Chapter 87: Shouldn't Zurich smile about a life without Fang Qingzhuo? ...
The wedding was held at a tea mountain B&B halfway up the mountain. I heard that the bride came here for a trip and met the groom, the owner of the B&B. They fell in love at first sight and got married, and she became the hostess of this tea mountain.
Fang Qingzhuo yawned continuously as Zhuang He told his story with great emotion. It was just dawn when he and Luo Shu arrived. As soon as they got off the ground, they were forced to part ways without saying a few words.
Zhuang He couldn't bear to watch any longer: "Can you please respect the storyteller? Are you really that sleepy?"
The two men sat on a long bench, the former was in high spirits and full of energy, while the latter was slouched, hunched over, and drowsy.
Fang Qingzhuo was in a trance, seeing everything double. He pinched his brows and asked instead of answering, "When does this ceremony start?"
"The emperor is not anxious, but the eunuch is. Do you think the groom is anxious?" Zhuang He sneered, his eyes pointing to a place not far away, and he grabbed a handful of melon seeds and held them in his palm.
Following his pointing, Fang Qingzhuo saw the handsome groom surrounded by his relatives and friends. "Are those the groom's relatives?"
"There are no relatives from the nearby villagers on the boy's side." Zhuang He crackled melon seeds with a crunching sound.
Fang Qingzhuo narrowed his eyes: "No relatives?"
"Yeah, I heard Xia Yimo mention it. There's a high-achieving student who grew up eating at many different houses. He said his parents are long gone, leaving only this mountain behind."
Zhuang He surveyed the half-circle of green hills that supported a corner of his guesthouse, clearing his throat after a few too many sunflower seeds. "Originally, this was just a barren mountain. After he returned home and took over, he not only transformed it into a vast tea plantation, but also developed it into a local tourist attraction. More importantly, he's helped his fellow villagers become more prosperous through hard work. Three birds with one stone."
As soon as he finished speaking, a dramatic scene occurred. The groom, who was busy arranging guests, suddenly turned his attention to him. Fang Qingzhuo met his friendly gaze and nodded slightly at him as a greeting.
He glanced at the countless simple faces busying around him, as if responding to Zhuang He's introduction: "Then he has reached the end of Pingwu."
Zhuang He nodded in agreement and chatted about some random things. Glancing at Fang Qingzhuo who was still listless, he asked, "Tired?"
"Nonsense, why don't you try driving for a whole day under such pressure?" Fang Qingzhuo put his elbows on his knees and said sullenly.
Hearing this, Zhuang He felt like teasing him. If he didn't put all his efforts into squeezing him now, he would be wasting the opportunity God had given him. His eyes were full of mischief, and he said, "You've become like this after just one night. You're really getting old."
This was a matter of a man's reputation, so Fang Qingzhuo wouldn't give in easily. He curled his lips in a smile, not hiding the malicious intent between his brows. The next second, a punch filled with personal grudges landed on Zhuang He's chest: "I'm just sick of you hanging around me all the time."
A punch was given as a warning without reservation. Zhuang He frowned in pain and rubbed the part of his chest that was hit. On the one hand, he complained to himself that this guy was so strong that he would not take any loss. On the other hand, he looked around pretending to be unhurt. Different from the common wedding types on the market, the B&B did not have any exaggerated scenery. Local materials were used. The blooming lotus and lotus roots replaced the conventional flower arrangements. Everywhere you looked, there was a lively atmosphere with lights and decorations. It is worth mentioning that there was not a trace of alcohol on the scene. All were exquisite and a wide variety of pure handmade cakes and snacks. Among them, the red wedding cakes were the most eye-catching and festive. In summary, it was a new Chinese-style wedding with a unique poetic and picturesque flavor.
"Xia Yimo and I will also ask Luo Shu to design our wedding." The pain had healed, and he nudged Fang Qingzhuo with his shoulder. "What do you think, buddy, where should we hold our wedding? Iceland or Bali?"
