Contractual Cohabitation GL - Chapter 30

Jing Xiaonan didn’t speak after asking the question. Her long right hand held Ye Luochen’s small hand with a gentle yet reassuring strength, and her smile carried a persistent meaning.

Turning her face away, Ye Luochen remained silent for a long time. The atmosphere in the room gradually became heavy, until finally, the image consultant brought in by the sales associate broke the silence.

After introducing himself, the designer spread his hands and asked, “Which lady will be wearing the suit?”

“Me,” Jing Xiaonan answered calmly, a hint of pleasant smile pressed on her thin lips.

“Then please follow me to select your wedding dress and suit,” the image consultant said with a nod and a smile, leading the way out of the lounge.

“Shall we go?” Jing Xiaonan reached out her hand to Ye Luochen and gently pulled her up from the soft sofa. Since everyone in the store already understood their situation, she naturally and openly held that small hand and followed the young image consultant to the fitting room.

From a row of hangers, Jing Xiaonan sharp-sightedly picked out a white tailcoat by Alexander McQueen that had been showcased at Milan Fashion Week. She held it up against her body; the size was about right. She was usually not meticulous about what she wore, but as a businesswoman, her attire needed to reflect and elevate her status. Over the years, she had become proficient at distinguishing the quality of the material and craftsmanship of formal wear. She gently rubbed the silk fabric of the suit with her fingertip, found its soft texture to be excellent, and decided on this outfit. She held it out to Ye Luochen, widening her eyes to ask for her opinion.

Ye Luochen glanced at it, not looking at the clothes but at Jing Xiaonan’s expression. This earnest and slightly expectant look was familiar to her, and she immediately nodded in agreement, only then turning her gaze to examine the chosen outfit.

The process of choosing the wedding dress was comparatively lengthy, not only because there were more wedding dresses than suits but also because Ye Luochen was inadvertently using this process to adjust her delicate emotions. Although she was nervous when they registered their cohabitation, she could more or less deceive herself into believing it was merely a contractual process. But taking this wedding photo, especially after the conversation she just had with Jing Xiaonan, held a special significance for her.

After selecting the final two dresses from over a hundred, Ye Luochen and the image consultant held one each in their hands to show Jing Xiaonan. Ye Luochen held a pure white, straight, mermaid-style dress, whose tailoring highlighted a woman’s unique perfect curves, demanding a very high figure standard. The other was a more common, traditional A-line wedding dress, with silk underneath but tulle and lace over the top. The image consultant held it out, letting Jing Xiaonan choose which of the two was better.

“That one.”

After comparing them side-by-side, Jing Xiaonan pointed to the one in the image consultant’s hands, taking a sip of the champagne that a sales associate had brought while she waited. Ye Luochen’s brow subtly knitted together, then immediately smoothed out. She reached for the wedding dress Jing Xiaonan had indicated and asked the sales associate to put the one in her own hands back.

The image consultant smiled knowingly on the side, feeling a great fondness for this Asian woman. When selecting the dresses earlier, she had clearly seen the girl’s eyes linger on the straight mermaid dress for a while, and her expression showed appreciation for the design of that dress. Yet, she gave it up so easily now…

The designer smiled without comment.

“Are the two ladies planning to shoot outdoors or indoors later?” A sales associate peeked their head in from outside the door, asking with a smile. As the customers got dressed and applied makeup, others needed to make corresponding preparations, so clarifying the customers’ requirements beforehand made the subsequent work easier.

Jing Xiaonan and Ye Luochen exchanged a glance, both turning to look at the fine weather outside the window. The air was crisp and refreshing, the sky cloudless, and the air was excellent on their way here. With winter nearing its end, there was a definite feeling of spring flowers beginning to bloom.

“Outdoors?” Jing Xiaonan sought Ye Luochen’s opinion. The latter lowered her eyes and nodded, having no objection.

Having received the answer, the sales associate and the image consultant both left the fitting room, gently closing the door, giving the two some privacy. Seeing that they were the only two left in the fitting room, Jing Xiaonan swiftly removed her clothes until she was in only a vest and underwear, preparing to put on the freshly cleaned tailcoat. The action was so quick that Ye Luochen didn’t even have time to look away.

“Ah, you…” She turned her head away in a panic, trying not to look at the smooth body, but her mind was completely fixated on that moment. Jing Xiaonan’s figure, which looked slender when dressed, was unexpectedly quite shapely when undressed. The elegant feminine curves paired with a slightly robust bone structure explained why she looked so good in suits and tailcoats.

“What’s wrong?” Halfway through putting on the white suit trousers, Jing Xiaonan bent over and looked up at Ye Luochen, her expression completely bewildered.

This person! What could she even say about her?

