LOI Chapter 65 — Wedding Preparations (Final Chapter Part 1)

The official livestream of the Sand Harbor Film Festival crashed under the overwhelming traffic, while trending topics across all social media platforms revolved around a single question: Did Rong Ke say yes?

Amidst the uproar, someone handed a microphone to Rong Ke. With all eyes upon him, he stood up, brought the microphone to his lips, and spoke slowly —

“If I have the chance to take the stage alone later, can I answer then?”

–

It was late into the night when the celebration banquet concluded.

Back in their hotel room, Rong Ke loosened his tie and collapsed onto the large bed, holding up the film festival trophy to examine it in the light. “Why does this say ‘Best New Actor’?”

“Because that one’s mine,” Yan Zhi said, retrieving the trophy from Rong Ke’s hand and passing him another. “Here’s yours.”

“202× Sand Harbor Film Festival Best Actor,” Rong Ke read aloud, grinning as he held the trophy. “I did it.”

The spotlight of the evening undoubtedly belonged to Rong Ke and Yan Zhi.

The presenter for the Best Actor award had joked with the audience, saying they wouldn’t hear Rong Ke’s response tonight. Just as everyone felt a pang of disappointment, he proceeded to announce Rong Ke’s name.

The venue erupted once more. Some screamed, others cried. Rong Ke, however, remained the calmest of all. He walked onto the stage to accept the award and, as casually as if in everyday conversation, said to Yan Zhi, “Darling, we can start planning the wedding now.”

“Did you ever consider what you’d do if you didn’t win?” Yan Zhi asked, lying beside Rong Ke as they basked in the afterglow of their triumph.

“Express” was undoubtedly the night’s biggest winner, sweeping major awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. Director Jiang Hua, even more ecstatic than the newly engaged couple, had drunk himself into oblivion by the time they returned to the hotel.

Rong Ke was slightly better off, though his head still swam with dizziness. His body felt weightless, the soft mattress like a cloud cradling him in midair.

“I didn’t think that far ahead,” Rong Ke said, turning to face Yan Zhi. “I just thought, why should you be the only confident one? Why couldn’t I be too?”

Acting on impulse wasn’t Rong Ke’s usual style, but in fact, amidst the crowd’s fervent cheering, he was far less composed than he appeared.

If Yan Zhi wasn’t afraid of losing face, boldly boasting to the Sand Harbor media, why should he hold back?

He wanted that award, wanted to accept the proposal on that grand stage with all eyes on him, wanted to give Yan Zhi the same treatment in return…

Thankfully, the perfect ending left no regrets for this proposal.

“Even if you hadn’t won, it wouldn’t have mattered,” Yan Zhi said, clasping Rong Ke’s ringed hand. “We’d still get married.”

“No, you’re so excellent. I can’t fall short,” Rong Ke said, rolling on top of Yan Zhi and covering his lips with a searing kiss. “Your wife is now an award-winning actor. Aren’t you thrilled?”

“Ecstatic,” Yan Zhi chuckled, wrapping his arms around Rong Ke’s waist. “Let’s see if sleeping with an award-winning actor feels any different.”

As their passionate kisses deepened, both of their phones suddenly rang out.

Rong Ke had set all his group messages to Do Not Disturb, so logically, his and Yan Zhi’s phones shouldn’t have rung simultaneously.

He picked up his phone curiously and saw that Zhou Lin had created a new group chat.

[Wedding Planning Committee]
[Zhou Lin: /confetti/ /confetti/ /confetti/]
[Zhou Lin: @Rong Ke When are you planning the wedding?]
[Zhou Lin: @Yan Zhi Western or Chinese style?]

Rong Ke didn’t intend to reply, but Yan Zhi started chatting with Zhou Lin with great enthusiasm.

[Yan Zhi: What’s the Chinese style like?]
[Zhou Lin: [Video]]
[Yan Zhi: The outfits look interesting]
[Zhou Lin: You could probably get a brand to custom design for you, right?]
[Yan Zhi: Yes]
[Zhou Lin: How big of an event are you thinking?]
[Yan Zhi: Invite the entire entertainment industry]
[Zhou Lin: !]

Seeing this, Rong Ke’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly snatched Yan Zhi’s phone, saying, “If you dare do that, I’m taking you down with me.”

Yan Zhi asked, “Why not?”

