Chapter 120
After the rehearsal went smoothly, the wedding was held as scheduled. Xing Tong, overly excited, once again took over the role of emcee.
The Azure Star was high and the road was long, and the invited guests had to go to great lengths to arrive as scheduled. Those who arrived a day early and stayed in the castle were fine, but those who arrived that morning stepped into muddy water on their way up the slope because it was raining.
Because Afu values ritual, she created a path in the lavender field at the bottom of the slope and built many arches with white trellises, but she didn't lay carpets. So people could have driven their hovercars directly up, but they suffered because of this awkward ritual.
Fortunately, the rain only lasted for a short while in the early morning, and soon the sun reappeared on the coast, making the air feel fresh again.
Although there was a lot of space inside the castle, the total distance was not that big. Feng Ran originally wanted to skip the wedding procession so he could rest a little longer. After all, they hadn't prepared any flower cars or anything. They couldn't very well have a whole convoy of hovercars parading around the castle and scattering flowers.
But Afu disagreed, because that would reduce her fun as a bridesmaid. In fact, the personnel arrangement was the most chaotic step in their preparation. Basil and Fran wanted to participate but did not want to be groomsmen for Shen Shiqian, while Shen Shiqian himself had chosen Xisen and Li Er. In short, the more groomsmen they wanted, the more they could find, but they could only find Afu and Xingtong as bridesmaids.
Fran, unable to handle the workload himself, advised Feng Ran to call a few more people from Bai Sha Li. Luo Le, even more dissatisfied, said, "Why can't you be marrying Shen Shiqian and have Xi Sen and the others as bridesmaids while we're the best men?" So Feng Ran had no choice but to drastically lay off these two people.
So much so that on the morning of the wedding day, Feng Ran had just finished her hair and makeup when the groom and his groomsmen came to pick her up. Afu and Xing Tong couldn't possibly block them. Li Er was stuffing red envelopes under the door while Afu picked them up. Xi Sen confronted Xing Tong, who was stubbornly blocking the door: "Xing Tong, stop blocking! If you keep pushing like this, you'll get metal fatigue and be paralyzed when you attend the wedding!"
Xing Tong was particularly frustrated with adapting to the new human body. The physical body could only do so much, and it was worried that it would break if it used too much force: "Ugh, Master, I want a combat-enhanced human body!"
Feng Ran sat on the bed, yawned, and didn't respond.
Nishimori: "Ha! Surrender now!"
Afu was quite satisfied with picking up the red envelopes: "Oh my, Shen Shiqian is quite generous. Tongtong, do you want to pick some up too? If you have money, he can even help you get new components."
Xing Tong didn't care for his offer: "No, I have my own money!"
Afu gently nudged it: "That's enough, there's no point in blocking the door when the baby's about to be born."
That makes sense, but if this segment drags on any longer, Feng Ran will probably fall asleep again. After all, the rehearsals have been going on until very late these past few days, and Feng Ran really wants to cancel all the segments that make her get up early.
Xing Tong, having slightly reduced its strength, was shoved in by Xi Sen's brute force. Although the android could not feel pain, the sensors in its android organs provided it with very clear stimulation. It yelled, "Ahhh! My nose is made of a hybrid light metal and can't withstand impacts. If you deform it, I'll kill you!"
Perhaps to avenge Xing Tong, Afu, holding a down pillow, suddenly threw it at Xisen, scattering feathers all over the doorway.
Xisen, holding a bouquet, took a solid hit while turning sideways, and resignedly began to clean the feathers off the bouquet.
Even though he was assigned this kind of work, Lear still maintained his elegance and composure. He gently lifted Afu's wrist, which was about to slam down, and handed her a chrysoberyl cat's-eye necklace with a smile: "There are still many procedures to go through, so don't tire yourself out. I bought this necklace from a designer, and it matches your look today perfectly."
Aphrodite obediently took the pillow, smiling sweetly: "Thank you, Lord Lear. Come in quickly, but walk around a bit so the feathers don't stick to your dress."
Xing Tong made sure her nose wasn't deformed before turning to Feng Ran: "Master, what should we do? Miss Olivia has betrayed us!"
Shen Shiqian squeezed in behind the two of them, and Feng Ran, who had been sitting on the bed waiting for a long time, finally had his eyes light up.
The initial wedding dress chosen for Shen Shiqian was a classic white handmade suit with light blue reflective satin embroidery, which looked exceptionally elegant and gorgeous. However, to prevent Shen Shiqian from slimming down for the sake of the dress, a black version that was visually slimming was ultimately chosen. Afu said that black was not suitable for embroidered patterns and would look old-fashioned, so the designer finally made a simple pure black suit. The design and tailoring alone were enough to convey a very serene temperament, and the purple sapphire brooch made the whole person look exceptionally noble.
