Chapter 99: Liu Hong's Wedding

  Liu Hong and Zheng Yuxin's wedding was held at the Xilin Hotel, which is one of the most luxurious hotels in the provincial capital. The hotel has a long history and is well-known nationwide for its high-end hospitality services, often hosting receptions for the provincial government and other important events. It's extremely difficult to hold a wedding here without a certain level of economic means and social status.

  Xu Shaojie was originally going to attend Liu Hong and Zheng Yuxin's wedding alone. Sun Yong had a simple idea, suggesting that they invite their classmates who worked in Xilin City to go together. Xu Shaojie tactfully declined. Although he and Liu Hong were classmates, everyone knew about the relationship between them. Moreover, there was something between Xu Shaojie and Zheng Yuxin, so Xu Shaojie wasn't in a good mood to attend Liu Hong's wedding.

  Tang Wanrou insisted on attending Liu Hong and Zheng Yuxin's wedding with Xu Shaojie, which made Xu Shaojie somewhat annoyed. Tang Wanrou's family was in the provincial capital, and the two had been interacting in Huaiyang City. Tang Wanrou's family might not have known about their relationship, and Xu Shaojie thought it would be better to keep their relationship a secret for the time being. Xu Shaojie had a deep understanding of such emotions; he worked in the district town, while Tang Wanrou came from a good family background. No matter how you looked at it, there was some gap between them. Many times, infatuation couldn't be eaten as food, and reality could decide life. If Xu Shaojie had gained some status now, he wouldn't mind making this relationship public. Xu Shaojie was no longer innocent; marriage wasn't a child's play, and it couldn't be decided by seemingly deep emotions alone. A poor couple would have a hundred sorrows, and if Tang Wanrou's family strongly disapproved of their relationship, making it public would still pose some difficulties in the future.

  The phone rang. Xu Shaojie knew it must be Tang Wanrou's call. Now, he wished he didn't have a mobile phone, so he could attend the wedding alone.

  "Shao Jie, where are you? Hurry up and come pick me up."

  "Got it, I'll be right there."

  Xu Shaojie drove to the designated intersection, and it was still that small car. When he saw Tang Wanrou, Xu Shaojie felt a lot of emotions. This little car was probably the first matchmaker between him and Tang Wanrou.

  "Shao Jie, who's getting married? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

  "Oh, it's my classmate Liu Hong and Zheng Yuxin getting married. The invitation was sent to the Huaiyang Municipal Party Committee office. When I received the invitation, time was almost up. So, I rushed back to the provincial capital to congratulate them."

  "Liu Hong and Zheng Yuxin, I have some impression. When we were assigned at the beginning, I heard that Liu Hong was working in the municipal government, but I'm not too clear about Zheng Yuxin's situation."

  "Hehe, Liu Hong works at the municipal government, and Zheng Yuxin works at Xilin University."

  "Wow, it's not easy, after graduation they all stayed in the provincial city."

  "There's nothing strange about it, Liu Hong's father is the deputy secretary of the Xueyuan District Committee and director of the District People's Congress, while Zheng Yuxin's father is the deputy director of the Finance Bureau of Xilin City."

  Tang Wanrou's face didn't show any surprise, looking very calm. Xu Shaojie knew that Tang Wanrou must have known Liu Hong, and although the provincial city was big, there were still many connections among the children of officials. Moreover, Tang Wanrou herself was a beneficiary of the graduate assignment system, so she had seen such things before and wouldn't show any surprise.

  When they were still some distance away from the Xilin Hotel, Xu Shaojie found a place to park. There were many cars in front of them, and it was easy to imagine that the wedding would be very lively. The relationship between Liu Zhiwen and Zheng Qingshan, which had been accumulating for many years, was now being revealed. Xu Shaojie locked up the car and walked slowly towards the hotel with Tang Wanrou, who insisted on holding onto his arm. Xu Shaojie disagreed, but couldn't resist Tang Wanrou's persistence.

