The decision had been made too suddenly. Without any preparation, they simply took their identification documents and headed straight to the civil affairs bureau.
Across from the bureau was a small convenience store. After getting out of the car, Chu Luyu first pulled Jiang Hezhou over to buy two packs of candy.
The store owner was an old man sipping tea from a glass cup with a loud slurp. Behind his reading glasses, his shrewd, aged eyes took one look at the couple and knew exactly what they were there for.
“If you’re handing out wedding candy, get the Wangwang milk candy—the packaging is bright red, very festive.” He then tapped the counter in front of him. “We’ve got boxes here too—red, pink, blue, every color you want.”
Chu Luyu hadn’t expected such a small shop to be so well-stocked. She smiled and acknowledged him, then picked out two packs of Wangwang candy and two stacks of pink gift boxes with Jiang Hezhou.
The world within this short drama continued the real world’s trend of ultra-low marriage rates. When they walked into the civil affairs bureau lobby, they found only two couples queued up at the marriage registration counter, while the divorce window had a much longer line.
After taking a number, they went to the counter to have their ID information verified and filled out a declaration of relationship. Then, the staff member smiled and pointed toward a small room nearby.
“Go to that room for your photo. There are veils and small accessories in there—see what you can do to dress up the bride.”
As they turned to walk that way, Chu Luyu tugged at Jiang Hezhou’s sleeve and whispered, “She called me a bride.”
“What else would she call you?” Jiang Hezhou smiled and glanced sideways at her. “Isn’t that what you came here to be today?”
“Hehe, I guess so!”
Compared to the lobby, the photo room was a bit cramped—only about three or four square meters, with a red backdrop and a DSLR camera set up inside. In the corner, a cardboard box held various decorative props for photos. The photographer, a young woman in a black suit, was busy retouching photos from the previous couple. Hearing them come in, she didn’t turn around, just pointed vaguely toward the box.
“Pick out something to match, then sit in front of the red backdrop and wait for the photo.”
Jiang Hezhou moved first. He bent down to rummage through the box, but as he did, his brow gradually furrowed.
“None of these look very good,” he said in a low voice to Chu Luyu. After a moment’s hesitation, he asked, “Should we go to a photo studio instead?”
“It’s already afternoon—let’s not go through the trouble. I’m afraid the bureau will close by the time we get back.”
Chu Luyu bent down and picked up the veil on top. The fabric was originally white, but after being worn by too many people without daily cleaning, it now looked grayish and a bit dirty.
She felt a little put off too, but in the end, she pinned it to her head with clips anyway.
“How do I look? Doesn’t everything look good on me?”
Jiang Hezhou’s gaze turned oddly deep. After a few seconds, he smiled and replied, “Yes.”
The photo session went smoothly. With their strikingly good looks, they barely needed any lighting adjustments—the results turned out excellent just sitting there and snapping a few shots.
Once they had the photos, they returned to the counter, went through a second round of document verification, received their certificates, and had them stamped.
The staff member beamed and congratulated them, wishing them a long and happy marriage.
Chu Luyu happily handed over two boxes of candy, then walked around the entire lobby, offering a box to everyone she passed, cheerfully saying, “My husband and I just got married today—please have some candy!”
In truth, Jiang Hezhou had once longed endlessly for this moment.
Back in the days when he knew Chu Luyu was always thinking of leaving, he had imagined countless ways to keep her by his side—and getting their marriage license was one of them.
But aside from that reason, having a legally recognized bond with the person he loved deeply—so that whenever others mentioned either of them, they’d think of the other, transforming from two separate individuals into a united pair—was indeed a beautiful and joyful thing.
He should be happy, Jiang Hezhou kept telling himself. He should be happy.
Even if that happiness was built on a foundation of sorrow and worry. Even if he was still constantly afraid that one day, his beloved might be struck by another accident and leave him forever…
At the very least, at this moment, he should be happy.
After all, this was something he had waited for so, so long. After all, his love was still beside him, persisting in her cheerfulness—even though he could already sense a hint of strain beneath her smile.
Just then, a large, clean, pale hand reached into the bag of candy. Chu Luyu turned around instinctively and saw that Jiang Hezhou’s face, which had been calm and composed just moments before, was now wearing a faint smile.
