Chen Mo holding Xiaoyu after the bouquet catch had stunned the entire wedding crowd. Silence spread through the room—no applause, no cheers—just wide eyes.
The bride finally exhaled in relief.
That was close. If Chen Mo hadn't caught Xiaoyu, she would've fallen flat in front of everyone. That kind of public mishap would've been painfully awkward.
Grabbing the host's mic, the bride quickly broke the silence.
"Hero, kiss the beauty!"
Everyone turned to look.
Chen Mo was still holding Xiaoyu, bouquet in her hands, the spotlight firmly on them. A wave of excited cheers erupted.
"Kiss! Kiss!"
Xiaoyu's face turned crimson. She glared up at Chen Mo and whispered urgently, "Don't you dare. Not here."
But her protest was lost in the crowd's chant.
"Nooo—mmmph!"
The crowd exploded into applause and laughter. The warm, romantic mood of the event peaked.
Even after the wedding, Xiaoyu's cheeks were still glowing red. As they walked side by side, she refused to look Chen Mo in the eye.
"You didn't do that by accident," she muttered, half-clinging to his arm, half-scolding him.
"You were about to fall on your face. I saved your dignity," Chen Mo said, grinning. "Would you have preferred to hit the floor in front of everyone?"
"You kissed me."
"It was situational awareness," he replied smoothly. "The bride knew our relationship. She set the tone, and if I didn't play along, it'd only make it more awkward. Besides, it's a happy day."
"You're still bad." Xiaoyu huffed—but she didn't seem too angry.
After dropping her off at her temporary place, Chen Mo hesitated. Should he go visit Aunt Xiao's house?
He quickly shook the idea from his head. After all, wasn't that where he'd nearly gotten ambushed into a blind date? No thanks. Not when he already had Xiaoyu. Besides, if he rejected someone face-to-face, it'd make things awkward with Aunt Xiao.
That place was off-limits for now.
Xiaoyu had barely stepped through the door when Shao Zhen, lounging on the sofa, looked up. "How was the wedding?"
"It went fine. A lot of old classmates I hadn't seen in years." Xiaoyu dropped her bag and sank into the couch. "Where's Uncle Zhang?"
"Went out to drink with friends," Zhen replied. "By the way, do you have an internship lined up yet?"
"Starting right after New Year," Xiaoyu nodded.
"Oh? Where?"
"I've got an offer at a decent company—likely in the finance department. It's based in Binhai, but details are still being arranged."
"Binhai's great," Zhen said. "One of my nephews graduated from there too. You two are the same age, same city. Want me to introduce you? It might be nice to have someone around in case you run into problems."
Xiaoyu's heart twitched. A setup?
But the way Zhen phrased it—just a connection, just for future support—left her no graceful way to decline.
"If it's just to get acquainted, I don't mind," she said with a polite smile.
"Perfect! I'll ask him to come by tomorrow."
Back at home, Chen Mo barely made it through the door when his mom stopped him.
"Amer, bring some pastries to your Aunt Xiao tomorrow. Xinxin likes them."
"…Do I have to?" Chen Mo's instincts flared. This had trap written all over it.
"Yes, you do."
Countless excuses ran through his head—none of them useful.
"…Can I at least call first?"
"No."
"I'll go," Chen Mo sighed, fully defeated.
The next morning, his mother handed him a box of pastries and insisted he dress nicely.
As he neared Aunt Xiao's house, Chen Mo paused, then quickly dialed Xiaoyu.
At that moment, Xiaoyu was sitting in the living room with Zhen, nervously watching TV. When her phone buzzed, it felt like a lifeline.
"Zhen Zhen, I need to take this," she said, slipping into her room.
"Xiaoyu," Chen Mo said, keeping his voice low, "call me back in two minutes. Say there's an emergency. I'll explain later. It's urgent."
"…What happened?" she asked.
"Just trust me. Two minutes."
He hung up, adjusted his posture, and knocked on the door of Aunt Xiao's place.
Zhen greeted him with a bright smile.
"Chen Mo! Come in, come in. Oh, you brought pastries? So sweet. Xinxin will love them."
"Yeah, my mom made me bring them over." Chen Mo handed them over and sat stiffly on the couch, turning his phone volume up.
"Xinxin home?" he asked casually.
"No, but my little niece is. She just stepped into her room."
In the guest room, Xiaoyu froze.
That voice… was that Chen Mo?
She tiptoed to the door, peeked through the crack—and burst into silent laughter.
So this was what he meant on the phone.
He was here. Being set up. With her.
She climbed onto the bed, buried her face in the quilt, and shook with silent giggles.
So Chen Mo had been trying to dodge a blind date—unaware that the "girl" was her all along. And now he was praying she'd call to rescue him.
Xiaoyu sat at the vanity, checking the time with a smirk. Let's see what trick he pulls when I don't call.
"I'll go call her out," Zhen said brightly. "They're the same age, same city. Maybe they'll click."
Chen Mo's heart was racing. Where's that call?!
"She's just changing clothes and fixing her makeup. Sit tight and watch some TV."
"Sure," Chen Mo replied, forcing a smile.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
He snatched it up like it was oxygen.
"Chen Mo, where are you?" Xiaoyu asked, her voice calm.
"You—hospital? What happened? I'm coming right now!"
He hung up, jumped to his feet, and turned to Zhen. "Sorry, Zhen Zhen! My friend—emergency—hospital. I have to go!"
Before she could say anything, he bolted out the door, phone in hand, wearing a perfect expression of fake panic.
Zhen stood frozen for a moment, baffled.
Back inside, Xiaoyu laughed until her sides hurt.
"Xiaoyu, I'll send you to the same place as last night. Come out—we'll go hang out," Chen Mo said, wiping sweat from his forehead after his daring escape.
"Okay," Xiaoyu giggled.
She freshened up, changed outfits, and stepped outside. Zhen was waiting.
"My nephew had an emergency and had to leave," Zhen explained, a bit disappointed. "I'll introduce you two next time."
"No worries," Xiaoyu said sweetly. "Just give me his contact. I'll reach out myself."
"Oh? Sure! His name's Chen Mo. Here's his number. And this is his photo."
"Handsome," Xiaoyu said, holding back a grin. "I'll be sure to meet him soon."
"He's a good kid. Same school as you, already working in Binhai. You two should connect."
After saying goodbye, Xiaoyu headed down the street and spotted Chen Mo.
The moment she saw him, she couldn't stop smiling.
"What's got you so happy?" Chen Mo asked as she slipped her arm into his.
"Do you believe in fate?" she asked, lips twitching with amusement.
"Of course," Chen Mo replied. "Otherwise, how could I have met you?"
Xiaoyu looked at him, glowing with laughter. "Exactly. Fate's got a great sense of humor."