2017

June

"Well?" Xiao Yan asked, looking with slight trepidation at Yong Qi who was standing in front of her.

He gave her an once-over with that soft look in his eyes that managed to make her feel both deliriously pleased and faint-inducing nervousness. Or perhaps the faint feeling was just a result of anticipating the interview they were about to participate in.

"You'll do," Yong Qi said, smiling at her, then leaned over to kiss her cheek gently. "Really, Xiao Yan, you look amazing. And you'll be fine."

"I hope so," she answered.

Despite his words, she was unable to resisting giving a self-conscious smooth over the burgundy chiffon top she was wearing over white skirt in matching floral patterns. Yong Qi's tie was also of the same colour.

"Ready?" Yong Qi asked, pulling his jacket on.

"Not really."

"It will be all right, Xiao Yan. You've met He Na before."

Xiao Yan exhaled nervously. "Just because I've met the interviewer before doesn't mean that I can't be nervous about this interview."

"Well, it'll be good practice for you," he said with an encouraging smile. "And they promised, this won't be more than an hour."

"Just promise me you'll shut me up if I say something stupid."

Yong Qi laughed. "I'm sure it won't come to that – "

"Just – in case – "

"All right, fine, I promise."

She gave him a sheepish smile, then tried to gather herself as Yong Qi held out his hand. With a final deep breath, she took it, feeling emboldened when he squeezed her hand tightly. His touch, as it usually did, relaxed her, and she was able to give him a genuine smile as they made their way out of Xian Fu Gong and headed towards the Imperial Garden.

In the Garden, a bench was set up under a pair of cypress trees that Xiao Yan had been told were over three-hundred years old. Over those centuries, the trees' branches grew entwined together, so that now, if it weren't for the fact that there were two roots, it could be seen as one tree. Then again, that was the point of the symbolism, and likely something similar to this was where the idiom came from.

When Yong Qi and Xiao Yan arrived, there were wires running underfoot as cameras have already been set up for their interview.

"Wang Ye, Miss Xiao Yan," their interview, He Na, called as soon as she spotted them. "Hello."

As the three of them exchanged pleasantries and Xiao Yan found herself relaxing slightly, the crew hovered around, checking the last of the set up for the interview, then fitting Xiao Yan and Yong Qi with their microphones.

"Thank you for agreeing to do this interview," He Na said. "I know that you both value your privacy, so it is an honour and a privilege that you are allowing me to lift the curtains a little."

"It's our pleasure," Yong Qi said.

"It is," Xiao Yan agreed. "And this is a happy event coming up for us, and I think if there's ever anything that I might want to share with the world, it's this."

"Well said, Miss Xiao Yan, well said," He Na said, smiling.

"Please, just Xiao Yan."

"All right." The set up for the interview seemed to have completed, and at that moment, their interviewer gestured to the bench. "Please, if you would take a seat, we can begin."

Xiao Yan and Yong Qi sat close together under the boughs of the cypress trees, while He Na settled down on a chair set just diagonally from them, so that they would look at her during the interview, rather directly into the camera.

"Before we begin," He Na said, "I just want to remind you again that this isn't a live interview, so if there is any question you don't want to answer, or anything that comes up in the conversation that you would like to edit out, please feel free to let us know."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Yong Qi said with a friendly smile. "We have seen these questions beforehand, after all. And if we could please just stick to names, it'll be fine."

"I am all for that as well. Shall we begin?"

Yong Qi and Xiao Yan both nodded.

"Well, needless to say, I have many questions, but not a lot of time. How about we start from the beginning? We know that you met at university, but neither of you have really ever talked about how you met, specifically. Would you mind telling us now how you met?"

"Well, I think the first thing I should mention in telling this story is that it can be difficult to concentrate in a university library when you are me," Yong Qi said, grinning.

"He's generally a disturbance to public order," Xiao Yan joked, "to libraries, especially."

He Na laughed.

"Yes, well, basically I managed to find this secluded spot in the library, where I'd come to study. And then after about two weeks…Xiao Yan discovered it too."

"It's not my fault that the spot you picked really was the best place to work," Xiao Yan said, smiling. Turning to He Na, she added, "Basically we first saw each other when we decided to study at two tables near each other this corner of the library. We didn't speak to each other or anything."

"You didn't come over to introduce yourself?" He Na asked.

"No!" Xiao Yan exclaimed. "I mean, it was a library, it wasn't exactly a socialising place. We just sort of…studied near each other for a few weeks."

