631. Wedding Arrival
==============================
Ever since Lin Nan bumped into Lilith and Lina on the pedestrian street in the county town, she hadn’t seen either of them again.
Rumor had it they were off on a global tour, but who knows where they actually ended up? Otherwise, Lin Nan would have happily sent out those invitations she had with their names written on them.
A glance at Lilith and Li Na brought a smile to Lin Nan’s face.
Sure, these two were the masterminds behind her female transformation, but after spending some time together, she had already come to think of them as friends.
“It’s been years! You don’t reply to my messages or answer my calls!”
Seeing them made her happy, but Lin Nan couldn’t shake off her vigilance, worried that these two troublemakers might be up to no good again.
Li Na sat nearby, taking in Lin Nan’s bridal elegance, a far cry from the awkward boy she once knew. She couldn’t help but shake her head in nostalgia, “I never imagined we’d reach this point!”
“Yep.” Lin Nan leaned back in her chair, her long legs elegantly crossed beneath her wedding dress.
Initially, Li Na viewed Lin Nan as just a tool to resurrect Lilith, completely indifferent to whether Lilith would take over her body afterwards. But as they got closer, Li Na helped Lin Nan discard any memories that might alter her personality, assisted in gender transition, and tried to resurrect Lilith in a different way.
In the end, they succeeded!
Just as Lin Nan was about to continue reminiscing, a chorus of footsteps and chatter echoed from outside the door.
Dressed in a sharp suit, Chen Yao, accompanied by three groomsmen and a crowd of friends and family, hurried to the bedroom door on the third floor, only to see Liu Xuefei blocking the entrance.
On the left stood the perpetually overweight Tu Junhui, who looked quite ridiculous in his oversized suit. Seeing Liu Xuefei, he instantly started yelling, “Get out of the way! You can’t stop a two-hundred-plus pound guy like me! Lin Nan has to come with us today!”
On the right, Xiong Da didn’t say a word but stifled a yawn, clearly unimpressed.
With the rest of their dorm-mates graduated, it was just him and his paper doll wife left in the dormitory. Honestly, he didn’t look bad; if he just wore a hat to cover his bald spot, he could be a heartthrob—if only his personality wasn’t so painfully reserved.
Though the four roommates kept in touch frequently after graduation, Chen Yao and Xiong Da worked at the same studio while Tu Junhui had participated in training after graduation, only to join his pals living in the provincial city with Xiong Da.
“Is that how you talk? If you keep it up, I won’t let you through!” Liu Xuefei plant her hand firmly against the advancing Tu Junhui. “Red envelopes! Where are the three bridesmaids? We worked hard to make your wife look stunning!”
“Three?”
Chen Yao, Tu Junhui, and Xiong Da shared a baffled look, completely unaware that Lin Nan had made new friends.
“Yeah! Li Na and Li Lisi are here too.”
Hearing this, Chen Yao helplessly pulled out three red envelopes and handed them to Liu Xuefei, saying, “Thousand each, that should be enough.”
With her eyes lighting up at the sight of money, Liu Xuefei snatched up the envelopes without a second thought, completely forgetting her original mission, and happily began counting the bills.
Tu Junhui stepped forward, knocked on the door, and shouted loudly, “Lin Nan! Chen Yao is here to pick you up!”
Lin Nan instantly shot up to open the door, but Lilith beat her to it, swinging the door open and stepping aside with a grin, ready to watch the show.
Next, Lin Nan watched as a crowd of people burst into the bedroom, instantly filling the tiny space to the brim.
She recognized several of them, but most were Chen Yao’s friends and family, complete strangers to her.
Startled, she took two steps back, her face flushed, and stared down at the floor, feeling utterly lost.
Chen Yao stepped closer, glanced at her for a moment, then took her hand gently, whispering, “No bride in the world looks as good as you.”
“Whoa! Dude, with that makeup, you look absolutely stunning!” Tu Junhui exclaimed, walking circles around Lin Nan, his words spilling out, “d*mn, I’m jealous!”
Xiong Da elbowed him in the chest, causing him to retreat with an exaggerated yelp.
“Okay.” Lin Nan buried her head deeper, avoiding their gaze.
“Shall we head downstairs for the toast?”
“Sure.”
With her head down, she let herself be led out of the room, three bridesmaids and three groomsmen eagerly tailing behind, with Chen Yao’s friends falling in line after them.
In the downstairs hall of her grandfather’s house, they found her grandparents already seated at the dining table, Lin Nan’s mother smiling beside her grandfather. A few of Lin Nan’s uncles and cousins had also arrived to join the festivities.
Wu Jiaming had left for a foreign life two years ago, but upon hearing the news of Lin Nan’s wedding, he made a special trip back. The working life abroad had become too dreary, and he couldn’t stand it any longer.
Lin Xinyi had grown her hair long and tied it in a ponytail, showing just enough girliness after failing her college entrance exam. Now, she was just a high school grad navigating life.
“Here they come!” Lin Xinyi’s eyes widened, peering over at the staircase. “Whoa! Cousin looks so pretty with that makeup! And the husband isn’t bad either—kinda handsome!”
Their mother shot her a glare.
Stepping down the stairs, the dashing Chen Yao in his suit and bashful Lin Nan in her white wedding dress walked hand-in-hand into the hall, heading straight towards the dining table.
They paused in front of the table. Lin Nan still looked flustered, clutching the sides of her dress tightly, avoiding eye contact, while Chen Yao confidently poured liquor into several glasses and handed one to Lin Nan’s mother, keeping another for himself.
He noticed Lin Nan’s mother’s conflicted expression as he toasted, saying, “Mom, I’ll take good care of Lin Nan.”
Their mother pursed her lips, watching as Chen Yao downed his drink in one go, then leisurely finished her own, letting out a sigh, “I didn’t take good care of Nan Nan before, so from now on it’s all up to you.”
Lin Nan substituted cola for liquor; she couldn’t handle the hard stuff and wanted to avoid making a fool of herself.
“I’ll make sure of it.”
Chen Yao nodded vigorously, refilling his glass and turning to Lin Nan’s grandfather, “Grandpa, would you like a drink?”
Well aware of his grandfather’s issues with gout, Lin Nan’s grandfather cheerfully clinked his cup and took a sip, only to reach for another cup before being smacked on the hand by his wife, who shot him a warning glare. He begrudgingly withdrew his hand, sulking like a grumpy child.
“Don’t worry, Grandma. Lin Nan will never suffer an ounce of grievance with me.”
Grandma’s face broke into a smile, all wrinkles and joy, as she nodded approvingly.
With the customary rituals completed, Lin Nan was pulled aside by her mother for a chat about life after marriage and when to have kids while Chen Yao hovered nearby, dutifully serving the elders.
Meanwhile, her grandfather seized the moment, taking the opportunity to challenge Chen Yao to a drinking contest, feeling particularly emboldened by Lin Nan’s big day.
As for Grandma, she rose to the kitchen, bringing out a massive pot of fish balls and meat dumplings, ready to treat all the friends and family who had come to celebrate.
