Today, the sun was bright, and the breeze was gentle—a perfect day for a wedding.
The ceremony was held in a luxurious private estate. The guests invited were all influential figures from the inner circles, as well as renowned artists and musicians.
Guests in elegant attire stood on the lawn, holding champagne and chatting softly in small groups.
The uniquely shaped fountain sprayed water in a rotating pattern, and the waitstaff moved respectfully among the guests, smiling courteously.
Not far away, a white European-style domed chapel was adorned with flowers, standing out prominently. These beautiful flowers were flown in overnight, and under the morning sun, they looked particularly vibrant and beautiful.
It was said that this wedding was extremely costly. The He family was very pleased with their beautiful and dignified daughter-in-law, who was showered with numerous mansions and jewelry even before the marriage, much to everyone’s envy.
But all of this didn’t seem to be anything that brought Jiang Jingshu happiness.
Since she was caught and brought back by Chu Tingyun three years ago after running away from the wedding, Jingshu fell seriously ill. She spent more than half a year recovering in the hospital, and after being discharged, under her father’s arrangement, she became a teacher at a 985 university in the capital.
Not long after, her mother arranged for her to start blind dates.
After all, this year Jiang Jingshu was twenty-eight, which in the eyes of the wealthy wives was already considered “old.”
It was like merchandise placed in a shop window; the longer it stayed, the lower its price would drop.
So Chen Wanqing was very anxious.
Compared to her previous rebelliousness, after being brought back, Jiang Jingshu became as docile as a pet bird with clipped wings.
So this time, there was no more drama. She went on blind dates, had meals, and went out with different men. Eventually, after some selection, the family quickly agreed on a marriage with the He family.
The He family was in finance, with a very affluent background. The He family’s young master, whom she was to marry, had an impressive resume.
A graduate of a prestigious university, he was handsome and had a gentle personality.
All in all, in Chen Wanqing’s view, they were a perfect match in every aspect. Jiang’s father also had some business dealings with the He family and had a good relationship.
So after a few meals, the marriage was set.
Yesterday, Jiang Jingshu was the future daughter-in-law of the He family; today, she is called the He family’s bride. After tomorrow, everyone will likely address her as Mrs. He.
At this moment, in the dressing room, today’s bride was sitting in front of the mirror.
She was wearing a wedding dress that was said to be a custom-made piece from Paris, adorned with priceless jewelry all over her body, like a beautiful doll meticulously packaged and dressed up.
“Sis.”
Jiang Yuheng stood behind her, looking at her with a satisfied and admiring tone, and sighed,
“You look so beautiful today. Brother-in-law will definitely like it.”
“…”
Jiang Jingshu looked into the mirror, examining this younger brother who shared her blood yet felt so unfamiliar. After a long while, she lightly tugged at the corner of her mouth.
“Are you satisfied now?”
“Hm?”
Jiang Yuheng raised his eyebrows, his smile widening.
“Sis, it seems you still don’t understand.”
He stepped forward, holding the bride’s shoulders, and met her gaze in the mirror.
“We are true siblings, only the two of us bear the surname Jiang. You should be on my side.”
Jiang Jingshu closed her eyes, “… So that’s why you tricked me into fleeing to Sochi back then?”
“How could that be a trick, Sister?”
Jiang Yuheng stroked her beautiful veil,
“I said I was helping you, I’ve explained this many times.”
“Huh, helping me?”
Jiang Jingshu sneered, mocking,
“Jiang Yuheng, you sure have a unique way of helping people.”
The escape route back then was arranged by her own younger brother.
Before the engagement, Jiang Jingshu’s ID and passport were taken away by her mother. Jiang Yuheng said he could steal them back for her and even booked her a flight abroad.
It was only when Jiang Jingshu arrived at the airport that she found out the final destination of this journey to freedom was Sochi. However, at that time, she didn’t know that Sochi was actually the hometown of Chu Tingyun’s mother, because the father’s ex-wife had always been a taboo topic in their family.
