Volume One, Chapter One: The Misadventurous Wedding

When Wen Li returned to South City, five years had already passed.

Dragging her suitcase, she emerged from the airport terminal. The humid air and the sudden chill unsettled her, leaving her unsteady for a moment.

As soon as she got into the car, she couldn’t help but sneeze.

The ride-share driver seemed like a talkative man. Glancing at Wen Li, who sat quietly in the back seat, he caught her eye in the rearview mirror.

“Miss, coming to South City alone for New Year’s vacation?”

Her oversized trench coat hung loosely on her frame, wrapping her up tightly. Judging by her build, she looked to be in her early twenties. Even at night, she wore sunglasses—perhaps indifferent to the darkness.

Wen Li smiled faintly. “No, I’m here for a friend's wedding.”

Her Mandarin was crisp and a bit scalding, tinged with an unfamiliar dialect, though her accent wasn’t particularly pronounced.

“A local, then?”

“Yes.” Wen Li nodded, turning silently to gaze out the window, showing no intention of continuing the conversation.

She hadn’t come back in so long; everything had changed.

When she finally arrived at her destination, Wen Li registered at the hotel front desk. While storing her luggage, she watched people trickle out of the elevator, their whispered conversations rising and falling.

She drifted into thought.

“This is outrageous. Both families have completely lost face. How are they going to clean up this mess?”

“Exactly. I feel embarrassed for them.”

“These young people nowadays play wild games, all sorts of tricks. They don’t take relationships seriously. Back in the day, if something like this happened, you’d just grab a white cloth and hang yourself from the rafters—who’d dare to shout it all over the place?”

“That’s right.”

…

Wen Li listened, confused, at first thinking she had come to the wrong venue. She carefully checked the invitation’s address and date several times.

When she entered the banquet hall, she saw Ling Dan in casual clothes, standing at the center stage, calmly directing the staff as they dismantled decorations.

Wen Li sensed something was amiss.

She took off her sunglasses and waved, calling out, “Hello.”

“Wen Li?” Ling Dan was hesitant at first, staring several times in suspicion.

Once she recognized Wen Li, joy flooded her face. She leapt from the stage and rushed into Wen Li’s arms.

“What are you doing here?”

It was a grand embrace after a long separation.

“Your wedding is such an important day. Of course I had to be here.”

Then, belatedly, she asked, “So what’s going on—some new, avant-garde twist?”

A month ago, Wen Li had received a message from Ling Dan, saying that she and her longtime boyfriend, Shen Ningyuan, were finally tying the knot. She had specially invited Wen Li to attend her wedding.

“The groom was caught cheating by the bride the night before the wedding. Does that count?”

Ling Dan, with a touch of dark humor, shrugged and smiled bitterly. “Unfortunately, the wedding is canceled.”

As she finished speaking, the backdrop behind her, emblazoned with the initials of both her and Shen Ningyuan, fell with a crash.

Quite fitting for the occasion.

…

Wen Li’s anxious hopes died away. The “congratulations on your marriage” she’d planned to say stuck in her throat and never came out.

Ok, fine.

She looked at the banquet tables, still arranged neatly and quietly, testament to the lavish preparations. In the foyer, a giant poster of the couple in their wedding attire still stood.

She glanced at the flowers in her hand.

Her return had been so rushed she hadn’t been able to prepare a proper gift. The flowers—lilies—were bought hurriedly from a roadside stall, chosen for their symbolism of lasting happiness.

Now, they felt like a cruel joke.

“I’m sorry, you made the trip for nothing,” Ling Dan said, taking the flowers with cheerful openness. “Thank you, they’re beautiful.”

Everything had happened so suddenly, she hadn’t had time to formally inform Wen Li. With Wen Li still in Germany, news had been delayed, and she had no idea about the unfolding drama.

It was a harmless misunderstanding.

In short: Shen Ningyuan had cheated, and not just once. His affair was with Ling Dan’s cousin, who had lived in her house for years. The night before the wedding, they were caught in the newly renovated marital home, with no way to deny it.

In a fit of rage, Ling Dan replaced the pre-recorded documentary with a video of the two in bed, playing it for the guests at the wedding venue in a thorough, all-angle display.

She didn’t just flip the table; she dismantled its legs as well.

Wen Li frowned deeply, muttering, “Shameless.”

The blow was mild.

“It’s all right. Luckily, it wasn’t too late to find out. Everything’s still salvageable. If the wedding had gone ahead and the marriage certificate signed, it would’ve been much messier.”

Wen Li agreed—divorce these days wasn’t easy. With the cooling-off period and half the property to split, one might even lose their life in the process.

“But breaking off an engagement isn’t simple either,” Wen Li said. “You shouldn’t have acted so impulsively; you should’ve left yourself a way out.”

Dealing with the aftermath—the tangled relationships and butterfly effects—was enough to drown anyone. Reputations destroyed, and people exhausted.

Wen Li had suffered badly from such things before; her experience was bitter, so she couldn’t help but worry.

Ling Dan replied calmly, “One step at a time. You know me best—I’m not good at solving problems, only at creating them.”

“I’m not like you—the princess at the top of the pyramid, with an all-powerful brother.”

She glanced at Wen Li, then slumped to the floor. “Now, I just hope Shen Ningyuan comes to his senses and takes the initiative.”

Wen Li hugged her again, heart aching. “If he can stoop so low as to get involved with your distant cousin, he’s clearly not picky. Maybe it’s true love—don’t fret.”

“It’s my cousin,” Ling Dan corrected, waving her hands in resignation, ready to let things slide.

“It doesn’t matter. What’s really a pity…”

She stood up and looked around.

Wen Li thought she was mourning lost love and was about to comfort her, hand half-raised to pat her back.

But Ling Dan paused for two seconds, then, with hands on her hips, began complaining relentlessly.

“All the deposits are non-refundable—it’s such a waste of money. All my months of hard work gone, and the wedding dress I commissioned, the dishes I personally tasted…”

“Scum and trash, may they never find peace.”

Well, this truly matched Ling Dan’s style.

Wen Li said nothing, dragging a chair over to sit nearby, listening patiently to her tirade, her gaze drifting, sleepiness washing over her.

After several long-haul flights, fatigue clung to her.

Soon, Ling Dan’s ranting suddenly stopped.

Sensing something was wrong, Wen Li turned around and saw a man standing behind her.