My Brother, My Sister-in-law

Chapter 95: My Brother and Sister-in-Law

At the end of the year, the touring concert of Zhang Le and Yang Xiner concluded, and shortly after, the post-production of "The Flirting Scholar" was completed and sent for review by the relevant authorities.

The two declined invitations from several television stations to appear on their New Year's Eve galas and quietly returned to Zhang Le's hometown to attend his elder brother Zhang Huan's wedding.

Originally, Zhang Le had planned for himself and Yang Xiner to serve as best man and maid of honor, but customs vary from place to place. Zhang Le's hometown saw no issue with it, but Lin Yun's family was somewhat reluctant.

Perhaps it truly conflicted with the customs of their hometown, or perhaps they feared that Zhang Le and Yang Xiner would steal the spotlight from their daughter on her wedding day.

If the bride and groom were not the center of attention at their own wedding, then it would be a failed wedding.

Lin Yun was also from the Bashu region and came from a family of decent means—just decent. Originally, Lin Yun's parents had not approved of her being with Zhang Huan. Parents, after all, hope their daughters will marry well, and that is hardly blameworthy. At their age, what they consider is not love.

Whether one loves or not, after marriage, life inevitably dissolves into the mundane realities of rice, oil, salt, and daily living.

The village had long since transformed dramatically. Many of the young people who had gone out to work in the cities had returned. Though the agritourism business was still in its early stages, there was no shortage of people coming on their days off to fish and enjoy themselves. In fact, quite a few fans of Zhang Le and Yang Xiner made special trips just to see the "Peach Blossom Island" they often spoke of.

Since Zhang Le and Yang Xiner were not serving as best man and maid of honor, there was little they could help with. The two appeared quite at leisure.

The hotel built in the village was under considerable pressure hosting such a large banquet for the first time, yet it managed everything exceptionally well. There was not a hint of chaos; everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

"Sister Xiaoyun looks so beautiful today!" Yang Xiner said, gazing at Lin Yun in her wedding gown with a hint of envy in her voice.

"Yes, she does." Zhang Le nodded, then glanced at Lin Yun and added with a smile, "Though Xiner looks this beautiful every day."

"Heh, you're not nearly as handsome as your brother," Yang Xiner said with a chuckle.

In terms of looks, Zhang Le was indeed a notch below his brother Zhang Huan, but when it came to temperament, Zhang Huan was more than a notch below Zhang Le. Today, however, as the groom at his own wedding, Zhang Huan's bearing was completely different from usual. Perhaps it was the joy of the occasion lifting his spirits.

In one's demeanor, spirit comes first, appearance second—which shows just how important a person's bearing is to their overall impression.

"Your mom and dad look so happy today," Yang Xiner said, glancing toward Zhang Le's parents.

"Yes. For parents, what could be happier than watching their children marry and have children of their own?" Zhang Le said with a hint of emotion.

At that, Yang Xiner suddenly thought of her own parents, and of her brother, who had yet to marry at thirty. A wave of feeling washed over her.

Her brother's marriage would likely be entangled in political interests and alliances. Compared to him, she was far more fortunate.

Yang Xiner looked at Zhang Le and smiled. At this moment, she felt thankful she had met him.

The wedding was joyous and jubilant.

When the bride and groom made their rounds toasting the guests, Zhang Le and Yang Xiner naturally could not be absent.

Neither of them usually drank, but facing his brother and sister-in-law, both made an exception.

"Brother, sister-in-law, wishing you a happy marriage! Mom and Dad are waiting to hold a grandchild, and I'm waiting to hold a nephew!" Zhang Le raised his glass with a smile.

"Come, cheers!" Zhang Huan said with a laugh. "Your brother won't be able to look after you two today—you'd better take good care of Xiner!"

"Of course. She's my future wife," Zhang Le said, glancing at Yang Xiner with a smile.

"They're toasting every single table. Bro and Sister Xiaoyun won't have a problem, will they?" Yang Xiner watched Zhang Huan and Lin Yun making their way from table to table, a little worried.

"Heh heh, you think they're actually drinking real wine? My brother's tolerance for alcohol has never been good. With several hundred tables, one toast per table—he'd collapse before he even made it halfway. If his friends start egging him on, he'd go down even faster." Zhang Le smiled and said.

"They can do that?" Yang Xiner's eyes widened in surprise.

Zhang Huan's wedding had invited the entire village, and even people from the town and the city had come in large numbers. Add relatives and friends, and the total filled several hundred tables. The scale of the wedding was truly grand.

"In fact, everyone knows about it—it's just that everyone understands. But still, my brother and sister-in-law's friends will probably stir things up and pressure them to drink. Did you notice that they saved their friends' two tables for last?"

After the meal, entertainment naturally followed, and in the Bashu region, entertainment inevitably revolved around the card table. Long cards, short cards, mahjong, poker—though Zhang Le had little interest in any of them, and Yang Xiner didn't know how to play at all. The two strolled around for a while, then found a spot to go fishing.

Through his wedding, Zhang Huan showed everyone that the village could host large-scale banquets, such as wedding feasts and birthday celebrations. The village had also built a number of recreational facilities, and the lodging conditions were quite good.

For those who enjoyed leisure and entertainment, it was undoubtedly an excellent destination.

Not long after Zhang Huan's wedding, Zhang Le and Yang Xiner returned to the capital, Yanjing.

While Zhang Le and Yang Xiner had been back home attending his brother's wedding, the promotional campaign for "No Way Out" had been rolling out with overwhelming intensity. The moment its trailer was released, it instantly captured the attention of countless viewers.

Chen Ke and Zhou Run were collaborating again. Although the style differed from their previous film "Waiting for Return," this one was still highly anticipated. Moreover, the film featured an extremely scene-stealing male supporting role.

Without a doubt, in terms of cast, it was far stronger than the previous film.

Zhang Le currently enjoyed enormous popularity. His music and the films he had directed had accumulated a large fan base. Naturally, many people were looking forward to his first film as an actor.

Whether they liked him or not, everyone wanted to see whether Zhang Le's acting would be as astonishing as his music and his directing.

"Genius Zhang" was a nickname that had spread from the crew of "No Way Out," a compliment to his acting skills. Whether it was truly deserved would only be known once the film was released.

Zhang Le stole the spotlight not only because he was currently popular, highly acclaimed, and widely watched, but also because the character he played in the film was equally scene-stealing. Even in the trailer, though his appearances were fewer than those of the male and female leads, his impression was far more memorable.

In the two-minute trailer, Zhang Le's appearances were few and brief, but the image of him in sunglasses, lighting a cigarette with a banknote with such effortless cool, and the sight of him holding twin guns, with a devil-may-care smile and eyes that were sharp and penetrating—once seen, could not be forgotten.

Cool—incredibly cool! Awesome—utterly awesome!

That was the feeling all viewers had for Zhang Le after watching the trailer.

No one had expected Zhang Le to look so striking in a film.

As soon as the trailer came out, many imitation videos appeared online and quickly went viral across the internet. The most imitated scene was Zhang Le lighting his cigarette with a banknote.

Some rich people imitated it with real money of various denominations, leaving others green with envy.

Some poor folks imitated it with various kinds of spirit money, cracking everyone up.

Whether this was a promotional tactic by the film's producers or netizens genuinely fascinated and simply bored out of their minds was anyone's guess.