Lin Yi stepped over a path strewn with flowers and, under everyone’s gaze, walked step by step up to the front of the stage.
The stage was one step higher than the ground. When he stepped up, because of the awkward angle, Xu Yi Han could only take one step back and give up the place beside Zhou Ruo An.
The wound on the man’s temple was obvious, and there still seemed to be bloodstains in his hairline that had not been wiped clean. Zhou Ruo An’s whole body went taut, yet his fingers began to tremble lightly. Looking at the person before him, he asked in a low voice, “Jin…”
“He’s fine.” Lin Yi cut him off, the two words landing with weight and force.
Zhou Ruo An’s tightly drawn back suddenly loosened, as though all his bones and tendons had been pulled out of him. He lowered his eyes and took a deep breath. When he looked up again, his gaze fell on the man’s wound. “Your injury…”
“It’s fine.” The same answer, but this time with an impatient nasal edge. Lin Yi suddenly stepped closer, almost pressing right up against Zhou Ruo An, who was standing there in his crisp suit, under the eyes of all the guests. His voice was soft yet irritable, nearly threatening as he asked, “And you? Are you all right, bridegroom?”
What had to come would come in the end, and debts that had to be collected could never be avoided. Zhou Ruo An sighed lightly, gripped Lin Yi’s forearm with one hand, and slid downward along the firm lines of muscle before rubbing lightly twice over the man’s wrist. “Brother Lin, give me a moment.”
The low conversation between the two of them could only be heard by Xu Yi Han, who was standing beside them. She let out a soft laugh and gave Third Miss, who was sitting below the stage, a look.
Third Miss was quick-witted and immediately opened Xu Yi Han’s handbag, fished out a ladies’ cigarette, and bent slightly as she took small steps up to the front of the stage to deliver it.
“You can smoke during an engagement too?” Third Miss asked, holding up the cigarette.
“You can even have someone cut in halfway through an engagement.” Xu Yi Han bent down and lit the cigarette with Third Miss’s flame, the smoke she exhaled blurring her faint smile. “What’s smoking compared to that?”
“Cut in?” Third Miss still wanted to ask further, but was interrupted by an angry shout.
“How outrageous!” The man surnamed Xu sitting at the main guest table rose in fury. “Where did this irrelevant person come from? Security! Throw him out.” Immediately afterward, he glared at his own daughter. “And you, put out that cigarette!”
Amid the chaos and commotion, Zhou Ruo An looked straight at Zhou Ran Ming, who remained seated, and spoke unhurriedly. “Uncle, where is the ‘surprise’ you said you were going to give me?” His fingertips lightly tapped the microphone, producing dull thudding sounds. “I can’t wait anymore.”
From the moment Lin Yi stepped into the Zhou residence, Zhou Ran Ming’s heart had been seized by a sudden, intense unease for no reason. At this moment, he forced himself to stay calm, his stiff fingers gripping his phone tightly.
The ringtone that suddenly rang out was like a thunderclap. He almost immediately swiped to answer and said, “Speak.”
First, his expression changed abruptly. Then his pupils shook violently. Zhou Ran Ming’s entire face darkened until it almost seemed capable of dripping water. He held the phone up for a very long time before it slowly slid down from beside his ear. After a moment of silence, the gray-templed man slowly raised his head and finally looked toward Zhou Ruo An standing on the stage.
For the first time, Zhou Ruo An truly understood what was meant by a “venomous gaze.”
It was filled with unwillingness and fury, burning with enough rage to destroy reason itself. The most wonderful thing was that all those emotions were tightly suppressed beneath a thin layer of ice; only the person meeting his eyes could feel the hatred boiling within.
The corner of Zhou Ruo An’s mouth curved slightly. He raised both hands and lightly touched his wrists, looking exactly like a prisoner wearing handcuffs. When his fingertips pointed in the other man’s direction, Zhou Ran Ming’s face instantly turned deathly pale, as though those invisible shackles had already fallen onto his own wrists.
He quickly rose and walked toward the front doors of the old residence.
“Where is Chairman Zhou going?” Second Uncle Xu suddenly blocked Zhou Ran Ming. “The engagement ceremony hasn’t…”
“It’s canceled.” Zhou Ran Ming forced two words out through clenched teeth. He violently shook off the Xu family member’s hand and hurriedly disappeared into the depths of the flower bushes.
The entire hall of guests burst into uproar.
The Xu family members left angrily, even forgetting to take Xu Yi Han, who was wearing the wedding dress, with them.
An absurd farce came awkwardly to an end. The guests left one after another, and in the vast engagement venue, only the few people at the front of the stage remained.
But the old butler had used this as an excuse not to leave. Losing his usual proper composure, he grabbed Zhou Ruo An’s wrist and asked anxiously, “What exactly happened? On the old chairman’s side…”
“He’s very safe.” Zhou Ruo An lightly patted the back of the old man’s hand, where the veins stood out. “Right now, Grandpa Jin is…” His words paused for a moment, and he turned back to tug at the corner of Lin Yi’s clothes.
Lin Yi took a slow step forward and continued for him. “The old master is at the villa in the west of the city now. I left six brothers there to guard him. He’s very safe.” He glanced at his watch. “That phone call of yours came very timely. It allowed him to avoid the first attack and also bought me the time to save him.”
Only then did the old butler’s tense shoulders finally relax. His wrinkled palm wiped heavily over his face. After hesitating for a moment, he still asked the question buried in his heart. “Fourth Young Master, how did you figure out that I was one of the old master’s people? And how did you dare be certain that with only a cup of coffee, I would understand what you meant?”
