Chapter 11#
Contract Marriage (11)#
The person who interrupted the wedding was none other than the groom who had been replaced at the last minute, Fang Chuan. Seeing her son appear, Qin Lan’s forced smile finally turned genuine.
The guests recognized Fang Chuan and began whispering among themselves. The journalists, sensing a big story, snapped several photos of this travel-worn yet handsome young man.
Lu Yi’s parents looked very displeased. Both fathers lowered their voices to ask their wives, “What’s going on?”
Mrs. Lu glanced at her son in his suit, then at her husband. “I don’t know.”
Qin Lan also told her husband she had no idea, but the corners of her mouth refused to stay down no matter how hard she tried.
Seeing her like that, Mr. Fang knew exactly what role his wife had played. He also felt her actions were inappropriate, but with all the guests and media present, there was no way he could air the family’s dirty laundry.
The wedding was interrupted, and the priest stopped reciting, looking very awkward.
Even Yu Ke, who was usually good at handling situations, turned to Lu Yi, seeking his opinion and help with his eyes.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t make a scene, but he wasn’t sure what Lu Yi was thinking. To be honest, he was just an actor hired by Lu Yi, and they had to act according to orders.
Lu Yi gave his new spouse a reassuring look. “Aunt Qin, please escort the latecomer to the guest seats. Priest, please continue.”
After all, Fang Chuan was the youngest son of the Fang family, and since the two families were outwardly on good terms, Lu Yi couldn’t exactly have security throw him out.
Qin Lan didn’t move. Seriously, if her son was here and she did whatever Lu Yi said, wouldn’t that make her look pathetic?
Mr. Fang was more sensible. Seeing his wife not budge, he stepped forward himself. “Xiao Chuan, don’t cause trouble. Go back to where you belong.”
Fang Chuan’s stubborn streak flared up. A surge of recklessness filled his mind, and he rushed up to the stage in three quick strides.
The spotlight had been on the young director of the Lu Group and his new spouse, but now Fang Chuan also became a focal point. His handsome, youthful face was captured by the journalists’ cameras, along with the two parties in formal wear, frozen in a series of explosive photos.
Lu Yi didn’t even look at him. He simply continued with what he was saying: “I do.”
He signaled the priest to carry on. Though the priest had never dealt with such a situation, the guest’s request was paramount. He forced himself to continue: “Mr. Yu, do you take this person to be your lawfully wedded partner, to cherish him in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, till death do you part?”
Yu Ke smiled and raised his voice: “Yes, I do.”
But this time, his “I do” still didn’t reach everyone clearly, because Fang Chuan’s voice was even louder: “No, he doesn’t.”
The crowd stirred. Even the financial journalists, who usually weren’t interested in gossip, craned their necks to see what was going on.
Both the Lu and Fang families were people of propriety who valued rules and face. So when Fang Chuan barged in, they chose to ignore him and give him the cold shoulder.
As for Lu Yi’s friends and relatives, the two had been together for nearly ten years. Though they hadn’t actually been in love that long, their social circles were well aware of each other.
No one could figure out what Lu Yi was thinking. Mrs. Lu wanted to intervene but couldn’t as an elder. So no one stepped up to stop Fang Chuan, leading to this awkward situation.
Lu Yi acted as if he hadn’t heard Fang Chuan’s “he doesn’t.” He took the red velvet box from the completely stunned emcee, removed the hastily bought ring, and lifted Yu Ke’s hand to put it on his new spouse.
But just as Yu Ke was about to put the ring on Lu Yi, Fang Chuan knocked it away. Caught off guard, Yu Ke watched the simple platinum ring roll off the stage.
Lu Yi looked at Fang Chuan. “Mr. Fang, I hope you understand the meaning of courtesy and shame. Please take your seat and stop throwing a tantrum at someone else’s wedding like a child who didn’t get candy.”
This was the first time Lu Yi had spoken to him so harshly. The corners of Fang Chuan’s eyes turned red, and he looked like an angry little lion. “Neither of you even knows each other well. Why are you getting married?”
He looked at Lu Yi. “Lu Yi, I know you’re a good person, but marriage is about happiness. Do you even know who he is? How can you say ‘I do’?”
Then he turned to Yu Ke, staring at the beautiful face he both loved and hated, and spoke even more hurtfully: “If you don’t like me, fine, but why make such a sacrifice just to get back at me? Stealing someone else’s fiancé, desperately trying to get my attention—is that fun?”
The information in his words was explosive. Some troublemaker had already secretly started a livestream, broadcasting the wedding interruption online.
