The neon lights of the city painted the night with a seductive glow. Inside the airport, crowds ebbed and flowed like tides, yet the person she was waiting for remained conspicuously absent.

In the terminal, a girl in a woolen overcoat, her nose red from the cold, glanced at the flight information display and murmured, "How can this be? The plane's already landed, so where is he?"

Meanwhile, a man in a sleek black suit stepped off the plane, the biting cold instantly enveloping him. He strode purposefully toward a designated area, luggage in hand, when suddenly, a delicate arm hooked around his neck, pulling him close. A sugary voice whispered in his ear, "Are you really going to marry her?"

The man’s expression flickered with the faintest trace of disdain. "This marriage has to happen—unless *she* calls it off."

Though subtle, the distaste in his tone didn’t escape her notice. A smug satisfaction curled inside her. Pouting, she pressed closer, her voice a petulant murmur against his ear. "Can’t you just… not marry her?"

The man remained silent, and she realized she’d overstepped. Retreating with practiced grace, she nodded toward a petite figure in the distance. "Your little fiancée is waiting. I’ll get going." With that, she planted a quick kiss on his cheek and sauntered off, a playful smile lingering on her lips.

The man watched her leave, his smile tinged with resignation. When he turned back, he was met with a pair of wide, stunned eyes. His lips twitched into an awkward half-smile. "You should’ve dressed warmer."

Bai Qianxue’s gaze was steady as she studied him. That same easy grin, that achingly familiar voice—everything about him was as it had always been. So why did that moment feel so foreign?

"Who was she?"

"Just a friend. Come on, let’s head back. The wedding’s tomorrow."

"*Just* a friend?"

"Of course."

*The wedding.* Right. A wedding for one, it seemed. She had trusted him completely—and for what?

Snapping back to reality, Bai Qianxue took in the scene before her, the weight of her misplaced trust suddenly laughable. Cheating? No, this was brazen, out in the open. Her body swayed unsteadily, and she stumbled into a nearby counter, knocking over a vase. The shattering glass pierced the air, drawing the attention of everyone nearby—including the two standing before her.

"Ah!" A woman's piercing scream assaulted Bai Qianchen's eardrums, along with those of the gathered guests.

The two scrambled to dress, as if shielding the woman from view. Lou Qing grabbed the suit jacket from the floor and draped it over her face, then turned to Bai Qianchen with a furious roar, "What the hell are you doing?"

By now, all the guests had arrived, but Bai Qianchen blocked the doorway, obscuring their view of the scene inside. She forced a bright smile and turned to them. "My apologies, everyone. I tripped over my wedding dress just now and knocked over a vase. So clumsy of me."

"No worries, no worries! The bride’s just too excited today—can’t even walk straight! Haha!"

Bai Qianchen smiled at them until the crowd dispersed. Only then did her eyes redden. She stood motionless, her back still turned to the couple. After a long silence, she finally spun around, one hand clutching her phone, the other pointing at the woman as she demanded in a trembling voice, "Who… is she?"

Lou Qing sneered, buttoning his shirt. "Bai Qianchen, you should’ve known how this marriage would turn out from the start."

"Known? Known what?"

"Three years ago, I told you—I’d marry you, but I’d never love you." He paused, then added coldly, "You should’ve expected this."

"But last year, you said you loved me! In front of my father, you promised to protect me, to cherish me. And this is what you call love? This is your protection?" Her lips twisted into a bitter smile as she recounted their past vows with eerie calm.

"That time… you saved me."

"Saved you?" Bai Qianchen let out a hollow laugh. Glimmering tears spilled from her eyes, tracing down her cheeks before vanishing into the floor. "If I could go back, I’d wish I never saved you at all." How laughable.

"Ye Lou Qing, do you have any idea how cruel you are? On our wedding day, you’re screwing someone else. What am I to you? What am I?" Her fingers clenched around the fabric of her dress as she stared at the woman wrapped in his jacket. Then, with a surge of hysteria, she lunged forward and yanked it away. "Let’s see the face of this homewrecker!"

"Bai Qianchen, don’t you dare—!" Lou Qing moved to stop her, but he was a second too late. As the jacket fell, Bai Qianchen froze, her breath hitching in disbelief at the woman’s face.

In the same instant, Lou Qing shoved her aside, shielding the woman behind him.

Bai Qianchen’s world fell silent. Nothing existed except that face. She barely registered the sharp pain as her knees struck the jagged edge of broken glass. With a crash, her entire reality shattered.

"Bang."

"How could it be you... why you... why..." Why of all people did it have to be you—the last person I'd ever suspect.

Bai Qianchen stood frozen, staring at the woman sitting on the bed with a triumphant smirk curling her lips. Why her—the one person this should never have been.

"Happy now?" Ye Louqing tightened his arm around the woman, his narrowed eyes burning with fury, his voice like shards of ice.

"If you're satisfied, get the hell out. If you still want this marriage, shut your mouth and wait quietly for the wedding." With that, Louqing stood, his fingers clamping around Qianchen's slender wrist like a vise, dragging her several steps toward the door before she could react.

Snapping back to her senses, Qianchen wrenched herself free and lunged at the woman. "Bai Yutong! How could you? I'm your sister—why?"

*Crack.*

Louqing, seething with rage, struck Qianchen with a full-force slap across the face. The impact sent her reeling toward the sharp corner of a table—until a warm arm caught her mid-fall, pulling her into a firm embrace.

"Enough."

The voice from the doorway was glacial, cutting through the tension like a blade. The sound was unmistakable, leaving Louqing and Yutong momentarily stunned. Qianchen, still dazed, looked up along the arm that held her—and froze.

"B-brother... What are you doing here?" Louqing forced a smile, but it was painfully stiff. His eldest brother, who wasn’t even supposed to make it back for the wedding, had just walked in at the worst possible moment.

--*******--