Genius Girlfriend

Guests arrived one after another, and Jiang Yubai followed his parents into the hall.

At the corner near the entrance, Jiang Yubai encountered relatives from Jessica's family. After exchanging polite greetings with them, his gaze unintentionally swept over Lin Zhixia in the distance. He took a step toward where Lin Zhixia stood, and his Dad asked in a low voice, "Where are you going?"

"The friend I invited has arrived," Jiang Yubai said formally. "Please excuse me."

Dad chuckled at his demeanor. "Alright, go ahead."

Jiang Yubai wore a dark blue suit. His figure was just beginning to mature—broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs—his posture as straight as a pine tree. The clothes suited his temperament perfectly. With graceful poise, he approached Lin Zhixia and opened with, "There's Strawberry cake today."

Lin Zhixia was overjoyed. "Strawberry cake?"

Lin Zeqiu, standing behind her, remarked coldly, "What's there to be excited about? It's not like you've never had Strawberry cake before."

Only then did Jiang Yubai glance at Lin Zeqiu. After several months apart, Lin Zeqiu clearly hadn't matured at all. Jiang Yubai greeted him politely, "Hello, welcome to my uncle's wedding."

Lin Zeqiu remained silent. He firmly held Lin Zhixia's wrist, his fingertips lightly resting on the back of her hand.

In the vast rose-adorned hall, guests were dressed in luxurious attire and adorned with expensive jewelry, making Lin Zhixia and Lin Zeqiu stand out in their simple clothing. The siblings seemed as if they had wandered into another dimension.

Lin Zhixia paid no mind to this. After a moment's thought, she pulled two red envelopes from her pocket and solemnly handed them to Jiang Yubai.

"These are from me and Brother," she said.

Jiang Yubai was taken aback. "Red envelopes?"

Lin Zhixia asked, puzzled, "Don't other guests give monetary gifts?"

Jiang Yubai replied honestly, "They put checks inside the red envelopes."

Lin Zhixia grew shy. "I... I only prepared two hundred yuan."

"Thank you," Jiang Yubai said sincerely. "Thank you very much. I'll pass these to my uncle and convey your blessings."

Lin Zhixia pressed him, "Don't you think two hundred is too little?"

Jiang Yubai asserted firmly, "It's not little. Your sincerity is priceless—that's an infinitely large number."

"Mhmm!" Lin Zhixia agreed with his reasoning. Her eyes sparkling with laughter, she asked, "Where's the bride? Is she very beautiful? I love seeing brides the most."

Jiang Yubai raised a hand and pointed toward the artificial rockery beside the waterfall. "Wait a little longer. The bride will emerge from the cave."

Lin Zeqiu snorted, "Weird concept."

Lin Zhixia tugged at Lin Zeqiu's sleeve. Lin Zeqiu turned his head to look toward the hall's exit. "Lin Zhixia, can you really stand being here?"

"Why wouldn't I be able to?" Lin Zhixia retorted.

Lin Zeqiu lowered his voice, his words obscure and strained. "Look at what everyone else is wearing..."

Jiang Yubai immediately explained, "There's no dress code for this wedding. Not all guests are wearing formal attire."

After saying this, Jiang Yubai directed Lin Zeqiu's gaze to another area—where a group of people in their twenties and thirties had gathered. They were dressed plainly and inconspicuously.

"Who are they?" Lin Zeqiu asked.

Jiang Yubai introduced, "They're friends from the music industry that my uncle knows."

Lin Zhixia chimed in, "The music industry friends are so low-key."Jiang Yubai relayed his uncle's exact words: "My uncle said he invited friends to witness his wedding. Their presence is all that matters, nothing else is important."

Lin Zhixia chimed in supportively, "Yes, not being bound by formalities..."

Before she could finish her praise, Jiang Yubai suddenly asked her, "Can you sit next to me?"

Lin Zhixia blinked, looking at him with confusion. Though unfamiliar with wealthy families' wedding customs, she recalled from rural weddings that the groom's immediate relatives always occupied a separate table. Since she wasn't Jiang Shaoqi's direct relative, how could she sit with Jiang Yubai?

She firmly refused, "No."

To Lin Zeqiu's ears, those two words—"No"—sounded like heavenly music.

Excellent.

His little sister had finally made him proud.

She'd finally publicly rejected Jiang Yubai.

From the moment Lin Zeqiu stepped into the banquet hall, he'd felt uncomfortable. The place overflowed with opulent extravagance, radiating a dizzying aura of money burning. He knew Jiang Yubai's family was wealthy, but never imagined "wealthy" could reach such absurd levels.