  Liu Hong and Zheng Yuxin were standing at the entrance of the banquet hall in Xilin Hotel, welcoming guests. Liu Hong was wearing a dark blue suit with a white shirt and a bright red tie, looking spirited and energetic. Zheng Yuxin wore a stunning red cheongsam that showcased her beautiful figure, making her fair skin even more captivating. All the guests attending the wedding couldn't help but envy this perfect couple.

  Liu Zhiwen and Zheng Qingshan were greeting guests in the back, most of whom were their colleagues and friends. Cai Juanhua and Luo Ling were welcoming people in the hall, with many helpers running back and forth to assist, as there were too many guests coming to congratulate them.

  When Xu Shaojie and Tang Wanyu walked over, Liu Hong saw them. A restrained smile quickly appeared on his face, revealing a winner's temperament. Zheng Yuxin beside him trembled slightly, her face pale. From afar, Liu Hong spoke up, extending his right hand.

  "Xu Shaojie, old classmate, great to see you! Thanks for coming to my and Zheng Yuxin's wedding."

  "Liu Hong, Zheng Yuxin, congratulations to you both."

  Xu Shaojie stretched out his hand and shook hands with Liu Hong. At this moment, both sides felt each other's breath, a subtle confrontation revealed in the air between them. Xu Shaojie was neither arrogant nor humble, and didn't even look at Zheng Yuxin directly, which made Liu Hong somewhat dissatisfied. Liu Hong glanced at Zheng Yuxin with disappointment, and greeted Xu Shaojie. The original intention of inviting Xu Shaojie to attend the wedding today was not only to show off, but also to strike a blow to Xu Shaojie's psychology. Zheng Yuxin hesitated for a moment, seemingly unwilling to face Xu Shaojie directly.

  The clever Tang Wanrou saw through it, she pulled up Xu Shaojie's arm. When they walked into the hall earlier, because of the crowd, Tang Wanrou was a girl and felt a bit embarrassed. Now, Tang Wanrou didn't care about that anymore, quickly pulling up Xu Shaojie's arm, leaning on Xu Shaojie, smiling ambiguously at Liu Hong and Zheng Yuxin.

  Liu Hong's attention soon shifted to Tang Wanrou beside Xu Shaojie, and as a result, Liu Hong got to know Tang Wanrou in Xu Shaojie's emotional world. Xu Shaojie found that Liu Hong's expression was filled with surprise and indignation.

  "Tang Wanrou, hello, thank you for attending Zheng Yuxin's and my wedding."

  "Hehe, congratulations to you all, I came with Shao Jie, I'm Shao Jie's girlfriend."

  Liu Hong and Zheng Yuxin both had surprised expressions on their faces, especially Liu Hong, whose face suddenly looked a bit ugly. He had been plotting against Xu Shaojie, but he didn't expect that Xu Shaojie would have a girlfriend like Tang Wanyu. Liu Hong couldn't help but think to himself: Xu Shaojie is just a young master from an ordinary family, how could he be so lucky? What kind of status does Tang Wanyu have, and yet she's so affectionate towards Xu Shaojie? However, Liu Hong quickly regained his composure. Today was his big day after all.

  "Xu Shaojie, looks like I should congratulate you too."

  "Haha, there's nothing to congratulate about. Today is your and Zheng Yuxin's big day, everything has passed, I and Xiao Rou wish you a happy life."

  Zheng Yuxin finally spoke up.

  "Xu Shaojie, Tang Wanyu, thank you for your blessings."

  Liu Hong was somewhat dissatisfied with Zheng Yuxin's attitude and always wanted to stimulate Xu Shaojie, finally found an opportunity.

  "Xu Shaojie, Tang Wanyu is not bad, you must cherish her well. You have to work hard, many excellent boys are pursuing Tang Wanyu, and I'll be waiting to eat your wedding candy."

  Xu Shaojie somewhat looked down on Liu Hong now, such talk, isn't it asking for boredom.

