Chapter 65:

The day of the wedding arrived quickly. The ceremony was traditional Chinese, and the hotel had been chosen after discussion between Lin Weiming and Xie Jiayi. On the morning of the wedding, Lin Qiao was woken up before dawn. She was made up, dressed, and everything was prepared meticulously. When all was ready, the wedding sedan chair had already arrived.

Since everyone knew there would be a sedan chair procession, the hotel had been selected to be very close to Shen Qingzhou’s home. As previously mentioned, Shen’s residence was in an area of prime location, with complete surrounding facilities, including a famous hotel just a short distance away.

Lin Qiao wore a red outfit, complete with phoenix crown and embroidered red robe. A red veil covered her head, its front edge slightly shorter so that while walking, it revealed her delicate, finely-shaped chin. Her red lips were slightly pursed, and her mouth involuntarily curved upward. Everyone around couldn’t help but feel delighted by the sight.

Marriage is a beautiful event. During the wedding ceremony, both the bride and groom are naturally filled with joy and excitement. However, not everyone present at this wedding carried good wishes in their hearts.

Qin Muyao wasn’t surprised to receive an invitation to Shen Qingzhou and Lin Qiao’s wedding. After all, he had requested it himself. The fact that Shen Qingzhou had actually sent him an invitation showed that the man truly regarded him as insignificant—completely unthreatening, even to the point of not fearing his presence.

On the day of Lin Qiao’s wedding, Qin Muyao dressed carefully and went to the hotel with his wedding gift and a red envelope containing his gift money.

As expected, the entire hotel had been booked for the wedding. Outside the entrance hung a giant poster displaying Shen Qingzhou and Lin Qiao’s wedding photos. A sign stood in front of it, printed in Song typeface. The moment Qin Muyao saw the words, he felt a sharp pang in his heart and quickly averted his gaze.

It read: “Welcome to Mr. Shen Qingzhou and Miss Lin Qiao’s wedding ceremony.”

Lin Weiming spotted Qin Muyao the moment he walked in. He had always appreciated this young man who had helped his daughter so much. As a man himself, he naturally understood Qin Muyao’s feelings toward Lin Qiao. Before Lin Qiao met Shen Qingzhou, he had assumed Qin would be his future son-in-law. Who could have predicted so many unexpected changes later?

Qin Muyao approached Lin Weiming silently, offering a slightly strained smile as he softly said, “Congratulations, Uncle Lin.”

Lin Weiming patted his shoulder and sighed, “Muyao, you’re a good kid.”

Hearing this, Qin’s smile didn’t fade, but his eyes drifted away with a momentary haze. “Thank you for your kind words, Uncle Lin,” he murmured, slipping his hands into his suit pockets. “I’ll go register my gift now.”

Lin Weiming chuckled, “You really don’t need to. Just coming is enough.” Though he said this, it was just polite formality. Giving gifts at a wedding was a centuries-old tradition, and no one would break it. Lin Weiming still pointed Qin toward where he should go.

Qin Muyao stood quietly in line behind other guests, waiting patiently. When it was his turn, he took out his wallet from an inner suit pocket, pulled out a stack of hundred-yuan notes, and placed them on the table. He softly stated his name: “Qin Muyao, on the bride’s side.”

The person recording the gifts was a financial assistant from Lin Weiming’s company, while the one counting the money was the financial director. The director was a woman in her forties, and the assistant was a young woman in her twenties. Upon hearing Qin Muyao’s words, the girl looked up at him. Seeing his clear, sharp features and cool, composed expression, she blushed slightly and softly said, “Mr. Qin, your name sounds really nice.”

Qin Muyao hadn’t really paid attention at first, but her words made him glance down slightly, his expression distant as he said, “Thank you.”

The girl smiled and added, “Your voice sounds nice too, and kind of familiar.”

Familiar? She must have seen him on the news often. As a simultaneous interpreter, having a pleasant voice that sounded familiar was perfectly normal.

Qin Muyao had no mood for small talk and didn’t respond further, quickly saying his goodbyes and leaving.