"It's none of my business whether you go to Mars or not." Fang Qingzhuo replied immediately.
Zhuang He was unhappy: "Why is it none of your business? You have to be the best man."
"Sorry, I can't do that."
"Why?" Zhuang He asked.
Fang Qingzhuo held his chin with his left hand, tilted his head, and raised his eyebrows provocatively at him: "Because I will do it before you."
"..." Zhuang He's mouth twitched again and again, "Fang Qingzhuo, sometimes I find you're quite serious."
Fang Qingzhuo said leisurely: "Thank you, it's like you're praising me."
This calm and nonchalant tone greatly aroused Zhuang He's latent desire to win: "Do you dare to compete?"
"Comparing what?"
Zhuang He couldn't hide his cunning in his words: "Let's compete for the bride's bouquet later. Whoever grabs it gets married first, and the remaining one will not only be willing to be the best man, but also have to take on the job of doorman and welcoming guests. How about it?"
Fang Qingzhuo straightened up and looked him up and down as if he was sick. What a joke, what a joke. Two single guys actually had the nerve to compete here to see who would get married first. If they were competing, they should be competing to see who could get a girlfriend first.
He scoffed and spat out the word childish: "I won't play such a boring game."
Having said that, when it came to throwing the bouquet, Fang Qingzhuo jumped higher than anyone else. According to Zhuang He, the person involved and competitor, he had played basketball with Fang Qingzhuo for four years, and even when he was blocking the opponent's dunk, he had never seen him work so hard.
He is really cunning. He says he doesn't want to play, but he pretends to be dead in private.
So, he gritted his teeth, hugged Fang Qingzhuo tightly, and started arguing with each other.
"Didn't you say you didn't want to play?"
"I just said I didn't want to play, but I didn't say I won't play now."
Zhuang He laughed out loud: "You are really, really, despicable."
Fang Qingzhuo was not polite at all: "Just wait to be a doorman."
Luo Shu and Xia Yimo, who did not participate in the flower grabbing, were both attracted by the commotion. They saw a group of girls eager to try, and behind them were two flying monkeys pushing each other to grab the bouquet.
On the other side, Gu Jiaqian raised the bouquet in her hand high and threw it backwards into the air, and a beautiful parabola immediately passed through the air.
Everyone was concentrating and calming down. Zhuang He even risked all his dignity and jumped. Unfortunately, the other person was faster. His strong arm with clear lines lightly caught the bouquet decorated with tea leaves in the air and landed in his palm.
Fang Qingzhuo's pride lasted only two seconds. Luo Shu, who had witnessed the whole process, suddenly called out to him from a distance: "Fang Qingzhuo."
Everyone looked at him curiously, including Fang Qingzhuo.
During this gap, Zhuang He was smart and took advantage of Fang Qingzhuo's inattention to effortlessly snatch the bouquet from Fang Qingzhuo's hand and keep it for himself.
When Fang Qingzhuo turned the corner, Zhuang He circled around him in a domineering manner to show his victory.
Xia Yimo watched from the sidelines until the end, then slowly spoke: "You're reacting so strongly, are you really afraid that he'll snatch the flowers and give them to you?"
Luo Shu suddenly realized she had spoken out of turn, and her fingers pressed against her side moved unnaturally: "After all, I brought him here. It's not appropriate for him to be jumping around here when Jiaqian gets married."
"I have no objection." Gu Jiaqian came over at some point. "Just treat it as a circus performance. But, what's the progress? Two grown men are pulling hair and fighting over the bouquet in public."
Xia Yimo: "It's none of our business."
Luo Shu quickly chimed in: "It's just a brain twitch on their part."
Gu Jiaqian smiled meaningfully: "I thought someone was about to get married. They even snatched up the flowers. Is the next step going to be a proposal?"
