On the first day of the new year, Li Yixun and Yuan Yi met at a bridal shop.
“On my first day as a thirty-two-year-old, it’s an honor to accompany my friend to choose a wedding dress.” Li Yixun hadn’t forgotten Yuan Yi’s teasing from that day, and deliberately teased her upon meeting.
“On my first day as an eighteen-year-old, it’s an honor that a friend I’ve known for many years is still by my side.”
They smiled at each other, both marveling at the wonder of fate.
Even though their personalities weren’t particularly compatible when they first became roommates, they later became good friends by chance, and this friendship has lasted for over ten years.
Adults often become lonelier as they grow older, and it seems that there are only a handful of truly close friends.
Li Yixun cherishes these few friends who are still by her side, friends she can laugh and joke freely without restraint, friends she can meet without washing her hair or putting on makeup.
“What kind of wedding dress do you want?” The various styles of wedding dresses in the shop dazzled Li Yixun.
“You saw the wedding photos I took with Meng Yuran before. Chinese cheongsams, casual white T-shirts, simple princess dresses, and the Rococo-style A-line main wedding dress… This wedding is outdoors, so I don’t want to find one of those heavy, elaborate dresses that weigh dozens of kilograms. They’re beautiful, but too cumbersome!”
Li Yixun pondered her words, “But the wedding dresses you complained about being cumbersome are indeed very beautiful. Indoors, with the lighting, they’re absolutely stunning…”
“As for the heaviness, perhaps marriage itself is a shackle? That’s why they design heavy yet extremely beautiful wedding dresses, to entice women in love to willingly put on those shackles?”
Yuan Yi looked fearful. Fear contorted her beautiful face into a grimace. “Please, please! I’ve been terrified of marriage and children for so many years, and I’ve finally made the decision to walk into the grave for someone. Please don’t try to dissuade me anymore—otherwise, you’ll have to find a way to compensate Meng Yuran with a bride!”
“Then I’ll give him Chen Nian. Two handsome guys together should be quite a sight.”
“Tsk tsk tsk, what did your Chen Nian do to you this time?”
Li Yixun followed closely behind Yuan Yi, watching her pick out several simple evening gowns and try them on.
“It’s just like that, too lazy to say more… I just feel like he’s hiding something big from me lately.”
“Yesterday I went out with him for New Year’s Eve, and all his friends toasted him and congratulated him as soon as they saw him. I don’t know what good news he has that everyone knows about, that he’d be congratulated… It can’t be that he married a new wife, right?”
“He even winked at his friends, signaling me to keep quiet.”
“Hilarious! Do they think I’m blind? Can’t I see their furtive glances?”
Yuan Yi didn’t hide her schadenfreude. “Don’t be like that, be optimistic. What if it’s not a concubine, but a concubine who gave him a big, healthy son?”
“…Then I wish his concubine would give him eight sons!” Li Yixun said with a forced smile and a serious expression.
Yuan Yi tried on several dresses, and Li Yixun gave her serious feedback on each one. But actually, she felt that every single one was stunning, making it difficult to choose.
“Damn it, I forgot my strategist today is indecisive.”
Li Yixun could only shrug helplessly. “Right, you forgot that when I used to have trouble making choices, I’d roll dice on WeChat. Now… swiping Chen Nian’s card means I won’t hesitate, I want it all!”
Finally, Li Yixun helped take a picture and posted it to their college dorm group chat, asking her two remaining roommates for their opinions.
“It has to be the most stunning one, the kind that will make Meng Yuran cry!” Yuan Yi added her request to the WeChat group.
The other two roommates showered her with compliments, “You’re Princess Yuan! No matter what you wear, President Meng will cry. He’s waited so long for you to say yes!”
Yuan Yi smiled with satisfaction, “You’ve won this princess’s heart!”
“Hurry up and vote! This princess needs to consider the opinions of the masses to decide which one to choose.”
With everyone’s help, Yuan Yi finally settled on a simple off-the-shoulder mermaid dress, which perfectly accentuated her figure—slim waist, long legs—and under the bright lights, she truly looked like a mermaid princess just emerging from the water.
