The Only Choice - Extra 2

They ended up choosing a wedding on a tropical island.

There were no complicated rituals, only their closest family and friends. Against the backdrop of the endless ocean, a dreamy, romantic ceremony area was set up.

The younger guests had arrived the day before. The women stayed in one villa, the men in another, a mere hundred meters apart.

The bride and groom were to stay separately, abiding by the tradition of not seeing each other before the wedding. Tonight was their final "single's night."

[What are you up to?]

That afternoon, while having snacks with the girls, Zhou Fanfan felt her phone vibrate with a message from Guan Yuanbai.

She snapped a picture of their afternoon tea spread and replied: [Having sweets with everyone. It's delicious! How about you guys?]

Guan Yuanbai sent back a photo of Song Li dealing cards: [He's rallied everyone for a card game.]

Zhou Fanfan: [The same kind we played before?]

Guan Yuanbai: [Yes.]

Zhou Fanfan: [Well, don't lose as badly as last time.]

Guan Yuanbai: [I only lost that time because I was distracted with you next to me. That's why my game was off.]

Zhou Fanfan: [Oh, so the great CEO Guan knows how to pass the buck! I'm not there this time, so don't blame me if you lose.]

Guan Yuanbai: [You're not here, but I'm a little nervous. Still distracted.]

Zhou Fanfan: [Because of the wedding? You get nervous?]

Zhou Fanfan found it hard to believe. Guan Yuanbai had faced countless major situations and managed so many people under him; something like this shouldn't make him nervous.

Yet, surprisingly, he admitted he was.

Guan Yuanbai: [I do get nervous. So, right now, I kind of want to see you.]

Zhou Fanfan: [But we all agreed not to meet today. Everyone heard us! They'd laugh at me if I went back on it now.]

Guan Yuanbai: [Then we can meet tonight, after everyone's gone to rest.]

Zhou Fanfan: [You sure know how to find loopholes!]

Guan Yuanbai: [I do my best.]

"Fanfan, what's got you smiling like that? Texting Mr. Guan, huh?" Liu Liu, sitting beside her, spotted her besotted expression immediately.

Zhou Fanfan put her phone away. "What about it? We can't meet, but messaging is allowed, right?"

"Tch. This is your last day as an unmarried woman! Stop thinking about your husband-to-be. Please focus your attention on us, your friends!" Liu Liu chided playfully.

"My focusis on you," Zhou Fanfan retorted. "After we finish eating, let's go explore outside. I saw so many beautiful spots when we came to check the venue last time. Let's go take some photos."

Qi Qi chimed in: "Yes, let's!"

All the pre-wedding preparations had been handled by the planner. Zhou Fanfan didn't need to do anything but follow the schedule. The rest of the time was for her to have fun with her friends on the island.

After their excursion, they returned to the villa for dinner. Zhou Fanfan initially planned to sneak out afterward to see Guan Yuanbai, but everyone had a few drinks and got carried away, launching an impromptu bachelorette party right there in the villa.

Zhou Fanfan had to message Guan Yuanbai saying she was "stuck." To her surprise, he replied that his villa was also having a party.

By the time the festivities died down, it was past eleven. Since the wedding was the next day, everyone decided to call it a night and let Zhou Fanfan get some rest.

But truthfully, Zhou Fanfan wasn't sleepy at all, partly from pre-wedding excitement, and partly because she couldn't stop thinking about meeting Guan Yuanbai.

After lying in bed for half an hour, she got a message from him asking if she could come out.

Unsure if everyone was truly in their rooms, she cautiously cracked open her door and peered out.

The lights were still on downstairs, but it was quiet. She slipped out silently and crept downstairs.

"Hey, Fanfan, where are you off to?"

It was Guan Xi, coming up the stairs with a glass of water. Zhou Fanfan pursed her lips. "I, um, I'm thirsty. Getting some water."

"Me too. I'm parched. Danced a bit too enthusiastically earlier."

Zhou Fanfan smiled. "Well, drink up and get some rest."

"Yep, you too."

Zhou Fanfan hurried downstairs, went through the motions of pouring a glass of water in the dining area, and when she heard no further movement from upstairs, she darted out the door.

A path lined with trees strung with fairy lights, like scattered stars, connected the villas.

A gentle sea breeze carried the faint, salty scent of the ocean.

In the distance, she saw someone emerging from the opposite villa. She waved and broke into a light run toward him.

Zhou Fanfan was wearing a white spaghetti-strap nightgown. As she ran, the hem fluttered and her hair streamed behind her.

Guan Yuanbai's heart stirred in response. He quickened his pace, and as soon as they were close, he pulled her directly into his arms.

"What were you up to just now?" Zhou Fanfan asked, her face pressed against his chest.

Guan Yuanbai: "Chatting with them for a bit. Then it took a considerable effort to kick Song Li back to his room."

Zhou Fanfan muffled a laugh against him: "Do they know you came out to see me?"

"No."

She looked up at him: "No one in my villa knows either. I snuck out."

Guan Yuanbai smiled: "Then I'll sneak you back later."

"Deal." She asked, "So, what should we do now?"

"Take a walk by the beach?"

"Yes!"

The nighttime beach was illuminated by the street lamps lining the road. Hand in hand, they walked barefoot on the soft sand, strolling aimlessly through the dim light.

"What if I get up on that platform tomorrow and can't speak?" Zhou Fanfan worried aloud.

