Chapter 8 - Something Borrowed

"Ouch!" Feng Xuan told her cousin.

"Oh please," Wang Yimin replied with a roll of her eyes. "It does not hurt that much."

"It does!" Feng Xuan shouted at her cousin from the mirror. Wang Yimin had been busy for the past hour getting all of Feng Xuan's hair atop her head. She had been pulling, spraying, and pinning things to her hair.

Wang Yimin smiled to herself. Three years ago she had been the one sitting in the same position while her mother pinned hair pieces to her hair and she complained because it hurt so much. "It's going to look great. Just a little bit more."

Feng Xuan had waist-length hair, that was why Wang Yimin was having trouble getting it all in an updo. It was not just long, it was thick too. A few more minutes passed and she pushed the last hair piece with the crystalized flowers on top.

"There," Wang Yimin said, proud of her handiwork. She had long had cut her hair to her shoulders. It was too bothersome and time consuming to wash. Even though Feng Xuan's hair looked perfect, the corner of her lips were still turned downwards. "What's wrong?" Wang Yimin asked with pure concern, pulling the seat next to her cousin.

"I don't know..." she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I think I just miss my mom."

"Aww," Wang Yimin cooed and embraced her cousin. Feng Baozai passed away seven years ago. Feng Xuan was just about to turn sixteen then. Wang Yimin felt for her cousin, but she agreed that it was best for Feng Xuan to be sent overseas.

"Don't cry," Wang Yimin immediately said, releasing Feng Xuan. "You'll ruin your make-up."

"I'm not gonna cry," Feng Xuan said but when she looked back at the mirror, her eyes were shining with tears. "At least, I'm not going to let them fall."

Feng Xuan looked at herself on the mirror, her hair all pinned upwards with delicate hair pieces. Her eyes lined with a black liner and her cheeks tinged with pink. Her lips looked luscious with a red shade. Her eyes looked big with the contacts.

"Here," Wang Yimin said from beside her. She handed her a small red box. Feng Xuan flipped it open and saw a pair of diamond earrings, dangling ones with maze-like puzzling pattern. "Your something borrowed."

Feng Xuan smiled. "Really?!"

"Yes!" Wang Yimin pulled out an earring and moved to put it on Feng Xuan's ear. "This was the first pair of earrings I bought as the wife of Zhou Shan. I think I got these from Europe."

When the earrings were finally on its place, Feng Xuan smiled at herself at the mirror, turning her face side to side to see how much the diamond shined. "I am going to bring these back to you ASAP."

"Yes, when you're already married to a Qing."

Feng Xuan's eyes widened. "Qing?! Who's Qing?!"

Wang Yimin's hand flew to her lips. Oh no. She could feel her neck and face heating up. She was not supposed to tell Feng Xuan to whom she was going to get married. She had just found out last night when she was helping with the last-minute preparations for the wedding. "You didn't hear a thing!"

"I heard it loud and clear! Who is Qing?!"

Feng Xuan racked her brain from when Wang Yimin told her of the potential bachelors that could marry her. There wasn't a Qing in any of them. She saw her phone from the edge of the table and made a swipe for it.

But Wang Yimin's fingers were faster and had snatched it before Feng Xuan could. "You told yourself you didn't need to know."

Feng Xuan pouted. She already knew the surname. Why did it have to stay a secret?

"You're right," she said, feeling the soft petals of her bouquet. It had orchids, lillies, and lotuses, in shades of pink to red. "I have stayed not knowing who he is. It should stay that way."

The plan for tonight was to have dinner. It would be a small party with the bride and groom and their fathers. There would be a couple of lawyers in the room and that would be it. They were just going to sign the wedding contract and then she would go home with her husband.

"Whew," Feng Xuan breathed out. She couldn't believe today was the day she was getting married.

"Let's get you in your dress, shall we?"

Feng Xuan stood up and let Wang Yimin do her magic. Soon enough her slim frame was already inside the lace dress. It fitted her perfectly. It was a rather plain dress that was why Feng Xuan refused to put all the hair pieces on her hair so as just to balance everything out. She and Wang Yimin went shoe shopping two days before and found a pair of golden pumps.

"These are making my feet hurt," Feng Xuan said as she tried to adjust the shoe.

"Don't worry. You can remove them once you're seated. They don't look under the table."

That was also the plan forming inside her head, but she did not think she would be able to survive the night in these heels. She would love to wear them but the blisters that would form on her ankle would say otherwise.

Wang Yimin held Feng Xuan's hand and slowly twirled her in front of the mirror. "You're all set," she smiled widely at her cousin. She had been witness to Feng Xuan's growth even when she was overseas. She made sure she visited at least twice a year and with the advancement of technology they were able to stay in touch with video calls. Wang Yimin could not also believe that the girl who once punched her on the leg for stealing one of her candies was now getting married.

"How about a picture?" she said, realizing she sounded like her own mom after she had got done dressing up for her own marriage before.

The cousins snapped a few photos together.

"Alright," Wang Yimin said to Feng Xuan. "I am going to clean up and I will leave. Message me when you can tomorrow, okay? Let me know how it goes."

Feng Xuan nodded at her and they hugged.

"Off you go," Wang Yimin said, opening the door.

"I'll... see you later," Feng Xuan said to her with a smile.

Wang Yimin just nodded and watched as her cousin walked down the hallway and pressed a button on the elevator. The wedding was going to happen in the same hotel, in one of the more private function rooms.

Wang Yimin smiled to herself when she saw Feng Xuan entered the elevator. She had no doubt in her mind that her cousin would be a fine wife.

On the other hand, Feng Xuan had just gotten inside the elevator that was occupied by a tall handsome man in a suit.