"You could have come up with some excuse, like ask to borrow a pen or something," Yong Qi said with a teasing twinkle in his eyes.

"And wouldn't you have seen right through that?" Xiao Yan asked.

Yong Qi thought for a second then nodded. "Probably. It probably would have changed things. Now that I think about it, maybe where we are right now did depend on neither of us actually speaking to the other in the library."

"No?" He Na asked. "Then how did you become acquainted?"

"It was raining really hard one evening, and I was driving home, when I saw Xiao Yan walking back to her dormitory from class in the rain," Yong Qi said. "I recognised her from the library, I suppose, so I stopped and offered her a ride back to her dormitory."

Xiao Yan looked down at her lap and smiled slightly to herself at the embellishment of the facts. Both Yong Qi and she had agreed that it was just much easier to give the simplest version of events.

"We talked in the car," he continued. "And after knowing each other, we started to become more friendly whenever we run into each other in the library. We started hanging out and everything just went on from there. It's quite hard now to pinpoint a moment when things become more than just friendship; it's been quite a while now. But I think that's how it should be in relationships that started out that way. It certainly worked for us."

He Na looked down at the note cards in her hands for a second. "It certainly has been a long time since you first met. By the time you marry, I believe it would have been seven years since you first met."

"Yes, just short of under a couple of months," Xiao Yan said.

"So it's been a long time. When during those years did marriage become a possibility for you? When did you start speaking of the possibility?" He Na asked.

"I think…in some strange ways, the idea of marriage has always been there from the very beginning," Yong Qi said. "I can't speak for Xiao Yan here, but for me, at least, it was a consideration from very early on, even if I might not always be actually conscious of it. I certainly know that there were expectations, or maybe just speculations – not from family, but generally from the public – from very early on after our relationship became public that we marry. But I also knew this was never something we could rush into, not simply for the sake of expectation of the public, or even of our families if they ever expressed such expectations. The important thing was, of course, whether Xiao Yan could grasp what she would be marrying into and could accept that. It's undeniably been a long road, but I would have happily taken it even slower, if that was what we needed to be completely sure."

"Yes, certainly. And I just want to add that I really do appreciate, so much, how patient Yong Qi – as well as his family – has always been with me," Xiao Yan said, looking over at Yong Qi and reaching out, squeezing his hand. "In terms of…of chemistry, I think, that we both knew each other were special from early on. But this has always been bigger than us – and honestly, I'm still learning how much bigger it really is – and for that, we needed to really needed the time to contemplate it and make sure we were absolutely certain that we can do this together."

"And was that need to be sure the reason you were not together for a period of time?" He Na asked. "Do you regret that time?"

Xiao Yan took a moment to ponder over her answer before speaking. She felt surprisingly calm by the question, but then perhaps the fact that Yong Qi's hand was still grasping hers and his thumb was stroking the pulse point at her wrist helped.

"I don't think…I can't say I regret it," she finally answered slowly. "I think when you're together all the time, and dealing with so much uncertainty in your life – as we were at the time, when both of us were at different crossroads in our lives – you can lose sight of the woods for the trees. For me, at least, our time apart allowed me to learn a lot about myself, and about what I want from life in general. It's not something I regret, because I don't think it was inherently bad, that we were apart for a time. What is important is that we are back together now."

"I agree, I agree completely," Yong Qi said. "Also, I would think that these stumbling blocks aren't exclusive to our relationship, that every other relationship go through the same sort of ups and downs. Sometimes you can hang on and get through it together. But sometimes there are challenges that you have to solve yourself, to understand what you yourself are capable of, before coming together again. For us, our period apart taught us what we can accomplish on our own, so that we can have a better idea of how we could do all the things we want to do together."

"Speaking of together, I suppose I should get to the question that many wishes to know. When did the engagement happen and how?"

"I think the information that will interest you most, He Na, is that it happened a long time before we announced it to the world," Xiao Yan said, smiling. "Yong Qi proposed back in…in late 2015, actually."

"But your engagement was only announced late last year." He Na pointed out.

"Yes, it was over a year later that we announced it," Yong Qi said. "Our families knew before…very soon after we decided between the two of us. I don't think we ever thought we'd keep it within the family for so long, but the reason for that were…numerous. There were so many things happening around the time we first become engaged. I mean, Zi Wei was getting married, then my older brother was getting married. Neither of us wanted to steal their thunder, so to speak."

