At twelve o'clock in the morning, the wedding began.
The flower carpet stretched all the way on the verdant lawn to the gorgeous flower gate and the bright fountain in the distance, and a long dining table filled with all kinds of cold snacks surrounded the venue. Looking out through the corridor window, guests have already started to enter the venue one after another. Yang Mei was in laughter and tears as she helped Han Xiaomei, who was limping in high heels, and Chief Lu, who had finally stuffed himself into a black formal suit, was standing in the position of the emcee with his big belly and his hands behind his back, raising his triple chin proudly.
Behind the decorated glass door, Jiang Ting looked at himself carefully in the mirror.
The sunlight outside the window at his side was just right, making half of his face clear and transparent, while the other half was a little too tense and stern. Jiang Ting took a deep breath, trying his best to make his expression look warmer and more friendly, but the cheek muscles that he had seldom used for many years were really unable to complete such a difficult task and quickly returned to their original state after two seconds.
Jiang Ting thought it was okay; let's just leave it at that. If he went on stage with a smile on his face later, it might scare people to death. He adjusted his cuffs at last and was about to turn around and walk into the "bridal" lounge arranged by the hotel when he suddenly heard an eager voice from the other side of the corridor: "—Hey! Wife!"
Jiang Ting turned his head.
Yan Xie was dressed in a black formal suit, tall and handsome, full of energy, and every pore in his body exuded a hormonal aura in the 18-layer lover filter of Captain Jiang. He strode forward and grabbed his hand, earnestly urging: "Hey! I have something to tell you…"
Jiang Ting's eyes couldn't help but smile, and he heard Yan Xie say:
"Don't go out when Chief Lu asks the groom to come on stage, wait for me first!"
Jiang Ting: "..."
"I'll go first!!" Yan Xie emphasized anxiously.
"Okay, okay…"
Only then did Yan Xie feel relieved and turn around, but he couldn't help but turn back again, helping Jiang Ting tighten his tie, kissing him quickly, and leaving with a smile.
The way they would enter the venue was different. The process designed by Yan Xie was: when Chief Lu would call the groom to come forward, he would walk down the steps and face the guests with a reserved smile, waving his hands with a message similar to "Hello, comrades, you have worked hard." After he stood still, Chief Lu would call out "the other half of the groom"—that was, Jiang Ting, stepping on the flower carpet behind everyone from a direction completely opposite to Yan Xie's. The difference between before and after appearances would show everyone who was the real husband.
Of course, the little trick couldn't be from Jiang Ting, but Jiang Ting didn't care about the straight man's last stubbornness. In his opinion, it was like Yan Xie's insistence that "the husband must be the driver when the couple drives out" and flaunting "Your Captain Jiang loves me to death and insists on helping me boil some eggs every morning." It was childish and cute (and also crazy). Anyway, it was not a matter of principle; just follow him, and it was over.
"Ahem!" Seeing that everyone was coming, Chief Lu stood in the middle of the lawn and waved his hand up and down.
The two idiots of the Criminal Investigation Division, who were smiling and shoving each other, gradually quieted down, and the fountain rattled in the wind. Chief Lu's face was overflowing with kindness, and he said with a smile:
"Today is a very important and festive day for our Jianning Municipal Bureau!"
The voice paused at the right time, and everyone had already formed a conditioned reflex and applauded enthusiastically.
"All the comrades took a short break from their busy daily work and came to this picturesque foreign country to gather together with their wives and children to participate in this year's team building project of our Municipal Bureau… Yan Xie, the division leader of the Municipal Bureau, and Consultant Jiang's wedding!"
"Huh-huh–?!" At the same time, while waiting in the room, Yan Xie jumped up: "F*ck, I knew that this guy surnamed Lu planned to use my wedding as a team building exercise so as to save money from the bureau's public account. Damn him, he even said it with his mouth… eh?!"
Yan Xie's thigh was pulled by an unknown force, and he stopped immediately. Looking down, he saw a little nail cap that was almost invisible to the naked eye protruding from the corner of the chair, hooking a few threads in the seam of his suit pants.
Yan Xie: "..."
