Epiphanies of Rebirth Chapter 85 (Part 1)
Pure: Wow I can’t believe we’re at the last chapter of the main story! The previous chapter was so funny, but let’s see what’s going to happen to everyone at the banquet!
Translated by Pure
Chapter 85.1 The end
The invitations caused the entire Yan City and compound to fall into silence.
When Dai Gaofeng got up early, he felt like he was in a dream and touched his completely shiny forehead. After putting on his suit, he took his wife and slowly drove towards Yan City Hotel. The old acquaintances who met in front of the banquet hall all had their unspoken awkwardness.
"Just arrived?"
"Yeah."
Almost every member from the compound was present, and everyone tried their best to pretend that this wedding banquet was no different from the usual. Unfortunately, Dai Gaofeng's feigned smile cracked at the sight of the two couples receiving the guests outside the banquet hall; his steps stopped for several seconds.
"Congratulations~~"
"Congratulations~~"
There was no knowing how sincere these words were, but there was no doubt that almost everyone who came forward was smiling. Yu Shuyuan and Shen Juanying seemed oblivious to the strange atmosphere among the guests. When they heard their words, both women greeted them back with happy smiles——
"Ol’Wang! Glad to see you here, come and sit inside."
"Isn't this Little Jin? He’s grown so much taller! Does he have a girlfriend? Oh? When are you getting married?"
Dai Gaofeng finally collected his emotions and stepped forward, but was caught by Yu Shuyuan. Yu Shuyuan's eyes studied his forehead, which was brighter than the light. "Hey, Ol’Dai, it's only been a few months since we met, how did it become like this?"
Dai Gaofeng: "QAQ"
Stop picking at my sore spot! Do you think I wanted this? I'm in despair, okay!
The hair growth serum that his wife had gotten from Hong Kong was of no use at all! And he was not the only one to suffer, Jin Jianshe was also balding!
****
The large room was brilliantly lit with bright white lights, with the two-person tall floor-to-ceiling mirror nailed to the wall. Lin Jingzhe absent-mindedly looked at himself in the mirror— he was wearing a well-tailored Western-style suit, its color was as dark as a sunset night. The small cluster of flowers pinned to his chest was tender and beautiful, as if it had just been picked from the branch.
"Don't move." Shen Tiantian, who was fixing his hairstyle behind him, straightened his head. She carefully gelled the bits of hair in front of his forehead with a comb, and then looked at Lin Jingzhe in the mirror, slightly stunned. "Big brother, you are so handsome..."
His hair had grown a little longer, and his original buzzcut had now turned into short shaggy hair. Lin Jingzhe found it quite troublesome and originally wanted to shave it all off, but Shen Tiantian desperately held onto him, saying that it would look better this way.
Her statement proved credible, at least at that moment Lin Jingzhe found that his youthful face was more radiant than ever.
He looked at himself and suddenly realized that he couldn't remember what he looked like in his previous life. At that time, he had just arrived in Yan City and was even well-off for a period of time. With his ignorant and incompetent gang of scoundrels from the compound, he put aside his past and lived a leisure life of street racing and disco dancing; with his daily thoughts about how to launder his money. He had also been a trend chaser, even more so than Deng Mai before he started to pay off his mortgage. However, trying to reminisce about his previous state, Lin Jingzhe only recalled a vague shadow—a body that was so thin that his cheeks were sunken in and a pair of embittered and constantly treacherous eyes.
Lin Jingzhe approached his face in the mirror, and dubiously poked at his cheek. The place where his fingertips touched was cool and delicate, and his fingers sank directly into the soft skin——
Oh my god, how much weight has he gained!?
He had been busy organizing his wedding recently. At this sight, the parents of all four families all sympathized with his efforts and worked hard to feed him with nutritious supplements. The Shen Family had rich taste, so their cook always sent chicken or duck soup stewed with abalone, sea cucumber, and ginseng to the company every day. And once he returns from work, Yu Shuyuan would also come up with various methods to make the cook at home stuff various kinds of foods down their children’s throats. So much so that after several days, Xiao Chi and Lin Jingzhe moved back to Dongtai Community, scared witless at her antics. Following that, the power of the Gao and Zhou Family’s parents were finally put to work.
In short, he might have accidentally gorged a bit too much.
His current fair complexion matched his age, but his pointed chin, big eyes, and rabbit teeth lacked the daunting and intimidating look of a typical businessman. Therefore, in regards to the matter relating to New Beginnings Real Estate, Lin Jingzhe usually would only directly speak to Deng Mai and Mao Dongqing. After his company expanded, the new employees barely caught a glimpse of their own boss. There were often rumors in his company speculating his frightening appearance, exaggerated to the point where he had three heads and six arms.
"Oh! The suits! These suits must be well looked after. Remember, they need to change into these suits before the toast..."
Lin Jingzhe looked back and saw that Mother Zhou was busy rushing around the room. She stared at the staff members with two red embroidered Tang Suits* as they placed them in a clean and safe place. Once the suits were secured, Mother Zhou turned to look at Lin Jingzhe's appearance and smiled slightly. She nodded, satisfied at his makeover.
It was then Lin Jingzhe was suddenly hit with the realization that he was about to get married. His usually steady self immediately became nervous, "Aunt Ding, where is Xiao Chi? I have something to talk to him about."
"That won't work." Mother Zhou tidied his forehead hair. "He is changing clothes in another room. The auspicious time has not come yet, so you two can't meet."
