As Liu Chen returned to her room, she saw her mother studying two spa vouchers.
Upon hearing the door open, her mother turned and, seeing Liu Chen, waved the spa vouchers in her hand. Her eyes crinkled into a smile as she said, "I've checked. They're free. We can use the vouchers to go. Honestly, your mom has never had a spa treatment in her life. At most, I've had blind massages. I'll call them to book a time."
Liu Fang then began dialing the number on the spa voucher. After confirming the names, the other party informed them that the only available spa time that day was from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM.
"Perfect. I'll digest after lunch. Alright, then, spa for two at 2:00 PM!"
Liu Chen breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the time slot. Fortunately, Chen Long was reliable. Even though her phone had turned itself off and her mother had booked the appointment, the time slot was fixed.
Yes, although her Nokia was durable and had survived many drops over the past year without issues, it was beyond repair after being soaked in seawater.
As soon as Liu Fang's spa appointment was confirmed, Chen Long received a call. After lunch, everyone chatted about going back to their rooms for a nap, as the sun was too strong outside, and they each returned to their rooms.
However, after Liu Chen used the in-room phone to call her aunt's room to confirm that Liu Fang had fallen asleep, the doors of the other suites on the top floor were opened.
Except for Liu Chen, everyone else took the elevator down and went ahead to rehearse at the chapel located on the left side of the hotel's lawn.
Liu Chen, on the other hand, was responsible for staying in the living room, preventing her mother from suddenly waking up and looking for someone else.
When the clock on the television showed 1:50 PM, Liu Chen methodically woke her mother and, with her still groggy mother, took the elevator down to the first floor. They then found the spa, located in a separate villa in a corner of the hotel's exterior.
The spa room had a faint scent of sandalwood, and the air conditioning was slightly cooler than in the hotel.
Since Liu Fang and Liu Chen had showered beforehand, the masseuses simply asked them to undress and lie down on their respective spa beds, wrapped in bath towels.
The faint sound of waves crashing on the shore could be heard. Liu Chen buried her face in the face hole of the spa bed, feeling a pair of warm hands from a massage begin to knead her from her neck and shoulders.
Then, her arms, followed by her back, still wrapped in a towel, her legs, and finally her feet.
The technique was gentle yet capable of releasing the muscles. Liu Chen thought about the prices she had glimpsed before entering.
Alright, the 60-minute essential oil spa advertised at the entrance was 880, and the 90-minute one she was experiencing now was likely over a thousand. Last year, in the first half of the year, her mother earned just over a thousand a month working for Sister Li at the store.
It was truly a "lucky draw"; otherwise, her mother would never have been willing to have this spa treatment.
After the spa, Liu Chen lazily changed into a camisole dress and walked out of her spa room.
Under the guise of a photo shoot, she asked her mother to return to the room to wait for the photographer.
The photographer was a tall, slender woman with short hair, around thirty years old. She pushed a large suitcase into the room and then laid it flat on the living room floor.
Under the watchful eyes of the mother and daughter, she opened the suitcase, revealing a wedding dress whose craftsmanship and material were clearly far superior to the low-cut halter-neck artificial silk dress next to it.
The photographer's hand reached past the wedding dress and handed the low-cut dress to Liu Fang, saying, "This set will look good for photos."
Liu Fang glanced at the low-cut dress in her hand and then at the much better white lace trailing dress in the suitcase.
Liu Fang did not take the low-cut dress from the photographer.
Instead, she pointed to the one in the suitcase and said, "I want to wear this one."
The photographer's expression changed slightly. She seemed hesitant, yet also reluctant to offend the client, and explained, "This dress belongs to the 5,000 yuan package. Our package is 1,000 yuan. I must have brought the wrong outfit..."
Upon hearing that a wedding dress could only be worn with a 5,000 yuan package, Liu Fang became even more insistent.
"It's alright, dear. After we take the pictures, you can hang it back up. Who's to know you made a mistake? Besides, let me try it on first. What if it doesn't fit?"
Liu Fang said this as she picked up the wedding dress from the suitcase and went into the bathroom to try it on.
If Liu Chen hadn't known the day's schedule from her aunt, she would have been fooled by the photographer's natural acting.
"Oh my goodness! Honey! Look, this gown fits me perfectly. Chen Chen, hurry and put on your dress. Let's take some best friend photos today!"
Liu Chen changed into the same white sundress as Liu Fang. The two of them took photos indoors for a while. Around 4:00 PM, the photographer looked at the photos on the camera and said, "Sister Liu, your figure is perfect for this dress. Let's go out to the lawn to take pictures. The light there is better, and it's easier to get good shots."
Liu Fang hesitated for a moment, but ultimately succumbed to the desire to take more photos in this dress. Holding up her skirt, she walked with the photographer, who was wearing a wedding dress, towards the beach, wearing the hotel's disposable slippers.