Chief Lu was worthy of being the leader who had attended various gatherings for a long time; his expression had not changed at all, as if nothing had happened: "As for today's newcomers, everyone is already familiar with it, so I don't need to introduce anymore. As an indispensable member of the public security system of Jianning City, Yan Xie has frequently visited the police stations, detention centers, and public security bureaus in our jurisdiction since he was twelve years old. As an heir to a well-known enterprise, he has liked to go deep into society and the masses since he was a child, mingle with the grassroots police, and eat all the pickled vegetable instant noodles and ham sausages stored in the various departments of the police station, as well as the cooking of several aunts in the canteens of different sub-bureaus. Such a rich and colorful youth life has laid a solid foundation for him to join our police organization in the future!"
The surrounding applause was like a wave, and Father Yan and Mother Yan stood up humbly, bowing their heads in all directions.
Chief Lu cleared his throat: "On the road of growth, Yan Xie never gave up on himself. After years of unremitting struggle, he finally grew from a young criminal officer to an adult criminal officer, and he grew into a person with full capacity for accepting criminal responsibility from a person with limited capacity for criminal responsibility. After graduating from the police academy with the honor of 336th place, he changed from a trainee policeman who went on patrol with a gun every day and almost scared the chief of the local police station out of his wits to a well-known police officer who was difficult to deal with. Then he was selected to join the city bureau division, worked hard and made positive progress under the kind leadership and care of Chief Wei and Captain Yu, and finally became a full-time criminal investigation division leader this year!"
Chief Wei and Captain Yu got up, smiled, and waved to everyone, saying that they had just done a little work.
"All of his experiences perfectly reflect the process of our country's public security bureaus recruiting, probating, and using potential hostile elements—so seeing him getting married today, the organization is very moved and emotional." Chief Lu finally finished his important speech and waved his hands: "Let us welcome the groom to the stage with warm applause!"
Whistles rang out, cheers became louder, and everyone's eyes were focused on the painted glass door not far behind Chief Lu.
Five seconds passed, ten seconds passed.
Thirty seconds passed.
Chief Lu: "Let's welcome the groom to the stage with warm applause… Hello? Groom?"
Bridegroom:"......"
The groom was sweating profusely trying to free the entangled threads, but the thread quality of the custom-made fabric was really unreliable. As the thread ends became more and more tightly entangled, the midline of the trouser seam was already creased indistinctly.
"Come… hurry up, waiter!" Yan Xie's veins jumped, and he finally found the long-lost English word from the depths of his memory: "Waiter!! How do you say that in English? Wei-wei-Wei–Teer1! HELP, HELP!!2"
"Where is he?" The applause on the lawn gradually weakened, and whispers began to sound. Ma Xiang covered half of his mouth and patted Gao Panqing: "Damn it, Captain Yan won't run away from marriage, right?"
Gao Panqing couldn't imagine the face of Consultant Jiang at this moment. Hearing the words, he was almost scared to pee: "D-do-don't talk nonsense. How could it be so serious? What if it's just a sudden cerebral infarction?!"
"Do I still have hope to be the heroine today?" Yang Mei asked Han Xiaomei in a low voice.
Han Xiaomei: "..."
The discussion became more and more obvious, and even Father Yan couldn't sit still: "Dammit, what's going on?"
Mother Yan tried not to squint her eyes and keep smiling, and she only squeezed out a few words from the corner of her mouth: "How do I know? Why don't you hurry up and send people backstage… eh? Daughter-in-law?"
Behind everyone, at the end of the flower carpet, Jiang Ting in white formal attire pushed the door open, raised his hand hesitantly in full view of the crowd, hesitated for a moment, then began to greet the surroundings slightly, walking forward at the same time.
His steps were still steady, and his posture was very straight, but one could still see a little cramping from the slightly unnatural corners of his mouth and tight jawline, and he seemed not very suitable to be the protagonist of such a festive occasion.
The air froze for half a second, and everyone seemed to understand something.
Immediately afterward – BOOM!
A new round of more surging and intense applause broke out from the guest seats, and everyone clapped their hands desperately after suddenly realizing it. Han Xiaomei's expression seemed to be refreshed, Yang Mei's face was flushed with excitement, Ma Xiang stared dumbfounded at Jiang Ting walking to the front of the stage, and finally murmured everyone's aspirations: "You really can't be judged by your appearance…"
"Ahem!" Jiang Ting stood in front of Chief Lu, not knowing what to say, so he smiled slightly.
Chief Lu stared at him as if he had never known him.
