On the Wedding Night, I Transmigrated to After the Divorce – Chapter 16
by Little PandaYan-jie is Mighty
Fu Yunqing is also her little dog.
Time passed quickly. Yu Yan had mostly recovered from her illness, and the wedding date approached in the blink of an eye, like a rising tide.
However, thanks to Fu Yunqing’s indulgence, Yu Yan felt no sense of urgency whatsoever. Once she was better, she became fearless again. She even audaciously planned to wait until her sisters arrived, book out a nearby pub the day before the wedding, and party with them all night—drinking heavily in honor of her final moments of freedom.
The wedding guests, aside from the Fu family and Yu Lan’s relatives, friends, and business partners, mostly consisted of Yu Yan’s various jiejies, meimeis, and fair-weather friends1. After all, with the Young Miss Yu generously waving her hand and covering all flights and accommodations, who wouldn’t want to witness the Young Miss Yu’s grand wedding?
Young Miss Yu was far too fickle in love. The composition of her VIPs was highly complex, inevitably including some friends with whom she had exchanged romantic sentiments—those she had shared ambiguous flirtations with, those she had liked, and those she had teased but ultimately abandoned. Yu Yan collectively referred to them as ‘friends with whom she had some emotional exchange.’
Why were they willing to just be friends? Probably because Yu Yan was too unforgettable, providing so much emotional value that she fulfilled their fantasies. They couldn’t bear to stay completely away; even as just friends, they were willing to stay by her side. To be needed when she needed them, to comfort and care for her when she was sad or unhappy—even just that brought them a sense of satisfaction.
Yu Yan possessed many of the arrogant and willful traits of a Young Miss. She confidently and lazily enjoyed all the goodwill that flowed toward her. Yet, strangely enough, this temperament was incredibly attractive on her. That was just the kind of person she was—an exquisite egoist. But when necessary, she could act coquettishly, play the good girl, and say things that made people unable to pull themselves away. With just a slight display of charm, the other party would easily become infatuated, losing themselves and abandoning all principles.
Yu Yan knew her own charm and understood their thoughts, and she enjoyed it all with absolute peace of mind. Well, ‘women’s licking dog2‘ was merely a label Yu Yan slapped on herself to cover up her crimes. In truth, she knew that they were actually her little dogs.
Just like right now—
In the estate’s dining room, Yu Yan only emerged from her room to eat after the afternoon had passed. Sitting beside her was a young woman in a white button-down shirt who looked gentle and refined. There was no food in front of the woman, suggesting she had already eaten. She sat with her head tilted, her gaze focused intently on Yu Yan.
Yu Yan mixed her spaghetti with little enthusiasm, grumbling, “My mom won’t let me go. It’s so annoying.” She was talking about her plan to book out the pub and drink freely the day before the wedding.
The woman beside her offered a plan. “Auntie is probably just worried that drinking too much will delay tomorrow’s wedding. I’ll go talk to her for you. I’ll say that I’ll keep an eye on you and won’t let you drink—we’re just going for the fun and lively atmosphere. How about that?”
Li Tong was Yu Yan’s older cousin, though in reality, they shared no blood relation. Compared to the cynical and playful Yu Yan, she was far more outstanding—currently pursuing her master’s degree at a prestigious university, she had always been the classic ‘child from another family3.’ Though they hadn’t interacted much as kids, Li Tong had done her undergraduate studies in Yuncheng, so she had spent some time with Yu Yan. She was beautiful, highly educated, emotionally stable, gentle, and patient. She was practically a sapiosexual’s heavenly dish4. Back then, Yu Yan had liked her to death, shamelessly sticking to her every day to maintain an ambiguous flirtation. But later, unwilling to take responsibility, Yu Yan hadn’t gotten together with her.
After separating, the two maintained a tacit understanding to remain friends, keeping in close contact. Whenever Li Tong returned to Yuncheng for the holidays, or if Yu Yan went to the Imperial Capital, they would hang out together.
Yu Yan looked at her, furrowing her brows in feigned dissatisfaction. “Then are you really not going to let me drink? What’s the point of booking the place out then?”
In reality, she could drink as much as she wanted, and absolutely no one could stop her. But pretending to hand the decision-making power over to the other party gave them a satisfying sense of being the one in control of her.
Li Tong simply couldn’t refuse her. Yu Yan had known all along that her cousin thoroughly enjoyed going behind the elders’ backs to accompany her in causing a ruckus and doing outrageous things. It wasn’t the first time she had made an exception for her.
