RBCT Chapter 358 It's all your fault for making me cry.
Chapter 358 It's all your fault for making me cry.
The lights in the lobby were very bright.
Time flies. More than two hours have passed in the blink of an eye.
The hall was very quiet. The foreign masters were working very carefully on Zhang Ruoran's face and hair with brushes and combs.
Li Ze sat on the sofa beside the hall. He was dressed in a very comfortable, high-end casual outfit. He held the string of beads in his right hand, his thumb moving the beads one by one. His eyes were fixed on Zhang Ruoran's direction. He was filled with anticipation.
Li Mengli, Zhao Jiajia, and Huo Qian sat on the other sofa. None of them even drank water. Their eyes were fixed intently on that spot, not wanting to miss a single detail.
Zhang Ruoran sat in the chair with her eyes closed. She didn't dare to open them. She was actually very nervous. She was afraid that she wouldn't do a good job and that everyone would laugh at her. She felt that she was already forty years old, and it was really embarrassing to have these international masters fawning over her.
Finally, the foreign makeup artist with glasses put down her brush. She nodded with great satisfaction. The hairstylist next to her finished fixing the last bit of hair.
The fashion designer brought out a deep blue evening gown. The fabric was of very high quality and felt incredibly comfortable to the touch.
The translator announced loudly, "Madam, your makeup and hair are done. Please go to the dressing room and change into this dress."
Zhang Ruoran slowly opened her eyes. She didn't look in the large mirror. She stood up, picked up the dark blue dress, and went into the dressing room next door.
The locker room door closed. Everyone in the lobby was waiting.
Another ten minutes passed.
The locker room door was pushed open from the inside.
Zhang Ruoran slowly walked out from inside.
The moment she stepped out, the entire hall fell completely silent. Everyone stopped talking. They all turned their heads, their eyes fixed on Zhang Ruoran.
Zhang Ruoran looks absolutely stunning today.
The dark blue dress fit her perfectly. The dress was tailored very well, clearly showing off Zhang Ruoran's straight back and slender waist.
Her hair was neatly pinned up at the back of her head, with a few strands left out on either side. This made her look very elegant and poised.
Her makeup was very clean. The few fine lines that were originally around her eyes were now completely invisible. Her skin was made very white and radiant. Her features, which were already very delicate, were now made even more defined by the makeup artist.
She doesn't look like a 40-year-old middle-aged woman at all.
If you didn't know her age, you'd think she was only in her early twenties. Standing next to Li Mengli, they didn't look like mother and daughter at all; they looked like two close sisters of similar age.
The foreign masters all clapped their hands. They clapped very loudly.
The translator, extremely excited, exclaimed, "Perfect! Absolutely perfect! The masters say she's the most beautiful and elegant Eastern lady they've ever seen!"
Li Mengli jumped up from the sofa. Her eyes were wide open and her mouth was agape.
She ran up to Zhang Ruoran and exclaimed loudly, "Mom! You look so beautiful! I almost didn't recognize you! You look absolutely gorgeous!"
Zhao Jiajia and Huo Qian also quickly ran over.
Zhao Jiajia exclaimed, "Auntie, you are so beautiful! We feel embarrassed standing in front of you!"
Huo Qian nodded very seriously and said, "Auntie, your outfit is a great success. You have such a wonderful presence. You look beautiful in this dress."
Li Ze sat on the sofa.
The moment he saw Zhang Ruoran walk out, the beads in his hand stopped moving. His thumb ceased its movement.
He was completely stunned.
He sat there, his eyes fixed on Zhang Ruoran. His breathing slowed down.
In his eyes, the woman before him was no longer just the wife in the old sweater from before.
He saw Zhang Ruoran from eighteen years ago. The campus belle who smiled at him in a simple dress on the university campus.
Eighteen years have passed, and at this moment, there is no trace of it at all.
Li Ze was deeply moved. He felt a lump in his throat.
He stood up abruptly from the sofa. He strode over to Zhang Ruoran.
Zhang Ruoran watched Li Ze walk over. She was very embarrassed by everyone's praise. Her face was very red.
She lowered her head, clutching the hem of her skirt with both hands. She said very softly, "Please don't all stare at me like that. I'm not used to it. Is my makeup too strange?"
Li Ze reached out and grasped Zhang Ruoran's hands directly.