"But if we're speaking realistically, we have talked about marriage for a long time, as we said," Xiao Yan added. "The actual engagement came at a time when we both felt it was the right time, I suppose, but it wasn't…the question, when it came, wasn't a massive shock. It obviously can't be, not when this isn't a decision that either of us ever could make lightly."

"I think it must have been for the best for you both too, to have all that time to enjoy being engaged in private, to really think about your upcoming marriage without all the speculation from outside," He Na said.

"Yes, in many ways, you are right," Yong Qi said.

"And no matter how long the wait, here you both are at last," He Na said, gesturing to the trees behind them, having reached the overarching symbolism of the whole interview. Because of course a semi-scripted interview had to have symbolism. "Of course, you both know that over the years, these two trees behind you have become a symbol of lasting love. Yong Qi, many couples in your family, including your parents and your siblings and their spouses, have had their official engagement or wedding photos taken and or spoken to the media under these trees. How do the two of you feel, right now, sitting under the trees that symbolise eternal love yourselves?"

"Certain it's a lot to live up to but also these trees represent the many good examples we hope to emulate," he answered. "Both of us also hope, of course, that being here now will allow us to receive the blessing of the happy marriages that came before us."

"Yong Qi, do you ever think about how your mother would have thought about this wedding, and Xiao Yan, do you ever imagine what it would have been like to meet her?" He Na asked.

Yong Qi turned to Xiao Yan first. "Xiao Yan?"

"Well, I would love to have had the opportunity to meet and to know Yong Qi's mother – "

"So would I," Yong Qi said, smiling, which was met with chuckles from his companions.

"As I said before," Xiao Yan continued, "Yong Qi's family have been entirely welcoming from the very beginning, and I only wish I could have had the chance to have the same kind of relationship with his mother. I've spent a lot of time since being engaged learning what it means to become a part of Yong Qi's family. Everything I've learnt so far has taught me how much Yong Qi's mother has accomplished for the country during few years she had as Crown Princess, and I think that's astonishing. I can only hope that I will be able to follow her example and that of the Empress, and do my bit as well."

"Joking aside," Yong Qi said, smiling softly at Xiao Yan and linking their fingers together, "it really is in moments when I'm at the cusp of these huge changes in my life that I find myself wishing I could have known my mother, to at least be able to have some idea of how she would react or feel about the decisions I'm making. Right now, though, as we're moving towards our future, I only like to hope that my mother would be proud of how far Xiao Yan and I have come. I also hope that she'd want us to look towards building our own future. The Empress, my sister-in-law and Xiao Yan are all very different and I don't think there has ever been any expectation from my father, or really anyone else in the family, that they would have to do all the same things as my mother and in the same way. It's about taking what each person have into the duties and role and making it their own destiny in their own way. And I think Xiao Yan will do a wonderful job of that. Though that's not to say that my mother and her legacy won't have a place in Xiao Yan's life or our life together." He turned and paused for a second to look at Xiao Yan thoughtfully. "I think we can hint a little, about what you have planned with the Empress Foundation, don't you think?"

"Yes, I think I can talk about it briefly."

"I mean, we can always check and ask you to edit it out if it isn't time to say anything yet," Yong Qi said.

"I am curious about what this great secret is," He Na said.

"This is the first time any of us has actually talked about this publicly," Yong Qi added, "so you're getting this exclusive."

He Na merely smiled and looked expectant.

"To be honest, I have always thought about what my role would be, marrying Yong Qi," Xiao Yan said. "I've always known that I wouldn't be happy without something to occupy me. And I know there will be engagements and appearances, but I also know that I want something to do beyond all that. After discussing with Yong Qi's family – and honestly, everyone has been incredibly supportive and encouraging – we have come to an arrangement that I'm really excited for."

The next few minutes of the interview were spent talking about the new project that Xiao Yan and Zi Wei were working on. Eventually, of course, the conversation had to turn back to the happy couple.

"Your wedding announcement did also accompany a very interesting story about your family, Xiao Yan," He Na said. "Yong Qi, have you met everyone now?"

"Yes," Yong Qi replied, "I have met Xiao Yan's brother and her adoptive parents."

"And how was that meeting?"

"Well, you know, as with any meeting with future in-laws, for me, it was a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. But the first meeting went well, very well, and everyone was supportive – "

"That's after they've gotten over the shock," Xiao Yan said dryly.

"They were shocked that you were marrying a prince, Xiao Yan?" He Na asked.

