Chapter 42 - 41

"𝑂𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑐𝑘...𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒."

Yibo said this while looking at Zhan, who stood in front of him. It was just after 4:30pm. They were by the gate of Zhan's house, near where Yibo had parked his car. He leaned casually against the vehicle while Zhan faced him.

Zhan shook his head slightly, tightening his grip on the shopping bag in his hands.

"𝐼 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒. 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓."

The way he said it confirmed what Yibo had already sensed...Zhan was eager to go back inside. He hadn't wanted to come out in the first place.

That morning, during their phone call, Yibo had overheard Bai returning from an errand Zhan sent him on, explaining that he couldn't find the items. When Yibo asked about them, Zhan said they were things he needed and had sent Bai to a nearby mall, but they weren't available there. Without hesitation, Yibo told him he would check elsewhere...he was certain the place he shopped wouldn't run out of such things. And indeed, he found them. Instead of sending them over, he decided to bring them himself.

When he called, he noticed Zhan clearly didn't want to come out. As usual, Zhan thanked him repeatedly, then quickly added that Bai would come to collect the items. Yibo immediately shook his head and told him to come in person. He was the one he wanted to see not Bai. He had waited a long time before Zhan finally came out, and now that he had, it was obvious...Zhan was in a hurry to leave.

Standing where he was, Yibo continued to watch him quietly, smiling. Since that day...the day he had held him...Zhan had been retreating from him little by little. Even on the phone, he wasn't always reachable. He always blamed the wedding preparations, saying they made him forget his phone entirely. That was why Yibo had reduced how often he called, not wanting to pressure him...though he knew that wasn't the only reason Zhan kept his distance.

Now, even as Zhan stood right in front of him, his eyes were lowered, fixed on the bag in his hands. This was the man he would share a life with in just two days. If simply touching his face unsettled him this much… what about everything else he longed to experience with him?

Yibo slid both hands into his trouser pockets and stepped forward slowly. He watched Zhan's eyes follow his feet. When it seemed like he wouldn't stop, Zhan lifted his head quickly to look at him.

In Zhan's eyes, Yibo saw confusion...and something close to panic...when he stopped right in front of him. There was barely a step between them.

Zhan immediately stepped back. He didn't even realize when the words left his mouth.

"𝑊𝑒'𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒."

He stared at Yibo, eyes wide. Yibo simply nodded with a smile.

"𝐼 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤. 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡?"

Zhan shook his head.

"𝑁𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔… 𝐼 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑜 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒. 𝐼 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜."

Yibo didn't take his eyes off him. He took another step forward, closing the small distance Zhan had created.

"𝑌𝑜𝑢'𝑙𝑙 𝑔𝑜 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘," he said calmly, "𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑒...𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔?"

Before Zhan could even process the question, he stepped back again and shook his head.

"𝐼 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑢𝑚𝑒."

He was telling the truth. Ever since Aunty Gumsu finished his body treatments, he rarely bothered with perfume...especially with how busy he had been lately. People constantly praised the natural scent of his skin giving. Just the day before, Yufei had insisted on taking him somewhere for special foot and mouth care she'd done before her own wedding, but Nainai had refused outright, saying they wouldn't step into town with Zhan smelling like that. They had waited until the driver returned to take them instead.

So when Zhan came out now, he had simply change his clothes and left...no perfume at all.

Yibo fell silent, as if inhaling deeply. Then his shoulders shifted. He closed his eyes briefly, opened them again, and said,

"𝐼'𝑚 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝐷𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑎𝑠𝑘 𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡. 𝐽𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑛, 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 𝑖𝑡, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑜 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐼 𝑠𝑎𝑦. 𝐷𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑?"

Those words alone tightened something inside Zhan. He already wanted explanations before Yibo even spoke. But at that moment, he noticed a group of women approaching from the darkness beyond the reach of the house lights.

Zhan nodded quickly and stepped back again.

"𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐹𝑢𝑦𝑢𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦...𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑎𝑦… 𝐼 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑖𝑚. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ ℎ𝑖𝑚. 𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑢𝑝 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ."

Zhan felt his head spin.

Why was Yibo bringing up Fuyue? What did Fuyue have to do with anything? What connection was there? How had Yibo even remembered Fuyue from such a brief conversation...one he himself barely recalled?

Questions flooded his mind. But he knew he wouldn't get answers here. Not now. Not in this situation. So he simply nodded, gathering all his questions and locking them away deep inside himself.

Yibo nodded as well.

"𝐺𝑜𝑜𝑑. 𝑆𝑜… 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑛𝑜𝑤?"

The softness in his voice made Zhan smile despite himself. It sounded almost pleading...so different from the firm warning he had just delivered.

"𝐼 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒," Zhan said gently. "𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝐵𝑎𝑖 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑟."

He added the small lie, hoping Yibo would understand and let him go.

Yibo chuckled softly.

"𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒. 𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦. 𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡, 𝑍ℎ𝑎𝑛. 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠."

