Chapter 85: A Shock at the Wedding

As soon as the reporters left, Fang Ruohai happily entered his sister’s room. Though not in the United States, he still felt it necessary to make the wedding a grand affair—after all, the Fang family was of status and influence.
Seeing Fang Ruoxin sitting at the dressing table with her head in her hands, Fang Ruohai smiled cheerfully, “Aixin, what are you doing? Lost in thought? Thinking about Xiao Ran?”
“Brother, do you plan to invite Dad?” Fang Ruoxin glanced at him without expression and asked, “I don’t like that. He always likes to arrange my life—everyone in the family does the same!”
Fang Ruohai’s good mood vanished instantly. He hadn’t intended to invite his father, but his sister’s words hurt him. Shaking his head, he felt even more affection for her. Sitting down beside her, he said softly, “Dad does like to arrange your life, but don’t forget—he doted on you so much when you were young that even your brother and I were jealous!”
Fang Ruohai sighed. Fang Po Li truly loved his youngest daughter deeply, but it was precisely this anxious love that made him want to plan every step of her life. Perhaps all parents in the world were the same in this regard.
Fang Po Li had carefully arranged the upbringing of his children, even handling their marriages. The difference was that his two sons’ marriages were arranged for practical reasons. As for Fang Po Li, who had shifted his guilt toward his sons onto his daughter, he didn’t opt for a purely familial marriage this time. Instead, he selected a few suitors from among those who were capable of winning Fang Ruoxin’s heart.
After pursuing Fang Ruoxin for some time, almost no one dared to continue—no one wanted to spend their life with such a spoiled woman. As time passed and Fang Ruoxin grew older, Fang Po Li grew more worried and forced her to choose a suitable husband from his selected candidates. Naturally, Fang Ruoxin refused. After arguing loudly with her father and with the help of her two brothers, she finally managed to get a year of freedom.
She agreed with her father that if she couldn’t find what she wanted within that year, she would have to marry one of his chosen men. Fang Po Li understood that his daughter was spoiled and had high standards. If left to choose freely, she might never settle down. That’s why they made this agreement.
“Anyway, I don’t want him here! Besides, he’s too busy with work—where would he get the time?” Fang Ruoxin said this clearly insincerely.
Fang Ruohai sighed again. If Fang Po Li knew Fang Ruoxin was getting married, no matter how busy he was, he would definitely come—because Fang Ruoxin embodied all the family’s love. Fang Ruoxin hesitated for a moment. “Actually, I think Li Wenli and Nick are quite good, it’s just that…”

“It’s just because it was arranged by Dad that you don’t want to, right?” What else could Fang Ruoxin do but sigh? He used to be as rebellious as his brother, but gradually came to understand that not everything arranged by parents was necessarily bad. “If you regret it, let’s go back. As for Xiao Ran, just ignore him!”
Fang Ruoxin replied without hesitation, “No. I’d rather choose Xiao Ran than accept what Dad has arranged!”
Fang Ruohai sighed deeply once again. Was it worth ruining his life over rebellion? But thinking of how Xiao Ran treated Fang Ruoxin, he felt it might be a good decision. At least for Fang Ruohai, who valued talent over family background, Xiao Ran’s abilities were undoubtedly far superior to those of the other candidates. Most importantly, those people all came from wealthy families, with marriage of convenience looming behind them.
Xiao Ran had never felt this relaxed and happy before, as he had shed the heavy burden he had carried all along. Going straight to the Fang family’s house, he knocked on Fang Ruoxin’s door before entering. There, he was surprised to see both Fang Ruohai and Fang Ruoxin looking strangely upset.
He smiled faintly and said something that shocked the siblings: “I’m sorry, but I’ve made up my mind. I won’t attend the wedding!”
The two in the room were stunned. In that moment, Fang Ruohai realized that if that was the case, his sister would have to go back and fulfill her promise to her father—marrying someone she didn’t like.
Fang Ruoxin was frozen. She never expected Xiao Ran’s eyes to be so clear, so devoid of the admiration that once made her feel proud. Anger flared in the siblings’ hearts, and Fang Ruoxin rushed forward, raising her hand to strike Xiao Ran hard.
But Xiao Ran didn’t get hit. He firmly grabbed Fang Ruoxin’s hand, a hint of mockery in his expression. “I’m sorry, but I’m no longer the Xiao Ran who can be beaten or scolded at will. I hope you’ll be polite to me.”
Gently shaking off Fang Ruoxin’s hand, Xiao Ran stepped back and turned his gaze to Fang Ruohai, whose eyes burned with fury. “Ahai, I’m very sorry about this, but it wasn’t until yesterday that I realized I don’t love Ah Xin. So I won’t marry her.”
If Fang Ruohai hadn’t always opposed resolving problems with violence, he would have killed Xiao Ran right then. He was sure of it. Instead, he didn’t strike but gave Xiao Ran a deeply calculating look, his tone cold as if coming from hell. “I understand. You can go now. But I hope you’ll keep this a secret. I’ll be the one to announce the news!”
“Don’t worry!” Before turning away, Xiao Ran glanced at the siblings one last time before leaving the room, as if shedding all burdens. “I’m going by plane to pursue the person I truly love. You can announce the news however you want!”
Fang Ruoxin suddenly raised her head, biting her lower lip, her expression terrifying as ever. “It’s always been me who leaves people. No one has ever dared to leave me, let alone humiliate me like this. Brother, I want him dead!”

