Chapter 36
As the 14th day approached, the wedding day of Zhou Chao’s third brother drew nearer. On the 12th day, Li Yang had already arrived in the Ice City. On that very day, Zhou Chao took Li Yang to the water world for their first visit, and together they enjoyed a delightful day filled with fun and laughter.
The only regret was that the fourth brother, Xiao Feng, couldn’t make it. After all, he was in the southwest and had to work, so it was difficult for him to take time off. Zhou Chao promised to take more photos and videos to show him later.
The wedding arrangements for the third brother’s family were mostly settled, and Zhou Chao and Li Yang had nothing much to do except try on their groomsmen’s clothes for the next day. They were eagerly waiting for the morning to go and welcome the bride.
Both families were from the Ice City, not far from each other, and had known each other for a long time. There were not many demands, so they planned to set off directly to pick up the bride and bring her back to their new home.
The next day, even before dawn, Xu Wenzheng couldn’t contain his excitement. After all, this was his first and only wedding in his life, and he was already eager to get started.
Xu Wenzheng wore a bright red long gown, while Zhou Chao and Li Yang were dressed in black long gowns. They stood on Xu Wenzheng’s sides, and behind them were the young people from the third brother’s family, ready to set off and welcome the bride.
There were a total of six groomsmen. In addition to Zhou Chao and Li Yang, two of them were Xu Wenzheng’s cousins, and the other two were his buddies. They were all ready and prepared.
“Let’s go!” Xu Wenzheng shouted.
The convoy of cars, all provided by Zhou Chao’s third brother and adorned with Mercedes-Benz vehicles, began its journey. They embarked on their way to the bride’s home in a majestic procession. Since the two families lived relatively close to each other, it took less than 20 minutes for the convoy to arrive at Zou Rui’s home. The bride’s side had made all necessary preparations and awaited their arrival with eager anticipation.
Due to the close relationship between the two families, there was no significant obstruction. However, when they tried to enter the bride’s room, they were intercepted by the bridesmaids, causing some playful banter. Some of them were handing over red envelopes, while others were singing songs, trying their best to coax open the room door.
Little did they know that another challenge awaited them. The bridesmaids surrounded the bride, placing various props like acupressure boards and balloons in front of her. Xu Wenzheng helplessly looked at Zhou Chao and Li Yang, who wasted no time and directly stepped onto the acupressure boards, ready to have some fun.
At first, Zhou Chao and Li Yang thought it was just a simple game of popping balloons. However, the bridesmaids had a different plan. They held the balloons in their hands and moved them away whenever Zhou Chao and Li Yang tried to stomp on them, resulting in various strange cries of “Ah” and “Ouch” echoing in the room.
The bridesmaids didn’t push it too far and allowed Zhou Chao and Li Yang to pop the balloons after a while. Meanwhile, Xu Wenzheng was busy looking for his wedding shoes and eventually found them with Zou Rui’s guidance.
After wearing the shoes and holding the bridal bouquet, Xu Wenzheng took Zoi Rui’s hand and walked out of the room. Zoi Rui’s parents were already seated on the sofa, with two cups of tea placed beside them. Xu Wenzheng respectfully approached and poured the tea, offering it to Zoi Rui’s father and mother.
“Dad, Mom, please have some tea,” Xu Wenzheng respectfully said.
The ceremony on the bride’s side ended quickly, and Xu Wenzheng carried Zou Rui and got into the car. The rest of the people followed suit and headed to their new home.
The hotel arranged by Xu Wenzheng’s family was located in Songbei, the Shangri-La Hotel. By the time the couple arrived from their new home to the hotel, it was nearly 11 o’clock. Zhou Chao and Li Yang took a rare break, while Xu Wenzheng went to freshen up and prepare for the next part of the celebration.
At this moment, Li Yang approached Zhou Chao and said, “Brother, did you see the beautiful bridesmaid on Rou Rui’s side? What do you think?”