She only knew that woman came from Russia and that her own parents had done something wrong to her. So, in her hurry to escape the marriage, Jingshu merely found it strange why her brother chose Russia instead of the Nordic countries she was more familiar with.
She also hadn’t thought about taking Yan Xun with her, because at that time, they had already publicly announced their breakup as a fake couple. Yan Xun had just secured a big investment and was busy with his startup, and they hadn’t been in contact for a long time.
However, the development of things greatly exceeded Jingshu’s expectations.
Because Yan Xun was on the plane too.
“Jiang Yuheng, you noticed long ago that Chu Tingyun had special feelings for Yan Xun, so you deliberately said you were helping me escape the marriage.”
“You chose the destination, and you tricked Yan Xun into going using my name. Huh… Helping me? You were just using me to get back at Chu Tingyun.”
If it was just Jiang Jingshu running away from the marriage, Chu Tingyun naturally wouldn’t care where she went, let alone go to the trouble of tracking her down. But when Yan Xun also left with her that day…
The nature of the matter changed.
Everyone would think that Yan Xun and Jiang Jingshu eloped.
That event precisely struck Chu Tingyun’s red line and completely angered him. Originally, Jiang Jingshu could still coexist peacefully with this half-brother, but since then, their relationship had plummeted to an icy low.
“That’s right, I knew it long ago.”
At this moment, Jiang Yuheng behind her admitted it calmly.
“But sister, I was venting your anger for you. Weren’t you supposed to be the one who hated Chu Tingyun the most?”
The young man leaned closer to her ear,
“I saw with my own eyes that day, when Chu Tingyun secretly kissed your boyfriend while he was asleep. They’ve already slept together behind your back, you know?”
“Chu Tingyun, he criticizes others, yet he slept with his own sister’s boyfriend. It’s hilarious.”
And so, in that moment, this perfect plan was born.
If it wasn’t enough that Chu Tingyun was being cheated on by someone he liked, then having the person he liked elope with the Jiang family member he hated the most, and choosing the homeland of his deceased mother…
He would go crazy and do some irrational, foolish things.
So back then, while Chu Tingyun was abroad, Jiang Yuheng leveraged the Chen family as a channel and colluded with several rival companies to trip up Chu Tingyun. This caused several projects in the company to go awry, resulting in significant losses.
This naturally led to Jiang Shenghai and the company’s veterans being very disappointed in Chu Tingyun. There were even voices suggesting removing him from his position. Although that didn’t happen in the end, Chu Tingyun’s reputation and influence were greatly diminished after the incident.
Furthermore, he actually got married to Yan Xun—a man.
Although same-sex marriage has been legalized in the country now, real wealthy families are still predominantly heterosexual.
Because they need heirs and successors.
The fact that Chu Tingyun stole his sister’s ex-boyfriend was just some gossip over tea.
After all, which wealthy heir isn’t a bit of a playboy? Playing around with men isn’t unusual either.
But if he were to actually get formally married to a man, it would essentially mean he was willingly excluding himself from the inheritance.
This is why Jiang Shenghai was so furious and opposed.
“Sis, don’t be fooled by how Dad always scolds him and never gives him a good face. But out of the three children in our family, Dad is actually most biased towards him.”
Despite appearing to be at odds, Jiang Shenghai truly sees Chu Tingyun as the successor he’s grooming.
“He doesn’t care about your marriage. When I wanted to join the company, he just arranged for me to be in some irrelevant fringe department.”
So Jiang Yuheng had to find his own way and resort to tactics.
After Chu Tingyun returned to China, he was held accountable by the board of directors, busy helping Yan Xun deal with a business dispute and debt issue, and preparing for the wedding.
Jiang Shenghai was also so angry that he ended up in the hospital, so no one bothered to investigate.
Jiang Yuheng quickly seized the opportunity, performed well in front of his father, and smoothly entered the company’s management. He then cleaned up all traces neatly.
