Chapter 3

Chapter 3

You Nan heard someone whispering, "The groom is here," and the room immediately erupted in excitement.

Swept up in the commotion, You Nan felt uncontrollably nervous and afraid.

Apart from not inviting more witnesses and being a private, rushed marriage, Qi Yuwen had arranged every other aspect of the wedding meticulously.

He had hired the best wedding planning company in the province, offering full-service perfection at a high price.

All the staff were invited to attend the wedding.

They gathered in the room, eagerly anticipating the ceremony as the most expectant audience of the day.

You Nan heard footsteps stop right in front of him. His heart pounded, and his hands, resting on the red gold-embroidered blanket, wrung together anxiously.

Dressed in a red wedding suit matching You Nan's, Qi Yuwen stopped before his wife in name. The wedding officiant, observant, handed him a prepared jade ruyi scepter on a tray.

Qi Yuwen took it, his gaze falling on You Nan’s clasped hands. A perfect, gentle smile was frozen on his face, though no one noticed the flash of darkness in his eyes.

"Groom, lift the veil!" the officiant announced loudly.

Using the jade ruyi, Qi Yuwen lifted the red veil, revealing the radiant, made-up face beneath.

Fair skin, red lips, and dark hair—his eyes, lifted and dazzling, captivated everyone. Even those who had already seen You Nan in the room were briefly breathless.

Shen Zihe’s eyes widened slightly. He wanted to say something to Yao Xianqing beside him but bit his tongue, remembering the importance of the occasion.

Well, well, no wonder Qi Yuwen had never been in a relationship before—his standards were sky-high.

He must have searched for a long time to find someone like this.

Indeed, after meeting someone who matched his ideal so perfectly, how could he ever settle for ordinary people?

Before the wedding, Qi Yuwen had kept everything hidden and hadn’t told them anything until he finally revealed the truth just before the ceremony. So he had been keeping a jewel hidden—treating his buddies like rivals, not brothers, to guard against!

As his friends, they would never have fallen for their brother’s wife.

Shen Zihe watched the ideal couple surrounded by the crowd, unaware of the longing in his own eyes.

Yao Xianqing’s gaze was also fixed on You Nan, and for some reason, it reminded him of past events.

Qi Yuwen had reunited with him at a banquet.

Running into an old classmate he hadn’t seen in years, Yao Xianqing had acted surprised and delighted, as was appropriate.

Qi Yuwen had played his part perfectly.

He gradually started showing up in Yao Xianqing’s life.

After their first meeting, they had two more brief encounters, with Qi Yuwen taking care to be discreet.

Even their new contact information was exchanged naturally some time after they met.

Qi Yuwen chatted with him about industry matters, occasionally thanking him privately and mentioning how Yao Xianqing had helped him in the past, saying that without that thousand yuan back then, he wouldn’t be where he was today.

Yao Xianqing had forgotten all about it and only vaguely recalled after Qi Yuwen brought it up, the memory dust clearing to reveal a blurry and unfamiliar scene.

Yao Xianqing politely replied that it was nothing really.

Qi Yuwen’s life had been a mess back then, and his current success was the result of his own hard work.

Yao Xianqing admired Qi Yuwen’s perseverance and decisiveness. As a gesture to an old classmate, he later took Qi Yuwen out twice and introduced him to some industry resources.

Yao Xianqing felt he had gone above and beyond as a friend, having done everything he could.

But he never expected Qi Yuwen to want more.

.

Yao Xianqing discovered Qi Yuwen’s feelings for him one night when drinks were involved.

That day, he had indeed drunk quite a bit, but with his high alcohol tolerance, he wasn’t easily drunk—though his face flushed easily. To avoid more toasts, he pretended to be drunk.

This little secret was known only to him. Others who saw him drinking assumed he had a low tolerance.

Qi Yuwen helped him into the lounge inside the private room.

Yao Xianqing lay on the sofa, eyes closed, pretending to sleep.

But soon, he couldn’t maintain the charade.

He never expected to hear Qi Yuwen confess his feelings in a low, emotional voice, reiterating that without Yao Xianqing, he wouldn’t be who he was today.

It was a raw emotional outburst, unlike Qi Yuwen’s usual self.

Fortunately, the other managed to restrain himself and didn’t cross any lines.

Right after Qi Yuwen finished confessing and left to fetch a wet towel for Yao Xianqing, Yao Xianqing opened his eyes—completely clear and sober, without a trace of drunkenness.

He finally understood the biggest secret behind Qi Yuwen’s willingness to stay by his side instead of going out on his own.

Yao Xianqing didn’t like Qi Yuwen and didn’t remain there. He left immediately.

When Qi Yuwen returned and found Yao Xianqing gone, he knew his secret had been discovered.

Though his feelings were exposed, Qi Yuwen didn’t hold back. In their subsequent interactions, he often found subtle ways to flirt with Yao Xianqing.

After two obvious attempts to probe his feelings, Yao Xianqing grew impatient.

He was a decisive person. Since he didn’t like Qi Yuwen, he wouldn’t lead him on.

This led to their direct conversation just over a month ago.

Yao Xianqing gave him an ultimatum: either Qi Yuwen marry someone, abandon any feelings beyond friendship, and keep a certain distance from him, so they could remain friends and part ways amicably.

Or they could simply part ways.

