Chapter 154 - Extra 1 Part 2 Wedding Day
"Yo, Six! Seven!"
Four was the first to spot them from afar, waving at them enthusiastically
from her seat. And when she noticed that the suits they were wearing were
the ones she had recommended to them a year ago, the smile on her face
became even bigger.
Since they were all close friends of the groom, they were naturally seated
at the same table.
Apart from the group of friends from the "Numbers" clique, the other people
at the table were also familiar faces.
Since young, Shen Yan had been taught by his grandfather to greet elders
first in such settings, and even the habit of bowing slightly when doing so
had stuck with him until now.
"Good afternoon, teachers—"
"Mhm, quick, take a seat." Pu Yuzhi smiled while nodding.
Four years ago, Shen Yan passed the adult College Entrance Examination and
enrolled in the school she was teaching at, officially becoming his mentor.
Thus, his calling her "teacher" was perfectly appropriate. She had always
been fond of Shen Yan, offering him much support over the three years. He
took all the kindness she's shown to heart and felt a deeper respect for her
than he did for anyone else.
"Your students are all so prim and proper, far too earnest; so dull~"
Yuan Zhengming clicked his tongue twice.
He had his own studio now. As the owner, he could do things his way,
scouting for voice talent in an unorthodox manner. It could be said that he
was one of a kind in the industry. It's just that he can't change his old
habit of teasing people, nor could he change the way he would cower
sheepishly, not daring to continue, when Pu Yuzhi gave him a dirty look.
Qi Jing also went up to greet the seniors one by one, not missing the
opportunity to poke fun at Yuan Zhengming, "Well then, Teacher Yuan, do
enlighten us, who taught Teacher Longbow?"
As he said this, he pointed at Zhang Cheng, who had been grinning in his
seat this whole time.
Yuan Zhengming found he had no comeback for that and grumbled sulkily,
"Hmph, you rascal. Ever since you became a host, your tongue’s become
sharper and sharper…"
They exchanged a few rounds of back-and-forth banter, and only after
everyone had their laugh did Qi Jing and Shen Yan take their seats.
The table seated ten people in total, namely: Qi Jing, Shen Yan, Pu Yuzhi,
Yuan Zhengming, the Zhang family of three, the couple—Three and Four, and
last but not least, Big Brother, One, who had sacrificed a subsidised
business trip overseas to attend the wedding. It's just a pity Qiu Tianyang
and Tan Zixian couldn't join them as they were assisting with the event and
had to sit in the front row.
Nevertheless, the table was still lively with conversations and updates on
everyone's lives.
"I heard that due to the popularity of both the original novel and the game
of "Order to End the Heavens", a film company is interested in buying the TV
drama rights, and filming might start as early as next year."
“I heard that Xiao Miao made her mom teach her how to make chocolates,
saying that she wanted to give them to "Big Brother Noodles" on the 14th of
February. Speaking of which, shouldn't it be "Uncle Noodles"?"
"I heard that the current song cover scene is even more vibrant than the
online voice-acting circle. Three's Weibo's followers have already surpassed
that of Five's; it's really scary."
"I heard that the One is currently being passionately pursued by a British
person. They've even come all the way to China to chase after him."
"I heard…"
…
…
The conversation bounced from one “I heard" to another; talking about all
kinds of topics. They simply talked about whatever came to mind without
worrying about the substance of the conversation. What mattered most was the
lively atmosphere and catching up with friends—being happy was what truly
counted.
As they chatted, the music that had been playing on a loop in the hall
suddenly stopped. At the same time, soft tapping on the microphone could be
heard. Everyone turned to see that Qiu Tianyang, the emcee of the event, was
adjusting the mic on stage. Looking at the time, it was almost noon, and the
banquet was about to begin.
“Good afternoon, friends and fellow guests, I am your emcee for the wedding
today and I am extremely honoured to share this sweet day with all of you."
Although Qiu Tianyang was still muttering and rehearsing his lines earlier,
his performance when he actually went on stage was quite good. It was
evident that his experience in voice acting these few years had improved his
skills.
Besides, his voice ultimately still added points for him—
"Before we begin proper, I must remind all the ladies. Although our groom is
particularly handsome today, please try not to stare too much, as our
dashing groom is reserved for the bride to look at. Of course, if anyone
can’t resist and wants to feast their eyes on a handsome guy, just look at
me~"
The last line elicited bouts of laughter from the entire room.
Qiu Tianyang had an outstanding appearance to begin with, and when he
delivered the line with such effortless confidence, quite a few of the young
ladies in the audience actually sneaked glances at him.
"So! Shameless!" As one of the ladies present, Four deliberately shouted,
clearly not buying into his self-praise. Three kept snickering beside her
but made no effort to stop her.
