Chapter 10

Chapter 10

His fiancé sat on his sofa like a young master from the Republic of China, holding a bouquet of flowers in his hands and lowering his head to inhale their fragrance. He looked up slightly, a faint smile curling at the corners of his mouth, aimed at Nan Shuyi.

That smile brushed past like a gentle breeze, dispelling all the morning's unpleasantness. Nan Shuyi was stunned for a second. The last time he saw him was at someone else's banquet, a noisy social occasion, but today was different.

The Jiang family had spent a fortune on this Chinese-style courtyard. Not only did the exterior design embody the characteristics of a classical Chinese garden, but the interior room decorations also leaned toward an antique style.

Jiang Yicen's room was decorated in a Chinese style. All the furniture, from the sofa to the bed, was solid wood, and even the window frames and wood tones matched the aesthetic.

Nan Shuyi felt as if he had traveled back to the Republic of China. What awaited him was not a returned student, but a native-born young master from that era who had stumbled into modern times—especially with his current attire of a long gown and short jacket, which created a sense of temporal dislocation.

Seeing Nan Shuyi standing still at the door, Jiang Yicen softly called out, "Sir?"

Nan Shuyi's body paused slightly. He straightened the collar of his jacket, which he had tugged at in impatience while being stalled on the stairs, and stood upright and composed.

Today, he wore a light gray stand-collar, deep blue Zhongshan-style suit. It retained the traditional stand collar and used a hidden button placket. The designer had also added subtle bamboo patterns as embellishments. The wedding attire was chosen by Jiang Yicen: a Zhongshan-style suit and a long gown with a mandarin jacket, distinguishing the roles of the two grooms and hinting that he and Nan Shuyi belonged to different eras. But only he himself knew that now.

"Sir."

Nan Shuyi rolled those two words around in his mind.

Strangers could be addressed as "sir"; lovers could also use this term. Which meaning did he intend?

Jiang Yiqi said, "Groom, find the shoes before you can take my brother away."

Nan Shuyi directly asked Jiang Yicen, "Where are they?"

Jiang Yicen instinctively glanced under the solid wood sofa. Nan Shuyi understood immediately, stepped forward two paces, bent down, and retrieved the hidden shoes.

Jiang Yiqi: "..." That was far too easy. She spent twice as long hiding them as he did finding them!

Nan Shuyi knelt on one knee before Jiang Yicen, ready to help him put on the shoes.

Jiang Yicen shyly withdrew his foot. "I can do it myself."

Nan Shuyi grasped his ankle and slipped the shoe onto his foot. "We'll save time."

Jiang Yicen felt the warmth of a large hand gripping his foot. The heat transferred to his skin, like a burn, making his body tremble slightly. He rarely let anyone touch his feet. In the past, when a shoemaker came to measure the family's feet, he always had the butler take his measurements and give them to the shoemaker.

After the shoes were on, Nan Shuyi stood up and extended his other hand toward Jiang Yicen. "Let's go."

Jiang Yicen placed his hand in Nan Shuyi's and let himself be pulled up. Nan Shuyi's fingers were broader than his, and he hadn't expected his hands to be that warm.

They made it downstairs smoothly. Jiang Yifeng, Zhou Yi, and the others, seeing the two holding hands, had varied expressions.

Were they going to pretend it was real even with an arranged marriage? How dedicated they were!

Zhou Yi thought to himself that his brother didn't seem unhappy with the marriage. The way he held hands so tightly clearly showed he was the one initiating the contact.

He knew Nan Shuyi well—if there was something he didn't want to do, no one could force him.

The excitement belonged to the younger generation. Jiang Gongming and He Nuanqing watched from downstairs as the two grooms broke through the encirclement of the young crowd, smoothly got into the car, and drove away.

Both noticed that Jiang Yicen never looked back at them even once. Amidst such a festive atmosphere, they felt a bit awkward.

