Chapter 159: Chapter 159
“Take it easy, watch the step.” YuZhi slid his arms around TangShi and guided her down the steps from the back patio into the decorated garden. Carefully holding her weight and concentrating on getting her down safely.
“I’m pregnant, not disabled.” TangShi smiled at him wistfully, more in love with him every single day as he seemed to become more and more attentive to her needs and never failed to anticipate them. Taking his arm and obediently walking slowly down the steps into the sunshine, enjoying the gentle breeze on her skin of a pleasant day.
“Come on you two, I was starting to worry. You were an age!” Linlin appeared, smiling brightly but with a tern stone of an unimpressed mother hen. She was looking ethereal in white today, a flowy sheer gown over a mini dress that was much like TangShi’s, although tang’s wasn’t a short underlayer but a long flowy skirt. “With you being this close you can’t scare me by going AWOL. I need constant contact and updates. I get separation anxiety when I don’t see you with my own two eyes. Imagine if you went into labor and I wasn’t there!!” Linlin rubbed the expanse of TangShi’s bulging belly with affection and a hint of manic passiveness, and ZhengLi appeared behind her, sliding his arm around Linlin’s shoulder and kissing her on the temple. Grinning at her OTT attention to TangShi that never seemed to waver.
“I was at the bathroom.” TangShi pointed out, giggling at her best friend and used to this attitude. It was only getting worse with each passing week and she sometimes wondered if she was married to YuZhi or Linlin.
“So? I could have taken you. I am capable of tending to your womanly needs much better than the iffy stand in.” Linlin thumbed at YuZhi with an eyeroll as though he could never match up to her expertise in womanly needs.
“If she’s like this now, good luck when you do bring baby Leng into this world. You may have a custody battle on your hands.” ZhengLi laughed at the antics of his little woman, patting her on the head and earning himself a glare. Eternally amused with her and he swooped in to give her a peck on the lip, always incapable of passing her by without touch or kisses. He was as smitten now as the day he married her.
“Hurry up and impregnant her so I don’t have to waste time in court.” YuZhi smirked, poking ZhengLi in the chest. This running joke between them never amused Linlin as she couldn’t see what was so wrong in her caring about her very pregnant best friend.
“Dude, my family are only now coming around to the fact I married her. Give me time. Once I’m sure the hit is off my head then I can possibly wave the topic of grandkids near them. I’m lucky to be alive. You have no idea how ruthless they are. I’m still financially cut off.” ZhengLi pulled Linlin into an embrace from behind. Snuggling her in and eternally grateful that despite his families threats, he never gave her up. He had thought they were happy together when they dated but cohabiting with his wife had opened up levels of intimacy between them that changed his entire outlook on love and soul mates. Linlin was calmer, content, and her crazy insecure jealousy had abated once they were married. She was his kitten nowadays rather than his fierce wildcat. Well except between the sheets, where he fully encouraged that crazy side.
“I think that maybe had more to do with the fact you four ran off to warmer climates for a week and came back from shotgun weddings. No family invited, and not even close friends got a look in until you guys came back.” A smooth husky feminine voice cut in between them and they moved apart to let Rhea wander into their space. Welcoming her with smiles.
“You’re one to talk about shotgun weddings. What do you call this?” Linlin pointed out with a raised brow, waving her arms around the exquisitely decorated garden and the hundreds of guests milling around after the ceremony. It had been a long day of watching them take their vows before moving here for a garden party in a newly acquired mansion bought b Rhea’s tycoon billionaire husband.
“It’s hardly shotgun. Six months I’ve known him. You four were all wed much sooner than that.” Rhea smiled knowingly. Raising an accusing brow at YuZhi and reminding him of the fact he married TangShi the same day he officially met her. In YuZhi’s mind though, TangShi would always be the girl he fell in love with five years prior and his heart had held on for her.
“We’re just happy that you’re happy and Clint seems like a solid guy. He’s good for you. Plus he’s loaded so you could retire and swan around the world and never have to worry about finances.” Linlin pointed out with a smirk, always looking at the pros to everything.
“Who would have guessed I would fall for an American billionaire while living in London. Although he needs to hurry up and learn Mandarin because translating for him is exhausting. Thankfully most of my family have a good grasp of English so I can have a day off today. He’s really the one…. which I didn’t realize I hadn’t encountered until him.”
Rhea said it honestly, not worried about hurting YuZhi’s feelings because this was a conversation they had some months ago. That they realized they had always been friends and the romantic side was a messy codependence but not real love. That neither had known the true meaning of real love until they met their respective partners.
“Today has been beautiful, you look radiant. I am so happy for you.” TangShi walked forward and gave Rhea a real hug. Embracing her tight and loving her for the person TangShi had come to rely on as much as Linlin. Congratulating her on her day and glad their duties as her bridesmaids were over and they could all relax. Her feet were aching and her dress was a little constrictive given her fuller figure.
“I am happy. And I’m glad you insisted on still coming even though you are a week away from your due date. I hope you’re not too exhausted? I told you to sit it out and take it easy but it meant a lot to have my girls walk me down the aisle too.” Rhea beamed at them, her eyes misting over that on her happiest day, she was surrounded by her extended family whom she loved to death. All four of them.
“No. YuZhi takes good care of me and Aunt RuiZi has become the overprotective mother-in-law who gives him grief at every opportunity in case he isn’t pampering me well enough.”
“She can be like that.” Rhea smiled. Knowing only too well that once you won Aunt’s affection, you became one of her babies and she would smother you with her own kind of love. TangShi was the daughter in law she adored and was making amends for a rocky start and welcoming her fully into the Leng family, alongside grandfather.
“I think your husband is looking for you.” ZhengLi brought their attention up as he pointed out to the left, to the tall blonde-haired foreigner among the many dark-haired guests who looked lost. His head moving from side to side as he scanned the people in search of his bride.
“I better go save him. Before he attempts to speak Chinese badly. Enjoy the rest of the party. I’ll see you guys later.” Rhea leaned in, kissing TangShi on the cheek, rubbed her belly with a loving stroke and gave Linlin a cheek squeeze before leaving her two best friends to it.
In the last months the women had pulled together and become inseparable companions, especially after the fall out of Rong Cai and everything that happened at that time. His death hadn’t been a shock but it had caused emotional fallout, guilt, strange feelings that had left TangShi in a weird place for some weeks. Yet YuZhi had managed to conceal everything from the media so Master Cai could continue with his life and grieve his son without shame coming back at him. It never became public knowledge and with his death the police didn’t really need to follow up on much. None of them blamed Master Cai for what happened and he certainly didn’t blame TangShi. He had begged for forgiveness and broke his heart over the actions of his only child.
“I’m starving. Too much champagne, not enough food.” Linlin was bored of this glitzy classy affair. It was all classical music, glittery gowns, and finger foods. The kind of events she had avoided growing up as she always felt out of place and TangShi couldn’t agree more. Formal and boring was not their thing.