"Well, no, because we weren't engaged when they first found out about who Yong Qi was, in my life. The shock was more the idea of him, and the fact that I didn't exactly volunteer the information. But at the time my family found out about us, we weren't together, so I hadn't thought about mentioning him to them yet. But, you know, these days, it's not easy to keep a relationship like ours – on-going or not – a secret." She paused and grinned. "But I think they were still a little in shock from the development of our engagement though, when they met Yong Qi."

"Nevertheless, I was really happy to find that Xiao Yan's family really wished us well. My first meeting with Mr and Mrs Jiang was not my first meeting with Fang Yan, Xiao Yan's brother, but it was my first meeting with him after we got engaged. He did try to threaten me a little bit."

They all laughed at this obviously not serious description.

"But you know, I have sisters," Yong Qi continued, smiling, "I know what it's like. But no, it was obviously mostly just in jest."

"You've won him over, really," Xiao Yan reassured him. "Though if you confront him about it, he'd probably deny it. But he can see what I see in you." The three of them laughed again. "But in seriousness, we've been very lucky, I think, that both our families have realised that we need their support and have been very generous in giving it."

"So we shouldn't expect any conflict between the two of you with your respective in-laws?"

"No, not at all," Yong Qi said. "I am really looking forward to knowing Xiao Yan's family better, and I really can't be happier for her that she's found them. And my family has always adored Xiao Yan, so I think we will all get along very well."

"Xiao Yan, marriage is, of course, a big endeavour in anyone's life, but this is an even bigger thing you're getting into. How are you feeling about that?"

"Very nervous, of course," Xiao Yan said, laughing shakily. "But honestly, I am very excited as well. I've had a long time to think about all of this, and I don't think a little nervousness is a bad thing at this point. I've always been very aware of how massive a step this would be, and I actually think it would be concerning if I didn't find it nerve-wracking. I've seen Zi Wei enter this life and I've seen her navigate through it, and I've supported her through it, so in some way I'm even more hyper-aware of the challenges. But at the same time, I also know that Zi Wei will be there for me as I was for her, and Yong Qi's family as well."

He Na looked significantly at her hand, still enclosed in Yong Qi's. Xiao Yan had a feeling this would be the moment the camera zoomed in on their hands as well.

"And your prince is there too, of course," He Na remarked.

Xiao Yan turned to look at Yong Qi. She was sure there was a stupid, goofy smile on her face now, and the camera was catching it all but she couldn't bring herself to feel self-conscious about it. "Yes, of course. And he's always been there."

Yong Qi smiled back at her. The pause that followed probably lasted only a second, but to Xiao Yan, it seemed to stretch into infinity. It was with some difficulty that the two of them finally turned their attention back to He Na, as politeness dictated.

"Well, this is an obvious question, and you must know it's coming because everyone would like to know. What are your plans for a family, for children?"

"Well, I can't say it's anything we've planned yet," Yong Qi said. "At this point, we'd like to just enjoy the getting married part first."

"That's his way of saying, we don't want to talk about it publicly and it's none of your business," Xiao Yan added helpfully, which made He Na laugh.

"I'm sure once we're married, there will be plenty of opportunities for that question to come up again, and we can perhaps address it then," Yong Q said, more diplomatically.

She thankfully got the message and did not press the issue further. Admittedly, they had discussed this question at length in preparation for the recording. He Na knew she wasn't going to get an answer, and both Yong Qi and Xiao Yan knew she would ask anyway, because what was an interview about a marriage without a question about children?

"We're coming to the end of our time," He Na said, "and I'd like to end with this question: What is the one thing you like most about each other?"

"Xiao Yan is constantly show me new ways to look at the world, from beyond the privileges that I was born with. Sometimes I think about the song, A Whole New World, from Aladdin, and Xiao Yan really is the Aladdin to my Jasmine…"

Xiao Yan burst out laughing at that. "Am I supposed to feel flattered or offended by that comparison?"

"Flattered, just feel flattered," Yong Qi said, smiling mischievously at her, which made her shake her head in exasperation.

"Xiao Yan?" He Na prompted. "What's your answer?"

In that moment, Xiao Yan couldn't help but look deeply into Yong Qi's eyes; despite his joking answer, he was looking at her with a gentle smile that suggested that there was an entirely different layer of sincerity to his words. Perhaps the cynical part of her was frozen amid all the excitement and emotions surrounding their impending marriage, but in that moment, the only thing Xiao Yan could think of was that, maybe, there was no greater declaration of love than to be compared to a Disney princess and her beau, even if in the analogy, he was the princess.

