The hall was decorated with cream-colored fabric with pops of red to reflect the color scheme of Xiu Ling's dress. A red carpet was rolled down the middle of the pew and cream-colored clothes hung lazily off the back of the wooden chairs.
There were flowers of the same colors placed artfully around the church. The choir and band were off the side of the stage, practicing for the upcoming ceremony.
Guests in muted colors were led to their seats by the ushers. The candelabras that were usually reserved for big mass were brought out and decorated to provide lighting to the venue. There was an atmosphere of mirth in the air as the guests arrived to congratulate Elder Lin and Lin Kang who stood at the entrance. Even though this was not an official wedding, since Lin Kang and Xiu Ling got married a long time ago, it was treated with the fanfare and aplomb of one.
Lin Kang looked dashing in his double-breasted suit. The large smile on his face softened his usual unapproachable presence. The workers from Xu Corps who were invited by Xiu Ling to attend the ceremony went off to the side to chat among themselves how unusual and creepy their boss was acting that day. Then again, considering the circumstances surrounding the situation, they could understand why. After all, who would be frowning on their wedding day?
Well... Xiu Ling did, at least when she did this for the first time. Nevertheless, the guests were not privy to the bride's train of thought. All they did was gush at how beautiful the venue was, how lucky Xiu Ling was to get Lin Kang as a husband and so on.
Those from the company though said Lin Kang was the lucky one for getting Xiu Ling as the wife but in terms of the public's eyes, this ceremony was to officialize Xiu Ling's marriage into the Lin family. To no fault of their own, they still saw Xiu Ling as being someone lower than Lin Kang. That was simply how the society operated.
It should be noticeable by now that the wedding was a church wedding. Xiu Ling and Lin Kang were both Chinese so they should be having a traditional Chinese wedding and they were going to have that within the two familiar later on but they needed to have this larger affair for the sake of Lin Corps' clients who were mostly foreigners. One of the purposes of the wedding was to introduce Xiu Ling to the public as Lin Kang's wife and equal so this was a necessity.
Of course, they did ask Xiu Ling and Mrs. Xiu's opinion beforehand. Xiu Ling was too bothered by something else that was on her mind to really care so she just grunted her approval. Hearing her daughter's approval, Mrs. Xiu also gave it the green light. She was okay with everything her daughter wished for.
It turned out well in the end. They were just going to have a smaller, more intimate function between close families and friends later.
...
Xiu Ling sat in the powder room, feeling stupidly nervous for the big day. She already got married, this was just a replacement but she found it difficult to calm her nerves. The make-up artist and dressmaker fussed over her, making the final adjustment.
The wedding planner then came into the room, announcing, "Ladies, it's time!"
With the girl's help, Xiu Ling was led to the door. Her mother was going to lead her down the aisle so Mrs. Xiu was already there, waiting. Mrs. Xiu grabbed Xiu Ling's hand when she was close enough and the elderly woman repeated one more time, "Xiu Ling, you look so beautiful today."
"Oh, mom..." Xiu Ling looked at her mother. Mrs. Xiu was dressed in a tasteful dress that matched Xiu Ling's. This was Lin Kang's doing as well. He had asked the wedding planner to pick out a dress for Mrs. Xiu. The man's attentiveness showed in details like this.
Just as she was about to make this important decision that would dictate the rest of her life, Xiu Ling suddenly felt like she had many things to discuss with her mother. However, they had no time for chit-chat since the wedding was about to start. The wedding planner moved them to the designated spot and announced, "Alright go! Remember to smile."
The door of the church burst open and fresh flowers fell from the sky. They were Xiu Ling's favourite. She believed Lin Kang had a hand in picking them out as well.
As the music of the wedding procession started, Mrs. Xiu pulled her along as she led her down the aisle. Xiu Ling tried not to make it so obvious as she tried to look around the room. There were many faces that she could not recognize. They were probably Lin Kang's clients.
It was not until the front few rows of the pew that she managed to recognize a few friendly faces. Naturally, her in-laws were there. Mrs. Lin and Elder Lin sat the front row.
Behind them, Xiu Ling saw her best friend's family in attendance. Normally, Joann would have sat next to Xu Jing but that day, stuck between them was Sylvia. Xiu Ling sighed, looks like her best friend still had some issues that they needed to work over. At least they were now on the right track.
Without realizing it, Xiu Ling had reached the end of the aisle. Mrs. Xiu patted the back of her hand and handed her to Lin Kang.
Her husband smiled at her and Xiu Ling had to admit he was the handsomest man she had ever met in her life. That face of his could be said to be flawless and it had lit up many times with a smile when she entered the room.
However, at the same time, she could not forget how unmoved that face was to her pleas of mercy that night and a few more nights after that.
The priest started the ceremony and Xiu Ling was spaced out for most of his ramblings until she heard.
"Mr. Lin Kang, do you take Miss Xiu Ling to be your lawfully-wedded wife?"
The man smiled and answered in his powerful voice, "I do."
"Miss Xiu Ling, do you take Mr. Lin Kang to be your lawfully-wedded husband?"
Xiu Ling opened her lips and the answer that tumbled out was, "I..."
...
...
...
First and foremost, thank you for reading my story until its end, i know it would not have been easy. A few things to say.
1. The ending. I opted for an open ending because honestly I possess no answer to this question. Neither option seems right in my eyes so i just didn't choose, some might say that is a cowardly move and I can't disagree.
2. I don't think I'll start another original romance any time soon. This is mainly because I'm already writing another fantasy original, called The Disciple of Aoidhe [link: https://www.webnovel.com/book/12549834106859105/The-Disciple-of-Aoide]
It is supposed to be a male novel but I can't stop myself from running away from the tropes. lol. Sigh, why do i do this to myself. I'd love it if you can give it a try but I understand if you are averse to trying out a completely different genre.
3. Come say hi to me. Find me on Discord [link: https://discord.gg/s4qraBx]
4. If you like my writing, I would really appreciate it if you sponsor me a cup of coffee at: ko-fi.com/lonelytree
Again, thank you for reading and I'll see around.