It was three o'clock in the afternoon. The sun shone gently by the lake. Wildflowers bloomed on the grass. Everything was at its most beautiful. Lin Zhibai sat on the hospital bed, his eyes fixed on his phone, which was broadcasting Gu Fanyan and Murong Mo's engagement ceremony live. His posture was stiff, his handsome eyes unmoving, and no one knew what he was thinking. At the same time, Lin's mother was also sitting in the car, watching the engagement ceremony on her phone. When Gu Fanyan and Murong Mo exchanged engagement rings to the emcee's chants, she finally let out a long sigh of relief. A weight had been lifted from her heart. Gu Fanyan and Murong Mo's marriage was settled; Gu Fanyan and Lin Zhibai were destined to be apart in this life. "Madam, Miss Gu looks so beautiful today," the nanny, Aunt Zhang, remarked from the side. Mrs. Lin sighed softly, "Do you feel like I missed out on a good daughter-in-law?" Aunt Zhang was taken aback, then realized she had misspoke and quickly said, "That's not what I meant, Madam." "It's alright," Mrs. Lin said gently, "Anyway, Gu Fanyan's marriage is already arranged. You can say whatever you want." "Tell me your thoughts, I want to hear them." Aunt Zhang then mustered her courage and said, "Miss Gu is excellent in every way, and I can see that the young master can't let her go..." Mrs. Lin dismissed it: "Do you think their entanglement for so many years is a good thing?" "The longer they're entangled, the deeper the hurt, and it's hard for them to grow old together..." Aunt Zhang looked puzzled, not quite understanding Mrs. Lin's words. Shouldn't the deeper the feelings between two people, the longer the relationship lasts? In the live stream, the engagement ceremony had ended, and the entire audience erupted in enthusiastic applause. At this moment, Yun Wanqing was also hiding in her hotel room, her eyes fixed on the live stream. Was it over? Completely over? Successfully over? Lin Zhibai didn't appear. The Murong family didn't seem to mind Gu Fanyan's past miscarriage. How could this be! This outcome was far from what she had expected! She thought that even if Lin Zhibai, concerned about his reputation, didn't try to steal the bride, the Murong family should have stopped the engagement ceremony! Could the prestigious Murong family really not mind a woman who had been played with as their daughter-in-law?! Yun Wanqing was completely unaware that she was merely using her narrow-minded perspective to speculate about others' thoughts! She thought it was dirty, so she assumed everyone else thought it was dirty too. However, when it came to being dirty, probably no one could compare to her. She racked her brains for a long time and finally came to a conclusion. The reason the Murong family didn't mind was because Gu Fanyan was the Gu family's daughter. They couldn't afford to offend the Gu family. Cowards, shrinking turtles, self-degrading… Yun Wanqing cursed the Murong family members appearing on the live stream, a wave of disappointment washing over her. The super bomb she thought she had was completely useless. From now on, she would have no leverage to threaten Gu Fanyan or Lin Zhibai. The engagement ceremony ended, and the banquet began. Murong Mo, holding Gu Fanyan's hand, chatted happily with the guests and clinked glasses. The guests had differing opinions about the soon-to-be-married couple. "Judging from appearances, Murong Mo is definitely marrying above his station." "But Murong Mo's family background isn't bad either." "Do you think the Gu family's daughter needs to consider family background when choosing a husband?" "Exactly, Gu Fanyan is beautiful, smart, and the eldest daughter of the Gu family. Marrying Murong Mo would be considered marrying down." "Then what kind of man do you think would be a good match for her?" "There were rumors about her and Lu Dongjue before, and they were evenly matched in every way." "Forget about Lu Shao, he and the eldest daughter of the Yun family are inseparable." "Although the Shen family is wealthy and powerful, there isn't a young man who can match Gu Fanyan." "What about Lin Shao? I heard that Lin Shao and Gu Fanyan had a relationship a few years ago." "Lin Shao is like a playboy, he's never stopped having girlfriends over the years. Gu Fanyan probably wouldn't be interested in him." "Lin Shao is here." "Yes, it really is Lin Shao, he's quite late." "Lin Zhibai is here." Yun Suiwan also saw Lin Zhibai, and she secretly tugged at Lu Dongjue's arm. Lin Zhibai arrived alone. He wore a suit, but his shirt underneath was casually buttoned, as if only one button was fastened. His face was pale, his lips cracked, giving him a sickly appearance. Only his dark, bright eyes were deep and unfathomable, like the sea. "What's he doing here?" Yun Suiwan asked softly, a little nervously. "Do you see him heading towards Sister Fanyan?" Indeed. He ignored everyone who greeted him, heading straight for Gu Fanyan and Murong Mo. Was he here to snatch them away? Lu Dongjue's brows furrowed, and he said in a low voice, "Don't worry, I'll stop him." He strode towards Lin Zhibai. However, before he reached Lin Zhibai, Lin Zhibai suddenly stopped. He was still several dozen meters away from Gu Fanyan and Murong Mo. A waiter carrying a tray of wine walked past Lin Zhibai, who gently waved and took a glass of wine. He drank it down in one gulp. Was he drinking to bolster his courage? Holding the empty glass in his hand, Lin Zhibai continued walking forward. Lu Dongjue caught up with him and grabbed his arm. "Lin Zhibai, the ceremony is over. Don't do anything foolish." "Leave me alone," Lin Zhibai shook off his hand. Lu Dongjue grabbed his arm again and scolded him in a low voice, "You have to think about Sister Fanyan. Don't let her resent you for the rest of her life." Lin Zhibai sneered, "How do you know I didn't think about her?" Lu Dongjue couldn't stop him, and he still came to Gu Fanyan and Murong Mo. Everyone's eyes fell on him, guessing what he wanted to do. Murong Mo subconsciously shielded Gu Fanyan behind him and said, "Young Master Lin, are you here to congratulate us?" Lin Zhibai raised an eyebrow: "You want me to congratulate you? Do you deserve it?" He picked up another glass of wine from the waiter's tray and raised the glass: "I'm here to congratulate Sister Fanyan." Murong Mo moved his lips, wanting to refuse him, but Gu Fanyan stepped forward and faced Lin Zhibai directly. "Sister Fanyan," Lin Zhibai looked deeply at Gu Fanyan, "I wish you well." He then downed his drink in one gulp. Gu Fanyan raised her glass, but only took a small sip, which she considered a return gesture. Setting down her glass, Lin Zhibai said nothing more and turned to leave. The entire room fell silent. Everyone was thinking, "That's it? Lin Zhibai really didn't do anything else?" Indeed, he didn't. He weaved through the crowd without a moment's hesitation and left the engagement hall. Yun Suiwan and Lu Dongjue secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This kid had at least maintained some semblance of rationality and hadn't caused an irreparable situation. "Are you alright?" Murong Mo asked Gu Fanyan softly. "I'm fine," Gu Fanyan smiled slightly, "Let's continue toasting." Murong Mo nodded and led her through the guests. The atmosphere in the hall gradually returned to liveliness, and the little incident from earlier was quickly forgotten. However, Murong Mo and Gu Fanyan weren't entirely at peace.
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