Chapter 4 - Wedding

The priest turned the pages of the Bible.

"I knew there was something wrong with him. I came here today just to see him make a fool of himself!"

"You little bastard!"

The priest prayed devoutly.

"I'm telling you, if you come any closer, I will hit a woman!"

"You scoundrel!"

The priest recited the ceremonial oath.

"You son of a bitch, keep cursing, keep cursing!"

"Woo... woo..."

The scene in the hall became chaotic. Throughout it all, only the priest remained calm and composed.

It wasn't a group of people isolating him; it was him isolating a group of people. The priest finished reciting the oath and closed the Bible.

Bang!

A sound like a brick being slammed shut echoed as a stack of papers suddenly transformed into a solid brick. This sound seemed to be a switch, gradually silencing the once noisy hall. With the priest's oath and prayers concluded the entrance of the newlyweds was imminent. Countless pairs of eyes were fixed on the door adorned with a carved angel of love. Except for the slightly nervous swallowing of saliva by the group of people led by Li Hanyang, everyone present wore a face of curiosity, eager to witness the spectacle.

The four masters of ceremonies approached and pulled open the enormously massive door, cumbersome and slow. Outside, Fu Xingyun sat, watching as the door gradually opened from a narrow slit. In the wedding venue, the other party was absent, and he was well aware of how embarrassing it would be. He was about to face humiliation, ridicule, mockery, and reprimands, yet despite knowing what awaited him, there was no change in the man's expression, not even a furrowed brow. It seemed as though he didn't care, but within his ink-black eyes, a storm was brewing.

"The entrance of the newlyweds!" The master's of ceremonies voice echoed as the door opened slowly.

Fu Xingyun made a slight movement, placing his hand on the cold wheelchair wheel.

At the next moment, the wheelchair began to move slowly.

Fu Xingyun: ?

The man sensed something amiss, as he hadn't exerted any force on the wheel of the chair, yet it was moving on its own.

Soon, Fu Xingyun noticed a shadow above, and unfamiliar heavy breathing reached his ears.

The man lifted his gaze slightly and, in the next moment, saw a tired-looking Lin Qiong.

Fu Xingyun: ...

Lin Qiong was panting heavily, with sweat running down his body and forehead from the intense running. Fu Xingyun could clearly feel the warmth emanating from him, not the smell of sweat, but a faint floral scent. Lin Qiong lowered his head and met Fu Xingyun's enigmatic and pitch-black gaze, causing his previously warm body to turn cold in an instant.

Fu Xingyun surveyed him, knowing very well what kind of person Lin Qiong was from the beginning. It wasn't surprising to him that Lin Qiong attempted to run away from the wedding. What surprised him was that Lin Qiong had come back on his own.

Fu Xingyun's eyes dimmed slightly. He couldn't express joy or any other emotions towards Lin Qiong's return as the other main character of the wedding. It was just that, for a moment, he couldn't quite figure out Lin Qiong.

Under the gaze of the antagonist, Lin Qiong seemed to be trapped in place, unable to move.

He scratched the back of his head and said, "Uh, sorry for being late." Then he chuckled foolishly, "First time getting married, no experience. It'll be better next time."

"...," Fu Xingyun remained silent for a moment before asking, "But didn't you run away from the wedding?"

The man's words caused Lin Qiong's smile to freeze instantly.

"Nonsense!" Lin Qiong forced himself to remain calm. "How could I run away from our wedding when I love you so much? I won't allow you to slander the love between us."

With that, Lin Qiong placed the wildflowers he had been holding in his hand into Xingyun's hand, offering a rather lame excuse.

"I went to pick these wildflowers for you."

Fu Xingyun looked at the bunch of wildflowers in his hand, then glanced at Lin Qiong.

Lin Qiong said seriously, "Other weddings have it, so should we."

Fu Xingyun: ...

As the bride and groom were still not entering, the master of ceremonies reminded again, "The bride and groom are entering."

Lin Qiong, out of breath, said weakly, "Here we go!"

His voice was barely audible, as he had exerted all his strength during the conversation. He wondered if the master of ceremonies could even hear him. He regretted not keeping his words to a minimum earlier.

Lin Qiong straightened his chest and proudly adjusted the flower in his suit pocket. He pushed Fu Xingyun forward with a determined and confident stride.

One second... two seconds... ten seconds... Lin Qiong glanced at the distance of less than half a meter between the wheelchair and their previous position.

Fu Xingyun: ...

"I can push myself," Fu Xingyun said.

"No!"

Fu Xingyun looked at him.

Lin Qiong instantly transformed into a submissive lamb. "On this joyous day, you just need to sit, and I'll take care of everything."

The implied meaning was clear: Let me take care of you.

Fu Xingyun: ... As he thought about it more, the statement seemed increasingly off.

Lin Qiong had run 2000 meters in the morning, and now his legs were trembling. If it weren't for the support of Fu Xingyun's wheelchair, Lin Qiong was certain that he would collapse at Fu Xingyun's feet in the next second.

This wouldn't do!

It's embarrassing!

In the hall, as the two newlyweds didn't appear, the previously quiet atmosphere grew noisy.

"Lin Qiong really ran away!"

"Is Fu Xingyun feeling too embarrassed to come out?"

"Fu Xingyun are you going to come in or not? If you have difficulty moving, I'll push you, old man!" The words caused laughter throughout the hall.

Without the barrier of the entrance door, the people outside naturally heard it clearly.