The guest standing behind him was also a tall, slender young man. The assistant girl reluctantly turned her gaze from Qin Muyao’s retreating figure and saw the next guest handing over several thick stacks of ten-cent coins—all brand new, clearly specially obtained from the bank. Counting them would surely take forever.

Frowning slightly, the girl looked up and met the man’s smiling dark eyes. As she took the coins, her fingers accidentally brushed against his cool, slender hand, sending a chill down her spine.

The man’s smile seemed eerie, making her forget even to check his invitation.

“Zhao Chunjun,” he said in a low, gentle voice, then added seriously, “Count the money carefully and record it. On the bride’s side.”

“…”

Another one on the bride’s side? Yet the difference from the previous one was so huge. Could this be Lin Qiao’s ex-boyfriend? She hadn’t heard anything about Lin Qiao having a past relationship.

The girl hesitated and glanced at the director beside her. Though the director frowned, she still accepted the stacks of coins and began counting them efficiently. The guests behind Zhao Chunjun watched him with subtle, curious expressions, but he didn’t seem at all uncomfortable. He even casually nodded at them before tidying his coat and heading toward the banquet hall.

As soon as he left, the girl helped with the counting while whispering, “This guy seems kind of strange. Could he be here to cause trouble?”

The director glanced down and said, “Work more, talk less.”

Reprimanded indirectly, the girl immediately fell silent and focused on counting and recording.

The banquet hall was decorated in traditional Chinese style. From the entrance to the stage, a wide, clean red carpet stretched across the floor. From the ceiling above, red lanterns hung down in sections, draped with red silk ribbons, creating a festive and joyous atmosphere.

The guest tables were all covered with high-quality red tablecloths printed with the character for “double happiness,” with shorter golden tablecloths layered on top. Then came the dishes.

Every chair was covered in red fabric, with red “double happiness” characters pasted on the back and red ribbons tied onto each.

At the center of the stage stood a table and two chairs, all draped in red cloth printed with the “double happiness” character. These were clearly reserved for Lin Weiming and Xie Jiayi, the honored parents of the bride and groom.

Above the table hung an enormous “double happiness” character, flanked by a couplet on either side. Beside the couplet were large Chinese knots. The entire stage was covered in red carpet, and wherever one looked inside the banquet hall, everything was red, traditional, and classic.

Qin Muyao casually took a seat in a corner, not paying attention to the man who sat beside him. His eyes remained fixed on the stage, while the two girls at his table whispered to each other.

“Just look at this scene—you can tell the groom must be super rich. Qiao really married well. I wish I could have a traditional Chinese wedding like this too.”

“You wish? You’d need money to pull something like this off. Even a regular meal at this hotel costs a fortune. Now they’ve booked the entire place for the wedding banquet. Who knows how much it costs for a day like this, with so many tables set up… Never thought any of our classmates would marry into such wealth.”

The first girl laughed, “Listen to you talk, as if Qiao’s family was poor or something.”

“That’s true. They’re probably a good match in terms of status.”

“Exactly. So enviable.”

Envious? Of course.

Qin Muyao glanced at his watch. It was almost twelve. The banquet would start soon.

As expected, the wedding banquet began precisely at twelve. The host first delivered a series of congratulatory remarks before finally introducing the groom and bride. When Qin Muyao saw Lin Qiao, dressed in her traditional bridal attire and being led onto the stage, he almost stood up involuntarily.

The quiet man beside him suddenly said, “It’s obvious, Mr. Qin, that you and Mrs. Shen must share a very special relationship.”

Qin Muyao sharply turned to look at the speaker. The man had phoenix-shaped eyes, fair skin, and long eyebrows, with heavy dark circles under his eyes. His voice was low and deep, revealing no clear emotion.

Without hesitation, Qin denied it, “We’re just classmates.”

The man slightly lifted his chin, offering a sarcastic smile clearly showing his disbelief. “Would a normal classmate ever think about crashing the wedding?”

Qin Muyao glanced around at the guests, who were all focused on the ceremony. No one had noticed their conversation. He exhaled in relief and said to the man, “Who are you? You can eat carelessly, but please don’t speak carelessly.”

