Page 181 of He Is My Bride

“A-Yu is an upright young man. Just like Wang Yan, A-Yu might want to create distance from his family. If you don’t want to employ him directly in Wu Pharma, see if he would be willing to come study in New York, or be employed in the affiliate when he graduates. I would mentor him and keep an eye on him, ensuring that the Wang heir works with the Wus and not against us. If we can establish trust between the families again with the rise of the new generation, the company will prosper.”

“Hmm. It warrants a thought. Furthermore, about the affiliate…” Wu Yiheng sipped his tea. “Wu Pharma is looking to make an acquisition. We are aiming to become a multinational conglomerate, match the Wangs in strength.”

“I had understood this to be your long-term plan. More tea?”

“No, thank you. Just one more thing: I want an iron grip on our new subsidiary once the acquisition has been made; you will be appointed its CEO in due time, and you will answer to the parent company, Wu Pharma—you will answer to your cousin. Look after the family’s interest here overseas, outside of Shanghai’s small circles. Not many in the local market know who you are, or seem to care who you are married to, so you should be able to live as you have chosen without it interfering with your work.”

“Thank you for placing your trust in me, Uncle. I will accept my new position in due time.” Hanjun might never return to Shanghai, but if he could still help his family like this, it would be enough. The company would be facing tumultuous times as it entered the global market in earnest, but Hanjun would only be happy to be leading from the forefront of change.

“Good. That is all.” Wu Yiheng finished his tea and put the cup down.

“Let us join the others then.” Hanjun led his uncle back to the yard.

There the warm late-summer evening had begun to turn into evening, and the fairy lights shone atmospherically over the canopy. Mouth-watering scent of barbecue floated in the air. Hanjun saw Li Ying sitting there, surrounded by his family, his friends, bouncing their son on his knee, as happy as he could be, and he knew he had finally made all the right decisions.

Hanrong was there too, getting along well with his cousin’s new family, it seemed. Hanjun caught Li Ying’s eyes, twinkling, laughter still lingering on his lips, and in that moment, there was no one else in their world.

“Uncle Yiheng,” Hanjun asked as they approached the canopy, “may I and Li Ying bow before you, along with Mister Qian?”

“Hmph. You may, but why even ask me if you intended to get married anyway? Disrespectful…”

I’ll take it.Hanjun thought his uncle would come around, in his own time.

“Is everybody ready then?” Li Ying asked when they arrived at the canopy. Li Ying passed the baby back to Amy and stood up. “Alright! Welcome to mine and Hanjun’s wedding! Woo!”

Everybody clapped, Amy made even the baby clap his little hands, but Wu Yiheng, Mrs. Qian, and Kai could have shown more enthusiasm.

“As you know, we already got married in court earlier this week, so we’ll just have a small ceremony and then we can focus on the part I know you’re really here for: food.”

Sensible chuckle.

“Come on, I’m the bride, laugh at my jokes!” Li Ying squeezed a few more chuckles, mostly from Amy, Huang Xiang, and Qian Hong.

“Don’t start going all bridezilla on us, please,” Anne joked in her snarky style.

“Okay okay, before my bridesmaid kills me: Uncle Qian, would you please sit here—Oh, Uncle Yiheng too? Uh, yay!” Li Ying was surprised that Wu Yiheng too took up his chair and brought it to the right side of the small family altar that they had put up earlier, backed by the red cloth with the double happiness symbol. Qian Hong sat on the left. Li Ying rolled with it as the surprise wasn’t unwelcome, even if less expected than Wu Yiheng having shown up in the first place.

“Hanrong, you brought the rings?” Li Ying asked, and Hanrong took out a ring box, opening it and showing them the golden wedding bands they’d left behind when they fled Shanghai.

Hanrong said, “Wu Yiyi, the original ringbearer, had written you a letter he asked me to give you.” He held out a letter, which he placed on Hanjun’s spot on the table.

Li Ying and Hanjun would read it later:

‘Hello Li Ying and Wu Hanjun!

I didn’t know you were a man all along, I’m sorry if I said anything weird, but I really thought you were a woman! You are still nice, and the most cool auntie/uncle I have! I hope you and Wu Hanjun are happy together in America. Wu Hanrong told me you can get married there, which I think is happy news. I have to send the rings back to you with him, although it was my job as your ringbearer to give them to you. I’m sorry I couldn’t complete the mission, but I trust Big Brother Hanrong will do a good job.

I would like to see you if you come back to Shanghai to visit. Or maybe I could come to America to visit you? A-Yu said he would like to come too. His grandfather did a terrible thing at the wedding. A-Yu didn’t think it was nice either, and he has been very angry with his grandfather. I said to A-Yu that you aren’t angry at him though. You aren’t, right? If you are not angry at A-Yu, he wanted me to give his warm regards. We would like to come over to visit you in America, Li Ying’s and Wu Hanjun’s baby would probably like it too.Congratulations on having a baby! I saw pictures, and he’s very small.How do two men

Regards, Wu Yiyi (and Xinyu).’

Li Ying and Hanjun bowed before Qian Hong and Wu Yiheng, before Heaven and Earth, and finally before each other. They exchanged wedding bands, and at last… Hanjun held Li Ying’s face between his hands and brought him into a gentle kiss.

It was odd: they had already legally married twice—or rather, once legally and once illegally—and almost got to this point in their first, much grander ceremony. And now, when it was all said and done, here under this humble canopy, in the presence of only the closest friends and family, it was perfect. Li Ying and Hanjun knew they would share many more perfect moments for the years to come.