บท 39: Chapter 39- Orchids, Lillies and Chrysanthemums
The ceremony probably would have been sweet, had anyone other than Ban Shan officiated. As it was, not only did he insist on going off script (the Art Department had printed out transcripts of the ceremony in the game and were trying to video the event so they could work on timing and atmosphere- Ban Shan's adlibbing kept throwing their timing off) but it seemed as though he and Qui Yong Hou had a running competition for most amount of bad jokes in a short amount of time. KO looked at Mei, who nodded. With steely determination they advanced on a grinning Ban Shan, who only realised what they had planned when it was too late.
After a brief scuffle, the ceremony continued with a slight change- the official was bound and gagged while A Shuang was unwillingly dragged into the mix, standing behind Ban Shan and reading the script like a ventriloquist with a human puppet. When the ceremony concluded and the in-game script called for an exchange of gifts, Ban Shan finally succeed in spitting out the gag.
"You may now kiss the bride!"
Whatever he was going to say next was drowned out with a chorus of "Yeas" and "Kiss E-Mei"...
Mei eyed them all.
"Don't let the dress fool you- I'm still all man."
Jeers and catcalls echoed off the office walls. He scowled at his peers: so rowdy and no one had been drinking!
"Okay, okay," he leaned towards KO but a shout made the pair freeze.
"No!" Wei Wei rushed forward. "Not like that- do it like it's a wedding photo shoot. Look, Wang Wei will take the photos but he's only so talented- he can't make a weed look like a flower."
When Mei and KO (and every other male in the room) simply looked at her blankly, she pulled Xiao Nai into the spotlight. When she stepped into him, his arms automatically wrapped around her waist and his hands rested at the small of her back. She leaned into him before arching her back, creating a graceful line, while looking in to her lover's eyes. When Xiao Nai lowered his head her eyes widened and she froze. With a small smile, he kissed the tip of her nose and only Mei and KO were close enough to hear him murmur "if only you were this bold without the audience."
Mei coughed and KO smoothed his face as best he could.
"Okay?"
"Let's just do it. Then they can feed us and we go home."
"Work?"
"Look at these monkeys- Do any of them look like they're getting any work done at all today?"
KO looked at their laughing, jeering, teasing peers and decided that his E-Mei had a point. An extremely valid one.
"Kiss the bride! Kiss the bride! Kiss the bride!"
It wasn't clear who started the chant, but Mei was going to kill Ban Shan for it anyway. With a sigh, he swept the robes back and stepped up to KO. As with the costume, they may as well call the shots as best they could.
The groom's arms went around the bride's waist, fingers splayed over silk clad hips. The bride leaned towards the groom, thigh to thigh, then arching back to lock eyes. A camera flash went unheeded by the pair as they stared at each other for a moment. With a sharp tug, the groom pulled the bride off balance, one hand heavy at the small of the bride's back while the other gently stroked the smooth cheek, traced the jawline then tipped the delicate face up to meet his kiss. The bride's arms lifted to wind around the groom's neck, pressing their bodies tightly together. The kiss went for forever and not long enough and when they pulled away there was a moment of silence before applause and whistling broke out.
"They did it!"
"Woohoo!"
"Go E-Mei. Go KO!"
With a secret smile, the groom leaned forward to whisper in his bride's ear... "You're mine now."
The bride pushed the groom away. "Shit. Who's whose? You're mine."
A traditional Chinese wedding banquet comprises of nine courses and Qui Yong Hou, in charge of the food, had done his best to accomodate that. Not long after the mock ceremony had concluded, a parade of deliveries began. As each arrived, people eagerly helped spread the options out on the makeshift banquet table. It was impossible to cater for nine courses at such short notice, so Yong Hou had compromised; ordering meals from nine different restaurants in the area. Any other day, Mei would have been happy to get stuck in to the food on offer, but there was something niggling at him, distracting him from eating. He side-eyed the man sitting next to him.
"How much did you know?"
"Not everything."
"What? What do you mean, 'not everything?' How much did you know?"
"You should have at least answered Laoda's call last night."
