389: Chapter 389 The Wedding of the Century

September in Shenzhen, the summer heat had not yet dissipated, but the air conditioning in the Xingchen Headquarters building was turned on full blast.

On the circular screen in the global press conference hall, there were no technical parameters, no product launches, only a concise line of white text— "Personal Affairs Press Conference."

The three hundred reporters in the audience looked at each other in confusion.

Su Chen never attended personal press conferences; he rarely even accepted personal interviews.

What kind of day was this?

Su Chen walked out from the side of the stage, wearing a light gray suit, no tie, his sleeves rolled up casually.

He stood in the center of the stage, facing three hundred puzzled faces, and smiled: "Don't be nervous, it's not bad news."

Some in the audience breathed a sigh of relief, while others became even more curious.

He paused, his voice as calm as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary: "On October 1st, Lin Wan and I will hold our wedding in Hainan. We cordially invite all partners and leaders of friendly nations to attend."

Three seconds of silence in the audience.

Then, it exploded.

The sound of shutters was as dense as a rainstorm, and the reporters' arms were raised like a forest.

The reporter from The New York Times was the first to be called upon, standing up to ask: "Mr. Su, who is Ms. Lin Wan—"

Su Chen smiled, a rare softness in that smile: "Strategic President of Xingchen Group. My fiancée. We have been in love for six years."

The Yomiuri Shimbun reporter followed up: "How many national leaders will attend?"

Su Chen thought for a moment, his tone as casual as if he were reading a weather forecast: "We sent invitations to all partner countries. One hundred and eighty have agreed to attend."

One hundred and eighty.

The United Nations has 193 member states.

Su Chen's wedding had invited the vast majority of their heads of state.

At 11:00 AM, global media began to go wild.

CNN headline: "Century Wedding: Xingchen Founder Su Chen to Marry on October 1st."

The BBC headline was more sensational: "From Shenzhen to the Moon—Su Chen's Stars and Love."

Lianhe Zaobao focused on the political aspect: "Global Dignitaries to Gather in Sanya to Witness the Century Wedding."

The Twitter trending topic "#SuChenWedding" hit number one globally within half an hour, with five million tweets flooding in like a tide.

The top netizen comment: "The bride is just too lucky."

The second: "Six years, finally waited for this day."

The third: "This is the real century wedding."

September 28th, Sanya Phoenix International Airport.

The tower controller's voice had not stopped since early morning: "Eastern 8001, cleared for landing." "Emirates 001, cleared for landing." "Saudi Royal 001, cleared for landing..."

On the tarmac, private jets lined up in a long queue, the national flags and company logos on their tails gleaming in the sun.

Gulfstreams, Bombardiers, Boeing business jets—these aircraft models, usually only seen at air shows, were packed into every parking bay like taxis right now.

Saudi Crown Prince Fahd's private jet was the first to land.

The airstairs were lowered, and the thirty-five-year-old Crown Prince stepped out of the cabin, his white robe fluttering in the sea breeze.

He told the gathered reporters: "Su Chen is my most important friend. For his wedding, I had to be the first to arrive."

The reporter followed up: "Why?"

Fahd smiled: "Because he showed me the future of Saudi Arabia—not oil, but technology."

The hotel cluster in Yalong Bay had begun clearing out three days ago.

The St. Regis, Ritz-Carlton, Park Hyatt, Mandarin Oriental—all rooms facing the sea were fully booked, receiving only wedding guests.

In the lobby, anyone sitting on a sofa drinking coffee was a regular on the Forbes list.

Geely Chairman Li Shufu and Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei arrived at the same time.

Reporters swarmed them, microphones almost poking into the two old men's faces.

Li Shufu smiled, his voice resonant: "When Su Chen came to me for cooperation back then, he was only in his early twenties. I said this kid has potential. Looking at him now, it's not just potential, he's truly extraordinary."

Ren Zhengfei stood beside him, his white hair particularly striking in the sunlight: "Xingchen's present is the pride of Chinese enterprises. This young Su has vision."

September 29th, leaders began to arrive in batches.

The tarmac at Sanya Phoenix Airport was not enough, so the air traffic control department urgently activated the Lingshui backup airport.

The Saudi King's private jet landed, the UAE President's private jet landed, the Malaysian Prime Minister's private jet landed.

Every time a private jet landed, a red carpet was rolled out, and honor guards raised their guns in salute.

German Chancellor Merkel arrived at 2:00 PM.

As she stepped out of the cabin, she said one sentence to the reporters: "Europe needs Xingchen. And Xingchen needs Europe."

French President Macron landed in the evening, waving from the airstairs: "Congratulations to Mr. Su. This is the pride of Chinese enterprises and a joyous occasion for European partners."

