01
The wedding was set for midsummer.
Lin Yi was the one who chose the time. She had just boarded a flight to North America, her Bluetooth earbuds nestled in her ears, blocking out all the noise. She followed the flight attendant’s silent guidance and settled into her first-class seat.
She gazed out the small window at the rain-slicked runway. A shuttle bus drove slowly past, its body wrapped in a massive advertisement. It was a cola ad featuring Xu Shuyan. The ice-cold soda and the girl in a baseball cap were the most refreshing splash of color in the humid summer. On a whim, she said to Xu Shuyan on the other end of the phone, “Why don’t we have the wedding in the summer?”
Xu Shuyan was in a meeting, stealing a moment to call her. It probably wasn’t convenient for her to talk, so she just hummed softly in question.
“Summer is great, isn’t it? Our group was formed in the summer. Besides, everyone will be clearing their solo schedules starting in June for the comeback, so we can all live together and have time to prepare for the wedding.” The more Lin Yi spoke, the more feasible it seemed. “We’ll pick an auspicious day. How about it? How about it?”
She heard the sound of a chair scraping against the floor on the other end, followed by Xu Shuyan saying to someone nearby, “You guys continue, I have something to take care of.”
Then came footsteps, the sound of a door opening and closing. Lin Yi could picture the building Xu Shuyan had chosen for her studio, with all its amenities. She could imagine her footsteps making soft sounds on the corridor floor. At the end of the corridor was a small balcony, from which you could see the city’s most iconic, cloud-piercing skyscraper.
Only after sliding the balcony door shut did Xu Shuyan speak. “Lin Yi, are you in that much of a hurry to marry me?”
“…” Lin Yi pressed her forehead against the glass, letting out a helpless laugh. She played along, “Yeah, I am, Xu Shuyan. What am I going to do? I really can’t wait to marry you.”
Just getting the marriage certificate wasn’t enough; that was just between the two of them.
They had to have a wedding. They had to use the grandest ceremony and the most cliché vows to declare to the entire world: See? This person is mine. We’re going to be together forever, never leaving each other’s side, and we’ll spend a lifetime fulfilling the promises we’ve made.
She didn’t know if others would be envious, but she was already dying of envy that she herself was getting to marry Xu Shuyan.
Despite thinking this, what she said was: “You’d better start being impatient too, Xu Shuyan. Just think how many people will be envious of you for marrying me. Their eyes will turn red with jealousy, but I only love you. Aren’t you the luckiest?”
She kept her voice low, afraid of being overheard. Xu Shuyan deliberately pretended not to hear. “What did you say? A little louder?”
Lin Yi gritted her teeth. “If you didn’t hear it, then forget it!”
“That won’t do.” Xu Shuyan leaned against the railing, the wind blowing past her. Her voice held a smile she couldn’t suppress. “If you don’t say it clearly, I’m not continuing this conversation.”
Lin Yi heard the cabin announcement reminding passengers to fasten their seatbelts, open their window shades, and that the cabin doors were about to close. She grew anxious. “This flight is going to be ten or twenty hours long. If you don’t finish this conversation with me now, I’ll change my mind by the time I land. You can wait and regret it then!”
Xu Shuyan was relentless. “So what did you just say? Say it again!”
“Ma’am,” a flight attendant reminded her gently, “please turn off your phone. Thank you for your cooperation.”
Lin Yi replied, “Right away.”
Then she closed her eyes and threw caution to the wind. “I said! Xu Shuyan! I love you the most! Let’s have our wedding right away!”
After shouting, she immediately turned off her phone.
She met the terrified gaze of the passenger who had just taken the seat next to her. “???”
Lin Yi: “…”
She carefully pulled her mask up a little higher. “If I said I was one of Xu Shuyan’s girlfriend fans, just making some delusional comments, would you believe me?”
Her neighbor: “?”
Lin Yi: “…”
Right, no one would believe that.
02
So, when Lin Yi arrived in North America and spent three hours in a recording studio, she came out to a shocking number of WeChat messages and news alerts from various apps.
With a commotion like this, had some legendary superstar’s career collapsed?
She tapped one open: Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi’s Wedding Is Imminent! Click to See Their Relationship History, A Divine Love Story! Who Wouldn’t Be Envious?
Lin Yi: ???
Her wedding was imminent, and she didn’t even know?
She opened WeChat, where messages were still flooding in with a constant buzz. Only the pinned message from Xu Shuyan had been sent two hours earlier, saying, Good night, wife.