Though he felt a bit sorry for the losses, they were just a tiny drop in the bucket for the Jiang family, far from shaking the company’s foundation. Moreover, Jiang Yuheng managed to recoup some of it through other channels.
The plan was so perfect that he still occasionally savored the great success in his mind.
However, these internal matters involving substantial interests were not known to Jiang Jingshu. She still thought that Jiang Yuheng was merely using Yan Xun and his deceased mother to get back at his hated older brother.
Naturally, Jiang Yuheng would never tell her.
When he was a child, he deliberately fell into the water and nearly lost his life, crying that Chu Tingyun pushed him, intending to drive this outsider away. But his own sister stood up and stabbed him in the back.
From that moment on, Jiang Yuheng vowed never to tell her any secrets again.
Although they share the same blood, they don’t stand on the same side.
“I realized long ago, from the day Dad brought Chu Tingyun back, he had already decided to give everything of the Jiang family to him.”
Jiang Yuheng said these words softly, but with a kind of gritted-teeth resentment.
“So, Sis, can’t you be a bit more ambitious? Stop always thinking about love and romance. Recognize clearly who your enemies are and who your family is, and think about how to fight for us.”
“…”
Jiang Jingshu furrowed her brows, seeming to be extremely disgusted.
“Get out!”
But Jiang Yuheng didn’t move. He smiled at the bride in the mirror,
“Sis, you’ve known about these things since you returned to China three years ago, right? Why didn’t you explain to Chu Tingyun? Explain that you were deceived, innocent, and tell him that I was the real culprit.”
Without waiting for Jiang Jingshu to answer, he continued on his own,
“Because you know we are true siblings, Sister. What I do and what you do, what difference does it make in Chu Tingyun’s eyes? He might even think we colluded.”
Even if she did explain, and Chu Tingyun believed her, the damage was already done, and no matter what, it wouldn’t make much of a difference.
If Chu Tingyun were to turn his revenge towards Jiang Yuheng, given his madman-like way of doing things, Jiang Jingshu and the Chen family would still get dragged into it.
Jiang Jingshu had spent her teenage years at the Chen family in the southern city, and she was the one who stayed by Old Chen’s side until his last moment. They were very close, so she naturally wouldn’t just stand by and watch such things happen.
So maintaining the current situation, keeping the existing balance, was the best option.
Jiang Yuheng did not continue with the topic. He gently tidied the bride’s beautiful veil and smiled,
“He Cheng is a great match for an alliance, Sister. After you get married, just focus on being a good wife and mother.”
“… Get lost.”
This was the last word Jiang Jingshu said to him.
Jiang Yuheng raised his hands slightly, smiled, and turned to leave the dressing room. Not long after he walked out, someone called out to him from behind,
“Young Master.”
An elegantly dressed man, who appeared to be a head butler, approached.
The butler bowed his head slightly, lowered his voice, and said, “Just now, someone from the Old Master’s side sent a message. It’s said that there is some progress regarding the second young master.”
“Hey, my brother.”
Brother?
Everyone was momentarily stunned. When they turned to see who Jiang Yuheng was pointing at, they finally understood.
There was no one here who didn’t recognize Chu Tingyun.
At first, many people thought he was just an illegitimate child of the Jiang family—after all, his surname wasn’t Jiang, and he hadn’t been mentioned before. The only memorable thing was his exceptionally striking appearance.
It wasn’t until later, when Chu Tingyun joined the company and gradually became known as President Chu, that people learned about Jiang’s father’s brief previous marriage. After that, no one mentioned his looks in front of him anymore.
Because in a business battlefield where strength and capital speak louder than anything, complimenting someone solely on their appearance is the sharpest form of contempt and insult.
Yet, every time they saw him, their eyes couldn’t help but linger a little longer.
Today, President Chu wore a suit that was very similar to Yan Xun’s, only in a lighter color, with matching cufflinks.
Besides that, there were some small personal touches—he had styled his hair, wore a waistcoat that accentuated his waistline, and a slender golden pocket watch chain hung diagonally across. It gave off a refined and elegant aura.
