Chapter 34

The scene became noticeably lively as the newly arrived young man quickly walked up to the stage. The two young girls watched the dramatic moment with shock in their eyes.

"Minmin, have you forgotten our vows of eternal love?" The man, who intended to snatch the bride, said with tears in his eyes, full of deep emotion.

"Turns out the bride is also named Minmin. Do you think she will go with this passionate man?" Cheng Fei asked Min Ran, somewhat nervously.

"Get lost, she's definitely not the same Min as me. I can assure you the bride will not go with this man," Min Ran said confidently.

"Oh, how can you be so sure?" Cheng Fei asked curiously.

"If their love was truly strong enough to overcome everything, he wouldn't have waited until now to fight for his chance. Either their feelings weren't that deep, or this man is a coward who only now has the courage," Min Ran analyzed, feigning profundity.

"A wise man wouldn't put his beloved in such a difficult position. Why not elope earlier? If it were me, I'd give this man a slap and tell him to get lost. What a wimp, what did he do all this time?" Min Ran continued.

"Why do I feel so moved? Really, after you said that, I also look down on this man," Cheng Fei said, somewhat dejected. She had been hoping the passionate man would succeed in his attempt, but she had read too many romance novels.

"I think this man is just unwilling to accept and admit defeat. If he truly loved the bride, he would have either pursued her earlier or eloped, or quietly wished her happiness from a distance. Running to her wedding to confront her only makes the newlyweds lose face in front of their relatives and friends, and ruins their future happiness. He's clearly a dark-hearted person," Min Ran said, her tone growing angrier, perhaps because she shared the same name as the bride.

The bride's father quickly gestured for someone to come, while the bride looked very awkward, avoiding the man's questioning gaze. Yes, the vows of eternal love they once made, what could they do now? Love and marriage are fundamentally different, and marriage involves family.

"Please go, you shouldn't have come here," the bride whispered, pleading.

The relatives and friends were in a state of chaos, initially thinking it was a prank by a lunatic. But now, seeing that he was indeed familiar with the bride, they suspected he might have been her ex-boyfriend.

"Are these the memories of our time together? Have you forgotten them all?" The man threw a handful of photos, showing various sweet moments of the two on mountaintops, in snowfields, and on lakes, as well as some intimate kissing photos.

The guests were immediately in an uproar.

The groom picked up one of the photos, his face turning red with anger.

The bride felt a sharp pain in her chest, speaking slowly and clearly, "Even if we can't be a couple in this life, can't we keep those beautiful memories in our hearts?"

At that moment, she was very sad. She had once given her entire youth to this relationship, but for the sake of her family, she had to marry someone else.

She had also thought about eloping, but at the last moment, her ex-boyfriend had advised her not to go against her parents, which had once moved her deeply.

"To win your heart, to move you, I did so much for you, taking care of you and pleasing you. In the end, you left me to marry another man. I can't accept this, I can't be left with nothing," the man shouted, losing control of his emotions.

"Get him out of here," the bride's father finally called his bodyguards to forcibly remove the emotional man.

The bride was also very sad, tears streaming down her face. Looking at the chaotic scene, she felt a pain in her heart, wondering if this was the wedding she had always dreamed of.

Suddenly, she had the urge to end her life, a sudden but very real thought.

The groom was already furious, his face dark, not even looking at the bride. This was too embarrassing, and he would never be able to hold his head high in front of his relatives and friends. He glanced resentfully at his parents in the distance, thinking that if it weren't for their insistence, he wouldn't have agreed to marry this woman, even though she was beautiful.

Seeing the heartbroken bride, his heart softened, even though they weren't officially married yet and didn't have deep feelings for each other.

Every girl, from the time they can remember, starts to fantasize about their wedding, the most important moment of their lives, when they are transferred from one man's hands to another.

This should have been their most beautiful moment.

This should have been the moment they shed tears of happiness, not tears of pain.

This should have been the moment they received the blessings of their relatives and friends and looked forward to a beautiful future.

At that moment, seeing the chaotic scene and the mocking faces of the guests, the groom forgot his own embarrassment and felt a deep sympathy for the bride, a sense of responsibility to help her out of this awkward situation, and the courage to make her happy again.

He walked up and held the bride's hand, offering comfort.

"This is my past. Do you still want to marry me?" The bride felt a sense of despair, her heart aching.

The groom sighed, gently wiping away her tears, which had smeared her makeup, and said, "That was the past you. I know it's hard for you to accept marrying me in such a short time, but since our families have decided we should be together, let's try to love each other. I still want to marry you, Minmin. Will you marry me?"

