're making me puffed up, Luo Xi," she responded calmly.
Luo Xi smiled, helping Evie up from the chair, and stepped back to admire her handiwork alongside Xiao Ren, who nodded in agreement, acknowledging they had done a flawless job.
"You deserve every bit of praise, Evie. You're radiant today." Xiao Ren exclaimed, rushing over to envelope Evie in a warm hug.
Just then, a firm knock on the door interrupted, which made Evie compose herself immediately before opening her mouth to speak.
"Come in." She hadn't even finished saying those words when the door swung open, and two identical ladies, distinguishable by their hair colors, rushed inside in a flurry.
"Sh*t sister, I can't believe you dare delay your groom at the altar for five whole minutes!" one of them whose name was Yong Mei exclaimed.
"What!!!" Evie exclaimed in shock.
Her younger stepsisters, Yong Mei and Yong Ming, halted in front of her. Their identical faces were etched with both seriousness and amusement.
Yong Mei, the more outspoken dark-haired twin, held her waist, frowning, "Evie, what's going on? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Evie's eyes were still wide with shock, "Qin Shengyi...he's already at the altar."
Yong Ming, the softer-spoken grey-haired twin, exchanged a knowing glance with Yong Mei whose expression gradually turned relaxed.
"Of course! He is. So that's why you're shocked, sister. You didn't expect him to arrive so early." Yong Ming replied.
"I thought the wedding was scheduled to start in the next thirty minutes because Qin Shengyi still had some work arrangements to finalize," Evie said softly.
Yong Ming chuckled, "Well, it looks like Mr. Charming is making an effort today and also, today is really special for you both."
Evie's gaze drifted back to her reflection, her mind racing.
Another knock on the door broke the silence and a low, smooth female voice called out from the other side, "Lady Yong. Your father now demands your request to show up to your groom right now."
"Evie, you're wasting time," Yong Mei exclaimed in frustration, facepalming.
Evie immediately smoothed her dress, took a final glance in the mirror, and turned to Xiao Ren and Luo Xi who were beginning to pack up their grooming tools.
"Please can one of you help me with my veil," Evie said in a steady voice.
Luo Xi picked the veil from the table. Her fingers were now carefully adjusting the folds as she stepped forward with it in hand. "Let me." With delicate fingers, Luo Xi secured the veil on Evie's head.
"Great," she whispered, admiring the veil's intricate design.
Evie glanced at her reflection one last time, making sure everything was indeed perfect. The veil, the dress, the gloves and the heels– all impeccable.
Yong Mei's frustration now dissipated, replaced by a warm expression. "You look beautiful, sister." She smiled and added, "Alright you are all set. So let's go?"
Evie nodded slowly and Yong Mei offered her arm. Evie took it, her gloved hand grasping lightly. Yong Ming joined in, taking Evie's other hand and with a shared glance of resolve, Yong Mei pushed open the doors, revealing a long passageway that led directly to the wedding hall.
Xiao Ren and Luo Xi, meanwhile, waved at Evie as she hurried out the door with her sisters, who were eager to get her to her groom.
…
At the large closed entrance of the wedding hall, Evie paused in her steps as she began to feel nervous for no actual reason.
She had been to many large openings, auctions, and even several spotlight events without feeling the least bit of nervousness and in this case, she questioned herself on why she was feeling uneasy at this point when she was supposed to be excited about reaching this ultimate level of relationship with her heartthrob, Qin Shengyi.
As if reading through Evie's mind, Yong Ming spoke from behind, "The truth is that, it is kind of normal to feel upset at this moment when you have to face your groom and the reality of forever,"
Evie turned to face her. Her eyes searched for reassurance. "But I've known Qin Shengyi for years. We've been through so much together. Why would I feel nervous now?"
Yong Ming's expression was understanding, "Perhaps it's precisely because you've known him for so long that you're feeling this way. You're about to make a lifelong commitment, and that's daunting, no matter how sure you are, remember!"
Evie took a deep breath, letting Yong Ming's words sink in. She glanced at the closed majestic door in front of her eyes. Her eyes were sparkling with the joy that was about to behold her.
"Ready to do this?" Yong Mei inquired.
Evie nodded, a smile spreading across her face as the large door was gradually pushed open by two guards clad in crisp red and black uniforms.
Right after the door was opened, a hush of silence swept through the hall as all eyes turned towards Evie in a swift motion.