As for her own answer, she found herself being more candid than she was even planning to be. "I guess…Yong Qi makes me feel safe. Growing up with the childhood that I had, safe wasn't a feeling I knew very well…or sometimes, at all. And I've always taken care of myself, and I know I can do that, and I will, but at the same time, with Yong Qi, I know he'll be there to watch over me, and that gives a kind of freedom I never felt until I met him."

Xiao Yan was surprised that both she and Yong Qi managed to keep control of their emotions following that speech, and later, when she had watched the edited interview, she was relieved that He Na – or whoever was in charge of the editing – decided to cut from them immediately after her last word, to the He Na's closing remarks, which actually followed several minutes later.

The truth was, Xiao Yan had not intended to say this much. If anything, she had intended to do a lot of theatre for this interview. But there was something about that moment, and she spoke the words before she could think better of them. And yet, she didn't regret saying them in this context at all. If anything, she realised that theatre really wasn't required when all the things she wanted to say and share was also the truth.

"You meant what you said?" Yong Qi whispered to her later as the photographer for their interview photoshoot adjusted his camera.

Xiao Yan didn't need any more elaboration to know what he was talking about. "Yes, of course."

Yong Qi gave her that same intense, gentle smile from earlier, and leaned in the whisper, "I love you too," before placing a soft kiss on her nose.

Unbeknownst to them, the photographer had captured the unstaged, unscripted moment, and the photo of the nose-kiss ended up being the main photo of the whole interview.

17 July 2017

The wedding day arrived and Xiao Yan did not think she had ever been so overwhelmed with such weight of numerous feelings. Somehow – and she admittedly did not retain much in details except the general feelings of nervousness so powerful that it made the tips of her fingers tingle and the surreal sense of happiness – she got ready for the big day. Zi Wei, being the groom's sister after all, was not there, but her family and friends were, including Liu Qing and Liu Hong, and her previous dorm-mates. Then there were, of course, also the numerous staff sent from the palace to help her get ready. The details, though, were blurred out by her mounting anticipation, and Xiao Yan only remembered spending half the morning trying to hold her head still while having her hair brushed, twisted and pinned, and looking whichever way the make-up person told her to look, all the while trying to wrinkle away the itch on her nose which she could not scratch.

Despite of her nerves, the morning flew by, and Xiao Yan was watching on the screen of an iPad as Yong Qi attempted to pass all the challenges set up at her door by her friends. This included making Yong Qi take the stairs of Xiao Yan and Xiao Jian's adopted parents' houses one step at a time, and with each step giving a reason for being in love with Xiao Yan...in a different language. Even know it was a game, and swearing to herself that she would not cry on her wedding, Xiao Yan nevertheless found herself tearing up when Yong Qi, knowing that she was watching, saved the most heartfelt words for the languages Xiao Yan understood. Next, he was challenged to pick out cut-out photos of different parts of Xiao Yan's face from a sample collection, which he attempted valiantly until it clicked that none of the choices he was given actually were photos of Xiao Yan herself.

There were other tests before Xiao Yan's friends were satisfied enough to let Yong Qi into the room where Xiao Yan was waiting.

The moment arrived. Inside the room, Xiao Yan sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the door, feeling like her heart was full to bursting as she waited for it to open. And open it did, and in walked Yong Qi, beaming at her, and Xiao Yan could not look away, nor did she want to. In that moment, as he approached her, it was as if all the years they had known each other was flashing in front of her, and all the emotions and feelings she ever felt in those years flooded over her, leaving her short of breath. It had certainly been a journey for them to get to where they were now, and Xiao Yan could not think anything else that was more perfect than the fact that they were now here together, so happy like this.

"Hey," Yong Qi said as he knelt down before her.

"Hey," Xiao Yan replied, her smile matching his in brightness.

Just like that, Xiao Yan found her nervousness settled as Yong Qi reached out and took her hands tightly in his, bringing the both up to his lips to kiss. She smiled as she savoured the warmth of his lips on her knuckles as he whispered, "You look so beautiful."

The moment was broken only when everyone else started to urge Yong Qi to get on with looking for her shoes, which were hidden in the room. He managed this with surprising speed, and gently helped her put them on. The journey from the room to the wedding carriage waiting outside amid the cheering and congratulations of their family and friends as well as the flash of cameras, was not as nerve-wracking as she feared when Yong Qi was grasping her hand firmly and leading her through it all.