The bride's voice trembled but was also firm. After this ordeal, the beauty of her youth had faded, and she had matured. "I will marry you, bear your children, and never leave you."

The scene, which had been disrupted by the man's intrusion, returned to order as the guests cheered, "Kiss, kiss."

The groom kissed her deeply.

"Men should have the breadth of the sea. This bride will surely be loyal to her groom and truly love him," Min Ran remarked.

Cheng Fei nodded, moved by the sudden turn of events.

Liu Meng watched all this with a thoughtful expression. A mature man's greatest strength is his inclusiveness, which is not a sign of weakness but a broad-mindedness and absolute confidence.

The guests began to leave.

"Hey, Liu Meng, what are you doing here?" A hand patted him from behind, startling him. He turned around, surprised to see someone he knew.

"Zheng Wen, what are you doing here?" Zheng Wen was wearing a puffy dress and light makeup, very different from her usual school attire, which surprised Liu Meng.

"Why can't I be here? This is my cousin's wedding. What are you doing here? I'm curious," Zheng Wen immediately noticed the two beautiful women with Liu Meng and looked at them curiously, her eyes full of questions.

Cheng Fei and Min Ran were also curious about the sudden appearance of the girl, their eyes darting around, exchanging messages.

"This is my college classmate, Zheng Wen. These two are seniors, Cheng Fei and Min Ran, from Northeast Normal University. They are visiting Ice City."

Liu Meng introduced them awkwardly, finding the women's wandering eyes hard to bear.

The three women greeted each other warmly.

Cheng Fei and Min Ran each took one of Liu Meng's arms, declaring their territory, which made Zheng Wen very unhappy. She huffed and said, "My mom is calling me, I'll go first," and ran off to join the guests.

"Little Meng, who is this pretty girl? Your eyes look strange. Is she your girlfriend?" Min Ran teased, and Cheng Fei looked at him with interest.

"Just a classmate. Please let me off, sisters," Liu Meng bowed and pleaded, and the two sisters finally dropped their suspicions.

After Zheng Wen walked away, she hid in the crowd and looked back at Liu Meng. Seeing them all laughing together, she felt a bit unhappy. She thought for a moment and sent a message to Gu Pan: "Pan'er, I just saw Liu Meng at the entrance of the Cathedral of Sofia, with two beautiful women. They seemed very close."

"Neurotic, why are you telling me this? What does it have to do with me!" Gu Pan quickly replied. Zheng Wen stuck out her tongue and closed her phone, muttering to herself, "Okay, I'll stop meddling. I just feel like you have a special feeling for him. Hehe, if Liu Meng can win Pan'er's heart, then Brother Du Yi will be free."

Gu Pan and Du Yi were strolling through the campus of Tsinghua University, surrounded by old sycamore trees, with students occasionally riding by, all admiring the beautiful couple.

The man was tall and handsome, with a gentle and refined demeanor, and the woman was fair and beautiful.

They had been chatting and laughing, but after reading the text message, Gu Pan suddenly felt a lump in her throat, her mood turning sour, and her smile fading.

"Pan'er, are you okay? Do you feel unwell?" Du Yi immediately noticed the change in Gu Pan, stopped, and held her, concerned.

Forcing a smile, Gu Pan waved her hand and replied, "I'm fine, maybe we've been walking too long. I'm a bit tired. Let's rest at the pavilion ahead." She then walked quickly toward it.

Du Yi watched Gu Pan's back, lost in thought. Since Gu Pan's trip to the capital, he had been with her the whole time. At first, he hadn't noticed much, but over the past few days, he had sensed some subtle changes in her.

She was less willing to play and joke with him as she used to.

They had grown up together, childhood sweethearts, and their relationship had always been good. Du Yi, three years older than Gu Pan, was now a senior and had been waiting for her to grow up. He had planned to start a romantic relationship after her high school graduation.

However, he had always been poor at expressing his feelings and hadn't found the right opportunity to confess. He thought it should be a romantic and beautiful moment to express his feelings, given their long-standing relationship, which would naturally lead to a relationship.

Du Yi had never paid much attention to it before. He still felt Gu Pan's dependence on him, and in his mind, she was still the little girl who followed him around.

But now, the little girl had grown up, especially after starting college. Du Yi suddenly found it hard to understand this young woman, and she was less willing to share her thoughts with him.

It seemed he should follow Aunt Zheng's advice and confess and establish a relationship as soon as possible, to avoid any delays. Du Yi made up his mind.