Although Shen Shiqian preferred the white suit and felt it matched Feng Ran's wedding dress better, he wasn't too disappointed because he had bought both and could wear them interchangeably for Feng Ran to see.
Feng Ran sat on the bed in her wedding dress, which had a train that was almost three meters long. It looked beautiful, but it was very troublesome to walk in. The flower girls were professional child actors hired by the wedding company. During the rehearsal, the two children carried the train until their arms ached and they swayed from side to side as they walked, their faces flushed as they forced themselves to finish the process.
The veil and wreath were sewn together. Feng Ran held them in her hand without wearing them, but her hair was all tied up. The wedding dress was bodiced, revealing her beautiful neck, collarbone, and shoulders. Huge purple sapphire earrings swayed gently, but none of them were as bright as her eyes.
Feng Ran: "You're here. The shoes are in the box under the dressing table. Go get them for me."
Xing Tong felt that all her shouting had been in vain; they should have listened to Feng Ran and canceled this segment in the first place.
From the moment Shen Shiqian saw her, his ability to think disappeared. He couldn't hear what the people around him were saying at all, and could only blankly do as he was told.
His heart, his eyes, all his senses were drawn to Feng Ran. It wasn't that her outfit today was so beautiful that he was speechless, but seeing her finally gave Shen Shiqian a sense of completeness.
So much so that he almost bumped into the dressing table when he went to get the shoes from the box, and Xing Tong couldn't bear to see it and pulled him back.
When Shen Shiqian finally reached Feng Ran's bedside, he felt his breath return to him, following his heartbeat.
Shen Shiqian: "Ranran, you look great today."
Feng Ran tugged at her skirt and stuck out her foot: "Am I not pretty at other times?"
His large hand held Feng Ran's ankle, steadily putting on her high heels. He half-knelt up from the ground, took Xisen's bouquet, and presented it to her: "Today is the most beautiful day for me."
Afu laughed so hard she almost fell over: "Ew~"
Feng Ran hugged him and kissed him: "You look the best today!"
Xing Tong turned her face away. What's with all this kissing in front of the emcee? Did it even give permission?!
The formal wedding ceremony took place in the castle's chapel, which is located in a separate tower. The chapel has very high ceilings and is brightly lit, and is filled with guests.
Xing Tong ran ahead to the stage at the end of the red carpet and got the cue card it had stored from Fran. The humanoid body had no space to store items, and the dress it was wearing today didn't have any pockets. Although it could host the event without cue cards, Feng Ran said that's how it's always done on TV and wanted to see it pretend to do it for the sake of atmosphere.
If the wind burns, then it must be fulfilled. It's just pretending to be a little stupid to make itself seem more human.
As the clock struck midnight, music filled the hall, and the wedding team released a flock of pigeons adorned with garlands at the entrance, filling the sky with blue and purple hydrangeas and lilacs.
"Distinguished guests, friends and relatives, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon! Welcome to all of you gathered here to witness the grand wedding of Mr. Shen Shiqian and Ms. Feng Ran!"
In addition to the main entrance, the hall also has a side entrance on each side, through which the bride and groom step onto the red carpet.
The two people, abandoned by everyone, could only walk to the meeting point of the red carpet with the best man and maid of honor. In the end, Xisen was rejected because his usual words and deeds were not steady enough. The guests were already used to it and clapped when they saw the newlyweds walk over.
On stage, Xing Tong directed the control center to change the song, and then began to ramble on about how well the two of them were a perfect match, a match made in heaven. Of course, these words were randomly generated from the library, since even with Xing Tong's current level of understanding, she couldn't comprehend how the two of them went from hatred to love. She was just telling others what to say, and whether they believed it or not, they could figure it out themselves without further explanation.
When the two finally came together, Lear and Aphrodite made their graceful exit. The flower girl behind them could finally lower her skirt and then immediately took the flower basket and began scattering flowers.
The two walked hand in hand toward the stage. The sunlight after the rain shone through the glass window, illuminating the white veil fluttering in the wind and Shen Shiqian's lapel pin. The newlyweds seemed to be receiving blessings from heaven, radiating a captivating glow. The music gradually developed from its initial shyness and gentleness to its passionate and unrestrained nature, finally returning to tranquility.
The two people walked to the front of the stage.
So sacred and beautiful was it captivating that no one paid attention to what the emcee was saying until the next step of the process was moved on.
"Please exchange rings, newlyweds."
The flower girl carried the nearly empty flower basket up to the couple, and finally took out two ring boxes from the basket, handing them to the newlyweds.
Inside the box was still the silver ring with a diamond the size of a pigeon egg. Unlike the engagement ring, the gemstone had a more complex cut, almost blinding in the sunlight. The ring itself was made of iridium, the most stable metal material, and was jointly crafted by the designer and researchers at the Institute of Manufacturing. It would never lose its luster, like a pearl in the eternal night, no matter how time changes.
The flower girl's arms ached from holding up the heavy ring.