"…You…" Jiang Ting pointed cautiously, "How about calling Yan Xie next?"
Bang! Yan Xie pushed the door open, holding the seam of his trousers in one hand, and said angrily, "Misunderstanding!"
The hotel's blond female manager followed behind with scissors in hand, laughing almost uncontrollably, but that didn't matter anymore. Under everyone's gaze, mixed with complex emotions such as shock, sigh, disbelief, and hatred of iron not being steel, Yan Xie rushed to the front in three steps at a time and pushed Jiang Ting back, dumbfounded: "How can you come out like this?! No, you go back and start again!"
Jiang Ting defended calmly as usual: "He's called the groom, you won't come out…"
"My pants were stuck! Go back and do it all over again!"
"No, I've already walked out…"
"Will you go by yourself, or should I carry you?!"
"You can't be so violent…"
Yan Xie picked up Jiang Ting and carried him across his shoulders. Like a legendary dragon who robbed the princess, he walked through the venue with great dignity, strode up amidst everyone's cheers and laughter, and entered the bridal lounge. After entering the room, he put Jiang Ting on the ground and rushed out without saying a word. Before rushing out, he didn't forget to pinch Jiang Ting's butt, and when Jiang Ting came back to his senses, Yan Xie was like a wild donkey…wild horse that had run loose—and he ran back to the wedding scene not far away.
Chief Lu made a decisive decision: "Next, let's invite the bride!"
The applause gathered into a sea of joy. Jiang Ting couldn't help laughing. He covered his face with one hand and went out again, stepping on the flower carpet that had been crushed to pieces by Yan Xie. He saw Yan Xie leaning over from afar, explaining to Deputy Chief Wei, who was pale and anxious in the crowd: "It's really because my pants were stuck… I'm the one on top! Really!"
Deputy Chief Wei: "Our Jianning police have never been inferior to Gongzhou! You let me go, let me kill this shameful thing…"
Ma Xiang: "I can't hold it any longer! Old Gao, come here to help!"
Chief Lu picked up the wedding vows and said with a smile, "Yan Xie?"
Yan Xie hurriedly got rid of Deputy Chief Wei's invincible iron palm and straightened the seam of his pants while standing up straight.
"Jiang Ting?"
Jiang Ting coughed, clasped his hands in front of him, and lowered his head slightly.
Chief Lu was holding his reading glasses. The thick wedding vows in his hand were the crystallization of Father Yan's three months of hard word, who used to work as a high school Chinese teacher. He could be called a master of traditional Chinese learning as well as modern Western knowledge. Biblical Christianity, Southeast Fly the Peacocks3, even Shu Ting and Hu Lancheng4 have not been spared, fully demonstrating the cultural heritage of the former richest family in S Province. Here's what he wrote:
"You must be a rock, and I must be a reed; a reed can be as tough as silk, and the rock doesn't change5. You will share the cold waves, wind, and thunder, the mist, haze, and rainbows. It will seem that you will be separated forever, but you will always be together. Love is patient, love is kind, love is not jealousy, love is not boastful, it is not arrogant, and it does not act shamefully. Love does not mean seeking benefits. It is slow to anger, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth…"
Countless black lines appeared on Chief Lu's forehead, and he finally stumbled and finished reading a page, then turned to the next page and started reading:
"Love is the peace of time, and love is stability in this world. For better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health6…"
Chief Lu: "…"
Chief Lu fell silent, and after a few seconds, in the focus of all eyes, he put the wedding vows on the table and said coldly with his hands behind his back: "Our country's marriage law stipulates!"
Father Yan, who was intoxicated by his own literary talents: "Huh?"
"Arranged marriages, business transaction marriages, and other acts that interfere with the freedom of marriage are prohibited, domestic violence is prohibited, and abuse and abandonment among family members are prohibited! Husband and wife should be faithful to each other, respect each other, and maintain an equal, harmonious, and civilized marriage and family relationship! Can you do it?"
Yan Xie: "Yes!"
Jiang Ting wondered, thinking that he was still reading the Bible just now, why he suddenly came to the current marriage law in our country: "Yes."
Chief Lu waved his hand: "I announce that you are officially married!"
Father Yan: "You haven't finished reading all the things yet?!"
