At first, Xu Chuyao was completely on board with Shen Ning’s suggestion to go through the motions, because she herself was busy with a lot of things lately.
But a few days later, Mi Xiaolu and the other two girls showed up carrying the newly arrived wedding veils, and found a spot on campus with a great setting~ That’s right, it was that artificial lake. Summer had come, the pool water had been filled, and it was so clean and clear it could basically be used as a swimming pool.
Shen Ning remembered this place; on a cold winter afternoon last semester, they had come here together for a date.
To avoid the chilly moisture, the artificial lake didn’t have water in the winter. Back then, Li Chen had said it was a shame, since she’d really wanted to play in the water.
Shen Ning remembered too.
“There’s really no need to remember things so clearly like that,” Xu Chuyao said, raising an eyebrow, “Honestly, aren’t we making way too big a deal out of this?”
Claiming to be busy with this event was just an excuse not to do something else, but now… looking at it, this whole affair seemed pretty earnest.
And Shen Ning, too—she really wouldn’t come for real, would she? Wasn’t the main point just to stall for time?
Xu Chuyao thought of the girl’s blushing in the hallway a couple days ago, and the fact that she’d given her a full thousand villain points… No, rather, “Villain Points.” The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
“All this fuss, and yet, it’s not meaningless,” Shen Ning said seriously, “Because someone is helping out.”
Mi Xiaolu, Yu Yuxue, and Flower all had no objections.
Xu Chuyao glanced at her, then suddenly asked bluntly, “Shen Ning, last time when you just went along with me about holding a wedding, was it really just because you were having fun with me?”
“…I just picked a good day, that’s all. You were looking for an excuse to stall for time and didn’t want to accept that assignment, right?”
Though she said this, her ears still turned a little red. But the prompt for [Villain Points +500] had already made the girl’s true feelings obvious.
Fine, business is business.
Xu Chuyao thought for a moment, put away her tablet, and got off the bed. “Alright then, let’s go take the photos.”
Every time she used her tablet, she’d get interrupted—truly, she and her tablet were doomed to never get along.
“Let’s meet the girls downstairs.”
—
Shen Ning stopped her girlfriend, who was just about to head out. Seeing the other girl’s puzzled gaze, she fished something out of her bag.
“This, send it to the girls for me.”
Xu Chuyao took a look and realized it was a red envelope, with “Qi Character” written right in the center.
She grew more curious. “Why don’t you just send it yourself?”
Shen Ning smiled, her face charming. “Because it doesn’t suit my… image.”
She’d read a lot about this—every family needs to have roles. One is cheerful and easygoing, another, the male lead, must be aloof and cold, never showing warmth. That way, in social situations, they wouldn’t lose their edge.
“You’ve read too much nonsense, stop with the ‘Qi Character’ stuff.” Xu Chuyao rolled her eyes, “Keep reading and you’ll rot your brain.”
With that, she took the red envelope and headed downstairs.
“Qiongyao was totally wrong,” Sexually Repressed Shadow said, “If you keep reading things like that, sooner or later your brain will turn to mush.”
Shen Ning hugged her book, thinking, Weren’t you the one telling me to learn more and read more?
“I meant for you to read things that are actually useful—take what’s good from the internet, leave the trash, never said you should learn everything you see.”
“Yingyao once said, ‘Learning without thinking leads to online scams, thinking without learning turns you into a pyramid scheme seller.'”
Both Shadows were busy airing their opinions, except for Gravel Reflection, who kept silent.
It didn’t understand—when you’re about to marry Xu Chuyao, such a joyous occasion, what’s there to be uptight about? Just enjoy it.
—
Outside the Dormitory Building, Xu Chuyao met up with the three girls helping out. Their gazes were full of curiosity and inquiry.
“Ha, don’t say anything.” Yaoyao shoved the red envelope into their hands, grinning, “It’s all good things.”
The few of them chatted by the roadside and sure enough, after taking the red envelope, they stopped asking so many questions—it’s hard to keep pressing when someone’s given you a gift.
With the opening move out of the way, Xu Chuyao looked around. “How are we arranging this? Head to the artificial lake first?”
“Let’s put the wedding stuff in the old Teaching Building next to the lake,” Mi Xiaolu said, “We already brought everything there this morning.”
“Alright, let’s go then.”
