The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 383 - 382: Wedding on the Cruise Ship

Chapter 383: Chapter 382: Wedding on the Cruise Ship

The cruise ship has a total of seven decks, with room types including inside cabins, ocean view rooms, balcony rooms, and the luxurious suites on the top two levels.

Thanks to Zhuang Xueqi’s care, Shen Mingzhu was arranged in a room with a balcony.

Although the balcony was only the size of a palm, she could watch the sunrise and sunset and feel the sunlight and sea breeze without leaving her room, making for an excellent experience.

The wedding was on the second day of the trip.

Before dawn, Shen Mingzhu woke up to the sound of an alarm.

After getting dressed, she woke up the soundly sleeping Pei Ziheng, informed her of her whereabouts, and then went to the VIP suite on the top deck.

The elders and important guests of the Zhuang and Ning families stayed in the suites on the sixth and seventh floors.

Zhuang Xueqi had a bachelorette party with her girlfriends the night before, playing until midnight before returning to her room, and was still sleeping.

Shen Mingzhu glanced at her watch, noting there were still several hours until the wedding.

She let Zhuang Xueqi continue sleeping and took out the celery, apples, and honey she brought to make a facial mask mud and applied it to Zhuang Xueqi’s face.

This was a method she used in her previous life as a broadcaster to quickly restore her skin’s condition.

Celery contains a large amount of potassium, which can quickly burn fat and achieve a slimming effect on the face and reduce swelling.

Apple pulp contains natural fruit acids that can whiten and brighten the skin tone.

And honey can tighten and refine pores.

After applying the mask, she used fine muslin to do a wet compression for hydration.

By the end of the whole process, Zhuang Xueqi was almost completely awake.

Looking at the fair and radiant skin in the mirror, Zhuang Xueqi was very satisfied and specially asked Shen Mingzhu for the recipe for the facial mask mud.

After a simple breakfast, she began to get her makeup and hair done.

Two hours later.

When Zhuang Xueqi appeared in front of the guests in a luxurious, vintage, floor-length wedding dress, she instantly became the center of attention.

"Oh my god, this is too beautiful!"

"Xueqi, we’ve known each other for over twenty years, and I’ve never seen you this beautiful before, I almost didn’t recognize you."

A group of girlfriends surrounded Zhuang Xueqi, showering her with endless compliments.

On the topmost deck, Ning Yuan was standing with Yan Yi and a few acquaintances from their circle by the railing, looking down at the bride on the lower deck.

"Sss, has Zhuang Xueqi had plastic surgery? She seems a lot prettier."

The others agreed.

"Prettier? Are you guys blind?"

Ning Yuan spoke with disdain but his eyes honestly stole glances in Zhuang Xueqi’s direction.

Damn it, Zhuang Xueqi looked surprisingly good today, as if she had taken some elixir, her whole body seemed to be glowing.

Yan Yi leaned on the railing with one hand and held a glass of wine in the other, gazing distantly at a certain spot on the lower deck, his gentle face showing contentment.

He seemed to be in a good mood.

A brash young man teased him, "Yi Bro, when can we drink to your and the Zhong Family miss’s wedding?"

"Miss Zhong’s image and temperament are beyond question, and when Miss Zhong puts on a wedding dress, I’m afraid every woman in Fengcheng would have to admire her."

From Yan Yi’s perspective, everyone assumed he was looking at Zhong Qing.

Only Ning Yuan knew that his little uncle had his attention on someone else.

Unlike the flashy women on Deck A, Shen Mingzhu was dressed simply that day.

A white shirt, a light khaki jacket, and dark, slim-fitting trousers.

Her shoulder-length hair casually lay behind her head, swaying with the sea breeze.

Her palm-sized face was bright like jade, and she stood out with a gentle intellectual smile while surrounded by others.

