I Was Marked by the Sickly, Crazy Beauty - Chapter 1
Chapter 1
It was eight o’clock in the evening, Beijing time. On the vast, boundless blue ocean, white waves kissed a giant luxury yacht.
The yacht was named the “Princess,” and it represented the pinnacle of contemporary yacht construction technology. It was equipped with two 1475 horsepower diesel engines, allowing a top speed of 16 knots and a maximum range of 13,000 nautical miles. The yacht was 90 meters long and boasted 12 first-class cabins. It had 6 decks in total: 4 above deck and 2 below, with the foredeck capable of accommodating a helicopter.
The yacht was fully equipped. In addition to a master suite and over a dozen guest and crew cabins, it featured a dining room, a bar, and a reception hall. Furthermore, for leisure and entertainment, it included a gym, a club, a constant-temperature swimming pool, an audio-visual room, and a beauty salon.
In the enormous, luxurious main hall, the walls were extensively wrapped in real leather and decorated with opulent teak wood. The floor was covered with marble tiles and cashmere carpets, and the central column in the living area was made from a single pine tree trunk.
A lavish crystal chandelier hung overhead. Each crystal refracted dazzling daylight, illuminating the entire banquet hall as if it were midday.
The air was permeated with the mellow aroma of red wine and the extravagant notes of high-end perfume.
In one corner of the banquet hall, a blonde, blue-eyed Frenchwoman sat at a lacquered white piano. The beauty, wearing a white halter-neck gown, used her slender jade hands to play a French folk song.
The wealthy young ladies of high society moved through the banquet hall.
Gu Sheng, in a gold sequined gown, was lazily settled on a sofa, surrounded by a group of friends like stars clustered around the moon.
Her evening gown was made of excellent quality fabric. The daring deep V-neck design contoured Gu Sheng’s attractive, seductive figure. She had a slender waist that could be held in one hand, and the snowy cleavage at her chest was fine and deep.
Her long, dark tea-colored wavy hair, like seaweed, cascaded over both shoulders. Her fair knuckles, as white as scallions, held a slender, stemmed glass.
Her expressive, almond-shaped eyes were half-closed, and a rosy blush from a slight intoxication bloomed beautifully on both cheeks.
Fueled by the alcohol, Wen Mianxue started by asking a question that everyone was deeply interested in. Then, everyone began chatting, one sentence after another.
“I say, Gu Sheng, are you really willing to marry that ‘Lin Daiyu’ from the Su family?”
“Yes! Yes! She’s sickly. What if she… you know…”
“Still, that Third Miss Su is quite beautiful.”
“How beautiful can she be? Surely she can’t compare to our big star, Gu.”
“She’s mixed-race, so she must look good, but she’s definitely not as beautiful as our big star, Gu!”
Gu Sheng had just graduated from university last year. At only twenty-three, she was set to enter a marriage alliance with the Third Miss Su, who was the same age. The wedding was scheduled for tomorrow.
Gu Sheng nonchalantly swirled the red wine in her hand, raised her thick, lush eyelashes, and said lazily to Wen Mianxue, “She’s my type.”
Wen Mianxue widened her eyes in surprise: “You… you like her?!”
At this remark, everyone around them held their breath, their gazes converging on Gu Sheng, eagerly anticipating her answer.
“…” Gu Sheng first frowned, then suddenly laughed out loud, “How could that be? We’ve only met twice in total.”
“Anyway, for families like ours, we all end up taking the path of a marriage alliance. None of us has a choice; as long as she’s pleasant to look at, it’s fine,” Gu Sheng took a sip of wine and added.
“That’s true,” Wen Mianxue lowered her gaze, a faint hint of melancholy rising in her heart.
Suddenly, Wen Mianxue abruptly looked up, staring intently at Gu Sheng, then paused and said: “But! Sheng Sheng, your parents dote on you so much. If you firmly refused, your parents definitely wouldn’t force you to marry her.”
Gu Sheng, of course, knew this was true, but she didn’t think there was anything wrong with this marriage. The alliance would allow her family’s conglomerate to grow stronger, and besides, she didn’t have anyone she liked.
From the engagement until now, Gu Sheng had met the Third Miss Su twice and had a good impression of her. It was just that the woman was a bit physically weak, looking sickly and frail.
