ACBAM 59: Wedding Banquet

Grandpa Su was already at such an old age, yet he was suddenly force-fed a mouthful of “dog food” by the youngsters. His face turned pale, then flushed, changing colors back and forth, and he couldn’t manage to say a word for quite a while.

Gu Weiyang didn’t notice anything odd about Grandpa Su’s expression and was still lost in the sweetness of showing off their love. Admiring the matching outfits he and Dr. Su were wearing, he said cheerfully, “We had these clothes rushed over from a friend of mine. Since time was tight, we didn’t have the chance to get them custom-made but Shijin is so good-looking. He looks good in anything.”

Grandpa Su knew his grandson was good-looking, and he had often heard others praise him before.

Yet when the words came out of Gu Weiyang’s mouth, no matter how he listened, something just felt off.

Su Shijin was handsome—so what exactly was Gu Weiyang feeling so smug about?

Seeing Gu Weiyang show him off like some rare treasure, Grandpa Su almost couldn’t bear to look.

Su Shijin was also made a little embarrassed by Gu Weiyang’s behavior, especially with his grandfather right there. His ears were even turning red.

He tugged lightly at Gu Weiyang’s sleeve and whispered, “Alright, that’s enough.”

Only then did Gu Weiyang reluctantly swallow back the remaining full-circle compliments about Su Shijin that he had been ready to spill.

Since the wedding banquet was in another district and still quite far from Grandpa Su’s place, Su Shijin and the others began getting ready to leave around ten o’clock.

Grandpa Su knew that Jin Yue mainly wanted to see Shijin this time, so he didn’t join in the excitement as an old man. Instead, he had the family driver take Su Shijin and the others over, so they wouldn’t end up stuck drinking once they arrived and have trouble with finding a substitute driver later.

By the time Su Shijin and Gu Weiyang reached the wedding venue, it was already 11:20, with forty minutes left before the banquet began.

Su Shijin had Aunt Jin’s number saved in his phone, but figured she was probably busy at the moment, so he didn’t call to disturb her. After checking the invitation to see which floor and banquet hall it was, he took Gu Weiyang with him and headed up to the third floor by elevator.

It must have been an auspicious day, because there were at least four or five different banquets being held in this hotel alone.

Wedding banquets, baby celebrations, birthday parties—large and small banquet halls were nearly all packed. As soon as Su Shijin stepped onto the third floor, he was met with the deafening music and the emcees’ voices guiding guests to their seats from three open banquet halls nearby.

The attendant waiting outside the elevator glanced at the invitation in Su Shijin’s hand, then pointed. “The Rose Hall is that way, on the right.”

Su Shijin thanked the attendant softly, then noticed Gu Weiyang frowning as if lost in thought. He reached out and gave his sleeve a gentle tug, murmuring, “Let’s go.”

Since standing at the elevator entrance would just get in the way of others, Gu Weiyang looked at Su Shijin tugging at his sleeve, said nothing, and let himself be led toward the Rose Hall.

Only, in the spot where Su Shijin couldn’t see, Gu Weiyang reached up and rubbed at the gland covered by a suppressant patch. With so many people around and the noise all over, he couldn’t tell which alpha or omega had lost control of their pheromones. The chaotic mix of scents stung his gland with pain.

He had already expected the wedding to be crowded, so he had put on a suppressant ring and applied the patch when he got up that morning.

But Gu Weiyang’s glands were too sensitive and despite all the precautions, he still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Fortunately, he was long used to this kind of discomfort. He had endured pain far worse before. His brows furrowed briefly, then he forced himself to relax, not wanting Su Shijin to notice anything and start worrying.

Though if Su Shijin really did worry about him, that wouldn’t be so bad either.

Like maybe frowning slightly, looking up at him with concern, and asking where he felt unwell.

Then Gu Weiyang would say his glands hurt, asking him to check if they were swollen.

