wedding
Shen Zhihe and Lin Yue's wedding was different from the very beginning.
Shen Zhihe wore a black suit with an expressionless face, forming a sharp contrast with Lin Yue's white wedding dress. Despite the persuasion of his relatives and friends, he simply said, "I'm not used to light colors."
Lin Yue didn't care about this. She knew that what she wanted was not love, but a stable marriage where both parties could get what they wanted.
The wedding march sounded, and black and white walked side by side, like two parallel roads, finally meeting under the same name.
When the lights in the auditorium came down, the emcee was slightly stunned: the groom was wearing a black suit, while the bride's skirt was white.
Without giving it much thought, he presided over the meeting according to the procedure.
But when asked about the most important vow: "Bride and groom, are you willing to grow old together?"
The two of them said in unison: "This part is passed."
There was an uproar in the audience, and relatives and friends were talking about it.
The MC was about to smooth things over when the groom raised his hand and said, "We respect the process, but we also have our own way."
The bride added coolly: "'Growing old together' is too vague. We believe more in tangible promises."
The two people's eyes met briefly in the air, and there was a hint of disdain and contempt in each other's eyes.
The groom spoke first: "I promise that after marriage, all financial matters will be transparent and major decisions will be discussed together."
The bride then said, "I promise not to carry my emotions over to the next day and not to let arguments last overnight."
They calmly listed specific promises one by one, as if they were negotiating.
The audience was silent at first, then burst into applause. The emcee had an idea: "Let's use these visible promises to replace that invisible oath."
The ceremony continues.
After the ceremony, the bride whispered to the groom: "It's not that we don't have vows, we just replaced them with things we can do."
The groom nodded: "Only what can be done can be called a promise."
They left side by side, their backs determined.
…
On the wedding night, the atmosphere in the VIP box on the second floor of the bar was as cold as an untouched glass of soda water.
Jiang Wanning was still crying silently, Shen Zhihe was absent-minded, and only Lu Chenzhou couldn't stand it anymore and broke the silence first:
"Why do you two seem to be worried about something? If you have something to say, just say it. Don't dilly-dally."
Shen Zhihe smiled bitterly and asked, "Did I choose the wrong answer?"
"Of course." Jiang Wanning and Lu Chenzhou said in unison.
Lu Chenzhou said bluntly: "We all saw Hanzhi's feelings for you, but you married someone else. Anyone would be sad."
Shen Zhihe leaned weakly on the sofa: "Things have come to this point. I am no longer worthy of saving Han Zhi."
He paused, as if grasping the last straw:
"I sent her a message before, but she blocked my WeChat and phone number... Can you contact her?"
Jiang Wanning was uneasy and said with a guilty conscience, "I sent a WeChat message to Han Zhi before, but she deleted me too."
In fact, WeChat was not deleted at all, but Jiang Wanning knew that even if she sent WeChat messages or made phone calls, it would not be her who replied.
Lu Chenzhou took out his cell phone: "Let me try calling."
No one answered Lu Chenzhou's phone for a long time.
Shen Zhihe watched all this, and the bitter smile on his face became even more bitter: "She really doesn't want to care about me anymore."
Lu Chenzhou sighed and said soothingly, "Don't be so decisive yet. What she needs now is time and space. Instead of pinning your hopes on a piece of news, why not think about what you can do to undo the damage you've caused?"
Shen Zhihe was silent for a long time, as if he had finally made up his mind: "I will wait. No matter how long it takes, I want to say sorry to her in person."
At this moment, Lu Chenzhou's cell phone rang.
The call from Gu Hanzhi instantly attracted everyone's attention.
Lu Chenzhou quickly answered: "Hello, Hanzhi, is that you?"
The person on the other end of the phone was stunned for a moment before speaking in a very hoarse voice: "Who is it?"
This is not Gu Hanzhi's voice.
Lu Chenzhou signaled the two people beside him to be quiet, and lowered his voice to test: "I'm looking for Gu Hanzhi, is he here?"
The other party was silent for two seconds, as if trying hard to control his emotions, and replied coldly: "He's not here. You called the wrong number."
The call was hung up, leaving only a busy tone.
Lu Chenzhou stared at his phone, his brows furrowed. They'd been in touch with this number, so how could they have suddenly dialed the wrong number? Even more suspicious was the other party's "not here," which sounded like a deliberate evasion rather than a simple denial.
