Chapter 216 The Wedding (End of Main Text)

The wedding of the winning and losing couple was a grand affair. The Qin family prepared a hundred-table buffet for their fans in each provincial capital, and everyone ate until they were stuffed.

The wedding of the winning and losing couple was also very simple. It was not held in an overly luxurious hotel, but at the Qin family villa. Only close relatives and friends were invited to witness the event. The total number of guests present was no more than two hundred.

It is said that this was an arrangement made by Song Ying after she overruled objections from many others.

According to Old Master Qin, this was the first marriage of the Qin family's generation, and Qin Shu was still the head of the Qin family. To show respect for the bride, how could it not be done with the highest standards? After all, the Qin family wasn't short of money. Even the Jiang and Li families shared the same attitude, practically saying they would let them handle the wedding arrangements, and the young couple could simply attend.

Later, Qin Shu stepped in and persuaded the elders that the scale of the wedding would be solved by a self-service banquet for the fans, but only the closest people would actually witness the wedding.

Inside the hotel, Fu Yuhua, Wen Nian, Luo Luo, Zhao Qingluo, Tiandou, and others were accompanying Song Ying and others as Qin Shu came to pick up the bride. The group looked at the beautiful woman in her wedding dress and were somewhat dazed.

"Wow, that's fast! Although I knew you two got your marriage certificate a while ago, seeing you in your wedding dress now makes me realize you're really getting married."

Song Ying was the same.

From childhood to adulthood, she rarely had any close friends, but since entering the entertainment industry, while experiencing setbacks, she has met more girls who share the same mindset and made more friends than before.

Along this journey, there was darkness, but also light; there was malice, but even more goodness.

"The groom's party will be here to pick up the bride soon, let's quickly think of a way to test them!"

"A red envelope is a must!"

"Hide the shoes and let Brother Shu put them on Sister Ying himself!"

"And here's the question bank I prepared! You have to answer all the details about the relationship so he can take Aying away!"

The mention of this immediately brought up the lively atmosphere in the room again.

Soon after, joyful voices rang out from outside the door, "They're here! The groom and groomsmen are here! Quickly block the door!"

Qin Shu had prepared the red envelopes well in advance, and his skill in finding and putting on shoes was so adept it was almost heartbreaking, showing he did this kind of thing quite often at home. As for the details of the Q&A, they were even more tricky than those asked on the variety show, but Qin Shu answered them all correctly, leaving the groomsmen's support team completely useless.

"Although we're handing the person over to you now, if you treat Ah Ying badly, we won't be so lenient with you!"

Before allowing Qin Shu to pick up the person, Fu Yuhua and the others did not forget to warn Qin Shu that even though he was backed by the Qin family, in their hearts and minds, only their friend Song Ying was the most important person.

"No one can treat my wife badly. Not even Qin Shu." Qin Shu didn't make any grand pronouncements, but his promise was firm and resolute.

Outside the room, there was still the Jiang family's gate. The elders had already gone to the Qin family villa, leaving Jiang Xiuyuan behind.

"Although my sister's surname is Song, she has the blood of the Jiang family flowing in her veins. Don't even think about bullying her, or our entire Jiang family will definitely not forgive you." Now, after being tempered in the military, Jiang Xiuyuan is much more reliable than his previous immature self. Although it's only on the surface, it's enough.

"No, I cherish her too much." Qin Shu held Song Ying's hand and looked into her eyes.

“That’s more like it—a red envelope! You can’t leave until it’s thick enough.” Jiang Xiuyuan stretched out his hand.

Looking at Jiang Xiuyuan, who had become completely foolish after just a few words, Su Hanyue silently moved further away from him: Stupidity is contagious.

Setting up obstacles and barriers is not meant to make things difficult, but to demonstrate our attitude. Marriage only happens once; the wedding can be simple, but the ceremony and procedures cannot be omitted. This is the consistent attitude of Song Ying's parents and the Jiang family.

By the time Qin Shu had overcome numerous obstacles and brought the person to the Qin family, it was almost time for the auspicious ceremony.

Under the guidance of the emcee, Song Ying, accompanied by her father, walked towards the platform where the ceremony would be held. Her exquisite wedding dress swayed as she walked, and at this moment, she was the most beautiful bride.

"From now on, you're an adult. Mom and Dad won't be around to take care of you. You need to be considerate of each other and Ash. If you miss home, come back anytime and stay for a while. We'll always keep your bedroom for you. No matter if you get married and have children, no matter how old you are, you'll always be our child, the most unique treasure in this world..."

In real life, Song Huaiyan was not a talkative person. All his desire to express himself was reserved for his students in front of the teacher. Even with Song Ying, he had never spoken so much in one go. But now, it seemed like he couldn't stop, and he had countless simple and unadorned words of advice to tell his daughter.

