Chapter 1 – The Unseen

Wen Baohua was born in the mid-1980s, and if one were to summarize her character in a highly symbolic way, it would be gentle, elegant, beautiful, and gracious. She was a good girl from a young age, smoothly completing her university studies, making a few close friends, and establishing a consistent social circle. When the time came for marriage, she naturally followed the expected path and prepared for her wedding.

The date she chose to marry had the typical characteristics of a date chosen by Chinese people, coinciding with National Day. The elders consulted the traditional almanac, noting both auspicious and inauspicious days during the holiday. After settling on October 3rd, they found that major hotels were fully booked.

Fortunately, this was not difficult for her family; with just a phone call, they secured a good hotel and took care of all the related details, leaving her to wait excitedly for her wedding day.

While writing the wedding invitations, Wen Baohua nearly thought she would go deaf from making calls, as she was among the first of her friends and classmates to get married. Without a list of gifts to refer to or any other examples to follow, she had to call each person individually, hoping to create a lively atmosphere.

Before she knew it, the day before her wedding had arrived.

The husband she was to marry the next day was named Xia Bang, a classmate from university. Xia Bang wasn’t particularly tall, and when she wore high heels, they were about the same height. In terms of appearance and family background, they were quite different, and when they first started dating, many people felt sorry for her, adding pressure to their relationship. However, Xia Bang was very cheerful by nature, which complemented Wen Baohua’s introverted and gentle demeanor, leading to a strong emotional bond between them. Even their names were explained by Xia Bang as symbolizing “China, a nation of etiquette,” suggesting they were a perfect match.

A year prior, Xia Bang had bought an apartment in this city. The complex was a garden-style community, with buildings nestled among greenery, and due to its duplex layout, there weren’t many residents. Wen Baohua loved the tranquil environment, and during that time, she focused her energy on the apartment, determined to create the warmest love nest for her partner.

The day before the wedding was bustling with people coming and going at her home. Xia Bang was not a local, and many of his family and friends had come to see the new apartment. Wen Baohua was very good-natured; although she watched as children dirtying the floors she had worked hard to clean, she smiled and handed out candies to them, which pleased Xia’s family. Besides Xia’s family, Wen Baohua’s cousin was also helping out at home; she was the bridesmaid for tomorrow’s ceremony and had been following Wen Baohua around all day.

This bridesmaid was her uncle’s daughter, named Wen Jialuo. She was busy checking the items that needed to be prepared for tomorrow’s event when suddenly she paused and said to Wen Baohua, “The cheongsam you’re going to wear while toasting tomorrow needs to be ironed; it seems you haven’t picked it up yet.”

Wen Baohua was startled and sighed, realizing that there were always things to overlook when preparing for a wedding. Just then, her phone rang; it was two high school classmates saying they were coming over. She quickly delegated the task to them, asking them to pick up the cheongsam, knowing the phone numbers they had left would come in handy.

After some hustle, her two classmates indeed retrieved the cheongsam and arrived at her house.

When the door opened, and they saw Wen Baohua, the first woman immediately hugged her, saying, “Haha, I want to soak up some of this joyful atmosphere!”

“Kuang Xiaoan!” Wen Baohua exclaimed, equally excited, as she hugged her friend and waved to the other person, “Shiqi, come in!”

“Shiqi,” actually named Xu Shiqi, had been nicknamed “Shiqi” since middle school because of the phonetic resemblance.

Kuang Xiaoan and Xu Shiqi were both classmates from high school. Initially, Wen Baohua was particularly close to Kuang Xiaoan, who was also very close to Xu Shiqi, so they formed a friendship. After graduating high school, they went to different universities and moved to different places, but they made it a point to reunite every year, strengthening their bonds even more than when they were in school.

Kuang Xiaoan worked out of town and had just returned for the holiday, while Xu Shiqi had recently quit a job and was resting at home. After receiving Wen Baohua’s call, both confirmed they would attend the wedding and agreed to help out the day before the ceremony.

Xu Shiqi held the ironed cheongsam, smiling as she shook hands with Wen Baohua. “Congratulations!”

Wen Baohua welcomed them inside, thanking them profusely. Looking around at the crowd, she shyly remarked, “There are so many people.”

Kuang Xiaoan was looking around the apartment and pointed upstairs, asking, “Can we go up and take a look?”

“Of course!” Wen Baohua replied as she heard her sister calling her again. “There’s no one upstairs; you can sit there. I’ll be up shortly.”

With the host too busy to entertain, the two guests decided not to be polite, avoiding any inconvenience. Kuang Xiaoan, who was a bit restless, pulled Xu Shiqi upstairs. It was indeed very quiet up there, and it appeared more spacious than downstairs.

To the south, there was a large balcony, separated from the small living room by an elegantly designed floral door. In the middle of the balcony, a small pear wood table was set, adorned with a variety of candies, all adding to the festive atmosphere. The floral door was more symbolic, merely hung with a curtain, usually left open. If guests preferred a quiet space, they could close it, and when there was a breeze, the curtain would provide a glimpse of the outside world.

“The environment here is really nice…” Kuang Xiaoan leaned against the balcony, admiring the potted plants and the greenery in the community.

