Epilogue 4 (End) (2/2)

She completely did not remember a single one of those dates, aaaah! Those were so long ago. It was not like they were a big, important type of date, like a wedding anniversary or something…

Xiao Yu motioned with a finger for her to keep quiet and listen to what the person on the other side of the door would say.

”The first time I saw her was in 1999, on August 13 at the Beijing Books Building in Xidan.” To everyone's surprise, Yi Wenze's answer came very easily, because, apart from himself and Jia He, no one understood just how significant this first date was to him. ”Our first kiss was on April 1, 2011, in my home in Shanghai.”

Everybody quickly converted the time in their minds. Other than Qiao Qiao, the unexpected peeper on that event, everyone showed expressions of utter astonishment.

Whoa, so that was the timing of when they hooked up!

Thus, the three women who had been guarding this maiden's boudoir all threw down their arms in surrender.

Yi Wenze at last crossed over the threshold into this narrow, little bedroom of Jia He's that was filled with all the traits of Jia He's teenage-girl years. Wu Zhilun, who had followed him in, instantly broke into guffaws. Those walls that were plastered completely with posters of Yi Wenze truly could incite so much in people's imaginations.

Jia He's pet.i.te face burned furiously. Observing the surprise in Yi Wenze's eyes, she could not restrain her giggle.

There had been an entire night of mentally wrestling with herself before she finally made the decision to leave all of these as they were, simply so that he could see them one more time on this day of their wedding.

However, before Jia He had finished laughing, she felt her entire body rise into the air. The man before her had lifted her into his arms.

Her younger girl cousin had been off to one side sorting all the red packets, but she let out an abrupt cry of alarm. ”Brother-In-Law, we're still missing a step. You need to find the wedding shoes!”

”No need.” Yi Wenze looked down at his bride. ”I'll just carry her directly away with me.”

So, with everyone stares on them, the bride, still in her bare feet, truly was carried by the groom out the front door of her home. He did not take the elevator and instead, floor by floor, walked down the stairs. By the time they arrived at the ground level, the sound of Jia He's panting was even heavier than his, and it seemed more like she had been the one carrying him while walking down five flights of stairs. ”Oh no…”

”What's wrong?” Yi Wenze asked soothingly, about to open the car door and set her down in the front pa.s.senger seat.

”We still haven't served tea to my mom and dad yet…” How did they end up coming straight downstairs?

Coming to a standstill, he, too, appeared to catch on to what was not right, for his usual calm, relaxed smile was gone. ”I forgot. We'll go back now to do the tea ceremony.”

So, once more, amid everyone's astonishment, the bride, her feet still bare, was carried by the groom back into the home.

<>The translator would sincerely appreciate it if you supported this translation by only reading it at hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com, the actual site of posting. Thank you.

According to the customs of the North, the entire wedding must be completed by noon. Therefore, once the groom's procession had fetched the bride, everybody straightaway hurried to the vacation villa at which the wedding ceremony would be held. The venue of the wedding was the largest hall of the villa. The instant they stepped through the main entrance, they beheld the sight of indoor streams trickling under small bridges, long pillared walkways, and waterside pavilions.

Ushers led all their family and friends and colleagues from the film production company to their a.s.signed places in the walkways, beneath which water flowed and koi swam. On the slightly raised platform in the very centre, champagne-coloured tulips carpeted the ground as well as the ceremony stage.

Yi Wenze had not described any of this to Jia He beforehand. Hence, when Jia He, radiant in her wedding gown, stepped along the red carpet from the front entryway, down the stairs, into the venue and was escorted by her father into the wedding ceremony site, she was completely awestruck.

Never had she imagined that he would be able to find an indoor venue that exuded the feel of a beautiful Southern ca.n.a.l town.

In that swath of tulips, Yi Wenze, now garbed in a smoke-silver suit jacket, stood at the end of the gurgling stream. When she saw him, it was truly just as her girl cousin had described, that many, many scenes from her memory were roused.

How she had been stuck in Shanghai's great army of cars, her heart burning with agonized impatience, imagining how she would be talking face to face with her idol. How they had been in the same vehicle heading to Hengdian and sitting in front of her had been Yi Wenze, who at the time had been dogged by gossip and rumours about his love life. Those days, those times in Hengdian's hotel, on the filming set, in the private dining room of that restaurant whose interior decorating was only average but whose flavours were delicious, on that snowy expanse at the outdoor shooting site, in the hospital. How, step by step, she had come to know him.

This very moment, she could even still remember that very first breakfast that they had had together, just the two of them, in that un.o.btrusive Hong Kong-style cha chaan teng, what coffee she had ordered, and how he had suggested that she switch to a different type.

Before her eyes, these pictures superimposed one upon the other. And then, she was already in front of him.

”Are you ready?” He bent forward slightly, asking her in a voice only she could hear.

”Mm-hmm,” she answered.

He had once proposed to her on a quiet, secluded beach, fulfilling the dream from her days of youth.

And for the ending of this story, he, in the same way, was giving her a day that every woman in the world longs for in her life: in front of every one of her family and friends who had been with her through all these years of her life, he was solemnly taking her as his wife.

Whether it was with no one watching or with everyone's gazes on them, she was ready. From this day forward, she would be the one and only, true female lead of his life.

<>Copyright of Fanatical, hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com. Translated with the express permission of the author for hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com only

[1]One of the traditions of Chinese weddings is the groom's fetching of the bride from her home. When the groom, accompanied by his groomsmen and male buddies, arrives at the bride's home, the bridesmaid troop is blocking the door and preventing his entry. In order to get in, the groom and his groomsmen have to pa.s.s various tests/games (e.g. singing songs, reading love declarations, answering questions, etc.), one of which is providing a red packet that is filled with a sum of money that is an auspicious number. Usually, the final test is to find the bride's wedding shoes. Only when the groom has pa.s.sed the tests (or entered by trickery!) will he be allowed to have his bride and bring her away.

This story was translated with the express permission of the author for hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com only. All forms of reproduction, redistribution, or re-posting are not authorized. If you are not reading this from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com, the copy is unauthorized and has been taken without consent of the translator.

Additional Comments:

This story truly fulfills every girl's teenage dream. Those last two paragraphs make me both misty-eyed and want to smile. Hope everyone enjoyed the ride. Now we can wish the best to Jia He, Yi Wenze, and Aijia and Aihe.

I once again want to specifically thank all those who commented throughout this time. And I also want to apologize. These last few months, I haven't really been timely with my replies to comments. April and May were just busy, but June and July were difficult months, after receiving some terrible news. Thankfully this story was a fluffy one and not one like The Healing Suns.h.i.+ne, or else I'm not sure I would have been able to keep up with updates. My heart and mind have been needing some s.p.a.ce to process what has happened, and hence I just haven't been up to interacting. My apologies again, but THANK YOU to everyone who nevertheless kept up the enthusiasm. Your happiness to every update brightened some tough days for me. ?

I have in mind what my next translation project will be, but have not asked for permission for it to be posted. ? When permissions are in order and I have decided on a start date, I will make an announcement.

In the meantime, remember, go have that coffee date today, give that  hug today, say that “I love you today”—because there are too many unknowns in tomorrow. Love those who are around you now, now. Wis.h.i.+ng the best to all our readers here at Fanatical.

—Hoju

Completed:

1 of 1 Prologue

58 of 58 Chapter segments

6 of 6 Epilogue segments (4 epilogues in total)

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