Chapter 71

*Extra: Marriage Arc — Preparing for the Wedding.*
“Sang-sang, once you’ve confirmed the wedding date, let me know. A lot of brands want to sponsor you two.”
Ever since she found out Xie Yuncheng had proposed, Sister Wen had already expected this day wouldn’t be far off. So when Qin Sang said she was getting married, she wasn’t surprised at all. Instead, she told Qin Sang to finalize the date, and to leave the rest to her.
Qin Sang thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Sister Wen, help me turn them all down. It’s not appropriate.”
“Why? It’s a win-win. You get face, and they get exposure.”
Right now, Qin Sang and Xie Yuncheng—the “Peace and Prosperity” couple reunited after a long separation—were at an all-time peak of popularity. No other celebrity couple could compare. Besides, for celebrities getting married, brand sponsorships were already basic industry routine.
Sister Wen tried to persuade her. “Don’t feel burdened. Not long ago, Best Actress Liu held a wedding for her third marriage—didn’t she still do it in grand style, pulling in a pile of sponsorships to make it look impressive?”
Speaking of Best Actress Liu, she was also a remarkable woman. She debuted at eighteen and got married not long after. She fell in love with the director at the time because of a drama, but within two years they both cheated. Later she married a wealthy businessman; the businessman died some years later. When she reached middle age, she fell in love again—this time entering the hall of marriage hand in hand with a young male actor.
To highlight her status and influence in the industry, before the wedding was even held, she’d already released the news early that good things were coming, and even went personally to lobby people. And sure enough, she pulled in quite a lot of sponsorship—luxury cars and fine liquor, high-end jewelry and the like. The scale of the banquet was so extravagant it left people dumbfounded.
Qin Sang propped her chin and looked at her, expression innocent. “Do you think if I made it as huge and ostentatious as Best Actress Liu, I’d be going into the bridal chamber first—or into the police station first?”
Sister Wen froze. After she reacted, she smacked her forehead hard. “Look at my brain—I completely forgot that. With Professor Xie’s identity, you can’t be too showy, right? Public institutions seem to have strict standards. Then what do you do? You can’t possibly marry him so wronged, can you?”
Just saying it made Sister Wen feel indignant. Her Sang-sang was the best girl in the world—why should her wedding be so restrained and wronged? That wasn’t fair.
It wasn’t just Sister Wen. It had practically become a shared worry for both families. The Xie family’s stance was to do it grandly; they didn’t want to wrong Qin Sang, their granddaughter-in-law.
On the day the Xie family came to propose marriage, Old Master Xie said, “This wedding must be held, and it must be held with pomp. We can’t wrong Sang-sang.”
The Wen family had no objections. Wen Shuyu also let Qin Sang decide for herself. The difficulty lay in Qin Sang herself: she had no particular requirements for a wedding, and she also didn’t want to make it too flashy. She always felt marriage was a matter between two people; inviting relatives and friends to witness them forming a good match was enough. As for everything else, to her, it didn’t matter.
However, when the Xie family brought up arranging the marriage for the two kids, Wen Shuyu—who was usually gentle and mild—suddenly fell silent, her expression grave. She only called Xie Yuncheng out alone.
No one knew what they talked about. They spoke heart-to-heart for a long time. When they came back out, Wen Shuyu finally relented. And that night, Wen Shuyu took out the household register and handed it to Qin Sang. “Sang-sang, I’m giving this to you. You decide for yourself. Mom respects your choice.”
Qin Sang took it in a daze. Wen Shuyu sighed again. “Even though marriage is a major matter, as your mother I should be the one to help you keep things clear. But Sang-sang, you’re a sensible child. You always know what you’re doing. If you’ve decided, then do it the way you want. Mom trusts your eye.”
Qin Sang’s nose suddenly stung. She reached out and hugged Wen Shuyu, and with a bit of a little-girl’s petulance, she said, “Mom, I won’t get married. I’ll stay with you forever, okay?”
“Silly child.” Wen Shuyu patted her arm, expression especially gentle. “What mother doesn’t hope her child will be well? How long can Mom stay with you? These years, for this family—for me and Yan-yan—you’ve held on alone for too long. Mom has never helped you with anything. If in the future there’s one more person to take care of you, then Mom can be at ease.”
In fact, before agreeing to the proposal, she hadn’t thought too much. But at that moment, her heart suddenly turned unbearably sour.
“As for the wedding,” Wen Shuyu said, “of course Mom doesn’t want to see you wronged. I also agree with what the Xie family said. My daughter deserves the best of everything. But this is your lifelong matter. If you don’t want it, Mom respects your opinion too.”
Wen Shuyu wanted to watch her daughter marry out, to watch her get married. A grand wedding also meant the in-laws valued her identity as their granddaughter-in-law.
But if she herself was unwilling, there was nothing to be done. Besides, the remaining days would be lived by the two young people. We elders shouldn’t interfere too much in the first place.
That night, Qin Sang slept with Wen Shuyu, like when she was little—holding Wen Shuyu, curled up in her arms.
The bedside light was dim. Wen Shuyu gently patted her back and said, “Sang-sang, as a mother I’ve been very unqualified. Many things have had to be handled by you stepping forward. But now, Mom is very happy—you’ve finally found the one who can face wind and rain with you.”
Wen Shuyu thought of scene after scene from the study in the daytime. She smiled with relief. “That child from the Xie family is a good one.”
