She's a Passerby, But Can See the Protagonist's Halo-Chapter 143

"Big bro, big bro!" Amid the chorus of calls, the sharply dressed man in a three-piece suit finally turned to look at them. He scrutinized their youthful faces and their formal attire, his expression one of utter bewilderment.

"You’re really not groomsmen? Not Feng Hao’s buddies?"

The group collectively took a step back. "If you insist on calling us groomsmen, then we’d have to be the groomsmen for this pair," Yuan Ye said, pointing at the young couple holding hands.

"We’re here for afternoon tea," Yan chimed in.

"Groomsmen! Have the groomsmen finally arrived?"

Just then, a long-haired woman in high heels came rushing over. She skidded to a stop on the polished floor, eyeing the six strangers with curiosity.

"Did the Feng family change their groomsmen? Hired from a male modeling agency?"

The three-piece-suit man waved his hand dismissively. "Wrong people. They’re hotel guests."

"Sorry about that, ladies and gentlemen, really sorry," the man apologized profusely before turning to explain to the woman.

The woman’s phone suddenly rang. She turned away to answer, her voice rising sharply.

"What?!"

"You’ve got to be kidding me!"

She hung up with a snap, then fixed the group with an intense gaze before beckoning a hotel attendant. "Serve these ladies and gentlemen afternoon tea—best seats by the view."

"Uh, hold on—you’re hosting a wedding. Maybe we shouldn’t stay?" Chu Shen stammered.

Having been pulled in by the man earlier, they now saw the entire top-floor restaurant decked out in wedding decor, complete with a banquet sign at the entrance:

[Sheng Family Celebration]

Clearly, the place was booked for a private event—though the elevator they’d taken up hadn’t yet been marked with signage.

"Guests are guests. Since you’ve made it up here, consider it a stroke of luck. We can’t just turn you away," the woman said, grabbing Yuan Ye’s wrist. "No need to be shy. Have some tea—we’ll count you as friends of the bride."

Dressed in high-end couture and adorned with expensive jewelry, the woman radiated warmth and charm.

The hotel staff in suits were already ushering them to the prime seating area, leaving no room for refusal.

"You came for afternoon tea, right? Perfect timing. Our groomsmen are running late—mind helping us rehearse the procession? We’ll record it for them," the woman asked earnestly.

The group exchanged glances. With no other plans, and her polite insistence making it hard to decline, they all turned to Yan.

"Yan, what do you think?" Ye Ping'an asked.

Facing their expectant stares, Yan twitched her lips. Why are you all looking at me?!

"We ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‍don’t have other plans. Today’s already a bit festive—we’re celebrating a friend’s child becoming part of our family. Running into your wedding feels like doubling the joy," she said smoothly.

The woman clapped her hands. "Wonderful! Blessings truly come in pairs."

"Relax, enjoy your tea. Once we’re ready, we’ll just need you to stand in for a quick recording."

Yan and the others indulged in the complimentary spread—three trolleys laden with delicate pastries, both Western and Chinese, as if fearing they might go hungry.

Dressed to the nines in a luxury hotel, Yan and Zhu Jue snapped photos of the group savoring the treats.

"Whoa, is that me? Your skills are insane—I’m changing my profile pic," Chu Shen exclaimed.

"Fancy desserts, a high-end hotel, suits… If I use this, my classmates might think I’m running a scam," Ye Ping'an mused.

"Nah. You never post anyway. Scammers need more—private jets, yachts, skydiving, the whole package," Yuan Ye teased.

"I’d skip the profile update," Zhu Jue said drily to Chu Shen.

"Your diners might think you’ve joined a law firm or something."

Already mistaken for groomsmen in real life, a suit-clad avatar would likely spark internship rumors.

Yan nodded vigorously—Zhu Jue had a point.

"Fine. I’ll just post it. Gotta flex this free tea on Fan Ge," Chu Shen decided.

Only after sitting down did Yan look up the hotel’s afternoon tea reputation online. "This place is famous for its desserts. Not too sweet, just right."

"Though macarons are still pretty sweet," Yuan Ye remarked.

"Yuan Ye, come on. If they weren’t sweet, they wouldn’t be macarons," Ye Ping'an countered.

Yan calculated calories on her phone, sampling each treat sparingly while passing the rest to Zhu Jue.

"Yan, live a little. A few extra bites won’t hurt," Chu Shen urged.

"Nope. Even one bite each is over my limit," Yan insisted.

"Then Zhu Jue’s gonna need triple workouts this week," Yuan Ye said.

Xiao Qingnang, seated near the trolley, handed out small bowls of herbal jelly.

"Try this. It’s cooling and detoxifying."

"Xiao, you haven’t touched anything else, and now you’re pushing more food?" Chu Shen groaned.

Throughout the tea, Xiao Qingnang had focused on serving others, barely tasting anything beyond a spoonful of almond tofu, his phone never far.

"I rarely indulge. A taste is enough," he said. "You all enjoy."

None were dessert fanatics, so they nibbled lightly, wary of cloying richness—even Zhu Jue, tasked with finishing Yan’s leftovers.

Though buzzing with curiosity about the wedding, they kept gossip in check out of respect for the hosts.

After signaling the staff to clear the table, they were summoned to help with the rehearsal—four groomsmen needed, so everyone but Zhu Jue stepped up.

