Much to Lu Xinyi’s surprise, she found her husband fidgeting with his cuffs as he waited for her arrival. Relief washed over her as she realized she wasn’t the only one feeling so nervous today.
Their guests and families turned their heads to see the march and anxious to see the bride.
An officiant stood at the altar while Shen Yi and his best man, which was his own a.s.sistant Qiao He, had entered the courtyard earlier and stood next to the altar.
Hearing the music being played and the footsteps coming from the aisle, Shen Yi quickly straightened up, which made his mother laugh beside the Shen Matriarch.
Bridesmaids and ushers walked in pairs followed by Lu Xiulan who was walking alone as the Maid of Honor before the serious-looking Shen Zichen walked stiffly as the ring bearer for his parents.
Then, it was Little Yuyan’s turn who took time spreading out the petals for the bride’s way, making Shen Yi smile at her bubbliness. When she ran out of petals, she simply bounced on her feet and swung her empty basket until she reached Lu Xiulan’s side.
Then finally, the bride came and walked the aisle with Lady Tang and her brother until they met the groom at the altar. It was Tian Lingyu who gave his sister’s hand for Shen Yi to take. Shen Yi nodded at Tian Lingyu before the two stood before the officiator to exchange their vows.
Lu Xinyi’s eyes were demurely staring at the bouquet on her hands as she felt her husband’s gaze on her. She could feel her cheeks burning and hoped that the white veil was enough to hide most of it.
Shen Yi knew that today his wife would be beautiful, but he wasn’t prepared to see her even more beautiful than he expected her to be. His eyes trailed down her figure as she walked with her brother and her grandmother, and he had to suppress the smile that threatened to creep on his face with difficulty.
The elegant white dress his mother and Lady Tang commissioned was really spectacular. He even saw some delicate floral embroidery along the hem of Lu Xinyi’s skirt and on the bodice. Overall, he thought that his wife was the most beautiful bride he’d seen so far.
From the corner of her eye, Lu Xinyi glanced at him and smiled when she found his gaze on her. Even though she found relief at the thought that she wasn’t the only one nervous, it didn’t mean she could get rid of it completely. Pus.h.i.+ng her thoughts aside, she forced to focus on the officiator’s words as she tried to calm herself.
“…and now the couple may exchange their personal vows to each other.” The officiator declared with a gesture of his hand towards Lu Xinyi first.
Lu Xinyi swallowed the lump on her throat, forcing herself to remember the vows her Grandmother Tang prepared for her to say but failed. d.a.m.n it all to h.e.l.l, her brain refused to cooperate at this critical moment. In the end, she had to make an impromptu speech.
She cleared her throat as her trembling hand reached for his but also tried to fight her need to smack Shen Yi’s face when a grin appeared on his face. Ah, why did he find her nervousness amusing?
“Yi, you and I both know how indecisive I can be at times. I simply don’t like to make decisions. But if there is one decision in my life that I know is the right one, it’s to spend the rest of my life with you.
“There is an infinite number of things I love about you. I love your thoughtfulness and your ability to keep me grounded. I love your loyalty to me and our relations.h.i.+p. I love the way you weirdly get excited whenever I say we should skip your business and run downtown in disguise to date like a normal couple.”
Lu Xinyi bit her lip nervously, not knowing why she suddenly had stage fright at that moment.
“I love how when you laugh really hard, your one eye starts to crinkle up. I promise to be patient with you, even if it means that I have to listen to your cheesy lines and how you should have overworked the government and the world to reduce the global warming you claimed that your hotness is too much for the planet to handle.”
Those who heard it laughed at her vow amusedly, but these were enough for Lu Xinyi to calm her nerves and continue.
“I knew from the very moment I laid eyes on you that you were mine forever. Someway, somehow, I was determined to make you mine and stay with you. And from this day forward my heart is entirely yours…
“As we continue to grow in our lives together, I promise to give you all of my words when needed and to share in the silence when they are not, to pick you up if you are down, to love you unconditionally, to care for you and our families for as long as we live, to adventure with you always, to say I love you before falling asleep each night, to be the best mom I can be as we grow a family together, and to always know in the deepest part of my soul, that when challenges arise, we will always find our way back to one another.
“Yi, you are my everything, and this is my promise to you.”
Her eyes looked at him with such longing, Shen Yi’s heart ached. It was his turn to say his vow in front of their friends and loved ones.
“Xinxin, when we first met, I never imagined this day would come, but now that we are here, I couldn’t have imagined choosing anyone else but you to go through life’s journey with. I love your laugh, your smile, your caring nature, and that face you make when something is so cute, you just have to squeeze it.
“I promise to support you, to honor you, and to love you unconditionally, even when we may disagree on something. I can’t imagine where I would be without you, and I cannot wait to continue this crazy journey with you by my side. I love you.”
Shen Yi paused as he saw her eyes a little watery from his words. This would be the longest words he’d said for a while, but he didn’t care. He openly announced his love for her.
“What is a husband? I must admit, I’m not sure. All I know is that I am devoted to you completely, and I am a better person because of your love. A husband then is a thing that a good marriage makes, molds, and creates a whole. If that is what a husband means, then I am prepared to be yours.”
Lu Xinyi was in a daze again. She could only remember Shen Yi taking her hand to slide her wedding ring into her finger. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him and continued to hold his hand after their vows.
Rings were exchanged, vows of love and commitment had been given… Now, it was time to seal everything with a kiss.
As the officiator officially announced them as husband and wife, Shen Yi turned to face her and gently pulled back his wife’s veil, letting it sit back on her hair bun. Her eyes shone with happy tears as he bent down and kissed her, which was followed with clapping and hoots from their guests and families as they rose to their feet to applaud the couple.
Lu Xinyi gave a watery laugh when Shen Yi pulled away from her.
“Are you happy?” she asked, wiping the lipstick stain at the corner of his lips.
“Very,” he said as he kissed her again.