The evening banquet went exactly as expected, with both hosts and guests thoroughly enjoying themselves. The party consisted of the bride Chen Chuxiao, the groom Lu Hong, Lu Hong’s friend Chen Zhi, the "Third" of their dorm Lin Shuwan, Lin’s boyfriend Zhao Ka, Xia Yinuo, Liang Juejun, and Huang Qi. Young people find it easy to mingle, especially with several lively personalities in the mix. The former classmates reminisced about amusing anecdotes from C University, including the story of how Xia Yinuo had once left Huang Qi standing under the dormitory building all night, clutching a rose for a confession. Huang Qi repeatedly begged for mercy as the group erupted in laughter.
Curious, Xia Yinuo asked, "I’ve seen traditional Chinese weddings where they say the bride and groom shouldn't see each other the day before the wedding. You two have probably seen each other a dozen times today already."
The groom, Lu Hong, replied nonchalantly, "That’s what the etiquette says, but people don't strictly follow that anymore. Chinese style, Western style, or a fusion—whatever should or shouldn't be done, we've done it all anyway."
The group laughed again.
"Speaking of which, Xiaobao is still single. You're really dragging down the national average," Chen Chuxiao declared. "Don't be so picky, hurry up."
"Exactly," Huang Qi added. "It doesn't have to be me, but you need to find someone to take care of you."
"Who says a woman must have someone to take care of her? I’ve been doing just fine on my own," Xia Yinuo disagreed. "Besides, what era is this? Women are independent and self-reliant."
Lin Shuwan chimed in, "You’re just stubborn. We’ll just have to wait and see whose hands our dear Xiaobao eventually falls into."
"I’ll take that as a blessing!" Xia Yinuo made a gesture of raising her glass. Liang Juejun’s gaze followed the cup closely, relieved to see it contained only fruit juice.
Throughout the meal, Liang Juejun didn't say much. Most of the time, she listened quietly, eating at a leisurely pace. When asked a question, she answered carefully; when she heard something funny, she laughed along with everyone else.
After dinner, the group retired to their respective rooms. Liang Juejun told Xia Yinuo to call her if she needed any help. Xia Yinuo nodded and agreed.
Just as Xia Yinuo finished the arduous task of bathing, Lin Shuwan slipped into her room, claiming they needed an all-night heart-to-heart. Once they were settled, the two lay side-by-side on the bed, chatting idly.
Suddenly, Lin Shuwan looked at the ceiling and sighed, "Eldest is finally the first among us to get married."
Xia Yinuo closed her eyes, sounding a bit lethargic. "Yeah, isn't that great?"
Lin Shuwan said, "I’m just marveling at how fast time flies."
Xia Yinuo recited softly, "In this life, we seldom meet, like the stars Shen and Shang. When we parted, you were yet unwed; now your children stand in a row."
Lin Shuwan sat up abruptly. "There you go again, always exuding that literary 'smugness.' It wasn't easy to talk with so many people around earlier, but now, is there any secret talk you want to share with your big sister?"
"What do you mean by 'literary smugness'?" Xia Yinuo opened her eyes, though her body remained still.
Lin Shuwan teased, "Oh, don't deny it. You're a 'closet' romantic."
Xia Yinuo laughed. "Alright. To be honest, I never really gave serious thought to things like dating or marriage before. Since I was young, I haven't really believed in eternal love or marriage."
Lin Shuwan sighed inwardly. "I understand."
"I know thinking this way is very pessimistic and wrong."
"You... you should know that being too cautious and stingy with love can be called 'devotion,' but it can also be called 'heartlessness.'"
Xia Yinuo didn't deny it. She simply asked, "Shuwan, what do you think love is?"
"Love?" Lin Shuwan thought for a moment. "The love I understand is 'peaceful years, warming each other until old age.'"
"Mm."
"Then what do you think love is?"
Xia Yinuo shook her head and didn't answer.
Lin Shuwan waited for a response that never came. When she leaned over to check, Xia Yinuo had already closed her eyes and fallen asleep.
Early the next morning, the two bridesmaids rose to do their makeup and change. The bride's makeup process was even more tedious. As Xia Yinuo watched, she joked with Lin Shuwan that she wouldn't get married if it was this much trouble. Lin Shuwan laughed, saying the truly complicated parts were yet to come.