However, most people’s focus was still on his face.
His mother’s beautiful, elf-like genes from the snowy country were vividly expressed in Chu Tingyun. Even if he wore a tattered burlap sack today, he would likely still stun quite a few people.
The two men had very different styles, but standing together, they were strikingly complementary, neither overshadowing the other, creating a unique chemistry that instantly became the focal point of everyone’s attention as they walked in.
But President Chu had no interest in interacting with those people, nor did he have the patience for any business networking at Jiang Jingshu’s wedding. After coldly rejecting a few people who came to strike up conversations, the rest tactfully refrained from approaching.
Earlier in the morning, President Chu couldn’t resist pinning his little husband against the mirror and kissing him for quite a while, wrinkling his clothes in the process. As a result, Yan Xun had to take them off and iron them again, which made them a bit late and caused them to miss several of the early-arranged events.
But being late was fine—after all, it wasn’t his or Yan Xun’s wedding; if anything, Chu Tingyun would prefer to be even later.
By now, important guests were gradually taking their seats inside the hall. Guided by a waiter, they followed suit. It seemed that Yan Xun noticed something and kept looking in a certain direction.
Chu Tingyun asked him, “What are you looking at?”
“The painting.”
Yan Xun was looking at an oil painting that a waiter had just moved away.
It depicted a young girl chasing after the stars.
There was no face, only a back view.
In itself, the painting wasn’t particularly special, but Yan Xun thought the dress in the painting looked familiar—similar to the one his senior had worn when she came to school to deliver some materials on her graduation day.
“This is my prettiest white dress, you know.”
The girl in his memory stood with her hands on her hips, puffed up in indignation, complaining that her fifteen-year-old junior was too young to appreciate it.
And so, Yan Xun subconsciously remembered that dress.
Chu Tingyun followed his gaze and looked, but unfortunately, the painting had already been moved far away, and he couldn’t make out the details.
“That should be a congratulatory gift sent to the newlywed couple by one of this year’s invited guests.”
The same President Chu who had just coldly rejected others now spoke in a gentle tone,
“Because there are too many people, and the various expensive gifts come in different sizes, there are dedicated staff to register and store them properly.”
Speaking of gifts, due to time constraints, Yan Xun hadn’t prepared anything particularly special. Moreover, he couldn’t afford an expensive gift right now, so he ended up giving a book as a wedding present.
Chu Tingyun knew Yan Xun had given a book.
Jiang Jingshu had always been quiet since she was a child and loved reading. She later majored in Chinese Literature for both her undergraduate and master’s degrees. It wasn’t strange for Yan Xun to give her a book.
But he still casually asked:
“What book did you give?”
“A web novel from the male perspective.”
This answer surprised Chu Tingyun.
“What’s it about?”
Yan Xun shook his head, “I don’t know, I haven’t read it.”
He only remembered that during high school, his senior loved reading books.
Most were classic literature, essay collections, and poetry anthologies, all fitting her image as a campus goddess.
There was only one exception—a serialized male-oriented web novel.
By conventional standards, that kind of novel wasn’t very highbrow; it was the kind of thing teachers would call “mental junk.”
But Jiang Jingshu loved it.
Yan Xun saw no need to hide this, so when Chu Tingyun asked, he answered frankly:
“At that time, my senior was obsessed with that book. She got caught reading it in class and had her phone confiscated by the teacher. But right after class, she specifically came to borrow my phone, insisting on finishing the updates.”
Yan Xun, always a good student, naturally didn’t bring his phone to school, so he coldly refused her and also turned down her recommendation.
“So yesterday, I looked it up and found that, after so many years, that web novel had actually been published, so I bought a copy.”
Wrapped it in pretty colored paper as a wedding gift for her.
“…Oh.”
President Chu’s good mood vanished instantly.
He felt he shouldn’t have asked.
Knowing full well that Yan Xun had a high school crush on Jiang Jingshu, and that they were in the same school, having so many shared memories that he neither knew about nor could partake in, yet he still asked—he just had to listen and ended up feeling incredibly sour.
