102: Side Story 2
The wedding of the Earth’s guardian deity and her chosen human took place on a simple, spring meadow.
The setting wasn’t extravagant, the guest list small, no security, just a quiet, intimate gathering.
An Yue, leading a team of the nation’s top investigators, sat among the guests, their gazes sharp and watchful, discreetly guarding the ceremony.
A few loyal employees and executives from the company were also present, their expressions reverent, waiting patiently.
Xiang Er’s former teachers from the orphanage had also come, Director Zhang, now elderly, in a wheelchair, being pushed around the meadow, enjoying the sunshine and the scenery. Seeing the other guests, their dignified appearance, unaware of their true identities, they marveled at how successful Xiang Er, a former orphan, had become.
Zhu Minmin, chosen as the maid of honor, was practically giddy with excitement, having spent the past two weeks dieting, perfecting her skincare routine, and studying wedding etiquette. She had even brought emergency heart medication, just in case.
Now, her face flushed, she stood guard outside the bridal suite, preventing anyone from entering.
Inside, Akhe and Xiang Er were helping each other into their wedding dresses.
Although tradition dictated that the bride and groom shouldn’t see each other before the ceremony, Xiang Er couldn’t imagine anyone more qualified to help her with her dress than the multi-tentacled Akhe.
Standing before the large mirror, Xiang Er watched as the dress was carefully fitted, a thoughtful expression on her face.
She turned her head slightly, addressing the tentacle that was fussing with her shoulder:
“Are you sure about this? Marriage… it doesn’t really… mean anything to you, does it?”
The tentacle’s tip swayed slightly, as if disagreeing, and Akhe’s magnetic voice echoed from behind her:
“It does have meaning. Your human marriage ceremonies are a way of expressing… a commitment, a unique and exclusive love, and I want to express the same love to you, so… I want to marry you. Unless…”
A tentacle gently wrapped around her collarbone, then slowly encircled her neck, as if about to snap it.
Despite the seemingly dangerous gesture, Xiang Er tilted her head back slightly, a look of almost languid pleasure on her face, her body relaxing.
She leaned back into Akhe’s embrace, seeing their reflection in the mirror.
Akhe’s beautiful, feminine form held her close, her lips gently kissing Xiang Er’s neck, a stunning mermaid-style wedding dress, designed by the world’s top designer, clinging to her body.
Beneath the shimmering silver tail of the dress, dozens of crimson tentacles extended, reaching upwards, caressing Xiang Er’s back, her shoulders, her neck, her head, the air thick with their sweet fragrance.
Akhe’s voice, echoing slightly, ethereal and commanding, like a deity’s, said:
“Unless… you don’t want to get married. Now is your last chance…”
Xiang Er smiled, turning her head slightly to kiss one of the crimson tentacles:
“I wouldn’t miss this… for the world.”
Akhe held her close, the tentacles deepening in color, the air growing warmer…
They ended up having to redo their hair and makeup, their dresses slightly rumpled, everything a delightful mess.
Opening the door, Zhu Minmin, hit by a wave of sweet fragrance, stumbled slightly, her mind momentarily dazed, before focusing on the two figures before her.
Ah… her OTP(one true pair/pairing)… both in wedding dresses, their affectionate embrace… the impact…
“Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
Zhu Minmin frantically fumbled for her heart medication.
Xiang Er and Akhe exchanged amused glances, and Akhe, with a wave of her hand, summoned the makeup artist, who quickly touched up their makeup.
A small, black sphere bounced down the hallway, and spotting Xiang Er, immediately rolled towards her, its thin tentacles wrapping around her ankle.
Zhu Minmin, having just taken her medication, looked down and saw the small eyeball, and she screamed again:
“Aaaaaah, a monster!”
Everyone had seen monsters by now, so it wasn’t exactly terrifying, just… startling, a potential disruption to the ceremony. Zhu Minmin rushed forward, about to shoo it away, when Xiang Er, smiling, squatted down, picked up the small eyeball, and held it close, gently stroking its black, spherical body.
Zhu Minmin:
“Huh? You… you know this monster?”
Akhe leaned closer, a smile on her lips:
“It’s not a monster, it’s our child.”
Zhu Minmin:
“!!!”
She stared at Xiang Er, who, although blushing slightly, didn’t deny it. It was true! Zhu Minmin was stunned, her OTP already had a child, even her wildest fan fiction hadn’t dared to progress this quickly!
After the initial shock, she looked at the small eyeball more closely, a sudden realization dawning on her:
“So… if this child looks like this, then one of you must be a heterogeneous entity… which one? The human or the eyeball…”
Her eyes widened as she looked at Shen Yuhe, the beautiful CEO in her mermaid-style wedding dress, then at the slender, pale Xiang Er, and after a moment of contemplation, she tugged at Xiang Er’s arm, her voice trembling:
“I knew there was something strange about you… back when we were working together… so… you’re the… the big eyeball?”
Xiang Er, amused and slightly exasperated, what was this, was she some kind of monster?
Akhe, struggling to contain her laughter, her shoulders shaking, managed to maintain a serious expression.
Zhu Minmin’s question remained unanswered until the start of the ceremony.
The solemn wedding march began, the guests smiling as they watched the beautiful couple.
They had dispensed with the traditional giving away of the bride, just the two of them, walking hand in hand from the far end of the meadow, their steps slow and measured.
