This night was destined to be sleepless.
The wedding was to be held the next day, and if potential dangers were not neutralized promptly, Lu Yanbei would never feel at ease.
According to custom, the two should not have met. However, Lu Yanbei was too worried about Su He’s safety to wait, so he drove to the other side of the island.
He did not enter her room, but instead asked Su He to meet him on the beach not far away.
That way, it wouldn't be considered a breach of tradition.
The wind was strong that evening, so Su He added a shawl over her slip dress and slipped out when no one was looking.
"Ah Yan!" Su He saw the familiar figure on the beach and ran into his arms.
Lu Yanbei reached out and caught her, holding her tightly.
"I missed you!" Su He whispered, leaning against him.
Lu Yanbei lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "I missed you too!"
Even though they video chatted every day, he still yearned for her intensely.
Su He listened to his sweet words and couldn't help but tiptoe to kiss him.
After not seeing each other for days, their passion ignited.
It was more than ten minutes later when they finally calmed down.
Lu Yanbei suppressed his surging desire and pushed Su He away slightly. "Have you not been eating well lately? You seem to have lost weight."
"No, I've even gained two pounds," Su He mumbled. "But I've been doing yoga every day, so my body has become more toned, and I look thinner."
"Are you not lying to me?" Lu Yanbei asked again.
"You don't believe me?" Su He pretended to be angry.
Lu Yanbei quickly coaxed her, "Yes, I believe you!"
After saying that, he kissed her lips again.
Su He's anger subsided, and she smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist.
After they had been affectionate for a while, Su He finally asked, "Why did you come over so late at night? You could have said anything on the phone, why come all this way?"
"I couldn't rest easy without seeing you," Lu Yanbei said, stroking her back.
"What could possibly happen to me!" Su He said with a smile, her eyebrows curved.
"Then why did you ask the housekeeper for the guest list? Did you discover something unusual?" Lu Yanbei didn't hide anything and blurted it out.
Su He hadn't expected the housekeeper to tell Lu Yanbei so quickly. So, she recounted the incident with Rong Qiao calling her. "Do you think this Miss Rong is playing a prank or genuinely has good intentions?"
"Rong Qiao?" Lu Yanbei frowned slightly, seemingly trying to recall something.
"Yes, the one you've had two rumors with," Su He reminded him.
"Is A'Miao jealous?"
"Not at all," Su He denied. "I'm just curious, how did she get my phone number?"
They had no connection whatsoever.
Lu Yanbei narrowed his eyes, ruling out the possibility of a prank first.
From what he knew of this woman, she was not one to act without self-interest and would never do anything that harmed her own interests. Because of the previous incident, she had been blacklisted by the company and was in a difficult position. At this time, she would be even less likely to offend anyone who could help her.
Therefore, the only remaining possibility was that someone genuinely intended to harm Su He.
Thinking of this, Lu Yanbei's expression immediately turned grim. But he also knew that now was not the time to pursue Rong Qiao's responsibility; he had to find the hidden person as soon as possible.
"Tell me your thoughts," Lu Yanbei suppressed his anger and led Su He to sit on a reef.
This gesture made Su He very happy.
Lu Yanbei was very possessive in some aspects, but he had always respected her.
"I checked the guest list that Grandpa housekeeper sent me, and there's no one suspicious. However, it's possible that someone borrowed an invitation because they couldn't attend temporarily," Su He was not a naive fool and quickly found a breakthrough. "There are security checks at the airport, can we find out who boarded the flights?"
"Cheng Jue has already been asked to investigate, and we should have news soon." Lu Yanbei had already thought of what Su He had thought of. Not only that, but he had also asked the head of security to review the surveillance footage from the past ten days and verify the identities of all personnel who had been on the island. He would rather kill a thousand innocent people than let any suspicious person slip through.
"So, you've already thought of it!" Su He said admiringly.
"The bride's side has invited not many people, all of whom are well-known, so there shouldn't be any problems," Lu Yanbei focused his suspicion on the groom's side guests.
This wedding invited not only friends and family but also many business partners of the Lu family. In addition, there were staff from the wedding planning company, totaling several hundred people. To eliminate their suspicions one by one in a mere dozen hours was a task of immense proportion.
"I'm wondering who would want to deal with me," Su He also considered this question. Therefore, she could only think outside the box and speculate from other angles.
"It might not be aimed at you," Lu Yanbei took the responsibility upon himself to reassure her. "Lu's business is growing larger and larger, and many people are envious. Perhaps they are targeting me."
"No matter who it is aimed at, we cannot let them succeed," Su He said resentfully, leaning on his shoulder.
Lu Yanbei patted her hand. "Don't worry, we will find out."
A few hours later, Cheng Jue indeed found some issues.
"According to the surveillance footage from the airport, there are indeed a few people whose names do not match the names on the invitations. We need further investigation to identify them."
"In addition, there's also been some trouble with the wedding planning company. Some of the original makeup artists and stylists have been replaced, and we've sent people to keep an eye on them."
Lu Yanbei leaned back on the sofa and lit a cigarette, something he hadn't done for a long time. "Who were the people already on the island?"
"It seems to be relatives of the island owner, who claim to be on vacation," Cheng Jue was reviewing their information. "According to the hotel's records, there are no apparent problems for now."
"Tomorrow, at the wedding venue, make sure the security personnel thoroughly verify everyone's identity. Anyone whose identity does not match the invitation is not allowed in."
"Also, have the security company personnel conduct a self-check first."
Lu Yanbei took a deep drag and then extinguished the cigarette butt in the ashtray.
"Yes!"
Su He didn't sleep well that night.
Before dawn the next day, she was woken up and sat in front of the makeup mirror early.
"Mrs. Lu's skin is truly amazing. I've done makeup for countless brides, and this is the first time I've been able to apply makeup directly without primer," the new makeup artist was exceptionally enthusiastic, showering her with praise.
Su He felt somewhat listless and didn't respond, closing her eyes and letting them work on her.
After all, with Jiang Xiaoxiao guarding her side, she had nothing to worry about.
Two hours later, Su He changed into a bright red embroidered wedding dress and was helped to sit on the bed covered with red wedding quilts. She wore a phoenix coronet made of pure gold, which was said to be a one-to-one replica based on ancient texts.
It was a bit heavy, making Su He's neck sore.
"Keep the veil aside for now. You can put it on when the groom arrives to pick you up," Tang Jiaojiao said, looking at her exquisitely dressed and noble daughter with a face full of joy.
Su He rubbed her neck and was about to ask when Lu Yanbei would arrive when she heard a noisy sound of footsteps from outside.
"Quick, put on the veil! The groom is here!"
And so, Su He's vision darkened as the red veil descended, obscuring most of her view.