“We got married today—please have some candy—”
That night, both Jiang Hezhou and Chu Luyu’s social media feeds exploded.
They had both posted the same official announcement of their marriage license, and a flood of comments poured in beneath.
Zhang Jiting: ??????????
Zhang Jiting: You used me like a mule when you proposed, and now you don’t even give a hint before getting the license???
Ji Chen: ??????????????????????
Yao Meng: Congratulations!!! When’s the wedding banquet? I’ve got the gift money ready!
Chen Mian: ?
Chen Mian: Just wait—I’m telling Mom you got married without telling the family!
…
Besides their social media feeds, both of them were receiving countless messages on WeChat.
They had just taken a shower together, and Chu Luyu was now curled up against Jiang Hezhou’s smooth, firm chest, still able to smell the mingled fragrance of the same shampoo and body wash on both of them.
Their phones buzzed with message alerts every few seconds. Looking at the endless red notification dots, Chu Luyu felt an inexplicable sense of accomplishment.
“You can tell our sudden marriage really scared them.”
“Mm. Zhang Jiting and Ji Chen have called over a dozen times. The old residence called twice too. I didn’t pick up any of them.”
“Hehe. Mom and Xiaomian called me too—I didn’t answer either. I just replied saying the post is real and we did get the license. I wonder what they’re thinking.”
Jiang Hezhou leaned down and kissed her forehead, instinctively tightening his arms around her. “They won’t think much. They’ll only wish us well.”
Chu Luyu turned and hugged him back, rubbing her cheek against his chest.
“Jiang Hezhou, we’re husband and wife now.”
“Mm. We’re husband and wife now.”
“Marriage might not be the happiest thing in the world for others, but for us, it’s already one of the happiest things.” Chu Luyu looked up at him and smiled. “So, we should be happy—truly, from the bottom of our hearts.”
As she spoke, her eyes reddened again for some reason. Jiang Hezhou couldn’t help but press a kiss to her eyelid, his deep voice carrying a hint of hoarseness.
“If you’re happy, why are you crying?”
“These are tears of joy—what do you know?”
Jiang Hezhou’s eyes also reddened at the corners. He went along with her words and replied, “Fine. Tears of joy.”
—
Once the marriage license was in hand, they began preparing for the wedding.
In truth, Jiang Hezhou had already delegated this task to others. But his initial requirements had been extremely high—he wanted every detail to be perfect, to give Chu Luyu a dreamlike wedding that everyone would envy.
Given their current situation, however, they preferred to hold the ceremony sooner rather than later. So they streamlined many of the procedures, and in less than half a month, the preparations were nearly complete.
The wedding venue had been changed from an overseas estate to the top floor of a hotel in Jingzhou—the same place Zhang Jiting had provided. The wedding planning team worked overtime on the decorations and finally, after more than ten days, fulfilled all of Jiang Hezhou and Chu Luyu’s requirements.
On the day of the rehearsal, many friends and family gathered at the venue. Besides Chu Fanyin and Chen Mian, Jiang Hezhou’s two brothers and his mother—who had been abroad—also made a rare appearance.
She brought with her many gifts, jewelry, and some equity documents. When she saw Jiang Hezhou and Chu Luyu, she handed everything over to them.
“These are things I’ve been saving for you and your brother over the years. I’d planned to split them evenly between your two families once both your wives came into the fold. But since your brother’s share is no longer needed, I’ll give it all to you.” Jiang’s mother smiled as she spoke, but there was still a faint trace of sorrow in her expression. “Hezhou, Xiaoyu, Mom wishes you a happy marriage, a hundred years of love, and everlasting happiness.”
This was the first time mother and son had met since Jiang Qiyou’s downfall. His mother looked older now, with a few strands of white at her temples.
Jiang Hezhou looked at her with a tumult of emotions in his chest. It felt as though a thousand words were stuck in his throat, but in the end, only one came out: “Thank you, Mom.”
She knew her son’s nature leaned toward the reserved, so she didn’t mind. She just smiled at him and Chu Luyu again and stepped aside.
