Blazing fire is hard to extinguish chapter 4
Wedding Scene
Until they reached the hotel lobby, Lin Chi kept confirming with Li Tingyan, “Will I really not cause any trouble by accompanying you to the wedding?”
He had impulsively suggested this earlier, but now that he had cooled down, his mind was clear.
As someone who was openly gay and had come out to his friends, Lin Chi didn’t mind. However, Li Tingyan, from a privileged background, might not have the same freedom.
He hinted, “Most people at the wedding should be your acquaintances. If they see me with you, a new face, and a guy at that, what if someone spreads rumors to your family? That wouldn’t be good, right?”
“There’s nothing to worry about,” Li Tingyan replied calmly. “Many people there don’t know me, and even if they do, it doesn’t matter.”
Li Tingyan’s circle of friends and colleagues was quite different from Xu Mu’s. While they did have a few mutual friends from their school days, who were supportive and unlikely to gossip, they might have already speculated about his sexual orientation.
Besides, most attendees would be friends and colleagues of Xu Mu and the bride, with whom he had little interaction.
Moreover, even if people noticed a young and handsome guy by his side, what difference would it make?
In Li Tingyan’s social circles, scandalous stories were commonplace.
Lin Chi thought to himself, a faint smile playing on his lips.
“In that case, I won’t worry about it,” he shrugged. Since Li Tingyan was so calm about it, whatever happened afterward wasn’t his concern.
He discreetly stretched, feeling a slight soreness in his waist from passion the previous night, grateful for the cushioned seat behind him.
He glanced sideways at Li Tingyan.
After deciding to bring him to the wedding, Li Tingyan’s assistant rushed over with a suit. Though off-the-rack, it fit him perfectly.
Li Tingyan even helped him with his tie.
Since they had met yesterday, Li Tingyan had been consistently gentlemanly and gentle. Despite an underlying air of superiority, his polished manners masked it well.
But now, as they left the hotel, perhaps nearing the wedding venue, Li Tingyan grew quieter, sitting silently in the back seat, his profile sharp, eyes like inert gemstones—beautiful yet lacking warmth.
He seemed almost like a different person from yesterday, the one who had kissed and been affectionate with Lin Chi.
But Lin Chi understood.
He thought empathetically, if he were about to witness the wedding of someone he loved, he might want to blow up the venue.
No, he wouldn’t even attend.
He would explode the moment he received the invitation, tear it to pieces, throw it back, and end the so-called friendship once and for all.
He couldn’t pretend to be a gentleman.
….
Over an hour later, they finally arrived at their destination. Li Tingyan courteously offered Lin Chi a hand as he exited the car.
But Lin Chi avoided it. “No need.”
He wasn’t that delicate.
After getting out, Lin Chi surveyed the building before him, an old mansion shaded by lush greenery.
Xu Mu’s wedding was being held at a century-old mansion surrounded by gardens, where staff at the entrance greeted guests.
Despite being a wedding venue, the atmosphere was quiet.
The mansion, primarily in shades of gray and white, looked tranquil in early spring. The greenery had already climbed the walls, adorned with small white flowers.
He followed Li Tingyan inside. Though they didn’t appear overly intimate, keeping some distance between them, they walked side by side, complementing each other well, attracting a few glances from other guests.
Passing through the main part of the mansion, they reached the courtyard at the back.
Here, laughter and music became distinctly clearer.
Yet Li Tingyan paused.
Following his gaze, Lin Chi saw the center of attention—the bride and groom chatting with guests not far from a flowered corridor.
His attention was drawn first to the bride.
She wore a fishtail wedding gown in white, her skin sun-kissed. Her smile was sunny and outgoing, not classically beautiful but instantly likable, lively in conversation, naturally charming and open.
The groom, on the other hand, was more reserved and gentle, almost shy, exactly as Li Tingyan had described—handsome and scholarly, with a gentle demeanor.
Compared to someone like Li Tingyan, his looks might pale, but that day’s sunshine cast a glow over the courtyard, flowered archways weaving through the lawn. The bride and groom stood side by side, exchanging loving glances.
Even to Lin Chi, an outsider, they truly seemed like a perfect match.
No wonder Li Tingyan had no chance.
Lin Chi couldn’t help but think, they looked genuinely in love and complementary.
Such relationships were inherently stable.
Watching the couple, Li Tingyan eventually whispered, “He looks happy, doesn’t he?”
It took Lin Chi a moment to realize Li Tingyan was referring to Xu Mu.
“…Yes,” Lin Chi replied.
Li Tingyan fell silent again, his eyelashes lowering slightly.
He stood with Lin Chi in the corner of the corridor, next to white carved pillars. The sunlight here suddenly dimmed, leaving only a faint glow, which lost its warmth on his face, illuminating only his forehead and eyebrows.
