"I love that you recognize me as your other half but also know that I am whole and complete all on my own. I love that by loving you, I found a whole new family that I never imagined I would get. I got my best friend, a cheerful mother, and a supportive mother who will always have my back."

  "I love that I will grow old with you. That I will hold your hand and sit on the balcony, our hair grey and watching the twenty-one thousand and nine hundredth sunset together." This part made her really want to cry. "But if there is one selfish thing that I could ask for, it is that the universe takes us at the same time. That our last breath is taken together and not a second apart. For I don't want to live without you or wonder how you are without me."

  "I hope that the way you look at the world never changes. That you see beauty in the world and the strings of the universe and its mysterious ways. But most of all, I hope that I am the only one who receives your heart. Because it loves deeper and more freely than anyone I have ever known."

  "I love you and I promise to stay with you until the end. If there is another life waiting for me after this one, I promise… this time… I will find you first."

  Despite the small number of guests at the party, the applause was deafening. None of them knew the real meaning behind these vows, but it was a perfect declaration between the two of them.

  "Now, now! Everyone, please calm down. I can see that these two are anxious for the final act. Let's fast-track everything and get to the main, event, shall we?" Xiao Chen announced. He cleared his throat when the crowd quietened down. "By the power of your love and commitment, and the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss each other."

  Qingchen was the first to step forward. He raised his hands and cradled her cheeks as he watched her.

  He slid one palm down under her chin and tipped her head up. With a little bend of his knees, he leaned in and pressed a lingering kiss on her lips.

  She smiled against his lips and circled her arms around his neck, propping herself up on her tiptoes to kiss him fiercely.

  Everything ceased to exist. She felt like her head was underwater and the only source of oxygen was him. He didn't seem to care much about the audience, either.

  He straightened up and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her up effortlessly. This way, he didn't need to crane his neck. He could feel her smile against him and felt that particular streak of mischief that she enjoyed seeing in him.

  He pulled back just a little and bit down on her bottom lip.

  Her cry was smothered but the hoots were no longer ignorable. He pulled away from her, pecking the spot he knew would sting later on as an apology.

  "Do you like the taste of my lip tint that much?" she asked, pressing her thumb to her lip. Her eyes glittered with delight, but her mouth was always looking for a way to retaliate.

  He shrugged as he grasped her hand tightly and swung it as they walked past the crowd. The guests rose from their seats, petals of flowers from the local market were showered on the path and on their heads to bring them into the new phase of their life.

  Qian Meng raised her free hand and caught a petal in her hand and rubbed it between her fingers with a small smile on her face.

  The crew members promptly guided them to the tables and little open space where the bouquet toss was supposed to happen. "The bride stands here and all the unmarried girls get to stand here," the crew member announced. He spoke into his walkie-talkie, announcing for everyone to prepare.

  "Why just the women, let the men come in too. Gendered stereotypes are a no-no in this wedding," she said jokingly.

  She ushered everyone to the spot and saw that Mo Qingchen's friends were the most enthusiastic lot.

  "Qian Meng, aim towards me!" Zi Min hollered. His girlfriend was standing beside him, rolling his eyes.

  "Please don't," she moaned. "He might drop down on his knee and ruin your wedding," she warned quickly.

  Qian Meng nodded. "I am not good at aiming. It depends on your luck and how my muscles move today."

  "If it lands with me, I am running into the lake and never emerging," Choe Daniel pronounced with a raise of his brow.

  Qian Meng snickered. But there was something she didn't like about the picture. She looked around and saw Uncle Bai sitting peacefully on the chair.

  Even during the wedding ceremony, he sat in the location where the cameras would catch him the least.

  "Uncle Bai, don't just sit there. Come on. This is for everyone!" Qian Meng said.

  She felt Mo Qingchen nudge her, but she ignored it. "This is just a fun activity without any implication. Please come," she said softly.

  "I am too old for this," Uncle Bai countered, a little embarrassed.

  "I just want to see you in loads of pictures when I look back at this day," Qian Meng pointed out. After a minute of everyone urging him to do the same, Bai Yue cleared his throat and walked over.

  He stood a little farther away from the younger crowd, but nonetheless, he stood there with a calm smile.

  Qian Meng turned around, a hop in her step, and counted at the top of her lungs.

  She tossed it back with no intention as to where it would land and hoped dearly that she didn't topple over the cameras or make the bouquet land a mile away from where everyone was standing. That would be too anti-climactic.

  And it did land awkwardly.

  She heard Qingchen suck in a surprised breath and squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment. She must have tossed it somewhere far away.