10 – A genuine and heartfelt kiss.
Other than Yan Anan, Su Xiaole was also on the same floor as Shen Yu and Yan Jin’s room. He’d seen the two of them emerge from the same room more clearly and also earlier than Yan Anan had. He froze in his tracks for a moment, missing the perfect chance to go over and say hello, so he simply stepped aside. When Shen Yu walked over, he grabbed him and blurted out,
“What’s going on with you two?!”
Shen Yu remained calm and composed: “It’s convenient to get things done at a hotel, so we stayed here.”
Su Xiaole: “Convenient to get things done? What kind of things are you talking about?”
“…Clear the dirty thoughts in your head,” Shen Yu said. “Qingxian is here today. Go find him and purify your soul.”
“Listening to him ramble would be torture for my soul!” Su Xiaole wasn’t falling for it. “Hey, don’t try to change the subject now. Do you really think I’m that easy to trick?
Shen Yu’s gaze conveyed a pitying “You really are” look. Su Xiaole went berserk: “Don’t look at me pitifully, and don’t try to change the subject! Just answer me!”
What’s this about staying at the hotel for convenience? What about the past few days? Their room had been sitting empty for ages, and suddenly it’s convenient? Who is he trying to fool?
“Last night was a coincidence,” Shen Yu finally spoke plainly. “I really was just looking for convenience. He… probably ran into something and decided to crash here on a whim.”
Su Xiaole stroked his chin. “I see… Um, where are you going?” Su Xiaole watched as Shen Yu pressed the button for the first floor, but the restaurant wasn’t on the first floor.
“Just taking a walk and getting some fresh air, then I’ll go eat.”
Shen Yu had just left Yan Jin and his sister. The “something came up” was just an excuse. Strolling around for a bit would be enough to avoid running into them in the restaurant.
Yan An’an’s undisguised look of shock was exactly like Su Xiaole’s—she must have been bursting with things to say to Yan Jin. He was just giving the two of them some space.
“Then I’ll take a walk with you too,” Su Xiaole said. “I’ve been lacking exercise lately, so I’ll treat this as a workout.”
Time flew by, and everything proceeded according to plan. Finally, the day of the wedding arrived. Facing the sea, though there was no spring warmth, the wedding venue was ablaze with flowers and bustling with activity. Aside from the floral decorations, the guests themselves were like flowers, each dressed dazzlingly.
Yan Li wore a smile on his face; no matter what, he wouldn’t dare give Yan Jin a cold shoulder in public today. He was also very attentive toward Old Master Shen, who stood beside Shen Mo. The father and son seemed like they were from different worlds, with little to say to one another.
When Shen Yu walked in with Yan Jin, Shen Li nodded in approval. Shen Mo, however, looked at his son, his eyes silently welling up with tears.
Their wedding suits perfectly accentuated their poised demeanor; the sleek lines highlighting their physiques, and the crisp trousers hugged their long legs. The two protagonists today were simply mesmerizing. Standing side by side, Shen Yu and Yan Jin looked like a match made in heaven.
Sure enough, there were many media reporters on site. One of their main focuses today was just how lavish this wedding was—after all, when it comes to a marriage between wealthy families, everyone wants to see just how “lavish” it is! The venue, the decorations, and the rings were topics they certainly wouldn’t miss. Unfortunately, they were a bit disappointed during the ring exchange—why weren’t there any “pigeon eggs” on the rings?
The wedding rings featured diamonds set in a unique inlay design—not too large not too small. Designed by a renowned jeweler, the cost of the materials was far lower than the design fee, and certainly couldn’t compare to the value of a single “pigeon egg” diamond. But Shen Yu loved them, and when Yan Jin slipped one onto his finger, he found himself unable to look away for a moment.
Actually, the designer’s initial draft was a flashy version that did indeed feature a pigeon’s egg-sized gemstone, but Shen Yu and Yan Jin rejected it without hesitation.
“I only plan to have this one pair of wedding rings; there won’t be a spare. That means, aside from appearing in front of the camera, I’ll also wear them in everyday life,” Shen Yu explained calmly. “I can’t have myself dazzled every time I raise my hand, can I?”
Some couples, to flaunt their wealth or liven up the atmosphere, do indeed prepare rings worth a fortune—regardless of their appearance—pursuing nothing but the label of “expensive,” only to swap them out privately. After all, you can’t go out in public with a huge gemstone on your finger all the time. But Shen Yu had no intention of preparing multiple rings, so his design requirements were higher.