Guan Yuanbai reassured her, "Just pretend no one else is there. You're only talking to me. That might help you relax."

"I'll try my best... But what if I cry?"

Zhou Fanfan remembered other weddings she'd attended, where the bride and groom became complete messes, crying profusely while reciting their vows to each other.

She was afraid she'd be so moved she'd end up the same way, which would make speaking even harder.

Guan Yuanbai chuckled. "Everyone there is family or a close friend. It's fine to show any emotion, don't worry. But if you're really afraid of crying... I can tweak my vows, make them more lighthearted, so you won't cry."

"No, don't go to that trouble. Say what you most want to say. I think... I can hold it in!"

Zhou Fanfan was confident she could restrain her tears. What she never anticipated was that the next day, during the wedding, it would be someone else who failed to hold back.

The ceremony was scheduled for three in the afternoon. With no traditional gate-crashing, games, bridesmaids, or groomsmen, their wedding was relaxed and informal.

Zhou Fanfan slept in naturally, and the makeup artist arrived later to do her makeup and hair.

Once her look was complete and it was almost time, she changed into her wedding gown and headed for the lawn where the ceremony would be held.

They hadn't done a pre-wedding photoshoot, and she had deliberately kept her dress a secret from him during the selection process. So, this was the very first time he would see her in her wedding dress.

Romantic, sweet music swelled as Zhou Fanfan made her entrance, escorted by her grandmother. Her nerves intensified with every step.

Guan Yuanbai was equally nervous—a level of tension, he felt, that no work-related pressure could ever match.

He stood with his back to her approach. Hearing the officiant announce her arrival, he took a deep breath. Then, counting down with the officiant's words, he slowly turned around.

After they started dating, he had imagined countless times what it would feel like to see her in a wedding dress, walking toward him.

When the day finally arrived, he realized that a thousand imaginings couldn't lessen the profound tremor he felt in his heart.

Watching her approach, her face veiled, the reality that this woman was about to become his wife finally hit him. Memories of their time together flashed through his mind like scenes from a film. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her, feeling an uncontrollable heat welling up behind his own eyes.

"Yuanbai, I'm entrusting Fanfan to you. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness."

Her grandmother placed Zhou Fanfan's hand into Guan Yuanbai's. He bowed respectfully to the elder, then clasped Zhou Fanfan's hand tightly.

As they walked together toward the ceremonial arch, Zhou Fanfan couldn't help but glance at him sideways. After a couple of looks, she paused, thinking his eyes looked a bit red...

But with her veil and the angle, it was hard to tell for sure.

She thought, Just yesterday, when I vowed not to cry, he was the one comforting me. Surely he isn't the one about to cry?

Zhou Fanfan suspected she must be seeing things. But later, when he lifted her veil and they recited their vows, the moment he turned his head away, eyes unmistakably red-rimmed, she knew she hadn't been mistaken.

Guan Yuanbai had really cried.

A single tear, brimming with sincerity.

—

After the ceremony, the guests moved to the reception area for the evening banquet.

Guan Yuanbai's single tear became the talk of the table.

Song Li declared, "I swear, in all the years I've known him, I've never seen Yuanbai cry. Chengyan, what about you?"

Qi Chengyan, who had grown up practically joined at the hip with Guan Yuanbai, thought for a long moment before saying, "We'd probably have to go back to before elementary school for that."

Guan Zhiyi added, "Big Brother often made me cry when we were kids, but him crying... I have no memory of that."

Guan Xi looked envious, tugging on Jiang Suizhou's sleeve. "You have to cry for me at our wedding."

Jiang Suizhou: "…?"

Guan Xi: "If you don't cry, it means you don't love me."

Jiang Suizhou's face instantly went blank.

Guan Yuanbai, you've really set a fine precedent.

After the guests were seated, Zhou Fanfan went with the staff to a back room to change into a more practical evening gown.

When she came out, she found Guan Yuanbai waiting in the hallway.

Zhou Fanfan gestured for the staff to go ahead and walked over to him alone. "Why aren't you inside with everyone?"

"Waiting for you.We'll go in together."

"Oh." Zhou Fanfan looped her arm through his. "Then let's go, husband!"

Guan Yuanbai faltered, clearly caught off guard.

Zhou Fanfan had meant to tease him, but actually saying the word out loud felt strangely awkward…

She asked, a bit awkwardly, "Well? How does it sound?"

"What?"

"Does it sound weird?"

It took Guan Yuanbai a moment to process, then he said after a pause, "Say it again. Let me get a proper feel for it."

Zhou Fanfan snorted lightly. "Wishful thinking."

Guan Yuanbai pulled her closer. "What's wrong? Is my wife feeling shy?"

Zhou Fanfan's heart skipped a beat, her ears turning red. Now she understood exactly how he must have felt hearing the term a moment ago.

"Ahhh, that's too mushy! Let's go, let's go!"

Guan Yuanbai chuckled softly. "Wife."

"Stop calling me that…"

"It's perfectly legal now."

"Still, don't."

Guan Yuanbai sighed dramatically. "I even cried when I married you earlier. And now I can't even call you 'wife'?"

The image of him with red-rimmed eyes, shedding that tear, was utterly unfair.

Zhou Fanfan's heart melted just remembering it.

"Ahem… Well… you can call me that when we get home."

A smile returned to Guan Yuanbai's lips. "Alright. We'll do that when we get home."

"Okay, let's go inside now. We shouldn't keep everyone waiting."

"Mn. I know."

…

---

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