Liang Juejun had also risen early. As Xia Yinuo was changing her shoes, Liang handed her a box of band-aids. "Yesterday, when you were trying on your shoes, you looked a bit uncomfortable. New shoes always rub your feet. I happened to have these; put them on your heels so you don't blister." A wave of warmth rose in Xia Yinuo’s heart. Before she could say anything, Lin Shuwan had already happily taken the band-aids, praising Liang for her thoughtfulness, and helped Xia Yinuo take off her shoes to apply them.
Per the couple's request, the wedding company had minimized the red tape as much as possible, but traditional customs remained. On the wedding day, the groom brought his "brothers" to the bride's home to "claim" her. This involved various trials set by the bride's family—blocking the door to demand red envelopes, performing acts, and finally searching the entire house for the bride's hidden high heels. Only after putting the shoes on her could the groom carry her to the wedding car. Upon arriving at the groom's home, the parents-in-law gave out red envelopes, and the new bride served them tea. Throughout the series of events, the best men and bridesmaids stayed by their side. The four unmarried youths watched with wide eyes, finding it all quite novel.
Xia Yinuo, "battling" with her injury, had her personal assistant Liang Juejun by her side at all times, rendering her almost entirely useless. Liang Juejun joked, "Xiaobao, you've already fulfilled your duty—being a decorative vase."
Xia Yinuo shot back, "No, I intended to perform a long-lost martial arts technique—shattering a boulder on my chest."
After the morning festivities came the midday banquet. Many friends and relatives from both sides arrived, and the wedding emcee was as hyper as if he’d been injected with adrenaline, cranking the atmosphere to its peak. Liang Juejun sat serenely at her table, watching the bride and groom on stage, along with the best men and bridesmaids standing behind them. Today, Xia Yinuo looked exceptionally gentle, her gaze soft as she watched the couple. Tasks like handing over the rings or wine glasses were left to Lin Shuwan; Xia Yinuo only needed to stand there quietly. Although the cast on her arm was conspicuous, it didn't detract from her beauty; instead, it inspired a protective urge in others. One could perhaps write a thesis titled *On the Self-Cultivation of a Decorative Vase*.
The emcee praised the parents for raising such a fine pair and told the newlyweds to thank their parents for their upbringing, noting that they would understand their parents' hardships even more when they became parents themselves. Liang Juejun felt a pang of sadness; she would likely never walk down a wedding carpet herself, and the companionship she used to provide her father was something she could no longer give.
Sitting at the same table as Liang Juejun was Lin Shuwan’s boyfriend, Zhao Ka. As the ceremony continued, Zhao Ka turned to Liang and sighed, "Time really flies. It feels a bit like a dream. Fortunately, it’s a beautiful one."
Liang Juejun followed Zhao Ka’s gaze to the people on stage and smiled. "You are all very lucky."
"Yes, very lucky to have met her. I need to start thinking about how to propose; I hope her expectations aren't too high," Zhao Ka said, his happiness evident in his voice.
Liang Juejun offered a congratulatory smile and looked back at the stage, meeting Xia Yinuo’s eyes. Xia Yinuo was a bit worried about Liang Juejun sitting down there alone and asked with her eyes, *Are you okay?* Liang Juejun answered with her own gaze, *I’m fine, don't worry.*
Once the ceremony ended and the meal began, the newlyweds finally caught a break to rest briefly before starting the table-to-table toasts. If there was a true test, this was likely it. Some guests loved to make a scene, insisting on drinking and adding "flair" to the toasts. If the bride and groom couldn't handle it, the best men and bridesmaids had to step in. Being a best man was truly no easy feat; not only did they contribute money and effort during the morning "claiming," but they also had to drink on the groom's behalf during the banquet. Xia Yinuo felt for Huang Qi and Chen Zhi. Since she was injured, naturally, no one would make things difficult for her.