Moreover, the woman looked taciturn, so presumably, she wouldn’t try to control her after marriage. Of course, no one could control Gu Sheng anyway.
Beside her, another friend suddenly interjected, “Exactly! And she’s an illegitimate daughter. Plus… I heard she’s been unloved since childhood.”
Gu Sheng shrugged, saying nonchalantly, “I don’t have anyone I like anyway.”
“Although she is indeed an unloved illegitimate daughter, she is still a Su, after all.”
The Su and Gu families were two highly prestigious families in City C.
The Su Group was primarily engaged in the real estate sector, making it the mainland’s leading property developer. It owned subsidiaries in entertainment, film, catering, hotels, and medical investment. “Huaying Entertainment,” the mainland’s largest film and television company, was one of the group’s subsidiaries.
The Gu Group started in jewelry and auctions. Ten years ago, it expanded into hotels and tourism, owning the largest tourism company in the country. In recent years, it also targeted the current unstoppable gaming industry.
“Alright! Alright! Let’s stop talking about this. Today is our big star Gu’s bachelorette party!” one of the friends suddenly stood up, raising her glass of red wine, trying to lift the atmosphere.
“Come on, everyone, let’s keep drinking~”
“A toast to our big star Gu’s last day of being single!”
Nearby, when Wen Mianxue heard Gu Sheng say she didn’t have anyone she liked, Wen Mianxue’s heart instantly sank, and an indescribable emotion flickered in her eyes.
She bowed her head and took a large, heavy gulp of wine.
The wedding between the Gu and Su families was held in the largest cathedral in City C. The alliance between the two major families was truly a powerful union.
On the wedding day, the sky was clear and vast, the azure sky was clean and distant, and a gentle breeze was blowing.
In front of the cathedral lay a green lawn like fresh paint. Pink and crimson roses decorated the wedding venue, creating a veritable sea of roses, with colorful balloons reflected against the blue sky.
Pure white lilies were intertwined on circular arches, extending all the way to the cathedral doors. Beautiful ribbons fluttered in the breeze.
In the wedding backstage area.
Gu Sheng, one of the protagonists of the day, was a little sleepy and had yawned several times in front of the mirror.
“Are you done yet?” Gu Sheng wrinkled her nose, clearly annoyed.
“Almost, almost,” the makeup artist said, holding a brush, a little nervous yet excited.
The woman’s base features were too perfect. Her entire face was as beautiful as a computer model or a finely edited photo. Her eyes and brows were so stunning they hardly needed makeup to enhance them, and her skin was so fair and smooth that pores were invisible.
Such a great beauty only needed a simple base makeup. Contouring, nose shadow, and the like were completely unnecessary; a sheer, natural look was the most suitable.
“Why is getting married so much trouble? My red carpet makeup doesn’t even take this long,” Gu Sheng grumbled, getting quite impatient.
“Teacher Gu, getting married is the biggest event in a person’s life; you can’t rush it,” the assistant nearby respectfully handed her a hot drink, looking utterly smitten and fan-like.
Even though Zhu Kexing had seen Gu Sheng’s stunning makeup and styling countless times, this was the first time she had seen Teacher Gu in a wedding dress.
Indeed, a woman in a wedding dress is the most beautiful!
Gu Sheng, in front of the mirror, perfectly demonstrated what it meant to be “flawlessly beautiful.”
Her features were bright and grand, a very bold kind of beauty. Her pair of alluring almond-shaped eyes seemed to constantly shimmer with water, and the corners of her eyes subtly lifted.
Below her high nose, her two red lips were perfectly shaped, with a small lip bead in the center serving as the finishing touch, making one irresistibly want to kiss them.
The woman wore a custom-tailored strapless, fishtail wedding dress. The pristine white gown encased her tall and graceful figure. Under the light, the diamonds on the skirt reflected dazzling fine flashes, like a vast galaxy.
Around her snowy swan neck was a European medieval royal collection diamond necklace, a set with the diamond earrings on her earlobes.
On her head, she wore an invaluable diamond tiara, rumored to have been worn by the Queen of England, its market value immeasurable.