“Don’t worry. It’s either friends or enemies—he knows that principle.” Fang Ruohai now deeply regretted having misjudged Xiao Ran, having pushed his sister into his arms only for Xiao Ran to ignore her. He bit his lower lip, trying hard to suppress his anger, while gently stroking his sister’s long hair. “Don’t worry. Even if I die, I’ll never let Dad ruin the rest of your life!”

On the plane, Xiao Ran was anxious, wishing he could transform into someone from those fantasy novels he’d read and fly to Prague right away. But such an idea was obviously unfeasible. So, he could only close his eyes and rest, aiming to be in his best state when he met Lin Qingxia. That was after he and Fa Ge left the beach. Fa Ge asked him what he planned to do, and Xiao Ran told him his decision. But Fa Ge told him that Lin Qingxia had left for Prague and would return only after he married Fang Ruoxin. So now, Xiao Ran no longer cared. Neither Fang Ruoxin nor Fang Ruohai mattered to him—they were all irrelevant. The most important person to him now was Lin Qingxia. But where was she in Prague? Xiao Ran didn’t know, but it didn’t matter; he could search. If he couldn’t find her in ten days, he’d search for a month. He believed luck would be on his side. Fortunately, he understood English from his dreams, though not very well—enough to communicate and understand basic conversations. So, he quickly obtained information on all the major hotels in Prague and planned to check them one by one…

“Excuse me, is this guest staying here?” Xiao Ran asked at the last hotel, holding Lin Qingxia’s photo. Unfortunately, the answer was no.

He had been here for three days, visiting every major hotel in Prague. He had no mood to appreciate the exotic atmosphere; all he felt was intense longing. With each passing day, his longing for Lin Qingxia grew stronger, and over time, this accumulated emotion reached a point of explosion.

“Where are you now?” Xiao Ran left the hotel, looking up at it as he murmured to himself.

Lin Qingxia wasn’t staying in a luxury hotel but in an ordinary hot spring resort. She had been there for several days. To stay quiet and avoid disturbing her thoughts, she hadn’t even called back to Hong Kong. Every day, she would soak in the hot springs, then drown in sorrowful memories.

But today, she suddenly felt as if something was waiting for her, like some strange call. So, after a relaxing soak, she picked up the phone. After thinking for a moment, she dialed Zhong Chuhong’s number, because she suddenly wanted to know everything about Xiao Ran during these days—a compulsive urge she couldn’t suppress.

“Ahong, how is he?” Lin Qingxia had no idea what she was about to hear.

“Qingxia, it’s you!? Didn’t he already go to Prague to find you?” Zhong Chuhong was very excited, with an undercurrent of jealousy in her voice. “Haven’t you two met?”

Lin Qingxia was utterly astonished. She suddenly realized her feelings might have been correct. A hunch made her feel hot all over, and with a trembling voice, she asked, “What exactly happened? How did he come to Prague?”
“On the day of the wedding, he canceled it. It’s the biggest news in the whole city now,” said Zhong Chuhong. Whether she was happy for Lin Qingxia or for some other reason, she was clearly excited, thinking it was truly romantic—something a woman could only experience once in her life, and that was enough. “Then he immediately took a flight to Prague to find you!”
A loud noise rang in Lin Qingxia’s head, and instantly she felt weak all over. The phone slipped from her hand to the ground, as she could only hear Zhong Chuhong’s continuous questions. She didn’t know whether to be happy or excited; all she knew was her heart was beating so fast it seemed about to burst out of her chest.
He actually left the bride and the wedding to come looking for me! That voice echoed in Lin Qingxia’s mind. She tried to struggle to stand up, eager to go find him right away…
Unfortunately, it wasn’t easy to meet in such a crowded world. It wasn’t until the fifth night that Lin Qingxia wandered alone on the streets, scanning the faces of passersby. Gradually, she walked onto a bridge. She didn’t know its name, but the bridge and the river below it were beautiful and serene.
Just as she despaired that the day was coming to an end, a figure she had missed day and night appeared on the other side of the bridge. Xiao Ran also saw the figure who had tormented him these past five days. The two stood there, staring at each other across the bridge, with no barriers between them anymore.
Xiao Ran moved forward, taking steps that seemed to touch Lin Qingxia’s heart, making it tremble gently. When he reached her, he gazed at this goddess. Before, he hadn’t dared to disrespect her, but now he knew that ignoring his own feelings would be the real disrespect. He didn’t want Lin Qingxia to marry that businessman. If there was anyone in the world who could bring her happiness, he believed it was himself.
“You really came…” Lin Qingxia’s voice trembled, her still beautiful face flushed with excitement and joy, adding to its breathtaking beauty.
“I really came…” Xiao Ran slowly reached out and, for the first time, pulled the goddess into his arms. Smelling her fragrance, he swore inwardly that he would never make Lin Qingxia sad again. “Now that I’m here, let’s not be apart, okay?”
Lin Qingxia completely relaxed. Her past pain faded away. She leaned against Xiao Ran and gave a soft yet touching affirmative response from her delicate nose: “Mm…”
On this beautiful bridge, a love that should have happened long ago finally sparked. Though it all seemed highly dramatic, we shouldn’t doubt it!