If she said she was completely unaware of the proper modesty a girl should have, she would likely ask if it was necessary. If she said she was being naughty and acting like a hooligan… have you ever seen a woman strip off her own clothes to show you? That was a unique and high-class style of hooliganism.

Turning her back so as not to look at Jing Xiaonan’s half-naked appearance, and not letting her see her own embarrassed expression, Ye Luochen lightly chided: “Isn’t there a partition here?” But without waiting for an answer, she held the wedding dress and entered the partitioned area.

Jing Xiaonan grinned, put on the new shirt provided by the photography studio, fastened the tailcoat and the small black bow tie, and walked over to the full-length mirror at one end of the room. Thinking of Ye Luochen’s expression just now, a smile spread across the face of the short-haired girl who looked so dashing in the mirror.

This childish expression froze a moment later when she saw a flash of white behind her. Ye Luochen had changed into the wedding dress, lifted the long skirt slightly, and walked out of the partition, standing behind Jing Xiaonan.

Jing Xiaonan, who had seen all kinds of grand occasions, felt her brain go blank for an instant. She stared blankly at the woman in the mirror, unable to give any reaction.

How could she describe such beauty? No description was enough! Pure as a lotus emerging from water, holy as a blossoming lotus flower, her snow-white, jade-like skin and bones were delicately adorned by the misty tulle dress. She was perfectly beautiful, like a favored daughter of Heaven, who, even after being bestowed with all the beautiful details in the world, still felt incomplete.

“You… you…” Covering her beautiful face with both hands, Jing Xiaonan only exposed her eyes, staring unblinkingly at the person in the mirror. Her nose felt tender, and her eyes felt warm, right on the verge of tears.

Ye Luochen stood there quietly, holding a faint smile.

Turning around to face her, the shock from the fleeting glimpse earlier vanished as suddenly as it had come. At this moment, Jing Xiaonan’s heart was gradually occupied by a feeling of anxiety over potential loss, and her mood became inexplicably low. Ye Luochen found her rare, girlish demeanor slightly amusing. She held up her skirt with one hand and reached out the other to her, her movement as natural and elegant as a dance.

“Alright, what silly things are you thinking again?”

“If, if I say I’m also afraid, would you believe it?” After remaining silent for a long time with her head bowed, Vice President Jing finally looked up and suddenly blurted out this sentence.

A hint of surprise flashed across Ye Luochen’s face. It was hard to imagine Jing Xiaonan, who always appeared calm and at ease no matter the time or place, in a state of panic or confusion.

“What’s wrong?”

“This kind of happiness with you always feels unreal, as if one day only the memories will remain. I’m afraid I’m dreaming a dream, and I’m afraid that one day I will wake up.”

Looking up at the person and waiting for her to finish, Ye Luochen took a small step forward, taking this silly child into her arms for the first time on her own initiative. She held her close to her neck, patted her back, and gently said:

“Don’t let your imagination run wild, dear. We still have to buy groceries later and go home early. William’s can of food is finished, and if he goes hungry, he’ll try to steal your food again.”

“…”

Hearing her gentle words and recalling the time they had spent together, Jing Xiaonan’s fluctuating emotions gradually calmed down. Looking down at their hands, which had somehow intertwined, she said:

“I heard a saying a long time ago, but I never took it seriously. Only now do I understand its meaning.”

“Oh? What saying?”

“If you marry for someone else, I dare to become a nun for you. If you wear a wedding dress for someone else, I dare to wear a cassock for you.”

Ye Luochen was amused by her look, then slowly stopped the curve of her lips. She raised her hand to smooth the hair over Jing Xiaonan’s left ear, and gently said:

“You won’t. You love meat and wine so much; if you foolishly become a nun one day, you would surely break the temple’s rules and precepts, and they would send you back to me within three days.”

Jing Xiaonan’s peach-blossom eyes stared intently at the crescent eyes: “Will that be true?”

The beautiful woman in the wedding dress couldn’t help but smile again, pinching Jing Xiaonan’s cheek, “It will.”

The rest of the photoshoot went smoothly. This wedding photography studio belonged to the low-key luxury type, with clothing and technology clearly positioning it as a service industry with few clients, high prices, but extreme professionalism. This positioning often meant they wouldn’t see a single customer all afternoon, but once they took an order, they would provide thorough and meticulous service, making the customer willingly sign the somewhat startling bill with their honorable name.

Although Jing Xiaonan was capable of providing a high standard of living, Ye Luochen was a little hesitant.

“Isn’t it a bit too extravagant?” Sitting in the minivan heading to the outdoor location, the young lady frowned slightly, saying this in a very good-wife-and-loving-mother tone. The people around them didn’t understand Chinese, and even if they did, what she was saying was nothing embarrassing, so there was no need for them to whisper or gossip.