Zhou Chao immediately understood that Li Yang was talking about Zou Rui’s best friend, Shen Lan. He shook his head helplessly and said, “Are you trying to court her? If it’s just a passing fancy, then forget it. After all, she is Zou Rui’s best friend.”
Li Yang’s face beamed with happiness as he expressed, “No, I think it’s love at first sight. When we were receiving the bride, I saw her smile, and I felt like I was melting. I believe I’ve found true love.”
“Well, it’s up to you then. Just let our third brother know and ask the couple to help you out. But you should also find out if Shen Lan feels the same way.”
As they chatted, Xu Wenzheng came in and informed them that the ceremony was about to begin. He felt a mix of nervousness and excitement. Zhou Chao told Xu Wenzheng about Li Yang’s feelings for Shen Lan, and surprisingly, Xu Wenzheng was supportive of Li Yang pursuing her.
The wedding ceremony began soon, and the emcee’s infectious voice set the atmosphere right from the start, introducing some significant guests present at the event.
The wedding proceeded smoothly without any eye-catching dances or songs from the groomsmen and bridesmaids. It followed the standard procedures of exchanging rings, embracing and kissing, serving tea and receiving red envelopes from the elders, and finally the bouquet toss.
Li Yang was particularly enthusiastic during the bouquet toss but unfortunately didn’t manage to catch it. He returned to his seat with a disappointed expression. The wedding didn’t hold many surprises, but it left a unique impression on some people, especially Zhou Chao, who had been single for a long time.
With his current status and wealth, there was no shortage of women around Zhou Chao. But perhaps because of his laid-back and easygoing personality, he hadn’t encountered someone who truly captivated his heart. However, in this setting, he couldn’t help but fantasize about his own future wedding and what it would be like. Lost in his thoughts, Zhou Chao remained in a daze.
Li Yang’s voice brought him back to reality. “What are you thinking about, Brother?”
“I was just thinking about when I’ll find my other half.”
“I’m sure I’ll beat you to it.”
As they chatted, Xu Wenzheng and Zou Rui completed their ceremony and changed into their wedding attire to prepare for the toasting. Li Yang noticed Shen Lan beside Zou Rui and eagerly joined Xu Wenzheng to raise toasts, leaving Zhou Chao alone.
The joyful time passed quickly. After the wedding banquet, Zhou Chao and Li Yang returned to the hotel. Zhou Chao looked tired, while Li Yang was still beaming with happiness.
“Big Bro, you’ve been smiling since we left the wedding venue. Are you under some spell?”
“Hahaha, no, I just exchanged contact information with Shen Lan and added her as a friend.”
Upon hearing Li Yang’s words, Zhou Chao sighed and placed his right hand on his head, “A man in love,” he said. Exhausted, Zhou Chao paid no attention to Li Yang beside him and went back to his room to sleep, leaving Li Yang lost in his own thoughts.
It wasn’t until almost 5:30 pm that Xu Wenzheng, the third brother, called to invite them for dinner. Zhou Chao woke up from his slumber and came out to find Li Yang slumped on the couch, fast asleep. After waking Li Yang up, they quickly tidied up and headed out.
They dined at the Shangri-La Hotel since many guests hadn’t left yet. When Zhou Chao and Li Yang arrived, most of the guests had finished their meal. Li Yang noticed an empty seat next to Shen Lan and without hesitation, strode up and sat down next to her.
Zhou Chao shook his head helplessly, silently wishing his good friend would find his own happiness. Zhou Chao sat next to Xu Wenzheng and engaged in casual conversation.
“Now that everyone is here, let’s start,” Xu Wenzheng said when all the guests were present.
After the meal, Xu Wenzheng and Zou Rui headed home as they were newlyweds with many things to attend to. Li Yang initially wanted to accompany Shen Lan home, but his offer was declined. He could only return to the hotel with Zhou Chao.