Chapter 608: A Glimpse of Talent

The wedding came to this point, and Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian bowed to all the guests who had come to attend the wedding before the hall.

The scene was immediately filled with enthusiastic "clap clap clap" applause, and some even cheered and egged each other on — what a lively scene.

At this point the ceremonial wedding procedures were basically over; what came next was toasting the guests.

Only now the guests had not yet taken their seats, or were sitting in their own places; under the staff's guidance they began to sit down beside one round table after another.

At a glance, all that could be seen were well-spaced round tables — nearly a hundred of them — set outdoors, with no banquet hall arranged for the occasion.

Every person's seat was pre-arranged, and they were all familiar with one another; it was impossible for an official to end up at the same table as a minor celebrity.

The crowd at the scene was shoulder to shoulder, bustling and jostling — everywhere one looked was a sea of heads.

With the staff's help, Liu Tianxian removed the phoenix crown from her head and took off the Xiapi, only then feeling much more relaxed; wearing them all along had truly been exhausting.

She wondered how the empresses of ancient times bore it — those rituals were even more tedious and lengthy.

Fang Hong asked, "Tired?"

"I'm fine. I think I could still keep going — keep going for a long time, no problem." Liu Tianxian's smile was lovely; this wedding was a very wonderful experience for her.

She had originally thought a Western-style wedding would be better, but now she felt that a Chinese-style wedding gave one a greater sense of belonging in the heart — that sense of belonging that comes with marriage.

At this moment she was wearing the red bridal gown from the very beginning, looking like a noble, elegant young lady.

"Still want to keep going? No chance — not for the rest of your life." Fang Hong said.

"You don't have a chance either." Liu Tianxian brought her pretty, playful little face close.

Fang Hong let out a "haha" and pulled her into his embrace in one swift motion; Liu Tianxian leaned against him blissfully.

The two walked down the steps to the large circular stage and invited the elders of the family to come up for a group photo.

"Grandma, be careful!" Liu Tianxian supported her grandmother up the steps.

Fang Hong, for his part, supported his grandfather up.

The bride's family didn't have many relatives — just An Shaokang and her maternal grandparents; as for An Shaokang's current wife, she wouldn't be going up, that being another household.

Originally Liu Xiaoli was to be invited, but Liu Xiaoli wouldn't go up, so they had no choice but to drop it.

Grandfather and grandmother sat in chairs, Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian stood behind, An Shaokang stood to the side — the picture froze.

After the photo was taken, grandmother took out a red envelope and handed it to Liu Tianxian, saying with concern, "From now on you must live your days well, don't quarrel — take this, it's for you two."

"Grandma, no need." Liu Tianxian declined.

"Take it, take it — there's nothing much to give you. All these years we haven't been able to look after you; being able to see you get married, that too is a weight off my heart." Grandmother was kindly.

Liu Tianxian's eyes glistened with tears; she hugged grandmother, deeply moved.

"There, there — you're already a big girl. From now on, when you go to your husband's family, you must be a good wife and a good mother." Grandmother patted her granddaughter's back.

"Mm, I will." Liu Tianxian dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her fingers.

After the two parted, grandfather offered a few words of advice, then, supported by An Shaokang, walked down off the stage.

Next came the maternal aunt, maternal uncle, maternal grandfather, maternal grandmother, Liu Xiaoli, as well as relatives of the same generation and the younger generation going up on stage — these relatives were many.

"Grandma, be careful." Fang Hong supported his maternal grandmother.

It was still the same arrangement: maternal grandfather and grandmother in the middle, maternal uncle and maternal aunt, Liu Xiaoli and other elders on either side, the children squatting in front.

Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian were in the middle of the second row, with relatives of the same generation on both sides — the children of the elders, about the same age as Liu Tianxian.

Once everyone was in position, all wore smiles — the picture froze.

Next came Fang Hong's relatives — uncles and such numbered quite a few too. Xu Liyun was also there; she stood between Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian, with Liu Tianxian looping her arm through hers.

Since there were no grandparents' generation, the three of them stood in front, surrounded by relatives — the picture froze.

After taking photos with the relatives, Liu Xiaoli, Fang Hong, Liu Tianxian, and Xu Liyun — the four of them — stood side by side and took a family portrait.

There were dedicated photographers taking special family portraits for them; flashes kept going off at the scene.

Even in various spots of the guest area, people were standing together to take photos — some with arms around each other's shoulders, some in groups of three or five — a very harmonious scene.

Here one couldn't avoid some social scenes, asking celebrities for photos — for instance, Liu Tianwang made his way over to Chen Daoming and Li Xuejian and took a group photo with them.

Of course, those officials generally didn't take group photos, appearing very cautious — if someone were to fall from grace later, it would be hard to explain.

High above, cameras were also recording the entire process; camera flashes kept going off at the scene.

