Chapter 37: A Hundred Years of Harmony

In the end, it was Wen Ming Yue who stood at the front, explaining the reason for Fan Xia’s departure. Her words revealed Fan Xia’s position in the Shanhai Group and how highly her superiors regarded her.

The guests detected a hint of boasting in Wen Ming Yue’s words.

“Lan Sheng is indeed capable, marrying such an accomplished woman.”

“Yes, but it’s a pity for Lan Sheng. The bride can’t even attend on their wedding day, and he has to complete the ceremony alone.”

“What do you know? Men truly have short hair and even shorter insight. If we women don’t work hard out there, how would you men buy clothes? Buy skincare products? Look at all these irises at the wedding venue, do you think they grew out of thin air? The bride had them air-freighted at a high cost.”

“Exactly. A wedding is just a formality. There’s still a long life ahead, and Lan Sheng needs to learn to be tolerant.”

The crowd chattered on, like a pack of noisy wild dogs barking incessantly.

Wen Ming Yue stood on the ceremonial platform where the bride and groom should have exchanged rings and vowed to be together for life, through poverty and wealth: “Everyone, although my daughter-in-law is absent due to company matters, and the wedding ceremony couldn’t be held properly, Fan Xia is still my daughter-in-law and Lan Sheng’s wife. The banquet will be served shortly, please enjoy yourselves.”

Wen Lan Sheng stood expressionless below the stage, looking at the so-called relatives and friends at the dining tables. They didn’t care about the groom’s current desperate mood, only concerned with the food and wine before them. Like starved wild dogs and pigs, they picked up their chopsticks and began to feast voraciously.

He sneered coldly.

After the grand feast, when everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they all dispersed. According to the wedding customs of the imperial capital, after the wedding banquet, guests would usually gather in the tea room of the newlyweds’ home to drink tea and reminisce. Only a few children were left, playing on the red carpet.

Wen Lan Sheng sat silently as the carefully prepared soft lights went out one by one.

Everyone had left, but he still clung to a glimmer of hope that Fan Xia would return.

If she came back, she would see at a glance that her groom had been waiting for her all along.

But he waited and waited, never seeing Fan Xia return. Instead, he encountered a few mischievous children meddling with the beautifully arranged iris wall behind the ceremonial platform.

The purple irises were too beautiful, especially when arranged into a flower wall, looking like a fantastical ocean that shouldn’t exist in this world.

A little boy stood on tiptoe, wanting to pick an iris, but couldn’t reach it.

The little girl beside him volunteered, picking an iris for him. The little boy took the iris, but before he could sweetly say thank you, he saw the little girl being yanked by her collar with great force.

“Who told you to pick the flowers! These are my flowers, did I allow you to touch them! What right do you have to pick them! Is this how your parents taught you? Or are you an orphan without any basic manners? Speak! Speak! Speak!” Wen Lan Sheng’s beautiful eyes were filled with hideous bloodshot, his eyes nearly popping out.

The little girl swayed back and forth like a fragile grass in a storm, barely able to stand, feeling as if her bones would fall apart.

The little boy was even more frightened, dropping the iris in his hand and bursting into loud cries.

“What are you crying for! Pretending to be innocent, aren’t you? You men, from the moment you’re born, you know how to pretend. Pretending to be innocent, pretending to be weak, pretending until women are head over heels, and you’re still crying!” Wen Lan Sheng’s gaze was terrifying like an evil ghost. “If it weren’t for you, how would she have picked the flower for you!”

The little boy kept backing away in fear, crying even louder.

Another child nearby was also frightened by this scene. He was first puzzled why the handsome groom suddenly went mad, but then immediately ran to the tea room floor to find his family.

By the time the child brought back the parents of the little boy and girl, the little boy had cried until his voice was hoarse, his eyes swollen red. Seeing his family arrive, he cried out loudly, “Dad, Mom!”

The little boy’s father was heartbroken and quickly took the child into his arms, cursing at Wen Lan Sheng: “Wen Lan Sheng, are you out of your mind? He’s just a child, why are you yelling at a child like that! Are you trying to scare my child to death?”

“She picked my flower.” Wen Lan Sheng’s face was as cold as ice.

“What?” The little boy’s parents couldn’t understand. “It’s just a flower, why are you making such a fuss over a flower with our child?”

“That’s right, look how scared our Nannan is, she can’t even speak.” The little girl’s father held his child tightly behind him.

“That’s a flower from my flower wall. Without my permission, no one can touch it.” Wen Lan Sheng’s tone was devoid of any emotion.

“You’re making a big deal out of one flower? Wen Lan Sheng, you’re being too petty. I’m your uncle, and I gave 600 yuan as a wedding gift for your wedding.” The little boy’s father shrieked.

“600 yuan as a wedding gift, and you brought a family of five to eat at the banquet. Who cares about your wedding gift!” Wen Lan Sheng’s tone was low. “I’ll say it again, this is my flower, no one can touch it.”

“Hmph, as if anyone cares about eating at your banquet. A wedding ceremony where you can’t even see the bride.” The little boy’s father said sarcastically.

“Getting so angry over picking one flower, as if he wants to eat the two children alive. No wonder the bride didn’t show up at the wedding with such a narrow-minded groom.”

