On their wedding day, Xiao Wang drove the couple to the venue.
The wedding banquet was near the Third Ring Road, right by the old residential area where the Qi family used to live.
Xiao Wang drove straight into the underground parking garage.
Qi Mo and Sheng Mumu got out of the car and walked side by side towards the elevator hall.
When they first got on the elevator, they were the only two people on it. But when the elevator display jumped from -2 to G, the doors opened and four more people got on - two women in their fifties and a younger couple.
The younger woman had her arm hooked through the man's. Chin tilted up, she stood by the elevator buttons and glanced around with her eyes. When she saw Qi Mo and Sheng Mumu, she seemed surprised by their exceptional looks and aura.
Her eyes brightened a little.
Then she looked them up and down in a not so friendly manner. Seeing no familiar designer labels on them, she shook her head silently and smiled smugly before slowly averting her gaze.
The young woman felt Qi Mo looked somewhat familiar but couldn't remember where she had seen him.
And for some reason she felt smug when she saw their clothes weren't as lavish as hers.
Hmm, people have to own some designer clothes and accessories once they reach a certain age.
Otherwise, no matter how good-looking they are, it's useless, she thought to herself.
She was secretly glad she had chosen the bag with the most obvious logo when leaving her home earlier.
Attending a wedding was a miniature arena for competing over fame and gain.
It was a chance to show her distant relatives and friends she rarely saw that she was doing very well.
That was the main purpose of attending wedding banquets.
Birds of a feather flock together.
The fat man next to her had a big paunch. As if worried people wouldn't notice the obvious "H" logo on his belt, he kept his hands on his waist from the moment he entered the elevator, pushing his suit jacket open to one side and sticking his belly out.
He just happened to stand in front of Sheng Mumu.
With the four additional people, the already not so spacious elevator became even more cramped.
The fat man in front seemed to have restless leg syndrome. He kept shaking his leg even while standing.
Sheng Mumu frowned unconsciously and took a small step back to distance herself from the fat man.
Her back touched Qi Mo's arm. She looked up at him.
It was just an unconscious glance, but it made her pause.
Qi Mo's expression was frighteningly cold. His already hard jaw tightened even more, his lips pressed in a straight line, and his displeased eyes flicked over the fat man.
Then, Sheng Mumu felt an arm encircle her waist and pull her into his embrace.
Qi Mo reduced the space he occupied, giving her more room to move around.
Sheng Mumu blinked and, without thinking too much, happily leaned towards him.
Only when she turned her head back and lowered her eyes did she smile to herself belatedly.
Thinking of Qi Mo's impatient look, she found it amusing.
Executives like him usually had private elevators in the places they went to.
Having to share an elevator with strangers like this must be suffocating for him.
The banquet hall was on the eighth floor. The elevator rose slowly.
The other two middle-aged women didn't care that this was a public space. They kept chatting the whole time.
Sheng Mumu was forced to listen to their conversation.
"I heard the bride is from Yuncheng."
"Oh? She's not from around here?"
"She must be an outsider. I also heard that the bride's side is only bringing three tables of relatives and friends to the wedding in Jing City."
The speaker tutted and shook her head, lowering her voice slightly but still loud enough for everyone in the elevator to hear.
"Bringing so few people, it seems the bride's family doesn't think much of marrying their daughter off."
The other woman responded dramatically. "This marriage clearly favors the groom. I heard Liu Hui just got hired by a major company this year, and his monthly salary is 20,000 after tax."
"Wow, that much?"
"You bet."
The elevator dinged open. The two women in front continued their idle chatter as they walked out.
Sheng Mumu didn't pay much attention to the overheard conversation.
Not until she stood in front of the sign for the "Marriott Hall" did she freeze in surprise. On the sign were the words "Congratulations to the Wedding of Liu Hui and Fang Ting."
She didn't expect the gossipers in the elevator to be talking about the family her Uncle Fang's daughter was marrying into.
Sheng Mumu's brows furrowed slightly. Recalling those women disparaging Uncle Fang's daughter, she tugged Qi Mo's sleeve and grumbled softly,
"The groom's family has no class."
Qi Mo's expression was inscrutable. He responded with an "Mmm," and led her into the banquet hall.
A host came to greet them. After checking their invitation, they were brought to the seats for the bride's family.
There was still an hour until the official start of the wedding. The banquet hall was filled with chatter.
Their tablemates were the bride's colleagues. They were talking amongst themselves in groups of two or three. When Sheng Mumu and Qi Mo sat down, they smiled politely in greeting before continuing their conversations.
Sheng Mumu scanned her surroundings. Her gaze landed on the table beside them and she paused.
What a coincidence.
Sitting at the next table were the four people they had run into in the elevator.
Perhaps because they were now in a crowded venue, the two women were more restrained.
Their shameless prying had turned into hushed whispers.
Though she couldn't hear what they were saying, Sheng Mumu could tell from their expressions it was nothing nice.
She lazily retracted her gaze.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Just then, the bride and groom emerged from the dressing room, walking slowly towards the hall.
The bride wore a white satin wedding dress and held the groom's arm, smiling and greeting the guests who had gathered around them.
The atmosphere was joyful and warm.
The lovely scene swept away Sheng Mumu's bad mood.
Resting her cheek in her hand, a faint smile appeared on her elegant made-up face as she gazed towards the bride and groom.
She had attended many weddings before. Scenes like this always moved her.
Whether it was the bride's father giving his daughter's hand to the groom, or the bride and groom exchanging rings and vows.
Moments like these never failed to make this girl, who placed particular emphasis on ceremony, feel her nose sour with the urge to shed tears.
Following her line of sight, Qi Mo's sharp eyes softened a touch. The corner of his lips tilted up slightly. He leaned towards Sheng Mumu and asked in a low, deep voice,
"Why are you smiling at someone else's wedding?"
Sheng Mumu looked at him. "You wouldn't understand," she said, drawing out her words.
From her observations, Qi Mo was a man of habit.
It was as if he was adhering to some invisible code of conduct.
He went to the office on time, had virtually no hobbies, ate only until seventy percent full, and worked out three times a week.
His self-discipline was unreal.
While she knew self-discipline was a good habit and a trait common among most successful people, Sheng Mumu still felt it shouldn't be that way.
She believed life should have a sense of ceremony.
One should embrace sudden little changes and indulge impulsive whims.
Watching the snow in winter, the ocean in summer.
Appreciating spring scenery and autumn leaves.
Making each day different even if the routine is the same.
So she felt Qi Mo couldn't understand why she was feeling emotional.
Just thinking that she could witness what was likely the most important moment in a couple's lives, even if she didn't know them well, made her a little excited.
She was contradictory like that.
Most of the time hardhearted, yet prone to amplifying emotions at things that left most people indifferent.