After taking photos with the family, Liu Tianxian and Fang Hong stepped down from the stage, the bridesmaids and groomsmen following along, and they began to toast.

The first table they went to was Liu Tianxian's close friends' table!

"Come, come, come — a toast to you all." Liu Tianxian raised her glass, looking very eager.

Drinking itself was her strong suit.

"Happy newlyweds!"

"Happy newlyweds!"

Zhang Jingying, Shuchang, Tang Yan and the other little buddies stood up; Luo Jin, Zhu Yawen, Shen Jiani, and the Meng family rose.

Since they all knew each other and were very familiar, there were no reservations; they raised their glasses and clinked them with a "clink" — a scene of perfect harmony.

Fang Hong also raised his glass and clinked it with theirs!

"Let me tell you, all of us here are Xixi's backing. Even though you're the Principal and everyone else is afraid of you, we're not afraid of you. If you ever treat our Xixi badly, if you bully her, none of us will let you off!" Zhang Jingying downed the wine in her glass in one gulp.

"Alright, alright — with you all standing up for her, you'd have to lend me the gall of a leopard before I'd dare." Fang Hong went along with it.

This drew "hehehe" laughter from the people at the table — the Principal was quite humorous.

Liu Tianxian also laughed heartily, looking happy.

"But what if she bullies me? Could you all also stand up for me?" Fang Hong laughed and turned the tables.

"That won't do — we'll always stand on Xixi's side, only her most solid backing. If she bullies you, we'll just pretend we didn't see it." Tang Yan said with a smile.

"Then you're being far too unreasonable — only allowed to let her bully me, not allowed for me to bully her." Fang Hong said.

"We don't do reason. Besides, Xixi marrying you isn't about being reasonable with you."

Tang Yan tilted her chin up at her sisters: "Right?"

"Yes, yes!" Several people laughed in agreement.

"Luo Jin, are you single? I'll introduce you to a girlfriend—she's definitely beautiful." Fang Hong turned to Luo Jin.

This left Luo Jin stunned; he didn't quite grasp the meaning—he'd just been grinning like an idiot, nervous at the Principal's sudden attention.

The Principal had suddenly spoken to him, and he hadn't reacted in time.

"You're such a bad person!" Tang Yan stomped her foot, pouting in mock anger, looking adorable.

But she wasn't truly angry—just playing around.

Laughter erupted all around. Liu Tianxian, listening to their exchange, draped her hand on Fang Hong's shoulder, laughing "ge ge ge" uncontrollably.

Luo Jin couldn't help laughing either—he finally understood: his girlfriend was teasing the Principal, and the Principal was teasing him back to get even.

But he said nothing; he wasn't familiar enough with them to joke around.

Some people at nearby tables glanced over at the loud laughter, but most didn't notice—everything was already noisy, with everyone chatting and drinking.

"Come on, let's drink another round." Liu Tianxian raised her glass and clinked it again with them—"ding."

Zhang Jingying, Shuchang, and others tossed back their drinks in one go, ignoring the hundreds of tables still ahead—they were all firing on full power at the start.

The bridesmaids and groomsmen were all there to help host—they had to split up, otherwise two people couldn't possibly handle hundreds of tables; that's exactly what they were for.

The groomsmen moved off to other tables.

"Come on, let's catch some good luck—let's take a group photo."

Zhang Jingying, Shuchang, Tang Yan, Luo Jin, and the others gathered around the couple, arms linked, snapping a group photo.

Everyone looked delighted.

After this drink, the interaction here was nearly over—the couple had to move on to other tables.

The groomsmen and bridesmaids would split up to toast every table, of course only to the unimportant guests; Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian would toast the important people.

The couple approached Zhang Hongsen, Tong Gang, and other broadcasting (Guangdian) leaders, along with some Beijing Film Academy officials—Zhang Huijun and Xie Xiaojin were also present, all of whom they knew.

Few leaders came; not every official attends such events, and Fang Hong rarely dealt with superiors, so the table wasn't full—they moved the Beijing Film Academy officials over to fill it.

"Leaders, thank you for taking time from your busy schedules to attend my and Xixi's wedding—we're deeply grateful." Fang Hong toasted them.

Liu Tianxian followed suit, acting like a virtuous wife, no longer as carefree as before.

"Don't be so formal. Seeing you two together truly makes us happy. Now that you're married, always think carefully before acting." Zhang Hongsen gave his advice.

"Understood." Fang Hong nodded.

"Seeing you two come together feels like witnessing a beautiful story," Tong Gang said, glancing at the others, who all nodded in agreement.

Though he wasn't close to the Principal, he'd watched Fang Hong grow—he'd lent a hand when Fang Hong needed it before.

"Thank you, thank you!"

The couple clinked glasses with the leaders, then moved to the next table.

