“Ci-mei'er, you woke up later today than yesterday,” Sang Lan said softly, his tone carrying a hint of concern. “Were you too tired yesterday? Didn't you sleep well?”
First thing in the morning, stepping out the door to have this thing right in her face made Bai Ci's heart skip a beat.
It wasn't because she was fluttered; she was purely startled.
Don't mistake a heart attack for a heart flutter.
Bai Ci used the motion of covering her mouth to yawn to quickly adjust her emotions, maintaining the relaxed demeanor of someone interacting with their lover.
She took a slow step forward and said in a casual, natural tone, “A little bit of a strange bed, but it doesn't affect my energy. Were you waiting for me?”
She threw the question back at him, cutting off his opportunity to ask more.
Sang Lan nodded without hesitation, the smile in his eyes gentle, affectionate, open, and sincere. “Yeah. I originally wanted to wait for you so we could go for an early morning walk together to bring us a little closer.”
“But it's a bit late now, and breakfast is already prepared downstairs.”
“I'm so sorry, Sang Lan. Next time, let's set a time beforehand so you don't have to wait around for me in vain.” A look of regret and guilt appeared on Bai Ci's face.
Then, she laughed and teased with feigned helplessness, “But we're already lovers. Why do you still act like you're trying to court me?”
Hearing this, Sang Lan lowered his eyes slightly, a trace of genuine regret in them, his voice gentle and sincere. “Because I feel it's a pity.”
“Ci-mei'er and I liked each other, so we got together very quickly. But I never got the chance to properly court you. We missed out on so much of that gradual romance.”
Saying this, he looked up, his gaze burning as he stared at Bai Ci, speaking earnestly, “So I want to make up for it. I want to slowly make up for the process of properly courting you that we missed.”
Such a direct and gentle confession would make anyone's heart flutter.
Bai Ci could only cooperate, her eyes curving as she let out a soft chuckle. “Sure, I'll look forward to it then.”
The replication level of this replacement was far higher than she had imagined.
He remembered their setup as lovers, the minor details of their daily interactions, and even the past history of their relationship written on the Rain's Message panel.
If not for the ironclad “Deceased” status on the Rain's Message panel, if she had relied solely on verbal testing, the suspicions she had harbored over the lipstick mark would probably have wavered by now.
Such a flawless replication directly overturned some of Bai Ci's speculations from yesterday.
Originally, she had assumed that after a replacement, the person's temperament and memory would show obvious flaws. But looking at it now, the other party had inherited almost everything of Sang Lan's.
But if the replacement was to this extent, where did the team leader's warnings come from?
Since the Sang Lan before her could replicate the original to this degree, any slip-ups that exposed differences in personality or tastes would seem incredibly careless.
Or perhaps, was it because they had nothing to fear, so they didn't even bother to act anymore?
Throughout breakfast downstairs, the atmosphere remained quiet.
Several times, Bai Ci subconsciously looked up, only to lock eyes precisely with Sang Lan.
His gaze was constantly glued to her—gentle, focused, and passionate, as if carrying an undisguised favoritism.
It was a textbook reaction of someone deeply in love, so textbook that it gave her goosebumps.
After breakfast, according to the work schedule, everyone split up today.
Most of them still headed to the Red Church to calibrate equipment, organize materials, and finalize the venue setup, pushing forward the preparations for the Honey Rite.
Meanwhile, Qu Ling, the makeup artist, had her own specific schedule today: doing a trial makeup run for the Honey Rite bride.
The team leader was worried it wouldn't be safe for Qu Ling to go to a villager's home alone.
Of course, in front of the village chief, he framed it as finding Qu Ling a temporary assistant, claiming he was worried she wouldn't be able to handle it alone.
“Xiao Bai, accompany Xiao Qu. Look out for each other. Keep a close eye on the process during the trial makeup, take notes, and sync up with me when you get back this afternoon.”
After a moment's thought, the team leader assigned this task to Bai Ci.
Naturally, Bai Ci wouldn't refuse a chance to interact with the bride.
The two of them followed Village Chief Shen as they walked into the village.
The paths of Shenjiacun were winding and narrow, with Western-style houses scattered on both sides. A few minutes later, the three of them arrived at the home of the Honey Rite bride.
Shen Li, whom they had met at the village entrance the day before yesterday, was already waiting in the courtyard. Seeing them arrive, he warmly came forward to welcome them, his demeanor still as simple and rustic as before.
“Village Chief, Little Bai, Little Qu, thank you for making the trip.”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Shen Li stepped aside to lead the way, guiding them up the stairs to the second floor.
“Xiao Tan is in the room upstairs. Sorry to trouble you.”
The door to the second-floor room was wide open, allowing them to see inside at a glance.
A slender figure of a young girl sat quietly on a wooden chair by the window.
That was this year's Honey Rite bride.
She wore a very plain, cream-colored dress. The skirt was wide and loose, draping down in soft lines that completely concealed the contours of her body, leaving no hint of her silhouette.
The most eye-catching thing was the lace bridal veil on her head.
The pure white lace fabric was adorned with tiny, delicate white yarn flowers, elegant and simple. Its length was just enough to cover her entire face, showing none of her eyes, nose, or mouth, completely sealing away her features.
The girl's posture was far too upright, far too rigid, completely lacking the natural relaxation of a living person.
She neither spoke nor moved, neither raising her head nor looking around, like a meticulously arranged doll. She quietly waited to be handled by others, devoid of any will or vitality of her own.
Because of her presence, the atmosphere in the entire room became stagnant and cold.
“Young ladies, this is my daughter, Shen Tan,” Shen Li stood to the side, his tone a bit constrained. “Xiao Tan, the people who are going to paint your face are here.”
At Shen Li's call, the girl on the chair finally rose slowly.
Her movements were very slow and light, her limbs stretching stiffly as if she hadn't moved her body in a long time.
“Hello.”
Through the hazy veil came a soft, weak voice, devoid of any youthful vitality, leaving only a hollow submissiveness.
“Hello, Miss Shen Tan. I'm your makeup artist, Qu Ling.”
“I'm Bai Ci, the emcee, but today I'm Sister Xiao Qu's temporary assistant.”
The village chief stepped forward at the right moment, solemnly reminding them, “I don't know if Xiao Liu mentioned it to you, but even if he did, I'll repeat myself.”
“According to our village's inherited custom, from the day the bride is chosen until the wedding ceremony is completely over, the bride's veil must absolutely not be lifted—not even a little bit. It is a major taboo.”
Hearing this, Qu Ling looked troubled. “Village Chief, if the veil can't be lifted, how are we supposed to do the trial makeup? There's simply no way to apply makeup or make adjustments.”
This was a genuine, practical work problem.
Hearing this, the village chief remained perfectly calm, clearly accustomed to this procedure. He casually offered a solution, “That's simple.”
“Little Bai, you help by gently lifting a small corner of the veil, and Little Qu, you reach your hand inside to apply the makeup. Keep your movements light and the area small, and you can do it.”
“The people before you all did the bride's makeup this way.”
“In short, you must absolutely, under no circumstances, lift the veil and break the rules.”
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