“Redesign it,” Yan Jin said bluntly. “No need for extravagance—I don’t like it, and I’m sure he wouldn’t either. There are a few things that need changing. Come on, I’ll tell you what they are.”
The design of the wedding rings incorporated both of their ideas, a one-of-a-kind pair in the world. They weren’t expensive, but they were meant to be together for a lifetime.
As Yan Jin slipped the ring onto Shen Yu’s finger, he whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, “Do you know what kind of expression you have right now?”
Shen Yu couldn’t see his own face, of course, but he knew he was smiling. It would be impossible not to smile at a wedding. He shot Yan Jin a questioning look: Haven’t we been smiling all day?
Yan Jin said, “Take another look.”
All Shen Yu could see was Yan Jin’s expression: Yan Jin was indeed smiling, but not just for show, and not to look better on camera—it was a smile that came from the heart. Shen Yu could tell whether his smile was fake or real.
So is mine the same as yours right now?
Shen Yu lowered his eyelashes, barely managing to keep his composure.
The MC’s final words were: “And now, you may kiss.”
With everyone watching and cameras from every angle there was no way to get away with a staged kiss this time. Fortunately, both of them were mentally prepared for everything that had been planned, including the kiss.
Shen Yu placed one hand on Yan Jin’s shoulder, while Yan Jin wrapped an arm around his waist. They were already close, but hadn’t kissed yet.
Shen Yu whispered, “Are you playing gentleman again at a time like this?”
“I always have been… are you willing?”
Their eyes met. Yan Jin’s gaze was intense. Shen Yu looked at him for half a second—a pause so brief it was hard to tell if a sigh had escaped or not. Suddenly, Shen Yu’s hand slid to the back of Yan Jin’s head and pressed down. Yan Jin tilted his head, and their lips met.
A genuine and heartfelt kiss.
The guests graciously applauded and cheered. Bai Qingxian clapped while shaking his head. “He really went all out… I hope he doesn’t scrub his lips raw with disinfectant later.”
Su Xiaole’s expression was hard to describe. “I don’t think so.”
Bai Qingxian’s intuition was sharp. “What happened while I wasn’t around?
Su Xiaole: “Oh, right! I forgot to tell you! Listen, the other day, in the morning I saw the two of them coming out of the same room…”
After going on and on about this and that, Su Xiaole finished spilling everything, and Bai Qingxian mused, “Hmm… it’s hard to say.”
Su Xiaole finally found a kindred spirit: “Right? Right?
Bai Qingxian: “They’re rivals, not mortal enemies. Some rivals who respect each other’s abilities might actually admire one another, but whenever those two meet, the atmosphere is so tense—it’s hard to imagine them ever getting together romantically.”
Su Xiaole: “Setting aside everything else, Shen Yu clearly acknowledges Yan Jin’s talent. He’s someone who appreciates talent. Now that they’re married, if they really do admire each other’s talents, couldn’t their feelings develop over time? Couldn’t they put their past grievances aside and actually end up together?”
“In the future?” Bai Qingxian gave a faint chuckle. “Hard to say. Who’s to say what they’ll be ‘in the future’ and that there was nothing between them in the past? Oh my, it’s complicated—so deep and tangled.”
“Some people are even betting on when Shen Yu and Yan Jin will split up,” Su Xiaole said. “I told them you can’t bet on this, but no one listens to me.”
Bai Qingxian: “They just want to see Shen Yu and Yan Jin make fools of themselves, but who’ll have the last laugh remains to be seen.”
The kiss didn’t last too long, but it also wasn’t a fleeting touch. Shen Yu closed his eyes, feeling the hand around his waist tighten suddenly, pulling him in fiercely. He could clearly feel the subtle tremor of Yan Jin’s lips. At one point, Yan Jin seemed to want to kiss again, but ultimately held back. Their first kiss ended with just their lips touching.
After the kiss, Shen Yu’s hand moved from the back of Yan Jin’s head back to his shoulder. Judging Yan Jin’s emotional state, Shen Yu’s eyelashes fluttered, and his fingers curled slightly, gripping Yan Jin’s clothes tighter.
As sharp and formidable as Yan Jin was, his lips were soft. As cool and aloof as Shen Yu was, his lips were warm. When they touched, there was no bloodshed—the scene was even quite tender.