“I’ll secretly let you drink a little bit.”
“Ugh… that’s still really boring.”
Li Tong looked a bit helpless. “What if you drink too much and get a hangover? You have a wedding tomorrow.”
Yu Yan gave a soft humph. Pretending to be angry, she pushed the spaghetti aside and asked the waiter to bring her a serving of pudding.
Li Tong naturally took the plate of spaghetti and continued mixing it evenly for her. “You could add a low-proof, strongly flavored liquor into a beverage. That way, it’ll taste like alcohol, but you won’t get drunk even if you drink a lot. You can still enjoy yourself to the fullest. How does that sound?”
Yu Yan considered it for a moment. When she looked back at her, a smile had already surfaced. She pulled Li Tong closer by the wrist. “Then you go talk to my mom later.”
Li Tong curled her lips into a smile and pushed the well-mixed spaghetti back in front of her. “Alright. Eat your noodles first.”
Yu Yan didn’t know that, at this very moment, Fu Yunqing was standing not far behind her, accompanied by the estate’s housekeeper, Ms. Dillon.
Li Tong noticed her before Yu Yan did. Startled, she retracted her faint smile and offered a polite greeting.
Only then did Yu Yan turn her head to look at Fu Yunqing. “Fu-jiejie?”
“Why are you eating lunch so late?” Fu Yunqing sat down across from Yu Yan quite naturally. Her tone was as calm as usual, laced with an undertone of concern.
“I was so tired. I just woke up.”
Fu Yunqing nodded. Having spent these past few days together, she had already learned some of Yu Yan’s daily routines and habits. She stayed up late, stayed in bed, and liked to drink—though she didn’t smoke.
Fu Yunqing didn’t consider these to be flaws. Rather, they were integrated into the very essence of who she was; this was how she was supposed to be. Even wanting to go out and drink heavily at a pub the day before her wedding—Fu Yunqing found this to be an amusing and endearing side of her.
It was just that some extra element had been mixed into this particular matter, and Fu Yunqing found she didn’t quite like it.
So she asked, “You’re this tired, and you still want to go drinking tonight?”
Fu Yunqing must have overheard what they were just saying. Yu Yan simply admitted it. “Mm, I want to go.” Anyway, she knew Fu Yunqing definitely wouldn’t scold her like Yu Lan would.
So there was nothing wrong with admitting it. Fu-jiejie would only indulge her, right?
Unexpectedly, Fu Yunqing refused her. “You’ve only just recovered from your illness, and you only stopped taking your medication two days ago. You can’t drink alcohol yet.”
“Yanyan was sick?” Li Tong had been unaware of this. She immediately looked at Yu Yan.
“What happened? Was it serious?” she asked with concern.
Yu Yan replied, “Not serious, just a cold.”
“Then you definitely need to be careful. You shouldn’t drink.”
“…” Yu Yan fell silent. She let out a huff and lowered her head to eat her noodles. Clearly, she was unhappy.
It was hard to tell who she was silently protesting against—was she protesting against Fu Yunqing for rejecting her, or was she protesting against Li Tong for not standing on her side?
Li Tong still wanted to say something, but the waiter brought over the dishes Fu Yunqing had ordered. Two people were now dining at the table. Li Tong had already eaten earlier with the friends she had traveled with. She realized that sitting here was a bit awkward, or perhaps… superfluous?
This feeling was not pleasant, but she was powerless to change anything. She knew she couldn’t shake the decisions made by her Auntie, and she dared not let her true feelings show. Otherwise, she might not be able to stay by Yanyan’s side anymore.
Feeling a bit dejected, she stood up. “Then Yanyan, you and Teacher Fu continue eating. I’ll head back to my room first.”
“…”
The spaghetti on the plate was devoured in large bites, as if Yu Yan were venting her anger. Inevitably, sauce smeared the corners of her mouth, but she ignored it, picking up her phone to send a comforting message to Li Tong. She knew why her cousin had left, and she knew she must be feeling terrible inside right now.
When a little dog was sad, it needed to be coaxed. Otherwise, what if she got too heartbroken and ran away? How pitiful. Her cousin had no official status in front of Fu-jiejie; who knew how lost and upset she must feel.
Yu Yan decided to turn on the charm for her: 【Then I’ll listen to you, Cousin. I won’t go drinking tonight.】
Suddenly, a pair of hands reached over from the opposite side. Two fingers of Fu Yunqing’s left hand steadied her chin, while her right hand used a napkin to dab at the red sauce. Startled, Yu Yan locked her phone and looked up. Fu Yunqing’s eyes were lowered, completely focused on wiping the corners of her lips.
