Inside the St. Filia Church, champagne-colored roses, air-transported all the way from France, were exuding an intense aroma. When mixed with the rich fragrance of the custom-made wine glasses, every detail underscored the lavishness and elegance of this wedding ceremony.
Tang Guo took in the excessively luxurious wedding scene without any hint of moved emotion, instead, she felt a sense of disdain.
A man she had only met twice was about to become an inseparable part of her life for the next few decades?
As she glanced over at her father, noting his apparent lack of any sorrow of a father whose daughter was about to be married, but instead beaming as brightly as a blooming chrysanthemum, she was even more convinced of the irony and absurdity of this wedding.
It was less of a wedding but more of a transaction, and she was the only commodity in this deal.
Being the sacrificial piece in this family marriage alliance, she didn't even have the right to refuse.
Tang Guo clenched the bouquet in her hand, her eyes landing far on the man at the other end of the red carpet, feeling a deepening chill.
As the Wedding March began to play, Tang Guo, arm in arm with her father, slowly walked down the red carpet and stood still in front of the groom.
Beiming Feng, the man she was going to marry tonight was a high-born noble, the first in line to inherit the Beiming family, coveted by all the beautiful, eligible women of the north.
A face she had only seen twice, albeit quite handsome, still felt excessively unfamiliar to Tang Guo.
She quietly observed the look of awe and gentleness in Beiming Feng's eyes and couldn't help but bend her lips into a cold smile.
How ludicrous that Beiming Feng's gaze was as if he was looking at a lover he'd known for many years. His tender look seemed to drown people in his eyes, yet only the two of them knew the truth, that tender affection was nothing but an act put on for the occasion.
Likely, she was nothing more to Beiming Feng at the moment than a heap of cash that could breathe.
"Mr. Beiming, do you take Miss Tang Guo to be your wife, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, to love and to cherish till death do you part?"
The solemn voice of the vicar echoed, reciting the vows that represented a lifelong commitment.
"I'm willing."
Bei Mingfeng answered very quickly, almost without thinking, and he didn't need to think. To him, this so-called wedding was nothing more than a formality.
Whether the woman was irrelevant, what mattered was the wealth behind her, which would allow him to firmly establish his position as the heir to the Bei Ming family – the Tang family.
"Miss Tang Guo, are you willing to marry Mr. Bei Mingfeng, through rich or poor, in sickness and in health, for better for worse, till death do you part?"
The priest’s voice rang out again, but this time Tang Guo’s answer was not forthcoming. The already quiet scene suddenly became so silent that a pin drop could be heard, creating a subtly awkward atmosphere.
Bei Mingfeng’s handsome brows furrowed in displeasure as he glared at Tang Guo, "What is this woman playing at?"
But Tang Guo seemed not to see his threatening gaze, her slightly drooping eyes showed a hint of amusement.
The priest licked his lips, wiped the beads of cold sweat from his forehead, coughed awkwardly, and once again started the vows.
"Miss Tang Guo, are you willing to..."
But this time, Tang Guo interrupted him before he could finish. "I'm not willing."
"Ah, you said what...?" The priest thought he had misheard, so he subconsciously asked again.
Tang Guo suddenly pulled off her veil, revealing her expensive, finely made diamond-studded tiara. She violently dropped it on the floor, creating a crisp sound that made everyone's attention instantly focus on her.
With the tiara no longer in place, Tang Guo’s hair was slightly messy, but she didn't care. Instead, she picked up the hem of her wedding gown and strutted over to the priest. She snatched the microphone from his hand.
"I said, I'm not getting married!”
Tang Guo's clear and ringing voice echoed throughout every corner of the church through the microphone. Her other hand held her bouquet up high, tossing it towards the ceiling.
The bouquet broke apart, releasing countless photographs. Accompanied by scattering petals, they fell from the ceiling in all directions.
This image, under the dazzling crystal chandelier of the church, presented an indescribable eerie beauty that involuntarily captivated everyone's gaze.
Only when a photo hit a guest's face did everyone react, and they began picking up the fallen photos.
However, upon examination, everyone froze in shock, eyes widened with disbelief, staring at the content of the photos. After a moment, they all looked at each other in confusion.
Some whispering emerged from a corner, and in no time, the entire church was chattering like boiling water, impossible to suppress.
The persons in the photos were undoubtedly tonight's groom, Beiming Feng, and Beiming Han, who was sitting in the position of the groom's direct relatives in the first row.
A variety of surprised, shocked, disgusted, and incredulous gazes were instantly focused on the two individuals involved. Beiming Feng stooped to pick up a photo, his face turning as black as ink with a sudden chill.
The scene in the photo was all too familiar to Beiming Feng, it was clearly from before the wedding start, where he forced Beiming Han into a garden corner, threatening him to relinquish the heir position.
However, the sneaky photographer had cunningly chosen an angle that made the two of them look as if they were passionately kissing against the wall!
"As everyone can see, my beloved groom turned out to be a GAY smitten with his own brother…Poor me, my devotion was wrongly placed..."
Tang Guo's crying voice filled every corner of the church through the microphone. She covered her dry eyes and then immediately put on a righteous facade.
"But, I am willing to selflessly step aside and make way for this pair of lovers…”
An uproar followed, the murmuring voices nearly tearing through the church itself. The looks on the faces of the parents on both sides were gloomy and displeased, while Beiming Feng, standing next to Tang Guo, wore a dark expression, his teeth trembling with rage.
What the hell was this crazy woman up to?!
Tang Guo satisfyingly looked at the wedding chaos she had created. Her eyes sparkled with satisfaction, but her gaze suddenly landed on Beiming Han, whom she had slandered.
He held the picture in his prominent, bony hand, his head slightly lowered, and his thin lips gave a nearly imperceptible twitch, bizarrely, he was not angry but almost laughed instead.
Upon inadvertently catching a glimpse of Beiming Han's smirk, Tang Guo suddenly felt an inexplicable uneasiness brewing within her, thinking of swiftly making her exit.
But at that very moment, Beiming Han lifted his head.
Tang Guo instantly froze, as if a binding spell had been cast on her, her gaze transfixed on the man.
Even though he was paraplegic, sat in a wheelchair, his spine was still straight as a rod. His jet-black hair was slick and neat. His face bore a sickly pallor, lips were tightly pressed, blood-lacking pale. His exquisite features were as if carved from stone, void of any feminine touch, simply beyond handsome.
What truly made Tang Guo immobile, however, were his eyes, deep and chilling like a dark, cold abyss. The man merely lifted his eyes slightly, yet the bone-chilling coldness emanating from them made her feel as if she were plunging into an icy cave. The slightest rash movement from her would instantly shatter her into icy fragments.
She could not breathe.