He remained silent, lost in his thoughts. Even in such a state of detachment, it lasted only a few minutes. Soon, he walked with Lin Chi towards the courtyard.
“You finally made it.”
Xu Mu saw Li Tingyan’s figure, his eyes brightened, instinctively opened his arms, and hugged him briefly.
Li Tingyan patted his shoulder, smiling, showing no sign of the previous sadness. He said, “Sorry for being a little late. Congratulations on your wedding.”
He also looked towards the bride next to him, and after releasing Xu Mu, he reached out and shook hands with the bride, saying again, “Congratulations on your wedding, Anzhen. You look beautiful today, the most charming bride I’ve ever seen.”
Zhao Anzhen burst into laughter. “You’re quite the charmer, Tingyan.”
She had noticed Lin Chi standing beside Li Tingyan earlier. After Li Tingyan let go of her hand, she curiously asked, “Who is this?”
Lin Chi smiled gently. “Hello, I’m Lin Chi.”
But he didn’t introduce himself and instead looked at Li Tingyan.
Li Tingyan took over, keeping it brief. “He’s my friend, here with me for the wedding.”
That should have been enough of an introduction, but seeing Xu Mu’s puzzled look as he glanced between them, there was a slight pang in his heart, which he lightly brushed off with a smile and added, “You didn’t want me to attend your wedding alone, so I brought him along.”
Lin Chi raised an eyebrow.
Should he say it or not? Li Tingyan’s words were really giving him a headache, pretending to be generous, evoking pity.
But he remembered his mission for today and cooperated fully, casually taking Li Tingyan’s arm. When Xu Mu’s gaze swept over, he smiled.
“You…” Xu Mu wasn’t stupid. Bringing such a handsome young man to his wedding, if he couldn’t figure out Li Tingyan’s intentions now, it would be a shame.
But he was a bit stunned for a moment because he had never thought about this before. His eyes shifted between Li Tingyan and Lin Chi, already not good with words, now even more speechless.
Fortunately, Zhao Anzhen pinched him, bringing him back to reality quickly.
In the end, he didn’t ask much more, just smiled helplessly, glanced at Li Tingyan, and politely shook hands with Lin Chi. “Hello, I’m Xu Mu. I’ve been friends with Li Tingyan for many years. Nice to meet you.”
His handshake was gentle.
Lin Chi also shook hands with him, maintaining his composure with a smile. “I’ve heard Li Tingyan mention you often. I know you have a good relationship, so I took the liberty to come along with him. Please don’t mind.”
“Of course not.”
They exchanged a few pleasantries, and Lin Chi also hugged the bride. She was indeed a cheerful person, laughing and complimenting him on his handsome looks, making him feel happy.
But soon the next wave of guests arrived, and Li Tingyan and Lin Chi didn’t occupy their time any longer.
The formal wedding ceremony began at five o’clock in the afternoon.
Lin Chi sat down with Li Tingyan.
This was Lin Chi’s first time attending such a formal wedding, which seemed particularly novel to him. It was like watching a movie, with lawns of flowers, fragrances in the air, gray-blue brick walls, and stained glass sparkling in the sunlight.
He heard the bell that represented the wedding ceremony ringing, and the bride appeared at the other end of the red carpet. She didn’t have her father escorting her; she walked alone, followed by two adorable flower girls, while the groom looked at her with bright eyes.
Lin Chi applauded along with everyone else, watching the groom and bride exchange rings under the arch of flowers. They vowed never to abandon each other in poverty or wealth, health or sickness.
But amidst the applause and cheers of the crowd, he glanced at Li Tingyan.
Among the excited guests, Li Tingyan indeed seemed out of place.
He clapped too and smiled.
But he was too quiet.
The space around him and the little corner he occupied seemed like another layer, the excitement of others coming from a different world. He sat quietly, surrounded by an invisible vast sea that isolated him from everything.
Yet, throughout, he maintained his dignity, calmness, and played his role perfectly.
Lin Chi’s clapping slowed down.
He wasn’t a sentimental person, nor did he ever think that emotions were particularly beautiful or precious. He believed in enjoying life as it came.
But as he looked at Li Tingyan, there was a fleeting moment where he subtly resonated with that discomfort.
What kind of pain would it be to watch someone you like get married, no matter how deep or shallow that liking was?
He didn’t know, nor did he want to know.
When the ceremony was over, as the bride threw the bouquet backward, Lin Chi gently patted Li Tingyan on the shoulder, expressing comfort.
Almost at the same moment, a bouquet fell from above and hit Lin Chi squarely on the head.
It left him seeing stars.
Author’s note:
Hehe, I’ve read everyone’s comments, and I’m glad to see that you liked it and want to see more. It makes me happy and nervous at the same time.
Every time I write, I’m a bit nervously anticipating, especially at the beginning, wanting to revise it multiple times.
Writing for so many years, I still feel like a newbie (lying down.jpg).