His chest felt as if it were filled with a pent-up breath, making him suddenly want to go back, snatch that book away, and tear it to pieces!
“Chu Tingyun?”
The young man’s voice pulled him out of his frustrated haze.
“…Hmm?”
“What kind of books do you like?”
This sudden question left Chu Tingyun a bit stunned. All his attention was pulled away from Jiang Jingshu and focused on Yan Xun.
The young man said, “I noticed in your study, all your books seem to be in Russian.”
“Yes.”
They were all in Russian.
Because after returning to China, Chu Tingyun had little chance to use Russian. He was afraid of forgetting his mother’s language, so he bought many Russian books.
All sorts of genres, from novels to poetry. And many picture books about Sochi.
But President Chu didn’t give a direct answer; instead, he said:
“You can go back and check for yourself.”
Yan Xun felt that Chu Tingyun was deliberately making things difficult for him, just like when he inexplicably kissed him this morning and, if denied, asked, “Why can’t I kiss if we’re not divorced?”
That logic sounded oddly familiar yet strangely reasonable.
“…I can’t read Russian.”
“Simple, I can be your translator.”
While they spoke, the waiter led them to their designated seats. They were seated in the best position on the bride’s family side.
However, someone must have given instructions in advance, as Chu Tingyun and Yan Xun weren’t seated at the same table as Jiang’s father; they sat separately.
Yan Xun hadn’t attended many weddings. The Lin family didn’t have many relatives, and with Lin Ran’s leg injury and the later incident with Lin’s father, they borrowed money from many people, so they hardly interacted with their relatives anymore.
Therefore, attending his senior’s wedding this time felt quite new to him. However, he was also somewhat worried about embarrassing Chu Tingyun, so Yan Xun restrained himself and subtly observed his surroundings.
The wedding venue was decorated to the extreme with luxury, fantasy, and elegance.
Huge crystal sculptures, a starry sky effect created by tiny diamonds covering the entire ceiling, and countless fresh, vibrant flowers.
He also saw the groom. Although he couldn’t see clearly, his figure and profile suggested he was a fine-looking man.
At this moment, soft music started playing, and the host began passionately delivering the opening remarks. Next, a somewhat famous star was invited to perform a song.
Yan Xun’s attention was on the wedding scene, while Chu Tingyun’s was on his face, seemingly trying to detect any hint of loneliness, jealousy, or discomfort.
But there was none.
Though his expression didn’t show much, Chu Tingyun could sense Yan Xun’s excitement. It was as if he wasn’t attending an ex-girlfriend’s wedding but rather going to a relative’s banquet.
This realization put President Chu in a very good mood. He leaned back slightly, relaxing his spine against the back of the chair in a leisurely and contented manner.
After a series of warm-up activities, Jiang’s father escorted the bride onto the stage.
Yan Xun finally saw his long-unseen senior, but she was no longer the lively young girl in the little white dress from his memory.
In fact, Yan Xun couldn’t even clearly see her face, as she was entirely enveloped in a luxurious and exquisitely crafted wedding gown. The snow-white veil shrouded her beautiful yet lifeless face, and the enormous, ornate dress, adorned with flowers and scattered diamonds, trailed several meters long.
—Like a meticulously packaged, expensive gift.
Passed from the hands of her father to the hands of another man.
Yan Xun heard people around him discussing the wedding, but their main subjects were not Jiang Jingshu and He Cheng; instead, it was about the union of the Jiang and He families, a marriage alliance between two clans.
He originally thought that the first label for a marriage should be “lovers finally coming together” or perhaps it should be love, happiness, and beauty.
At least, Yan Xun’s expectation for marriage was like that.
His initial excitement faded away at that moment, and the young man became quiet.
As the bride, who was the center of everyone’s attention, Jiang Jingshu was only thinking about finishing the ceremony as soon as possible so she could immediately take off the suffocating wedding dress.
But at that moment, out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure at the corner near the entrance of the hall.