Now, Lin Zeqiu took a deep breath, the accumulated gloom dissipating completely.

A faint smile graced his lips as he victoriously grasped Lin Zhixia's wrist, boasting, "Jiang Yubai, ever heard this saying—family sits together. Lin Zhixia should be near me. You're the groom's nephew—go attend to your duties. Your family still has guests waiting."

Faint rose fragrance permeated the air while transparent floor panels revealed flowing water underneath. Holding his sister's hand, Lin Zeqiu scanned the venue for seats.

Unyielding, Jiang Yubai elaborated, "I'm at the front table—rectangular, not round. If you want to see the bride, my spot offers the best view."

Lin Zhixia wavered slightly, "Are the seats around you empty?"

He guided her forward, "My left side is vacant, my mother's on the right."

"What about your other relatives?" she inquired curiously, "That Huang Yuxiao I met at your grandfather's house last time..."

Jiang Yubai replied flatly, "He's at another table."

"Is my relationship with you... closer than his with you?" Lin Zhixia murmured to herself.

But Jiang Yubai confirmed firmly, "Of course."

Lin Zeqiu clamped a hand on Jiang Yubai's shoulder with gangster-like authority. Being several years older and slightly taller, his gesture carried clear warning. Unfazed, Jiang Yubai reminded him, "I'm Lin Zhixia's best friend. That fact won't change."

"True," Lin Zhixia echoed.

Lin Zeqiu remained silent.

Checking her watch, Lin Zhixia urged, "The wedding's starting soon. We need to find seats quickly."

Today's wedding banquet fulfilled Jiang Yubai's ideal vision.

With his closest friend seated beside him, he felt grounded and secure. Even her troublesome brother tagging along didn't bother him in the slightest.After the banquet commenced, numerous waiters pushed carts to serve the dishes. The appetizers included lime-flavored ice plant, steamed dumplings in two styles, caviar shrimp balls, and bird's nest with fish maw stewed in conch—each portion was individually served and personally presented to the guests by the waiters.

The waiters demonstrated meticulous technique when pouring wine. Wearing white gloves, they opened the champagne, first lifting the glass and tilting it slightly to pour out a small amount of wine. After letting it rest for a moment, they allowed the liquid to flow from the bottle's mouth, slowly sliding down along the inner wall of the glass. They would then bend down and gently place the glass on the table, producing not a single sound throughout the entire process.

Strangely, despite the waiters' exceptionally attentive service, Lin Zeqiu felt uncomfortable all over. Holding chopsticks in his right hand and a wine glass in his left, his heartbeat inexplicably quickened by a noticeable beat.

This was Lin Zeqiu's first time drinking champagne. He took a small sip, and the aroma of the wine filled his mouth, bringing a novel experience.

Lin Zhixia, being underage, couldn't drink alcohol. The waiter brought her a freshly squeezed strawberry honey juice—a beverage specially prepared by Jiang Yubai, which Lin Zhixia greatly enjoyed. Yet she still wondered what champagne tasted like. Curiously, she asked, "Brother, is champagne good?"

Lin Zeqiu replied, "It's average."

Lin Zhixia turned her head and whispered to Jiang Yubai, "Do you want to drink?"

Lin Zeqiu reminded her again, "You can talk without getting so close to him."

Lin Zeqiu, Lin Zhixia, Jiang Yubai, Jiang Yubai's parents, and others were all seated at a long table. Jiang Yubai had invited Lin Zhixia to sit beside him, and his parents hadn't commented on it. However, after Lin Zeqiu spoke, Jiang Yubai's mother suddenly asked, "Jiang Yubai, is the person sitting to Lin Zhixia's left her family member?"

Jiang Yubai set down his chopsticks. "He's Lin Zhixia's brother."

"Her full biological brother, same parents," Lin Zhixia added.

Lin Zhixia was thoroughly enjoying her meal. She sampled a bit of the caviar shrimp balls, took a bite of the steamed dumplings, and sipped her strawberry honey juice, feeling almost as blissful as an immortal! Jiang Yubai's parents intentionally engaged her in conversation, but Lin Zhixia didn't feel nervous or uneasy at all.

After the wedding banquet's appetizers were served, the lights in the hall gradually dimmed. Seated between his mother and Lin Zhixia, Jiang Yubai heard his mother ask, "I heard from Xiao Jiang that you're in your first year of university?"

"Yes," Lin Zhixia nodded.

"What's your major?"

"Information and Computing Science in the School of Mathematics."

"You study mathematics?"

"Not entirely mathematics; it includes other disciplines too... I'm not particularly skilled in pure theoretical basic research. I want to work on practical applications. I'm currently studying quantum circuit chip design in a Quantum Computing laboratory, which falls more under physics."

