This is the first time Liu Yu’an has ever experienced being married, both in the main and virtual worlds.
Facing the hall full of guests and kind smiles makes Liu Yu’an slightly nervous.
But then he soon realises that Shao Yanxi is even more nervous than he is, and is now more dragging his arm than crossing his arm with his.
Thankfully he isn’t so out of it as to dislocate his shoulder.
Seeing him so nervous suddenly made Liu Yu’an less anxious in turn. He puts up a smile and squeezes the nervous groom’s hand with his left hand.
Shao Yanxi seems surprised, and looks over at Liu Yu’an in disbelief.
His mouth goes flat, like a line.
“Don’t be so nervous,” Liu Yu’an whispers into his ear.
“Mm,” Shao Yanxi responds quietly. They are on the red carpet now, walking towards the front of the hall.
It might be the atmosphere of the whole proceeding, but when Liu Yu’an hears the whole, “today, I, Shao Yanxi, do sincerely promise, under the eyes of all present, that for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, to cherish, to accompany and to stay loyal, till death us do part,” part, he is actually moved.
He can even feel his heartbeat increasing.
It takes him a while to find his voice again, to make the same vow as Shao Yanxi.
When they kiss, Liu Yu’an can feel that Shao Yanxi feels really happy.
It lasts until the moment they pour tea for the parents.
Liu Yu’an recalls when seeing only his parents at the seat that Shao Yanxi’s mother has gone insane and his father was sent into the prison by his own hands, along with his dozens of half-brothers and half-sisters.
It was this event that cemented Shao Yanxi’s reputation of being cold and merciless across the upper echelons of society.
They are all wary of him.
Only Liu Yu’an, through the plot, knows that Shao Yanxi was merciless towards his blood relatives only because his father, who only got his jumpstart in business with his mother’s help, had an affair after he became successful… And another, and another, and so on and so forth… Then he even took the mistresses home, one of whom pushed his older sister down the stairs to her immediate death. It finally drove his mother mad, but that scum father of his not only did not hold the mistress to account, but he allowed her to stay in the house permanently.
The eight-year-old younger brother had to grow up overnight. He laid low for years, and finally, when he was 24, he and his maternal relatives worked together to topple his father and send him to jail.
All thirty-something bastards his father left behind, about a dozen were incarcerated, and seven that were still less than 10 years old were sent overseas. The rest are all living the rest of their lives in psychiatric institutions.
Therefore, the current Shao Yanxi is truly by himself only .
While thinking so, Liu Yu’an decides to hold Shao Yanxi’s hand in his.
This is something that is surprising not only to Shao Yanxi, but to Liu Yu’an’s ‘parents’ as well.
They knew how unwilling their son was in this relationship in the first place.
“ Yòuyòu , you…” His mother is looking at him and at their held hand, seemingly hesitant.
“Mom, we are going to settle down together now,” Liu Yu’an knew what his mother is implying, of course, but he pretends he doesn’t know, and confidently promises.
Shao Yanxi is quite enthused by what Liu Yu’an just said and follows up, “mom, Yòuyòu is right, we’ll definitely settle down well together.”
“Alright, alright, good,” it’s their wedding and the grooms have made their promises, so what else could she say?
After Shao Yanxi and Liu Yu’an has moved on, her husband says, sternly, “don’t act rashly now, let the kids be.”
“I wasn’t acting rashly, but you know Yòuyòu…”
“Shao Yanxi is a good kid. Yòuyòu will come to like him over time. They’re pretty happy together today, aren’t they?”
“I’m still worried, you know.”
Neither Liu Yu’an nor Shao Yanxi is aware of their worries as they proceed along with the ceremony.
When they were presenting alcohol by the end, a young man suddenly went ‘holy shit,’ and yells out loudly enough for all nearby to hear, “Yue Zhun has been hospitalised.”
Liu Yu’an pauses.
That was the sentence that sent the original cannon fodder running and blackened Shao Yanxi.
So, if he doesn’t run away now, Shao Yanxi would probably not blacken.
The moment he was thinking about that Shao Yanxi suddenly holds his head in pain and crouches to the ground.
“Yanxi!” Liu Yu’an is shocked and quickly hands his own wine glass to the waiter before crouching down and hugging Shao Yanxi.
The others are also shocked. A doctor that happens to also be attending is quickly called over.
But as soon as he walked over, Shao Yanxi has put his hand back down.
He looks around, seemingly in a daze, before looking at Liu Yu’an who is hugging him.
He pauses.
Then, he nudges himself out of his embrace, saying, “I’m fine now, let’s continue.”
Liu Yu’an, right next to him, is quickest to realise that, Shao Yanxi seems to have lost that fervour, and is no longer looking at him; when he did, he cannot see a tinge of emotion in them. It’s cold.
After the wedding, he immediately tells him, even, “I still have to attend to business at work. Go home by yourself, now.”
Then he left without waiting to hear him out.
Later, Liu Yu’an receives a Form of Divorce along with a message,
[I know you do not want to marry me. I have completed the Form of Divorce. Look it over, and then sign it]