To ensure the starry ceiling effect, the lighting over the seats below was dim. Coupled with the obstruction of her veil, Jingshu couldn’t see the person’s face clearly.
She only saw a man in a black suit, standing silently and calmly there.
But Jiang Jingshu still recognized him.
It was her first love from her teenage years, the biggest secret she had kept buried deep in her heart, the person she had spent seven years striving for but could never grasp.
—Lin Ran.
He could stand up now and seemed to be about the same height as Yan Xun.
In a daze, Jiang Jingshu first heard her heart pounding madly, and then it was as if she could hear the cicadas singing in the summer.
The whole world spun around.
Countless memories twisted into distorted sounds, colors, and shadows, crashing down like a tidal wave!
Tree shadows swayed, and the back alley behind the old building.
A girl in a white dress cornered a boy with a crippled leg in a wheelchair, forcibly kissing him.
At this moment, the past and the present seemed like two worlds pulling and tearing at each other, emitting a sharp humming sound…
“May I ask this beautiful bride, do you take this man to be your husband…”
[Jiang Jingshu! You’re a girl! How can you… Do you even know what shame is?!]
“To form a marriage bond with him…”
[I do know, but I like you.]
“For richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health…”
[Still, you can’t just do something like that without saying a word!]
“To love, cherish, and honor him…”
[Alright, shy Lin Ran. Next time, before I kiss you, I’ll give you a heads-up.]
“Will you be faithful to him until death do you part?”
…
No one knew that the host’s vows and past memories intertwined, almost tearing Jiang Jingshu’s body in half.
Yet, time in reality did not stop; it continued to move ruthlessly forward.
The vows were finished, and everyone’s eyes focused on the beautiful, dignified bride, waiting for her answer.
Perhaps she had been silent for too long, as the curious groom softly called her:
“Jingshu?”
Her delicate eyelashes trembled slightly, and Jiang Jingshu seemed to wake from a deep dream, blinking slowly.
“I…”
She withdrew her gaze, lowered her eyes, and took a light breath. When she looked up again, her eyes were red and moist, but she forced a smile.
The clichéd runaway bride scene did not happen a second time.
Jiang Jingshu said, “I do.”
The wedding continued smoothly and steadily. No one knew that just moments ago, under the gaze of the crowd, the beautiful bride had personally strangled her own love.
At this moment, the handsome groom and beautiful bride exchanged rings.
Yan Xun heard a girl nearby excitedly discussing the newlyweds’ wedding rings with her companion, saying they were from a certain luxury brand, symbolizing something beautiful and being quite expensive.
He instinctively glanced at the ring on Chu Tingyun’s ring finger.
Although Yan Xun didn’t recognize the brand, he could tell that the ring wasn’t very expensive; it looked quite out of place on Chu Tingyun’s hand.
Just then, Jiang Yuheng walked over.
“Yan-ge—”
This familiar voice came from the side, and Yan Xun immediately knew who it was. He turned to look, and sure enough, it was Jiang Yuheng, whom he had met at the mall yesterday.
However, it was clear that Chu Tingyun and this half-brother truly had a bad relationship; just hearing his voice made Chu Tingyun’s eyes show a conditioned response of annoyance.
Jiang Yuheng, swept by his gaze, stopped at a somewhat distant spot, but his smile remained unchanged.
“Ge, you’re a bit late today, huh?”
Chu Tingyun didn’t reply and just coldly stared at him. Yan Xun, not knowing the prior grudges between them, chose to remain silent.
Jiang Yuheng was completely used to his cold face and continued with a smile:
“Dad wants you to come over and meet some old friends. Of course, there’s also your future brother-in-law.”
When mentioning the future brother-in-law, he instinctively glanced at Yan Xun. Unfortunately, the latter’s face showed no expression, as if he wasn’t bothered at all by his former lover marrying someone else.
A bit strange.
Jiang Yuheng couldn’t quite pinpoint what was strange, but he felt that Yan Xun seemed a bit different from before.
