The siblings walked into the church. Xin Yan was awed by the grandiose decorations of the church.
The atmosphere was serene and romantic, with soft music playing in the background.
A majestic white aisle runner leads to a elegant white altar or arch, adorned with delicate white flowers and greenery. The altar is adorned with candelabras, mercury glass vases, and ornate silver decorations.
The guests were seated on white chairs or pews, dressed in their finest attire, with a sea of white flowers and decorations surrounding them.
Xin Yan walked down the aisle in a stunning white wedding gown, her veil flowing behind her, and her bouquet of white flowers shining like a beacon of love. Her brother looked at her with love in his eyes.
Li Qiang was waiting at the altar, dashing in his white tie and black tuxedo, his eyes locked on his beloved bride, the one whom he secretly harbored a crush on.
As the ceremony progresses, the sun shines down, casting a warm glow over the proceedings, or the indoor lighting creates a soft, ethereal ambiance.
As they approached the altar under the gazes of the guests, Li Qiang looked at her as he tried to conceal the love he had for her.
"Li Qiang," Xin Yi called out once they reached altar.
"Xin Yi," Li Qiang gave a curt nod.
"Don't give me a nod, just so you know, I'm not in favour of this marriage," Xin Yi whispered while gritting his teeth in anger.
"But even if you are not in favour of the marriage, aren't we still getting married now?" Li Qiang beamed with a bright smile.
Xin Yi scoffed at the proud man with disdain in his eyes.
"I can't stop it, just take care of my sister, if you make her cry, just remember, I have a lot of men who are willing to get married to my sister," Xin Yi warned.
Xin Yan looked at her brother in surprise. What nonsense was he spewing from his mouth? He really hasn't changed at all.
"Don't worry, I won't give you a chance to introduce other men to your sister, that's my promise to you," Li Qiang promised.
Xin Yi snorted before leaving Xin Yan in Li Qiang's hands.
"Your brother is something else," Li Qiang lowered his head to whisper to her.
"Hmm," Xin Yan agreed as she climbed onto the podium with Li Qiang's help.
"Are you both ready?" The priest officiating asked the then and they gave a nod before facing the priest.
"We are gathered here to witness the marriage between Xin Yan and Li Qiang, whoever is against this marriage should come forward or forever hold their peace," the priest began.
Nobody dared come out to say they are dissatisfied with the marriage. They would be thrown out if they did so. Or rather, they were not bold enough.
"I disagree with this marriage," everyone suddenly heard a loud voice and they turned towards the source.
Lo and behold, it was Jiang Lanfen standing in a black dress, and this signified that she was here to crash the wedding.
Xin Yan and Li Qiang frowned, together with their families as a strong wave of discussion broke out amidst the members of the church.
Surely, they had recognized who she was and they were eager for some gossip.
Jiang Lanfen smiled as she noticed the wedding had halted. She would never be happy and since she was not happy, then why would Xin Yan have an happy life?
She was getting married in such a grand manner while she could only settle for some papers. She could not take it anymore. She then walked through the church's aisle and stopped in front of Xin Yan.
The entire family glared at her for ruining their happy moment, Xin Yi was close to chopping her head off but he restrained himself.
"Young lady, why do you object to this wedding?" The priest asked politely, and this was because he was not aware as to who she was.
Jiang Lanfen gave a smile, "why should I not object to this? Why should she be happy and I wallow in self-misery?" Jiang Lanfen questioned and this caused Xin Yan to roll her eyes immediately.
She had thought she had something meaningful to say, but she had thought wrongly. It was just the same words over and over again.
"Are you done?" Xin Yan asked. She was getting impatient, never would she have thought that her own wedding would be stopped because of an insignificant individual.
"What do you mean by that?" Jiang Lanfen asked. She had thought Xin Yan would panic on seeing her, rather Xin Yan was calm and she even seemed a bit impatient which was totally different from her expectations.
"You are asking me? I should ask you that same question, your presence caused my wedding to be paused, or else, I would already be married to him," Xin Yan stared at her with disgust in her eyes, but her veil covered it perfectly.
But Jiang Lanfen knew Xin Yan very well. She knew the sort of look which would be present in Xin Yan's eyes at the moment.
