More than fifty percent of their invited guests had already called to cancel their attendance. Those were the courteous ones.
Then there were those who didn’t even bother calling that they would no longer attend the wedding. They just failed to show up.
Mao Qiuyue was so upset that she almost didn’t want to go through the wedding. It was only when her parents and her future mother-in-law, Zheng Suyin, persuaded her that she forced herself to endure today’s humiliation.
She walked on the long aisle with stiff steps. It was only because of the team of photographers and videographers they hired for the wedding that she managed to maintain a smile.
Today was her wedding day.
It was one of the most important events of her life as a woman.
Even when she was boiling with fury and humiliation deep inside, she still had to show a happy expression for all the world to see. Her family’s honour was on the line.
They also spent a lot of money for this wedding. They had to make it big and lavish for the sake of their reputation.
The Longs and the Zhengs also contributed to the costs, of course. But since the bride was a Mao, then her family was the one who had the most to lose if this marriage match failed.
Mao Qiuyue gritted her teeth and smiled wider, pretending not to see all the empty seats in such a large venue.
Long Hui was waiting for her at the end of the aisle. His expression was blank. He looked dead in the eyes as if there was nothing to live for after this.
Today was supposed to be a joyous occasion but the atmosphere was tense and grave instead.
In the front-row seats on the groom’s side, Long Tengfei sat beside his wife, Yang Jiahui. He looked displeased and disappointed at the same time.
”This is an embarrassment,” he muttered under his breath. “An complete embarrassment.”
Yang Jiahui squeezed his arm, silently warning him not to say too much.
There was a cold snort from the seat nearby.
Zheng Suyin threw them a cold side-eye. “Look at what your youngest daughter and her husband did!”
”Don’t you dare blame my youngest daughter and son-in-law!” Long Tengfei defended. “They have nothing to do with this!”
His ex-wife snorted. “Of course, they have everything to do with this. If Long Xiulan didn’t side with that lowly bodyguard instead of her own brother and made her husband use his influence to put pressure on our son, then all of this would never have happened.”
Long Tengfei was infuriated at her accusations. “You—”
”Tengfei,” Yang Jiahui pulled him. “Please.”
He restrained his temper and sat back. Everything today was already embarrassing enough. There was no need for him to add to the embarrassment by making a scene with his ex-wife.
Zheng Suyin wanted to continue shaming her ex-husband and his current wife but decided to let them off for now because the wedding ceremony was about to start.
She glanced at her son’s in-laws, the Maos. Their eyes met. No words were needed at this point. All of them were upset.
They would remember this humiliation and make the culprits pay one way or another.
###
At the same time in Lin Yehan’s farm villa, row upon row of vehicles started arriving along the rustic driveway.
Since this was a gala to celebrate the silver-medal victory of the national shooting team in the world championships, a few selected media representatives were invited to report on the event.
The guest list included a rather wide lineup of people across the social strata.
One after another, notable figures across different fields appeared. Each one was more impressive than the last.
There were elite business leaders, members of high society, high-ranked politicians and even a few officers from the military and the police.
A number of celebrities and social media influencers also attended.
Academics and other athletes close to the members of the national shooting team also came to give their support.
Of course, the team’s coaches and support groups were coming as well. Lin Yehan was their colleague after all.
The team’s family and friends wouldn’t miss this gala for the world.
And most importantly, the national team athletes themselves who brought pride and glory to their country were scheduled to be welcomed with great fanfare later. They were today’s stars.
As the gala’s host, Lin Yehan greeted all the guests in person. His girlfriend, Jiang Ying Yue, stood beside him.
Jiang Ying Yue might not be the most beautiful among the women today but she was certainly one of the most eye-catching. She was the epitome of a cool, strong and slightly scary female in her fancy tuxedo suit. Her makeup was bold and sculpted, making her look like the type of woman that would crush a man’s nuts with barely any effort.
