Chapter 257 Mark And Song Yue’s Engagement Ceremony
<strong>Genesis Weapon Store;</strong>
Looking at the clothes that cost over 500 gold coins, Song Yue let out a deep sigh as she sat on her bed, "Lu Zhen is really too much. He doesn't have to spend this much on something like a fake engagement. I guess it might have to do with the guests that are arriving.
I know it's not real but still, it would be nice if there's someone with me."
Just as she was also feeling lonely, missing her best friend, the door was knocked on, twice.
She put aside the dress and opened the door only to be surprised, "Ma!"
It was her mother that was standing outside. Song Yue's mother, Chen Xiao couldn't help but break into tears as she caressed her daughter's face before they hugged each other.
After talking for a while, mainly about Song Yue's life at this place, the latter asked about Song Yun. "Ma, what about Baba?"
Chen Xiao replied angrily, "He's also here but refuses to meet you. It's a good thing anyway. It's better if that man stays away from my daughter." Then, grabbing Song Yue's shoulder, she softened her tone as she apologized, "I'm sorry that I couldn't do anything for you. All I can do is hope that Lu Zhen will treat you better…"
Song Yue couldn't say that her relationship with Mark isn't real. So, she had to nod in response and assure her mother about her well-being with a smile on her face, "Meeting Lu Zhen is the best thing that happened to me, Ma. He respects my wishes and never makes me sad. He also never made me feel like I was some kind of guest here. As I have said before, it is the first time I have been working in a store but I feel very content with my job.
As for comforts, you have seen yourself. The residence might have fewer rooms compared to our previous mansion but in terms of quality, only the interior of the Imperial palace could outmatch this place. Alina's cooking level is comparable to that of Imperial chefs. And recently, Lu Zhen also promised me that he will never try to restrict my freedom as other husbands do. What more possibly could I want? I'm very happy here, Ma, and you can stop worrying about me."
"What else can I do?" Cheng Xiao let out a sigh and then, forced herself to smile once again, "anyway, today is a happy occasion. So, I will not spoil it by bringing up the past. And also, don't attempt to talk to your father, okay? I'm worried that he might ruin the day under the influence of anger."
Song Yue became silent for a second before nodding, "I understand."
Roughly an hour later, at the venue hall, all the invited guests were seen standing together as Mark and Song Yue stood alongside each other with a Priest from the Church of light reading a prayer.
Mark doesn't worship Goddess Xihe, the Deity of Light and Sun, but he had to respect the traditions of the land as well as Song Yue's beliefs. That's why he followed the way everyone has their engagement ceremony in the majority part of the Empire.
First, an official Priest prays for the Deity of Light and Sun, Xihe, and asks for a blessing for the couple. Once it was over and both of them admit that they agree to be each other's fiancée, the first and main part of the ceremony will be finished with the priest officially declaring both of them as half-husband and half-wife.
After the process was done, the second part of the ceremony is where Mark would give an engagement gift to his fiancée. Only after that, the guests would hand over the gifts to the couple. People would usually prefer to give money but some will also give other gifts.
The third part is where the guests will dine to their heart's content if they were satisfied with the food taste before leaving.
And the final part is where the couple will have dinner at the bride's house before the groom returns alone to his home. Unfortunately here, this cannot be possible because of obvious reasons.
Back to the ceremony, after the declaration from the Priest is over, Mark handed Song Yue, a Chimera SGM as an engagement gift, staying true to his profession. Painted in platinum and gold colors, the weapon's appearance really looked very cool at the first glance despite its bulky appearance. Even Shang Jiao was tempted to paint her Chimera SGM like that.
Except for Song Yun's family and the Imperial family, there are other guests who are wealthy and frequently visit the store.
Mark was no saint that he forms a friendship with the ones who aren't useful to him. In fact, the secondary reason he bothered to invite these wealthy individuals with their families to the engagement ceremony was so that he could use this opportunity to earn more money from the gifts. As this is only a fake engagement, Mark didn't feel bad about doing this.
Anyway, except for the imperial family, none of them had any idea about Chimera SGM. So, it was a mysterious thing for them but neither of them was daring enough to ask what the object is.
The only people who have an idea about the weapon are the members of the imperial family. And they assumed that Mark gifted her this advanced weapon so that she can protect herself in crisis.
After Song Yue placed the weapon in her storage while intending to return it after the engagement because of its high price (1600 gold coins), Song Yun and his wife stepped forward while their guards stood in their places.
Without bothering to hide displeasure on his face, Song Yun handed Mark a pouch of gold coins (500 gold coins), "Congratulations." His tone was also cold.
While Mark didn't care much about his gift, he still responded with an unusual comment as he glanced at the subordinates, "You are quite bold, Minister Song."
The others only assumed that Mark's reaction was based on either Song Yun's appearance at the venue or his outright cold behavior. On the other hand, Song Yun felt like he was seen through and asked, "What do you mean?"
Mark replied with a warning, "Don't do something that you will regret."
It was then Song Yun understood that Mark had found out his plan somehow. He doesn't know that Mark could just find out one's identity by using Sage Eyes.
But the fact that Mark wasn't making any move made him feel like this weapon seller was too arrogant. As a result, Song Yun confidently let out a smirk, "I never did something that I regret."
Song Yun had actually forgotten that he admitted defeat during their first bout itself, right before losing consciousness. However, as he went into a coma, his memory of the battles was a little bit hazed and he angered further because a commoner pitied him and showed him mercy. And that aggravated his emotions. After losing once more, this time, in front of everyone, his hatred only increased. The latest incident didn't help it either.
Upon seeing no remorse in Song Yun, Mark furrowed his brows in displeasure before Song Yue grabbed his arms while making a face as if she was pleading with him.
Mark quickly changed his expression and put up a fake smile before slightly bowing to Song Yun, "Thank you for the gift."
Song Yun nodded and turned around to walk away.
Song Yue couldn't help but feel disappointed upon watching how her father didn't even take a glance at her. Just as she was about to call him, Cheng Xiao grabbed her hands and shook her head, indicating her not to do that.
Cheng Xiao then looked at her son-in-law, "I understand that you had a bad relationship with my husband but I hope my daughter won't suffer because of her father's actions."
"Cheng Xiao!" A deep voice was heard from her behind. Naturally, it belongs to her husband.
"Ah, Yes, coming." As Cheng Xiao stuttered a bit while replying to her husband, Mark said to her, "Don't worry, Ms. Cheng. I promise you that I will try my best to keep your daughter happy all the time."
"Thank you." Cheng Xiao smiled in satisfaction and turned around to walk away, following her husband back to the table and taking a seat.
And then, it was the turn of the most important guest to hand over the gift.
Emperor Shang and Lan Jingyi went together at first.
After congratulating Mark, the Emperor handed him a land deed by saying, "I can understand that you might have been troubled every time you are using this land for your own uses. So, I think this is a more appropriate gift for your engagement."
It is the land deed of the Genesis Training ground. Mark was greatly surprised by the gift because the overall value of the plot is around 20,000-25,000 gold coins.
On the other hand, people didn't think too much because whenever the Emperor gave a gift to someone, it has to be something that is befitting his status. So, this didn't cause any surprises. However, it was only until Lan Jingyi took out a brocade box and opened it before gifting it to Song Yue.
Mark saw a glowing dark blue colored bracelet in the shape of a dragon that coiled around itself. Song Yue was stunned for a second as she stared at it. People couldn't see it but as Lan Jingyi started speaking, they too were stunned.