Once the plan was set, Xu Chuyao’s execution was flawless. Shen Ning had just arrived at the end of the group, and Xu Chuyao had already changed into her outfit and walked out of the old Teaching Building, where several girls outside were wide-eyed in amazement.
Yu Yuwei: “Wow… that’s huge.”
Flower: “The wedding veil looks so good!”
Mi Xiaolu: “Yeah, it really does.”
The veil itself wasn’t anything unique, just a custom job—made using a template from the costume shop, only adjusted for size in some places. But the person wearing it looked so good, this wasn’t about the clothes at all—no mannequin made from foam would ever look so dazzling.
Xu Chuyao bent forward slightly, letting the bridal gown trace her stunning silhouette. “See? As long as it looks good, that’s what matters. All those fancy embellishments… Shen Ning, stop spacing out and go get changed.”
Before the still-stunned girl could say anything, her soon-to-be bride shoved her firmly into the old Teaching Building.
“That’s why I keep saying,” Sexually Repressed Shadow sighed, “with your language skills and literary sense, don’t overthink it. Just look her in the eye and say, ‘You look pretty.’ That’s enough.”
Well, now everyone had a reaction—except for one, who was so stunned she couldn’t speak.
“Hurry up and change,” Broken Shadow urged, “Chuyao is waiting outside for you.”
When it came to taking action, Shen Ning was every bit as quick. She followed the steps on her phone, put on the wedding dress, and checked herself out in the mirror that Mi Xiaolu had thoughtfully placed in the corner.
The slightly smaller wedding gown hugged her slender frame—she wasn’t particularly voluptuous, but her figure looked graceful and delicate.
For the first time, the girl realized her own body was actually quite attractive.
“It’s the chest that matters,” Sexually Repressed Shadow said. “If it’s not flat, Chuyao won’t mind you.”
Broken Shadow countered, “I think Chuyao isn’t that shallow—she still cares about what’s inside.”
Of course, by “what’s inside,” she meant her fighting power or something…
Shen Ning didn’t want to argue with her own Shadows. She didn’t even really understand her own preferences, and besides, Chuyao and the others were probably waiting impatiently outside—she needed to hurry up and go.
With that thought, she opened the door, only to find—
—
“The moment of annihilation has come!”
The girls helping out had already taken their places, the camera was set up, and Xu Chuyao was striking a dramatic pose by the artificial lake.
Xu Chuyao shouted, one arm raised, the other holding two big white sticks, as if grabbing something, chanting a strange line, and then, with a dramatic flourish, whipped out a—
Crackle! Sizzling lightning flashed over the lake!
A great white blade of thunder!
Shen Ning was stunned, grabbing her head. When she looked closer, she realized there was no blade at all. The long, white, stick-like thing was actually the extension cord for the wedding veil, which Xu Chuyao had yanked out. Once plugged in, it stiffened, making it possible to cosplay a weapon.
Wait, what was this all about?
“Aren’t we supposed to be taking wedding photos?” she asked, feeling a little lost.
The sort of thing that was supposed to be played as a slideshow during the ceremony—why had it turned into this?
Xu Chuyao put away the thunder stick, and without electricity, the long “blade” drooped instantly, falling out of the girl’s hand.
“We are taking wedding photos,” she said, lifting her chin slightly. “If we’re gonna do a wedding photo shoot, aren’t we supposed to act like we’re in an anime?”
Shen Ning was speechless for a moment, but still felt like something was off.
“Enough, stop overthinking it,” Xu Chuyao walked over and took her hand, leading her back to the edge of the artificial lake, “Come on, strike a pose and conjure up some wind.”
Whatever…
“You conjure it first~”
Even though she didn’t get it, the girl still listened to her soon-to-be wife’s words. Just before the camera clicked, she summoned a powerful gust of wind.
Whoosh, crackle, snap!
The moment was frozen in the digital camera—the wild wind whipped up the wedding veils, and behind them, the artificial lake churned like a stormy sea. Spray colored the water a dazzling white, outlining the two beautiful girls in their bridal gowns with a radiant light.
“What a picture—like a wild storm at sea,” commented Yu Zhenxue, the photographer.
Xu Chuyao walked over to take a look and was very satisfied: “Shen Ning, come look—this is our wedding’s main visual. I’ll get it printed on the new invitation cards tomorrow!”
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