And then, lowering his head, Dr. Su would carefully peel back the suppressant patch, his breath brushing against the gland…

Hiss—

No. Can’t think about that.

Gu Weiyang cut his thoughts off in time, dragging his imagination back from the edge of the city.

—

“Here.” Su Shijin stopped walking and signaled to Gu Weiyang that they had arrived.

The Rose Hall was considered the largest banquet hall in the hotel. Looking in from the main entrance, there were at least eighty or ninety tables set up.

Outside the doors stood attendants welcoming guests, and beside them was a long table set up specifically for receiving gift money.

Su Shijin didn’t know the attendants or the people handling the gift money, so he didn’t linger. He queued up, handed over the gift in Song Moran’s name, and after receiving a beautifully packaged souvenir, he led Gu Weiyang into the banquet hall.

As noon drew closer, the hall grew more and more crowded.

Many adults had brought children who were running around and playing in the aisles, while some guests who had come together but couldn’t find seats side by side were standing off to the side waiting for the staff to rearrange things.

Su Shijin wasn’t used to such noisy occasions, so he quickened his pace a little with Gu Weiyang, heading toward the tables deeper inside.

Just then, a child playing with a balloon came screaming and accidentally bumped into Su Shijin’s leg.

“Careful.” Gu Weiyang swiftly wrapped an arm around Su Shijin’s waist and pulled him back a step, steering him out of the child’s way.

Su Shijin was startled. He had been too focused on checking how many seats were still open at the tables inside and hadn’t noticed the little kid who wasn’t even as tall as his waist.

Gu Weiyang kept his arm around Su Shijin’s waist, shielding him behind himself, and said coldly to the adult sitting nearby eating peanuts, “It’s crowded here, keep an eye on your kid.”

The man had been about to snap back, but after taking in Gu Weiyang’s height and build, he swallowed the curses on the tip of his tongue. All he muttered was, “Mind your own business,” before yanking his child over and scolding him.

Gu Weiyang couldn’t be bothered to spare him another glance. He took hold of Su Shijin’s hand to make sure he wouldn’t get separated, then led him toward the tables at the very back.

Gu Weiyang’s palm was broad. Su Shijin, being an omega, had slender fingers despite being taller than most omegas. With his fingers slightly curled, his whole hand could be enveloped in Gu Weiyang’s grasp.

In just a few steps, Su Shijin’s slightly cold fingertips were warmed by Gu Weiyang’s touch.

Gu Weiyang found two empty seats at the second-to-last row of the table and leaned down to ask the person sitting next to him, “Excuse me, is this seat taken?”

After receiving a negative response, Gu Weiyang then quietly asked Su Shijin, “Is it okay if we sit here?”

The table was filled with young people, all looking relatively young, likely friends or colleagues of the bride and groom.

Su Shijin had no objections. He exchanged a brief glance with them, nodded as if to say hello, and then sat down with Gu Weiyang.

As they sat, their hands naturally parted. Su Shijin lightly squeezed his fingers, easing the slight discomfort he felt.

—

There were about twenty minutes left before leaving the table when Su Shijin received a call from Aunt Jin.

It had been a long time since Su Shijin last saw Aunt Jin or had any contact with her. The moment the call was answered, he wasn’t sure what to say, so he instinctively greeted her, “Hello, Aunt Jin.”

The other side of the line remained silent for a long time, unable to speak.

After a long pause, it seemed like Su Shijin heard the other side controlling their breath, then a gentle voice asked, “Shijin, have you arrived yet?”

Through the sound from Su Shijin’s side, Jin Yue could hear the music and noise from the banquet hall.

“Mm, I just arrived not long ago. I figured you might be busy, so I didn’t inform you in advance,” Su Shijin replied.

“It’s fine, as long as you’ve arrived. Where are you now? Come sit over here with me,” Jin Yue said, concerned that Su Shijin might feel uncomfortable surrounded by people he didn’t know and wanting to bring him closer.