Fu Yunqing had actually refused her—she, Yu Yan, was still fuming about it. But she didn’t resist. She merely puffed out her cheeks and remained silent.
After a moment, Fu Yunqing withdrew her hands. “You’ve only just recovered. Have you already forgotten how awful that fever felt? Let’s skip the drinking tonight and go to bed early.”
Before she could answer, Fu Yunqing added, “Aside from the bracelet, is there any other gift you want? If you don’t go drinking, there is no price limit.”
“…” Vain and a lover of beautiful women—did Fu Yunqing already know all about these fine qualities of Yu Yan’s? Even though Yu Yan had already been defeated the moment Fu Yunqing held her chin to wipe her mouth, Fu Yunqing still threw out such an imperious condition.
Yu Yan truly had no principles. What ‘drinking all night for freedom’? Would marrying Fu Yunqing really mean losing her freedom? She was completely carried away, and she recklessly thought: The person I’m marrying is Fu-jiejie. Even if I lose my freedom, what does it matter? Fu-jiejie had money, beauty, and was gentle, generous, considerate, and fiercely protective of her own. Yu Yan would absolutely be her good, obedient wife. Of course she needed to go to bed early, so she could be full of energy the next day to hold her wedding with her Wife, and then…
Yu Yan’s eyes lit up.
The wedding night, huh.
“Can I really ask for anything? No matter how expensive?”
Fu Yunqing said, “Mm.”
This faint “Mm” from Fu-jiejie was better than the empty promises5 of countless men.
“Hehe.” Yu Yan couldn’t help but laugh out loud before immediately reigning in her expression. “…Mm.”
“Okay.”
“I will definitely be good and go to sleep early tonight. I won’t drink a single drop of alcohol,” she solemnly promised Fu Yunqing.
Just a few days ago, when she had been utterly listless, Fu Yunqing had been quite worried. But the moment she regained her energy, she had immediately become disobedient again.
Fu Yunqing remained noncommittal. Unwilling to entertain her antics any further, she lowered her head and continued her meal.
Yu Yan had already finished her spaghetti, so why wasn’t she leaving yet? To keep her Wife company, of course. And while keeping her company, she pondered over what exactly she should ask Fu Yunqing for as a reward.
Should it be that wristwatch she’d always wanted? Or gemstones? Bags? Shoes? Or a sports car? She’d ask for the flashiest model, and once it was bought, she would definitely go get her driver’s license.
Yu Yan planned to go back and thoroughly research it. Returning to her room, she unlocked her phone to find that Li Tong had already replied to her message: 【Okay.】
Li Tong: 【Are you still feeling awful from being sick? Why didn’t you tell me?】
Yu Yan typed: 【I have to try to be strong and independent! I can’t harass you over every little thing.】
Li Tong: 【It’s not harassment.】
Li Tong: 【You can come to me for anything, didn’t we agree on that before? You can still rely on me. You should tell me about any unhappiness or discomfort.】
Yu Yan curled the corners of her lips.
Right, she had agreed with her cousin. Her relationship with Fu Yunqing was just a commercial marriage; they could still be best friends like before. It was just that… Yu Yan reminisced for a moment. When she had been sick, lying in Fu-jiejie’s embrace, she had been a bit too overwhelmingly captivated.
The next day, in the dressing room—
Yu Yan was incredibly grateful to her past self, who had been bought off by Fu Yunqing’s money and hadn’t gone out drinking last night. Otherwise, she couldn’t even imagine how exhausted she would be right now, and she certainly wouldn’t be sitting in the chair so leisurely having her makeup done.
She had slept early yesterday, so she wasn’t tired at all. Now that she had recovered, her complexion was radiant, her skin looked flawless, and her mood was excellent.
“I can’t even imagine how beautiful Fu-jiejie is going to look.”
Looking at herself in the mirror wearing her wedding dress, Yu Yan couldn’t help but sigh in fantasy.
Huo Xixi fantasized too. “I really want to go see her.”
Liang Su said, “Isn’t she just next door? If you want to see her, go take a peek.”
Huo Xixi chickened out. “I definitely wouldn’t dare.”
Shen Rui poked Yu Yan. “I really want to see the beauty’s WeChat Moments. Can you show us?”
