Chapter 569: Your wedding
That night, Fang Ruli went to Xibei. Fang Chen and Fang Yuqing could not send her off. Xu Tingsheng didn"t either.
He really could not bear listening to a fourteen-year-old cry so hysterically, calmly watch the originally feisty, proud and stubborn girl weeping as she admitted defeat and said "I beg you".
In this world, the greatest paradox regarding growing up is that one should be sensible. Is it a good thing? Or is it a bad thing? To be honest, this being "sensible" is actually one learning to compromise and go against their own will.
Henceforth, Fang Ruli would inevitably slowly turn sensible.
When going out for duty, an ambulance brought this mother and daughter pair along with Du Jiang out of the city district of Xihu City. Then, it switched to a Shenghai license plate on the highway and headed for Binzhou.
"Drinking here isn"t good, right?" Sitting in the exterior room of the sick ward, holding a half-empty beer can, Zhong Wusheng asked rather guiltily.
Whatever the case, old man Fang was already on his last legs over in the interior room.
"He won"t wake up anyway," At some point in time, Xu Tingsheng had gained a sense of camaraderie with the old man as he alone was able to speak of him like he would a friend of the same generation.
He said, "If the old man is really awoken by all the noise we cause, wouldn"t that be a good thing? We can give him a can too."
And so they drank. Due to the alcohol, their tense nerves were relaxed for the first time in a long while.
Drunk people were all the same. Whether it was Fang Yuqing, Xu Tingsheng or Zhong Wusheng, all of them were fighting to get a word in, just like at the small eatery at Xishan that year.
While Fang Chen who had the highest alcohol capacity was not drunk at all, she pretended to be drunk as she asked, "Xu Tingsheng, what did you mean when you asked Ruli to be close childhood friends with that Little Jinshan? Getting our Little Carp to cozy with a mine boss following her family"s failure?"
Xu Tingsheng had yet to reply when Fang Yuqing said, "The heck you know."
"You dare to speak to your Sis this way?" Fang Chen asked, "I know that Old Jin. Isn"t he just a little bit more successful? He"s still a mine boss. Back in school, Little Carp always most looked down on the children of the nouveau riche."
Xu Tingsheng said, "That"s because you"ve never seen Little Jinshan...that brat, I think he"ll be Binzhou"s local tyrant at the very least. There"s a high chance that it"s not just that. Little Carp and him, one wilful and sharp-tongued, one shameless and rich, they"ll at least be acquainted after two years pa.s.s and sparks have flown. If coincidentally, something does happen between the two of them...be it in terms of wealth or power, the days of that mother and daughter will be incomparable to that of your Fang family in the past."
Fang Chen stared rather disbelieving at Xu Tingsheng, "But he"s only eight."
"It"s precisely because he"s only eight!" Xu Tingsheng exclaimed, "I"ve never seen an eight-year-old like him before."
Fang Chen was still somewhat doubtful of this. Still, after a moment"s hesitation, she ceased to contest in this debate.
"Actually, to be honest, I should be feeling the most lost now," Fang Chen said in a rather melancholic tone, "If things go well over there, if it"s really this way, Yuqing may still have a position for his talents over at Binzhou. As for me, though, I really have no idea what I can do."
"Marry someone, educate your kids," Xu Tingsheng said.
Fang Chen glared at him.
Xu Tingsheng said, "No, really, listen. Actually, what I"m most afraid of is that you"ll be unwilling to give in, unwilling to hide behind the back of others and insisting on doing something. Do you know about demons cultivating? It has always been that only those who can patiently bide their time in their caves for hundreds and thousands of years can become major demons. And as for those who love to come out for amus.e.m.e.nt after some mere decades or centuries of cultivation, ninety-nine percent of them perish."
Fang Chen said, "Right."
Xu Tingsheng stared at her, saying, "Don"t just right. Remember."
Fang Chen said, "Right."
Having once been totally at her mercy in his first year of university, at some point in time, Xu Tingsheng had become like an elder to her. This time, for she and her brother, and even for their family...he had been like an umbrella, s.h.i.+elding them from the winds and the rain.