Scenes of someone disrupting a wedding were always eye-catching, and with all three being men, the opulent setting, and the stunning looks of those involved, the livestream’s viewership shot up instantly. Related hashtags quickly started trending on Zhaolang (Weibo).
Yu Ke looked at his ex-boyfriend and suddenly understood why Fang Chuan had run away at the last minute. They were all adults now, having grown a lot. Only Fang Chuan, still somewhat naive because he’d been too well protected, took everything for granted.
He let out a laugh, bent down, and picked up the ring that Fang Chuan had knocked away. With great solemnity, he put it on Lu Yi’s finger, his tone gentle and affectionate: “Now that the ring is on, you’re locked in. Don’t let yourself get led away by some random stray cat or dog.”
After saying this to Lu Yi, he turned to Fang Chuan, his tone carrying a hint of impatience: “Mr. Fang, although we used to know each other, we broke up ten years ago. Who I like and who I choose to marry—you don’t seem to have the right to decide that for me.”
His expression and tone made it clear he had no lingering feelings for Fang Chuan. He might as well have said outright, “Don’t flatter yourself.”
After saying that, he stopped looking at the man who had crashed the wedding. Instead, he held Lu Yi’s hand and said with deep affection, “Darling, you have to believe me. My love is only for you. Before you, I dated a few people, but that’s all in the past. The moment I saw you, I knew you were the love of my life.”
The words might seem frivolous, but with Yu Ke’s good looks and sincere tone, no one could detect any hint of insincerity.
Lu Yi got goosebumps from the words, but under everyone’s gaze, he didn’t pull his hand away. Instead, he held Yu Ke’s hand tighter, not even giving Fang Chuan a sidelong glance.
Before Fang Chuan could speak, Lu Yi called out, “Security, please escort this guest out.”
Yes, for him, a direct confrontation was too cheap and didn’t fit his status as chairman of the Lu Group. At times like this, it was better to let professionals handle things.
“Wait!”
Mr. Fang, who had only been shouting, finally stepped forward and quickly dragged his son away, not giving Fang Chuan a chance to cause more trouble.
No matter how unwilling Fang Chuan was, he couldn’t overpower his father. He struggled as he was dragged off.
The handsome man who had crashed the wedding appeared suddenly and left just as quickly. Netizens who had been hoping for a fight were disappointed by how quickly the farce ended.
They hadn’t gotten enough of the drama before this seemingly love-triangle mess was resolved.
The barrage of comments kept scrolling: “That’s it? Fight, fight! Where’s the drama? Why didn’t he just grab the groom and run? Can’t even crash a wedding right, just talk big. If it were me, I’d have snatched him away.”
“Rich people handle things differently. One call to security, and then the old man shows up, and the guy chickens out. Who let him in anyway?”
“666”
A comment drifted slowly across the screen: “If you said you weren’t watching, why are there still so many viewers?”
Then the livestream was flooded with:
“Just here for the face.”
“Of course, just looking at the face.”
After the barrage of comments, the livestream was cut off because the journalist who had secretly broadcast it had his phone confiscated by security. And due to the violation, he would be slapped with a hefty fine.
The farce didn’t seem to affect the wedding much. The guests and media went about their business. It wasn’t until the banquet ended that Lu Yi and Yu Ke entered an empty room for a brief rest.
Yu Ke sat on the table, loosening his collar.
After finishing with security, Lu Yi also entered the room.
As soon as he came in, Yu Ke, who was sitting on the table with his long legs crossed, asked, “Your ex-fiancé is still out there, isn’t he? Don’t you want to go see him?”
Lu Yi walked over to the table, poured himself a glass of apple cider vinegar to sober up, and took a sip. It was icy and sour, enough to make his teeth ache, but it quickly cleared his mind.
“Why are you asking that?”
Yu Ke grinned. “I’m just worried you might still have feelings.”
Lu Yi retorted, “Don’t forget, he’s your ex-boyfriend too.”
He lowered his head and poured himself another half glass of the vinegar. After all, it was his big day, and he’d drunk quite a bit.
Maybe because of the alcohol, Lu Yi seemed different from usual. Particularly when he bowed his head, his neck looked almost translucent under the light, giving him an oddly fragile air.
Seeing this, Yu Ke couldn’t help but swallow. He jumped down from the table, wrapped his arms around the man’s waist, and, as if tempted, stood on tiptoe to kiss those red, thin lips.
Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open from outside.
Standing at the entrance were a furious Qin Lan and Fang Chuan, who had transformed from a sunny boy into a gloomy youth.