When the toasts reached one particular table, it was the colleagues of Chen Chuxiao and Lu Hong from the hospital. They played various drinking games—for instance, if a spoon or chopstick was knocked over while pouring wine, someone had to drink. Halfway through, the groom’s face was already flushed deep red, and the bride was also reaching her limit. The two best men and Lin Shuwan had already braced themselves and drank quite a bit. One senior doctor from the hospital wasn't satisfied; seeing Xia Yinuo’s condition, he knew she couldn't drink alcohol, so he insisted on introducing a young man from the hospital to her. The enthusiastic doctor even demanded that Xia Yinuo use tea instead of wine to drink a "cross-cupped" nuptial toast with the young man. The others tried to persuade the doctor to drop it, saying the girl would be embarrassed, and even the young man involved repeatedly said it wasn't necessary. But the doctor, clearly drunk, insisted, claiming it would be a loss of face if she didn't drink. This request made Xia Yinuo’s skin crawl, yet she didn't want to ruin Chen Chuxiao’s reputation or dampen the mood.
Liang Juejun, sitting at the adjacent table, had been watching the situation. Hearing Xia Yinuo being forced into a cross-cupped toast, Liang Juejun stood up calmly, walked over to Xia Yinuo, and waved her phone. "Xiaobao, a call from home. It seems like an emergency."
"Oh, excuse me, I need to step out to take this," Xia Yinuo grabbed the phone and headed out immediately.
Liang Juejun said apologetically to the group, "Sorry, everyone, please continue."
The moment Xia Yinuo took the phone, she knew what was happening because it wasn't her phone at all. Since that was the case, she had to play the part fully. Pretending to be on a call, she walked toward the hall exit, knowing Liang Juejun would follow. Once she turned the corner into the corridor, sure enough, Liang Juejun appeared.
"Senior! Life is a stage, and it all depends on the acting! Thank you so much, otherwise I really wouldn't have known what to do!"
"Aren't you usually very clever?" Liang Juejun’s face remained calm.
"Aiya!" Xia Yinuo pulled Liang Juejun to a less crowded spot. "I just didn't react in time. Running out like this, did you get enough to eat?"
"Yes. You haven't eaten much all day, and you're asking me?"
"I’m alright."
"What does 'alright' mean?"
"So what do we do now? It’s not good to go back, so we might as well wait until the banquet is over. Ha, is that too inconsiderate?"
"Then call them and let them know so they don't worry."
So Xia Yinuo called Lin Shuwan, telling her that she was fine and everything at home was fine, but she was going outside for some fresh air before coming back. Lin Shuwan gave her a few instructions and hung up. Xia Yinuo went back to the room upstairs, changed out of her bridesmaid dress, grabbed her belongings, and slipped out of the hotel.
Leaving the heated indoors, the outside air was biting cold. The two had no specific destination. Xia Yinuo’s sharp eyes spotted a nearby alleyway; they turned in and, as expected, found a different world inside.
"Let's find a shop and eat something first," Liang Juejun said.
"It feels like we're eloping!" Xia Yinuo laughed loudly, the dimple on her right cheek particularly prominent, her breath forming white clouds in the air.
Seeing Xia Yinuo like this, Liang Juejun, who had been inexplicably a bit annoyed earlier, finally smiled. And so, in Beijing in December, two people who had escaped from a wedding scene ate Beijing Zhajiangmian in a small shop and tried a drink called *Douzhi* for the first time. Many years later, if you were to ask how *Douzhi* tasted, Xia Yinuo would say it didn't taste as good as milk, but it didn't matter as long as the person sitting across from her was a feast for the eyes. Liang Juejun would say she didn't like it, but a certain someone just had to try it.
By the time they returned to the hotel, the wedding was nearly over. The groom was predictably drunk and had been carried to his room to rest. When Chen Chuxiao saw Xia Yinuo, she quickly pulled her aside. "You're leaving tonight, and things are finally wrapped up here. I have a few words to say to you."
Liang Juejun spoke first, "I'll go back to the room to rest. You two go ahead."
Xia Yinuo nodded.
Chen Chuxiao pulled Xia Yinuo into the hotel's dressing room, where Lin Shuwan was already waiting. Funnily enough, they had set out some wine, food, and fruit on the table. Xia Yinuo was instantly reminded of their university days in the dorm, where the four of them would occasionally hold small celebrations with snacks and drinks, watching movies and gossiping about everything under the sun.