September 30th, the P5 gathered.

At 10:00 AM, the US President's private jet, "Air Force One," landed at Sanya Phoenix Airport.

Biden stepped out of the cabin with a complex expression.

He stood on the airstairs for two seconds, then walked down quickly and said to the reporters who had rushed up: "Congratulations to Mr. Su. The United States is willing to cooperate with Xingchen."

The reporter followed up: "Cooperate on what?"

Biden did not answer, quickly ducking into the waiting car.

At 2:00 PM, the Chinese representative arrived.

With this, the leaders of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council had all arrived.

This was something even the UN General Assembly couldn't achieve.

The security level of the Yalong Bay exclusive hotel area was raised to the highest.

The Ministry of State Security was in charge throughout, with Golden Shield security assisting.

Snipers were at every vantage point, plainclothes officers in every corner, and drones patrolled the air twenty-four hours a day.

A three-kilometer radius around the hotel was designated a no-go zone, and no unauthorized vehicles or personnel could get close.

A reporter tried to sneak in but was stopped at a checkpoint three kilometers away.

A colleague asked him how it was, and he smiled bitterly: "Harder than getting into the White House."

That evening, in a top-floor suite of a Sanya hotel, Su Chen stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside the window, the lights of Yalong Bay formed a golden ocean.

In the distance, the Phoenix Island light show was undergoing a rehearsal—tomorrow night, it would light up for his wedding.

He remembered six years ago, the first time he met Lin Wan in the Shenzhen office.

At that time, Xingchen was just a small company of a few dozen people, crammed into a dilapidated factory building in the tech park.

Lin Wan came for an interview, wearing a white shirt, with a ponytail, and asked him: "What is Xingchen's goal?"

He said: "To change the world."

She smiled, not mocking, just saying: "Then I'll accompany you."

Footsteps came from behind.

Lin Wan walked out of the bedroom, wearing a white bathrobe, her long hair draped over her shoulders.

She stood beside him, also looking at the lights outside the window.

"Can't sleep?" Su Chen asked.

"Hmm," she said softly, "thinking about tomorrow."

Su Chen took her hand: "Six years ago, in that office in Shenzhen, I didn't expect today."

Lin Wan smiled, that smile containing six years of time: "I didn't expect it either. But I knew that following you wouldn't be wrong."

Su Chen turned to face her and said seriously: "After tomorrow, you will be Mrs. Su."

Lin Wan's eyes reddened, her voice slightly choked: "Hmm."

Outside the window, in the night sky of Yalong Bay, a star was exceptionally bright.

That was the Kunlun Space Station, flying around the Earth at an altitude of 400 kilometers at a speed of 7.8 kilometers per second.

Tomorrow, it would pass over Sanya.

October 1st, Sanya.

The morning sun rose from the sea, dyeing the entire city gold.

The wedding venue was built on a cape in Yalong Bay, surrounded by the sea on three sides and backed by mountains on one.

The venue was built against the mountains and facing the sea, capable of accommodating three thousand people.

Viewed from the air, the entire venue was circular, with a transparent dome at the top, allowing sunlight to stream in and sea breezes to blow through.

The red carpet stretched from the entrance to the stage, flanked by traditional wedding decorations—Chinese-style bridal palanquins, lanterns, "Xi" characters, and dragon and phoenix patterns.

The palanquin was a genuine Qing Dynasty antique, borrowed from the Suzhou Museum.

The lanterns were handmade by Suzhou craftsmen, each one unique.

The "Xi" characters were written by calligraphers, with every stroke meticulously crafted.

The dragon and phoenix embroidery was the work of a Suzhou embroidery master, taking three months to complete.

The three thousand seats were packed.

The front row was for national leaders, the middle row for corporate giants, and the back row for the core Xingchen team and employee representatives.

Putin sat on the left side of the front row, next to Macron.

Merkel sat on the right side of the front row, next to the British Prime Minister.

Fahd sat in the second row, whispering to the UAE President beside him.

Ren Zhengfei and Li Shufu sat in the third row, both old men wearing Chinese-style formal wear, looking energetic.

At 10:00 AM, the auspicious time arrived.

The master of ceremonies' voice echoed in the venue: "Please have the groom enter the hall."

Su Chen walked out from the side of the stage, in a red Chinese-style formal suit, with a red flower pinned to his chest.

He stood in the center of the stage, facing the start of the red carpet.

The three-thousand-person venue was so quiet that the sound of the waves could be heard.

"Please have the bride enter the hall."

At the start of the red carpet, Lin Wan appeared.

Wearing a phoenix crown and ceremonial robes, surrounded by traditional wedding finery.

The phoenix crown was in the style of the Ming Dynasty, using the dian-cui technique, the blue feathers shimmering with a faint glow in the sunlight.