The rehearsal was about to begin. The wedding planner briefly walked them through the process in a corner.
After about ten minutes of explanation, the wedding rehearsal officially started.
Since they were using their own venue, everything—except for the lack of a suit and wedding gown—was nearly identical to what it would be on the actual day.
A ten-meter-long pink-and-white flower wall stood at the front. A staircase lined with flower clusters was surrounded by countless dreamy bubbles. Jiang Hezhou stood there, tall and straight as a jade mountain, his gaze fixed on the entrance, quietly and expectantly waiting for his bride.
The doors slowly opened, and Chu Luyu, dressed in casual clothes with a white veil on her head, appeared in everyone’s view.
She held a bridal bouquet in her favorite pink-and-white style. Amidst the cheers and good-natured teasing, Chu Luyu walked step by step toward her beloved.
At that moment, it seemed as if the brightest light in the room was focused on the two of them. They each held the cue cards the emcee had given them earlier. When the process reached its final stage, they began to recite their vows to each other.
“Dear Mr. Jiang Hezhou, for the rest of my life…”
The emcee’s script was a bit corny. As Chu Luyu read it aloud, she skimmed ahead. Suddenly, a scream rang out from nearby: “Bride, move! Move! The chandelier is about to fall!”
Chu Luyu barely had time to react before Jiang Hezhou pulled her securely into his arms. He yanked her back two steps just as a loud CRASH sounded behind them!
Screams rang out one after another from the audience, yet the two of them felt a strange sense of familiarity—as if they’d grown used to this.
Just last night, they had joked about whether a plot kill would show up during the rehearsal.
And sure enough, it did.
Zhang Jiting first ordered the venue staff to clean up the mess on stage, then walked over to Jiang Hezhou and Chu Luyu, apologizing in a low voice.
“I’m sorry about this. The staff must not have checked properly. I instructed them to inspect the lighting fixtures every three days—I don’t know how this slipped through!” He frowned deeply. “Once I find out who was responsible, I’ll make sure to hold them accountable.”
“No, no, no!” Chu Luyu knew this might not be anyone’s fault and quickly stopped him. “It was just an accident. We’re fine anyway—no need to make a big fuss over it.”
Just as she finished speaking, Chu Fanyin and Chen Mian finally ran over from the other side of the venue.
They had been looking for the best photo spot to document the rehearsal for Chu Luyu, but while recording, they had witnessed the massive crystal chandelier crashing down.
Chu Fanyin was so scared her legs went weak. Leaning on her son for support, she stumbled over.
“Sweetheart, are you okay?” She grabbed her daughter’s shoulders and turned her around to check thoroughly. “That was terrifying! That chandelier was right above your head—if it had hit you, the consequences would’ve been unthinkable!”
“I’m fine, Mom.” Chu Luyu smiled. This accident didn’t scare her at all—instead, she felt a sense of “finally” and “there it is.”
To put her mother at ease, she even twirled around in front of everyone to show she was perfectly fine.
“See, Mom? I’m completely unharmed. Jiang Hezhou pulled me away in time, and I didn’t get hurt at all.” She pursed her lips and smiled toward Jiang Hezhou. “You don’t need to worry. As long as he’s here, I won’t get hurt.”
This minor hiccup didn’t affect the rest of the rehearsal. Their vow recitation hadn’t been completed, so after the stage was cleaned up, the emcee repeated what he’d said earlier.
“Now, let’s invite the couple to recite their vows of love in the presence of family and friends!”
The applause sounded just as it had before. Chu Luyu was supposed to go first again. She raised her cue card, ready to read through the corny vows as she had earlier.
But before she could speak, she suddenly felt her nose grow warm. A moment later, a drop of bright red blood splattered onto the cue card.
Her mind went blank for an instant—and in that span, more drops of blood fell onto the card. One, two, three…
She looked up in alarm, barely meeting Jiang Hezhou’s eyes before a wave of dizziness hit her. The world spun, and she felt herself falling into a familiar embrace.
The sounds around her faded further and further away. Her vision grew hazy, and just before her consciousness slipped away completely, the last thing she saw was Jiang Hezhou holding her, shouting—
“Ambulance! Call an ambulance!!”
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