Xue Mubai elopes
To fulfill her father's wish, she wanted to hold the wedding as soon as possible.
The entire Xue family, from top to bottom, was busy preparing for Xue Mubai to find a wife.
Tomorrow is his wedding day. When he went to the Su family to deliver the betrothal gifts, he left the gifts there and returned half an hour early because the Su family members were not home.
He had just stepped into the yard and was about to knock on the door when he smelled smoke.
It tastes like the cigar my father loved to smoke.
Xue Mubai was a little puzzled, so he immediately signaled the people behind him to be quiet and peeked through the crack in the door.
Not long ago, Xue Huaili, the father, was bedridden, but now he was lying in a pear wood recliner in the courtyard, looking energetic and healthy. His face was ruddy, and he was leisurely puffing on an expensive cigar between his fingers.
And sitting next to her was her mother.
"Ugh, I've been faking illness for so long, I was practically dying of boredom. I can finally smoke! This old buddy's got real power, one puff and I feel so good! Ah, so satisfying—"
Xue Huaili exhaled a cloud of smoke, looking relaxed and content.
"Do you really have to smoke? What if your son sees you?"
"Oh dear, he won't be back for a while."
Xue Mubai's mother sighed, feeling a pang of sadness. "Old Xue, what are we going to do now? Are you planning to lie to your son for the rest of your life?"
"Oh well, once he's married and it's a done deal, it won't matter if he finds out. So what if he does find out? I'm his father, does he think he can defy the heavens?" Xue Huaili continued puffing on his cigarette.
Upon hearing this, Xue Mubai, who was standing outside the door, froze, completely bewildered.
turn out to be……
It was all a lie...
My father is not sick at all...
Xue Mubai felt a chill rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and his limbs instantly became icy cold.
The pressure of "filial piety" that almost suffocated him...
That forced him to abandon his last shred of hesitation...
That hastily agreed-upon marriage, and the so-called "death wish"...
It was all a meticulously planned scam!
A wave of pain, a mixture of betrayal by loved ones and immense anger, surged through my heart.
He could barely contain himself and wanted to push the door open and go inside immediately.
But his hand remained on the door knocker, and he didn't move.
Making a scene? Questioning? Exposing the truth?
It will only anger my father, and he might end up putting him under house arrest.
He stood quietly outside the door, his eyes gradually shifting from initial shock and pain to a deep, still gaze.
He slowly, extremely slowly, released his grip on the door knocker...
On the morning of the wedding day.
The Xue residence was brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and the sound of drums and music filled the air. Guests arrived one after another, creating a lively atmosphere.
As the time approached, Butler Fu pushed open the door and entered, "Young Master."
But they found no one inside.
The room was empty. Only a brand-new, bright red wedding dress was neatly folded on the tatami mat, its vibrant color almost blinding.
Startled, Uncle Fu quickly ran out and informed Xue Huaili.
"Master, something terrible has happened! The young master is missing!!"
Xue Huaili, completely disregarding his feigned illness, immediately sat up. "What?! Gone?! Find him! Go find him right now! We're about to pick up the bride, where has this wretched child gone?!"
The servants were in complete chaos. Hurry and go find...
Finally, the butler found the letter on the desk and quickly handed it to the master.
Xue Huaili took the letter with trembling hands and unfolded it. There were only a few words on the letter, written in his son's handwriting.
[Father: The cigars in the yard smell wonderful. I hope you can enjoy them openly from now on, no longer needing to hide them. The Northwest is vast and open, where my loved ones reside. Do not seek them out, do not think of them. Your unfilial son, Mu Bai.]
Xue Huaili's hand holding the letter trembled violently, his face was pale, and he staggered, almost falling over.
It seems his son knew he was faking illness all along. He probably caught him smoking a cigar in the yard that day.
But to his surprise, his son didn't argue or make a fuss. Instead, he responded to his deception in the most silent and thorough way.
At this moment, he was both angry and regretful. If he had known, he wouldn't have lied to him...
Now look what's happened! On the wedding day, the groom ran away. Where is he supposed to put his face? And how is he going to explain this to his in-laws?
The entire Shanghai stock market will probably laugh at him!
...
At the same time, a long whistle pierced the morning mist.
A train bound for the vast Northwest is roaring away from the station.
In the hard-seat carriage, Xue Mubai sat by the window, watching the scenery outside gradually change from the beautiful water towns of Jiangnan to the rugged northern plains.
He was wearing a plain white polyester shirt, carrying a cell phone and a simple backpack.
"Wanqing. Wait for me. I'm coming."
Xue Mubai looked resolutely out the window.
He left his hometown in the most drastic way to find Ye Wanqing, even at the cost of everything...
Ten hours later.
Xue Mubai finally arrived in Gancheng. He found a public phone booth, sent a message to Ye Wanqing's pager, and then waited there.
But as luck would have it...
At this moment, Ye Wanqing was with Zhao Tingfeng in a cave.
There's no signal here in the middle of nowhere.
So she didn't see the message. Seeing that Zhao Tingfeng had almost recovered, the two prepared to return to their unit.
Because it had rained, the wind was a bit cold, and it stung people's cheeks.
Ye Wanqing pedaled the old-fashioned bicycle with all her might.
In the back seat, Zhao Tingfeng was somewhat drowsy due to a low-grade fever, and he weakly supported himself on the car seat.
"Just hang in there a little longer, we'll be at the unit soon." She gasped for breath, sounding anxious.
It must be incredibly difficult for a woman to carry a man on a bicycle.
"You've worked hard, girl. I'll pay you back when I'm better."
"Alright. Then get well soon."
Just as the bicycle was about to enter the military base gate, Ye Wanqing suddenly squeezed the handbrake.
A familiar yet unfamiliar figure stood at the entrance of the military base.
Xue Mubai stood quietly in the cold wind.
She was thinner than I remembered, and her eyes showed signs of fatigue.
Xue Mubai waited at the public phone booth for more than an hour without receiving a call back, so he had no choice but to go to Ye Wanqing's workplace and wait at the entrance of the military base.
When he saw that familiar figure he had been longing for riding over on her bicycle, he happily went up to her, "Wanqing!"
But after Ye Wanqing got out of the car, Zhao Tingfeng, who was in the back seat, also got out.
At that moment, Xue Mubai's gaze fell on her and Zhao Tingfeng in the back seat, and his heart tightened.
Ye Wanqing's heart suddenly tightened, and her hands and feet felt a little cold.
This damned hellhole!
What's he doing here? Shouldn't he be in Shanghai?
The surrounding air seemed to freeze.
At the same time, Zhao Tingfeng also noticed the strange thing at the door.
He forced himself to stay awake, raised his feverish, blurry eyes, and met Xue Mubai's gaze.
The two men's eyes met in mid-air. They didn't speak, but it was as if invisible sparks were crackling between them.
Zhao Tingfeng asked instinctively, "Girl, who is he?"
"He was my college classmate, Xue Mubai."
Xue Mubai took in all of this.
He had imagined countless scenarios for their reunion, but this was the only one he had never considered.
His beloved girl was hurrying home on a bicycle, carrying another man.
A sharp, stinging pain, mixed with the absurd feeling of abandonment, pierced his heart instantly, more biting than the sandstorms of the Northwest.
But he couldn't help but chuckle. After all, what right did he have to be jealous? Ye Wanqing had never accepted his advances, and the two weren't even boyfriend and girlfriend.
Ye Wanqing quickly explained, "Xue Mubai, what brings you to Gancheng? Zhao Tingfeng has a fever, so I gave him a ride."
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