If they couldn’t be lovers, they couldn’t be friends either.

Yao Xianqing simply couldn’t stand a "good brother" who wanted to sleep with him maintaining a long-term relationship.

And Qi Yuwen was ruthlessly decisive.

Not long after that conversation, Yao Xianqing received a wedding invitation from him and knew he had chosen the first option.

Yao Xianqing snapped out of his thoughts and lowered his eyes, shielding his view of the person on the bed.

He could see the authentic happiness on You Nan’s face—the other sincerely loved Qi Yuwen.

Yao Xianqing thought about his conversation with Qi Yuwen and felt somewhat unable to face his best friend’s spouse at this moment.

.

The covering was lifted, and You Nan met Qi Yuwen's gaze amidst the laughter and blessings of the crowd.

Qi Yuwen, the main protagonist, was exceptionally good-looking with handsome, well-defined features. A successful man, he carried himself with calm confidence, yet remained gentle and gracious.

You Nan briefly made eye contact with him but quickly averted his gaze, feeling guilty and uneasy.

The emcee cleared his throat and began to kick off the ceremony.

A cameraman nearby was busy filming, enthusiastically capturing the two newlyweds and their two best men.

Shen Zihe didn’t know anyone in the room. Seeing so many people, he instinctively assumed many were relatives of the bride’s family.

Qi Yuwen hadn’t told him that everyone in the room was from the wedding company and had no relation to You Nan or himself.

Shen Zihe thought that with so many people present, he and Yao Xianqing needed to put on a good show to make a good impression for their brother and help Qi Yuwen gain the respect of the "bride’s elders"!

He nudged Yao Xianqing beside him with his elbow and whispered without moving his lips, "Those two must be the other best men. We can’t lose to them."

Yao Xianqing grunted in agreement.

"Now, let’s play a game! Inside this box are nine plastic balls, each containing a challenge written on a slip for the groom or best men to complete!"

The emcee’s voice got everyone’s attention again. "The three of you can each draw three balls. The difficulty depends on your luck."

As instructed, Qi Yuwen and the other two stepped forward one by one to draw the plastic balls.

Qi Yuwen drew first and stood still. Yao Xianqing walked past him without even a glance, as if he had completely gotten over his past crush now that he was married.

You Nan felt extremely nervous facing the two main protagonists and an important side character.

He was terrified of being found out as an imposter and being killed off by the protagonists.

This often happened—when a tasker was discovered as not native to the world, the locals would kill them.

And a dead tasker was truly dead, with no second chance.

That’s why everyone strived to climb higher, earn more contribution points, and earn their freedom, so they wouldn’t have to continue siphoning the protagonists' aura in these small worlds.

The little cat, 007, didn’t like crowded, noisy places. It had already slipped away through the crowd’s legs, stealthily taken a soft wool coat from You Nan’s wardrobe, and made itself a cozy bed.

It rolled around on the coat several times, immediately covering the light brown fabric with a layer of its loose fur.

The kitten stretched contentedly, then opened its big round eyes to observe the two protagonists from amidst the crowd.

007 twitched its whiskers and swished its tail. Sensing You Nan’s nervousness, it lifted itself up and, after a moment, overcame its dislike of crowds and charged forward.

It jumped onto the bed and nestled into the arms of the anxious newcomer.

You Nan felt a sudden weight in his arms—warm and furry—and knew without looking that it was 007. Its companionship comforted him.

007 wasn’t very large; he estimated the little thing weighed about eight pounds, not too heavy to hold.

The kitten’s arrival attracted everyone’s attention, drawing exclamations of delight from the onlookers. Meanwhile, the three men had finished drawing their balls and opened them one by one for everyone to see.

Qi Yuwen’s three challenges were different from those of his two brothers.

Of course, this was the emcee’s rigged game—he had purposely included some more intimate games for the groom to let the newlyweds have some fun in front of everyone.

Shen Zihe was already embarrassed by the games he had to do—the sexy dance made him shy. Young master Shen cared about his image, and his ears and neck turned red.

By then, he had completely forgotten his earlier promise to Yao Xianqing about putting on a good show. He directly refused, "Can I just give out red envelopes instead?"

Shen Zihe chose peace over embarrassment.

The emcee instinctively looked at You Nan, as such decisions were usually left to the bridesmaids.

But today’s newlyweds were in a special situation—You Nan’s best men were arranged by the wedding company, and their people didn't have authority for You Nan.

You Nan was momentarily stunned by his gaze but quickly snapped out of it and said hurriedly, "Of course, that’s fine."

Shen Zihe breathed a sigh of relief and promptly pulled out a thick stack of prepared red envelopes from his pocket. He distributed several to each person without counting, going purely by feel.

After one round, he still had half left. Shen Zihe closed his eyes and gave them all to You Nan, making a show of his sincerity.

You Nan instinctively leaned away to avoid his proximity, but the plump cat in his arms quickly used its chubby body to cover the red envelopes, hiding them completely from view.

This was all their money, hmph! With it here, even the main protagonist Qi Yuwen wasn’t allowed to touch them!

Qi Yuwen hadn’t started yet and was smiling as he watched his brother hand out cash when he noticed the suspicious look of the kitten in You Nan’s arms.

The smile on the man’s face faltered.

That morning, when he had given the cat a cat snack, it hadn’t been like this.

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