"I'm single." Xia Yimo played with her hair nonchalantly. "Besides, who wants their boyfriend to be a social butterfly who shows off all the time?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Luo Shu and Gu Jiaqian both gave him sympathetic looks, but the protagonist who was being sympathized with a few meters away was completely unaware and was completely focused on showing off that he had defeated Fang Qingzhuo.
The wedding banquet was held in an open-air courtyard in the evening. Laughter and cheers filled the air under the dark curtain. Fang Qingzhuo had originally thought that he would be able to sit next to Luo Shu at the table tonight, and ask her what she wanted to say today. However, who knew that men and women would sit at separate tables according to custom? He complained that there were not so many rules in Shenzhen, while he passed by Zhuang He who was eating heartily and burping. He was even worse than last time. At least there were two people between them. He was really getting worse and worse.
Feeling hopeless, Gu Jiaqian, wearing a slim-fitting, double-breasted gown with a dragon and phoenix pattern, walked to their table with her groom to toast.
After some pleasantries, Gu Jiaqian suddenly made things difficult for Fang Qingzhuo with malicious intent: "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were coming, so I didn't have a room."
The groom's expression was blank for a moment, and he didn't say much. He just raised the corner of his mouth and said sorry to Gu Jiaqian.
Zhuang He accepted him generously: "At worst, you can just stay with me for one night..."
Unexpectedly, Fang Qingzhuo refused without a second thought: "It's okay, I'll sleep in the car."
He deliberately raised his voice when saying this, glancing out of the corner of his eye intentionally or unintentionally.
The night had settled for a long time, and the red ocean was still bustling with voices. Luo Shu, however, appeared stealthily on the cobblestone path in the front yard, lingering for a moment. Unexpectedly, she ran into Zhuang He, who was wandering aimlessly.
Zhuang He was the first to greet her enthusiastically: "Hey, Luo Shu, it's so late, where are you going?"
Luo Shu said casually: "I just came out for a stroll."
Zhuang He glanced at the thin blanket hanging from her arm and said quickly, "You're going out for a walk with the blanket?"
Suddenly exposed, Luo Shu kept mumbling "I, I, I" for a long time but couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation. She simply stared at the culprit in front of her without saying a word.
The embarrassing words had already been said, and changing them would be too hypocritical. Zhuang He put on an apologetic smile and said, "If you have nothing to do, can we talk?"
The two of them climbed onto the viewing platform where tourists took photos. Zhuang He plopped down on the old bamboo chair and fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan as if he was scorching hot. "I heard from Xia Yimo that after finishing your studies in Zurich, you'll be traveling around the world?"
Luo Shu sat at the other end, her expression calm compared to his relaxed expression after the heat. "Not all over the world, just the popular wedding venues."
"No wonder." Zhuang He looked thoughtful.
Luo Shu frowned slightly, puzzled: "What's the wonder?"
After laying so much groundwork, Zhuang He finally got to the point: "Aren't you curious about how he's been doing these past five years?"
The evening breeze rustled the old banyan tree. Luo Shu pretended to be deaf and dumb: "Who?"
Zhuang He crossed his arms and leaned back, causing the old bamboo stool to creak. "Who else could it be? My brother, the one who brought this upon himself."
Almost at the same time as the last word fell, his eyes fixed on the other side, his expression serious and earnest: "When you first left, Xia Yimo and the others kept their mouths shut, and no one was willing to reveal a word about your whereabouts. For a long time afterwards, he went abroad every now and then. At first, no one knew where he was flying to or what he was doing, so they just thought he was on a business trip to relax. If he hadn't gotten drunk at a celebration party and let it slip, muttering about why the direct flight from Shenzhen to Zurich was discontinued, and then hugged me and cried and complained about the airline, and even proposed to buy another route, I was so happy to see him cry for the first time that I took out my phone and started recording, ready to make fun of him later. But as I was recording, I realized something was wrong. He said..."
