Chapter 288: Engagement Ceremony (1)
After being forced by Xiao Qi Dad and Mother Li to attend for half a month's worth of appointments in the beauty salon, Tao Mu and Li Xiaoheng finally made it to their engagement, despite all the unscrupulous media outside claiming they were "getting plastic surgery for love".
The day of the engagement ceremony was also full of chaos. Li Xiaoheng had it a little better, but Tao Mu was woken up by old Mr. Song at four o'clock in the morning. Because of the Song family's ancestral traditions, on the day of their wedding, the men of the clan have to cook for their wives a "century-old happiness soup". It symbolized that the couple would live together for a hundred years.
According to old Mr. Song, the engagement ceremony was not a marriage wedding, and Tao Mu didn't need to make the soup himself. But Tao Mu was familiar with the Song family's family traditions, and also regarded this engagement ceremony as very important. So he insisted on getting up early to make the soup. Old Mr. Song couldn't hold back his grandson, and of course he wanted to see the Song family's family traditions carry forward in Tao Mu's hands. So Tao Mu was woken up ungodly early that morning.
The so-called "century-old happiness soup" was actually made with lily, goji berry and black chicken. Stewed slowly in a pot, the chicken was stewed until it was tender and practically melting, and the broth had a clear layer of oil on the surface, with the fragrance of lotus peas and lily filling the room. It could help with dryness, invigorate one's energy and replenish one's blood, moisturize the skin and prevent aging, as well as nourish the brain. It could be said to be a must-have supplement for the women in the Song family's inner courtyard. Of course, it was also very suitable for Li Xiaoheng, an old leftover man who was getting older and often needed to work overtime in front of a computer screen.
Because time was precious, Tao Mu had to ask a makeup artist to help him do his makeup and styling while he kept watch on the bubbling broth. As the owner of a film and television company with the most potential in China's entertainment industry, Tao Mu's team of makeup artists was of course the best in the country. Before, they had tailored several classic looks for the hero and heroine of "Fashion Storm", and was later signed by Tao Mu to his film and television company. So they have also seen big scenes.
However, no matter how savvy these make-up artists were, they had never seen the flashy operation of making soup while doing make-up on the day of one's own engagement ceremony. The camera team of FlyNews.com followed the whole process, and felt that this family tradition of the Song family was particularly worth mentioning.
"Not only handsome and rich, he can also cook? Who wouldn't want to marry such a man!" The employees of FlyNews.com sighed for the Nth time, feeling that Xiaoheng Capital's CEO Li was just too lucky to catch their boss.
Mr. Li, who was particularly lucky, was so excited that he didn't sleep all night. He just tossed and turned restlessly until the next morning. That fairer complexion from a rigorous beauty regime when paired with two big dark circles made him look like a panda indeed.
"Panda spirit turning into a human? In my brother Mu's heart, our Eldest Brother is definitely more precious than any national treasure." The little sister of the Li family joked with a smile as she watched her eldest brother obediently let makeup be put on him by his mother in front of the dressing table.
As soon as this was said, all the Li family members laughed out loud. There was quite a kind of old comfort in the family that "the eldest son and grandson who have been in stock for a long time was finally cleared".
Second Brother Li tugged at the sleeves of Li Xiaoheng's robes, and said with a smile, "I think Eldest Brother looks handsome in the bright red ceremonial robes."
Because of old Mr. Song's proposal, the two children's engagement ceremony was finally decided to be held in the Chinese style. So on the day of the engagement ceremony, Tao Mu and Li Xiaoheng would enter the venue wearing red auspicious ceremonial robes. Since graduating from high school, the Li siblings have never seen their eldest brother wearing clothes other than a suit. Now they suddenly see their eldest brother wearing an old-fashioned groom's robes. Everyone felt it was very novel.
Li Xiaoheng, who had always been taciturn, was even more speechless under the surrounding eyes of his whole family. Fortunately, this kind of zoo enclosure feeling did not last long. Right on time, the two families rushed to the engagement ceremony together.
The venue of the engagement ceremony was a five-star hotel owned by Fengxing Group. In fact, according to the thinking of the Li family, since they knew of old Mr. Song's heart knot, they proposed to hold the engagement ceremony in Song Ji.
But old Mr. Song declined. He could understand the kindness of the Li family, but out of practical considerations, the two families had too many guests, and security issues had to be taken into consideration, so the Song family's courtyard was actually not suitable for such a venue. Besides, the Li family had agreed that all procedures of the engagement ceremony would be handled according to the traditions of the Song family. Old Mr. Song reciprocated in kind, and also wanted to make the Li family look good. So since the format of the engagement ceremony was according to the Tao family's idea, it was fair that the venue was chosen at the Li family's hotel.
At 11:58 in the morning, the engagement ceremony officially began.