Leading the wedding convoy, Nan Shuyi and Jiang Yicen boarded the most eye-catching car. On the car's hood stood two dolls wearing the same wedding attire as them, with a red heart stitched between the dolls. The front of the car was decorated with heart-shaped red roses, and baby's breath flowers adorned the door handles, adding a romantic touch.

Jiang Yicen had attended many weddings of wealthy or high-ranking officials in Lin City, but he realized his own wedding was even more luxurious, romantic, exquisite, and flawless.

The luxurious wedding convoy drove all the way to today's wedding venue—Yongjiang Hotel.

The hotel looked different from when Jiang Yicen last left it. The greenery around it had put forth new shoots, full of spring's vitality.

A crowd of onlookers stood at the hotel entrance, many holding cameras with long and short lenses or phones. The Nan family had hired many bodyguards to maintain order outside.

Jiang Yicen wasn't unfamiliar with reporters. His family was also a well-known wealthy merchant family, and his second older brother had been photographed many times by entertainment reporters. More than once, in fact. Once, his second older brother had taken him to a dance hall to broaden his horizons behind their mother's back, and they were photographed by a reporter. That was his first time in a newspaper. When their father found out, his second older brother and he were made to kneel in the ancestral temple for an entire day.

Thinking of these small, buried memories, bitterness welled up in his heart.

He asked Nan Shuyi, "Are those reporters?"

In those days, reporters held high social status. They were elites and intellectuals with a conscience, using their pens as weapons to contribute to social change. Though often in danger, they earned broad respect.

Nan Shuyi thought to himself that Jiang Yicen seemed quite naive. He didn't even know that these weren't traditional reporters, but rather social media accounts that would do anything for clicks—not proper journalists at all.

"They aren't reporters, just gossipy marketing accounts chasing clicks," he said.

Jiang Yicen often heard new words from Nan Shuyi. But what was a "marketing social media account"?

He asked, "So they're like third-rate reporters?"

Nan Shuyi liked the word "lowbrow" and smiled. "That's right."

Jiang Yicen realized today how much attention the Jiang-Nan marriage was drawing. "Did you invite any real reporters?"

Nan Shuyi said, "It seems not. My father refused to let reporters write anything they pleased."

Jiang Yicen pointed at the crowd outside the window. "Will they write whatever they want?"

Nan Shuyi: "Yes."

Jiang Yicen said cautiously, "I have a tentative suggestion: rather than blocking, it's better to guide. Why not invite real reporters to write positive articles?"

Nan Shuyi fell silent, thinking. His marriage to the Jiang family was no longer a secret. He couldn't silence everyone. Blocking wasn't the answer; people are naturally curious and have a strong desire to pry. It might be better to give the public an opportunity—and with positive coverage, satisfy the public's curiosity while keeping control of the narrative.

After they got out of the car, someone led Jiang Yicen to a lounge, while Nan Shuyi went to find Nan Anru, who had just arrived as well.

The company had cooperating media outlets. Rather than letting self-media accounts write whatever they wanted, it would be better to give this buzz to a regular cooperating media outlet for an exclusive story.

After 10:30, guests began to arrive, and both families stood at the door to welcome them.

On the Nan family's side, Nan Shuyi's cousins helped. On the Jiang family's side, Jiang Yiting and Jiang Yifeng were there, and although they didn't like this younger brother, they had to handle this today.

Nan Shuyi went to find Nan Anru, leaving Jiang Yicen alone in the lounge. He had nothing to do, so he sat with his eyes closed, resting.

Close to noon, the wedding planner came to lead Jiang Yicen to get ready for the ceremony. By then, most guests had arrived.

Jiang Yicen asked, "Where's Nan Shuyi?"

The butler replied, "Young Master Nan is already waiting ahead."

Jiang Yicen nodded. "Okay."

The wedding planner took a few more glances at Jiang Yicen, thinking to himself that this groom was not only handsome—he had a remarkable aura. This must be the air of a top-tier wealthy young master.

Jiang Yicen met the other's gaze and smiled slightly: "Is there something you need to tell me?"

