Unable to stop the filming, he lowered his voice. “If I were really losing it, you’d probably be drafting a divorce agreement overnight.”
Shī Fányīn: “Then it’s a must. Am I supposed to wait around for you?”
She laughed. “If I were losing my mind, I doubt you’d stick around.”
“Shī Fányīn, don’t think so badly of me.”
Once the boutonniere was pinned, he said, “You won’t, but that doesn’t mean I won’t.”
He was about to step away but was pulled back.
“Wait, you haven’t pinned your boutonniere!”
“Zhōu Yúnlián, don’t think that just because you say some sweet things, I won’t hold you accountable.”
Zhōu Yúnlián was too lazy to explain.
“How many people have you loved? You still haven’t told me. Don’t lie. Jiang Jingyuan said you’ve had more than one.”
Their son arrived, and they quickly stopped talking.
Zhōu Shíyì hugged his parents in turn. “Thank you both for your hard work over the years.”
“I’m not tired; I raised you little enough,” Shī Fányīn adjusted his Windsor knot. “Nice tie color.”
Zhōu Shíyì: “Zhōng Yì picked it.”
“The suit too?”
“Mm.”
Shī Fányīn hugged her son. “Be good with Zhōng Yì.”
Once all the preparations were done, it was time to depart.
The motorcade roared out of the villa area.
Meanwhile, the bride was fully made up and ready.
Jì Fánxīng was taking charge today, acting as both bridesmaid and videographer.
Jiang Jingyuan almost forgot Jì Fánxīng was a director—her framing was especially unique.
“Third Uncle, Third Aunt, come here. Let me take a full family photo first.”
Zhōng Yì wrapped her arms around her parents. They used to take family photos often when she was little, but rarely since.
Her parents sat in front, sitting side by side awkwardly.
Zhōng Zhuóhuá was about to link arms with her husband, but Jiang Jingyuan took her hand and clasped it firmly.
More intimate than linking arms.
Upstairs, the full family photoshoot continued, while downstairs the bride pickup party finally all arrived.
Zhōng Yì had three paternal cousins and one maternal cousin; when they gathered, even Grandpa couldn’t handle them.
The last to arrive was Mǐn Tíng, who came straight from the banquet hotel.
Jiāng Yǎnfēng asked with concern, “Are the photos ready?”
Mǐn Tíng sipped cold water and nodded.
Jiang Rui looked at her son helplessly. “Almost missed using them.”
Mǐn Tíng said, “No worries, I know what I’m doing.”
Third Uncle had always been especially kind to Ma, and Zhōng Yì was his only child. He would surely do his part for her wedding.
Jiang Rui: “You haven’t eaten breakfast yet, right?”
“No.”
Mǐn Tíng asked, “Where’s Third Uncle?”
“Upstairs.”
“Crying?”
Jiang Rui smiled. “Even if he is, it’s normal. When you have a daughter one day, see if you can not cry at her wedding.”
Mǐn Tíng drank slowly, unwilling to think about that question.
Jiāng Yǎnfēng’s phone rang; it was groomsman Zhōu Jiāyè.
“Why can’t we even get through the villa gates?
I didn’t expect to be stopped outside the community.”
Jiāng Yǎnfēng: “We thought about putting a checkpoint at the bridal house gate too.”
Zhōu Jiāyè laughed. “Never seen anything like you guys. Tell me, what’s the condition to get in? A quiz? A challenge?”
Jiāng Yǎnfēng: “Not yet; the house’s own gate is enough.”
He had a message for Zhōu Shíyì at the gate: “Tell him, I’m Third Uncle’s only precious daughter.
Don’t treat the wedding as just a formality. My sister’s been looking forward to this day for a long time—make her happy.”
Zhōu Jiāyè spoke for his cousin: “Don’t worry. One thing’s for sure—he’s looking forward to this day even more than Zhōng Yì.”
“What did Jiāng Yǎnfēng say?”
Zhōu Jiāyè put away his phone. “You won’t understand even if I told you.”
Everyone could see Zhōu Shíyì wasn’t just going through the motions at the wedding; even the bouquet was tied by himself.
Finally, the motorcade was allowed through, heading toward the bride’s home.
Zhōu Shíyì stared out the window, recalling the first time he visited his mother-in-law’s house—it was winter.
It had just snowed; the shrubs lining the neighborhood were covered in thick white snow.
The wedding car slowly entered the courtyard; everyone came out to greet them.
The bride pickup group, led by the eldest cousin, charged straight toward the bride’s party, completely ignoring him.
Seeing the father-in-law come out, they joked, calling out “Third Uncle!”
The mother-in-law just stepped out of the villa, and the brothers-in-law took the initiative to introduce themselves in turn.
Zhōu Shíyì thought they might at least pretend to struggle but was surprised they gave up immediately.
He turned to find Níng Quē, who stood with her boss Mǐn Tíng, saying after much consideration, they had decided to become Zhōng Yì’s family’s allies.
Even more complete betrayal.
If only he had brought Chén Chén.
Zhōu Shíyì noticed no one paid attention to him.
Taking advantage of the chaos of greetings, he walked straight into the villa.
Grandpa saw his grandson-in-law climb the stairs and, being old, didn’t stop him.
“Mǐn Tíng! Jiāng Yǎnfēng! Where are you?”
On the third-floor bedroom balcony, Jì Fánxīng leaned over the railing, scanning the yard for the groom. “Where is he?”
*Knock knock!*
Jì Fánxīng spun around sharply, seeing the person she was looking for pushing open the door.
“How did you get up here?”
He was wearing the suit she had custom-made, tie included.
Zhōng Yì’s heart skipped a beat.
She wasn’t mentally prepared yet, and he suddenly appeared holding a bouquet of white roses and blue hydrangeas.
Jì Fánxīng glanced downstairs again, still incredulous. “How did you get up here?”
“Just walked straight up.”
“Didn’t expect the bride pickup team to be so united today.”
“They didn’t help me—they all betrayed me and are downstairs chatting happily. Hopefully, the bride’s party won’t make things difficult for them.”
Jì Fánxīng couldn’t help but laugh.
She had deliberately left the bride room door unlocked as a gesture, but she didn’t expect such carelessness downstairs.
Zhōu Shíyì looked at Zhōng Yì; at last, she was wearing the wedding dress.
He walked to the bed, bent down, and hugged her. “Why didn’t you call me last night?”
Zhōng Yì: “No meetings or calls before the wedding count.”
Zhōu Shíyì released her, knelt on one knee by the bed, and pulled out the two hair clips from his inner pocket.
“Which one do you want?” he asked.
Zhōng Yì didn’t understand but pointed to the first Cherry Hair Clip Chén Chén had given her.
Zhōu Shíyì clipped the Cherry Hair Clip onto the bouquet’s ribbons, pinning the other to his white rose boutonniere.
***
After pinning the clips, he stood, placing his hand beside her on the layers of the wedding dress.
A sharp chill suddenly swept over her, and Zhōng Yì instinctively held her breath.
Zhōu Shíyì lowered his head and kissed her, capturing her lips.
“I love you,” he said in a low, hoarse voice.
Besides Jì Fánxīng, the stylist and several videographers were filming inside the room.
At that moment, noise came from the stairs as people searched for the groom.
Zhōng Yì’s heart pounded like a drum, unable to focus during the kiss.
Zhōu Shíyì was unfazed, not breaking the kiss, continuing to press his lips to hers.
Zhōng Yì placed her hands on the bed, supporting herself.
Zhōu Shíyì looked into her eyes. “Do you love me?”