bookcurios Chapter 177
Chapter 177
The wedding hotel was of a mid-range standard in Kang County, with twenty or thirty tables set up in the lobby. Everyone at each table was present and looking towards the newlyweds.
There is a rectangular stage at the far end of the lobby, against the wall.
The wedding emcee was already waiting, and when the newlyweds finally arrived, he began to warm up the atmosphere with a string of witty remarks.
Looking at the setup, the ceremony seemed quite complete, completely different from the rural wedding she had originally imagined. Xu Su was a little worried that there might be some intimate games between the best man and maid of honor.
Several games she knew of for teasing the best man and bridesmaids flashed through her mind.
Passing notes by mouth... squeezing balloons back-to-back... pouring flour...
Xu Su shook her head frantically inside... No, no, she couldn't afford to play this game.
She looked up at the two groomsmen next to her cousin-in-law. One of them, wearing glasses, had a rather refined and handsome appearance. Coincidentally, he was also looking in her direction, and their eyes met.
Xu Su nodded politely, looked away, and remained expressionless.
She was already thinking to herself, if the emcee really wanted to do some interactive games, would her refusal to participate make her sister's wedding awkward?
Thinking of something, Xu Su looked down at the stage, where Xi Zirong stood out among the many guests.
Xu Su immediately noticed the boy's burning gaze, staring directly at her without any restraint.
When he saw her looking at him, his smile became even gentler. Xu Su felt as if she had been burned and quickly looked away.
On stage, after joking with the newlyweds, the host naturally shifted the topic to the bridesmaids.
He looked at the guests below the stage and asked loudly, "Aren't the bridesmaids beautiful tonight?"
Everyone responded in unison: "It's beautiful."
Xu Su:...
His face was expressionless; he was just incredibly awkward...
She didn't want to stay on that stage for even a second longer.
Fortunately, games like passing notes by mouth did not appear.
Xu Su had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the host say loudly, "I know everyone is anxious, so I'll ask on behalf of all the single young men here, do the two bridesmaids have boyfriends?"
The atmosphere instantly heated up after those words were spoken.
A round of applause rang out, and the host first handed the microphone to the bridesmaid, Lingling. The young girl was a little nervous under the watchful eyes of so many people, and blushed. "No," she said.
The host made a few jokes with a smile, encouraging the men to work hard, and then handed the topic to Xu Su.
"..." Looking at the topic at hand, Xu Su pursed her lips awkwardly, "Yes."
She didn't want to be teased like that in public... especially since she really was pregnant.
They're still sitting right here in the lobby.
Hearing Xu Su's words, Xi Zirong's gloomy mood, which had been affected by so many people having their eyes on his girlfriend, instantly improved.
As for Xu's maternal grandmother and the others, they all believed that Xu Su said that on purpose because she didn't want to be teased.
Xu Su looked young, so her answer was obviously surprising. Fortunately, the host was quite capable and quickly caught up after a brief moment of surprise.
Finally, after the newlyweds successfully exchanged rings, Xu Su helped Li Tingting change out of her wedding dress and began the toasting ceremony.
Logically, the first table of toasts should be for the bride's parents, as a sign of respect for welcoming their daughter.
As a result, Xu Su saw the groom glance disdainfully at his father-in-law's table before walking straight to another table.
Xu Su: "..."
I gritted my teeth and followed behind them.
The newlyweds' first drink was at the table of the groom's superiors.
My cousin's husband is named Luo Shaofeng. He works at the telecommunications bureau and is just an ordinary employee. When he gets married, the only leaders he can invite are his direct supervisor and one level above him.
Even so, in their eyes, he was still an important figure who could not be offended.
Luo Shaofeng took a glass of baijiu (Chinese liquor), said a few polite words, and then generously toasted the oldest middle-aged man with a glass of baijiu.
The other party only took a small sip, and Luo Shaofeng felt quite pleased with himself.
Someone at the table looked at Li Tingting and said, "The bride, have a drink too."
"Yes, the bride should also have a drink. It's rare to have our CEO Zhao here."
A busybody poured a glass of baijiu (Chinese liquor) and handed it to Li Tingting, saying, "Quick, toast the leader! With just one word from our General Manager Zhao, we can give Xiao Luo an extra ten or fifteen days of paid wedding leave."
Li Tingting's toasting dress was quite loose, and since she was still in the early stages of pregnancy, she didn't look pregnant.
“…” Xu Su frowned, hesitating to speak.
Fortunately, Luo Shaofeng quickly took the glass of wine and explained with a smile, "My wife is pregnant and can't drink alcohol, so it's the same if I drink it for her."
"Pregnant?" The person pouring the wine raised an eyebrow. "Little Luo is truly blessed with double happiness. Now he has a wife and child, a joyous occasion."
Someone spoke up, jokingly saying, "If the bride can't drink, then the bridesmaid will do it for her. This beautiful lady is your sister-in-law, right? Come on, come on, toast your brother-in-law's boss."
"Yes, it's the same whether the sister-in-law drinks or not. It's time for the bridesmaids to come on stage."
"A beautiful lady is offering a toast, Mr. Zhao can't refuse."
As Xu Su listened, the conversation suddenly shifted, and the glass of wine ended up in front of her.
...Although she likes to drink, she doesn't particularly like baijiu (Chinese liquor). More importantly, this kind of "toasting" style makes Xu Su quite unhappy.
She didn't reach for it for a while, and the cheerful atmosphere gradually cooled down.
The middle-aged man, Mr. Zhao, who had been silent all along and looked quite imposing, finally spoke up, "Why are you all trying to persuade that young girl to drink? Never mind, never mind."
Xu Su sensed that Li Tingting's posture was stiff, as if she was very nervous, and her eyes looked at him with a pleading expression.
She eventually picked up the wine glass in front of her, and fearing it would affect her cousin-in-law's work, she even smiled at these 'leaders' and drank the wine in one gulp.
The next second, the middle-aged man called General Manager Zhao also picked up his wine glass, tilted his head back, and drank it all.
It certainly seems like they were giving her a lot of face.
Everyone applauded.
"Good! As expected, our CEO Zhao only drinks heartily when a beautiful woman toasts him."
The noise was so loud that it drew the attention of several nearby tables.
Xi Zirong's table was quite far away, so she could only see Xu Su drinking, but couldn't hear what they were saying.
Even so, his expression changed slightly.
Xu Su felt extremely uncomfortable. She knew she was pretty and had experienced some malice from outsiders during her middle school years in her previous life.
But later she met Zhou Mochen, and while she was with him, no dirty people or things ever appeared in front of her.
If beauty is a disaster for girls born into poverty, then Xu Su's face is probably a catastrophe; without top-tier wealth and status, it's unlikely she could protect it.
Xu Su was well protected in her previous life, so well that everyone around her was full of kindness and flattery towards her.
Little by little, she developed this spoiled and intolerant personality.