The road to the wedding banquet was both long and short. Amid her father's rambling words, Song Ying's gaze fell on her mother in the audience, and the two women locked eyes.

Jiang Lan'an smiled, but her eyes were red. Her daughter was still the same daughter, and she could still come home after getting married, and she didn't live too far away. But she couldn't help but shed tears, making Jiang Lan'an feel empty.

Qin Shu waited quietly at the wedding banquet. From the moment Song Ying appeared, his gaze never left her. At this moment, Song Huaiyan took his daughter's hand and placed it in Qin Shu's hand.

He looked at his daughter, “A person has many identities and responsibilities in life. In the past, you were a daughter, a student, an actress, and in the future, a wife, and perhaps a mother, or even a grandmother. But before all that, you are first and foremost yourself. You couldn’t choose your parents before, and it was our good fortune that you came into our lives. We hope that you have no regrets about being born into our lives for the first half of these twenty-odd years. Now you have chosen marriage, a husband, and a life. In the future, you may make other choices, but no matter what you choose, before understanding, comforting, and giving, don’t lose yourself. Ah Ying, you and Ah Shu will walk the road ahead together, but ultimately, you walk the road of life alone. Even with new identities, please don’t forget to be yourself…”

At this point, Song Huaiyan looked at Qin Shu and said, "I know that on a wedding occasion like this, I should offer my blessings, or like many parents, urge my daughter to be a good wife and mother in the future. But we both understand that Aying is not someone who is content to stay at home and be a stay-at-home wife and mother. When she was our daughter, we gave her enough freedom, respected and supported her in following the path she chose. Now, the people accompanying her have changed from us to you. On this occasion, as a father, I hope that in the future, you can give her the same respect, support, care, and freedom."

Song Ying has always prided herself on being calm. When she got her marriage certificate, she didn't feel that her life had changed in any way. Even when she was preparing for the wedding and actually wearing her wedding dress, she still didn't feel the sacredness of marriage that countless people described. She didn't even understand why brides would burst into tears at countless weddings.

Until this moment.

My father, usually a man of few words and quiet demeanor, spoke so much to me for the first time. His words were simple, even tinged with a domineering protectiveness, just like his stubborn, old-fashioned nature. Yet, in his eyes, there was no sense of identity or responsibility as a scholar, no sense of reason or principle as a dogmatist. There was only his daughter. He only wished for her happiness, for her freedom, and for her to be happy being herself.

Song Ying had always known that she was a lucky one, but her parents' love had always been reserved. Never before had she felt such open and passionate love as she did now, but all words seemed powerless at this moment; all she wanted to do was hug her father and mother tightly.

That's what she thought, and that's what she did.

The audience was already in tears. Parents' love is often overlooked and taken for granted because it is so commonplace. But it is precisely this love that is most often ignored and most honest.

Qin Shu stood beside Song Ying, gazing at her, and made a promise to Song Huaiyan and Jiang Lan'an: "No matter if she becomes my wife or my mother in the future, in my heart, she will always just be Song Ying. Whether now or in the future, here with me, in the Qin family, she only needs to be herself, only be herself."

All the nice words would seem empty and meaningless in this setting. Qin Shu didn't say much; often, actions speak louder than words.

Wiping away her tears, the microphone was passed to Song Ying. Her gaze lingered on the faces of each of the relatives and friends present, and the gratitude that had once been hidden in her heart flowed forth:

"I remember when I was very young, more than one person said that I seemed too confident, so confident that I looked like a proud peacock. After I became an actress, many people said the same thing. I never thought about these things before, but over time, as more and more people said it, I began to wonder more than once if I was really too arrogant. But later, I slowly understood. Pride and arrogance are not two different things. Arrogance is a posture, while pride is confidence."

"My confidence comes from my loving parents and relatives, from my dear friends, from my partner who will accompany me through the long years, and from so many fans who care about me. It is because of your love for this girl named Song Ying that she has become who she is today."

"If someone were to ask me the same question now, I might answer them like this: Of course I'm proud—I have ambition, flowers, wind, love, and sunshine. I grew wildly, and I am the moon myself. And now, the moon has found her starry sky, but the starry sky will not obscure the moon's light. In the future, she will carry this love and shine even brighter in the brilliant starry sky."

As music played, the newlyweds exchanged vows and rings, while a video personally edited by Qin Shu played on the screen.

From our initial acquaintance to the trials and tribulations we've weathered together, the storms we've faced together flash before my eyes, but the road ahead is still long.

The journey of love has not ended; the journey of love is just beginning.