Hu Lei never pictured herself having a large wedding or any wedding at all. She did not have family, except for her father. Moreover, before she met Zhong Feng, she had assumed that she would get a good house and spend her days relaxing, writing and watching dramas.

Now, she had a rich life full of annoying things.

Even on her wedding day, she could not have a moment of peace.

"Xiao Lei, are you sure that you will not invite your mother?" Aunt Mei asked as she admired the dressed up Hu Lei.

"I am sure, Aunt Mei. She is living her life, and I am living mine. And that's alright." Hu Lei smiled.

"How do you feel? Is it ok for me to be here?" Beatrice looked nervous.

"Don't you want to support me on this super important day?" Hu Lei asked with an innocent look, making Beatrice feel guilty.

"Fine, fine."

"You know that you are breaking traditions by coming from your matrimonial home during the wedding." Aunt Mei started fussing again.

"Don't worry. This is not going to be our home." Hu Lei answered with a smile.

She had chosen to stay at Area 99 because she felt that it represented her life more. She was not going to travel to Herb Town just for the wedding. And she did not feel like it was her home. Moreover, the Westend apartment seemed inappropriate for the occasion.

"Where will you be staying?" Aunt Mei asked with interest.

"That's a secret." Hu Lei laughed.

What a joke! If she told her about Azure Woods, everyone would know about it in a few hours. She would not even enjoy a little peace with Zhong Feng before people began showing up.

Already, planning the wedding after the incident had been an ordeal. As expected, Aunt Mei and Chu Ling got along, but their visions for the weddings were too much. If she had not protested, she would probably have been on an island somewhere.

Also, cousins from the Huo family kept appearing before her for coffee and tea and fun.

And she could not bear to mention Elder Zhong and her grandfather…

They could argue about anything. The previous day they had asked the butler to count the hairs on their head to see who was balder than the other.

If she did not get away from the drama for a while, she might need to kidnap Zhong Feng. They could run away and live on the road.

And speaking of kidnapping…

Her nose scrunched up a bit and she looked at the air conditioning vents.

There was a strange but familiar whiff of incense, and her eyes narrowed a little.

"You should sit down." She turned to Aunt Mei and Beatrice with a smile.

"What?" Beatrice asked.

Hu Lei pushed the two of them onto the seats in the converted bedroom, which was now a large dressing room.

Before the two women could question her, their eyes drooped and closed.

Hu Lei smiled and stepped out of the room slowly. She closed the door gently, even though she suspected that everyone in the villa was already out.

And the culprit was probably watching her already.

As soon as she took a step away from the door, a small arrow came at her from somewhere at the end of the hallway. She stepped aside and the arrow whizzed past. However, she did not relax because she knew that they always came in threes.

Another arrow followed her and targeted her at the location where she was going to stand. She turned and the arrow whizzed past her again.

Before she could recover, another arrow aimed straight for her chest. This time she did not dodge. She caught it in hand before it could touch her.

Her smile widened.

She did not bother looking for the person who had shot the arrows.

She had already guessed what was going on.

She went down the flight stairs and a lot of familiar faces appeared before her, waiting for her at the bottom. The group clapped loudly and whistled in cheer.

Hu Lei could not help but be touched by their appearance.

"Most people send red packets on the wedding day instead of trying to kill the bride." She said flatly.

"What's the fun in that?" Ayumi, a tall and curvaceous beauty, spoke with a smile as she entered the room with a small crossbow on her shoulder.

"Kaito said that your skills had gotten rusty. We wanted to make sure that he was still a liar." A tall man named Ogawa shouted.

The group of old friends laughed.

"What do you mean, a liar? I am a master of deception." Kaito said with pride.

"All of you are here just talking, but I see none of you inviting me to a wedding. Like you, Kaitou, when will you find anyone?" An old man appeared from somewhere or nowhere.

Though they were all skilled, no one could beat the teacher in concealment.

"Teacher!" They all shouted.

He waved them away in annoyance before walking to Hu Lei. She stepped forward to meet him like a schoolgirl before a teacher.

"Don't mind these annoyances. They just wanted to come and have fun. They did not even bring a good gift." He glanced at the group again.

They all wanted to say that they brought gifts, but they did not dare counter the old man, lest he started nagging.

He took out an intricate wooden box and opened it. Inside the box, there was a black dagger with an ornate handle. Its intricacy was something special.

"This is something I had lying around in the mountains. You probably have more use for it." The old man said carelessly.

Hu Lei felt happy at the thoughtful gift. Even though she was not active anymore, she could not deny that she liked her knives.

It did not hurt to have one more.