The big red carpet had been laid from the entrance of the hotel to the scene of the engagement ceremony. The original luxurious European-style banquet hall had been redecorated in an antique Chinese style. The guests of the two families sat on the left and right sides respectively——on the left were mostly Tao Mu's friends, friends in the entertainment industry, and some business partners connected with FlyNews.com. Star-studded big names filled the room. It was comparable to the award ceremony of the Golden Crow Awards. On the right, most of them were old friends and business allies of the Li family, and basically every one of them had been featured in financial magazines.
The group of famous celebrities sitting in the guest section on Tao Mu's side whispered: "…..Why do I suddenly have the illusion of participating in a film crew's investment promotion meeting? It feels like all the investors, advertisers and organizers are sitting opposite."
The old friends who were sitting in the guest section of the Li family were also commenting: "…..It's like attending the awards ceremony of a film festival. Zhou Yanqing and Fang Ruoti and other Hong Kong stars also came. My daughter likes Zhou Yanqing very much. Say, should I go over later and ask for an autograph?"
The members of the Li family and the elders of the Tao family who were sitting at the close family table smiled from ear to ear. Grandpa Li triumphantly cupped his hands at old Mr. Song: "Congratulations to the in-laws."
Old Mr. Song also smiled back: "The same to you!"
Mother Li took Xiao Qi Dad's hand and sighed: "My son is incompetent. He was so excited last night that he didn't fall asleep. When we came over together this morning, there were big dark circles under his eyes. What a waste of the more than half of a month's worth of beauty care."
Meng Qi just smiled: "It's okay. Xiao Mu also woke up very early today. He was making soup for Xiao Heng. Century-old happiness soup, it has beautifying and health benefits."
He continued: "Xiao Mu's mother-in-law, you can rest assured to hand over your son to Xiao Mu. Although our Xiao Mu is young, he knows how to cherish others. He will definitely treat Xiao Heng well."
Mother Li smiled widely: "I am assured of Xiao Mu's character. Don't worry about it, Xiao Heng's father-in-law, our Xiao Heng will also treat Xiao Mu well."
The chatter of the two elders was overheard by the guests in the seats next to them. The group of people stared wide-eyed in disbelief. They never expected that Li Xiaoheng, who looked rigid and serious, was actually the one below.
No wonder the Li family's relatives and friends section was arranged on the right in this engagement ceremony! And the old gentleman of the Li family had boasted of Li Xiaoheng's ability this time, that he was able to bring such a good granddaughter-in-law as Tao Mu home. Now it seemed that this grandson of the Li family was indeed capable. But it was not the ability to bring a good wife home, but the ability to find a good husband to marry off!
The celebrity friends on Tao Mu's side also winked at each other secretly. When Tao Mu was filming before, Li Xiaoheng often came to visit the set, and they all saw the interaction between Li Xiaoheng and Tao Mu. At that time, they thought Li Xiaoheng was the one on the top. They really didn't expect it…..as expected of Mr. Tao!
Not knowing that the unintentional chat between the two parents had caused such a big misunderstanding. Tao Mu stood in the waiting room with a solemn expression. He was so nervous his palms were sweating. Standing next to him, Li Xiaoheng, who was also very nervous, was keenly aware of his little fiancé's emotions, stretched out his hand and quietly wrapped it around Tao Mu's palm, and asked warmly, "What's wrong?"
"It's fine!" Tao Mu shook his head slightly, and under the wide hem of his robes, he clasped his fingers with Li Xiaoheng's, palm against palm, and whispered, "I'm a little scared."
Don't know what was going on, but Tao Mu was very calm when he was making soup and putting on makeup, and he was also very calm when they drove all the way here. But once he entered the hotel, his heart began beating very hard. Standing in the waiting room now, he was even more nervous. His knees felt a little weak, and he dared not take a step.
"Me too." Li Xiaoheng clenched Tao Mu's hand tightly, and responded, "But I'm no longer afraid when I see you. Because I know that no matter what the future looks like, you will be by my side."
As long as you are here, even if the future is unknown, I will not be afraid anymore.
Tao Mu turned his head to look at Li Xiaoheng, feeling the warmth of Li Xiaoheng's palm and his firm gaze, he suddenly smiled too.
"You're right." Tao Mu nodded and said with a smile, "I'm not afraid anymore."
In the banquet hall, the master of ceremonies shouted loudly: "…..Next, let us invite the two grooms to come on stage."
Under the wide robes, Li Xiaoheng tickled Tao Mu's palm with his little finger. The two took a deep breath at the same time. Under the eager and blessing eyes of all relatives and friends, they walked out of the slightly dim waiting room and entered the banquet hall step by step.
Behind the two, their shadows stretched and then merged into one. Accompanied by the light from overhead, it flickered slowly following its owners. At that moment, it seemed that the shadow that had been imprisoned for a long time finally broke free from its fate and walked towards a new life.
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