No one cared about Father Yan's Bible anymore. Yan Xie took a deep breath and took out the velvet ring box that had been played with countless times from his pocket. If one wants to, one would find the initials of two people engraved in cursive characters on the inside.
The sun rippling on the ring made a halo, and Yan Xie's fingers trembled for some reason.
At this very moment, there was a blue sky and white clouds above his head, green land under his feet, loving parents, laughing relatives and friends, and partners who had gone through life and death… Familiar faces surrounded them, and Jiang Ting stood beside him in good condition with a smile on his face. All the haze and wounds melted away and completely disappeared in the high-altitude wind.
All the details perfectly matched the scene in his dream, except that a certain familiar figure was missing from the crowd.
The brother he once believed to be a good friend has left this long journey and traveled far away.
But fate was like this; it brought abundant gifts and took away part of the perfection. No matter how hard one tries, regrets always exist, and they are not changed by human will. You can only learn to accept and let go.
Yan Xie let out a breath, and suddenly his hand was pulled, and then Jiang Ting put the same ring on the ring finger of his left hand with a serious expression, and then patted the back of his hand with a smile.
"..." Yan Xie choked out a sentence: "Why are you taking the lead again?"
Jiang Ting laughed. Yan Xie grabbed his wrist, put the ring on his finger viciously, and threatened: "Now that you're wearing my ring, you are mine! From now on, your surname will be changed to Yan! Do you understand?"
Jiang Ting maintained the posture of being tightly held by him with one hand and asked with a smile: "What were you thinking just now, Mrs. Jiang?"
Mrs. Jiang, who was tall and heroic, scratched her hair and said bitterly: "I was thinking about how much these locusts would eat of me today. If I knew I shouldn't exempt them from the gift money, I should let them each pay half a year's salary…"
Jiang Ting squinted at him with a smile.
"…and the person who should have given the gift money the most didn't come." Yan Xie finally told the truth, "Unfortunately, according to the civil compensation regulations, at least he has to pay me for the loss of my family's money."
The photographer shuttled through the crowd, the flashes came and went, and the wind blew through the lively crowd and rustled softly on the grass.
Jiang Ting patted Yan Xie on the shoulder and then motioned him to look at his side cheek—the bloodstain that Qin Chuan had drawn on the day Qin Chuan was arrested with the tri-edged knife had already healed, and the trace could not be seen even in the light, but Jiang Ting kept insisting to Yan Xie that he had a scar, and if he looked at it with a magnifying glass, he would find that his appearance was already disfigured.
"I'll catch that bastard," he said.
Yan Xie also laughed and pulled Jiang Ting up with both hands.
Not far away, Gou Li was eating desperately, Ma Xiang was helping Deputy Chief Wei, Han Xiaomei took off her high heels and stepped on the ground, and Yang Mei was talking to her. Mother Yab waved a silk scarf in the wind, signaling Father Yan to squat on the lawn. He used his mobile phone to take a small video of her circle of friends from bottom to top, which was said to show her long legs.
Yan Xie held Jiang Ting's hand so tightly. He wanted to say something but hesitated to speak, and after a while, he saw that handsome face turn slightly red: "Jiang Ting."
"Um?"
"I didn't realize until today that I am really a very lucky person… It's strange to say that I have been born for more than 30 years, and I suddenly have such a strong feeling today." Yan Xie paused for a while, and asked with a low laugh: "What about you?"
Jiang Ting smiled and remained silent.
"Hey, how about you?"
"… I'm also very lucky," Jiang Ting finally said with a smile as if he couldn't resist Yan Xie's questioning, and then immediately added: "But it can't be considered special; it's just… luckier than ordinary people."
Yan Xie immediately asked: "You didn't think so until today?"
The two of them looked at each other. Jiang Ting's clear eyes swept over every inch of Yan Xie's face; his eyes shone slightly for a long time, and he said, "No."
"I've thought so since the day I met you again."
Jiang Ting leaned over in the crowd and pressed a kiss on Yan Xie's lips.
Click——
The shutter flashed past, freezing the scene forever.
On the screen, Yan Xie had a smile at the corner of his mouth, and he held Jiang Ting's back with one hand. Jiang Ting's black hair was fluttering in the wind, and it seemed that he was also smiling faintly, with only a white chin exposed.
The wedding rings on both of their ring fingers were clearly visible, glistening in the sun.