"Do you really want to get married to him? I thought you wanted to spite brother Renshu?" Jiang Lanfen asked, this time around her voice lowered. She seemed to have realized that not everything revolved around her and Yuan Renshu.
"Bah!" Xin Yan let out a sneer, it seemed to be the funniest joke she had ever heard in her two lives.
"What makes you think I would do something as big as this just for a puny human? You are delusional and I advise you to wake up," Xin Yan scoffed at her.
Sometimes, she could not comprehend Jiang Lanfen's reasoning and she once again blamed herself for not being smart enough to see it in her previous life.
"Xin Yan, you are wasting time by speaking with this crazy girl, I suggest the security throw her out," Xin Yi spoke up, Jiang Lanfen's presence disgusted him a lot.
Li Qiang snapped his fingers twice, and the security men appeared in less than three minutes, which shocked Jiang Lanfen.
"Take her away and make sure she does not step into this venue anymore," Li Qiang instructed and the security held her by her hands before pulling her away while she tried to struggle. She could not accept that her plans had backfired on her.
After the little episode, the wedding continued normally and soon, the guests forgot about the crazy lady called Jiang Lanfen, as the priest continued.
Xin Yan locked gazes with Li Qiang. She didn't know if it was her illusion but she was able to see a strong look of tenderness in his eyes for her.
Xin Yan speaks first, her words measured but sincere. "I promise to be a loyal and dedicated partner, to support your goals and ambitions, and to build a life together that benefits us both, this is my promise to you."
She had spent a lot of time drafting out this vow and reciting it caused her to feel overwhelmed.
Li Qiang responds, his tone steady and resolute. "I vow to provide for your well-being, to respect your boundaries, and to work together to achieve our mutual interests."
He loved her but she didn't. He would try his best to make her fall in love with him. In this life, he wasn't letting go of her.
As they finish their vows, Li Qiang unveiled her as they share a brief, formal kiss, marking the beginning of their pragmatic union.
Despite the lack of romance, a glimmer of hope flickers between them, a possibility that this arrangement might lead to something more meaningful in the future.
"That's enough, I don't think there's even a need for a kiss," Xin Yi spoke up, dissatisfaction clearly sounding in his voice.
His interference caused the newlyweds to break away from each other.
"You are such a killjoy," Tang Mo who was standing beside him could not stop himself from uttering those words.
"Am I a killjoy? Tang Mo, you seemed to have grown some wings just because you are associated with Li Qiang, let me tell you, it won't be beneficial for you," the mockery in Xin Yi's eyes was too obvious.
"That's enough, you just came back home but you want to cause trouble, why don't I help you find a girl so you can settle down?" Grandma Xin was probably the only one who could handle the unruly Xin Yi.
"Don't bother Grandma, I'm okay with my single life," Xin Yi let out a nervous chuckle, fearing for his life.
"The more you act this way, the more I want to prepare a match for you, I can recall the young lady of the Cheng has a huge crush on you, why don't I meet with her parents," Grandma Xin's eyes sparkled but Xin Yi's eyes turned cold.
"No Grandma, you can prepare anyone for me but certainly not that lady, I would rather die than get married to her, she disgusts me," Xin Yi had a resistant look on his face to which he wasn't even aware of.
"So that's what you think of me, isn't that so?" It just so happened that the young lady of the Chengs was right behind Xin Yi as he uttered those words.
Grandma Xin and Tang Mo had already escaped. Xin Yan and Li Qiang were receiving guests' thanks at this moment, so Xin Yi couldn't really escape.
He could only curse slightly as he turned to look at her with a stuffed smile.
"Cheng Luiying," he called stiffly. He really didn't want to associate himself with this ingrate..
"It's been a while but the first time we met after so long, you were scolding me, maybe I deserved it, maybe I didn't," Cheng Luiying had an aggrieved look on her face as she tried to stop herself from crying.
But still, her tears fell. Xin Yi felt disgusted by the act she was putting on.
"I suggest Miss Cheng should stop crying, after all she has always cared about her image," Xin Yi mocked her
The tears froze on her face as she looked at him in surprise. He had thoroughly changed, he was too different from who she knew him to be.
"And as for whether Miss Cheng deserves my insults or not, it's up to her to find out, I think the incident from five years ago is enough," Xin Yi sneered before leaving her behind.
Cheng Luiying's entire body trembles immediately when she heard the words, 'five years ago.'