Chapter 579: The Wedding (Part 2)

Chapter 579: The Wedding (II)

The groomsmen numbered seven, and naturally the bridesmaids were also seven.

They could be called the Seven Fairies, each as beautiful as a flower and brimming with talent.

Three of them were Wu Tong’s classmates—one from middle school, one from high school, and one from university—each her closest friend and confidante from those respective periods.

Truly, birds of a feather flock together; they were not only lovely but also excelled in their studies.

The university friend went without saying—a graduate student at the Academy of Fine Arts. Wu Tong was the Guohua beauty, while she was the oil painting beauty.

The middle school classmate was the top liberal arts scorer in the Shanghai college entrance exams, pursuing a combined bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral program at Peking University. After earning her bachelor’s in two years, she paused her studies to teach in a mountain village for two years before returning for her master’s. She didn’t go to the mountains just to endure hardship; while teaching, she also helped alleviate poverty. She built school buildings, constructed roads, and integrated local agriculture and forestry industries, spurring economic development. Of course, her family was indeed wealthy.

The high school classmate had passed the exams to join the Air Force and was now an outstanding pilot—the kind who flew fighter jets. Specifics could not be disclosed here.

One was a colleague she met while working at the Palace Museum, also a part-time restorer there, whose main job was a professor at Shuimu University.

Two were considered part of the entertainment industry.

One was an older sister she had known since childhood, also a student of her mother. She had long devoted herself to stage drama but had recently made a splash in film and television, with several consecutive hit shows.

The other was Su Qingcen. Su Qingcen was Wu Tong’s idol, and after meeting through Meng Fan, they had stayed in touch and developed a close friendship.

The last one had a somewhat “special” identity: she was Meng Fan’s cousin, Meng Caitang. Perhaps because of Meng Fan, or perhaps because Wu Tong had a younger brother pursuing Meng Caitang, these two people with a tangled relationship had become the best of friends, and Meng Caitang had volunteered to be a bridesmaid.

If you think about it, the “lineup” of the bridesmaids was no less impressive than that of the groomsmen. Just the résumés of the middle school and high school classmates alone would leave few in the groomsmen party able to match them.

Of course, when it came to the most “terrifying” résumé—one that could even overshadow world champion Xu Jiayu and double-award winner Leng Lianyin—it had to be Meng Caitang.

Years ago, Meng Caitang had already been nominated for various biomedical awards for research she conducted with her mentor. Her findings had played a critical role in advancing a certain field of biomedicine. Even without publishing the results, merely reaching a certain research milestone would have been enough to secure her place in history. Recently, her research had achieved breakthrough after breakthrough. In just the last two months, she had advanced the project by nearly fifteen years, and the team had been confirmed as nominees for this year’s Nobel Prize in Medicine.

This was no longer a case of her mentor or team leading her—she had single-handedly propelled the entire team forward!

When the bridesmaids were exposed online, everyone initially thought them unremarkable. But once the details were matched to the individuals, their popularity instantly surpassed that of the groomsmen.

On the groomsmen’s side, only Leng Lianyin was a pleasant surprise; the others, while not unexpected, were hardly out of the ordinary. On the bridesmaids’ side, aside from Su Qingcen, every single one was a surprise—and several were huge surprises.

Many were shouting for the middle school classmate to take them in as dependents, and countless were directly calling the high school classmate “husband.” As for Meng Caitang, she received nothing but worship.

Experts came out one after another to “educate” the public: Meng Caitang’s team was absolutely the front-runner for this year’s Nobel Prize in Medicine. If they didn’t win this year, they would surely win next year. In short, it was impossible for them not to win—the research field was simply too incredible. They could win a Nobel without even producing results, and it was highly likely that every progress milestone would earn another Nobel!

Netizens had originally just come for the spectacle, but now they were utterly stunned. “Holy crap, that’s too fierce! So the most impressive person in the Meng family isn’t Meng Fan but this little sister!”

The internet buzzed all night. The next day, the wedding day itself, dawned. Early in the morning, the bride and her bridesmaids got up to start their makeup, while the groom and his groomsmen also began their preparations. When the time came, they set off to pick up the bride.

The pickup was from the newly purchased wedding home to the house where Meng Fan and Wu Tong had previously lived—not all the way to Shanghai, as the distance would have been too exhausting.

One family was in Shanghai, the other in Ruicheng, so their customs naturally differed. Fortunately, neither family was overly particular about such things. The customs and procedures were all discussed and settled between the two families, with convenience as the guiding principle. Of course, convenience did not mean a lack of grandeur.

As soon as they entered the neighborhood, before they even encountered any obstruction from the bridesmaids, they were “blocked” by the residents. But of course, they weren’t stopping Meng Fan and his party to ask for wedding cigarettes or money—they were all there to offer blessings. Meng Fan had lived in this neighborhood for so long, coming and going, that everyone knew him. Who didn’t like him, right? Additionally, many wanted to ask if Meng Fan would continue living here, since it affected the neighborhood’s property values.

Amid the warmth of the residents, they finally made it into the building. As if coordinated, the elevator stopped at every floor on the way up. When the doors opened, neighbors were waiting outside to offer their congratulations, blessings, and carefully prepared small gifts. Meng Fan was truly moved.

When they reached the apartment, they had expected the bridesmaids to have prepared some fierce tricks to test them. Instead, the door was wide open, welcoming them inside.

“Welcome, welcome! A warm welcome!”

The atmosphere was so good, so harmonious, that the groomsmen, who had steeled themselves for a trial, were caught off guard.

But once inside, it was still lively. The bridesmaids had indeed prepared—they had arranged several segments to add fun and romance to the bride-picking process.

The fun was aimed at the groomsmen; the romance was left for Meng Fan to shine.

After a round of festivities, Meng Fan finally carried his bride away.

After specially thanking Wu Tong’s parents, who were also present, Meng Fan carried Wu Tong downstairs.

From the car and all the way along, Meng Fan grinned foolishly the entire time. Then, as he laughed, he suddenly burst into loud sobs. Wu Tong, seeing this, laughed and cried at the same time. The moment Meng Fan noticed Wu Tong’s emotions stirring, he quickly pulled himself together and resumed his silly grin.

The two held hands tightly all the way to their new home.

At the new house, another set of wedding customs awaited.

After that, the newlyweds, along with the groomsmen and bridesmaids, headed out for outdoor photos and videos to commemorate the occasion.

It was worth noting here that Leng Lianyin from the groomsmen’s party and the Palace Museum colleague and Qingmu University professor from the bridesmaids’ party turned out to be old acquaintances. During the bride-picking, Meng Fan hadn’t noticed anything unusual, but now he saw that Leng Lianyin looked strange. When Meng Fan asked, he learned that this was the very Sister Ruyue whom Leng Lianyin had mentioned—the one with whom he had shared a life-and-death bond in the southwest!

The story of these two was far too captivating. Now, after ten years apart, they were reunited. Sister Ruyue was still as gentle and charming as ever, and Leng Lianyin remained the cool, dashing hero. Meng Fan couldn’t wait to see what would unfold between them next!

After the photo session, everyone headed to the Xizi Lake Cultural and Creative Park, where the wedding ceremony would officially begin at 18:18 in the evening.

(The chapter ends)