Chapter 570
Chapter 570: Your ring
The beautiful 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?"
The other three all turned to look at Fang Yuqing, even though they very much wanted to ask: At a time like this, is that still important?
Even if it was not important, even if things were irreversible...everyone present was filled with anticipation all the same, hoping that Fang Yuqing could say 'right', could tell Yu Qing the truth...in bringing proper closure to his relationship with her.
Fang Yuqing opened his mouth but did not say anything.
"I'm right, aren't I?" Yu Qing asked.
"...You're wrong. I made a mistake, and that's that. I can't change what I did," Fang Yuqing said.
"You're lying."
"I'm not. The time doesn't match! Something only happened to my family afterwards. Anyway, don't delude yourself," Fang Yuqing suddenly smiled, "If anyone's to blame, it's Xu Tingsheng. It's him who let me see what true wealth is, getting bewitched by gold. Let me put it this way. I must tell you that there is completely no need for you to think so highly of yourself and pity me. Even if my family has fallen, in terms of money, in terms of social status, what I have is still far from what normal families like yours can possess."
"Yuqing…"
"Put away that laughable pity of yours, and that even more laughable love...fine, fine. Alright, go live out that simple, uneventful life of yours. The two of us are ultimately from different worlds. I didn't understand it when you said it before, but now I do."
Fang Yuqing turned, placing his arms on the shoulders of Xu Tingsheng and Zhong Wusheng on either side as he walked upstairs. Those words he had just said...based on merely his own strength alone, he was unable to stand on his own two feet.
"What is this then?"
Fang Yuqing turned and saw Yu Qing holding an opened red packet...inside were documents related to purchasing a flat.
"Charity...compensation for your lost youth. I already said, don't think that I'm very pitiful now. A dying camels' still bigger than a horse...whatever the case, I'm still incomparable to you people. Keep it. We were classmates after all. It's not been easy over the past few years; you suffered quite a few grievances. Now that the party's over, don't stand on ceremony with me, you hear."
Fang Yuqing smiled and turned back before tears flowed uncontrollably down his face.
"He's sick in the head!" Xu Tingsheng and Zhong Wusheng cursed as they supported this fool up the stairs.
Eight flights of stairs...the four of them walked very slowly, giving him enough time to recover and adopt the same manner and appearance as he had earlier.
It was just that maybe the person who was most put off by this appearance of Fang Yuqing's was he himself.
Xu Tingsheng did not see Apple in the hall. She had known Yu Qing from virtually the same time that Xu Tingsheng knew Fang Yuqing, and the two had always been on great terms. It might be that she was attending Yu Qing's wedding, but whatever the case, she was surely not going to show up in the hall just like this. Otherwise, chaos would ensue.
Soon, Xu Tingsheng saw those who had arrived from Yanzhou. They had arrived earlier than them. Xiang Ning who was having her summer holidays was there too. She ran towards Xu Tingsheng and grabbed his hands, before...seeing Fang Yuqing, her originally bright smile faded at once.
Besides the bride and groom, no one would be more a focal point today than Fang Yuqing.
As soon as he stepped into the hall, the din within slowly subsided as everyone turned to look at him. Many people here knew of his past with Yu Qing, and many knew of his current situation. Many had not expected that he would come.
Fang Yuqing pretended not to see them as he feigned nonchalance and smiled, next stably walking in.
The four were brought by Xiang Ning to their table.
"Yuqing, not greeting your old friends?" Someone raised a hand in greeting from far away.
It was Cao Qing, someone who had once hung out with Fang Yuqing and Fang Chen's admirer. His family was similarly in the bureaucracy in a city subordinate to Jianhai Province. In the past, though, it had totally not been on the same level as the Fang family at all.
"Nah, I only just got here, so I'm pretty tired. We can meet up next time," Fang Yuqing replied.
"Huh? Now that you're the boss of a real estate company, you're looking down on us?" Some provocative jeers resounded from the crowd.
"What are you saying?" Someone intentionally rebutted, "As if Young Master Fang thought anything of us before."
"Stop messing around, guys. Young Master Fang's not in a good mood today. After all, his beloved's marrying another...we should empathise with him."
Xu Tingsheng patted Fang Yuqing's rather stiff back, "Come on, just ignore them. They're just a bunch of clowns. Those who bark the loudest in this world are always the petty losers."
Fang Yuqing nodded and followed Xu Tingsheng to their seats.
Those seated at the nearby tables were all their allies. They were all careful not to agitate Fang Yuqing. Fang Yuqing himself also worked hard to put up a nonchalant front. Those of the Black Horse Club reported Zhicheng's situation from recent days to him. Whatever the case, he was currently still Zhicheng's boss in name.