Watching them, Yan and Zhu Jue clasped hands approvingly. "Sharp and stylish. Very impressive," Yan said.

"Still, custom tailoring’s a must," Zhu Jue noted.

Their eyes on the wedding decor, their minds wandered to their own future.

"What’re you two whispering about?" Yuan Ye asked upon returning.

"Guess," Yan teased.

The group wrapped up the rehearsal swiftly, earning heartfelt thanks from the wedding party.

Afternoon tea was finished, and since they had helped out, it didn’t feel like a wasted trip. The six of them decided to take a stroll to walk off the meal. One floor of the hotel was dedicated to an exclusive art exhibition, accessible only to guests.

The wedding banquet was scheduled to begin at 7:28 PM, so the six freeloaders returned to the rooftop restaurant just before seven. By then, the venue was already dotted with formally dressed guests. A familiar server guided them to the seats reserved for the bride’s friends.

The table had eight seats, two of which were already occupied—one by a silent young man in a tailored suit and the other by an elegantly dressed woman in a cocktail dress. The two seemed to know each other but weren’t close, sitting several seats apart. When they noticed the group being led over by the server, they froze in surprise.

The woman with short curly hair whistled. "Wow, since when did Qing know so many handsome guys? She never introduced me to any of them."

The young man’s gaze swept over the group with palpable intensity, his thoughts unreadable. He fiddled with his cufflinks before simply saying, "Sit."

Yan offered a faint smile. "Thank you."

She took a seat beside the woman, while Zhu Jue and Xiao Qingnang settled into their spots. However, the suited man remained planted between several empty chairs, making no move to shift. It was clear he didn’t want to sit near the woman, leaving Yuan Ye with no choice but to take the seat beside him.

"I’ve never seen you guys before. Are you Sheng Qing’s friends from studying abroad? She’s been holding out on me—hiding such high-quality people," the short-haired woman teased, her tone lively.

"We’re friends of Xia Meizhen," Yan explained.

Xia Meizhen was the long-haired woman who had enlisted their help earlier.

"Ohhh, that makes sense. Meizhen must’ve called you in to liven things up," the woman said, as if everything clicked into place.

Even as she chatted, she kept scrolling on her phone. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she nearly dropped her device.

"Oh my god," she gasped.

The suited man immediately stood up.

Yan and the others noticed that within minutes, the murmur of voices in the restaurant had grown louder. Guests were whispering among themselves, glancing around at the wedding party members wearing boutonnieres.

"What’s wrong?" Yan sensed something was off.

"You don’t have Feng Hao on WeChat? The groom?"

The woman stiffly turned her phone screen toward them.

"He ran off to chase his true love. He’s ditching the wedding."

The screen displayed a WeChat Moments post with a location tag: Bin City International Airport.

"…What?"

Even though it wasn’t their problem—they were just crashing a stranger’s wedding—the group from Dorm 414 was stunned.

If the groom was gone, what was the point of the wedding?

More importantly, the banquet was already set up. The bride had likely finished her makeup and was ready to make her entrance. With so many guests here, how would this end?

Just then, Yan spotted the bride, Sheng Qing, in her mermaid-style wedding gown. She had striking, delicate features—high cheekbones, a heart-shaped face, and an ethereal beauty that needed little makeup to shine.

But what truly caught Yan’s attention was the massive golden halo floating above her head.

[Transmigration into a novel!]

Now, Sheng Qing was walking step by step toward the main stage. All eyes were on her. Would she announce the cancellation of the wedding?

Or would she go through with it—alone?

Her face betrayed no anger or sorrow, but that only made it more unsettling. Yan and the others watched as Xia Meizhen followed closely behind the bride, forcing a smile.

"Miss Sheng, would you be interested in replacing the groom?"

The words came from the suited man at their table, who had now risen and was striding toward the bride.

Yan’s grip tightened around Zhu Jue’s hand, her eyes wide. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

Holy hell, this was the most dramatic wedding she’d ever witnessed!

"Okay." Sheng Qing’s expression flickered with emotion for just a second before she agreed without hesitation.

The man—Ming Duo—was momentarily stunned, his smile breaking out just as the bride took his hand.

"Now that we have a groom, the wedding will proceed in ten minutes," Sheng Qing declared.

Xia Meizhen, flustered by her cousin’s decisiveness, stammered, "Alright, if you’re fine with it, then—what about the bridesmaids and groomsmen?"

"Find them if you can. If not, it doesn’t matter. The only ones who really matter today are Ming Duo and me." With that, she whisked her newly appointed groom away.

Xia Meizhen’s pleading gaze landed on Yan’s table. "Guys… would you mind?"

Ye Ping’an sighed. "I knew this seating arrangement was too good to be free."

Now they were really going to be groomsmen. At least their suits hadn’t gone to waste.

Meanwhile, Yuan Ye’s expression twisted strangely as he fought to keep his lips from twitching.

His damn system had just triggered a limited-time scenario quest.

[You have activated a special event outfit change—Wedding Banquet.]

[Current progression locks your attire to: Bridesmaid Dress.]

[Hurry up and become a gorgeous bridesmaid to bless the newlyweds!]

Yuan Ye wanted to cry. He didn’t know whether to be grateful that the system hadn’t forced him into a wedding dress to compete with the bride.