“Do you know how much that would cost?” Rong Ke retracted Yan Zhi’s message in the group and replied, “Just inviting a few people is enough.” He added, “Marriage is between two people. There’s no need for such extravagance.”

“Baby, I’m not short on money,” Yan Zhi said.

“I’m in charge of finances after we’re married,” Rong Ke shot him a firm look. “Have you forgotten our new three rules?”

Yan Zhi pouted slightly and said, “Fine.”

Thanks to Zhou Lin—or more accurately, thanks to Yan Zhi’s outrageous ideas—Rong Ke was now significantly more sober.

He casually browsed Weibo and found that the previously overloaded platform had returned to normal. Unsurprisingly, five of the top ten trending topics were related to him and Yan Zhi.

#Rong Ke Best Actor#
#Yan Zhi Best New Actor [?]#
#Jiang Hua This is the most meaningful night of my life#
#Rong Ke says we can start preparing for the wedding#
…

The comments on Rong Ke and Yan Zhi’s Weibo were filled with congratulations, and the public square buzzed with excitement.

[I was moved to tears by YZ’s proposal… RK is so impressive too!]
[Never seen a CP with such great after-sales service. No regrets joining the ZhiKe Syrup fandom this lifetime]
[When I first started shipping them, I never imagined they’d be such an inspirational couple. How did they both win awards?]
[This mother hen is so touched, RK finally got the recognition he deserves, sob sob sob]
[YZ is the real surprise. Who knew he could act? Don’t tell me he bribed the judges]
[I’ll be first in line when Express is released]
[When is Express coming out? Can’t wait!]
[…]

After browsing for a while, Rong Ke switched back to WeChat and discovered that the originally three-person Wedding Planning Committee had somehow ballooned into a large group of nearly a hundred people.

[Xin Ran: Let me know the date in advance so I can clear my schedule]
[Qin Sui: @Rong Ke, Rong-ge, why aren’t you replying to my messages /crying]
—It wasn’t that Rong Ke wasn’t replying; there were simply too many congratulatory messages to keep up with.

[Zhou Lin: He’s busy being lovey-dovey with his husband, no time for you]
[Qin Sui: @Zhou Lin Did I ask you?]
[Zhou Lin: Then don’t mention me]
[Qin Sui: I didn’t mention you before!]

[Luo Tuo Xiangzi: Just asking quietly, so what’s the progress on the wedding plans?]

Yan Zhi, half-reclining against the headboard, lazily replied:
[Yan Zhi: No progress]
[Yan Zhi: Added you all just to let you know]
[Yan Zhi: You’re not invited to the wedding :)]

Rong Ke’s heart skipped a beat again. He quickly leaned over and wrapped his arm around Yan Zhi’s neck, exclaiming, “What are you doing?!”

“You said to invite just a few people,” Yan Zhi looked at Rong Ke with a somewhat aggrieved expression. “So we can’t invite the staff from our studio, former colleagues from MQ, or friends in the industry. I was just letting them know our wedding doesn’t concern them, because many people have been asking when the wedding will be held.”

Rong Ke felt so dizzy he nearly blacked out. “You…”

Never mind, never mind.

Rong Ke should have known better; how could Yan Zhi ever obediently follow his words?

Swallowing his frustration, he looked at the screen full of [?] in the group chat and had no choice but to reply:

[Rong Ke: No, he typed an extra character]
[Rong Ke: You’re all invited to the wedding :)]

Seeing Rong Ke’s message, Yan Zhi chuckled softly, pulling Rong Ke into his arms and planting a quick kiss on his cheek. “You’re so good to me, darling.”

“Let’s be clear about this,” Rong Ke said with a serious expression. “I won’t let you pay for the wedding alone. We’ll split it equally.”

Yan Zhi said, “Okay.”

“The budget is two million. You pay one million, I pay one million,” Rong Ke added.

Yan Zhi raised an eyebrow. “Two million?”

This was already the maximum Rong Ke could offer.

Unlike Zhou Lin, who worked tirelessly year-round, Rong Ke had only earned a few million last year. For him, spending one million on a wedding was already extremely, extremely extravagant.

It’s worth noting that even with an annual income in the millions, the new car he bought cost just over a hundred thousand.

Having been accustomed to a frugal lifestyle, Rong Ke found it hard to be as lavish as Yan Zhi.

“I understand,” Yan Zhi nodded obediently. “Just two million.”