After they parted, Shen Yu avoided Yan Jin’s gaze. His fingertips trembled slightly, but Yan Jin grabbed them. Shen Yu paused, took a deep breath, and steadied the tremor in his fingers. Their touch hadn’t caused bloodshed… but he was still afraid.
No one held the bouquet during the ceremony; it wasn’t brought out until the ceremony ended. The couple joined hands and tossed it together. Su Xiaole deftly squeezed into the center, almost bumping into someone with his elbow. Looking closely, he realized it was Yan Jin’s younger sister, Yan Anan.
As fellow members of the bridal party, they had exchanged brief greetings and knew who each other was. Su Xiaole stepped aside, giving up the center spot like a true gentleman. “Ladies first.”
Yan Anan gave a sweet smile. “Thank you.”
The bouquet was tossed high into the air and fell right toward the center. Yan Anan raised her hand slightly and caught it perfectly. Holding the bouquet, she waved it toward the newlyweds, accepting their blessings and offering her own heartfelt wishes.
Shen Yu and Yan Jin began toasting and clinking glasses with the guests. When they reached their college classmates, everyone admitted they’d been taken aback by the sudden news of their marriage—like cows flying in the sky, fish running on land, or taking a hot bath in lava. It felt like pure fantasy. Only Yu Feng stood out.
“I think the two of them… just look like a perfect match.”
Everyone looked at him in horror, their faces screaming, Don’t scare me.
If the two of them could live in harmony from now on, bringing peace to the world, everyone would be happy. But they feared that the “grave” of marriage would only escalate their conflicts—how would they even host class reunions in the future?
After the banquet began, Shen Mo stopped sitting with Shen Li. He spent some time with his partner’s parents—Shen Yu’s maternal grandparents. The two elders lived out of town and rarely saw the Shen family father and son. In the past, seeing them would remind them of the deceased, inevitably causing sadness; now, they didn’t even know where to begin the conversation. After a short while, Shen Mo walked away alone.
No one paid him any attention.
Shen Mo kept an eye on Shen Yu. The newlyweds were the type who had no time to eat but plenty of time to drink; Shen Yu likely hadn’t eaten much since morning. Shen Mo had prepared some food and was waiting for a chance to bring it over so the young man could at least have a bite.
When he finally found an opportunity and approached, he saw Yan Jin pull a plate of food from somewhere, pick up a forkful, and shove it into Shen Yu’s mouth.
Shen Yu looked like he was about to choke. He glared at Yan Jin in exasperation, then quickly grabbed a fork and shoved something into Yan Jin’s mouth with considerable force, causing Yan Jin to tilt his head back. The two glared at each other, then quickly turned away and began chewing furiously—it was no easy feat to find time to eat.
Ah… looks like I don’t need to worry anymore, Shen Mo thought with relief.
He quietly stepped aside and ate slowly, glancing up at the sky as he silently prayed:
“Darling, can you see this from heaven? Our son has started a family of his own. He had a grand wedding, and now he has a partner to love. I really, really wish you could see this…”
Shen Mo pressed his fingertips to the corner of his eye, trying to steady his emotions. It was a joyous occasion, after all—tears of happiness were acceptable, but it was best not to let sadness take over.
The end of the ceremony marked the beginning of the revelry. While kissing and weddings go hand in hand, the wedding night certainly did not. Clearly, Shen Yu and Yan Jin were in for an all-night celebration. Wanting to get some early sleep? Forget it.
The festivities continued well into the night. Several rounds of fireworks lit up the seaside sky, and the cruise ship glowed brightly. Everyone had changed into evening attire, with dazzling gowns competing for attention—any one of them could have graced the red carpet. Some guests enjoyed themselves to the fullest, while others took the opportunity to network. There were spaces for wild revelry and quiet corners for elegant conversation.
It wasn’t until 4 a.m. that the two main characters were finally free to slip away from the bustling crowd and return to their room.
After a day of forced smiles, their faces felt stiff, and they simply didn’t have the energy to bicker anymore. They stopped trying to avoid each other—if they were sharing a room, so be it. With nothing else on their minds, they quickly tidied up, then collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep almost instantly.
Not even the final round of fireworks outside disturbed them as the dazzling display erupted in celebration of the wedding.
T/N: Thank you so much for reading this novel! English is my second language, so the translation might not always be perfect. I try my best to stay true to the original story and not change the author’s meaning.
If you spot any mistakes or awkward lines, feel free to let me know — I’m always happy to learn and improve 😁❤️