"Ranran, reach out your hand."
Wearing the ring on your hand gives you a unique feeling. It sparkles and makes you feel very happy. Feng Ran playfully scratched Shen Shiqian's palm, then took his hand and put a double eternal pigeon egg ring on Shen Shiqian's finger.
After finishing her work as a flower girl, she cheered inwardly and ran into the crowd with her basket.
Feng Ran smiled brightly: "It's beautiful, I'm going to keep it as a family heirloom."
Shen Shiqian, however, was disdainful. He leaned closer to her and whispered, "This belongs to us. If they want to pass it down as a family heirloom, they can buy it themselves."
He's clearly a good father who doesn't spoil his children excessively.
Xing Tong gave the highest approval: "Groom, now you may hug and kiss your bride!"
Two hands adorned with rings intertwined, and the two kissed so naturally and effortlessly, their eyes only for each other. The sight brought tears to the eyes of everyone watching, and Basil led the chant: "Be happy!!"
The crowd erupted in applause, cheers, and blessings.
The speech was ultimately given to Princess Sherry, but as one of the busiest people in the empire, she only arrived this morning and hadn't participated in any rehearsals. She could only read from the cue cards written by Xing Tong.
The cheesy and corny speech from the online library made Princess Shirley feel uncomfortable, but since she hadn't prepared anything, she could only bite the bullet and read it aloud: "To meet sincerely is fate, to stay together is destiny. I hope you cherish this fate, walk hand in hand, weather the storms together, be tolerant of each other, and achieve success together..."
But the thought that if Afu got married, he would only write her an even more corny wedding speech made him feel relieved.
"Never to part, forever in love."
The two had already walked into the crowd. On one side of the hall was a towering champagne tower, with other wines possibly mixed in at the bottom. On the other side was a ten-tiered wedding cake, which needed to be protected by a small fence.
Since Feng Ran's dress hem couldn't be too close, the task of opening the champagne tower fell to Shen Shiqian. Amid cheers, the guests raised their glasses together, and Feng Ran and Shen Shiqian drank a toast together, their arms linked.
Xing Tong remained on the stage, shouting, "Drink this cup of wine of unity, and we will be forever united!"
In fact, the process was much slower than the two main characters. After finishing their drinks, they quickly cut the cake and then leisurely returned to the stage for the bouquet toss.
A group of people quickly separated from the crowd and rushed to the front. Finoqi Fanster was at the very front, which no one was surprised about; after all, she was obsessed with finding her soulmate. Anyone who knew her even slightly would give the heaviest wedding gift just to join the fun and try to catch the bouquet. Xisen shamelessly mingled among them. After all, even Shen Shiqian was married, and he was still a golden bachelor who had never been in a relationship—was that reasonable? Was he not dashing enough, or not rich enough?
The bouquet was handed to the bride by the bridesmaid. Afu glanced at the audience and saw basil on the edge of the stage. She said speechlessly, "Why are you getting involved?"
Basil ignored her: "If I can't be a groomsman, am I not even allowed to catch the bouquet?"
Afu lifted her skirt and went downstairs: "Damn it, if you take it, I'll take it too!" It wasn't enough for her to take it by herself, she also dragged Bai Chenxi to the front, which made Hervé Olivia very happy. He looked around to see if there were any other people from the Bai family who came, because he had to discuss an engagement with them.
Feng Ran was speechless at the fervent believers, so she simply turned her back and threw the bouquet. She swung her arm straight, and the bouquet flew out in a high and far arc, basically ignoring Fino and Xisen in the front row.
The finals area was in the corner on the edge where Luo Le and his group were. Bai Chenxi caught it with one hand while Luo Le reached out and hooked it. The two looked at each other, and in the end, it was the latter who let go first under Afu's suspicious gaze.
Xing Tong slammed her cue cards and microphone together, making a loud thud: "Let's congratulate this gentleman and the lady behind him for receiving our newlyweds' blessings. They can exchange their bouquet for a set of jewelry!"
Fran stared dumbfounded behind it: "This is on the card?"
Xing Tong became shrewd again: "Don't worry about that, someone will raise the stakes anyway."
Shen Shiqian wasn't interested in who caught the bouquet, and then prompted the next part of the process: "What's the next step?"
Even today, Xing Tong still can't change her opinion of Shen Shiqian. How many times has this happened today? The process is so complicated! Either he pushes it aside in advance, or he directly brings it up and urges her like he is now. If you don't want a sense of ceremony for your wedding, what's the point of having an emcee?
Although it was it that it said it wanted to be one.
The emcee, with impeccable manners and temperament, slammed his cue cards and microphone down once more: "The ceremony is now over. Please proceed to the castle banquet hall. The wedding banquet will now begin. The newlyweds may take a short rest."
"The fixed banquet is semi-buffet style. If you don't have enough food, you can ask the kitchen team for more. Eat and drink well and have a pleasant meal!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