"Call back." Shen Zhihe said to Lu Chenzhou in a deep voice, "Wan Ning, try using your phone."
Jiang Wanning's hands were shaking as she held the phone, and she almost instinctively wanted to swallow the news back.
But looking at the determined eyes of the two people in front of her, she knew she could no longer hide it.
"Try not to let anyone else know about this." She took a deep breath, her voice hoarse, "Hanzhi has passed away."
As soon as she said that, she felt like all her strength was drained away. She could only lean on the edge of the table, pick up a tissue and cry silently.
The room suddenly became quiet, and even the ticking of the clock seemed particularly harsh.
Shen Zhihe's face turned pale in an instant, and Lu Chenzhou clenched his fists suddenly, his knuckles turning white.
"You're kidding, right?" Shen Zhihe's voice trembled. He was unwilling to believe this fact.
Jiang Wanning shook her head vigorously, tears streaming down her face. "It's true... Hanzhi was diagnosed with stomach cancer a while ago, but she persevered for several months. Her grades are good enough to get her into a top university."
Lu Chenzhou: "How could Han Zhi get stomach cancer..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Jiang Wanning: "I don't know how Han Zhi got stomach cancer, I only know...she is no longer here."
Her crying was like a blunt knife, cutting into everyone's heart bit by bit.
After a long while, Shen Zhihe finally found his voice and asked with difficulty, "Then... can we go and take a look?"
Jiang Wanning nodded, wiped away her tears, and tried to calm herself down: "You can go to the funeral home tomorrow afternoon. But I hope you will promise me not to be impulsive and not to pursue anything."
Her eyes were filled with exhaustion and pleading, "We've already lost Hanzhi, I don't want to lose any of you again."
Lu Chenzhou fell silent, his knuckles still clenched, but the storm in his eyes seemed to subside a little.
He finally nodded: "Okay, I promise you. But I believe that there must be someone behind this..."
He didn't finish his words, but the cold tone said it all.
Jiang Wanning was also puzzled. Gu Hanzhi was still talking to her yesterday. Although he looked a little pale, he could definitely hold on for a day. How could he suddenly die at night?
I'm afraid this matter will not end here.
…
In the bridal chamber, Lin Yue waited until late at night, but there was no news from Shen Zhihe. Her patience was worn out by the repeated unanswered calls, and was eventually replaced by anger.
Lin Yue walked to the French window, looked at the deserted street downstairs, and finally called Lin's mother. Her voice was full of grievance and anger: "He hasn't come back yet, and he won't answer the phone!"
Lin's mother on the other end of the phone quickly comforted him: "Don't be angry yet, maybe there's a traffic jam or the phone is out of battery? Why don't you call his friends and ask?"
"I asked, but they all said they didn't know!" Lin Yue took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. "I'll wait for him for another ten minutes. If he doesn't show up, I'll..."
Before he could finish his words, there was a sudden "click" sound from the door lock.
Lin Yue turned around suddenly and stared at the door. All the grievances and anger surged into her heart, ready to explode completely the moment he entered.
She leaned in to examine Shen Zhihe. His features were well-defined and his figure was straight and tall. He was indeed quite attractive. She raised her eyebrows and said in an ambiguous tone, "A night of love is worth a thousand gold. Let's sleep together. Don't let outsiders see and laugh at you."
Shen Zhihe, however, had a cold expression, as if someone owed him eight million. He said calmly, "Now that everyone else has left, I won't let anyone see me laughing. I'll sleep in the guest room."
"Guest room?" Lin Yue's smile faded slightly. "This is our wedding room."
"Only in name." He hung up his coat. "I'll give you the respect you need, but I won't have any relationships that shouldn't exist."
"Shen Zhihe," Lin Yue took a step forward and lowered his voice, "If you want to act like an ice sculpture, don't treat me like air."
Shen Zhihe raised his eyes, his gaze calm: "You and I each get what we need, keeping our distance is good for everyone."
"Okay then," Lin Yue nodded, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "Then we each take what we need. Don't regret it."
"Each other." He turned and left, leaving behind a cold back.
The door closed gently, isolating the two from each other.
Lin Yue stood there, the curve of her lips slowly retracted, and her eyes became complex and intriguing.
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