“No need, it’s not a bother. I came with my partner,” Su Shijin replied.

Since the music in the banquet hall was loud and the table at the back was close to the speakers, Su Shijin raised his voice slightly, worried that Aunt Jin wouldn’t be able to hear him clearly. However, this caused Gu Weiyang to hear him clearly.

My partner.

How could those three words sound so lovely.

Gu Weiyang’s expression could probably be described as “an old tree blooming.” The smile on his face was so broad that he couldn’t hide it. He could only pick up his water cup, take a sip, and try to control himself a little.

When Jin Yue heard that Su Shijin had come to the wedding banquet with his partner, she didn’t insist on him coming over. Instead, she told him not to rush off after the banquet, and Su Shijin agreed.

After the call ended, Su Shijin caught a glimpse of the smile tugging at the corners of Gu Weiyang’s lips, his face radiating with an unmistakable joy. He was a bit puzzled about what had made him so happy, but seeing that Gu Weiyang kept avoiding his gaze, he didn’t ask further.

Gu Weiyang had a smile playing at the corners of his lips, taking small sips of water to help digest the happiness those three words, “my partner,” had brought him.

—

As the time for the banquet drew near, the emcee took the stage to announce and remind the friends and family to take their seats as the wedding was about to begin.

Su Shijin and Gu Weiyang’s seats were directly facing the stage, so they could easily see the wedding ceremony as soon as they looked up.

At exactly twelve o’clock, the chimes rang, and the wedding officially began.

The spotlight danced in the air along with the music, and then, with the emcee’s announcement, “Let’s welcome the bride with a round of applause,” the spotlight thudded onto the main entrance. As the music played, the bridesmaids opened the doors, and the bride made her grand entrance amidst the atmosphere created by the other soft-colored spotlights.

A wedding is a sacred event, at least in Su Shijin’s heart.

The moment the bride entered through the main doors in her pure white wedding gown, the applause inside the hall reached its peak. A few children even shouted that the bride looked beautiful.

Though Su Shijin didn’t know the newlyweds, he still clapped along, silently offering his own blessings in his heart.

Gu Weiyang’s gaze, however, mostly lingered on Su Shijin, only occasionally shifting to the bride onstage, his expression tinged with thought.

He felt that, although his marriage with Dr. Su was a contractual one and the agreement was only for a year, it seemed like they could still have a wedding.

Gu Weiyang wanted to ask Su Shijin’s opinion, but the loud music and the voice of the emcee made it impossible to hear each other, so he had to suppress his thoughts.

It wasn’t until the emcee began to get emotional, saying some touching words and asking the daughter to give her father a hug, that Gu Weiyang furrowed his brow.

“Do weddings have to be like this?” Gu Weiyang leaned in close to Su Shijin’s ear, asking with a hint of confusion.

Su Shijin gave him a puzzled glance and whispered, “Like what?”

Gu Weiyang replied, “The emotional tears, the crying, and the touching words. Didn’t they know their daughter was getting married before the wedding?”

Su Shijin: …

This really stumped him.

“It’s just a part of the wedding process. If they don’t want this segment, they could probably remove it,” Su Shijin said softly, lifting his chin slightly and leaning into his ear. “We should respect other people’s wedding traditions.”

Gu Weiyang actually did respect it. He just couldn’t understand why so many tear-jerking, emotional moments were deliberately included.

But hearing Su Shijin’s response, he didn’t ask further and decided to look it up online later to understand why these emotional rituals were necessary.

Then, as the music gradually softened, Gu Weiyang leaned closer to Su Shijin and quietly asked, “So, what kind of wedding do you like?”

Su Shijin, not noticing Gu Weiyang’s intentions, took a moment to think seriously and then said, “I think I’d prefer an outdoor wedding, like on the beach or a lawn, with fewer people, with just close friends who are familiar with each other.”

Gu Weiyang silently noted this in his mind and nodded. “Got it. I understand.”