The other messages—
Zhou Shichen: I can’t believe it, Lin Yi. I actually had to find out from the internet that you and Xu Shuyan are getting married. Group spirit! What about our group spirit! Even if you don’t care about the Gu Group’s spirit! How can you not care about me, your humble little CP fan?
Zhou Shichen: Why aren’t you answering?
Zhou Shichen: I’m already picking out my bridesmaid dress. You have to throw the bouquet to me!
Zhou Shichen: When are you sending the invitations?
Lin Yi: “…”
Yan Qi: Don’t hide behind your phone and stay silent! I know you’re reading this!
Yan Qi: Group spirit! What about our group spirit! Hurry up and send an invitation to The Notes’ Captain, Yan Qi!
Yan Qi: Shichen sent the last two messages.
Yan Qi: Reply when you see this, I’m going to bed.
Lin Yi: “…”
Liu Xuesong: Congratulations.
Liu Xuesong: My little girl has grown up. Where is the wedding?
Liu Xuesong: I’ll be sure to prepare a big red envelope.
Dad: Heard you’re getting married.
Fang Yi: I heard you and Xu Shuyan are getting married???
Fang Yi: How come I wasn’t notified?
Fang Yi: I shielded your love from the wind and rain, and you’re not even going to invite me?
Fang Yi: I quit!
Chen Yuan: Congratulations, Yanyan and Xiao Yi!
Chen Yuan: I’ll definitely be there. Can’t wait for the wedding candy!
A certain trainee who debuted from a competition show: Congratulations, Teacher Lin and Teacher Xu!
A certain actor she’d worked with: Congratulations!
Che Ling: Congrats, congrats!
Lin Yi leaned back in her car seat and replied to the messages one by one. She hadn’t adjusted to the time difference yet and wasn’t sleepy. The more she replied, the more awake she became. Finally, she tapped open her chat with Xu Shuyan. “Did you see the news.”
Xu Shuyan must have been asleep, as there was no reply.
Lin Yi didn’t mind and continued typing. “Although I haven’t checked online yet, I’m sure it’s because someone overheard my heartfelt confession to you before the plane took off. Good grief, by the time I landed, someone had probably already picked out a wedding venue for us, right?”
“It’s actually pretty great. I’m going to browse the CP Super Topic right now and see if there are any wedding plans. I’ll just shamelessly copy them. Or maybe we can offer a fan benefit and invite the person with the best idea to our wedding?”
“Suddenly I’m so excited, Xu Shuyan.” Lin Yi gazed at the foreign scenery outside the window, her mind conjuring an image of Xu Shuyan in a wedding dress. It was as beautiful as a magnificent, fragile dream, one she carefully held in her heart. She continued typing, “You’ll look so beautiful in a wedding dress. You’ll be the most beautiful bride.”
“I suddenly regret not wearing one with you during that variety show. That way, I could have at least simulated the moment we walk into the church together in our wedding dresses. It would be better than just imagining it now, unable to picture the scene no matter how hard I try. Why can’t I just press the fast-forward button and have our wedding be tomorrow?”
“Oh, right.”
“Shichen said she wants to be a bridesmaid and that I have to give her the bouquet. She’s really going to marry the Captain!”
“Well, it looks like not a single ship in our Gu Group is safe.”
“Go to sleep, go to sleep. You’d better dream of me!”
After that, she sent a sticker of Xu Shuyan sleeping soundly before exiting the chat. She expertly opened the green-colored app Zhou Shichen had recommended to her and, sure enough, the top recommendation was an article titled Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi Are Getting Married! Lin Yi Said So Herself!
The number of replies had already reached over eight thousand.
Lin Yi: “…”
Was it some kind of holiday? Why were there so many rubberneckers!
Lin Yi randomly clicked on one.
【For the love of god! They’re finally getting married!】
【Does this mean the Gu Group can have a reunion? Group fans are ecstatic!】
【When are Yan Qi and Zhou Shichen going to make it official?】
【Make what official? Aren’t they just good sisters and best friends?】
【…They’ve already been photographed living together.】
【I live with my best friend too!】
【Do you also walk around the neighborhood with your best friend, hugging and cuddling, wearing matching outfits, matching scarves, and matching couple’s rings?】
【I’ll see myself out.】
【Where’s the wedding going to be! Why not at Sweet Melon Entertainment! It’s where they first met, how meaningful would that be! Sweet Melon Entertainment, step aside, your Hegemon CP needs to use the venue for their wedding today!】
【Can it be an outdoor wedding? Green Origin Island is nice. Yan Zhi You Yi went through so much there.】
【A yacht wedding! That way they won’t be disturbed!】
【A castle! The two princesses lived happily ever after.】
【If Sweet Melon Entertainment hosts this wedding, can they include Zhou Shichen and Yan Qi? They could even save some money. A four-person wedding would be so romantic! It would shock the entire entertainment industry!】
【Haha, I support this!】
…What was all this nonsense!