"So! Shameless!" Qi Jing chimed in as well to take a jab at Qiu Tianyang.
Afterward, he couldn’t hold back his laughter, leaning his head lightly on
Shen Yan’s arm still chuckling. Shen Yan shifted slightly, naturally
creating a space where he could hold Qi Jing from behind as he lowered his
gaze quietly, smiling along with him.
At this moment, a line of hotel staff walked out from the backstage, each
carrying a large box of confetti poppers in one hand and a long string of
pink balloons in the other. They lined up in two rows and began placing the
balloons along the red carpet leading to the stage.
"We've just received information from the escort team[1]
that the wedding car carrying the bride and groom will arrive in a few
minutes. Before they enter, we will start the first interactive segment of
the day." Qiu Tianyang walked towards one of the staff, taking a party
popper from her hand to show to the audience. "Right now, I would like to
ask every table to send one representative to collect a party popper from
the staff, then wait by the sides of the red carpet to spray ribbons at the
groom as he enters, preventing him from moving forward." 2. Picking Up the
Bride While Chinese wedding traditions have modernised and no longer involve
a large procession, the journey to pick up the bride is still a lively
affair. It can involve anything from the use of firecrackers, playing of
drums and gongs, or even a lion dance troupe. A child usually walks in front
of the procession together with the groom to symbolise fertility. From my
own experience, the escort team for modern Chinese weddings is typically the
groomsmen.
When it comes to wedding banquets, the livelier, the better. When the guests
heard about this part of the programme, they all cheered and eagerly looked
forward to it.
"Of course, I will be the representative for our table. You have no
objections, right?" Yuan Zhengming said with a sly grin, standing up to
nominate himself before anyone could respond. He enjoyed stirring
things up and was always eager to participate in such activities. Moreover,
as the ones at the table were mostly his juniors, no one contested his
choice.
The confetti poppers were distributed in no time, and a few staff members
rushed in from outside, calling out, "They're almost here, they're almost
here."
Soon, laughter and footsteps could be heard from the end of the corridor.
Qiu Tianyang quickly directed everyone to take their positions.
The sound technician also switched the background music to a lively and
energetic tune, instantly raising the atmosphere.
"Pop—"
The party poppers nearest to the entrance were the first to go off, with
colourful streamers and confetti interlacing and bursting mid-air.
As soon as Yang Jie stepped through the door, he was met with a face full of
confetti from the group waiting at the entrance. His first instinct was to
shield the bride, whom he was carrying in his arms. The bride, dressed in a
white wedding gown, screamed amidst the confetti as she clung tightly to his
neck, burning her head in his shoulder, her laughter ringing like silver
bells.
Barely able to keep his eyes open from all the confetti in his face, Yang
Jing cursed internally but charged forward with his bride in his arms,
undeterred. He paid no heed to the barricades of pink balloons in his path,
stomping right over them. The crisp sound of balloons popping accompanied by
laughter, applause, and cheers from the crowd, the atmosphere in the hall
was pushed to a small climax.
“Come on, Boy, face me!” Yuan Zhengming shouted as Yang Jie passed by,
simultaneously setting off several party poppers at the groom, managing to
slow his pace by three seconds.
"Hahahaha!"
"Teacher Yuan is really going all out! Come on, Two! You can do it!"
Everyone at Qi Jing's table was laughing their heads off, clapping so hard
their palms turned red.
Meanwhile, Qiu Tianyang continued to cheekily encourage the crowd saying,
"Block him! Block him!", all while providing a live commentary of the
"battle" through the microphone.
However, Yang Jing was someone trained in sports after all; he was not so
easily stopped by these trivial antics. Even while carrying the bride in his
arms, he moved with agility, swiftly navigating through the confetti and
balloons. In the midst of cheers, he finally stepped onto the stage,
slightly out of breath, and carefully set the bride down, tenderly brushing
the confetti out of her hair.
The bride looked at him with a smile, her eyes twinkling like stars.
And Yang Jie smiled back at her.
"Ahem," Qiu Tianyang interrupted their little moment just in time, "I must
say, my eyes were almost blinded by the two of you. You’ll have to pay for
my medical bills…"
If it were any other time, Qiu Tianyang's rascally tone would have earned
him a beating, but Yang Jie simply laughed and called him a "jackass,"
giving him a light punch on the shoulder. If not for Qiu Tianyang adding
annoyingly, "Wow, when people are in high spirits when celebrating happy
events; even tempers improve," he wouldn’t have gotten punched a second
time.