Li Yixun finally breathed a sigh of relief. She really wasn’t good at making choices; she was always too hesitant and indecisive.
Her own wedding… she rarely thought about those days.
Back then, she even doubted the possibility of the marriage continuing, so naturally, she didn’t want to have a wedding, nor did she have the heart for it. But she couldn’t resist the insistence of both sets of parents, so the couple simply handed over all the decision-making power to the wedding planning company and Chen Nian’s mother.
Even the wedding dress style was decided by Qi Hui; Li Yixun’s only involvement in the wedding preparations was taking measurements and trying on her custom-made gown.
Li Yixun was numb and passive about the wedding, like a puppet on a string. She felt neither curious nor concerned until the rehearsal the day before the wedding, when she finally gained some insight into the actual preparations. It turned out her mother-in-law preferred a lavish and extravagant European-style wedding.
As Li Yixun walked hand-in-hand with her groom to the center of the stage, she finally felt the reality of being a character in a play.
The song played during the ceremony was her favorite, “Love Story.”
“He knelt to the ground,d pulled out a ring, and said
Mary,e Juli, et you’ll never have to be alo..ne
I love you, and that’s all I really. know
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dres..s
It’s a love story, baby, just say yes.
…”
Before this, she had viewed the wedding with indifference, feeling like she was merely an important prop—a bride doll used to fulfill her parents’ expectations.
Even though she was holding the hand of the person she loved most, Li Yixun suddenly felt a strange sense of panic and a dramatic tension, as if she had been caught in an unknown storm and felt utterly helpless.
She really was going to marry the man beside her, even though he had never said he loved her.
He hadn’t said “Marry me” or promised her, as she had hoped.
After a hasty discussion, she and Chen Nian quickly registered their marriage, binding themselves to a sacred vow. Now, they stood opposite each other before the public, about to exchange vows regarding this marriage.
Li Yixun felt lost and helpless. She didn’t know if her love could sustain this marriage, if she could spend her life with someone who didn’t truly love her. An adult’s right reason wouldn’t even allow her to run away, even though she had dreamt of this scene countless times before.
The emcee continued to slowly read the pre-rehearsed lines, setting the stage for the couple’s vows.
Li Yixun and Chen Nian stood facing each other on the stage, their eyes locked for a long time under the watchful eyes of the audience. She gazed into those beautiful eyes, even seeing her own reflection in his brown pupils.
“Let’s run away,” she mouthed, momentarily thinking she was dreaming.
But the instant the words left her lips, she regretted them. She knew it was all inappropriate, like she was being unreasonable.
Despite her subtle movements, Li Yixun was certain Chen Nian understood what she was saying. She saw his facial features suddenly tighten, his familiar eyes surging with emotions she couldn’t comprehend, and even his hand holding hers trembled slightly.
However, he quickly composed himself, gently squeezing her palm, smiling indulgently at her like he was spoiling a child. “Okay.”
Li Yixun didn’t know what Chen Nian’s mindset was in agreeing. This wedding was clearly a social affair, inviting many people important to him. It had cost a fortune in terms of money, time, and resources. Both sets of parents were sitting in the audience, anticipating a perfect and grand ceremony.
But Chen Nian, usually so rational, inappropriately joined her in her madness.
Even though she had already agreed, Li Yixun suddenly felt a strange emptiness, as if the wound in her heart had been torn open even wider. She trembled and could even hear sobs.
“Forget it, this is too troublesome. Let’s continue,” Li Yixun said, unsure of her expression, but guessing it wasn’t pleasant.
Chen Nian must regret choosing such a crazy bride. Li Yixun thought to herself, trying to find a clue in his expression. However, Chen Nian remained expressionless, simply giving a nonchalant “hmm.”
No one noticed this brief interlude between the two of them.
Under everyone’s gaze, Chen Nian and Li Yixun, like two pre-programmed robots, recited their vows, exchanged rings, and toasted guests according to the prepared program. Finally, they joined hands to see off the guests, ending a wedding ceremony that seemed extremely perfect.