After saying that, she hurried to Xiao Chi's dressing room and saw that the latter had already changed his clothes. He was calmly handing over official duties to Hu Shaofeng who came in to help. The man was so calm that she couldn't see any signs of anxiety and nervousness. Mother Zhou couldn’t help but inwardly exclaim in admiration— This child Xiao Chi is truly worthy of his reputation as an unshakeable individual.
**
The moment he saw the tall figure approaching from the other side of the corridor, Lin Jingzhe's heart suddenly relaxed. Xiao Chi was wearing a suit of the same texture and color as him. The tailored attire outlined his broad shoulders and long legs; he looked extremely attractive.
While he was still in the dressing room, Mother Zhou continuously motivated him by saying how calm and unflustered Xiao Chi was, so at this time, Lin Jingzhe was no longer nervous. There was a strange emotion welling in his heart that rejuvenated his spirit, as if there was a treasure he had been searching for all his life behind the door of the auditorium.
Xiao Chi looked at him with squinted eyes, and his sharp eyes did not continue the usual cheerfulness. "You look very amazing today."
He looked unexpectedly serious, this was a foreign sight for Lin Jingzhe, and it took him a while to collect himself. By that time, the music was already playing in the auditorium.
The two of them were simultaneously pushed from behind, they were now standing on a red carpet. When the door slowly opened, Lin Jingzhe held Xiao Chi's hand.
Lin Jingzhe was stunned at the feeling of a wet and clammy hand: "...?"
Xiao Chi's hand instinctively tightened. He walked forward mechanically with a dull face, but because his hand was held by Lin Jingzhe, his limbs did not follow a nervous march.
The door of the auditorium soon completely opened, and the moment he saw the stage at the end of the long red carpet filled with flower stands, Xiao Chi's hands trembled slightly. His tightening grasp was even a bit painful to bear for Lin Jingzhe.
At this moment, Lin Jingzhe had an urge to laugh. So this was what Xiao Chi looked like when he was nervous. His expression was so deceptive, he hadn’t even realized until now.
Their family was already waiting inside, they all looked expectantly at them. Mother Zhou's choked voice came from behind, "Go on."
She immediately left the team and walked along the edge of the red carpet towards the main table, where she was hugged and comforted by Father Zhou.
Most of the faces in the auditorium were unenthusiastic, and they were obviously unable to accept the two couples in suits holding hands right outside the auditorium. There was almost no sound of anyone talking and chatting through the music, but this silence soon ended.
Grandma Xiao, who was standing on the stage with a smile, was the first to start applauding. She was soon followed by the whole table where Shen Juanying and Mother Zhou were sitting, and then Shen Tiantian's grandparents. Elder Fang even stood up and exerted all his strength while clapping. Starting from their side, the applause spread little by little, like dandelions blown by a spring breeze, spreading to every corner of the auditorium.
The eyes of their family members were like bright lights in the middle of the night. Lin Jingzhe looked at the ceiling for a while, suppressed the wetness in his eyes, and led Xiao Chi in.
The wedding witness was Grandma Xiao. She was dressed very festively today, smiling as usual, which caused the younger attendees to not even dare not even breathe loudly. When Lin Jingzhe came on stage, the first thing he saw was the bulging pockets of her top, which was made more conspicuous because of the embroidery patterns on top. He couldn't help but inwardly sigh.
In order to prevent his grandma from eating sweets, even at the risk of his athlete’s feet, Xiao Shenxing purposely did not include chocolate as part of the wedding candies. However, the hotel had provided complimentary chocolate treats for all their visitors, it seemed that this opportunity was not missed by the elderly.
Grandma Xiao coughed and turned around with a smile. As if her secret had not been discovered by these two children, she unhesitantly held their hands, and then gently squeezed Lin Jingzhe's as if pleading.
Lin Jingzhe could only smile and nod, promising not to expose the truth to the Xiao Family parents. He did, however, mouth a silent warning, for her not to consume over five pieces for the day.
Grandma Xiao, who was usually only allowed to eat two chocolates a week, smiled more sincerely; her curved eyes were narrowed so much that they were almost buried in wrinkles. At this moment, no one doubted her goodwill for this wedding. She then moved Xiao Chi’s palm and placed it on top of the back of Lin Jingzhe’s hand, wiped her hand that had just held Xiao Chi’s hand on her clothes, and said to Lin Jingzhe, "My good child, Xiao Chi was brought up by me. To be able to see him this day is the happiest day of my life. I won’t bother with the pleasantries, all I hope is that you two can live in peace and harmony. There will be many difficulties in the future, but the Xiao Family will always have your backs."
Her words didn’t sound much of a congratulation, but more like a threat, except she was not facing the couple, but at the guests. This obviously was very effective, all of the guests were truly frightened. Many of the people who had previously applauded with reluctance and unwillingness restrained their expressions.
Grandma Xiao patted the back of Lin Jingzhe's hand and retreated after accomplishing her work. "I'll leave the rest to you too. If you have anything to say, then take turns to do so."
As she spoke, she was helped down by her son and daughter-in-law who were waiting by the stage. Hu Shaofeng stepped onto the stage from the stairs, holding a tray in his hand. The tray contained two open ring boxes with two similar and simple-style diamond rings that were illuminated by the crystal lamp above the auditorium.
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* Tang Suits - These are some visuals so you can get an idea of what wedding tang-style dresses look like. Of course our LJ and XC are both wearing the male version, no one’s wearing a dress today haha.