Their gaze, throughout the ceremony, was fixed on each other, they needed only each other, it was enough.
The memories of their journey together flashed through their minds, the struggles, the pain, but also the moments of sweetness and happiness, more intense, more profound than any ordinary love, and now, they knew, with a quiet certainty – it had all been worth it.
The officiant, at the end of the aisle, was the director of the National Special Investigations Bureau, a woman with silver hair and a kind smile, the scars on her exposed wrists a testament to her battles. She turned to Akhe and, raising her voice, asked:
“Ms. Akhe, do you take Miss Xiang Er to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until the end of your long existence, will you cherish her, respect her, protect her, through the turning of planets and the collapse of universes, through the rise and fall of human civilizations?”
The question, so profound, so unconventional, caused a ripple of murmurs among the guests. The investigators, who knew the truth, remained calm, but the others, puzzled, exchanged glances, the words seemed strange, out of place.
Ordinary people only made promises for a lifetime, for their own lives, why mention the collapse of universes, the end of humanity, in wedding vows?
Only Zhu Minmin, her eyes wide with shock, frantically fumbled for her heart medication again. She had been wrong, the real heterogeneous entity… it was her!
This was… too much, this ship, it was the most exciting, the most unforgettable, she had ever encountered!
Akhe, her gaze fixed on Xiang Er, deep and unwavering, hadn’t even glanced at the other guests.
Her voice firm and resolute, she answered:
“I do.”
The director turned to Xiang Er and asked:
“Ms. Xiang Er, do you take Ms. Akhe to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, to love and to cherish, to respect and to accept, to be faithful, until the end of your life?”
Xiang Er’s hand trembled, her gaze locked onto Akhe’s, those eyes she would always love, a flood of emotions and memories washing over her.
The words were simple. But those two small words, carrying the weight of her love, her journey, her voice trembling, escaped her lips:
“I do.”
A cheer erupted from the guests, their applause echoing, but Xiang Er couldn’t look away, her gaze fixed on Akhe’s face, her eyes.
Akhe was crying, tears streaming down her beautiful face, her hands gripping Xiang Er’s, her grip so tight it almost hurt.
Xiang Er was surprised, then her own eyes welled up, tears blurring her vision.
In that joyous moment, their gazes locked, sharing their tears, their love, a silent communion, a thousand unspoken words reflected in each other’s eyes.
Their souls, in this moment, intertwined.
The officiant’s voice, clear and strong, announced:
“You may now exchange rings.”
Akhe, composing herself, produced an exquisite ruby ring, and taking Xiang Er’s hand, slipped it onto her finger, her movements swift, as if afraid Xiang Er might change her mind.
Xiang Er also took out the ring she had bought with her own money, a diamond ring shaped like a tentacle. She fumbled with it, trying to put it on Akhe’s finger, then turned and saw that the ruby on her own finger was glowing… it was…
She whispered:
“Is this…”
Akhe smiled, her eyes soft and tearful:
“Yes, it’s… my new heart.”
The new, red heart, on Xiang Er’s finger, radiated an unnatural, beautiful light.
No matter how many times it shattered, as long as she could, she would give it to Xiang Er, again and again.
Only in her hand, would it truly live, would it truly shine.
The newlyweds, with the small eyeball in tow, went to the beach for their honeymoon.
On the romantic island, Xiang Er, in her swimsuit, basking in the sun, the small eyeball nestled in her arms, suddenly sneezed.
She rubbed her nose, and the small eyeball immediately extended a tentacle, gently patting her head, its voice childish and sweet:
“Mommy, are you okay?”
Xiang Er smiled:
“Someone must be thinking about me.”
The small eyeball pointed with another tentacle:
“Then it must be Mother.”
The small eyeball’s intelligence was now close to a three or four-year-old child’s, its speech clear and articulate, and it even differentiated between Xiang Er and Akhe, always vying for Xiang Er’s attention.
Like now, because Xiang Er was holding the small eyeball, Akhe had to lie on a separate lounge chair, unable to cuddle with Xiang Er, which made her rather unhappy, and she discreetly extended a tentacle from beneath her chair, wrapping it around Xiang Er’s leg, then her waist, its tip tracing circles on her stomach, a silent protest.
Xiang Er turned to Akhe:
“Are you thinking about me?”
Akhe nodded immediately:
“Yes. Who else could it be?”
Xiang Er, smiling, patted Akhe’s thick tentacle, her voice teasing:
“I’m right here, why would you be thinking about me?”
Akhe:
“I’m thinking about… more intimate things… shall we try… on the beach?”
Xiang Er’s eyes widened in alarm, and she quickly covered the small eyeball’s eye:
“Don’t say such things in front of the child!”
Akhe smiled mischievously, a tentacle, hidden in the shadows, stealthily reaching towards Xiang Er’s chest, sliding beneath her swimsuit…
Meanwhile…
A few days after returning from the wedding, Zhu Minmin started updating her new novel:
“The Domineering Evil God Fell in Love with Me, and I’m Pregnant with Her Eyeball Baby, Can’t Escape, Have to Get Married.”
She had a feeling this novel was going to be a global hit, after all, monsters and humans, eyeballs and girls, tentacles and… well, such a ship, no one could resist!
Leave a Reply