Lin Qiong frowned slightly and then, faster than his brain could process, he instinctively covered Fu Xingyun's ears.

"Don't listen to their nonsense." The voice of the young man came from above, sounding muffled because Fu Xingyun's ears were covered.

A holy light appeared above, and for a moment, Lin Qiong felt like a savior. If Fu Xinyun heard all of these words, he would surely seek revenge on those who mocked him in the future.

The priest knocked on the table, and as the murmurs inside subsided, Lin Qiong regained some strength in his legs and began pushing Fu Xingyun toward the hall.

"No, I can't bear to watch. If Xingyun comes out alone, call my name, and I won't look." Ji Yao said as she covered her eyes, unable to bear seeing Fu Xingyun in such a miserable state.

"What's going on?"

"Who is that at the entrance?"

The exclamations from all around reached their ears one after another, and Ji Yao covered her eyes, unable to witness it, but the voices around her made her curious.

Then Ji Yao extended her pinky finger and poked Li Hanyang, saying, "Why haven't you called me yet?"

Li Hanyang replied, "Xingyun didn't come out alone, so why should I call you?"

Ji Yao was puzzled and asked, "Xingyun only half came out?"

Li Hanyang remained silent, and Ji Yao suddenly looked up towards the entrance. In an instant, she saw two people slowly moving forward on the red carpet in the hall.

Fu Xingyun sat calmly in the wheelchair, holding a bouquet of colorful flowers with an expressionless face. And pushing the wheelchair from behind was none other than Lin Qiong, who was previously accused of running away from the wedding.

What's going on?

Wasn't Lin Qiong supposed to have run away?

This question arose in the minds of many, but Lin Qiong's appearance slapped them hard in the face. The two of them were moving forward at a slow pace, whether intentionally or not. It was as if they were saying, "Open your eyes wide, here I come!"

However, it wasn't Lin Qiong's intention to make a grand entrance; it was just that his legs were weak, and he couldn't walk fast.

As Lin Qiong looked around the chaotic hall, it seemed as if the world had erupted into a scandalous third-world war. The attendees of Fu Xingyun's wedding were naturally influential and prominent individuals, and one would expect them to be dressed elegantly and immaculately. However, upon closer inspection, it was a different story. Ties were loosened, buttons were undone, and not far away, there was even an unclaimed shoe.

"..." Lin Qiong: I don't understand the world of the wealthy.

The clamor in the hall subsided as the two of them walked in. After enduring what felt like an eternity of ten minutes, Lin Qiong pushed Fu Xingyun to the front, where the priest stood.

They stood in place, each on one side, and without the support of Fu Xingyun's wheelchair, Lin Qiong's legs trembled slightly.

Lin Qiong took the paper with golden dust from the priest's hand. It was the wedding vows.

Fu Xingyun lowered his gaze and glanced at it faintly. Trust... Loyalty... Equality...

The sound of fabric rubbing against each other came from beside him. When he looked up, he saw Lin Qiong, who had just been standing straight, now lowering himself to a height that perfectly matched his own, their eyes meeting.

Fu Xingyun's fingers curled slightly on the paper, and Lin Qiong noticing his gaze, pretended to shyly smile.

Fu Xingyun: ...silently looked away.

As Lin Qiong's legs were on the verge of trembling uncontrollably, he stooped down, afraid of any mishaps during this wedding.

After all, embarrassment was one thing, but what he could lose here was his life.

Lin Qiong had previous experience in acting in stage plays, so he had some skills in performance. With his professional demeanor, he gazed into the other's eyes with affection, almost giving the other person enough face at this wedding.

They both recited their vows, and the officiant, holding the rings, slowly approached from nearby.

The priest proceeded to ask both of them about their commitment to becoming partners.

Fu Xingyun's voice was cold and indifferent: "I do."

Lin Qiong was initially somewhat conflicted. But when he saw the diamond ring inside the red velvet box, he instantly took a sharp breath. "I do."

The wedding concluded without any major incidents, much smoother than Fu Xingyun had anticipated. Looking at Lin Qiong in front of him, who was continuously smiling foolishly at the ring, Fu Xingyun narrowed his eyes.

It was truly unexpected for the wedding to go so smoothly, and both Li Hanyang and Ji Yao let out a sigh of relief almost simultaneously.

"I didn't expect Lin Qiong to come back," Ji Yao straightened her disheveled hair from the tug-of-war with a woman earlier and looked at the person on stage whose laughter was bright. She pursed her lips, not sure what she was thinking. "Or maybe Lin Qiong never ran away in the first place?"

Li Hanyang glanced at her after hearing her words. "Didn't Lin Qiong say he loves Xingyun?"

Li Hanyang's eyebrows twitched, and he looked at Ji Yao, thinking she might have been bewitched or something. "Do you really believe what Lin Qiong said? Didn't he mock Xingyun for being disabled before?

"And later he said he wouldn't mind it?"

"He just didn't want to get beaten up, that's all."

"..." Ji Yao pondered for a moment and asked, "Then why is he smiling so happily?"

Li Hanyang looked forward and saw Lin Qiong standing beside Fu Xingyun, laughing like a radiant sunflower.

It's hard to tell that he was unwilling to marry by force. In fact, it seems like he's more than willing.

Could it be that the idiot who tried to run away earlier wasn't him?

Lin Qiong remains oblivious to the speculations of others. Diamonds, I love you!