The wedding had a total of six bridesmaids arranged. Yu Yan’s three roommates took up three of those spots, while the other three were jiejies from Fu Yunqing’s side. They had arrived two days prior and had met Fu Yunqing once in the dining room. In front of Fu Yunqing, these three normally tyrannical ‘e’ extroverts hadn’t been able to utter a single coherent sentence. After Fu Yunqing had left, they had just shrieked in their group chat.
Truly too worthless.
Yu Yan shook her head. “My Wife doesn’t post on Moments.”
“Figured.”
“Then do you have any selfies of hers?”
Selfies of her Wife? Yu Yan narrowed her eyes in thought. Saying “Hold on a second,” she picked up her phone, ready to send Fu Yunqing some harassing messages.
Three heads leaned in to watch.
Yu Yan typed: 【Fu-jiejie】
Typed: 【Fu-jiejie】
Typed: 【Fu-jiejie】
Liang Su looked at her. “What are you doing?” Sending three messages in a row, only calling her ‘jiejie’ but not actually saying anything. It was baffling.
Yu Yan, however, looked completely calm and collected, as if everything was under her control. Before long, Fu Yunqing replied: 【What’s wrong?】
Yu Yan curled her lips and typed: 【I really want to see you】
Yu Yan: 【lovestruck6.jpg】
Fu Yunqing: 【You’ll see me in a little while】
Yu Yan: 【No】
Yu Yan: 【Can I come over and see you?】
Fu Yunqing: 【No, you may not】
Yu Yan immediately settled for the next best thing: 【Then can you send a picture for me to look at?】
Yu Yan: 【I really, really want to see】
Liang Su marveled. “…My god, is this how you and Fu Yunqing chat?”
Shen Rui added, “Does she even buy into this routine of yours? Why does it feel like she’s a bit cold?”
Cold? Feeling suspected, Yu Yan was thoroughly displeased. She defended her, “My Wife just doesn’t like typing. She keeps her replies brief. How is that cold?”
Huo Xixi said, “I’m a bit curious about her MBTI. Is she an ‘i’7 or an ‘e’?”
Yu Yan thought for a moment before stating firmly, “An ‘i’.”
Shen Rui said, “I get the feeling she isn’t an ‘e’ either. She barely said a few words last time; she was extremely dignified.”
Liang Su said, “But the three of us ‘e’ types didn’t dare say a single word in front of her. It’s a total reversal of the natural order8.”
Shen Rui explained, “It’s because she has too much of an oppressive presence. It’s that kind of oppressive aura that combines wealth, broad horizons, and profound knowledge all into one. We wouldn’t dare act crazy in front of her. Only my Yan-jie has that kind of nerve.”
—Only our Yan-jie has that kind of nerve.
“It’s not that exaggerated,” Yu Yan said, unable to stop her mouth from turning up at the corners. She selected an emoji to send to Fu Yunqing and boasted smugly, “An ‘i’ is just a toy for an ‘e’.”
Therefore, by the same logic, Fu Yunqing was her toy.
Fu Yunqing was also her little dog.
The author has something to say:
Yan-jie: I am a white cut black9.
Footnotes
- 'Hú péng gǒu yǒu' (fox friends and dog friends) is a Chinese idiom referring to a bad crowd or fair-weather friends who only gather for fun and mischief.
- 'Tiǎngǒu' is slang for a 'simp' who debases themselves for affection.
- 'Child from another family' (biéren jiā de háizi) is a common Chinese term for the perfect, high-achieving peer that parents always compare their own children to.
- 'Tiāncài' (heavenly dish) is modern slang for an ideal partner. 'Zhìxìngliàn' refers to a sapiosexual—someone attracted to intelligence.
- In modern Chinese slang, 'to draw a flatbread' (huà dàbǐng) means to make grand, empty promises about the future to string someone along.
- A slang term describing someone who is utterly lovestruck, starry-eyed, or overly infatuated with good looks.
- In modern Chinese internet slang, 'i' refers to the 'Introvert' (I) personality type in the MBTI assessment. Calling someone 'too i' means they are painfully shy or socially awkward.
- An internet slang phrase derived from Daoist concepts, meaning to reverse the natural order of things or flip heaven and earth. Here, it refers to the extroverts being intimidated into silence by the introvert.
- 'White cut black' (bái qiē hēi) is Chinese internet slang for a character who appears innocent, sweet, or harmless on the outside ('white'), but is actually cunning, ruthless, or manipulative on the inside ('black').
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