The agonizing pain in Zhou Xuan's heart immediately flared up again; after all, Fu Ying still lacked the genuine affection he had for him, the kind that would stand by him through thick and thin.
Just as Zhou Xuan was experiencing excruciating pain, and as everyone was waiting, Fu Ying finally spoke, her lips trembling and her face pale:
I do.
The people in the hall applauded enthusiastically.
However, Zhou Xuan felt no joy amidst the enthusiastic applause and blessings. Only then did he understand why many people do not feel happy when they marry or win the heart of the one they love. It is because love requires effort from both sides. If there is only one-sided love, then the true joy of love is lost.
There's a classic saying: "I can have your body, but not your heart." That probably describes this situation.
However, the Fu family and Zhou Xuan's relatives and friends all breathed a sigh of relief, as they did not detect any hesitation in Fu Ying's tone. Of course, there was one person in the crowd who did know.
That was Wei Xiaoyu. Wei Xiaoyu knew everything about what the Nine Dragon Cauldron had caused from beginning to end. Only she understood that Fu Ying was not the same Fu Ying who loved Zhou Xuan as well. However, Wei Xiaoyu also didn't understand why Fu Ying agreed to marry Zhou Xuan if she wasn't the same Fu Ying who loved Zhou Xuan so deeply.
Now that Zhou Xuan has destroyed the Nine Dragon Cauldron, Fu Ying will never be able to return to the time when she wanted to know the truth. Why would she agree to the marriage? If Fu Ying clearly opposes and refuses the marriage, Wei Xiaoyu will be the happiest. Even if Zhou Xuan doesn't agree to marry her, at least she will still have a hope.
However, Fu Ying agreed to the marriage, which Wei Xiaoyu couldn't understand. She knew Fu Ying's personality; they were not much different. If it was something she didn't like, she would never turn back, even if it meant death. She would never agree to marry someone she didn't like, no matter what. But now, it was a fact.
Although Wei Xiaoyu couldn't understand it, she wouldn't try to sabotage things because she understood Zhou Xuan's personality. If she thought of everything for him, he would feel sorry for her and treat her well. But if she went against him and made him hate and despise her, she would end up hurting herself.
Aside from not being able to marry her, Zhou Xuan would be willing to sacrifice anything for Wei Xiaoyu or her younger sister Wei Xiaoqing. If their lives were in danger, Zhou Xuan would absolutely give his own life to protect them.
Volume 1, Chapter 436: Time to Get Up
Chapter 436 Time to Get Up
Huang Jie looked at Zhou Xuan and Fu Ying with genuine envy, while the hall was filled with constant chatter and flashing lights, with cameras recording the entire scene.
Amidst envy, Huang Jie loudly proclaimed, "Alright, the bride and groom have voluntarily become husband and wife. Now, please welcome the officiant and both sets of parents to give speeches."
Next came brief blessings from Zhou Cangsong and his wife, and Fu Ying's parents, Fu Jue and Xiang Lin. Fu Jue and his wife were naturally quite at ease, as such grand occasions were a piece of cake for them. However, Zhou Cangsong and his wife were quite tired.
Fortunately, Fu Yuanshan and Li Lei had prepared in advance. They wrote the speech the night before and had the couple memorize it. Because Zhou Cang and his wife were not well-educated, their wedding speech was very brief. The couple rested after memorizing it. They practiced it many times this morning. However, being in front of hundreds of people was different from practicing on their own. The words were the same, but the atmosphere was not the same.
Zhou Cangsong and his wife stammered as they finished their speech, followed by Fu Jue and his wife's blessings to their daughter and son-in-law.
During this time, Zhou Xuan was in a daze. His heart was completely focused on Fu Ying. Fu Ying always had a slightly furrowed brow and a pale face. Although she did not object, she was like a puppet being manipulated. Zhou Xuan felt as if his heart was sinking into an abyss.
After both sets of parents finished their speeches, Huang Jie said, "I now announce that Zhou Xuan and Fu Ying are now a legally married couple. May their happy life begin from this moment on. Now, please let the bride and groom exchange rings."
Zhou Xuan was a little dazed. Huang Jie repeated himself before he came to his senses. He quickly took out a small red brocade box from his pocket, opened the lid, and inside were two huge diamond rings. The diamonds on the rings were the two enormous diamonds that Fu Ying had obtained from under the skylight.
Zhou Xuan picked up the woman's diamond ring, his hand trembling slightly. He pulled Fu Ying's hand over and put it on her ring finger. At that moment, a burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.
Huang Jie couldn't help but laugh and said, "Mr. Zhou, you're too excited, haha. But it's normal to be excited when facing such a beautiful bride. It would be abnormal not to be excited, haha. You've put it in the wrong place?"
Zhou Xuan was taken aback and looked up at him. Isn't it customary to wear a ring on the ring finger when getting married? Or is it on another finger?
Huang Jie couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed Zhou Xuan was truly too excited to think straight. He laughed and said, "It's not that you put it on the wrong finger, it's that you put it on the wrong hand. You're holding the bride's left hand; you should put it on her right ring finger."
