Chapter 214: A Huge Social Death Scene
Ning Xiyue and Ning Qingyuan put down the sunflower seeds and cups of water in their hands and turned to look at the eight pairs of newlyweds already lined up and ready for the ceremony.
Ning Qingyuan excitedly patted Ning Xiyue’s hand and pointed toward the door, where a group of excited people were coming out.
“Little sis, look! Big brother and Sister Jiayin are coming out too. Big brother looks so handsome today.”
“Mm, I see them. Sister Jiayin looks really beautiful today too. All the brides look so lovely.”
Ning Xiyue noticed that all the brides had powdered their faces and put on lipstick — and the makeup was pretty well done. It wasn’t the crude, heavy blush she used to see on brides, the kind that looked like two red patches slapped on their cheeks. It must have been done by the girls from the literary and art troupe who were good at makeup.
The beautiful makeup added the finishing touch to their looks, making them appear even more radiant and graceful. Their faces beamed with happiness, making them all look especially stunning.
No wonder people say a woman is at her most beautiful when she’s a bride — it’s the happiest moment of her life.
Just then, Ning Qingyuan noticed their mother standing not far from their eldest brother, waving at him.
“Eh? Looks like Mom’s calling me over to bring her bag. Little sis, hand me the bag — I’ll go give it to her.”
He took the handbag from Ning Xiyue and quickly ran toward his mother. He couldn’t delay — she probably needed to give something to his big brother and sister-in-law.
At the same time, Ji Yanming took a sip of water to moisten his throat, stood up, straightened his clothes, and asked naturally, “Yueyue, could you check if there’s anything off with my outfit?”
“Sure.”
Ning Xiyue turned her attention back to Comrade Ji’s clothes. “The right side of your collar — it’s a bit uneven. Adjust it a little.”
Ji Yanming tried to fix it himself, but he couldn’t get it right. In fact, he accidentally curled the collar a bit.
So Ning Xiyue simply reached out to help him fix it.
At the same time, Ji Yanming also raised his hand.
And just like that — their hands moved at the same time, and Ning Xiyue accidentally grasped his rough thumb.
Both of them froze for a second, then immediately jerked their hands back as if they had been electrocuted.
Ji Yanming coughed awkwardly, frantically adjusting his collar with both hands.
As for Ning Xiyue — this dog who had been single for two lifetimes was still hopelessly innocent. That one accidental touch made her face explode red. She quickly turned around, grabbed the teacup from the table, and started drinking to hide her embarrassment.
“Wait — the water—”
Before Ji Yanming could even finish saying “hot”, Ning Xiyue had already gulped the tea down in one go.
“Hot water! Spit it out!” he said urgently.
No one knew the water temperature better than he did — he had just poured it. The moment he saw Ning Xiyue reaching for the cup, he knew this was going to happen. He had tried to stop her, but she was too fast — by the time he spoke, she was already drinking.
The scalded Ning Xiyue no longer cared about saving face — she immediately spat the water back into the cup and puckered her lips, inhaling through her mouth to cool the burn.
Ji Yanming quickly handed her another cup of cold tea from the side. “Here, hold this in your mouth to cool it.”
Ning Xiyue took the cool tea, gulped down a mouthful, and sat there with her head lowered, wishing she could vanish.
Nobody stop me. I want to crawl into a hole and disappear!!
This was a full-on public social death.
Today was way too humiliating! Waaahhh~
Ji Yanming felt incredibly guilty. If it hadn’t been for him, Yueyue wouldn’t have gotten burned.
“Does it feel any better? I’ll get you some ice.”
“It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt. Don’t worry about me.” Ning Xiyue was too embarrassed to even lift her head. After swallowing the water, she mumbled, her voice muffled, trying to get rid of him: “Go on, hurry up and get on stage. Don’t waste time. It doesn’t hurt at all.”
She had spat the water out quickly enough that her mouth wasn’t actually burned — but now, she really didn’t want to see Comrade Ji. Her “idol image” was completely shattered.
Ugh, the main point was — she couldn’t face him anymore today.
“You sit here for a bit. I’ll go host the wedding.”
Seeing that she was indeed fine and clearly didn’t want to see him, Ji Yanming finally relaxed and walked up to the stage.
He was one of the hosts for today’s ceremony, responsible for ensuring the event ran smoothly. Commander Sun from the military unit was in charge of the main speech and served as the witness for the eight couples’ group wedding. The two of them would co-host the ceremony together.
Once Ji Yanming began hosting the ceremony, Ning Xiyue finally lifted her head — though still covering her face. She patted her burning cheeks and looked toward the stage.
But to her dismay, even while speaking, Ji Yanming still cast a sidelong glance her way, checking on her.
And just like that — their eyes met.
Ning Xiyue quickly averted her gaze, pretending to look at the waiting couples below the stage.
Internal screaming: “This is too awkward, too awkward! How am I supposed to face Comrade Ji after this? Why did I have to grab his thumb? Why did I forget the water was hot? Aaaahhh, ground, please swallow me whole!”
“Little sis, what’s wrong? Are you sick? Why’s your face so red?”
As soon as Ning Qingyuan came back, he noticed his sister acting weird. He quickly sat down and placed his hand on Ning Xiyue’s forehead and cheeks to check her temperature.
The moment he felt how hot she was, he panicked.
“Why are you burning up like this? Are you running a fever? Do you have fever medicine in your bag? Take some right now — I’ll take you home to rest.”
“Brother, I’m fine. I don’t have a fever. There are too many people here, and I drank too much hot water. I’m just a little short of oxygen.”
Ning Xiyue grabbed her flustered brother’s hands before he could rummage through her things and said firmly, “I’ll be fine after I sit for a while.”
“Really?”
Still doubtful, Ning Qingyuan touched her forehead again. The temperature seemed lower, but he still looked worried.
“If you really are sick, you have to tell me right away. I’ll take you home.”
“Mm, don’t worry, brother. I’m really not sick. I’m a barefoot doctor — I know my own body.”
(Translation: I’m just suffering from secondhand embarrassment.)
“They say doctors can’t treat themselves. Give me a fever pill anyway. I’ll hold onto it. If I see anything off, I’ll make you take it.”
Ning Qingyuan stretched out his hand.
“Alright, here.”
Unable to refuse her concerned second brother, Ning Xiyue pulled out a small bottle of fever pills from her bag and placed it in his hand.
“Happy now?”
“Mm.”
Ning Qingyuan nodded in satisfaction and tucked the pills into his pocket.
Ning Xiyue: If he weren’t my brother, I’d be dead from embarrassment all over again. Who gets so red from humiliation that people think they have a fever? I swear, I feel like I’m about to split apart!