Zhan couldn't tell whether it was shyness or the weight of Yibo's words that made him smile...so much so that he had to cover his mouth with his palm. He lifted his head and looked at him. Yibo was smiling too, nodding slightly.

"𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛," Yibo said lightly.

He paused, breaking the sentence, his gaze fixed on Zhan's eyes before he continued, "𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑦𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠...𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢."

To his surprise, Zhan asked softly,

"𝐻𝑜𝑤?"

Yibo swallowed, nodded once in response, and took a step forward as though to close the small distance between them. But before his raised foot could touch the ground again, Zhan was gone.

Almost running, clutching his bag, Zhan hurried toward the gate. When he reached it, he turned back. To Yibo's amazement, Zhan smiled...then slipped inside the house.

Still smiling, Yibo walked around to the other side, opened his car door, got in, and started the engine. He rolled up the window just as Zhan's driver approached. They exchanged greetings, and the car moved off, while Yibo's mind continued running through the calculations and thoughts he had been juggling even before he arrived...everything that had already happened, and everything that was still to come.

He closed his eyes and rested his hand on his head, fingers moving slowly through his hair as memories from the previous day resurfaced.

The way he and Duan had uncovered the charm together. How Duan had followed him to his new house. How, guided by Malo's descriptions over the phone...details Fuyue himself had first revealed...they managed to locate what had been hidden.

It was in the kitchen. Inside the very last cabinet. Wedged between a narrow strip where two tiles didn't quite meet...a place no one would ever notice, let alone suspect held anything at all.

They pulled it out...dark, leathery, almost like skin sealed in a bag...and took it out of the house. They burned it.

No matter how much he tried to remain composed, a chill had crept through his body then. Not because he believed in charms, or because he was certain it could work...but because of the thought that followed.

What if Fuyue had never encounter Malo that day?

What if Peng plan had succeeded?

Would everything have collapsed? Would his carefully constructed future have unraveled? Would he have lost Zhan without even realizing how...or why? Would all his effort have vanished into nothing within moments?

Duan had been the one to steady him, offering reassurance, urging him to keep praying and to keep his intentions pure. He said that with sincerity, the truth always finds its way to the surface...one piece at a time.

After dropping Duan off and returning, instead of going to his old house, Yibo came back here again. He turned on all the lights and sat down on one of the living-room chairs, taking in the space.

The house looked beautiful to him, even though it wasn't fully furnished yet. A large carpet was still rolled up and leaned against the wall, but the two-toned sofa set—coffee brown and light brown—filled the room elegantly. The long curtains covering three windows on each side flowed down from near the ceiling, thick and rich, with a darker outer layer and a lighter inner lining that softened the space.

The wall opposite him held a tall TV stand with finely crafted coffee-colored woodwork stretching across the length of the wall—yet no television had been installed. Behind it, a staircase rose upward, each step covered in soft, fitted carpeting.

The kitchen door stood just ahead of the stairs. He could still picture the neatly arranged items inside, remembering how many things they had removed when they opened the cabinets.

That same chill returned.

His thoughts spiraled, retracing everything he had done, searching desperately for a word...any justification...that could quiet the deception he knew he had committed against Zhan and his family.

A family that had put in all this effort with joy, believing their son was entering a marriage meant to last a lifetime. Zhan himself...who trusted him completely, believing their lives would be bound together forever.

Why had he never truly considered the possibility of things going wrong?

Why did he keep telling himself that Zhan would understand...when the day came that he shattered all those dreams?

What if events turned against him?

What if everything unraveled, just as it nearly had with that black magic?

What if Zhan saw everything he had done as betrayal?

Because with every passing day, the situation only grew larger...far beyond what he had originally planned.

Now, he had even been urged to send people...introduced as his relatives...to visit Uncle Elder and some of Nainai's extended family, people who hadn't met him during the wedding ceremony but were expected to be included. Women had also been sent to Zhan's home, carrying ceremonial clothing and household gifts, as tradition demanded...especially since he had already given Zhan money for wedding preparations.

That was why he had stopped keeping track of his spending. Money flowed out of his hands endlessly, in every direction...including through Malo.

After selling two plots of land, he had placed the house he currently lived in on the market as well. His life was moving here now; the old house would simply remain behind. And beyond all this, he knew he had to refocus...he needed to finally complete his own hospital project he had abandoned for too long.

The beauty of the house soothed him, even though he never went upstairs to see the bedrooms. He merely adjusted himself on the long sofa and remained there, alone with his thoughts.

Even now, Yibo already felt that the house had become truly homey. His heart seemed to expand and finally settle in one place. Beyond his personal belongings, there was nothing he intended to bring from the other house. With that thought, he stayed until night fully fell, then locked up the house, got into his car, and left.

If he hadn't believed that Zhan's relatives would continue the furnishing work early the next morning, he might have stayed the night and left at dawn instead.

But why rush?

Only two days remained.

One… two… just like that.

With that thought, Peng's face surfaced in his mind, followed by the many things that could unfold once he returned.