“I even saw the bride leaving with a man earlier. That man’s face, that figure… tsk! Maybe it wasn’t a sudden company matter, but…”

“Slap—” Wen Lan Sheng suddenly erupted, grabbing a nearby flower stand and smashing it towards the little boy’s father’s face.

The crowd screamed.

The little boy cried out in fear, his voice hoarse.

“Say that again! I dare you to say that again!” Wen Lan Sheng’s eyes were red and swollen, his neck flushed red as he pounced on the little boy’s father, pulling his hair and slapping him.

“Lan Sheng, stop hitting, stop hitting—”

“We’re all relatives, he’s your uncle—”

“Wen Lan Sheng, what are you going crazy about again!” Xie Cen was playing cards in the tea room when he heard his son had hit someone. He rushed over to see Wen Lan Sheng viciously slapping his uncle in front of his uncle’s son, his uncle’s face almost swollen like a pig’s head.

But Wen Lan Sheng wouldn’t listen at all, his nails almost scratching the other’s face raw. At this moment, in his eyes, the person beneath him wasn’t his uncle, but Rong Xiu. He wanted to kill him.

In the end, it took several people to restrain Wen Lan Sheng.

The uncle covered his face, and Xie Cen had to coax and persuade, spending quite a bit of money to settle the matter.

Finally, after appeasing his uncle, Xie Cen glared fiercely at Wen Lan Sheng.

At Cloud Water Bay, far from all the clamor.

Fan Xia sat on the leather sofa in Rong Xiu’s living room, so soft she could almost sink into it. The square frame of the floor-to-ceiling window, like a picture frame, captured the early autumn scenery in her eyes. From the open kitchen not far away came the reassuring sound of cooking. Fan Xia relaxed for the first time in a long while.

Ring ring ring—

Ring ring ring—

Ring ring ring—

The phone calls came one after another. Even though she had put it on silent, the slight vibration felt abrupt and harsh in this extremely relaxed space.

Fan Xia knew who it was without looking at the caller ID.

Wen Lan Sheng.

Since she left the hotel, the calls hadn’t stopped. The missed calls display had long surpassed 99+, but she still didn’t want to answer. She just watched the phone screen light up again and again, Wen Lan Sheng’s avatar flashing before her eyes, as if he was desperately calling for help.

And each automatic hang-up was like strangling his throat, extinguishing his hope, just like her in her childhood years, just like her mother being run over by a car again and again.

Not far from the phone, Rong Xiu’s suit and vest were draped over the armrest of the sofa. The well-tailored, crisp suit jacket was casually piled up, creating beautifully lined wrinkles. Fan Xia’s fingertips touched the fabric of the suit, it felt good, just like its owner.

Fan Xia’s gaze turned to Rong Xiu, who was busy in the kitchen. Having taken off his formal suit jacket, he was only wearing a striped shirt, cuffs unbuttoned and rolled up to his elbows, revealing fair and toned forearm muscles. He was lowering his head, concentrating on the shrimp on the cutting board, holding a knife to remove the shrimp veins.

His movements were skilled; it was hard to imagine that such a person would be the power holder of the Shanhai Group.

She had always thought that Rong Xiu would be someone who never got his hands dirty. Although he had told her before that his culinary skills were good, she had always thought he was just boasting. She didn’t expect him to actually be proficient in cooking.

That focused and serious expression seemed as if he was completing an extremely important task.

Fan Xia said, “Do you need any help?”

Rong Xiu looked up, his cold exterior in front of others disappeared, and he smiled gently, “No need, just wait. If you’re bored, you can watch some TV.”

Fan Xia was momentarily stunned. Many years ago, her father was also like this, busy in the kitchen while pushing away her mother who wanted to help after coming home from work, telling her to go watch some TV in the living room.

“Alright.” As if possessed, she actually agreed.

In fact, Fan Xia hadn’t watched TV for many years. Firstly, smartphones are very convenient now, and secondly, she was too busy. The few times she watched TV were when relatives came over, turning on the TV to create some background noise.

She remembered loving to watch children’s channels when she was young, but now she couldn’t even remember which channel it was.

She randomly tuned to a CCTV channel, listening to the news anchor speaking in a familiar broadcast tone, reporting international news about which place was on strike again, which place was at war again. The warm aroma of food wafted to her nose.

Fan Xia leaned back on the sofa. At this moment, she found a long-lost peace.

But the phone was still vibrating tirelessly. Fan Xia picked up the phone and looked towards Rong Xiu: “Help me.”

Rong Xiu smiled faintly and put down the celery he was washing.

The call was connected.

At the chaotic wedding venue, relatives were all giving him cold looks because of the fight earlier.

He had already given up hope, but when he saw the call connected, his numb pupils still widened with joy: “Xia Xia, I…”

“I’m sorry, Lan Sheng. Fan Xia asked me to tell you that your current behavior is severely affecting her work. Please stop calling her.”

“Why are you answering the phone? Why do you have her phone?” Wen Lan Sheng’s voice was on the verge of breaking.

“She’s busy and entrusted her phone to me… Oh, right, we left in a hurry earlier and forgot to give you, the groom, our blessings.”

Rong Xiu’s thin lips moved slowly, cruel and malicious: “Wishing you a hundred years of harmony.”