Chapter 1 — Weddings Without Brides

Four days before the wedding, I received the final copy of the electronic wedding invitation that the Luc family sent to more than three hundred relatives and friends. The groom is my fiance - Luc Tram Chu. But the bride is his "white moonlight" - To Tinh. He told me not to misunderstand.

"Aunt Luong is seriously ill, her only wish is to see her daughter get married once. I only borrowed 90 minutes in the morning, your official wedding in the afternoon will still take place normally."

But that wedding invitation used the hotel I booked, the wedding date I chose, and the banquet hall where I paid the deposit. Even the main wedding dress that To Tinh wore was tailored to my exact size, and was secretly cut 4 centimeters shorter. Only later did I learn that the so-called "two weddings" never existed. In front of more than three hundred guests, the only bride was To Tinh. As for me, I only deserved to sit and eat a family meal with six members of the Luc family the next day, then continue with Luc Tram Chu to register the marriage and get by. They believed that I had spent 260,000 yuan (about 900 million VND), and would definitely lose money and couldn't bear to cancel. So, at the final meeting with the suppliers, right in front of everyone, I withdrew all authorization, disabling each item from the hotel, wedding dress, fresh flowers, livestream to the electronic wedding invitation. This time, it wasn't just the wedding that was canceled. But also the groom named Luc Tram Chu. Chapter 1 Four days before the wedding, Luc Tram Chu's cousin sent me the final copy of the electronic wedding invitation. The groom is Luc Tram Chu. But the bride is To Tinh. Cousin also attached three heart symbols behind the message:

"Sister-in-law, this version looks much more luxurious than the previous version, Ms. To Tinh's photos are really beautiful. Aunt Luc told everyone to share, you should also post it to your friends circle."

I stared at the wedding invitation cover, looking at it twice. Wedding date unchanged: July 17. Hotel unchanged: Lam Giang banquet hall, 3rd floor, Van Lan hotel. Even the initials “S.Q.” The yellow stylization of the bottom right corner also remains unchanged. That's the abbreviation of my name... Previously, the designer offered six designs, and Luc Tram Chu and I spent an entire evening choosing them. He hugged me and said, from now on, whenever I see these two letters, I will remember that we are about to have a home. Now, S.Q. Could also be To Tin. Scrolling down the wedding invitation, the bride's photo is an oblique photo taken by the beach. To Tinh wore a white wedding dress, Luc Tram Chu held out her hand to hold the veil blown by the wind, the two stood a small step apart, their intimate appearance fitting perfectly. The vow on the card reads: "The person who missed out on his youth, has finally reunited at the most beautiful age." One hand was holding the phone tightly, the other hand was still pressing on the contract with the hotel. The top right corner of the page was stamped "Paid", under the total amount of 328,000 yuan, I paid 260,000 yuan in advance. This is not a card with a misspelled name. It uses the hotel I booked, the wedding date I chose, the wedding I paid for and the logo I decided on myself. They simply removed my name from the position of bride. Luc Tram's phone Chu called. I picked up the phone but didn't speak, he sighed first:

“Kieu Kieu, have you seen the wedding invitation?”

“See it.”

“Don't rush, things are not as you think.”

I stopped the screen at the bride's name: "So tell me, what should I think?" He paused for two seconds, his tone became softer:

"Next week, Aunt Luong must enter the second stage of treatment. Her health recovery is very poor, she is afraid that she will not survive. Her biggest wish in life is to see To Tinh in a wedding dress once."

“Do you need a groom to wear a wedding dress?”

“The elderly always want to see a more complete ceremony.”

“To the point of using your wedding day, your hotel, and needing me as the groom?”

Luc Tram Chu's breathing became heavy:

"It's just a ceremony to fulfill a wish, with absolutely no legal value. Borrow 90 minutes in the morning so Aunt To can watch the livestream, and when it's done, we'll leave immediately. Your wedding in the afternoon will still take place normally, not affected at all."

I almost laughed out of anger at this statement:

"Luc Tram Chu, our wedding only has one banquet hall, one decoration, and one staff. Are you going to let her wear my wedding dress, marry me at your wedding first, and then tell me it won't affect me at all?"

“I will tell the wedding organizer to arrange a good transition.”

“What about guests?”

"Relatives and friends of the Luc family will come in the morning, and in the afternoon will join our official ceremony. As for the guests from your family, just come according to the original plan."

He speaks very fluently. Obviously not a spontaneous decision. I click on sharing history. The website displaying this wedding invitation was created four days ago, below there is a small text: Number of views: 318. The total number of guests originally expected by me and Luc Tram Chu, coincidentally was also exactly 318 people.

“When did you guys decide?”

"Last week, Aunt To's illness relapsed, and To Tinh called me crying. I couldn't bear to watch the mother and child embrace regretfully."

"So you have to watch me stand by and watch you receive your own 'stunt bride' wedding invitation?"

Luc Tram Chu finally lost patience.

"Kieu Kieu, don't say such harsh things. You're always the most honest and reasonable person. If you exchange 90 minutes for the wishes of a sick person, you won't lose anything substantial."

I lowered my head to look at the payment stamp on the contract, my chest aching. That red mark is the sweat and tears that I had to work overtime for three months straight to collect enough deposit to pay. The so-called "no loss" in his mouth is because the person who lost was never him.

“Who made the wedding invitation?”

“You.”

“Photos and vows were also approved by you?”

The other end of the line was silent for a moment.

“Yes.”

This one word stopped the last hope of a "misunderstanding". I saved the website, recorded the screen, then sent the link and view data to my personal email. Luc Tram Chu is still trying to dissuade:

"We'll meet and talk tomorrow. Don't get excited, the wedding is only four days away, both sides' relatives are on their way."

“You also know there are only four days left.”

“So we can't make too much noise. 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m For To Tinh, you can enter the yard normally at 6 p.m. I guarantee, everything will be restored to its original state.”

After hanging up the phone, he sent a photo of the handwritten timetable. The top part is "The ceremony to fulfill To Tinh's wish". The bottom part is “My official wedding”. He even carefully drew a clear line between the two names. I enlarged the photo and saw that To Tinh's entry clearly stated: Welcoming guests, reading vows, exchanging rings, parents giving speeches and taking photos together. As for the section that belongs to me, there are only six words:

“Dinner party, same procedure.”

Chapter 2