A bitter smile rose at the corner of Zhou Ruo An’s lips, and a hint of desolation hid in his eyes. “I was forced into a dead end before I dared to make that bet.” He raised his hand and loosened his bow tie, his voice softening by a few degrees. “Do you still remember the time more than a year ago when Zhou Zhe set a trap for me? You were the one who passed me the message in time.”
The old butler’s gaze stirred slightly, but he did not reply.
“At the time, I couldn’t understand it.” Zhou Ruo An spoke slowly, as though thinking it through. “In a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den like the Zhou family, who would risk helping a insignificant little nobody like me?” He turned back, his eyes clear. “After thinking it over again and again, there was only Grandpa Jin.”
The old butler suddenly gave a soft laugh, the wrinkles on his face relaxing. “The old chairman really didn’t misjudge you.” He patted Zhou Ruo An on the shoulder. “You have brains, and what’s even rarer is that you have loyalty and feeling.”
Zhou Ruo An was instantly embarrassed and gave a self-deprecating laugh. “You flatter me.”
Just as the old butler turned to leave, Zhou Ruo An suddenly called him back. The young man had shed his usual calculations and disguises, and his gaze was sincere almost to the point of being earnest. “Uncle Zhong, truly… thank you.”
With his back to him, the old butler waved a hand, but his steps were noticeably much lighter. The setting sun stretched his shadow very long, extending all the way to the blooming clivia at the end of the corridor.
……
“Bridegroom, how much longer do you want me to wait?”
Lin Yi’s low voice struck from behind him, shocking Zhou Ruo An into a body full of cold sweat. He slowly turned back to look at Lin Yi, wanting to cower, only to discover there were still two bright, shining gazes beside him.
Xu Yi Han was leaning beside the champagne tower, a slender cigarette held between her scallion-white fingertips, and those phoenix eyes within the curling smoke were shockingly bright. Third Miss was pressed close beside her, her seaweed-like curls nearly brushing against Xu Yi Han’s shoulder. The two of them looked exactly like the most enthusiastic spectators in a theater.
“What’s going on?” Third Miss nudged Xu Yi Han with her elbow.
Xu Yi Han blew out a smoke ring, her lips parting. “Isn’t it obvious?”
Third Miss’s eyes went round. “They… are… that kind of relationship?”
“Mm.” The cigarette tip brightened and dimmed, reflecting the faint smile in Xu Yi Han’s eyes.
Third Miss looked at Lin Yi. “So he’s the one who’s extremely fierce, clingy as hell, and even came to cut in at the engagement banquet?”
Xu Yi Han smiled and gave another “mm.”
Third Miss fitted the descriptions “tall and large,” “muscular and sturdy” onto Lin Yi, and actually felt that Xu Yi Han’s description in the dressing room just now had been so accurate it was outrageous.
She seemed to accept the reality before her very quickly, and with a sly gleam in her eyes, she leaned toward Xu Yi Han and asked, “Sister Han, who do you think is… you know, that one between them?”
With the cigarette between her lips, Xu Yi Han wound one of Third Miss’s curls around her finger and asked unhurriedly in return, “What do you think?”
Their gazes fell on Zhou Ruo An at the same time…
Because there were people beside him, Zhou Ruo An could only force himself to maintain his dignity. He took two glasses of wine from the champagne tower and lifted his eyelids. “Brother Lin, you came out right on time. I’m getting engaged today.” He pushed one glass forward. “Aren’t you going to offer me your blessings?”
Lin Yi did not take it. He merely glanced at the wine. “I didn’t hear clearly what Young Master Zhou said. Please trouble yourself to say it again.”
The ripples in the wineglass abruptly trembled, and Zhou Ruo An gritted his teeth to stop himself from stepping back. Suddenly, anger rose in his heart. Why did he always have to submit to this man’s pressure? Why was he always the one being controlled?
“I said, I’m taking a wife today.” Zhou Ruo An stepped forward beneath Lin Yi’s gaze. “Won’t Brother Lin drink a cup of wedding wine?”
“Taking a wife?” Lin Yi’s voice dropped sharply in temperature.
“Yes, taking a wife, marrying a wife.” Zhou Ruo An took a sip of wine. The tip of his tongue tasted the sour, astringent note of citrus, yet provocative fire burned in his eyes. “To be honest, Brother Lin is pretty virtuous too, but unfortunately…” He deliberately swept his gaze over the other man’s broad shoulders. “You can’t stand in this position.”
At the edge of the venue, Xu Yi Han suddenly stubbed out her cigarette and tugged at Third Miss’s sleeve. “We can’t watch this show anymore. Retreat.”
Their skirts slipped down from the stage. The two of them had only quietly stepped back a few paces when the tall man on the stage called out in a low voice, “Miss Xu.”
Xu Yi Han’s back stiffened. Only after letting out a sigh did she turn around. “This matter has nothing to do with me.”
Third Miss also lifted her skirt and stood in front of Xu Yi Han. “Sister Han even saved Zhou Ruo An just now.”
Lin Yi’s gaze passed over emerald-green-clad Third Miss and looked directly at Xu Yi Han. “Miss Xu, give me the veil.”
The snow-white veil drew an elegant arc through the air and landed in Lin Yi’s broad palm. The next second, this man, who was covered in murderous aura, flipped his hand and draped the veil over his own head.
“Is it enough now?” He grabbed Zhou Ruo An into his arms, and when he lowered his head, the veil brushed across the other man’s cheek. “Marry me?”
Time seemed to freeze at that very instant. It was not until the dumbstruck Third Miss unconsciously blurted out “Holy shit” that Xu Yi Han, wearing only the wedding dress and no veil beside her, slowly added, “A perfect match.”
In the vast wedding venue, it seemed that Zhou Ruo An was the only one who still had not come back to his senses…
Author’s Notes: Zhou Ruo An: Brother Lin, listen to me explain…
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