ACMS 19

Chapter 19 – A Small Sense of Ceremony

The villa’s front yard was enormous. As the car drove in, bursts of confetti went off at intervals along the way to welcome them.

Besides that, Qiao Le noticed that there were delicate little lanterns and red double-happiness characters hanging from the bonsai trees lining the road.

Was he really just here for dinner?

Wasn’t this actually… his own wedding banquet?

Amidst all the colorful confetti, Qiao Le found himself dazed. He turned to look at the man driving beside him. “Shen Hechuan.”

Shen Hechuan: “…”

Qiao Le reached out and poked his arm with a finger, pressing into solid muscle. “Say something. You saw it too, right?”

Shen Hechuan remained as composed and calm as ever, as if these wedding-like decorations appearing at his home were the most natural thing in the world. “I saw.”

It was impossible not to see with all the fanfare.

“Don’t pay it any mind,” he said. “Just stick to the plan.”

Stick to the plan?

Qiao Le was honestly worried that once he stepped through the Shen family’s door, he wouldn’t be able to leave again.

He was starting to understand what Shen Hechuan meant by “my family’s really eager to see me married.”

Eager? No—this was desperate.

As his imagination ran wild, Shen Hechuan suddenly said, “Don’t be nervous. Just go with what we discussed earlier about how we met and started dating. The rest, feel free to improvise.”

On the way here, they’d come up with a story to tell the family: Qiao Le was a college freshman, and because of his young age, they had kept the relationship a secret until now.

Before arriving, Qiao Le had felt confident in their cover story. But now, he wasn’t so sure. “Are you really sure this’ll be okay?”

“Mm.” Shen Hechuan reassured him gently, “They’ll be reasonable. And even if they’re not—I’m here.”

“I’m here.”

Those three words, spoken in Shen Hechuan’s calm, warm tone, carried a certain kind of magic. They gradually settled Qiao Le’s nerves.

Well, he was already here—might as well see it through. Worst-case scenario, he’d just handle it as it came.

That ten thousand yuan—I’ve got to earn it no matter what!

Qiao Le gave himself a mental boost. The moment he thought about the money, he felt recharged again.

After a while, the car finally stopped in front of the main house. Shen Hechuan said, “Let’s get out,” and Qiao Le opened the door and stepped out—only to be greeted by two enormous red lanterns hanging from the intricately carved columns.

Qiao Le: “…”

Was he really going to walk through that door?

Shen Hechuan got out of the car and, following his gaze, also noticed the two oversized, glaringly festive lanterns.

After a moment of silence, he offered a gentle reminder: “…Just ignore them.”

“They’re actually kind of pretty,” Qiao Le commented objectively. It was clear from the quality and design that these lanterns weren’t something you could just buy from a street vendor.

As over-the-top as the Shen family’s setup was, it also showed how much they valued their son’s “boyfriend.” Even though they hadn’t met him yet, they still put in this much effort.

Having parents is such a blessing, Qiao Le thought.

Too bad he was fake. Bound to disappoint them in the end.

But no matter—it just meant he had to act the part well, at least to bring the elders a little joy and not let their goodwill go to waste.

Having made up his mind, Qiao Le patted Shen Hechuan on the arm and said proactively, “Let’s go.”

As the two walked toward the house, Aunt Liu was the first to notice them. Beaming, she jogged over. “Young Master Hechuan is back—and Young Master Qiao is here too!”

Young Master Qiao?

Qiao Le and Shen Hechuan exchanged a glance. Qiao Le blinked in confusion: Who’s she calling ‘Young Master’?

Shen Hechuan answered silently with a look: You.

Qiao Le: Thanks. What a rare chance to experience how the rich are addressed.

Aunt Liu had no idea what kind of silent conversation was passing between them. All she saw was the way their eyes met so naturally and sweetly—she smiled so hard her eyes nearly disappeared. “I’ll go let Madam know. They’ve all been waiting for you!”

And off she went, practically flying like a hundred-meter sprint champion.

Shen Hechuan said, “Let’s go. We’re heading to the side hall.”

It was Qiao Le’s first time here, and he wasn’t familiar with the absurdly large layout of the villa, so he stuck close to Shen Hechuan.

The moment they stepped through the courtyard gate, Wu Huilan and the others knew they’d arrived. After all, they were the ones who had arranged the string of confetti launchers along the path. With all that popping, it was impossible to miss.

As soon as Aunt Liu said they were inside, Wu Huilan asked, “Is my hair okay? Is it messy?”

“No, no, it looks great,” Aunt Liu praised her, then leaned in to whisper, “The young master’s boyfriend is really good-looking. He and Young Master Hechuan standing together—they look like a match made in heaven!”

“Really?” Wu Huilan hadn’t even seen a photo of Qiao Le before—just heard his name. Now, hearing this, she was overjoyed.