  "Hehe, Liu Hong, I'm already at ease. There's no issue between me and Xiao Rou because you're already married." Xu Shaojie said, without delay, directly entering the banquet hall with Tang Wanrou.

  Liu Hong's face turned pale with anger behind him, his body trembling, but he couldn't say a word. Zheng Yuxin's face was bright red, and she had nothing to say either.

  Liu Zhiwen and Zheng Qingshan were both watching the scene, when Liu Hong shouted out Xu Shaojie's name, the two men quickly focused their attention on Xu Shaojie. According to their thinking, young people nowadays are prone to acting impulsively, and there was no small amount of history between Liu Hong and Xu Shaojie. If a dispute were to occur on the day of the wedding, it wouldn't be a good thing, so they were still somewhat worried. But Xu Shaojie's demeanor far exceeded their expectations.

  Liu Zhiwen quickly sensed the aura on Xu Shaojie's body, which was not an ordinary aura, and it subtly surpassed Liu Hong. What surprised Liu Zhiwen even more was that Tang Wanyu was following closely behind Xu Shaojie, holding onto his arm. Where did this Xu Shaojie work now? What was he doing? At first, Liu Hong had always been thinking of suppressing Xu Shaojie. Liu Zhiwen thought it was just a emotional entanglement between young people, but after seeing Xu Shaojie for a moment, Liu Zhiwen changed his mind. Liu Hong's views and methods were all correct. This Xu Shaojie would definitely be Liu Hong's arch-nemesis in the future.

  Zheng Qing Shan's heart was a bit complicated, to say the least. The Zheng family had some unresolved issues with Xu Shao Jie standing in front of him, but as time passed, Zheng Qing Shan's guilt also faded away without a trace.

  "Hello Uncle Liu, hello Uncle Zheng."

  Xu Shaojie extended his hand, and shook hands with Liu Zhiwen and Zheng Qingshan. He didn't know the two men, but Tang Wanrou beside him did, so she reminded him, and Xu Shaojie took the initiative to greet the two elders.

  "Little Xu, welcome! Thanks for coming to congratulate Liu Hong and Zheng Yuxin. I've heard a lot about you from Liu Hong at home, he often mentions you and says he really admires you. Now that I see you in person, you're indeed very dignified. Little Rong, how's Director Tang's health? It's been a long time since we last met, make sure to visit him when you have time."

  Xu Shaojie's face was as usual, without showing anything, on the contrary, Tang Wanrou's face showed a hint of unnaturalness. Tang Wanrou's performance did not deceive Liu Zhiwen, and at this moment, Liu Zhiwen had already understood something.

  As Xu Shaojie passed by the banquet hall, he saw Tan Lingli, who was actively helping to greet guests. Tan Lingli's temperament had changed and she looked much more mature. Xu Shaojie greeted Tan Lingli, but when she saw him, she didn't react for a moment, until Xu Shaojie and Tang Wenyu walked away. Then, Tan Lingli continued to greet the guests, but judging from her expression, it seemed like she was thinking about something.

  Xu Shaojie went straight to give the gift money, 200 yuan, which was a matter of course for adults. Tang Wanrou followed behind Xu Shaojie, looking somewhat ill at ease, as if she had committed some kind of mistake.

  "Xiao Rou, I don't want to eat here anymore, what do you think?"

  Tang Wanrou nodded silently, without saying a word.

  The two of them didn't leave from the main entrance, as it would seem impolite. So they left from a side emergency exit at Xilin Hotel. Along the way, Tang Wanrou remained silent and Xu Shaojie didn't ask anything either. It wasn't until after they got in the car that Xu Shaojie started the vehicle and began speaking slowly.

  "Xiao Rou, let's go find somewhere to eat."

  Tang Wanrou didn't say a word, but Xu Shaojie knew what she was thinking. However, Xu Shaojie found it strange that he himself hadn't paid attention to Tang Wanrou's family situation, so why would she care?