Zhuang He paused and sighed. "He used the app he made for you to locate your exchange school, your home address, the art museums you frequented, and the Chinese restaurants you ate at. He said he didn't understand or comprehend you, and that you walked away, heartlessly abandoning him. You should be living a happy and fulfilled life, but why do you always hide away and cry? Shouldn't you be smiling in this new life, a life without Fang Qingzhuo?"
From Zhuang He's first words, Luo Shu's mind was in an uncontrollable mess. The unknown side of her was cruelly revealed, a tragic story of blood and tears between the two of them.
Before she could even decide how to respond, she heard Zhuang He say, "There's another thing I'm not sure if I should tell you. He's been going to work injured for a while now, so I took advantage of him being half-conscious to ask him about it. He spent the entire night ranting about Europeans, the four categories known locally. He kept saying you were wrong, how guilty you felt, and how he thought you'd adapt quickly to a new environment given your personality, but he'd greatly underestimated the deep-rooted racial discrimination."
Zhuang He's measured pause gave Luo Shu a chance to feel the sadness of the moment. She felt as if the tip of her heart had been gently scraped, the kind that scratched the skin. It didn't hurt, but her breathing was sometimes blocked and sometimes smooth. She didn't dare move, fearing that a single move would affect her entire body. Little did she know that this was just the appetizer; the slaughter wasn't over yet, like a powered hammer drill, piercing her heart and lungs.
"On the day our game officially launched its public beta, he took the lead in launching a new project. He split his life into two tasks, splitting one day into two. The only time he had to eat was squeezed out of his schedule." Zhuang He was overwhelmed with memories when he mentioned this. "But it was hard for me. I worked day and night with him, working day and night. One time, I couldn't stand it anymore and asked him why he worked so hard. Guess what he said? He said he bought an apartment and needed to make money."
Luo Shu pinched her thigh with all her strength and pretended to be relaxed and joked, "Who needs him to buy a house, unless..."
"Yes, he bought a house in Zurich because the Chinese restaurant you loved to go to closed down, so he secretly bought the house next door to yours and hired a Chinese woman to deliver food to you under the guise of a neighbor and fellow countryman."
Therefore, the favors and coincidences she encountered were not God's mercy, but were deliberately done by Fang Qingzhuo.
"This continued until the third year. You probably sensed something, uninstalled the app, and left Zurich. He never left the country again."
Of the two apps designed by Fang Qingzhuo for her, Luo Shu only kept the more practical one after she went abroad. She remembered that she received an update message on Christmas Eve and uninstalled it because she was afraid that the developer would sense something.
Zhuang He continued, "There's a hidden map and a separate plot line in the game Chaos. I don't even know what it's about. I think you can only see it if you log in."
"There's a saying that goes, 'Those involved are often confused, but those who are on the sidelines can see clearly.' Xia Yimo and I can see that you two are living a miserable life apart. Yes, my brother has let you down, but at least he's very honest. Compared to some men who mindlessly beg for forgiveness and swear, and talk big, he's a real man when it comes to action. I believe that if you don't ask about what happened tonight, he will never take the initiative to tell you in this life."
"As for that confusing matter from back then, I'm not particularly clear on the exact timeline, but he and his two childhood friends had a falling out a long time ago. Before you go public with your relationship, you can ask him about this in person."
"As for that car accident, it's true he was too extreme, but he really had no other choice. He knew how innocent and wronged you were, so he had no choice but to resort to such a desperate measure. The mess he caused was too big and too outrageous. Having known him for so long, I guarantee on my own integrity that he is not an irrational person. If he had no other options, he wouldn't have threatened to kill himself."
After Zhuang He left, the viewing platform with a wide view seemed to fall into endless confusion. Even the night wind seemed to be affected when it blew here, breaking on the lush leaves of the banyan tree, on a strand of hair at the temples, and on the edge of the thin blanket covering Luo Shu's legs for someone to spend the night in the car.
Those memories, the six months of memories that she had given away after saying she didn't want them, trapped her, clung to her, and eroded her.
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