"Let's meet him." I pretended to know of this Young Master Song's existence, to make myself seem more like Chen Lu's boyfriend!
"See, even Xiao Wu doesn't mind," Chen Lu's mother said with a smile.
Chen Lu pouted, "Fine then..."
"Lulu, why don't you step out for a bit? Your dad wants to talk to Xiao Wu alone for a moment."
Chen Lu looked at her mother suspiciously, "What could you possibly want to say that you can't say in front of your precious daughter?"
"Oh, don't ask. It's a good thing!" Chen Lu's mother pushed Chen Lu out, leaving only me and her father.
The atmosphere was incredibly awkward. After all, I was a fake, and I felt rather guilty! httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Chen Lu's father patted the armrest of the sofa and gestured to the seat his wife had just vacated. "Come and sit."
"Okay, Uncle." There was no turning back now, so I could only play along. I scurried over and sat down, leaning forward slightly towards Chen Lu's father.
Chen Lu's father reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, about the size of a concert ticket, and placed it on the table, sliding it towards me. "This is for you from your Auntie and me."
I didn't care whose concert it was. When an elder gives a gift to a junior, you have to accept it gracefully. I quickly stood up respectfully and took the paper with both hands. It wasn't a concert ticket, but a check from a local bank. Bank checks these days are designed so colorfully, which had led to my misunderstanding. The amount written on the check made me gasp in surprise: One million!
"Uncle, you're too kind to me on our first meeting..."
"It's not for you," Chen Lu's father said, lighting a cigarette. "Today is Lulu's cousin, Chen Feng's, wedding. The bride's family is a bit vain and wants the groom's main relatives to present gifts at the wedding ceremony, with the emcee announcing their names to make their family appear more prestigious. Xiao Wu, you know who I am, right?"
"Yes, yes, I know!" I nodded. He was the head of a major state-owned enterprise locally. To say he was influential in the provincial capital would be an understatement. His rank was so high, he could sit as an equal with the provincial governor.
"So, this kind of public display isn't very suitable for someone of my status. But that's how the wedding is arranged, and as his second uncle, I can't really say much. So, your Auntie and I discussed it and decided to let Lulu represent our family in giving this gift."
I nodded again. "I understand. But... Uncle, why are you talking to me about this alone?"
Couldn't you just tell Chen Lu directly?
"Chen Lu, this child, has been pampered since she was young and has a bit of a personality," Chen Lu's father said with a fond smile. "She's not very fond of her sister-in-law, and she definitely won't try to appease the bride's family's temper. If she presents this gift, I'm afraid she'll mess things up. Since you're Lulu's boyfriend now, I think you can represent us. Do you know what to say?"
I understood this kind of social nicety. I immediately replied, "I know. Just say, this is from the groom's second uncle's family, one million, wishing the newlyweds: eternal peace, a hundred years of happiness, and all things prosperous!"
Chen Lu's father was quite impressed by my eloquence and chuckled as he offered me a cigarette. "Xiao Wu, you can't judge a book by its cover, can you? So talented?"
"Not at all, not at all. It's just a bit of wordplay, a trivial skill." I replied humbly, though in truth, this was the emcee's script from a wedding I had attended. Back then, it wasn't the groom's relatives presenting the gift, but the groom's parents, who gave a "betrothal gift" of one million. The emcee had broken down "one million" into three idioms: "eternal peace," "a hundred years of happiness," and "all things prosperous." Fearing the guests wouldn't understand, the emcee also displayed the three idioms on a large screen, highlighting the first character of each, much like how some girls put stickers on their car windows saying "Novice, Female Driver, First Time" and vertically highlight "Demoness."
Then, the PowerPoint gradually faded out the remaining nine characters, leaving only the progressively enlarging words "One Million" on the screen.
Although it was vulgar, even tacky, in the context of a wedding, I had to admit, the effect of grandeur and festivity was immense. It was truly satisfying!
"That's good. Say it like that later!" The big boss of the state-owned enterprise also couldn't escape the "satisfaction" law. "But, however..."
"What is it, Uncle?"
Chen Lu's father thought for a moment. "To be honest, I didn't expect you to be here. When you came in just now, did you write down the gift amount?"
I scratched my head sheepishly. "To be honest, Uncle, I didn't know the going rate when I came in. I only had ten thousand cash on me. After writing it down, I realized it was too shabby."