Lin Yi shook her head, pondering the wedding location. The company wasn’t out of the question, but the space was a bit small and would disrupt work. As for Green Origin Island, it was indeed a memorable place, but she had a bit of ocean-related PTSD now. The same went for a yacht.
A castle…
Lin Yi lowered her eyes and saw Fang Yi’s reply to her message: “You scared me to death. I saw the original post. I’m telling you, can’t you people in love pay attention to your surroundings when you talk? Why don’t you just grab a megaphone and shout that you’re dying of love for Xu Shuyan?”
Lin Yi chuckled. “Hey, that’s a good suggestion. I’ll take it.”
Fang Yi: “I quit.”
Lin Yi quickly tried to placate her, asking, “Seriously, Sister Fang. Where do you think Yanyan and I should hold our wedding? I saw the fans’ suggestions. The castle idea isn’t bad, but I don’t know if Xu Shuyan would like it.”
Fang Yi said, “A castle is great. I want a VIP seat.”
Lin Yi replied with a “but of course,” then went to search for castles online. Most were in Europe, each with its own unique character and usually attached to an estate. They all screamed opulence. After looking for a while, her indecisiveness kicked in, so she just took some screenshots and logged onto Weibo.
Ignoring the countless messages, she went straight to the Yan Zhi You Yi Super Topic and followed it.
She made a post: Let’s pick a wedding venue?
The CP fans who were still awake: !!!
“Holy crap? Getting my picture with the front-row comment!”
“Is this real? Who else is shocked by that gold V badge!”
“Ahhh, so our baby really does read the Super Topic! Does that mean she’s seen my spicy fanfics!”
“Fuck fuck fuck!”
Lin Yi sighed in amusement and replied to one fan: “Don’t be so surprised. I need to settle on a wedding location before Xu Shuyan wakes up and totally outdo her! Quick, give me some ideas! No seaside, I have ocean PTSD.”
“Okay! Okay! Outdo her, hahaha!”
“But I like the seaside! You can make your vows to the ocean!”
“An estate would work too! Can I come?”
“Ahhh, baby, are you really going to marry her? Are you sure? Are you really sure? Do you want to think about it again? To be honest, Mama thinks Xu Shuyan is very immature! But if you really like her, Mama will support you… QAQ!”
“Solo fans, stay out of the CP Super Topic! Oh, unless you support Yan Zhi You Yi, then you can stay. We’re all family here.”
“What is this? Are you CP fans biased? Lin Yi is trying to outdo Xu Shuyan, and you’re actually helping her scheme! Aha! I’ve caught you red-handed! I’m taking a screenshot and sending it to my daughter right now!”
Lin Yi replied to that mama: “I’ll send it. I have her contact info.”
That mama: “Ahhhhh Lin Yi replied to me! Ahhh I have my daughter’s contact info too! Ever heard of a Weibo DM? Hmph! This is my private line of communication with my daughter!”
CP fans: “Such a strong-willed mama…”
Lin Yi found it amusing. She posted another comment asking everyone to brainstorm and promising a reward if their idea was chosen, then logged out of Weibo.
The car had just pulled up to the hotel entrance. Her assistant turned around from the passenger seat. “Teacher Lin, we’ve scheduled the recording studio for noon tomorrow. Is that okay with you?”
Lin Yi nodded slightly. “That’s fine. What about the rehearsal venue? Is the time confirmed?”
The assistant said, “Rehearsal starts at six tomorrow evening. The backup dancers just arrived, so they need to rest a bit.”
“Okay,” Lin Yi said.
She was in North America for a concert tour, moving to a new city each week for two shows per city. The workload was heavy and the schedule was tight. When she was busy, she had almost no free time, and with the time difference with Xu Shuyan, they hadn’t even had a single continuous conversation to discuss the wedding.
They only managed to exchange messages sporadically, one sentence at a time. By the time the final show of the tour ended, they had surprisingly managed to form a rough plan.
Except the venue was still undecided.
After the last concert, Lin Yi skipped the celebration party. She saw the organizing team to the door and told them that the night’s expenses were all on her and that everyone had worked hard. The team naturally understood her exhaustion and, after cheering “Long live Lin Yi,” they happily went off to enjoy their rare break.