Chu Tingyun glanced in that direction and saw some familiar faces, including the company’s largest current business partner.
This wasn’t a personal matter but a business one, so this time Chu Tingyun didn’t sneer or act coldly but stood up.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
Yan Xun nodded.
He watched Chu Tingyun leave and was about to look away when he suddenly noticed a familiar figure; the person walked somewhat strangely.
Yan Xun froze for a few seconds, then suddenly stood up and followed. He followed all the way to the fountain garden in the back. At this moment, all the guests were in the hall, so there were naturally few people here.
“…Lin Ran?”
Yan Xun suddenly called out to the man in front.
The man stopped in his tracks. A breeze blew by, causing his pant leg to cling to his calf, revealing the outline of a metal prosthesis.
The man turned around, revealing a face that was both familiar and unfamiliar.
Yan Xun’s former foster brother, who had always been self-conscious about his physical disability, used to have medium-length hair that covered his eyebrows, giving him a gloomy and sullen appearance. Now, his hair was cut short, revealing his fine, handsome brows. However, for some reason, the skin around his eyes seemed a bit red.
Lin Ran had a delicate-looking face; even though he was three years older than Yan Xun, he didn’t look like an older brother—more like a younger one.
Yan Xun didn’t call him “Ge” because Lin Ran had never liked being called that, so he always addressed him by his name. Only in front of his foster mother would Yan Xun use “Ge” as a form of address.
“What are you doing here?”
Yan Xun was a bit surprised. But Lin Ran didn’t answer his question and instead asked one of his own.
“Weren’t you talking about getting a divorce before? Why haven’t you divorced yet?”
“…”
Yan Xun was stunned, then finally said,
“There was a bit of a complication with that; it’s kind of complex. Anyway, we’re not divorcing for now.”
Seeing Lin Ran here was far too unexpected. Yan Xun didn’t think to mention the car accident or the amnesia and instead urgently asked:
“Where’s Mom?”
“South City, at home.”
Lin Ran was always so cold when talking to Yan Xun, but he seemed quite concerned about Yan Xun not getting a divorce,
“What complication? Why aren’t you divorcing now?”
“…”
Yan Xun felt something was off, so he didn’t rush to tell Lin Ran about his amnesia. Instead, he asked,
“Earlier, was it me who told you I wanted to divorce Chu Tingyun?”
“Who else?”
Lin Ran frowned, as if finding the question strange,
“If you’re going to divorce, just get it done. Besides, he doesn’t even like you, so why drag it out?”
He doesn’t even like you.
“…”
Yan Xun was stunned.
The “he” Lin Ran was referring to must be Chu Tingyun.
Three years ago, Lin Ran found out from his mother that Yan Xun was going to marry Jingshu’s brother. The relationship between Yan Xun and him had always been strained, and after going abroad, Yan Xun would only keep in touch with his mother.
But that day, after hearing the news, Lin Ran surprisingly called Yan Xun.
“You’re getting married?”
“Yeah.”
It was all too sudden; Lin Ran found it strange, especially since the news didn’t come from Yan Xun but from Chu Tingyun, who had called his mother.
There was talk of changing their house, helping him with hospital and work arrangements, and even looking for a specialized agency to help him get a green card.
Anyone else might have been overjoyed by such favors, but something felt off.
Lin Ran frowned: “Are you serious about this? Do you actually like him?”
“…Yeah.”
Yan Xun said:
“We’ve already registered.”
Although they hadn’t held a wedding, Chu Tingyun had specifically used his phone to announce it on social media and insisted on changing his note to “wife.”
To indicate these were obligations expected of partners.
But Lin Ran, of course, didn’t know this; he only heard Yan Xun say they were registered.
They were already registered…
There was a long silence on Lin Ran’s end before he finally spoke:
“Whatever, it’s your business; I don’t care.”
After a pause, he harshly warned with a tone of anger:
“But don’t send money here anymore. I may have lost a leg, but I still have hands. I’m not a beggar and don’t need your charity!”