The person in charge quickly shook their head: "No, no, just watch your step on the stairs."

Jiang Yicen knew his family's hotel like the back of his hand, but he never expected that, decades later, he would be holding his wedding at this very hotel. Perhaps his family wanted to see him married.

Before she passed, his mother said her greatest regret was not seeing him wed.

For the upcoming ceremony, the doors to the banquet hall had been closed.

Walking down the long corridor, Jiang Yicen saw Nan Shuyi standing at the entrance of the banquet hall.

Today, both he and Nan Shuyi were dressed in dark-colored modern-style Chinese tunic suits, the trousers wrapped around Nan Shuyi's long legs, his posture impeccable.

He was taller and broader than Jiang Yicen, and his style was completely different from Jiang Yicen's—one exuded a relaxed, effortless elegance, the other a gentle, refined quality full of cinematic quality.

Jiang Yicen walked slowly toward Nan Shuyi: "Have you been waiting long?"

Nan Shuyi said, "No."

Jiang Yicen noticed a strand of hair falling across his forehead. He reached up and smoothed it back into place: "Your hair is messy."

Nan Shuyi allowed him to approach. This was the first time they had been this close, and he could smell the light, elegant oceanic scent of his cologne.

He thought: Jiang Yicen's eyelashes are really long, and the way his eyes glimmered seemed to say, 'You look handsome today.'

The person in charge, reluctant to disturb the moment between them, quietly reminded them and handed over a silk ribbon tied with a love knot: "Gentlemen, the auspicious hour has arrived. Please proceed into the hall."

The banquet hall doors opened, and the lights fell on the two grooms.

Nan Shuyi and Jiang Yicen stepped onto the red carpet at the same time, entering the wedding hall.

Jiang Yicen's gaze fell on the ribbon connecting them.

This step—whether right or wrong, and no matter what the future held—at least someone was walking it with him.

Under the gaze of everyone—elder relatives, guests, and members of the press—they performed the wedding ceremony.

The master of ceremonies called out loudly:

"Grooms, bow to heaven and earth! Three bows!"

They bowed to heaven and earth.

"Grooms, turn to face each other!"

Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi turned at the same time, facing one another.

"First bow! Second bow! Third bow!"

They bowed to each other.

The master of ceremonies shouted again:

"The ceremony is complete! Escort the grooms to the bridal chamber!"

As they straightened up—bang, bang, bang—countless celebratory confetti burst into the air.

Jiang Yicen's entire body stiffened, his legs frozen in place. His ears rang, and then his whole body trembled violently!

The memory of his death came flooding back. He had thought that if he could just forget it all, he would be fine. At that time, for the sake of a greater cause, he could be brave. But when he was alone afterward, recalling those scenes, he was terrified. He often woke up in the middle of the night from dreams of a gun pressing against his forehead.

Nan Shuyi was about to follow the master of ceremonies' instructions and walk out, but he noticed Jiang Yicen standing still, his face pale, his eyes suddenly vacant, and his body trembling violently.

What's going on? He was fine just a moment ago.

He didn't know what was wrong with Jiang Yicen, but he quickly grabbed Jiang Yicen's hand, feeling it ice cold, and Jiang Yicen leaned limply against him.

Nan Shuyi asked him softly, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Yicen parted his bloodless, trembling lips: "I'm scared."

Nan Shuyi guessed what was happening; this reaction started only after the confetti went off. He quickly wrapped his arm around Jiang Yicen's waist and headed toward the bridal chamber.

A group of young people below started teasing.

"Master Nan can't wait to get to the bridal chamber!"

"We want to crash the bridal chamber!"

"Whoa~"

Nan Shuyi wanted to help Jiang Yicen leave quickly, but Jiang Yicen's legs were trembling and he couldn't move. So he lifted him horizontally in his arms and strode away swiftly.

The cheers from below grew louder.

"Bridal chamber!"

"Bridal chamber!"

"Bridal chamber!"

Nan Shuyi: "..." Shut up, you guys, it's not what you think!