The ceremonial robe was made of red silk, embroidered with golden phoenixes and peonies.

She walked step by step toward Su Chen, every step landing on the red carpet, on the petals, in the gaze of three thousand people.

Three thousand people stood up.

Applause surged like a tide, from the first row to the last, from the venue to the beach, from the beach to all of Sanya.

Five billion people watched this moment via live stream, some clapping, some shedding tears, some taking screenshots to save.

At 10:30 AM, the three bows ceremony was completed.

First bow to heaven and earth. Su Chen and Lin Wan faced the sea and bowed deeply.

Second bow to the parents. Both sets of parents sat on the stage, Su Chen's mother already in tears.

Bow to each other. The two faced each other and bowed deeply.

When they raised their heads, their eyes met, and Lin Wan's tears finally fell.

The ceremony was complete.

Su Chen took Lin Wan's hand and faced the audience.

The applause of three thousand people lasted for a full three minutes.

At 11:00 AM, Su Chen took the microphone.

He stood in the center of the stage, holding Lin Wan's hand with his left hand and the microphone with his right.

Three thousand pairs of eyes watched him, five billion pairs of eyes watched him.

"Today, I am getting married. I'm happy. So—I'm giving out red envelopes."

Some in the audience laughed, some applauded, some took out their phones to prepare to grab the red envelopes.

The big screen lit up:

Xingchen Group Wedding Gift

Global Red Envelopes: 100 billion rmb (paid via xingchen coin)

How to claim: Via Xingchen Pay account, randomly gifted. Minimum 999, maximum 99,999.

Distribution time: Today 12:00

Product discounts: 10% off all products under the two major groups for the next 30 days.

Charitable donation: 100 billion rmb donated to the Xingchen Foundation for education, medical care, and poverty alleviation.

The audience exploded instantly.

In the three-thousand-person venue, some stood up to applaud, some whistled, some cheered loudly.

French President Macron laughed and turned to Merkel beside him: "Mr. Su, this red envelope is more generous than the EU budget."

Merkel applauded without speaking, but there was a smile on the corners of her mouth.

Putin stood up and was the first to applaud.

His applause was slow and powerful, beat by beat, like drumming.

At exactly 12:00 PM, the 100 billion red envelopes were up for grabs.

The phones of Xingchen Pay users around the world vibrated simultaneously; some screamed, some laughed, some stared blankly at the numbers on their screens.

On Twitter, someone posted a screenshot: "I got 99,999!"

Someone cried about being poor: "I only got 999."

Someone else bragged: "99,999! I am the chosen one!"

Chinese microblogging platform trending topic number one: #SuChenWeddingGivesOut100Billion#.

On Douyin, the number of viewers for the wedding live stream exceeded one billion.

At 2:00 PM, the wedding ended.

Su Chen and Lin Wan stood at the venue entrance to see off the guests.

Fahd shook Su Chen's hand and shook it vigorously: "Mr. Su, Saudi Arabia will always be a friend of Xingchen."

Putin walked over, patted Su Chen on the shoulder, and said nothing, but there was a rare warmth in his eyes.

Macron smiled: "Next time you go to Paris, I'll treat you to dinner."

Ren Zhengfei was the last to walk out, patting Su Chen on the shoulder, his voice slightly hoarse: "Little Su, live your life well."

Su Chen smiled: "Thank you, Mr. Ren."

At 6:00 PM, on the Sanya beach.

Su Chen and Lin Wan stood on the sand, having taken off their shoes, barefoot in the sand.

The sunset dyed the sea gold, and the light show on Phoenix Island in the distance began—"Su Chen & Lin Wan," two names blooming in the night sky, flickering on and off, like a heartbeat.

Lin Wan leaned on Su Chen's shoulder and said softly: "Today feels like a dream."

Su Chen put his arm around her shoulder, resting his chin on her head: "It's not a dream. It's a beginning."

Lin Wan looked up at him, the light of the sunset in her eyes: "What's next?"

Su Chen looked toward the distant horizon.

There was nothing there, only the sea and the sky.

But he saw more— "Lunar base, Mars rover, nuclear fusion, interstellar civilization. Step by step."

He paused, "But no matter how far we go, you will be with me."

Lin Wan smiled and buried her face in his chest: "Of course."

Fireworks bloomed in the night sky, red, yellow, blue, purple, dyeing the entire bay colorful.

The lights of Sanya Bay connected into one, from Yalong Bay to Sanya Bay, from Sanya Bay to the End of the Earth.

On the beach three hundred meters away, the three thousand guests had not yet dispersed.

Some held champagne, some held phones to take pictures, some screamed at the sky.

Five billion people watched this moment via live stream.

This day was recorded in history.