Jing Xiaonan smiled slightly at the corner of her mouth. She had never seen anyone with such an elegant demeanor and a calm tone while contemplating saving money. Knowing that she wasn’t just being polite but genuinely thinking, Jing Xiaonan reached out and grasped her slender, smooth wrist. When the woman turned to look at her, she spoke with a gentle smile:

“This is only going to happen once in a lifetime, so don’t worry about saving.”

Ye Luochen turned her head to look out the window, lost in thought, unsure if she was pondering the first or second half of the answer. Her serene profile, with light makeup on, was nearly flawless in every way. Jing Xiaonan watched her, utterly mesmerized, holding the woman’s left hand in her palm, her fingertip tracing circles around Ye Luochen’s ring finger.

Soon, the group arrived at their destination. Jing Xiaonan nimbly jumped out of the car, raising her hand to help Ye Luochen, who was holding her skirt, step out. The woman in the wedding dress surveyed the scenery and finally understood why Jing Xiaonan had specifically requested this location while they were at the store.

The place perfectly matched the description of beautiful scenery and pleasant landscape. After walking along a secluded jungle path, the group arrived at the lakeside where the shoot was to take place. The shimmering lake water was like fine silk threads, reflecting the blue mountains in the distance, which were covered with eucalyptus trees. Upon closer look, a thin, faint mist floated over the clear water, draping this perfect secluded spot in a thin veil, adding a hazy beauty.

“Do you like it?” Jing Xiaonan looked at the woman’s expression and spoke gently: “I just feel that the scenery here matches your temperament. Ethereal, refined.”

“Mhm.” With a soft acknowledgment, Ye Luochen turned her back but still held Jing Xiaonan’s hand, leading her to walk along the lakeside. The two walked in silence, looking incredibly harmonious and well-matched. The photography crew behind them adjusted their lenses, taking one picture after another.

The choice was to let the customers interact naturally, with the photographer taking candid shots. With green mountains, clear water, and perfectly matched people, achieving this wasn’t difficult. The difficulty lay in getting the pair to overcome the feeling of being pursued by the photographer like paparazzi, but judging by the current scene, it required no effort at all for them to interact as if no one else were present. Clicking his tongue, the photographer sincerely lamented how wonderful being in love was.

Jing Xiaonan knew all along that their every move was being recorded as images, and having this as a legitimate reason, she was even more able to express her affection and tenderness for Ye Luochen without restraint. Occasionally, when Ye Luochen’s beautiful eyes met her tender gaze—her peach-blossom eyes reflecting the ripples on the water—her heart trembled. Following that, she felt the emotional defense she had built against Jing Xiaonan silently and completely collapse.

Just at this moment, the photographer, who had been capturing this beautiful moment, finally completed his work. His huge face emerged from the nearby bushes, and he excitedly waved his bear-like paw: “Okay, okay, we’re finished!”

“…”

Ye Luochen had truly gotten into the mood. Hearing the voice, she suddenly remembered that they were taking pictures. Like a little deer startled by a fright, she pulled her hand away from Jing Xiaonan’s and lowered her head to smooth the hair by her ears.

Consequently, the photographer received two sharp, blade-like glares.

Work was done, and the group slowly walked back toward the car. Jing Xiaonan remained silent for a long time, and finally, a sigh-like remark softly drifted out, floating into Ye Luochen’s ears:

“Actually, why do we have to deliberately pull apart a distance that is so naturally close?”

Yes, why?

The person who takes the initiative in a relationship is always passive.

Because they actively pursue, they can only passively wait, passively accept the other party’s indifference or care, distance or dependence, rejection or deep love.

Lost in their respective thoughts, they barely spoke on the way back. When Jing Xiaonan drove the Porsche into the garage, pulled the handbrake, and leaned over to unfasten Ye Luochen’s seatbelt.

Looking at the elegant and serene woman sitting in the passenger seat, Jing Xiaonan’s heart involuntarily softened.

It’s okay. I will wait for you, as long as… I get to wait for you.

Reflected in the crescent eyes was that warm smile. Ye Luochen temporarily set aside her slightly messy thoughts and got out of the car with Jing Xiaonan, walking back to the Jing residence. Having been out all day, the snacks left for William in the morning must have been long gone, not even crumbs left. Remembering the home they shared, a faint sense of attachment rose in Ye Luochen’s heart. With a gentle expression, she followed Jing Xiaonan into the white double doors.

However, William didn’t come running to greet them as expected.

Turning her head, she searched with some confusion for the small, gray-white figure that was always so clingy. She saw him curled up on the sofa, his pair of beautiful, light blue eyes shining brightly as he watched her, restless, wanting to come over.

However, sitting on the sofa with him were a man and a woman who looked to be in their forties. Ye Luochen was startled and quickly realized that the faces of these two people matched the couple in the photos she had previously seen.

Just then, Jing Xiaonan in front of her also spoke out in surprise:

“Dad? Mom?”