As unnerved Xiao Yan was about the prospect of traveling to the palace where the wedding ceremony would take place in an open carriage, which basically meant she was on parade for the people lined on either side of the streets, she was also glad that traditions had evolved enough so that Yong Qi was also in the carriage next to her. She was smiling, not for the people who came out in droves to see them drive past, but for the comfort and reassurance that Yong Qi was giving her as he would occasionally squeeze her hand, reminding her that they were in this together, from now on and for always.

Once they arrived at Xian Fu Gong, the rest of the wedding ceremony played out as Xiao Yan had witnessed in real life once before, at Yong An's wedding. In fact, it was over sooner than Xiao Yan expected, and before she knew it, she was again walking hand-in-hand with Yong Qi into the banquet hall of Tai He Dian, to the applause of the guest and the pounding her heart in her chest.

Xiao Yan really was regretting the fact that she didn't eat much at lunch due to nerves. Someone really should have told her that between changes of clothes, wedding speeches and going around the greet eight hundred guests, she wouldn't have much time to eat at her own wedding banquet.

As they made their way to the next table, Xiao Yan slid her hand more deeply along Yong Qi's and tightened her grip on the crook of his arm. Somehow, the room seemed even bigger now that it was filled with guests than she ever remembered from their previous inspections of the banquet set up and rehearsals. Guests were sitting around large round tables, each with a centrepiece of peonies on top of a small golden platform which meant that the flowers were raise slightly off the table. On that same platform at each table were also two already filled porcelain wine cups for the bride and groom to drink when they arrived at each table to receive the guests' congratulations. Of course, anyone who was involved in the planning of the wedding knew that these cups actually contained water, which thankfully looked like Chinese rice wine. The water was both a necessity and blessing, because there was no way either of them would manage to stay sober if they actually received toasts from all the guests with wine.

Unfortunately, water could also only quench thirst, not hunger.

"You all right?" Yong Qi whispered, while somehow still maintaining a smile at the guests around them.

"Hmmm. Just…kind of hungry," she admitted sheepishly, turning her head into his shoulder to hide her face.

He squeezed her hand that was placed on his arm with his other free hand. "It's nearly over, don't worry."

She turned back and gave him a brighter smile. She didn't want him to think she wasn't enjoying herself, which, for the record, she was. It had just been a long and emotional day, and she was reaching a point where she needed to take a breath. And maybe stop smiling for a second. Not because she wasn't happy. No, because her face hurt. She'd spent the last few hours constantly smiling, after all, and generally at people she'd never met before. She felt like the smile was frozen onto her face now, which was probably a good thing because she didn't have to think about it. But still, her face hurt.

The last table they arrived at, thankfully, was full of their friends. Heartfelt congratulations were all around as Xiao Yan and Yong Qi arrived the table consisting of Liu Qing, Liu Hong, Jin Suo, Xiao Jian, Qing Er, Han Xiang, Meng Dan, Er Kang, Zi Wei, Er Tai and Sai Ya.

As Yong Qi reached for the two cups from the centrepiece, Liu Qing grabbed them from him and poured the water into a spare bowl on the table. "No, no, I know for a fact that the only time these cups contained wine was when you drank with your families up on the front table, and it's been all water after that," he said. "But none of that here."

Xiao Yan could only laugh as she watched her brother taking the cups from Liu Qing and reaching for the pot of wine. "That's right. We are not toasting you at this table with water," Xiao Jian said. "It's your last table anyway."

"And we saved the best for last, didn't we?" Xiao Yan said, grinning, as they all clinked their cups and drank.

"What are you two doing at this table anyway?" Yong Qi asked, looking at Zi Wei and Er Kang.

Xiao Yan also looked at Xiao Jian and Qing Er, then nodded to the head of the room. "Yeah, aren't you supposed to be up there with the families?"

"The speeches are over, we decided to join everyone here instead," Zi Wei said, smiling and standing up to pull Xiao Yan in a tight hug.

"It just seems more fun over here while you two were going around greeting the guests," Xiao Jian added. "But you're done, right? Sit down, sit down."

Xiao Yan really didn't need asking twice, and soon found a chair to join them at the round table. Yong Qi laughed and decided to do the same.

Zi Wei pushed a couple dishes of food towards them. "Eat."

"Oh thank you!" Xiao Yan nearly cheered, putting her arm around Zi Wei and squeezing tightly.

"I thought you'd be famished by the time you got here, so I told the staff the serve your food in individual portions and brought it down here," Zi Wei said, laughing at Xiao Yan's effusive appreciation.