****

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐲

Mr. Min Ghao's residence was overflowing with guests attending Zhan's reception. Cars lined the street from the gate all the way to the main road, bumper to bumper. Some shop owners nearby were openly arguing with drivers, complaining that the parked cars had blocked their businesses. Anyone who managed to park would stand there for a moment, staring at the endless line of vehicles, wondering how they would ever get out later.

Inside the compound, the scene was so transformed that one had to look twice to believe it was still a private home. A professional decorator...recommended by Aunty Shui's friend...had completely reimagined the space. This was the kind of team that could turn an open field into a grand hall of any size imaginable. Despite the high cost, Aunty Shui spared no expense and paid in full.

She certainly got her money's worth.

The work had started the previous afternoon and continued through the night. By morning, there was no trace left of the original compound. Even in person, it looked nothing like Nainai's home anymore; in photographs, one would swear it was a luxurious event venue in the heart of Beijing. Large golden archways with intricate designs had been installed specifically as photo backdrops.

Soft, elegant carpets covered the entire area, especially the groom's section. Simply standing there made one reluctant to move. The décor was rich and elaborate, blending beautifully with traditional Chinese ceremonial elements.

A canopied metal bed had been placed to one side, its mattress neatly dressed with fresh linens—this was where the ceremonial bathing of the groom took place. Afterward, Zhan was led out, surrounded by groups of men and women eagerly taking photographs.

Meanwhile, the food servers were overwhelmed, rushing in every direction as meals were distributed nonstop.

At Zhan's pavilion, Aunt Wei and other relatives were busy comforting him and Bai. Zhan had been crying so much that he could barely pose for photos with those around him.

At that moment, Zhan barely heard a word of what Aunt Wei was saying, nor Yufei's attempts to console him by saying she had felt the same way at her own wedding. His eyes were nearly closed, and the crowd around him might as well not have existed. There was only one image filling his mind...his mother.

That was all Zhan could see.

His chest tightened with an emotion he couldn't name, couldn't understand, and didn't know how to release.

He had prepared himself for this day...mentally and emotionally...far more than anyone realized. Yet as everything unfolded, it felt unreal, like something meant for someone else. This was not how he had imagined it. Not this version. Not this overwhelming scene where everything...every face, every sound...was supposedly because of him.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦'𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥.

Nainai and her relatives surrounded him with prayers and heartfelt words. Without warning, Zhan's composure shattered again. When Nainai began speaking directly to him, it felt as though someone had reached into his chest and torn open what was already broken. The way she spoke made it feel as though she were standing beside his lifeless body, praising his virtues.

He could hear Aunt Gumsu scolding Bai for crying uncontrollably as well, saying they were turning the reception into a funeral. Even the DJ had grown tired of pleading for the groom to step into the center, repeating the request until guests began to notice something was wrong and gathered closer.

Through the crowd, Aunt Shui pushed her way forward. Despite her flawless makeup and elegant appearance...her hair styled to match the sea-green and pink lace outfit she wore...her expression was furious.

"𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛?" she demanded. "𝐼 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝐼'𝑚 𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑑 ℎ𝑒'𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑐𝑟𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑝?"

Aunt Wei answered quickly,

"𝐼'𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎. 𝑁𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝𝑠. 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑢𝑝 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑟𝑢𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑."

Before she could finish, Aunt Shui reached Zhan and Bai. With one hand, she pulled Bai away sharply.

"𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝐵𝑎𝑖, 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑝𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦."

Then she leaned toward Zhan, lowering her voice so only he could hear.

"𝐼 𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑁𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑖 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑡𝑜𝑔𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟. 𝐴𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑟𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑗𝑜𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑜𝑠?"

That put an end to the crying. Aunt Wei and the others quickly fixed Zhan's appearance, and the photo session resumed.

When staff from Primecare Hospital arrived for group photos, Zhan was shocked by how many of them there were. Even during preparations, Aunt Shui had complained loudly that his hospital staff had no restraint...that invitations hadn't even been limited to cardholders, yet everyone had gathered at the hospital and come together. There was no way to turn them away.

Zhan understood their intention clearly. They wanted reassurance. They wanted to witness the marriage with their own eyes. The decorators had even installed a massive banner at the entrance reading:

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗬𝗶𝗯𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗭𝗵𝗮𝗻'𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

The staff had asked to put his photos with Yibo, but Aunt Shui refused on his behalf. Zhan himself couldn't imagine how he would look Yibo in the eye and ask him to take photos with him.

The reception continued peacefully after that. Everything was completed smoothly. Food was so plentiful that guests left with portions, even after beggars had been fed.

As night deepened and guests began to leave, Nainai suddenly broke down in tears as well. People gathered around her, offering comfort. Eventually, Uncle Sanxing...who had just returned from delivering a television to Yibo's house...gently led her to his car along with her cousin, and she finally calmed down.

At exactly 6:30 p.m., with most guests gone, sixteen vehicles lined up in formation to escort Zhan, with Duan and his friends cars.

𝑾𝒆𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒅𝒂𝒚, 28 𝑱𝒂𝒏𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒚

2026

𝒁𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒙𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒊𝒃𝒐💚❤💛