Everyone unanimously sent Senior Brother to be the designated atmosphere booster.
At last, it was time to toss the bouquet. The bride smiled and said, “Why does it feel like no one really wants to catch the bouquet?”
Laughter rose from below the stage. A few young people were even being urged by their parents to go catch it, but they simply lowered their heads and pretended not to hear.
The bride’s voice carried to every corner of the hall. Her eyes curved into crescents as she said, “Thank you all so much for coming to my wedding. Whether or not you ever get married, I hope you can all find happiness.”
“So I’d like to change the meaning behind this bouquet, if that’s all right. I’ve received help from so many people along the way, and I want to pass my good luck and happiness on to the next person.”
A chorus of cheers rose from below, and more people stepped onto the stage. The atmosphere became even livelier.
The advisor was laughing so hard she could barely sit still. From her seat, she urged several people at the neighboring table, “Hurry up and go! My daughter has incredibly good luck.”
Senior Brother was ready to show off. His senior sister had gotten into a PhD program, so if he managed to catch the bouquet, wouldn’t that mean he could share in her good fortune too?
Wen Shuning and Ji Zhaoxi stood outside the crowd, serving as the atmosphere boosters. If they happened to be lucky, perhaps the bouquet would fall right into their arms.
Soon, the stage was packed. With a bang, colorful ribbons burst into the air, and the bouquet, tied with a satin ribbon, sailed across the room.
Everyone laughed and jostled together as the hall filled with cheers and playful shouts. The bride leaned against the groom, both of them beaming.
Senior Brother watched the bouquet fly through the air. For the sake of his future life as a PhD student, even his old bones had to give it everything they had!
Out of the way!
Suddenly, he felt an extremely swift gust of wind rush past him. The next second, a pair of long, slender arms shot out from the chaotic crowd and intercepted the bouquet in midair.
Senior Brother looked over in despair.
No!
Lu Huainan’s shirt had been pulled slightly askew during the scramble, and his hair was a little messy too. Before anyone else could react, he ran straight to Ji Zhaoxi.
His voice was still slightly breathless as he awkwardly placed the bouquet in her arms. “This comes with good luck.”
The people around them froze for a second before bursting into a wave of good-natured laughter.
The bride lifted the microphone, laughing brightly. “Then let’s pass my good luck on to my junior sister.”
Under the teasing gazes of their fellow students, Ji Zhaoxi froze. The next second, her ears turned completely red. She took the bouquet and hurriedly returned to her seat, her palm tingling faintly from the flowers.
Senior Brother returned to his seat in despair.
That was it. Did this mean his life as a PhD student was going to be brutal from now on?
The farther he advanced in his studies, the more he began to believe in mysterious forces.
But the next moment, he started eating the dishes on the table and quickly forgot all about the bouquet.
Eating was what mattered!
Lu Huainan’s face was burning too. Only afterward did he realize that he hadn’t asked for her opinion before giving her the bouquet. But since he had seen her step forward, she probably had wanted to catch it too, right?
He nervously glanced at Ji Zhaoxi beside him. She was sitting with her eyes lowered, eating. When she noticed his gaze, she looked at him in confusion.
Lu Huainan’s throat tightened. He asked softly, “Were you angry just now?”
Ji Zhaoxi had already calmed down, but her face instantly flushed again. Embarrassed and annoyed, she said, “Are you stupid? Why would I be angry about getting the bouquet?”
Lu Huainan gave a stiff little response. “Oh. Oh.”
Just as he was about to turn back to his food, he heard her awkward voice beside him.
“Thank you.”
Lu Huainan’s ears turned red enough to drip blood. He was so flustered that he could barely sit still. “You’re welcome.”
Wen Shuning, who had heard the entire exchange, smiled faintly.
Senior Brother, who was busy eating, looked up at her. “Wen Shuning, hurry up and eat more. Look how skinny you are.”
The advisor was afraid they might feel too embarrassed to eat. Before long, she came over again. “Dig in, everyone. Don’t be shy.”
“Thank you, Professor.”
“What are you thanking me for? Eating more is how you thank me.”
The advisor ordered several more dishes. Once she saw that everyone was indeed making an effort to eat, she nodded in satisfaction.
Young people needed to eat more.
“Old Qin, we haven’t touched these few dishes. Take them to the kids,” someone at the neighboring table called out.
Senior Brother sighed. “It’s only here that we still count as kids.”
At home, he didn’t even qualify as a child anymore. What a hard life.
If he hadn’t gone to graduate school, he would already have reached the age where he had to give red envelopes to the children in his family.
Ji Zhaoxi’s stomach felt a little bloated from eating so much, and she sat in her seat in a food-induced daze.
The dishes kept arriving at their table one after another. Senior Brother let out an enormous burp.
The bride and groom walked over and smiled. “Junior brothers and sisters, eat more!”
“Of course, Senior Sister!”
She waved her hand. “None of you need to drink. Just eat.”
Then she raised her eyebrows and asked in a low voice, “Is my mom usually very strict with you?”
The groom laughed beside her.
“No, Senior Sister. Our advisor treats us very well,” Ji Zhaoxi said with a perfectly serious expression.
The bride smiled and pinched Ji Zhaoxi’s cheek. “Queen of Last-Minute Arrivals.”
Ji Zhaoxi wilted at once.
The other students watched her and snickered.
“Why is your face so red? Did you drink?” the bride asked with a smile.
Ji Zhaoxi answered glumly, “Just a tiny bit.”
She hadn’t been the Queen of Last-Minute Arrivals for ages.
“Have you definitely decided to pursue a PhD?” the bride asked, her eyes curving into crescents.
Senior Brother nodded with difficulty.
The bride patted him on the shoulder, her tone solemn. “You have my blessing.”
Her own years as a PhD student had been nothing short of agonizing.
The bride and groom soon moved on to the other tables, where laughter continued to ring out.
Ji Zhaoxi looked at the newly served dishes. Why was no one eating them? She tentatively picked up a piece.
The moment it entered her mouth, her face scrunched up. She was just wondering where she should spit it out when a hand suddenly reached toward her.
Lu Huainan frowned worriedly. “You probably won’t like this.”
He had once tried feeding it to her during one of her livestreams, but she had probably forgotten by now.
Ji Zhaoxi covered her mouth and stared at him silently. Lu Huainan looked at her helplessly. “What’s wrong?”
Couldn’t she swallow it?
The gazes around the table drifted over without anyone seeming to notice.
Ji Zhaoxi took the tissue from beside her. After drinking some water, she asked in a small voice, “Lu Huainan, what were you doing just now?”
Lu Huainan was completely baffled. After a moment of silence, he said quietly, “Weren’t you about to spit it out?”
Ji Zhaoxi nearly choked. “Even if I was going to spit it out, I’d spit it onto a tissue!”
Why had he reached out his hand? Did he think she was going to spit into his palm?
Lu Huainan nodded and committed it to memory. “All right. Next time I’ll get you a tissue.”
Ji Zhaoxi: “…”
Senior Brother grinned. “Junior brother, junior sister, I want to spit something out too.”
The two of them pretended not to hear him.
In a corner of the hall, a little child stared at Ji Zhaoxi’s back with tear-filled eyes.
Who was that man beside her favorite streamer?!