Er Tai clapped Yong Qi on the back. "So how does it feel now that you are married and tied down?"

"It feels great," Yong Qi replied, grinning. "When are you getting on with it?"

"Whenever it feels like the time," Er Tai replied, shrugging. Then, looking at Sai Ya, he said, "We're all right for now, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are," Sai Ya said.

"Are you sure?" Yong Qi asked, smiling at her. "Because we can totally put him on the spot for you."

She laughed and leaned her head against Er Tai's shoulder. "No, we're good. But thanks."

"I also can't believe that you, of all people, would betray me by asking this clichést of clichéd questions on your wedding," Er Tai grumbled, looking at Yong Qi with a mock expression of hurt.

He only laughed good-naturedly. "Have you been asked this question so far today?"

"No, not yet."

"Well, someone has to ask it," Yong Qi shrugged.

Er Tai sighed melodramatically. "Well, I don't appreciate it."

"I'm sure our parents do, though," Er Kang said, which made everyone around the table laugh.

"Hey, what is this? This is so not fair. You might as well ask the same question of anyone else at this table except my brother," Er Tai said.

Yong Qi smirked. "Yeah but you're much easier to tease."

Between bites of chicken, Xiao Yan chimed in with a grin. "Besides you started it."

"Just eat, Bride and Groom, before you have to get up to see the guests off," Er Tai said, though he was laughing too.

There were, of course, a lot of guests to see off, and it wasn't surprising that it was near midnight before the banquet ended entirely, and Xiao Yan and Yong Qi finally made it back to Xian Fu Gong.

Their wedding ceremony had taken place at Xian Fu Gong, and she had been brought into the wedding earlier, but that was in the company of everyone else involved in the ceremony. Now was truly the first time that she and Yong Qi had been alone all day, and it was here, in the wedding chamber.

Xiao Yan stood in the middle of the room and looked around the room, lit not with bright electric lights, but with the many tall pairs of dragon and phoenix candles placed around the room. The flickering of the candle light added an almost palpable new heartbeat to the room, and Xiao Yan's heart seemed to beating to its rhythm, so distinctly that she could feel it, as she stood here, taking in the way the red engulfed the room, enveloping the two of them in its fold.

Yong Qi, who had only dropped her hand a moment earlier to close the door, now stepped around to stand in on front of her. His arms immediately circled her waist and pulled her in close to him, so that they were hip to hip.

He leaned in and rested her forehead against her. For a moment, they stood there, savouring the closeness, neither speaking, listening to the sounds of gentle breaths and flickering candles.

Then, Xiao Yan reached up and cupped his face in her hands, smiling widely. "So, we're married," she whispered.

The smile he gave her in return was bright enough to rival the dozen candles in the room. "Yes, we are."

She giggled and wound her arms around his neck. "No way out now."

"Do you want a way out?" he asked through his smile.

Xiao Yan breathed in deeply, momentarily overwhelmed by both the strength of the emotions in her and the sight of Yong Qi so happy before her. "Absolutely not," she said, before leaning in and kissing him soundly.

It was several moments later when they finally parted. Yong Qi ran a thumb against her bottom lip. "I would have expected your lipstick to be completely smudged now."

She laughed, and shook her head. "It's supposed to be kiss-proof, which I guess we've just confirmed. But that means it won't come off with anything other than make-up remover." Sighing softly, she pulled reluctantly away. "Just let me go take the make-up off first, okay? My eyes are beginning to sting, to be honest."

He let go of her just as unwillingly, but not before pressing a kiss to her cheek and the side of her neck. "Okay."

"So are you really not going to tell me where we're going for our honeymoon?" Xiao Yan asked, sometime later as she leaned back against Yong Qi's arm, which were circled around her shoulders.

He ran the tip of his fingers along the length of her arms, which still managed to give her shivers. "I gave you a hint," he said in a definite teasing tone.

"Yeah. 'Pack swimwear.'" Xiao Yan rolled her eyes at his unhelpfulness. "What kind of hint is that?"

He only shrugged, then turned to scatter kisses along her bare shoulder.

She pulled away impatiently. "Are you sure you won't tell me?"

He raised his head, looking utterly serious. "Yes, I'm sure."

Xiao Yan narrowed her eyes for a moment, before breaking into a mischievous smile and climbed onto his lap, winding her arms around his neck. Then, leaning in so that their lips were just a hair's width apart, she whispered, "What if I try to seduce it out of you?"