A pure white veil draped over her back, concealing her fair, smooth bare back, her butterfly bones sensually alluring.
Finally, the makeup was complete. A light, natural look, both exquisite and simple.
“The wedding is about to begin, you know,” someone suddenly pushed the door open gently, a beaming face peeking in.
Gu Sheng turned and looked back, her eyes meeting those of the newcomer.
The next second, the newcomer was hit by a beauty shock and froze on the spot.
This… is a fairy descending to the mortal world!!
At 11:08 AM, Beijing time, the wedding ceremony officially began.
The solemn cathedral was filled with guests. Family and friends from both families occupied the front rows of white pews, with both sets of parents sitting in the very first row.
Amidst a shower of petals, the two brides walked hand-in-hand toward the priest.
The kindly priest stood before the couple, a benevolent smile on his lips, holding an open Bible.
“Madam Gu Sheng, do you take this woman before you to be your lawfully wedded wife?” The priest held the scripture and looked solemnly at Gu Sheng. “Do you promise that from this day forward, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, in poverty or in wealth, you will cherish her, respect her, and remain faithful to her all the days of your life?”
“I… I do.” Gu Sheng was momentarily distracted, taking several seconds to respond.
The reason for her distraction was that the woman before her looked incredibly beautiful today—extraordinarily beautiful!
The person before her was a typical light-featured beauty. Her makeup was subtle; a light dusting of powder made her look stunning, absolutely comparable to the most dazzling female celebrities.
The woman wore an off-the-shoulder wedding dress made of pearl-white satin. The jewelry she wore was very understated.
Her long hair was neatly pinned at the back of her head, with pearls and gemstones adorning the thick, dark forest of hair. She was not wearing a veil.
The woman had a pair of long, narrow phoenix eyes, her expression cool and reserved. Her eye sockets were much deeper than average, making her features exceptionally three-dimensional. Her pupils were the azure blue of a European, like the mysterious depths of the ocean.
Her skin tone was very pale, the kind of unhealthy paleness that looked like she had never been exposed to sunlight. Her two lips were thin, and their shape was particularly beautiful.
“Madam Su Nanhe, do you take this woman before you to be your lawfully wedded wife?” The priest then withdrew his gaze and rested it gently on Su Nanhe. “Do you promise that from this day forward, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, in poverty or in wealth, you will cherish her, respect her, and remain faithful to her all the days of your life?”
“I do.” Su Nanhe’s thin lips slightly parted, softly uttering the three words.
After the vows were completed, two cherubic flower girls came before the brides, each holding a large, crimson velvet tray.
Gu Sheng slightly turned, took the pigeon-egg-sized diamond ring from the ring box. She paused, then lowered her long, feather-like lashes. With one hand, she gently lifted Su Nanhe’s left hand, and with the other, she placed the ring on her ring finger.
It was a very beautiful hand, with fingers that were slender and fair, and clearly defined knuckles. The hand did not look frail at all.
Su Nanhe appeared extremely composed, one might even say expressionless. She lowered her eyes slightly, glancing at the diamond ring that had suddenly appeared on her ring finger. Then, she turned sideways, reached for the corresponding pigeon-egg-sized ring, and placed it on Gu Sheng’s left ring finger like a routine task.
“As seen by the Lord Jesus, the two brides have exchanged rings,” the priest solemnly proclaimed. “I now, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, pronounce you two wife and wife.”
“You may now kiss the bride.”
Upon hearing the word “kiss,” Gu Sheng’s heart abruptly tightened. Although Gu Sheng had a pair of amorous peach blossom eyes that gave a first impression of being flirtatious, she had never had a girlfriend growing up, let alone kissed anyone.
Just as Gu Sheng was momentarily distracted, a faint scent of woody perfume rushed over her—a coldness like pine covered in snow—instantly captivating Gu Sheng’s nose.
Next, a coolness touched her lips. Su Nanhe had actively leaned in and kissed her.
“…!” Gu Sheng reacted, suddenly widening her slightly moist, amber-colored pupils. She blinked her thick, long eyelashes, her eyes filled with surprise.
The next second, Su Nanhe’s lips had already pulled away.
It was a light, fleeting kiss, devoid of any romantic passion, signifying that this commercial marriage alliance had no emotional foundation.