Fang Yuqing was also working to shift his attention. To him, apart from Yu Qing, Zhicheng could be considered his second lover. The effort he had invested in Zhicheng and the corresponding sense of achievement was something unprecedented in any other matter for him.
Cao Qing came over with a few others, carrying their wineglasses.
Hu Shengming and a few others from the Black Horse Club moved to intercept them, asking, "What do you want?"
"Looking for an old friend for a drink. What?" Cao Qing asked.
Fang Yuqing turned, "Yu Qing's getting married today. I really don't want so many things."
"I never said I was looking for you! Relax, I know you're not in a good mood," Cao Qing smiled.
He turned towards Fang Chen, "It's been a long time. How about a drink?"
Fang Chen straightforwardly downed a glass in one gulp before asking, "Is there anything else?"
"Why, there really is something…" Cao Qing leaned in and murmured something into Fang Chen's ear before asking, "Is it convenient to chat outside?"
To Xu Tingsheng's surprise, Fang Chen's expression changed drastically as she actually left with Cao Qing and co.
"I'll be back in a bit," She said.
When Fang Chen finally returned to the table, the lights in the hall were already dimmed as the ceremony was about to begin.
"What happened?" Xu Tingsheng asked while it was dark.
He could not see Fang Chen's expression but could sense her hesitance before she ultimately answered, "It's nothing. He just spoke about some things from the past, then feigned concern about my current situation."
Xu Tingsheng knew that Cao Qing had been infatuated with Fang Chen in the past. Thus, he believed Fang Chen's words.
Now, lights dazzled the red carpet and stage...the groom had already assumed position there.
Everyone's gazes congregated on the entrance, awaiting the bride's appearance.
"Walking the red carpet that day, face behind the white veil
Tears flowing amidst the smile, definitely very beautiful
Walking the red carpet that day, wearing the ring of blissSomeone to accompany till forever, a lifetime's wish…"
The first to appear was not Yu Qing but a singing Apple, holding a microphone and dressed in the attire of a bridesmaid. She smiled like a flower, walking gracefully over…
The scale of this wedding was not great. The hotel wasn't so good. Everything was average…
Yet, this bridesmaid-cum-VIP…
The entire hall burst into thunderous applause.
"Apple! It's Apple!"
"Is that really Cen Xiyu? How, how did they manage to invite her?"
The current Apple was an ultra-celebrity with immense popularity. It had long since reached the point where her arrival at any one event would elevate it to heights that an ordinary person would only be able to dream of.
Those who had come from Yanzhou were not shocked. They had long since suspected that Apple might come.
Even Yu Qing's closest relatives were not shocked. They had long since heard her mention it…
Those who were shocked were Yu Qing's classmates from junior and senior high and her colleagues and higher-ups from her workplace in Yanzhou. They had never known that this ordinary girl near them actually had such a supreme celebrity as a bosom friend.
Some female colleagues had still been comparing this wedding in their hearts, thinking quite triumphantly that their wedding would be much grander than Yu Qing's in the future. Now...this whole bunch was stunned silly.
Halfway down the red carpet, Apple stepped to the side as she continued to sing.
Her arm through her father's, Yu Qing appeared at the doorway.
Decked in suit and tie, Mr Yu was very handsome today as his back straightened, he walked his daughter down the red carpet...it was just that his expression…
"Her father doesn't seem to be very happy?" Someone remarked.
"It's perfectly normal! Which father doesn't get jealous when marrying off their daughter...it's already pretty good that he's managing not to cry on the spot," A bystander analysed.
The father and daughter walked very slowly.
After watching for a while, Fang Yuqing secretly turned away.
"Will you snatch her? There's still time," Zhong Wusheng asked.
Would he snatch her? Like in the movies. This question might have flashed through the minds of many men at some point in their lives before. They would not have voiced it to others, though, with many helplessly watching on as the love of their life was lost.
"Say something," Zhong Wusheng urged.
"It's not completely impossible, actually. See what Yu Qing asked you just now," Xu Tingsheng analysed, "Also, in two years...things might have recovered for you. You'd only regret it then."
"Yu Qing…" Fang Chen said.
"Fang Yuqing." That was Yu Qing's voice.
As they were discussing this in earnest, no one had noticed that at some point in time, Yu Qing had already stopped in her tracks in the middle of the red carpet.
"Fang Yuqing," She said.
Fang Yuqing looked up.
Yu Qing extended a hand that was curled into a fist.
"I'm returning it to you," She unfurled that fist, "Your ring."