She could see and hear Yong Qi's breath hitch slightly. Nevertheless, he pulled her even closer, and smiled at her. "Try me," he said, and the next thing Xiao Yan knew, she herself was completely overcome by the feeling of his kiss, and she could no longer think of anything else but him.

Santorini, Greece

The villa that they were renting for their honeymoon offered a perfect view of Santorini sunset over the Aegean Sea. Best of all, it was private. Xiao Yan had never appreciated the ability to spend money more than she did at that moment. Sunset, she found in the two days they had been here, was practically a religion on Santorini. Even now, looking down at the steps below their villa, she could see the masses of tourists who had flocked to the public spaces at the tip of the island, as they did every day at dusk, to catch the magic moment. Up here, she and Yong Qi were in the world of their own, free to indulge in each other's company while watching nature paint the most beautiful work of art mortals could hope to see.

It was early enough now that the sea still glittered like sapphire, a heart-breaking blue, stretching out into the far horizon.

A clinking sound behind her alerted her to Yong Qi's arrival. She turned, she saw him place two glasses of wine down on a wooden table that was painted bright yellow, before walking over and wrapping his arms around her from behind. Xiao Yan could only sigh contentedly as he reached for her hands and laced their fingers together, and they stood there, waiting for the sunset.

They did not have to wait long. Barely fifteen minutes later, the sun begun to descend, an orange circle of light that seemed to be pulled down by some magical hand, lower and lower, flooding the sea first with purple and gold. The cascade of colours reflected off the pristine white chalk buildings all around, and in that moment, it felt as if a warm blanket has fluttered down on the whole world, engulfing them in the most beautiful mixture of red and orange and yellow and purple and blue.

"Can you believe that there was a time when we hadn't met yet, when we didn't know each other, didn't love each other, and didn't think there could be a moment like this?" Yong Qi asked, his breath tickling against her ear.

She smiled out at the sunset. "No." There was a pause. Then she added, "But I am glad that it happened. Everything between us. Just as it did."

Yong Qi sighed deeply, a happy sigh that seemed to vibrate against them both. Xiao Yan's only reaction was to squeeze his hand tightly.

"Xiao Yan."

"Hmmm?"

"I am so happy."

Xiao Yan's heart seemed to skip a beat at the way his voice shook, his emotions tethering on being too much to bear. She pulled his arms tighter around herself and inhaled deeply. In that moment, all her senses seemed to be overloaded as she tried to drink in the moment. The sight of the breath-taking sunset before her. The smell of the Aegean wind. The taste of its salt on the tip of her tongue. The gentle sounds of the waves crashing against the cliffs down below. Most real of all, and most satisfying, was the feel of Yong Qi's arms wrapped so tightly around her.

She leaned back against him, savouring the soft kisses he was pressing against her neck and her hair. "Me too," she whispered finally, and meaning it with all her heart.

the end

A/N: There is a story behind the wedding date. 18 July 1997 is the day HZGG first started shooting, so 18 July 2017 will be its 20th anniversary. I wanted Xiao Yan and Yong Qi's wedding to take place on this date (well, originally, I had another date in mind, but that's another story), but apparently 18 July 2017 is a really bad day for wedding (of course I looked this up, guys, what did you expect…), but 17 July is a good day, so that's why that's the wedding date.

It's sort of surreal that this fic is finally over, seven years after I first started with the idea. At the beginning, it was supposed to be just a simple and fun break from the period setting as demonstrated by the completely silly original title. Then it just grew and grew from there. I'm really going to miss this story, but honestly considering how long I've been at this, I think I have to say goodbye to it now.

There were plot points that went through significant rewrites over the years. As I mentioned in an author's note for Let the Year Sculpture Our Love, Xiao Yan's real, biological parents were supposed to appear in this story, but I used that storyline with Let the Years instead. Also, there was a scrapped subplot where Yong Qi has another sister who mysteriously disappeared. It involved amnesia and generally a lot of implausible coincidences and would have required quite a lot of suspension of disbelief. Eventually I realised I've stretched the suspension of disbelief thin enough as it was with this entire premise, so I stopped trying to squeeze it in. By the time I did get rid of it, I really had to wonder why I was trying so hard to include it in the first place. I think I was trying to give another dimension to Zi Wei's relationship with her family but it was getting way too complicated. As if they didn't have enough going on in the first place.

Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed, especially if you've followed this story from when it was The Prince and Me, and have prodded me over the years to finish this.

So what's next? I admit I have started something new. I won't start posting until I'm nearly done, but I have two words for you: gender swap.