"Well you obviously did- why didn't you say something?"
Lips twitching, KO put his arm over Mei's shoulders, pulling him close to murmur in his ear. "I told you: you're mine now... including your virtue."
"Shut up." Tingles ran down his spine, and Mei blamed the breath on his ear rather than the whispered words. His hands clenched in his lap and he stared down at them until he thought his face was no longer going up in flames. Chopsticks appeared in his line of sight: the dumpling a peace offering that Mei almost accepted. His blush returned and he shook his head.
"Angry?"
"No..." Mei took a deep breath for courage then transferred himself on to KO's lap. As catcalls broke out, he wound his arms around the groom's neck and leaned in close. "I'll eat when my virtue isn't a concern anymore."
KO's eyes widened in almost comical shock. Sitting in his lap, Mei felt the first stirrings of his reaction as his body finally caught up with what Mei had said.
"We can leave now."
"No." Mei wriggled on KO's lap. "It would be rude to leave this early. Think of our guests, dear." His words dripped poisoned honey.
"Angry."
"You should have told me."
"You would have tried to get out of it."
"Idiot." Mei shuffled on KO's lap until his legs were no longer to the one side, sitting on the man's lap as if he were sitting on a chair. Leaning forward, he made a show of reaching for his drink. Behind him, KO sucked in a breath as Mei's butt pushed against his groin. Satisfied that his plan was effective, Mei smiled behind his cup of water.
"If you'd told me that Ban Shan was planning a farce of a wedding, then yes, I'd have tried to get out of it. However, if you'd even hinted at your feelings about it, then I'd have gone along with it simply because you wanted to. But you didn't even try to tell me."
"But... Mei... when I asked..."
"Because of how you asked, you idiot man." Mei stared down at his hands, once more clenched in his lap. He hadn't realised just how much it hurt that KO hadn't trusted him enough to tell him what he'd been thinking in time for Mei to have agreed to it all of his own accord. "It sounded like you meant it and then you tagged on 'in the game'. That's why I was cranky about it."
With a gentle hand under Mei's chin, KO turned his face and claimed those pouting lips with his own. Mei tried to push away, not quite willingly to give up his mood so easily, but KO's fingers on his chin held him in place until the older man chose to release him. Caught in their own little bubble, neither noticed the silence that had descended on the room. Even though they'd kissed before, it had been staged and rowdily encouraged by the men now staring at them from around the 'banquet' table. The kiss just witnessed was natural, a spontaneous gesture, and couldn't have made their relationship clearer than if Ban Shan had organised a billboard to advertise the fact.
"Don't try and kiss your way out of it." Mei scowled at KO. "You should have said."
"You didn't ask."
"I didn't know there was something I needed to ask, did I? The thing about communication? It has to go both ways... sometimes you need to volunteer information that I might need because I can't get naked every time I want you to start talking!" Mei's voice rose until he was almost shouting. This time, they noticed the silence.
Wide eyed, Mei stared at KO's face as the man looked past him, taking in the shocked grins of their co-workers.
"I said that too loud, didn't I?" Whispering, he buried his face in KO's shoulder, planning on never looking at his peers again.
"I'd say you said it at just the right volume." Ban Shan's cheery voice made Mei groan and wish for a deep hole to hide himself in. "Care to explain, E-Mei?"
With his face still hidden, Mei shook his head and didn't see the glare that KO directed at his eldest brother. He muffled a squeak when KO stood, Mei cradled in his arms. The men watched in silence as Xiao Nai tossed his car keys onto Mei's lap and gave KO a meaningful look. The pair had almost made it out the door when Qui Hong You ran up to them with the bouquet of lilies and orchids that had graced the table.
"Take these with you."
Mei looked up just enough to accept the flowers and with perfect timing Hong You made eye contact as he said; "Don't forget to add the chrysanthemums when you get home."
It took a moment for his meaning to sink in, and when it did Mei whacked the grinning Monkey in the face with the bouquet. Add the chrysanthemums... did no one in their office have any class? The jeers that followed them into the elevator were a clear indication; no. No class. Anywhere.
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