Jiang Yubai's mother commented, "That's good, a STEM student."

Using just "STEM" to summarize Lin Zhixia's skills was clearly insufficient. Jiang Yubai couldn't help but say, "Lin Zhixia speaks several foreign languages."

Jiang Yubai's mother smiled. "Really?"

"At least English, French, Japanese, and German," Jiang Yubai stated confidently.

His mother then asked him, "What does Lin Zhixia plan to do in the future?"

Lin Zhixia took a sip of her strawberry juice, swallowed, and then said, "This September, I'll submit an application for early graduation to the school. I'll graduate in my third year and continue on to a Ph.D. program..."Lin Zeqiu said in a low voice, "No need to explain. You're not related to them."

Jiang Yubai sincerely hoped his mother hadn't heard that remark. However, it turned out she had heard it very clearly. His mother was holding a small silver spoon, and its tip lightly tapped against her porcelain bowl—this was somewhat unusual, as she normally ate without making a sound.

Dad had been talking with Grandpa. When Dad heard the sound, he lowered his head and asked, "Is the food not to your liking?"

Jiang Yubai answered on her behalf, "The food is fine. I think it's good."

Dad said, "Let's hear what your mother has to say first."

Just then, several clusters of lights in the hall suddenly brightened, casting soft beams onto a stone platform surrounded by roses—on that platform, there was actually a full orchestra. Each musician wore a suit and held their instrument, and at a glance, one could see cellos, saxophones, flutes, and violins.

The orchestra played Edward Elgar's "Salut d'Amour" with remarkable harmony.

"Salut d'Amour" is a famous piece by the renowned composer Edward Elgar. He wrote it for his fiancée to express his deepest and most intense love, making it perfectly suited for a wedding.

The orchestra's musical skill was profound. Their coordination was seamless, and the melody of "Salut d'Amour" was gentle and melodious, reaching straight into the listeners' hearts.

After about a minute, the ensemble gradually softened, and a violin began a solo. The sound was exquisite and graceful, drifting through the air like a confession, carrying countless sweet nothings into the ears. Countless threads of emotion wove into a net, enveloping the leaping notes and immersing the audience completely in the tender, lingering sound of the violin.

As the lights focused on the violinist, Lin Zhixia realized it was Jiang Shaoqi! This was the first time she had seen Jiang Shaoqi without gloves.

Jiang Shaoqi's hands were particularly striking—his ten fingers were symmetrical and slender, as if carved from marble. Of course, his music was even more beautiful than his hands, lingering in the air and leaving a lasting impression.

Lin Zhixia whispered, "Jiang Yubai, your uncle is amazing. No wonder he became a concertmaster at twenty-three."

Jiang Yubai's fingertips rested on the edge of his rice bowl. He replied subconsciously, "At my wedding, I could play the piano."

"Ah?" Lin Zhixia was stunned. "Your wedding?"

Jiang Yubai was startled inside: Why was he suddenly competing with his uncle? He gripped his bowl tightly. "Sorry, what I meant was..."

Before Jiang Yubai could finish his sentence, Jiang Shaoqi's performance ended. The crowd erupted in heartfelt applause and cheers. Accustomed to such scenes, he calmly set down his violin.

The lights followed his steps as he crossed the stream and ascended the glass staircase.

The wedding host handed him a microphone, and he said into it, "Thank you all for attending our wedding..."

Beyond the artificial waterfall and rockery, the rose curtain was drawn aside by two bridesmaids. The bride, Jessica, wearing a flowing, snow-white wedding gown that trailed on the ground, gracefully entered the guests' view.

Jessica wore a veil and held a bouquet. Her cheeks were flushed, her expression radiant, and the delicate sheer fabric of her dress spread elegantly across the floor.As she listened to Jiang Shaoqi's solo backstage, her entire heart flew toward him. When he drew closer to her, her eyes held only him—the roses and crystals were mere embellishments. After locking eyes with Jiang Shaoqi for a moment, she watched as he slipped a hand into his coat pocket, about to pull out that enormous diamond ring, when his back suddenly went cold—his pocket was empty. It seemed he had lost his wife's diamond ring.

No, not lost.

Jiang Shaoqi remembered: right after finishing his violin performance, he had casually placed the diamond ring inside the violin case along with his instrument.

He had been a bit too excited at the time and hadn't been thinking clearly.

But he didn't panic.

He took his wife's hand, his gaze shifting to the audience below. He fixed his eyes on his Brother, sister-in-law, and nephew... His nephew even gave him a nod, as if expressing full approval, while Shaoqi's smile froze on his face.