As a matter of fact, most of the guests expressed more interest on her than on Lin Yehan. Some recognized her as Long Hui’s ex that he accused of cheating with Lin Yehan in public. Long Hui’s allegations were proven to be false in the court of law, but now that Lin Yehan and Jiang Ying Yue appeared together, tongues began wagging again.
Jiang Ying Yue felt uncomfortable under all the people’s gazes. Fortunately, her training as a bodyguard allowed her to appear unbothered and expressionless on the outside even when she was starting to freak out on the inside.
”I’m sorry for this, Ying Yue,” Lin Yehan whispered directly to her ear. “I just want people to see us together.”
She flushed but thanks to her makeup, nobody noticed that she was actually blushing like a teenage girl.
”I’ll be fine,” she whispered back to him.
”If you’re feeling too uncomfortable, you can go back inside. I think Yang Mei is still taking a nap in one of the guestrooms. Xiulan and the others will also arrive any minute now.”
She was tempted to find Meimei upstairs and escape from the people. But in the end, she still decided to accompany her boyfriend out here.
Showing her off was his way of acknowledging their relationship. This was proof that Lin Yehan wasn’t ashamed of her. He was unlike Long Hui who did a half-assed job of admitting their relationship to the public back then.
Since Lin Yehan was putting this much effort, she couldn’t waste his good intentions.
He was proud of her so she didn’t need to feel ashamed.
Emotion choked her for a few moments. She almost cried.
This was the first time that she truly felt valued as a lover.
She never knew that being acknowledged like this in public without any reluctance or shame could feel so good.
”What’s wrong?” Lin Yehan asked when he felt her squeezing his arm. She was very strong so it hurt a little.
”Thank you, Yehan,” she whispered.
”For what?”
She only smiled but didn’t answer him.
He wanted to ask again but another wave of guests arrived. He could only put it aside for now and greet the new arrivals.
A few minutes later, there was an excited commotion outside. Lin Yehan peeked.
”Third Brother and the others have arrived,” he said. “That sound is the people going crazy over Xiulan.”
Jiang Ying Yue nodded in understanding. She had to restrain her bodyguard instincts to go outside and protect Iris. Tonight, she wasn’t attending as a bodyguard but as the host’s partner.
Lin Yehan took her hand and interlaced their fingers, causing a wave of raised eyebrows among the onlookers. She wanted to run and hide but willed herself to stay.
Let the people gossip. She knew in her heart that she and Lin Yehan had done nothing wrong.
Unlike her relationship with Long Hui where she felt inferior and alone, she was now a little bit more confident of herself. Most importantly, she had friends and now a lover who would always be there for her and her son.
The past was painful and the future was uncertain, but it was enough that the present felt hopeful.
This was a new beginning.
And she decided to enjoy it with her new love, Lin Yehan, regardless of what other people said about them.
###
Iris and Jin Liwei turned heads as they arrived. It was like having the sun and the moon appearing at the same time.
To clarify, Iris was the sun and Jin Liwei was the moon.
Iris was wearing a figure-hugging metallic dress. It flowed like molten gold on her body. Her neckline was high and her shoulders were covered. It was actually quite conservative compared to the dresses she had worn before giving birth but the fact that it was figure-hugging was the best proof that she was just as alluring as before.
The media couldn’t have enough of her. They took photos of her and Jin Liwei like crazy. Questions barraged them.
Iris was like a fish thrown back into the water—a natural.
There was not a question that stumped her. She was still as straightforward as ever but her experience as a celebrity until now had already grown to the point that she was able to dodge and redirect the questions without appearing too obvious. Her sharp tongue, however, would never disappear.
”Iris, today is your brother Long Hui’s wedding to Mao Qiuyue. They claim that you and CEO Jin have been invited but you chose to attend this gala instead. Can you tell us why?”
She maintained a beautiful smile even as savage words flowed out of her mouth.
”You expect me and my husband to attend a cheating couple’s wedding? Excuse me but I’ve never claimed to be a saint who’ll allow myself and my loved ones to be exploited.”
