"Two friends in the group are getting married, and they sent so many red envelopes. I'm here drinking on behalf of the whole group."
"I never expected Qing Si would sound like he's in his forties. Tsk tsk, really didn't expect that."
"What surprised me even more is that this guy actually has such a beautiful fiancée. Truly an old six. He was even pretending to be single on Valentine's Day."
Qing Si and the bride's friends from Little Fruits sat at two tables. There were too many people to introduce one by one, so let's focus on those who talked a lot just now.
They were Angry61, Siyi Anran, Ye Bai YB, and Xuanyuan Jianglong 001 — three men and one woman.
"Qing Si is the ultimate winner in life. He even won a dream-fulfilling spot in Orange Home's lottery. This kind of lucky king should be tied to the stake and burned," said Angry61, adjusting his glasses. He looked like a good boy, which didn't fit his username. He did not seem angry at all.
When it came to winning prizes, those who knew Qing Si felt a bit jealous inside, though they wouldn't show it or say it out loud. Some didn't even realize the feeling themselves. It was strange — if it were a stranger winning, they wouldn't care. But when it was someone they knew, a sour sting crept in.
Anran spoke with interest. "Do you think Qing Si's wish was to get Jiu-yé to record a wedding blessing video?"
"That's actually possible," Ye Bai said. "Feels like something Qing Si would do."
Just imagining having a favorite idol send a blessing video at the wedding was something Ye Bai longed for.
"If it were me, and I got picked, I'd definitely have brother Jiu endorse my family's brand," Xuanyuan Jianglong 001 said. Despite his somewhat dramatic name, he was the genuine head of a certain family business.
"His head is all work, I don't get it. Brother Dong Yiyao doesn't seem like the type to follow celebrities. Why is he such a loyal fan of brother Jiu?" Angry61 adjusted his glasses, curious. His sentence trailed off. Xuanyuan Jianglong's mannerisms oozed businessman energy.
"That's a secret. Secrets make men more charming," Xuanyuan Jianglong said mysteriously.
Siyi Anran fiddled with the name card on the table. The seating was assigned for the wedding banquet. He liked the name "Siyi Anran" — it was both his group name and his Weibo handle. He also had a Xingyun account.
Anran, twenty-seven years old, did not originally follow celebrities. Usually, he browsed Weibo just to look at some female idols' photos. But once he found out Twitter had even kinder female idols, he never looked back.
One day, on a whim, he logged into his own account and found that he had mysteriously followed over thirty people. It was weird.
He didn't bother to unfollow. One day, he watched the variety show I Am a Creator. Because of Chapter Seven of Ye, with its exaggerated composition and arrangement, he became a fan immediately.
He went to follow the Weibo account — only to find he already followed it. Not only that, but his account was a star group account, worth over two thousand RMB at the time.
Wow. Like a pie falling from the sky, Anran immediately changed his Weibo password and switched from email binding to phone number binding.
Two and a half years passed, and his account could be sold for six or seven thousand. Because of this, Anran took great pride in his Little Fruits account and saw the windfall as a sign of good luck.
The Shangri-La Hotel's service was excellent. The coordination with the wedding company was flawless.
At least the staff were pleasant to look at. Women wore plain long dresses, men wore suits with vests and black bow ties. The servers who greeted the bride's friends and relatives even spoke English.
As time passed, guests arrived and the banquet hall gradually filled. The noise grew louder. Lao Qian wore clothes similar to the servers and lingered near the edge. He mainly made sure brother Jiu's path remained smooth.
The time had come.
Unlike a regular flat background screen, the second floor of the New Pavilion featured a circular LED screen. The background showed clouds on a peak. As a piano piece played inevitably at parallel world weddings, Romance in the Water began.
"Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Look how bright and clear the sun is today. I feel the spring breeze is especially gentle because both spring and the world know that today is filled with the joy of all things. We meet at this wedding feast, and all who come here will surely be blessed with good luck.
I'll start with a brief introduction. I am the MC, Xiao Ao. It is a great honor to be entrusted by the couple."
The male MC walked slowly onto the stage. His voice carried clearly through the banquet hall's excellent sound system. To accommodate the bride's guests, the circular screen provided simultaneous English translation.
Most wedding ceremonies followed similar flows. It all depended on the host's eloquence and the guests' reactions to bring a joyful atmosphere.
"So, so, so, important things must be said three times: Everyone, let us all turn our eyes to the gate of love. Nineteen eighty... twenty-one. The wedding of Mr. Hou Jun and Miss Li Daqiao officially begins. Please welcome the couple!"
The "gate of love" mentioned by MC Xiao Ao was the rose-arched doorway stretching two-thirds along the red carpet from the main hall entrance to the stage.
As the couple stepped through, gold confetti sprayed on both sides of the carpet. Fireworks were not allowed indoors, so champagne bottle popping sounds were timed for effect.
Hou Jun and Sadie were the stars of the day. Hand in hand, they walked slowly forward with two adorable little flower children trailing behind.
"Look at the bride and groom! The bride is more beautiful than Maso Destiny, the groom handsomer than Chu Zhi. Good heavens, no one told me the couple would be so talented and beautiful," MC Xiao Ao exclaimed in amazement.
Maso Destiny was a Hollywood actress widely recognized as a beauty icon. Chu Zhi's name had long symbolized handsome in China, like "the other family's cat" was a euphemism for eunuchs.
American guests obviously knew the former but not the latter.
"Who is Chu Zhi?" Milton asked, puzzled.
Alice replied, "That's a strange question. Milton, he's a famous Chinese star."
"I'm just curious. Who can stand side by side with my goddess?" Milton said. "I'm willing to drink my goddess's bathwater. No one can compare."
Alice had no words. Maso had topped the global fifty most beautiful faces for three consecutive years. Even as a woman, Alice had to admit she was beautiful. Not to mention China or Asia had no one to match her.
Unlike Americans, the Little Fruits thought differently.
"Maso is beautiful, but honestly no one deserves Jiu-yé," Angry61 took off his glasses and wiped them. "I'm not trying to bring trouble. Jiu-yé looks incredibly handsome in men's clothing. Earlier, his Qingyi costume in The New Drunken Concubine was stunning. Think about it: Jiu-yé's male domain is top-tier looks, and his female domain is breathtaking. Maso can't compare."
Xuanyuan Jianglong nodded slightly.
"I agree," Ye Bai nodded quickly.
"I agree with your agreement," Free Anran said.
It was natural for fans to believe their favorites were the best. Without that feeling, they wouldn't be diehard fans.
The wedding ceremony continued.
===
We've hit Chapter 400! ＼(＾▽＾)／🎉
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