Strangely, Su Xiyan didn't move away, but remained standing in place, allowing the man with glasses to approach her.
The man with glasses was secretly delighted, his glasses nearly falling off due to his excitement. He quickly used two fingers to push them back up his nose.
Just as he was about to touch Su Xiyan's shoulder, she suddenly took two steps forward.
Her long legs inadvertently caught on the decorative ribbons on the ground.
The man with glasses was so focused on Su Xiyan that he didn't notice the obstacle at his feet.
With a loud crash,
He fell to the ground, sprawled out in a manner completely at odds with his affected refined image.
The bridesmaids and groomsmen who witnessed this scene struggled to hold back their laughter.
How could they not, when his falling posture was so ridiculous and funny?
Su Xiyan's gaze was fixed on the front of the stage, a contemptuous smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
The fall left the man with glasses feeling as if every bone in his body had been dislocated. He couldn't get up from the ground for quite some time.
It never occurred to him that his fall was due to Su Xiyan's small maneuver.
He only felt that he had embarrassed himself in front of his goddess, feeling very frustrated and self-reproachful, blaming himself for not watching where he was walking.
Having lost face in front of Su Xiyan, the man with glasses scrambled to his feet in a disheveled state, hoping to salvage the situation.
To his dismay, Su Xiyan didn't even spare him a glance.
Sheng Xueyao's new husband had also arrived. He was average-looking, but at least he had money to make up for it. Otherwise, Su Xiyan thought, he definitely wouldn't be a match for her cousin.
After introductions were made, the rehearsal continued.
There were five bridesmaids, but only four groomsmen.
Because Chen Shuo hadn't arrived yet.
Sheng Xueyao didn't ask about it; her emotional intelligence was quite high. She could tell from Su Xiyan's expression that she didn't seem to know where Chen Shuo was. If Sheng Xueyao were to ask about Chen Shuo's whereabouts on the spot, Su Xiyan wouldn't be able to answer, which would certainly be awkward.
Sheng Xueyao would never do something so inconsiderate!
The groomsmen's gazes were all focused on Su Xiyan, each hoping to stand next to her.
Su Xiyan stood at the end of the line of bridesmaids, with the spot next to her, originally meant for Chen Shuo, still empty.
The groomsmen competed openly and secretly, each hoping to emerge as the lucky one who could stand beside Su Xiyan.
The rehearsal had barely begun when workers came to set up the T-stage, so it had to be temporarily halted.
The bridesmaids and groomsmen sat down on nearby chairs to rest. The groomsmen were particularly attentive:
Groomsman One: "Miss Su, are you tired? Have some drinks."
Groomsman Two: "Soft drinks make girls gain weight and are bad for the skin. How about some mineral water instead?"
Groomsman Three: "Drinking water isn't as good as eating fruit! Miss Su, would you like some cherries? They're a specialty of our Yuhua City, very sweet."
The man with glasses: "Um... Miss Su, I'm really sorry about earlier, I..."
Before he could finish, he was pushed aside by someone who suddenly appeared.
The spot next to Su Xiyan that the man with glasses had finally managed to secure was snatched away by a newcomer!
This person was none other than the late arrival, Chen Shuo.
As soon as Chen Shuo reached the entrance of the banquet hall, he saw several groomsmen crowding around Su Xiyan.
A beautiful girl like Su Xiyan was always the most popular wherever she went.
Chen Shuo casually sat down in the chair next to Su Xiyan, his eyes roaming over her: "It's cold, how about something hot to drink?"
Is he talking to me? Has he finally softened?
Su Xiyan was inwardly delighted, thinking Chen Shuo had finally taken the initiative to speak to her.
Just as she was about to respond, she looked up to find Chen Shuo taking a cup of steaming fruit tea from the waiter's tray and leisurely starting to drink it.
Su Xiyan: ...
So, Chen Shuo was only talking to the waiter?
He was drinking hot fruit tea and completely ignoring Su Xiyan?
The more Su Xiyan thought about it, the angrier she became!
The ice on her face grew thicker, and the more timid groomsmen didn't dare to look directly at Su Xiyan anymore.
The Ice Goddess indeed lived up to her name!
The man with glasses seemed to have been inspired by Chen Shuo's words. His eyes lit up as he called to a waiter: "Please bring two hot drinks, something suitable for ladies."
When the waiter brought the hot drinks, the man with glasses picked them up and offered one to Su Xiyan.
Before he could say anything, Su Xiyan had already stood up from her chair.
She didn't even give the man with glasses a proper look.
The cup of hot drink that Chen Shuo had been drinking from was sitting on the nearby table.
Su Xiyan casually picked it up and took a couple of sips.
This action nearly broke the heart of the man with glasses.
The Ice Goddess of his heart had actually drunk from another man's cup?
Sharing a cup was practically like kissing, wasn't it?
The man with glasses felt as if a thousand alpacas were running through his mind.
But he couldn't lash out at Su Xiyan, so he directed his anger at the late-arriving Chen Shuo: "Don't you know to clean up your cup after drinking? Do you have any basic manners?"
Chen Shuo calmly replied: "Someone's helping me clean up."
The "someone" he referred to was, of course, Su Xiyan.
Su Xiyan didn't think there was anything wrong with drinking from Chen Shuo's cup. When they lived together, this happened often.
It had become a habitual action.
However, they still weren't speaking to each other, neither willing to be the first to break the silence.
The man with glasses' intentions were as clear as day to everyone.
Chen Shuo had other things to consider and wouldn't waste his thoughts on someone like the man with glasses.
The stage-setting workers had left, and the rehearsal resumed.
With Chen Shuo's arrival, the groomsmen and bridesmaids were now complete.
The emcee clapped his hands: "Alright, handsome groomsmen and beautiful bridesmaids, let's continue with the rehearsal!"
"The good-looking guy who just arrived, do you need me to help you figure out your position again?"
Before Chen Shuo could answer, Su Xiyan had already learned to jump in:
"No need, he can just stand next to me."
Everyone present: (O_o)??
The man with glasses seemed to hear the sound of his heart breaking...
Chen Shuo stood next to Su Xiyan, following the emcee's instructions. Together with Su Xiyan, each holding one end of the white veil, they walked towards the front of the stage with the other groomsmen and bridesmaids.
When they reached the position set by the emcee, he called for them to stop. Everyone let go of the veil they were holding, and the floating white gauze settled on the head of the bride, Sheng Xueyao.
As the veil fell, Chen Shuo happened to look at Su Xiyan.
Su Xiyan was also looking at him. Without the blurring effect of the white veil between them, everything became clear.
As the rehearsal temporarily ended, the man with glasses still didn't give up. He invited Su Xiyan: "The musical fountain at this hotel is quite nice. Would you like to go see it? There's also a master pianist performing live."
Su Xiyan's smile was cold: "No, thank you."
Rejected again and again and again!
Chen Shuo, watching the dejected man with glasses, went up and patted him on the shoulder: "Handsome, that's not the way to invite a girl out."
"Why don't I demonstrate for you?"