This table was also full of leaders: Macau's Tan Sijiang, Representative He, Beijing Film Academy professors, and cultural groups like the Film Association—Chen Daoming and Li Xue were here too.

"Thank you all for coming to our wedding—we toast you." Fang Hong raised his glass.

"Congratulations!"

"Wishing you a hundred years of harmony."

They stood and clinked glasses with the newlyweds.

"Just now I told Representative He—I've been waiting for your wedding for years. You said you'd marry two years ago, and we waited, and waited, until this year—it was worth it." Tan Sijiang smiled.

"If you hadn't invited him to your wedding, he'd have been frantic by now," Representative He teased.

Everyone burst into "ha ha" laughter.

"We wanted to hurry, but the preparations took too long," Liu Tianxian explained.

"No problem. Seeing you together—and such a heartfelt wedding—makes me genuinely happy," Tan Sijiang smiled warmly; they'd known each other for years and still worked together.

"Then please continue to support our work in the future," Fang Hong toasted them again.

After finishing here, the next table was also cultural groups, and Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian toasted them as well.

After the high-status figures were done, it was the business leaders' turn: Lei Bus, Zhang Yiming, Zhang Nan, Zhang Lidong, Donna, Lao Zha—all the general managers sat here.

These people were all on the same level.

Jack Ma and Lao Wang Zong had already left—they departed halfway through the wedding; their names were enough, no need to meet the Principal—they still had pride.

Besides, they didn't know what to say—business rivalry still had to be fought.

Tony Ma didn't even show up, but he was always low-key—normal enough.

"Ha, the bride and groom are here," Zhang Nan smiled, turning to watch them approach.

Everyone else smiled warmly at them.

"Hello everyone. There are so many guests today, we may have missed some—please bear with us." Fang Hong felt much more at ease facing them—he'd been toasting for ages before reaching them.

"You were definitely neglectful at first, but now that you're here, it's perfect—how about a drink?" Lei Bus squinted his small eyes, grinning like a fool.

That was just his appearance—he was actually sharp as a tack.

"Fine, let's drink—who's afraid of whom?" Liu Tianxian laughed.

"Good! Our spokesperson's got guts! I'll go first—you two hold the line." Lei Bus stood, raising his glass.

"Wait! Are you planning a wheel battle?!" Fang Hong held up his hand to stop him.

"We just discussed it—we're so happy today, you two only need to toast us once. For every drink, we'll compose a blessing poem for you. Of course, if you can't drink, we won't force you," Zhang Yiming chuckled.

"Who said we're being forced? We'd love every blessing from you—we're the ones getting the better deal!" Liu Tianxian found it amusing and grew interested.

One poem per drink? She didn't see how they were getting the advantage—there were so many people.

Fang Hong said nothing—it was normal banquet etiquette, and it was their wedding, everyone was happy.

"Come on, General Manager Lei!" Liu Tianxian, unbothered by formality, clinked glasses with Lei Bus and downed the drink in one gulp.

The others, inspired by Liu Tianxian's boldness, cheered and urged General Manager Lei to recite his poem.

"Women from Hubei are true heroines—once they decide to do something, they act immediately, no hesitation." Lei Bus raised his thumb, still not drinking the wine.

"Lei General Manager, flattery won't work—just drink it already! My husband and I are waiting for your poem; no cheating, okay?" Liu Tianxian laughed.

"I won't cheat, but let me think a moment—I truly can't recall one right now," Lei Bus spoke slowly and deliberately.

Combined with his earnest expression, it made people laugh involuntarily—he was just naturally funny.

Lei Bus cleared his throat softly, tilted his head slightly upward, and began reciting: "Fate brings us together across a thousand li, our affection flows like a river. Amidst the vast sea of people, our hearts resonate—finally bound as partners, growing old together."

"Brilliant poem! Brilliant poem!"

"Clap clap clap!"

Others clapped and cheered loudly; even people at nearby tables were drawn in by the commotion. General Manager Long Danni, Huanrui's Zhong Junyan, and Xinli's Cao Huayi all turned to look and join in the teasing.

"Women from Hubei are heroines—men from Hubei overflow with talent!" Fang Hong exclaimed.

Everyone burst into laughter—this was praising himself too.

"Principal, why don't you recite a poem too? Make it about your wife's name," Li Xue from the next table suggested.

"Me?" Fang Hong was put on the spot.

"Yes! You're a Hubei man too—your talent surely isn't inferior to General Manager Lei's!" Long Danni goaded.

This was exactly what Fang Hong had just said himself—he'd dug his own hole. Liu Tianxian watched her husband with a smiling expression.

"I think I'll just drink the wine instead!" Fang Hong said.

"Hey, even if you drink, you still have to recite a poem—not because we want to hear it, but because it's for your wife," someone shouted.

"Exactly! Exactly!" A crowd echoed.

(End of Chapter)