Actually, Fang Chen still wanted to ask about her parents in prison. Some might already have accepted their fate and given up. Xu Tingsheng too had never mentioned it. Still, Fang Chen had no way of letting this go.
She was always wondering if there was still some hope that things could be reversed for them.
It was just that with how things were right now, it was already not easy for Xu Tingsheng to keep them safe. In the past day, if not for him, she and her brother would probably have lost their lives.
Fang Chen had no way of asking more from him for the time being.
……
When Yu Qing had been together with Fang Yuqing, she had made quite a lot of friends amongst those who were close with Xu Tingsheng, including Xiang Ning and Apple.
A whole group of them departed from Yanzhou.
Xu Tingsheng arranged for someone to look after the old man. Next, he, Fang Yuqing, Zhong Wusheng and Fang Chen openly set off for Suzhou. If the Ling and Xiao families were keeping an eye on them, they would naturally check and be fully cognisant of where they were going and why.
Therefore, there was no need to hide anything at all.
On their way there, Xu Tingsheng and Fang Chen took turns driving while Fang Yuqing in the backseat had his head buried and said nothing at all. Maybe he had never imagined, would never have thought that there might be a day he attended Yu Qing"s wedding with another.
Fang Yuqing had met Yu Qing in their first year of university. At the time, he had still been an official second gen and playboy with a bad reputation. With her ordinary background and her worldview, Yu Qing had not been attracted by his status in the slightest as she had even felt rather put off by it.
In the end, because of this, Fang Yuqing had been attracted by the beautiful her and unrepentantly, shamelessly hara.s.sed her all the way from her first to second year.
Yu Qing had finally discovered his authenticity.
After the two had gotten together, Fang Yuqing had still not been all that sensible. Still, Yu Qing knew that he loved her. Over the course of their relations.h.i.+p, Yu Qing had continually utilised love and intelligence to forge a better Fang Yuqing.
Yu Qing had once given up on their relations.h.i.+p when she had returned to Suzhou after graduation. Due to the difference between their families, having coincidentally met Fang Yuqing"s parents once before, she did not believe that their relations.h.i.+p would bear fruit.
Afterwards, Fang Yuqing had decided to walk the path of commerce and shrug off those fetters of his family. Rus.h.i.+ng a long distance to propose, he had rescued their relations.h.i.+p.
Everything had looked so wonderful…
Until…
The hotel for the wedding was not so grand. It seemed like just as Yu Qing had said, the person she was marrying was just an ordinary ex-cla.s.smate from senior high. His family background might be just as ordinary as hers.
Xu Tingsheng stopped the car a distance away and asked Fang Yuqing, "Are you going? There"s still time to back out now."
Fang Yuqing checked the b.u.t.tons of his s.h.i.+rt and adjusted his hair before asking, "Say, how do I look? I...still look pretty normal, right."
"Normal."
"Let"s go then."
After parking the car, the four went to the front door of the hotel.
From a distance away, they could see Yu Qing welcoming the guests in her pure white wedding gown at the entrance of the hotel. Beside her was the groom in his black suit.
Fang Yuqing stopped.
"What is it? Regretting it?" Fang Chen asked.
"No. I suddenly remembered that I didn"t prepare a red packet," Fang Yuqing explained.
Xu Tingsheng pa.s.sed him a gigantic red packet, saying, "I"ve prepared one for you."
Fang Yuqing touched it and sensed that something was off as he asked, "What"s inside?"
"A flat," Xu Tingsheng said frankly, "The developer is my Dad"s friend. The site is right beside Yu Qing"s unit. I got someone to reserve it yesterday. It"s already been paid for. Yu Qing can simply bring her identification card over when the time comes to get the procedures handled."
"This…"
"This is what you dreamt of doing for her before. Sadly...we don"t have the time to build a Qing Garden."
