Don’t Ignite It chapter 71
Vows (End Of Main Story)
On June 21st, the summer solstice, it was the wedding day of Lu Zhao and Xia Yu.
The upscale hotel rented by Lu Zhao closed in advance, preparing for this grand wedding for a full two weeks.
The guests attending the wedding had somewhat ambiguous expressions, as one of the people present was Xia Yu’s ex-husband and he even served as a groomsman. Although everyone outwardly smiled and offered their blessings, behind their backs, they exchanged meaningful glances, silently asking if others knew what was going on.
But none of the grooms paid any attention to the reactions of the guests below.
Lu Zhao lowered his head to look at Xia Yu. He appeared composed, but his fingers trembled imperceptibly.
That day, Xia Yu seemed to be wrapped in a soft glow. He was dressed in a well-fitted black suit, and his hair was slightly longer than a few months ago, making him appear exceptionally gentle.
He seemed a bit shy, avoiding direct eye contact with Lu Zhao, but his lips curled up ever so slightly, and even his cheeks turned slightly pink.
Lu Zhao couldn’t help but cup Xia Yu’s face in his hands.
He heard the officiant say, “Do you, wish to partner with this man, whether he be poor or rich, in health or sickness, to be with him forever?”
Lu Zhao responded without hesitation, “I do.”
Forever.
It was such a beautiful word.
In his most extravagant dreams, he had never imagined that Xia Yu would willingly marry him. He used to think that maybe one day he could be with Xia Yu, but perhaps it would be out of necessity or because he wouldn’t let go.
But now, on this early summer day, with hydrangea flowers blooming profusely by the snow-white columns of the hall, the guests below, whether sincere or not, smiled and applauded for them.
The way Xia Yu looked at him was filled with warmth and love, as if they had never been apart.
Lu Zhao could hear the sound of his own heartbeat.
Thump-thump.
Strong and even somewhat noisy.
He tightly held Xia Yu’s hand, and then, he heard the most beautiful words in the world.
“I do too.”
After Xia Yu said those words, he smiled and tiptoed to give Lu Zhao a quick kiss on the lips.
Lu Zhao felt like his heart had stopped for a moment.
Then he couldn’t restrain himself any longer. Without waiting for the officiant to announce that they could kiss, he held Xia Yu’s waist, lowered his head, and shared a long kiss.
The applause and laughter from below suddenly multiplied, accompanied by good-natured teasing. The groomsmen also whistled and cheered on the side.
Even Xu Zhan couldn’t help but smile. His former partner, the person he used to have heart-to-heart conversations and drink with under the eaves, was finally embracing a brighter and more brilliant future.
His eyes were slightly moist, but he concealed it, took a deep breath, and whispered to Jiang Ti next to him, “They’re actually quite a good match, aren’t they?”
Jiang Ti silently watched the newlyweds, clapping slowly and sluggishly.
He couldn’t quite pinpoint when he started liking Xia Yu, but by the time he realized it, Xia Yu had already become Xu Zhan’s partner.
Now Xia Yu was entering another marriage, and his place in Xia Yu’s life remained unchanged.
But he still answered Xu Zhan’s question, “They’re a match, barely. After all, Xia Yu likes him.”
On the stage, Xia Yu and Lu Zhao finally let go, but their gazes remained fixed on each other, looking a bit foolish, especially Xia Yu, who couldn’t stop smiling.
Xia Jin shook his head in disbelief from the audience.
Xu Zhan took on his duties and handed over the wedding rings.
As the grooms exchanged rings, he whispered to Lu Zhao, “I’m entrusting Xia Yu to you. Take good care of him.”
When Xia Yu heard this, he suddenly felt a bit choked up.
He helped Lu Zhao put on the ring, then looked up at Xu Zhan, his eyes slightly red, but he couldn’t find the words to express his feelings.
But he didn’t need to say anything.
Xu Zhan stepped forward, gently hugged him, and said, “Congratulations on your wedding.”
Xia Yu also hugged him tightly and replied, “Thank you.”
Their wedding bouquets were successfully thrown to Xu Zhan and Qi Xun.
Xia Yu held a glass of wine and went around to toast with Lu Zhao. It was the first time he had met Lu Zhao’s friend named Qi Xun. Qi Xun and Lu Zhao were high school classmates, but due to attending different universities and working in different places, they only visited each other during the holidays.
However, when Lu Zhao was getting married this time, Qi Xun immediately brought his fiancé, Bai Xi, with him.
Xia Yu curiously glanced at Bai Xi a few times. Bai Xi looked gentle and easygoing. He was about the same age as Xia Yu and had a naive and youthful look in his eyes, as if he had been well-protected all his life.
Qi Xun seemed to have the same personality as Lu Zhao, cold and aloof, but very patient with his fiancé. He held his fiancé’s hand tightly throughout the ceremony.
But not long after, Bai Xi still managed to break free from Qi Xun’s grip, held his own glass of wine, and went to greet his idol.
It was only when he arrived at the wedding venue that he realized that the actor he admired, Su Ye, was also among the guests.
Qi Xun couldn’t help but complain to Lu Zhao when he saw Bai Xi’s infatuated expression, “Why did you invite Su Ye? Now look, he’s taken my boyfriend away.”
Lu Zhao clinked glasses with him and said, “I didn’t invite him. He’s Xia Jin’s friend. You’re about to get married to Bai Xi soon. Why be jealous?”
Xia Yu didn’t quite understand what they were talking about and curiously watched the two of them.