The man smiled and said, “The name’s Zhao Chunjun. I admit, I did come here to eat without an invitation.” He made a show of looking sad. “But I’m a reasonable person. I did pay for my meal. I might be crashing, but I’m not freeloading.”

Qin Muyao frowned at him, clearly uninterested in further conversation. Zhao Chunjun didn’t seem to mind. He casually leaned back in his chair, humming along to the traditional wedding music, clearly enjoying himself.

Qin Muyao’s hands clenched tightly under his sleeves. He took a deep breath and stood up to leave, but just then, Zhao Chunjun, who had just turned his head away, spoke again.

“Sometimes, even after marriage, two people aren’t truly together. In today’s world, divorce is common. If Mr. Qin ever needs help in that area, perhaps I can assist.”

Qin Muyao frowned and sat back down, lowering his voice. “Who are you? Why are you telling me this?”

Zhao Chunjun took out a business card from his suit pocket and handed it to him with both hands. Smiling, he said, “Allow me to reintroduce myself. Zhao Chunjun, a doctor.”

Qin Muyao took the card, glanced at it, and raised an eyebrow. “A psychiatric hospital?”

Zhao Chunjun’s smile deepened. “Don’t look down on the profession. Mental illness needs treatment too. In fact, it’s quite common nowadays. One in ten people might suffer from it. Maybe even you, Mr. Qin.”

Qin Muyao casually stuffed the card into his pocket and said coldly, “You’re here, so you must be Qiao’s friend. Today is her big day, yet you’re trying to stir up trouble. Don’t think I can’t see through your intentions.”

Zhao Chunjun clasped his hands together and said, “Mr. Qin, you’re too smart. But we both have our own goals, don’t we? If they divorce, you can pursue Miss Lin again, and I’ll get what I want.”

“What do you want?” Qin asked, narrowing his eyes.

Zhao Chunjun always spoke in a low tone, just loud enough for Qin to hear without drawing attention from others.

His voice was slightly hoarse as he said, “I want Shen Qingzhou to fall from grace. Only then can I feel safe. Shen values Lin Qiao greatly. Scientific research shows that losing someone dear can cause the greatest emotional trauma. At that moment, when he’s consumed by grief, any action taken against him will have a much higher chance of success. Because then, he’ll only be thinking about how to win her back, leaving no room to deal with other trivial matters.”

Shen Qingzhou held evidence of Fang Zheng’s crimes, which meant he might also have evidence against Zhao Chunjun. Although Zhao had taken every measure he could think of to ensure his temporary safety, as long as Shen remained free, he couldn’t sleep peacefully. Only when Shen was under his control, just like those patients in the hospital, could he truly feel secure.

Zhao’s words left Qin Muyao deep in thought. He turned his gaze toward the stage, where the tea ceremony was already underway. Lin Qiao and Shen Qingzhou each held a cup of tea, offering it to Xie Jiayi and Lin Weiming. The two elders accepted the tea, and thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

Once the tea was served, the ceremony was complete. Qin had known Lin Qiao for years, once believing that he would be the groom standing beside her on this day. Now, he could only watch helplessly as she became someone else’s wife.

He had never loved anyone this deeply before. Perhaps his arrogance and indecisiveness had cost him everything. But he believed that in this unrequited love, he had poured his entire heart into her.

If one day he had to let go of this deep, unforgettable feeling, he would never dare to fall in love again.

Qin Muyao lightly furrowed his brow and unconsciously looked toward Zhao Chunjun, who was already preparing to leave. He had no intention of staying for the banquet and had risen from his seat. With elegant manners, he nodded at Qin to say goodbye and mouthed the words: “I’ll be waiting.”

Qin’s hand, which had just relaxed, clenched into a fist again. He quickly looked away and closed his eyes, as if trying to escape. A voice in his heart asked him, “Are you really willing to accept defeat?”

No one likes to lose.

Shen Qingzhou had once clearly told Qin Muyao that he didn’t like to lose. And Qin had sarcastically replied that Shen was just unable to handle losing.

In the end, neither of them understood that the real loser is often the one who can’t let go of winning and losing.