Lin Yi watched the last car drive away from the stadium and said to her assistant, “You go rest too. Go shopping, buy some things. Don’t worry about me.”
“You’re not going back to the hotel now?” the assistant asked.
“I’ll rest for a bit before I leave,” Lin Yi said.
The assistant nodded. “Then I’ll be off?”
“Go on.” Lin Yi turned and walked back into the stadium, then remembered something. “Ah,” she said, “if you go shopping, don’t forget to help me buy the latest handbag. I sent you the style on WeChat.”
“Got it,” the assistant replied, unable to resist a bit of teasing. “It’s for Teacher Xu, right? You two have such a great relationship.”
Lin Yi didn’t hide it. “Well, she likes bags. Consider it a wedding gift.”
After her assistant left, she slowly made her way back into the stadium. Seeing a message from Xu Shuyan that had arrived two minutes ago, she casually dialed her number. In the ten-odd seconds it took for the call to connect, she walked from the backstage corridor onto the stage.
The stage was enormous. Stripped of all props and stage design, it was just her, making it feel vast and empty.
The call connected.
“Is it over?” Xu Shuyan’s voice sounded in her ear.
Lin Yi’s previously wavering heart suddenly settled. She walked to the edge of the stage and sat down, her legs dangling in the air. She hummed in agreement. “Did you see my stage photos online? Do I look good?”
Xu Shuyan laughed. “You look great. I also watched a few performance clips. Every single one was legendary.”
“You’re such a flatterer.” Lin Yi looked out at the empty stadium. Not long ago, it had been filled with people waving light sticks and chanting her name, loving her with a thunderous passion. She lowered her eyes. “I miss you so much, Xu Shuyan.”
“I miss you too.” Xu Shuyan seemed to be somewhere windy; the sound of the wind howled, and there was the faint sound of a car horn.
“You miss me, but you don’t reply to my messages for over ten hours?” Lin Yi huffed. “I know you’re busy with work. It’s good to be busy, really good. I can manage on my own!”
Xu Shuyan just laughed without saying anything.
Lin Yi let out a low humph. “I’ll deal with you when I get back. Let’s talk business first.” She pulled her jacket tighter around herself and asked, “Did you see the CP fans’ suggestions in the Super Topic? Where do you think would be a good place for the venue? A hotel would be fine, too. It’s right in S City, so we wouldn’t have to travel so far. It’d be convenient.”
Xu Shuyan pondered for a moment. “But we’d get caught and photographed by the paparazzi.”
“That’s true,” Lin Yi said.
She whined, “Then you tell me where!?”
“Actually, I have a great idea,” Xu Shuyan said. Her voice came through the phone, yet it seemed to echo as if she were right there. Lin Yi froze. She held up her phone and quickly turned around, her eyes widening slightly.
Somehow, Xu Shuyan was standing on the stage, not far from her, holding her own phone and smiling as she looked at her. She said, word by word, “How about the venue where we had our debut performance?”
That’s where it all began.
The start of their dreams.
The beginning of their love, before it had even sprouted.
The very, very beginning.
03
After finalizing the guest list, Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi began writing the invitations. Yan Qi had good handwriting, so they waited until she was on vacation and ambushed her at her home, using every trick in the book—crying, complaining, threatening—to convince her that the wedding couldn’t happen unless she helped write them.
“What do you mean it can’t happen? Why can’t it happen?” Zhou Shichen yelled from the other side of the video call. “It has to happen! I’ve already picked out my bridesmaid dress! Yan Qi, you have to help them!”
Yan Qi sighed. “I’m writing.”
“Oh, okay.” Zhou Shichen then turned a glare on the seemingly idle couple. “Are you two tattling on me! You bully my wife, and I’ll deal with you when I get back!”
Lin Yi, eating sushi she’d taken from the fridge, said, “No, we’re not bullying her. It was just a tiny request! Don’t make false accusations. Hey?” She waved a piece of sushi. “Didn’t the Captain give up on cooking? Did she reactivate her cooking skills for the sake of love?”
Zhou Shichen said smugly, “Hee hee, yep, yep. Your Xu Shuyan can’t do that, can she?”
Lin Yi scoffed. “I’ll sign her up for a class as soon as we get back!”
Xu Shuyan protested, “Don’t learn to be so competitive from the Captain! We should have a healthy competition!”