Fang Yuqing turned around and secretly wiped his tears before turning back and smiling as he said, "Back then, I said I"d buy it for her, but she simply refused to accept it no matter what. I said I"d buy her a car, but she refused too. In the end, she spent so much time everyday on public transport, her hands and ears frozen by the wind in winter…"
"It"ll be all good from now on. There"ll be someone by her side to take care of her."
He started walking over.
Yu Qing was wearing a pure white wedding gown. Her hair was bundled up as she was wearing a silver tiara and silver high-heeled shoes. Her white, bare shoulders, her radiant smile...today"s bride possessed an otherworldly beauty.
She had just finished exchanging pleasantries with a group of guests when she turned and suddenly saw Fang Yuqing walk in front of her.
"You...came?" After a pause, Yu Qing asked.
"Yeah. We were cla.s.smates after all," Fang Yuqing smiled and pa.s.sed the red packet over before using all his strength to say, "Congratulations on your wedding...a hundred years, a match made to last."
"Thank you," Yu Qing averted her gaze, trying hard to suppress her emotions.
"Congratulations on your wedding," Xu Tingsheng and Zhong Wusheng stepped forward and blocked Fang Yuqing from view, he seeming like he might break down if he took another look.
"Yu Qing...you look so beautiful in that wedding gown," Fang Chen stepped forward and pulled Yu Qing"s hands.
Yu Qing hugged Fang Chen, saying, "Thank you, Big Sis."
Right, she should originally have been her big sister.
A rather despondent, unhappy voice resounded from the side, "You must be Fang Yuqing?"
It was the groom who had spoken. Everyone now directed their gazes at him. Decked in a black suit and red tie, he wasn"t that tall and definitely not as handsome as Fang Yuqing. Still, to be honest, this person"s looks were indeed not bad as he was refres.h.i.+ng and valiant, having a warmth that Fang Yuqing lacked.
"Right. h.e.l.lo, I"m Yu Qing"s cla.s.smate from university. Congratulations," Fang Yuqing extended a hand.
The groom did not take it as he curled his lips slightly mockingly, shaking his head, "You don"t have to act in front of me. I know you. Actually, I don"t mind that. It"s just...why did you come? Honestly speaking, I really don"t welcome you here!"
Rather than sounding domineering or hostile, these words of his were full of helplessness and despondence.
Fang Yuqing could naturally not reveal any dissatisfaction as he bowed slightly, saying, "Sorry. I"ll sit for a while before leaving."
"Even sitting for a while…" The groom muttered pretty unwillingly out loud.
Yu Qing pulled his sleeve before turning and saying to the four of them, "Go on up to sit. I"ll be there in a while. And...Yuqing…"
"Yes?"
"I also invited some of our cla.s.smates and friends from university...your former friends, Cao Qing"s lot also came. About that, I"m afraid that you, you…"
"Relax, it"s your wedding today. However they...kidding. I won"t create any trouble for you."
"Thank you."
Reminded by Yu Qing, Xu Tingsheng realised that actually, besides Yu Qing"s wedding itself, there was another difficult situation in Fang Yuqing having come here today. It was his and Yu Qing"s common friends and cla.s.smates.
Some of them, like Cao Qing, had previously gallivanted with him, and a portion of these people were aware of the current state of the Fang family. Fang Yuqing was a direct person and had actually inadvertently offended many in the past. Those people could tolerate it and act as inferiors in the past because of the Fang family"s authority. With Fang Yuqing"s complex relations.h.i.+ps in society, now that his status was lower than theirs...it was very difficult to predict what they might say and do.
"Relax. I"ll just ignore them," Fang Yuqing said as he saw the worried gazes of Xu Tingsheng and Fang Chen.
He had once been someone who could not tolerate any grievances at all.
The four of them pa.s.sed through the hotel lobby that was not so wide. Looking at that crowd before the lift entrance, they decided to take the s.p.a.cious, empty staircase.
Less than halfway up the first flight of steps.
"Yuqing…"
The four looked back.
The bride, Yu Qing, was standing at the stairwell below, carrying the train of her dress. She looked up at Fang Yuqing.
"That incident was fake, right? Because something happened with your family, you did it on purpose so as to not be a burden to me. Right?"