MODC: Counting our days (Alternate Ending)

Chapter 4: [Final] Wedding

Author's Note: Finally...the ending. I imagined it as a single episode in my mind.. Not too short, not too long. Just enough as an alternative closure to the series. I have fun crafting this version, and hopefully you all enjoy it too. I skipped anything related to the Final Episode, and just stick to Episode 1-9, then finish it with this Counting Our Days fiction. Cheers! - Michka

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Golden hue on the horizon, the guests shuffled in their seats. HaoTing let out a sigh and reminding himself to breath. Sun Bo smacked HaoTing playfully on his back, fixing his bow tie, and reassure him. 

Everyone is waiting for Shigu. They decided on a small wedding with close friends and family members. 

 HaoTing held his breath again, all giddy and nervous. They saw each other just minutes before, 'Why am I so emotional', he exhaled deeply.

He saw the photographer waving her hand towards him. Mei Fang, an old friend who likes to photograph Shigu back in highschool is now an accomplished photographer. He smiled for the camera. What an enthusiastic human.

The car arrived. Everyone's eyes on the car. Silence crept as the sunset starts .

With precise steps, Zhigang opened the door. Shigu came out, eyes straight into HaoTing's. A white suit, tailored to his small frames, looks different than his usual baggy shirt. A crystal red rose pinned on his chest. Simple and elegant. He links his hand with Auntie's and walks towards the deck. 

Clenching his hand, smiling nervously, he reached HaoTing.

His aunt lifted Shigu's hands and placed them into HaoTing's. "Please continue to cherish him." HaoTing nodded. He's holding back his tears, squeezing Shigu's fingers. They're warm. The same warmness that keeps him going for 9 years.

The guests cheered. Yong Ching clapped loudly like a seal, joined and amplified by the Freedom Gang behind her.

Zhigang stood beside Shigu, holding one of the ring. Sun Bo smiled from the opposite side, mirroring his actions. The Officiant stood in the middle, facing the excited crowds. 

The ceremony began.

Now it's time for the vow. 

HaoTing took a step closer, facing Shigu. 

"I, Xiang Hao Ting, hereby vow with all my heart to love my partner Yu Shi Gu until death do us apart. I vow to cherish you, to protect you, to care for you, to provide for you, to share with you, to laugh with you, to cry with you, in happiness and sickness, through the good and bad times. 

I became a much better person with your support. You helped me to appreciate and value my life and my family. I was blind, immature, purposeless. Yet, you continue to guide me. Through this marriage, I hope we will continue to support each other. I don't deserve someone as perfect as you. I will work harder to be a worthier man for you. Xiao Gu, thank you for agreeing to marry me."

He turned to Shigu, nodding to him to read his vows. With every words of his vows, memories of their years together flashes by. The orange sky mixed with a bluish tinge. Behind them, twilight is ending, it's enveloping Shigu with colors. The white lights strung around the deck gave Shigu a halo effects. 

 HaoTing towered beside him, focusing every bit of his attention on him. 

"Everyone, thank you for coming to our wedding today. " His eyes switched here and there among the crowds. 

"I, Yu Shi Gu, vow to continue to love Xiang Hao Ting as my partner. I never imagined I could love and be loved by someone so immensely. When I do not know how anyone could love me for who I am, you proved it to me over and over again. Your love is giving me the strength to be a better person. Each day with you is wonderful. I am pledging my lifetime with you."

He paused, smiling to HaoTing and turning his body slightly towards the guests.

Rehearsing the words in his head for the last time, he then locked his eyes on Mr&Mrs Xiang.

"Dad, Mom, Meimei, Auntie, Uncle, everyone...Thank you for accepting us. Thank you for allowing us to be together"

Acting possessed as if at the end of an orchestra performance, Xia En and Xia De yelled in unison in the crowds. "Bravo brother!" The guests laughed and clapped. The officiant shoot the twins a warning look. 

The noises eased as the ceremony continues.

Mei Fang moved closer to the deck, readying her camera. This is an important moment to capture. Each smiles will be captured exclusively by her. Her assistants diligently snapping away from the directions she marked. Sun Bo and Zhigang passed the rings to the grooms.

Both smiled as they relaxed and forgetting the rest of the world. The nervousness receded after saying their vows.

They exchanged the rings without taking their eyes of each other. Simple platinum smart-rings, with digital memories etched in the inner part. Each year, they'll add new lines of memories. It will have their vows, pictures, videos, all things that matters.

The Officiant continued, "You may now kiss each other." 

"I really really love you." 

"And I really really love you too." Haoting replied. He cupped one hand on Shigu's face, caressing his lips with the tip of his thumb. His other arm wrapped around his waist. Shigu pressed his palms against Haoting's chest. 

The night falls as the grooms kissed. The world is mute to them. Two stars shined brightly above them. 

If this is happiness, please let it last forever.

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THE END