Initially, when Qi Jing first learnt that Qiu Tianyang was going to take on
the role of the emcee, he worried that someone as eye-catching as Qiu
Tianyang might steal the groom's limelight. But seeing them standing next to
each other, he realised his concerns were unfounded. Yang Jie looked
exceptionally dashing today. His white suit fit perfectly on his well-toned
body, a result of years of training, making him appear both upright and
charismatic, and handsome to the core.
After the fun, the following events on the program were more formal. It was
the standard: parents of both sides giving speeches, the couple exchanging
vows and rings in front of the officiant, and the other common wedding
customs.
Once these were concluded, dishes began to be served to the tables, and the
newlyweds started making rounds to each table to offer toasts with their
guests.
When they reached Qi Jing’s table, everyone stood up, all smiles as they
congratulated the couple on finally tying the knot.
Four and Tu Xiaotu have both been in their shoes before. They knew how
exhausting the wedding day could be. Oftentimes, the couple wouldn’t have
had a proper meal since the morning, so they quickly pulled Little Stammer
aside, handed her a clean bowl, and urged her to have something to eat
discreetly. "Here, quickly eat something while no one’s watching."
Meanwhile, Qi Jing and the others took the opportunity to chat with the
groom.
"Congratulations, Two," Qi Jing said with a smile, "We've been waiting a
long time to enjoy your wedding banquet."
As he spoke, he gently hooked his hand around Shen Yan’s sleeve. Shen Yan
smiled softly and agreed with Qi Jing with a "Mhm".
"Thank you." These friends were the ones who gave him the push that he
needed to realise his feelings back then and Yang Jie was deeply grateful to
them from the bottom of his heart.
Words of blessing and well-wishes were all the same; the conversation
quickly shifted to more casual topics.
"By the way, didn't you serve as a judge of the fifth dubbing competition of
"Order to End the Heavens" last year? I heard they might sell the TV rights.
I wonder which instalment they would do. If they invite you to voice a
character, would you go?" The tradition of selecting a judge from past
champions for the game, "Order to End the Heavens", voice acting competition
continued, but it was uncertain if the TV series would feature the same
voice actors as the game.
Yang Jie had been sceptical about commercial voice acting, but after joining
Yuan Zhengming’s studio, his attitude gradually changed, and he started
taking on gigs.
"If that’s the case, I'll let them know that I’d only go if Six goes too."
Yang Jie slightly raised an eyebrow, deliberately dragging Shen Yan in as
well.
Shen Yan chuckled softly. "There are many excellent voice actors now; they
won't look for me. Besides… I actually prefer taking care of injured
animals. Voice acting is just a side job."
Yang Jing nodded. "I agree, you’re better suited as a vet."
Qi Jing chimed in with a smile, "His vet hospital is planning to open a new
branch and asked him if he was interested in taking up the role as the
director of the branch. But he said he still prefers the old place and his
colleagues, so he didn’t take the offer."
Having said this, he gently pinched Shen Yan's palm with his thumb and
laughed softly, "Well, at least he got a raise. We’ve got two "kids" to feed
at home, after all—"
Coincidentally, Little Stammer came over at this moment, and without missing
a beat, Yang Jie turned to her and said, "Two kids sound good. Let’s have
two in the future."
Unsurprisingly, the Little Stammer’s face turned bright red.
Everyone present guffawed at this sight.
When they were finally done laughing, as a seasoned senior both in terms of
being married and at work, Zhang Cheng, asked him on behalf of everyone,
"How does it feel to be married?"
Yang Jie was stunned for a moment, then looked at his wife who was smiling
at him and the answer came out naturally: "It feels like my life is
complete—"
After saying that, he naturally gave her a kiss on the cheek in front of
everyone.
And so, her face flushed bright red like a blooming kapok flower once again.
At that moment, Qi Jing suddenly felt the person beside him quietly trace
over the back of his hand with a finger, resting on the ring on his fourth
finger before their fingers intertwined, holding tightly together.
It was warm and reassuring.
Attentive and firm.
To be able to hold this hand and walk through life hand in hand with such a
person… how blissful it must be.
And then, amidst the bustling background noise, that person's low, husky
voice could be heard clearly, gently reaching his ear, "For me too, my life
is complete."
1. Picking Up the Bride. While Chinese wedding traditions have modernised and
no longer involve a large procession, the journey to pick up the bride is
still a lively affair. It can involve anything from the use of firecrackers,
playing of drums and gongs, or even a lion dance troupe. A child usually
walks in front of the procession together with the groom to symbolise
fertility. From my own experience, the escort team for modern Chinese
weddings is typically the groomsmen.↩
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reading experience ahahah what a tongue twister XD
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Thank yous!! (˶‾᷄ ⁻̫ ‾᷅˵)
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a great day!!
You can support me by sending some love in the comments or through the button below
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