While the three of them bickered, Yan Qi sat quietly at the table, writing. Lin Yi took a picture of her and posted it on Weibo, officially announcing the wedding. She also had her assistant contact the official CP fan account to invite three representatives to the wedding on behalf of their studio.
“We’re not inviting a lot of guests. I hope everyone there will be people who sincerely wish our love well.” Lin Yi finished the last piece of sushi and cupped Xu Shuyan’s face. “You just focus on being my most beautiful bride!”
Xu Shuyan lifted her face. “Give me a kiss!”
Lin Yi leaned in. “Mwah~”
Yan Qi couldn’t bear to watch. “…You have to throw the bouquet to Shichen.”
04
The weather on the wedding day was perfect. It was a bright and beautiful summer day, with a few leisurely clouds drifting across the azure sky. The cicadas chirped their summer song. The area around the wedding venue was surrounded by banners of the couple, and a massive flower wall in the stadium plaza was set up for fans, who had come upon hearing the news, to take pictures and receive wedding candy.
The stadium had been redecorated, with a dreamy and romantic light purple as the main color scheme. Balloons filled the entire venue.
A red carpet on the extended stage led all the way to the main stage. Before the ceremony began, songs by The Notes played, the five girls’ voices weaving together. Each song was a memory, taking people back to the feelings of that time.
Lin Yi sat in the dressing room. Yan Qi fastened the twenty-six-million-yuan necklace Xu Shuyan had given her around her neck, then tilted her head to look. “It suits you very well.”
Lin Yi didn’t speak, but her hands, resting on her wedding dress, tightened.
“Are you nervous?” Yan Qi asked.
“…A little.” Lin Yi took a deep breath. She looked up, her exquisite makeup making her already flawless face even more beautiful and captivating. Her long eyelashes trembled, and tiny rhinestones adorned the corners of her eyes. She slowly exhaled. “Captain, if it were you, would you be nervous?”
Yan Qi thought for a moment. “I probably would.”
“Don’t try to comfort me.” Lin Yi rested her chin in her hand. “With your strong heart, Captain, you definitely wouldn’t be nervous. It’s just me. I didn’t sleep well at all last night, just tossing and turning, thinking about today’s schedule. Do you think Xu Shuyan will run away?”
Yan Qi laughed. “She’s in the dressing room right across from you. She can’t wait to marry you right this second. Why would she run away?”
Lin Yi said thoughtfully, “That’s true. She’s already head over heels in love with me.”
“We haven’t been back to this venue in a long time. I remember the first time, in this very dressing room, Xu Shuyan and I were bickering while getting our makeup done. I complained that her dancing was clumsy, and she complained that my voice cracked whenever I got nervous. Back then, I was thinking, I hope we disband soon so I never have to see Xu Shuyan again!”
“And now, I’m actually going to marry her.” The thought made Lin Yi smile. “Life’s encounters are so strange, don’t you think? Back then, when you were preparing for the stage, you never thought you’d fall for Shichen, did you, Captain?”
Yan Qi hummed in agreement. After a moment, she added, “So if this were my wedding with Shichen, I would be nervous too. It has nothing to do with having a strong heart.”
Lin Yi: “Hm?”
“It’s because you like her—like her so much you love her—that you get nervous and feel insecure.” Yan Qi glanced at the time, then crouched down to help Lin Yi arrange the train of her wedding dress. “So it’s okay. It’s normal to be nervous, and it’s normal to feel insecure. In love, all these emotions are normal.”
She helped Lin Yi to her feet. “But from today on, you can be a little more certain, because she is completely and utterly yours, and the whole world knows it.”
Lin Yi’s eyes reddened. “Okay!”
“Let’s go,” Yan Qi said.
She opened the door. At the same moment, the door across the hall opened as well. Over Yan Qi’s shoulder, Lin Yi saw Xu Shuyan. The beautiful, captivating, one-of-a-kind Xu Shuyan was wearing the wedding dress she had tried on during their group variety show, smiling at her.
She thought how strange it was. Back then, she had found Xu Shuyan irritating in a hundred different ways, yet she had still been captivated by that beauty.
And now, she was taking that beauty home with her.
Before the officiant, before all their friends and family, before the stage they loved most, before the entire world, they placed their hands together and vowed: “I am willing to marry her, to love her and be faithful to her, whether she is poor or rich, in sickness or in health, until death.”
A sky full of colorful ribbons fluttered down, and rainbow-colored balloons floated up toward the heavens. Amid the cheers and blessings, Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan kissed.
05
“Do you love me?”
“I love you.”