“Come sit down,” Xu Shiqi casually pulled the curtain shut, sat down with a smile, and unwrapped a candy, exclaiming, “Wow, this is really sweet!”

Kuang Xiaoan jumped over and whispered to Xu Shiqi, “Have you met her husband?”

Xu Shiqi nodded, “I’ve met him once.”

“I heard he’s just an ordinary guy; you wouldn’t notice him in a crowd,” Kuang Xiaoan said with a look of regret. “Wasn’t Baohua in high school always clutching her romance novels, dreaming of finding her Prince Charming?”

“You’re talking about high school!” Xu Shiqi laughed. “Prince Charming belongs to that youthful era; you’ve grown up, and so has he.”

Kuang Xiaoan still looked disheartened. “With her qualifications, she could have found someone better—at least a tall, stable, career-oriented man. That way, she could realize her dream of being a full-time housewife.”

Xu Shiqi pointed at the house. “Isn’t this enough?” She shook her head. “Many people spend their whole lives working hard just to buy a house. Xia Bang’s ability to provide this is already impressive.”

Kuang Xiaoan considered Baohua’s family background and shrugged. “It still feels like a big difference.”

“People change,” Xu Shiqi comforted her.

Kuang Xiaoan rolled her eyes, looking at her. “What about you?”

Xu Shiqi paused, chuckling as she replied, “What about me? I’m living happily.”

“Hmph,” Kuang Xiaoan said curiously, “Among the people I know, you have the highest standards, almost perfectionist. Could that be why you’re still single?”

Xu Shiqi had heard this question too many times. She replied lightly, “People are different. You’re right; if it were me, even if Xia Bang were talented, capable, gentle, and considerate, he wouldn’t catch my eye. Sure, I have a slight perfectionist tendency, but my definition of perfection is personal. What’s sweet for one might be bitter for another; haven’t you heard that saying?”

Wen Jialuo called her cousin over for a quick chat, then directed her to bring some drinks upstairs, mentioning that her two high school classmates had arrived.

Upstairs, the decor was entirely traditional Chinese, conducive to tranquility and leisure. As Wen Jialuo walked up the stairs, she felt the quietness in her ears, though her footsteps still made some noise. Upon reaching the top, she glanced around and saw the small living room was empty. The soft soles of her shoes made no sound on the wooden floor, almost like she was sneaking around. Amused by her sudden thought, she was about to look for someone when she heard faint voices coming from the balcony.

The sound floated in like a gentle spring breeze in March, gradually reaching her ears. In that moment, the noise from downstairs faded away, leaving her to purely enjoy the sound. It was as if this pleasant noise had transformed into a light, sweet snack that melted on her tongue, with a delightful stickiness. Most astonishingly, the taste seemed to seep into her bloodstream, return to her heart, and radiate through her limbs, bringing her an unprecedented sense of comfort and peace.

Wen Jialuo was spellbound, entranced by the beautiful sounds she had never heard before. She forgot what she was supposed to do, not even grasping the words being spoken; her heart swirled in a dizzying whirlwind.

“Jialuo, are you upstairs?” Wen Baohua called from downstairs.

Wen Jialuo snapped back to reality, holding two bottles of drinks as she turned and ran down the stairs.

Wen Baohua’s call also caught the attention of the two people speaking on the balcony.

At almost the same time, Xu Shiqi turned to lift the curtain, and together with Kuang Xiaoan, they watched a slender figure hurriedly run down the stairs. They exchanged glances, not because they thought someone was eavesdropping on them, but because the figure was—too skinny.

“Ah, I know who she is now!” Kuang Xiaoan exclaimed, slapping the table. “I heard Baohua mention she has a sister who’s so skinny that she could be blown away by the wind.”

Xu Shiqi couldn’t help but laugh; it wasn’t exactly nice, but it was indeed a vivid description. The figure that had rushed away was strikingly thin, especially for summer, revealing arms and legs that clearly illustrated what it meant to be skin and bones. While the term “slender beauty” existed, it was more tragic for a girl to be so thin that her waist was unnoticeable than for someone to be overweight to the point that their waist was hidden. She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret for this girl, having such a sister like Baohua, yet still being raised to be so thin.

“I bet your definition of perfection includes this too. Both too thin and too fat won’t do; you’re probably just a superficial person!” Kuang Xiaoan teased.

Xu Shiqi fell silent but didn’t deny the statement.

After a while, Wen Baohua finally found time to come upstairs, bringing along two people hired to help set up the new house. Xu Shiqi and Kuang Xiaoan jumped in to assist. Inflating balloons was Kuang Xiaoan’s specialty; she usually had enough energy to tackle anything. However, she was powerless with helium balloons, so she focused on tying ribbons. Xu Shiqi began to handle the roses, initially tearing them apart one by one, but soon became lazy and started pulling off entire blossoms.

As they scattered the rose petals around the new house, the vibrant red mess looked chaotic. Xu Shiqi couldn’t see any beauty in it, finding it clichéd, unsure whether Baohua would truly enjoy it.

In reality, romance was often just a performance. Of course, Xu Shiqi wouldn’t voice such thoughts aloud.