Who doesn’t love a good-looking kid?

She turned to Shen Senior and Shen Zhenghe. “Dad, honey, try to stay calm when you see him, okay? Don’t scare him.”

After all, this was the in-law she had been dreaming about day and night.

Grandfather Shen & Shen Zhenghe, having been prepped by her at least 800 times, responded patiently yet again, “Got it, got it.”

As they spoke, Shen Hechuan and Qiao Le arrived. At the sound of their footsteps, everyone turned to look.

They collectively ignored Shen Hechuan, whom they’d seen a thousand times, and their gazes went straight to Qiao Le.

“This is my grandfather, my parents,” Shen Hechuan introduced. “And this is Qiao Le.”

Qiao Le composed himself, then put on his brightest smile and greeted them politely, “Hello, Grandfather. Hello, Uncle, Auntie. I’m Qiao Le. Sorry to intrude on you like this.”

At first, Shen Hechuan had refused to bring anyone home and wouldn’t admit he was seeing someone, which had left Wu Huilan full of worries.

But now, the moment she saw Qiao Le, all her anxiety melted away.

Not only was the young man good-looking, he was also polite and carried himself with a clean, well-mannered air that clearly marked him as a good kid. Standing beside her son, they really did look, as Aunt Liu had said, like “a match made in heaven.”

…Though he did look quite young. Could he really be underage?

As she quietly assessed Qiao Le, he was also discreetly observing Shen Hechuan’s three family members.

The kindly old man with snow-white hair was clearly Grandfather Shen. The middle-aged man next to him bore a resemblance to Shen Hechuan—no doubt his father. And the beautiful, graceful woman could only be his mother.

No wonder Shen Hechuan was so tall and handsome—he’d inherited the best traits from both parents.

But as for someone as plain as himself—could he pass in their eyes?

In truth, Qiao Le had nothing to worry about. Wu Huilan’s first impression of him was excellent. She nodded in satisfaction. “Oh, not at all, not at all! We’re happy you came. You’re Qiao Le, right? Can I call you Lele?”

Qiao Le quickly replied, “Of course, Auntie. Call me whatever you like.”

“No need to be so formal,” Shen Zhenghe chimed in. “We’re all family here. Just relax.”

Qiao Le nodded. “Okay, Uncle.”

“Since everyone’s here, let’s eat first,” the old man spoke up. “Hechuan told us you like Cantonese and Hunan cuisine, so the chefs prepared a variety—see if it suits your taste.”

The family made their way toward the dining room. Grandfather Shen walked in front, chatting with Qiao Le. Shen Hechuan fell two steps behind and lowered his voice to ask Wu Huilan, “Mom, didn’t we agree not to make a big deal out of this?”

“What big deal?” Wu Huilan said, displeased. “I already toned it down—there’s no banner, no hot air balloons, no drones. If other people knew, they’d laugh at me for doing nothing.”

“…He’s just here for dinner, not to get married. You’re going to scare him.”

“Then when are you getting married?”

“…”

Wu Huilan pressed, “Does Lele prefer a Chinese or Western-style wedding? He said he likes Chinese food, so I went with a traditional theme tonight. But if he likes Western, we can do that too.”

“It’s way too early to talk about that,” Shen Hechuan said.

“Too early?” Wu Huilan disagreed. “He’s already here meeting the parents. The next step is discussing the dowry, don’t you know?”

“…Let’s just eat first.” Shen Hechuan cut off the conversation and quickly walked ahead to catch up with Qiao Le.

Wu Huilan sighed, disappointed. Shen Zhenghe gave her shoulder a comforting pat. “Keep at it.”

At the dining room entrance, Shen Senior said, “It’s just a family meal—didn’t go too overboard. Lele, if there’s anything you want to eat, just ask the kitchen to make it.”

“Alright, thank you, Grandfather…”

Qiao Le’s steps paused, his eyes first landing on the large round dining table piled high with dishes. Though he didn’t count, there were clearly over twenty.

Five people. Twenty dishes. This was what they called not going overboard?

And then—

His gaze dropped to the bright red tablecloth beneath the food.

From the red carpet on the mountain road, to the red lanterns at the door, to now this red tablecloth…

Honestly, if he and Shen Hechuan changed into formal attire, they could go straight to the wedding ceremony.

And then there was the massive screen on the dining room wall, flashing several large words:

[A Warm Welcome to Qiao Le’s Visit]

…

Shen Hechuan shot a helpless glance at Wu Huilan: This is what you meant by “no banner”?

Wu Huilan acted like nothing was amiss and stepped up to Qiao Le with a smile. “Just a little sense of ceremony, Lele—hope you don’t mind.”

Qiao Le: “…”

This little bit of ceremony made him feel like the next step might involve drums and gongs and being carried off to the bridal chamber.