Huo Linsheng's answer left the three people present stunned for a moment.
Ling Nuan gave Huo Linsheng a furtive look. She couldn't figure out what was on his mind, so she kept silent.
But Huang Sheng couldn't hold back.
Although she was still a bit in awe of the head of the Huo family, when it came to her best friend's happiness, she couldn't just sit there.
"What about the wedding photos?" Huang Sheng asked.
"The current schedule is a bit tight," Huo Linsheng declined politely.
Huang Sheng was furious.
"Mr. Huo, what do you mean by that? Not taking wedding photos and not holding a wedding. Nuan Nuan doesn't even know about this. Did you make this decision unilaterally, or does your family have any objections to our Nuan Nuan?"
Huang Sheng's tone was still relatively gentle, but the questions she asked were quite pointed.
If it weren't for the fact that she couldn't afford to offend the Huo family, she would have stood up and started scolding.
It's true that many young people these days don't hold weddings, but Huang Sheng knew her best friend's character. Ling Nuan was looking forward to having a wedding. Moreover, it was obvious that Ling Nuan didn't know about this. Huo Linsheng's unilateral decision had clearly touched a nerve with Huang Sheng.
Huo Linsheng smiled politely at Huang Sheng and explained slowly in a calm manner, "There's one thing after another in the company. I'm going on a business trip soon, and it's almost the end of the year. I really can't spare the time."
Huang Sheng was skeptical.
"Is it just because you're too busy with work to spare the time? If we can't make it this year, then next year..."
"Sheng Sheng," Ling Nuan suddenly interrupted Huang Sheng.
Huang Sheng turned around and looked at Ling Nuan.
Ling Nuan smiled at Huang Sheng and said, "The company has been really busy lately. And with my grandma's situation, we still need to discuss the wedding from scratch."
Huang Sheng wanted to ask about the wedding photos, but looking at Ling Nuan's expression, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Knowing that Huang Sheng was worried about her, Ling Nuan gave her a little pout and said, "I'll definitely tell you as soon as it's decided, okay?"
Huang Sheng didn't know what had happened in between, but since Ling Nuan had said so, she could only force a smile.
"Mr. Huo, I'm sorry. I was just too excited just now," Huang Sheng apologized.
Huo Linsheng's expression remained unchanged. "You're just concerned about Nuan Nuan. I can understand."
Huang Sheng twitched the corner of her mouth. She was barely able to smile.
For the first half of the meal, the guests and hosts had a pleasant time.
But after the topic of the wedding came up, although Huo Linsheng's attitude remained gentle and Huang Sheng seemed to be smiling all the time, the atmosphere still became a bit strange.
After the meal was over, Ling Nuan and Huo Linsheng walked the two of them to the entrance of the restaurant.
"Nuan Nuan," Huang Sheng hugged Ling Nuan and whispered in her ear, "We'll always be here. Don't委屈 yourself."
Ling Nuan felt a bit sour in her nose, but she managed to hold back the bitterness. "I will."
The four of them parted ways at the entrance of the restaurant.
Xun Cong noticed that Huang Sheng was unhappy. He glanced at her, then glanced again. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Sister Huang Sheng, are you unhappy because Brother-in-law said that he won't hold the wedding for the time being?"
He was a bit confused. "Brother-in-law is the president. He's busy with work. It's normal that he can't spare the time to hold the wedding for a while, isn't it?"
Huang Sheng scoffed. Since there were no outsiders around, she spoke more directly.
"All company presidents are busy. Do they hold weddings when they get married?" Huang Sheng asked.
Xun Cong hesitated. "Maybe Brother-in-law just loves his work more?"
Huang Sheng rolled her eyes. "If he said that he's too busy at the end of this year to prepare for the wedding, so he's postponing it to next year, or even the year after, as long as there's a definite timeline, it would prove that he's thought about the wedding. It's just that the situation isn't right."
"But what did he actually say?"
Huang Sheng was so angry that she was almost in tears. "It sounds like he has no plan to hold a wedding at all. He's busy now, but will he be less busy next year? Will he be less busy for the rest of his life? If he's always busy, should we wait until he retires and hold the wedding and the golden wedding together?"
Xun Cong finally understood. He did notice something was wrong, but looking at Huang Sheng's angry expression, he didn't dare to say a word.
As Huang Sheng scolded, she finally started to cry. It was obvious that she was feeling sorry for Ling Nuan.
"I thought this Huo Linsheng was a good guy. I didn't expect... What kind of bad luck has our Nuan Nuan had? Why can't she meet a normal man?"
Xun Cong weakly defended Huo Linsheng. "Sister Huang Sheng, sis... Mr. Huo isn't that bad. He attached great importance to this meeting, which proves that he cares about sis, right?"
Huang Sheng calmed down a bit, but she still didn't change her opinion of Huo Linsheng.
"Let's wait and see," Huang Sheng said.
But in her heart, she was very determined.
If Huo Linsheng bullied Ling Nuan, she would risk her own life to pull Nuan Nuan out of this pit of fire!
Ling Nuan didn't know that Huang Sheng had already thought so far ahead.
She watched the two of them leave. After they were out of sight, she turned to look at Huo Linsheng.
"Let's go," Huo Linsheng said to her, then walked forward on his own.
Ling Nuan stood there without moving.
Huo Linsheng walked a few steps and noticed that there was no movement behind him. He stopped and turned around to look.
The two of them stared at each other from a distance.
Although they didn't say everything explicitly, Ling Nuan thought she knew Huo Linsheng quite well, and Huo Linsheng also knew a bit about her.
After Huo Linsheng said those things, although it had been glossed over casually at the time, both of them knew that something had changed between them.
"Why don't you want to hold a wedding?" Ling Nuan asked.
Huo Linsheng didn't answer.
The reason was simple. He minded Ling Nuan's calculation and manipulation from beginning to end.
He was leaving himself a chance to cut his losses in time. Getting the marriage certificate was just to keep her by his side for the time being and firmly hold the right to choose in his own hands.
But Ling Nuan didn't understand. She was confused.
"Did you never plan to hold a wedding when you got married and thought it was a hassle and a burden, or is it because it's me?" Ling Nuan asked again.
There was a hint of hurt in her eyes.
Huo Linsheng noticed.
The two of them confronted each other for a while. Finally, Huo Linsheng sighed and walked up to Ling Nuan.
"A wedding is very troublesome," Huo Linsheng explained, choosing a lie that might be easier for Ling Nuan to accept. "Moreover, it's not suitable to hold a wedding now. Huo Xiao doesn't know how to prioritize. If the wedding becomes a big deal, the Huo family will become a laughingstock in the circle."
It was a reasonable explanation.
Ling Nuan should believe it.
But thinking about Huo Linsheng's previous silence and reaction, there was a voice in her heart telling her.
It was all a lie. Everything Huo Linsheng was saying now was a lie.
"You're right. It's really not suitable to hold a wedding at this time," she forced a smile.
She didn't expose his lie. Instead, she chose to cooperate with him calmly and gloss over everything casually.
Huo Linsheng ruffled Ling Nuan's hair and said, "Let's go home."
"Okay," Ling Nuan replied with a smile.
It was the same kind of smile as before, but there was a bit more complexity in her eyes.
Huo Linsheng took Ling Nuan's hand and walked towards the parking lot.
From a distance, they looked like a loving couple, but only they knew that a crack was starting to form between them.
Love isn't afraid of arguments.
But the two of them didn't even argue. Instead, they were having a silent confrontation under the calm surface.
"Let's not tell grandma about our marriage for the time being," Ling Nuan suddenly said.