Walking on the hotel's lawn, the photographer, as she had said, took many best friend photos of the mother and daughter.
The three of them walked and took pictures as the sun gradually began to set. By the time they reached the wooden chapel on the left side of the hotel, near the beach, Liu Fang began to feel a bit shy about getting too close.
"It looks like there's a wedding happening inside. It might not be appropriate for us to be too close." After saying this, Liu Fang took her daughter Chen Chen's hand and prepared to move away.
After taking a few steps, she found her obedient daughter holding her still. Seeing her mother look back, she winked.
"Sister Liu."
Suddenly, she heard Chen Long's voice. Liu Fang felt a little guilty, having had so much fun with her daughter today that she had forgotten about Chen Long.
Following Chen Long's voice, Liu Fang froze.
Chen Long was wearing a black suit today. Although he often wore suits, this one seemed exceptionally handsome and formal.
"Chen Chen, thank you. Sister Liu, would you do me the honor of walking with me?"
While Liu Fang was still stunned, the photographer had quickly placed the nearly three-meter-long trailing veil on Liu Fang's head.
Liu Fang's heart pounded. She felt as though she vaguely guessed what was about to happen.
However, reason and years of experience kept her calm. What if her guess was wrong? Wouldn't she be disappointed?
Liu Fang's throat moved. Seeing Chen Long walk up to her, she extended her left hand to his outstretched hand.
Liu Chen watched as her mother, supported by Chen Long, walked step by step into the pure wood "Sea of Love" wedding chapel by the sea. The European-style stained-glass windows reflected a gentle light in the setting sun.
Taking a deep breath, Liu Chen quickly ran and entered through a small side door of the chapel.
Because the chapel was built on a sloping lawn, entering from the hotel's main entrance led to a curved platform on the second floor of the chapel.
The entire chapel was adorned with abundant bouquets of pink and white roses.
Liu Chen stood below, watching Chen Long lead her mother down from the second floor, the veil trailing long on the stairs, while the photographer's shutter clicked incessantly.
"Chen Chen, hold this lens for me. I'm changing to a telephoto lens."
Before Liu Chen could speak, a camera was already placed in her arms.
Her mother had already descended the stairs and began walking down the path paved with pink and white rose petals, reaching the open archway at the end.
"Now, please have the bride and groom exchange rings."
Liu Chen saw her aunt, tears streaming down her face, walk to her mother's side and open the red velvet ring box, revealing the groom's ring.
Meanwhile, Wang Dong walked over to Chen Long and opened the red velvet ring box he held, revealing a similarly styled simple wedding ring.
Liu Fang, blushing, placed the wedding ring on Chen Long's finger, and then reached out to place the matching ring on hers.
Liu Chen, holding the confetti cannon, quickly pulled the string after seeing them successfully exchange rings.
"Bang!"
Colored confetti shot up to the chapel's dome and then rained down. Everyone was laughing and crying.
...
Just as Liu Chen was moved by her mother's happy life, she saw her mother walk towards her with a smile and then reach out to pinch her ear.
"Ouch! Mom! Spare me!"
Liu Fang snorted, "You wicked girl! You teamed up with them to trick me! I thought I was getting a freebie, a free photo shoot where I could wear such a beautiful wedding dress!"
Chen Long, following behind, quickly came over to mediate, saying that the booked outdoor wedding banquet dinner was about to start, which temporarily appeased Liu Fang, allowing her to let go of Chen Chen.
When Liu Fang, wearing her wedding dress, and Chen Long walked out of the chapel, Liu Chen stood alone in the empty chapel, filled with colored paper, looking at the sky that had turned a deep purple as the sun set.
What a shame, her phone was broken. Otherwise, this scene would have been perfect for a memorable photo.
As she was thinking this, a fair, slender hand appeared beside her, holding a phone and taking a picture of the scene she wanted to capture.
Turning her head, she saw Ren Yu. Perhaps sensing Liu Chen looking at her, Ren Yu lowered her head slightly, smiled, and said, "Let's go, time to eat."
At the banquet, Liu Chen sat beside her mother, watching her happily drink glass after glass of wine. Her cheeks were already flushed crimson, her eyes sparkled, and a smile never left her lips.
After dinner, Chen Long helped Liu Fang back to his room. Liu Chen swiped her card to open her own room door and inserted the room card into the power slot, turning on all the lights.
Liu Chen looked at the empty suite and suddenly realized.
Her mother was truly married.
For a moment, Liu Chen felt a pang of regret. But recalling her mother's sparkling eyes at the banquet, she sighed, sat on the sofa, and began to summon the lucky draw wheel.
"Knock, knock."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.