"Oh..." Zhou Xuan suddenly realized that he knew the principle of men on the left and women on the right. He quickly switched to his other hand. His hand was still trembling a bit, and he couldn't get the ring on after a few tries. He finally managed to put it on, and it fit perfectly.
Of course it was very suitable, because the craftsman who made it made it according to the size of his and Fu Ying's fingers, so there was no mistake.
After seeing Zhou Xuan awkwardly put the ring on Fu Ying's finger, Huang Jie said, "Now, let's invite the bride to put the ring on the groom's finger."
Fu Ying's hands were also trembling slightly, but Zhou Xuan could tell that Fu Ying was not excited, but rather bewildered, trembling because she was afraid of this matter.
Fu Ying put the ring on Zhou Xuan's finger without any problems, and after the two exchanged rings, the wedding ceremony was almost complete.
Then Huang Jie said, "Now that the wedding ceremony is complete, let's all wish this happy couple all the best."
After a thunderous round of applause, Huang Jie chuckled and announced loudly, "Now for another fun activity! Accompanied by beautiful bridesmaids and handsome groomsmen, all unmarried gentlemen and ladies, please stand behind the bride and groom. The bride will then throw her bouquet, and whoever catches it will receive the bride and groom's blessing and become the next happy couple. Come on, bride, turn your backs to them, and groom, count 'one, two, three'!"
Fu Ying stood in front with the beautiful bouquet of flowers. Wei Xiaoqing, Wei Xiaoyu, Li Wei, Zhou Ying, and a large group of young men and women stood behind Fu Ying. Zhou Xuan stood facing Fu Ying, waiting for them to be ready before asking Fu Ying to throw the flowers.
Zhou Xuan looked at Fu Ying standing in front of him with flowers in her hand, her face as white as snow, and felt a pang of pain and pity in his heart. He wanted Yingying to be happy, not to be so sad.
Stunned, Zhou Xuan stood there in a daze until Huang Jie reminded him again before he said, "Yingying, I called, one, two, three."
When she said "three," Fu Ying threw the flowers back forcefully. Zhou Xuan saw clearly that the flowers tumbled several times in the air before landing on Wei Xiaoyu and her sister. Wei Xiaoyu reached out and caught them, still in a daze.
Huang Jie chuckled and praised, "Looks like Miss Wei is next! Best wishes to the beautiful Miss Wei! I hope I'll be the officiant again, haha. Alright, on behalf of the bride and groom, I'd like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone. Please enjoy your meal!"
The people in the hall immediately began talking and chatting, and the wedding was basically over.
Zhou Xuan looked at Fu Ying and saw that her face was pale and she seemed about to faint. He quickly supported her and asked in a low voice, "Yingying, are you feeling unwell? Let me take you home first."
It was obviously very noisy here, and Fu Ying was so haggard and exhausted that she nodded, seemingly too weak to even speak.
Zhou Xuan spoke to the elders and his parents, and they all agreed. Seeing Fu Ying's extremely haggard appearance, they were also worried, but they all thought it was because she was too tired from the wedding. They never thought it could be for any other reason. Besides, Zhou Xuan and Fu Ying didn't dare to tell their families that Fu Ying had a problem because of the Nine Dragon Cauldron. They were all happily attending the wedding.
Especially Fu Ying's mother, Xiang Lin, how could a mother not feel heartbroken for her daughter? She quickly urged her daughter to go back with Zhou Xuan first.
Originally, Fu Jue and his wife wanted to buy Zhou Xuan and their daughter another villa for their honeymoon, but Zhou Xuan refused, saying that his parents did not want their son and daughter-in-law to be far apart, so that they could not take care of what they ate or used.
The views of rural couples are naturally different from theirs. People from wealthy families usually want to get married and enjoy their time alone, but Zhou Cangsong and his wife are different. Fu Ying also liked living with her mother-in-law and had never objected to it, so the matter of buying a villa was no longer mentioned.
Zhou Xuan helped Fu Ying out, followed by Li Wei and Zhou Ying. Zhou Ying quietly asked, "Sister-in-law, you don't look well. You should go back and rest." Then she turned to Li Wei and said, "Li Wei, those friends of yours are not allowed to bother my brother and sister-in-law. My sister-in-law is too tired. Let her have some peace and quiet."
Li Wei naturally did not object. He called the driver out from the front, and fearing that it would cause a commotion or attract attention on the way back, he only drove a black Mercedes and removed the wedding flowers from the car.
Zhou Xuan helped Fu Ying into the car and sat down next to her. Li Wei drove the car himself, and Zhou Ying sat on the other side of Fu Ying, taking care of her as well.
Back at the villa in Hongcheng Garden, apart from a few plainclothes soldiers who were helping out, there was no one else there. The people attending the wedding were all at the Beijing Grand Hotel.
Back home, Zhou Xuan helped Fu Ying back to their new room. The bridal chamber was decorated in a luxurious and stylish manner, all set up to the highest standards, with two large red "double happiness" characters pasted on the door.