The lights in the Lin mansion glowed with a soft, warm light as night fell. Many expensive cars were parked in the driveway. Wedding planners and staff were busy everywhere, getting everything ready for the planned beautiful next day.
Lin Shuyin stood in front of her dressing table mirror. Soft music played from her phone. The bright ring lights made her face look perfect.
The woman in the mirror was very beautiful. She had long, dark black hair tied up loosely, with a few soft strands framing her face. Her skin was smooth and pale, like milk.
Her eyes were a warm brown color, large and bright. Right now, they shone with excitement for her wedding, but if you looked deeper, you could see a quiet sadness in them.
Her face was lovely and balanced. She had a straight nose and full, pink lips that were curved into a small, hopeful smile. Her neck was long and graceful. She looked like a precious doll, delicate and perfect.
She carefully adjusted the jade hairpin in her carefully styled hair, one of the few analog possessions she owned, a relic from her late mother in this digital age.
Her social media was already filled with congratulatory messages. The hashtag (#ShuyinAndZeyan) had been trending all week, with wedding bloggers and luxury influencers calling it *the wedding of the season.* It was the most anticipated wedding for everyone, including her. It's been six years, and everything was finally turning for the better for her.
It's been so long that everything felt just like a dream come true! Who wouldn't feel like that when it was her fiancée? He was a bachelor man whom every woman wished to get beneath his pants.
Tomorrow, she would finally marry Lu Zeyan, tech entrepreneur, heir to the Lu Corporation's AI and biotech empire, and the man she had loved for six years.
Soft music played from her phone, filling the room with gentle piano notes that eased her nerves. She hummed along absently as she fixed a stray curl, her reflection glowing faintly under the vanity lights.
Then the music cut off, and her phone buzzed with a new notification.
Frowning, Shuyin reached for it and unlocked the screen. The soft glow lit her face as a string of messages appeared in the family group chat, it had just a few of them in it.
One text was from her Father: Everything is on schedule. The Lu family arrives at 6 AM for the tea ceremony.
And next it was her Stepmom Chen: Shuyin, remember, to smile for the photos, but not too much. Be elegant, not too cheerful.
And then there was another one, Sister Yueling: Can't wait to see you in that Vera Wang dress!) She had even added loving emojis like a caring stepsister she was.
For a moment, Shuyin smiled faintly. It was all so typical of them, her father's curt efficiency, her stepmother's obsession with appearances, and Yueling's sugary sweetness that always carried an edge she couldn't quite name.
Her gaze lingered on the last message. *Vera Wang dress.*
Yueling had been the one to suggest that designer. She'd insisted on helping Shuyin pick the gown, offering cheerful advice that somehow made every decision feel… borrowed.
Shuyin's fingers tightened around the phone before she set it back on the vanity. The song resumed automatically, but the melody no longer felt soothing.
A flicker of something hollow stirred in her chest, the kind of instinct you ignored when everything seemed too perfect. She brushed it aside, telling herself it was just nerves. Tomorrow, she'd marry Lu Zeyan. Everything she'd endured would finally be worth it.
She rose, smoothing out the red silk robe that shimmered under the light, and walked to the window. Outside, the courtyard glowed with paper lanterns, servants busy setting up decorations for the morning ceremony.
It looked beautiful, like the beginning of a dream.
A soft knock pulled her out of her thoughts. Her assistant, Qiao, walked in with a tablet in hand, her face glowing with excitement.
"Miss Lin, I have double-checked everything," she said quickly and you could feel how excited she was from her tone, "Hair and makeup team arrives at 5 AM. Photographer at 6. Your dress fitting is confirmed, and the Riverside Hotel has your bridal suite ready. All two hundred guests have RSVP'd, and...." Qiao's eyes sparkled, "....the drone light show is programmed with your initials. It's going to be so romantic!"
Shuyin forced a smile, the expression feeling fragile on her face. "Thank you, Qiao. You've been incredible."
"Are you kidding?" Qiao clasped her digital tablet to her chest, her eyes shining with genuine excitement. "This is a real-life fairy tale! Six years together, and he still looks at you like you're the only person in the room. That's the dream, Miss Lin. That's the ultimate goal."
Six years.
The words echoed in the suddenly quiet room. It had been six years since a nervous seventeen-year-old Shuyin was dragged by her father to a high-profile tech summit, a transparent attempt to mingle with the powerful Lu family.