Shen Mingzhu didn’t have the stunning looks of Zhong Qing or the noble air of Yan Su, and she was even petite, but sandwiched between two famous ladies, she possessed a unique presence that felt otherworldly and detached from the world around her.

...

Shen Mingzhu’s choice to wear a suit rather than a pretty dress at the wedding was purely to save money.

Although she made a killing on this year’s mooncakes, between paying off the mortgage, renting property, and opening a restaurant, she was left with very little money on hand.

Buying a dress that wouldn’t be out of place at such an event would cost at least three to five hundred bucks.

So she simply had a high-end suit custom-made, which she could wear to work after the wedding was over.

...

At eleven o’clock, the wedding officially began.

The entire deck was adorned with flowers, ribbons, balloons, and tulle, transforming it into a ceremonial hall akin to a fairyland, with all the guests gathered on the decks of each level to witness this lavish wedding.

Everything in the wedding ceremony went smoothly until the kiss following the exchange of rings sparked a bit of laughter.

The bride and groom were supposed to kiss, but Ning Yuan merely brushed Zhuang Xueqi’s cheek with his lips.

Zhuang Xueqi, dissatisfied with his perfunctory peck, hooked Ning Yuan’s neck to aim for his mouth.

Ning Yuan refused.

The two jostled back and forth and, losing their balance, tumbled onto the wedding stage.

After the fall, Zhuang Xueqi wasn’t in a hurry to get up; instead, she pressed down on Ning Yuan’s head and gave him a heavy kiss before satisfactorily standing up with the help of her bridesmaids.

The wedding ceremony ended perfectly amidst a shower of flower petals and the laughter of the guests.

...

The wedding banquet was held in the cruise ship’s restaurant, which offered a rich variety of dishes combining Chinese and Western cuisines, all served buffet-style.

Ditching the traditional toast, the bride and groom, led by their parents, were busy mingling and networking with the influential figures from the political and business spheres.

Shen Mingzhu was also very busy.

Of course, someone with no family background or connections like her didn’t stand a chance to be greeted by the bride and groom. She was busy because many rich young ladies and wealthy matrons wanted her to do their makeup and styling.

Shen Mingzhu welcomed them all, taking out her notebook to schedule appointments with the ladies and matrons.

Please, these were all her potential clients—it would be foolish to refuse them.

By the time Shen Mingzhu finished networking and returned to her seat, her plate was filled with shelled lobster meat, crab roe, and various kinds of scallop meat.

All her favorites.

"Thanks, son!"

Shen Mingzhu hugged her son and kissed him, happily digging in.

While eating, she also fed Pei Ziheng.

The plate of meat was quickly emptied.

"Mom, eat slowly. I’ll go get some more," Ziheng said.

Hearing this, Shen Mingzhu put down her chopsticks, "Mom will come with you."

"No need, I can manage," he replied.

"Alright then, don’t forget to get some of your favorites as well," she said.

"Okay," he responded.

Pei Ziheng hopped down from the dining chair and ran cheerfully to the buffet table.

Although Shen Mingzhu had agreed to let her son get food by himself, her gaze constantly followed his direction.

In the meantime, Zhong Qing and Yan Su took a break from their busy schedule to sit with her for a while, reassured to see her enjoying her meal, they confidently continued their rounds greeting guests.

Pei Ziheng returned with two succulent salt-and-pepper mantis prawns.

As big as a baby’s arm and almost as long as a pair of chopsticks.

"There’s a trick to shelling mantis prawns. First, break off the antennae at the tail end. Then, fold the tail inward, create a slit in the shell, and insert the chopsticks all the way to the head of the prawn..."

While demonstrating, Shen Mingzhu explained the technique, and soon, a lovely piece of mantis prawn meat was peeled.

Pei Ziheng picked up the second mantis prawn, attempting to shell it following the method taught by Shen Mingzhu.

"Miss Shen."

While the mother and son were thoroughly enjoying their shelling, a beautiful and elegant lady suddenly approached their table.

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