A few minutes later, Qi Xun couldn’t hold back any longer and walked over to Bai Xi, discreetly pulling him away from Su Ye.
Su Ye watched as Qi Xun and Bai Xi walked away, shrugged, but as he turned around, he noticed another person by the champagne table.
Jiang Ti glanced at the champagne in front of him, not very interested, and muttered, “Why is it all champagne? Boring.”
Su Ye glanced at him, even though they were strangers. He couldn’t help but ask, “Well, what do you think is not boring?”
Jiang Ti raised his head, his profile sharp and distinct, looking disinterested and out of place in the lively atmosphere of the wedding.
He said, “Today, I feel like drinking strong liquor, the stronger, the better.”
A few minutes later, the two people who had just met disappeared together at the wedding and sneaked into the hotel’s bar, opening a bottle of whiskey.
…….
The accompanying band played one song after another.
Xia Yu leaned on Lu Zhao’s shoulder and danced their first dance together.
He whispered to Lu Zhao, “I have something to tell you later.”
“What is it?”
Xia Yu gazed at Lu Zhao for a long time.
“It’s about my relationship with Xu Zhan,” he said with a soft smile. “About my previous marriage and about you.”
He felt calm, as if he had finally let go of the burden he had been carrying for so long and was no longer harboring any grudges.
On this day of his wedding with Lu Zhao, it was as if he had finally awakened from the nightmare that Lu Zhao had once left him in, and every day thereafter would be filled with sunshine.
Lu Zhao vaguely guessed what it was but didn’t rush to ask.
He looked quietly at Xia Yu and said, “Okay.”
After the ceremony, Xia Yu and Lu Zhao returned to their honeymoon suite together.
Rose petals were scattered on the windowsill and on the floor, and the room was filled with a faint scent of lilac.
On the wall of the suite hung a familiar painting.
A deep, mysterious blue, like an endless sea.
It was Xia Yu’s painting, “Eyes.”
He had painted this at the age of twenty-two, intending to use it to propose to Lu Zhao. Later, he hung it in a gallery and it was bought by a customer surnamed Ye.
He thought he would never see it again in his life, but now it was hanging in their honeymoon suite.
Xia Yu reached out and touched the lower right corner of the frame, where his name was hidden within the waves.
And in the middle of his name, there was a small “L.”
Lu Zhao’s “L.”
He turned around, his face full of confusion, and looked at Lu Zhao.
As if knowing what he was going to ask, Lu Zhao walked over and hugged him, running his warm fingers over the signature.
“I actually went to your gallery in secret, when you weren’t there,” Lu Zhao said. “I saw this painting in a corner, and for some reason, I felt like it was yours.”
As if it was fate, he had stopped in front of this painting. It had no artist’s introduction or brand, but he carefully searched and indeed found Xia Yu’s signature.
“At that time, I thought this painting should belong to me, but I was afraid you wouldn’t sell it to me. So I asked other customers at the gallery to buy it and then transfer it to me.”
After that, the painting had been hanging in his storage room until today, when he felt it should be hung in their honeymoon bedroom.
Xia Yu stared at the painting for a long time.
For a moment, as an atheist, he suddenly believed in destiny a little bit.
What belonged to him, what belonged to Lu Zhao, had come full circle back to them, whether it was love or something else.
In front of this painting, he shared his final secret with Lu Zhao.
He said, “At my wedding with Xu Zhan, the priest asked if I would love him forever, and I lied.”
Xia Yu’s eyelashes drooped slightly, but after a while, he raised his head, smiled gently, and looked at Lu Zhao.
He said, “I hope the gods forgive my deception. But I never loved Xu Zhan. We were friends, we were family, but we were never lovers. From the age of eighteen to now, I have only loved one person.”
And that person was right in front of him.
Lu Zhao’s response was to hug him tightly.
He hadn’t completely failed to notice the relationship between Xia Yu and Xu Zhan. Their separation had been too natural. He wasn’t as naive and ignorant about love as he had been a few years ago. He could see that there was no affection between Xu Zhan and Xia Yu, nor was there any pain from the breakup.
But he couldn’t believe that Xia Yu had never loved Xu Zhan. Perhaps this ethereal love was not enough to sustain a marriage, but in the late nights after he had broken his heart, there must have been moments when Xu Zhan’s gentle companionship had touched Xia Yu’s heart.
Until this moment.
Xia Yu had declared his innocence himself.
Lu Zhao closed his eyes and kissed Xia Yu’s hair.
“I love you too.”
From the age of twenty-two when he didn’t understand love to now, he had loved Xia Yu.
In every deep, dark night of their separation, he had written Xia Yu’s name a million times.
And now he was finally by Xia Yu’s side, never to part again.
Author’s Note
The next part will be about Lu Zhao and Xia Yu’s life after their wedding.
There will also be an extra story about “Qin Sheng x Xu Zhan.”
And a bonus story about a double date with four of them.
I haven’t decided whether to write Jiang Ti’s story or not, but as you might have noticed, his partner is Su Ye, two failed secret admirers who end up together, “You are the white moonlight in my heart, and I harbor a red rose, but in the end, we fell in love with each other.”
(Su Ye is a character from another one of my stories, “After a Failed Secret Crush.” I thought it would be interesting to pair him with Jiang Ti. If you haven’t read that story, you might be a bit confused, but it doesn’t affect this story, as it’s primarily about Xia Yu and Lu Zhao.)