Beep—
Lin Ran angrily hung up the phone.
Back then, he had thought Yan Xun’s sudden and strange flash marriage would have issues sooner or later. Sure enough, less than three years later, Yan Xun was talking about divorce again.
Maybe he had had a few drinks, as the young man’s voice sounded slightly intoxicated.
Yan Xun rarely drinks because he has a low tolerance for alcohol, easily getting red-faced and drunk. Unless absolutely necessary or when he wants to avoid facing something.
Lin Ran frowned and asked him:
“Why are you getting divorced again? Didn’t you say you liked him when you got married?”
“……”
Yan Xun couldn’t explain the circumstances of getting married at that time, nor could he explain the things Chu Tingyun did to him while he was in Russia, or the fact that he hid the bankruptcy and debt from everyone.
So, in response to Lin Ran’s question, he could only answer sullenly:
“…… I don’t like him anymore.”
Lin Ran made a soft “tch” sound.
“Then what about Chu Tingyun, what does he say?”
“He…… he never liked me.”
On the phone, Yan Xun’s voice sounded exhausted, and then Lin Ran heard him gulping.
He was probably drinking.
“Doesn’t like you?!”
Lin Ran was so angry that he was nearly having a heart attack,
“He didn’t like you and you still married him?! Yan Xun, are you out of your mind?”
“……”
Yan Xun was feeling very dizzy. After a few seconds of daze, he answered,
“Maybe I am. You’re right.”
He probably really did have some issues, to treat marriage as a bargaining chip and end up like this.
Lin Ran: “……”
The angry older brother took a deep breath and asked:
“Where are you drinking?”
“At a rented place.”
Yan Xun answered whatever Lin Ran asked, behaving very obediently.
Yan Xun also knew he was prone to getting drunk, so he definitely wouldn’t drink out in public. He had recently snuck out, quit his job, and rented a small apartment in an old neighborhood on the outskirts of the city to live secretly.
After printing out a divorce agreement and signing it, he planned to hide his address and send it to Chu Tingyun’s company tomorrow.
After doing all this, Yan Xun opened a can of lychee-flavored sparkling wine and drank it sullenly, and then called Lin Ran.
“So after the divorce, I won’t have anything to do with him. I just wanted to let you and Mom know in advance.”
“……”
There was a pause on the other end of the line, and then he asked:
“When are you getting divorced?”
“In two months, I guess. The divorce terms haven’t been settled yet. I want the cat, but he refuses to give it to me. He obviously doesn’t like the cat or me. He’s just making things difficult for me. He always does this……”
Yan Xun got a bit angry when talking about this.
“But it’s okay. Baobao is mine. I found and raised it myself, so it’s even closer to me. Even if it goes to court, it should be awarded to me!”
Lin Ran: “……”
One might think that cat was their child.
Anyway, Yan Xun was very resolute when he mentioned the divorce.
But today, when Lin Ran saw him again, he noticed that he and Chu Tingyun were very close and seemed to be getting along well.
Naturally, Lin Ran thought there was something wrong.
“Don’t drag this out. If you’re getting divorced, do it quickly!”
“……”
Yan Xun, who had lost his memory, was very confused.
If Chu Tingyun didn’t like him, then why did he insist on pinning him against the mirror and kissing him this morning?
He hadn’t figured out this question yet when he suddenly saw girls in dresses running cheerfully toward the lawn area in front of the chapel.
“Come quickly!”
“Catch the bouquet…”
“The bride is going to throw the bouquet…”
“!!!”
Yan Xun instantly woke up, his expression suddenly becoming serious,
“I’ll talk to you about the divorce later. I have an urgent matter now.”
“?”
Lin Ran frowned, also getting a bit nervous.
“What urgent matter?”
“I need to go and grab the bouquet from Chu Tingyun right now.”
As he said this, Yan Xun, whose brain was clearly malfunctioning, had already run off.
With his tall stature and long legs, he quickly “swished” past the girls holding up their skirts.
Lin Ran: “……”