Xia Yinuo sat down with a grin, noticing a laptop on the table was in a video call. The person on the screen was the "Second" of their dorm, Chu Meng. Now, all four of them were present.
Chu Meng started by poking fun at Xia Yinuo’s "broken arm" look. The four women made quite a scene together. When Xia Yinuo got carried away, the attentive Lin Shuwan would shell some nuts and pop them into her mouth. Then Chu Meng said, "Xiaobao, you're the only one left without a partner. Hurry up and find one."
"Thank you, sister, for worrying about my affairs from across the ocean, hahahaha." The Tai Chi master Xia Yinuo had returned to the fray.
Chen Chuxiao said seriously, "Be serious now. Your sisters are concerned about you."
"I know. But this kind of thing isn't something you can just have because you want it." Xia Yinuo also dropped her playful facade.
Lin Shuwan gently patted Xia Yinuo’s back. "You know... don't close yourself off."
"Okay, I know what I'm doing. Let me say a few sentimental words; please don't find me cringeworthy. Even though I knew Eldest had registered her marriage long ago, being here today and feeling the wedding atmosphere gave me a strange feeling. It’s almost like... seeing a daughter off," Xia Yinuo said, laughing at herself, and the other three laughed too. "Because I see you are happy, I am happy for your happiness. But there's also a bit of reluctance, as if our youth has passed just like that. Marriage and children—I never thought about them, but people are starting to expect them of me. I think I’m just not ready, and I lack confidence in myself."
The sudden sentimental speech nearly brought the three to tears. It was Chu Meng who spoke up: "Xiaobao, remember: *Do not worry about having no kindred spirits on the road ahead.* Don't live to meet other people's expectations; only strive for your own happiness."
*Do not worry about having no kindred spirits on the road ahead.* There is always someone, just like you, who has been waiting for the moment you meet and know each other.
In the afternoon, after packing their things, they said goodbye to the half-drunk Huang Qi and the others. Rare are the happy gatherings in life; departures are far more common. Yet it is precisely because of these repeated gatherings and partings that youth becomes more real and complete.
On the flight back, Liang Juejun saw Xia Yinuo staring blankly out the window and asked, "Did these past two days give you a lot of feelings?"
Xia Yinuo blurted out a line of poetry: "To the edge of the sky, to the corner of the earth, my close friends are scattered. One last cup of wine to enjoy the remaining joy; tonight’s parting dream will be cold."
Liang Juejun feigned anger. "Don't test my Chinese proficiency."
Hearing this, Xia Yinuo immediately sat up straight and apologized, "I'm sorry."
Liang Juejun laughed. "I'm just teasing you, it's fine. I can understand some of it."
Xia Yinuo relaxed, her eyes unfocused as she looked ahead, a faint smile on her lips. "After being apart for a few years since graduation, I feel like everyone has grown a lot and found their own happiness. I’m sincerely happy for them. Sometimes I think, it seems everyone is moving on, and only I am still the same. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing, but it ends up making everyone worry."
Liang Juejun was sitting to Xia Yinuo’s left. She really wanted to see if that shallow dimple was visible on her right cheek at this moment. In the end, she only lightly bumped Xia Yinuo’s shoulder and said, "You are great, really."
Xia Yinuo smiled and didn't reply, saying in her heart: *But it's okay, because I've already found a reason to move on.*
***
**Glossary**
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 莫愁前路无知己 | Do not worry about having no kindred spirits on the road ahead | A famous line from the poem "Farewell to Dong Da" by Gao Shi. |
| 人生不相见，动如参与商 | In this life, we seldom meet, like the stars Shen and Shang | From Du Fu's poem "To My Retired Friend Wei." Shen and Shang are constellations that never appear in the sky at the same time. |
| 交杯酒 | Cross-cupped wine / Nuptial cup | A traditional Chinese wedding custom where the couple (or others in a game) drink from their own glasses with arms intertwined. |
| 豆汁儿 | Douzhi | A traditional fermented mung bean milk from Beijing, known for its sour, pungent taste. |
| 天之涯，地之角，知交半零落 | To the edge of the sky, to the corner of the earth, my close friends are scattered | Lyrics from the famous song "Farewell" (Song Bie) by Li Shutong. |