Qin Sang had always been curious what exactly Xie Yuncheng and Wen Shuyu had said, but Wen Shuyu only smiled without speaking, refusing to reveal anything.
On the Xie family’s side, they had already pushed the wedding onto the schedule at a brisk pace: starting to book the hotel, drafting the guest list, and even hiring the best wedding planning company in the country to handle their wedding. Just the wedding proposals alone came out in no fewer than thirteen versions. Big and small details were all considered. They practically didn’t need to worry about anything.
Just as the movie’s release schedule came out, Qin Sang also got busy—so busy her feet didn’t touch the ground. She had no time to rest at all. To promote the film, she followed the crew around everywhere for publicity, with almost no time to pause and catch her breath. The wedding-prep matters naturally got put on hold.
When she accepted an interview with CCTV-6, the film channel’s reporter asked, “I heard you, Sang-sang, paid a lot for this shoot, and that you basically ‘worked at a loss.’ What does ‘working at a loss’ mean? Can you tell us?”
Qin Sang smiled. “Because our director is a… very charismatic person. When I first met him, I thought he was very unreliable. But after I understood the complete script and his concept, I still felt he was very unreliable. He’s a bold ‘gambler.’ But that kind of audacity was what made me fall. And General Ye really is a role with a lot of personal charm; I couldn’t refuse. So in the end I was persuaded and took this film. But the shooting cycle was tight and the funding was rather stretched, so I thought: since we’re filming it anyway, then I might as well stake everything and gamble to the end.”
The reporter asked again, “But science fiction is quite restricted domestically. When it comes out, will you feel anxious—will you worry about the box office?”
Qin Sang thought for a moment before answering. “To be honest, it’s impossible not to worry. But I have confidence. Director Zhou is serious and responsible. The screenwriter has also been guarding the set day and night, staying up late every day to revise the script. And it’s not just them—there are also all the staff, cast, and crew who participated in this shoot. These past six months, from south to north, we’ve almost crossed more than half of China to shoot on location. During this time, no one has ever said they were tired or that it was hard. Someone once said that effort may not necessarily bring reward, but without effort you won’t even have a chance at success.”
“If you don’t try, how do you know you can’t do it?”
The reporter smiled. “Is it convenient to reveal whether the person who said that is your lover? Sang-sang, I just noticed the ring on your hand—does that mean good news is near?”
Qin Sang stroked the ring, her smile gentle. “I like the way you put it—‘lover.’ I think in the not-too-distant future, that will become reality.”
As soon as that interview came out, the “Peace and Prosperity” couple was pushed onto the hot searches again. But this time, unlike before, it was her words that made many graduates of Jingcheng No. 1 High School from the same cohort recall old memories.
Someone shared a videotape left by the school TV station from back then: red flags fluttering, ten thousand miles without a cloud.
The youth was spirited and high-spirited, his voice lazy yet sonorous: “If we do not unfurl our ambitions and aspirations, we will have failed the chivalrous spirit of our youth. No matter how the tides surge in the days to come, no matter how the great waves reach the sky, we shall face the difficulties head-on—riding the wind to strike the vast sky, treading the waves to break through the clouds.”
An eagle strikes the sky—ten thousand miles vast; fish swim in shallow waters—free to roam.
【I completely understand why Sang-sang has never been able to forget Little Bear all these years. How could you not be moved by this!】
【Everyone knows the reason a white-moonlight can become a white-moonlight is that he is the only spotless, flawless bright moon in this turbid world】
【When you’re young, don’t meet someone too stunning; otherwise you’ll never forget, and you’ll spend your whole life missing that one love at first sight from your youth】
…
On the day of the premiere, Qin Sang and the other main creators were all at the venue to watch. *Moon Plan* had been serialized overseas for a long time; the comic itself used light, humorous storytelling, which was why it could stand out among many sci-fi comics.
But that humorous narrative only diluted the unavoidable dullness of sci-fi films; it couldn’t change the fact that the core of the story was tragedy.
“I am unable to return. Requesting the organization cut off the main control power. I want to… take one last look at Earth.”
“On March 3, 2048, due to super-energy overload, humanity fell into an unprecedented crisis. Survival was under serious threat, and the immigration plan was urgent.”
“On March 29, 2048, the first lunar exploration squad arrived at the space station and successfully reached the simulated base.”
“On December 15, 2049, the base was destroyed. During the first squad’s return, an accident occurred. The entire unit was wiped out. The above is the final segment of audio from the main flagship.”
“The moonlight shines, lighting the courtyard.”
“Little shrimp, you lie down on the bed and sleep well.”
“Tomorrow morning Mom has to hurry to plant rice seedlings; Grandpa will herd the cattle up the hillside ridge.”
“Little shrimp, grow up quickly, and help Grandpa herd the cattle and sheep.”①
When the film’s ending theme began to play, the movie also came to an end. In the pitch-black theater, there was a chorus of suppressed sobbing.
Qin Sang’s eyes brimmed with tears. In the darkness, the person quietly accompanying her beside her suddenly held her hand. Their fingers interlaced; palms pressed together—inseparable.
With tears blurring her eyes, she turned to look. Dim light and shadow fell across the man’s clean, clear brows and eyes, as if he were steeped in a layer of solitary, cold moonlight—hung high in a snowy night, cool and bright, pure and flawless, luminous as ever.
She sniffled softly, her voice thick with nasal tone as she said, “I’ve figured out how our wedding should be done.”