He looked into Zhang Ruoran's eyes, his tone very serious, yet carrying his usual relaxed sense of humor.
Li Ze said loudly, "What's so strange? Ruoran, you really look stunning today."
"If you go out like this, and people see us walking together, they'll definitely point their fingers at me and yell at me."
Zhang Ruoran looked up, somewhat confused, and asked, "What did they say to you?"
Li Ze laughed and said loudly, "They'll definitely scold me, saying I'm a shameless old man who actually cheated on such a young and beautiful girl."
Hearing Li Ze's blunt words, everyone in the hall burst into laughter.
Zhang Ruoran's face turned even redder. She lightly tapped Li Ze's arm.
She said reproachfully, "You're forty years old, and you still can't say a single serious word. I'm not that young."
Li Ze's smile faded. His expression became very affectionate.
He looked at Zhang Ruoran and said in a very gentle voice, "I'm not lying. In my heart, you are the youngest. You are exactly the same as you were eighteen years ago, not changed at all."
"If so, you have suffered so much for me and for our two children over the past eighteen years. You have never taken the time to dress yourself up properly."
Seeing you look so beautiful today makes me incredibly happy. But I also feel incredibly sad. I feel like I've let you down.
Zhang Ruoran heard Li Ze say these heartfelt words.
She looked into Li Ze's eyes, which were filled with vicissitudes and nostalgia.
Her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
For the past eighteen years, she has lived in a tin shack and worked as a street vendor. Her only thought every day was how to earn money to feed her children. She truly forgot that she, too, was a woman who needed to dress up.
Now, hearing Li Ze so understanding of her suffering and so certain of her beauty, she feels incredibly grateful.
Zhang Ruoran let down all her defenses.
Li Ze reached out and hugged Zhang Ruoran tightly.
Zhang Ruoran didn't push him away. She leaned quietly on Li Ze's shoulder, her hands also wrapped around his waist.
The two of them stood in the middle of the hall, embracing each other tightly.
Li Ze whispered in Zhang Ruoran's ear, "Ruoran, our wedding is next month. I will make sure you are the most beautiful bride in the world. I will make up for everything I owe you before."
Zhang Ruoran leaned on his shoulder and nodded vigorously. She gave a very soft reply.
The two of them were lost in very beautiful memories.
They remembered the days they took classes together in college. They remembered the days they ate cheap noodles by the roadside.
Although we were poor during those days, our feelings for each other were very genuine.
Now they have money. Their relationship is back together. Everything is perfect.
Li Mengli stood to the side, watching her father and mother hug each other tightly.
She looked at how beautiful her mother was now, and how affectionate her father was.
Li Mengli was deeply moved.
She remembered the days when her mother raised her and her brother alone through hardship. To save money, her mother wouldn't even buy a new down jacket in the winter. Her hands would be red from the cold, but she would still have to go to work.
Now, Dad is back. Dad has the ability to give Mom the best life, and to dress her in the most beautiful clothes. Their family is finally reunited.
Tears streamed down Li Mengli's face. She kept wiping her eyes with her hands.
Zhao Jiajia stood to the side, and she cried too. Holding Li Mengli's hand, she said between sobs, "Mengli, Uncle and Aunt have such a wonderful relationship. Seeing them, I feel so touched."
Huo Qian's eyes also reddened. She felt that Li Zezhen was a very responsible and loyal man. Zhang Ruoran was also a very great mother. It was truly not easy for the two of them to get back together.
The foreign masters and translators in the hall, though unable to understand their stories, stood quietly, each with a genuine smile on their face, seeing the family so moved.
Li Ze hugged Zhang Ruoran for a while, then slowly let go.
He took out a tissue from his pocket and carefully wiped away the tears from Zhang Ruoran's eyes.
He laughed and said, "Alright, alright. Today is clearly a very happy day. You've put on such beautiful makeup; if you cry and ruin it, these masters will have to start all over again."
Zhang Ruoran couldn't help but laugh when she heard Li Ze's words.
She rolled her eyes at Li Ze and said, "It's all your fault for making me cry."
Li Ze turned his head and looked at everyone in the hall.
He said very loudly, "Thank you all for your hard work today! I am extremely satisfied with your work!"
"Boss! Tell the kitchen to bring out all the best dishes tonight! We need to celebrate!"
The first man answered loudly, "Understood, boss!"
The entire hall was immediately filled with lively and joyful laughter.