  Xu Shaojie drove quietly for a while before Tang Wanrou spoke up.

  "Shao Jie, I know Liu Hong and also know Zheng Yuxin, you won't have any opinion about it, will you?"

  "Xiao Rou, what are you talking about? What opinion would I have?"

  "Alright, this is what you said, you have no opinion, but I do. I've heard about your situation, and it's still not very clear to me. I want to know about your relationship with Zheng Yuxin and also with Liu Hong."

  "Xiao Rou, don't mention these things, okay?"

  Xu Shaojie was really unwilling to revisit past events, let alone ones that were neither pleasant nor uplifting.

  Tang Wanrou remained silent for a moment, still insisting on knowing. Tang Wanrou thought this matter was very important, at least to herself, it was extremely important.

  Xu Shaojie found a place to park, got out of the car and habitually lit a cigarette. For a long time, he didn't speak, seemingly thinking about how to talk about this unpleasant past. Tang Wenyue waited unexpectedly without urging Xu Shaojie. After finishing one cigarette, Xu Shaojie slowly began to tell his story. The process was not complicated, Xu Shaojie's tone was calm, as if narrating someone else's affairs. He didn't hide anything and told everything about the interactions between Liu Hong and Zheng Yuxin, including Liu Hong trying all sorts of ways to provoke him and his actions at critical moments during graduation. Gradually, Tang Wenyue couldn't help but feel something.

  "Shao Jie, are you just going to put up with this? Liu Hong sent you a wedding invitation, what does that mean, have you thought about it?"

  "Xiao Rou, I've thought about it long ago, it's nothing big."

  "Hmph, I don't accept this. I'm going to find Liu Hong and Zheng Yuxin to settle the score. What's so great about them? They're just relying on their parents' abilities. This is too despicable."

  "Xiao Rou, thank you for saying that, but this matter, you'd better not intervene. I'm telling the truth, this is a contest between men, no matter what kind of background Liu Hong has, I won't be intimidated. I want to let Liu Hong know that when men do something, they always pay the price."

  Tang Wanrou looked at Xu Shaojie, who spoke these words without showing any excitement or generosity, still very calm. Tang Wanrou's eyes wandered aimlessly, unsure of what she was thinking.

  "Shao Jie, you don't want to associate with me, is it because of Zheng Yuxin's influence?"

  "How to put it, there are factors in this aspect, I know your family is not simple, after graduation, you can be directly assigned to the Xilin City Public Security Bureau, and also get me a driver's license, including your trip to Huaiyang City Public Security Bureau, ordinary people can't do these things, you don't have such ability yourself, just now Secretary Liu said that if I didn't guess wrong, your father should be Tang Wenjun, the vice minister of Provincial Public Security Department."

  Tang Wanrou's mouth was agape for a long time without saying a word.

  "Xiao Rou, it's not that simple between us, so I've been avoiding you. Your parents probably still don't know about this matter. You might encounter the same thing as Zheng Yu Xin. I won't force you, I don't want to trip over the same stone twice. So, I've long been prepared."

  Tang Wanrou suddenly got off the bus, turned around and opened the car door.

  "Xu Shaojie, get off the bus."

  After Xu Shaojie got off the car, Tang Wanrou suddenly hugged Xu Shaojie. There were many passersby around, and Tang Wanrou made a shocking scene, which caught Xu Shaojie off guard.

  "Shao Jie, kiss me."

  Xu Shaojie's head was a bit dizzy, this was on the street, he was very hesitant, but Tang Wanrou's eyes were very determined, it was rare for girls to have such eyes, Xu Shaojie quickly kissed Tang Wanrou's lips, without even savoring the taste, passionately kissing on the street, Xu Shaojie really didn't have the courage, he quickly pulled Tang Wanrou into the car and drove away like he was escaping.

  "Xiao Jie, no one can control me, you remember, I'd rather die than leave your side."

  Xu Shaojie, who was driving, shook his body slightly, he didn't know what this sentence meant.