Fortunately, he’d realized in time and hadn’t missed the one person who truly mattered to him.
Today wasn’t the right moment to discuss any of this. Yvonne Sung smiled, reached out, and patted his shoulder. “Congratulations on your wedding. Tonight, neither of us leaves until we’re drunk.”
He hid the loneliness in his eyes and relaxed into a genuine smile. Hugo Pierce was stunned for a moment but then smiled back. “Alright. We won’t leave until we’re drunk.”
The two exchanged a look and a smile. It had been a long time since either of them had smiled so sincerely.
They’d both been through so much lately, changing bit by bit without even realizing it. The spirited boys they’d once been felt farther away than ever...
Two months later.
After Claire Xu and Henry Mills’s wedding, they took off on their honeymoon.
Before the wedding, Lu Yuanbo had sought her out to explain what happened in the past.
Back in college, he hadn’t been the one to spread the rumor that Claire Xu had ‘cursed her own mother to death’. It was just bad luck—the news got overheard when Claire Xu confided in him, and then it spread like wildfire.
But Claire Xu no longer cared. She had people in her life she cherished now; as for those unhappy days, she’d already let them go.
May Lee and Hannah Xu weren’t doing so well. After growing up surrounded by luxury, losing George Xu’s protection meant Hannah Xu had to get a job to make ends meet—and she simply couldn’t adapt to being looked down on by others.
As for May Lee, she became a laughingstock among the wealthy wives, suffering endless humiliation.
It wasn’t long before the two turned up in front of George Xu, sobbing and pleading with him.
George Xu, of course, no longer treated them as he once did. He gave May Lee a cold look. “If I keep you by my side any longer, one day I might not even know how I end up dead.”
You learn the truth about people after going through certain things—and he didn’t intend to make the same mistake twice.
No matter how hard May Lee cried and begged, he stayed utterly unmoved.
---
When Lauren Shaw was more than five months pregnant, Li Qiuchi and Bryce Shaw officially announced their marriage.
The news immediately shot to the top of the trending searches.
On the day of the wedding, Li Guangliang also showed up.
Li Qiuchi was briefly stunned to see him, not expecting her father to attend.
As she thought about it, she realized it’d been a long time since the two of them had seen each other.
“Why are you here?” Li Qiuchi’s tone wasn’t pleasant—she thought her father had just come to ask for money again.
Li Guangliang looked a bit awkward. “Xiao Chi, don’t misunderstand. I... I’m just here for your wedding.”
Today was her big day. He wanted to walk her down the aisle himself.
Sensing her displeasure, Li Guangliang lowered his head and stepped back. “If you don’t want me here, I’ll leave right away.”
But as he turned to go, Li Qiuchi stopped him. “Wait.”
He paused, and she walked up to him, giving him a once-over before letting out a laugh. “And you came to my wedding dressed like that?”
He’d lost a lot of weight and gotten noticeably darker. His ill-fitting suit looked like it had been polished too often, though his hair was neatly styled. Li Qiuchi felt a pang of pity despite herself.
“I gave you all that money. Can’t you even buy yourself a decent set of clothes?”
Li Guangliang’s smile was forced. He’d already gambled away all the money she’d given him, and lately he’d stopped asking for more, barely scraping by.
This suit was the best he owned.
“I... I can go change,” he mumbled, preparing to leave.
“No need. The ceremony’s about to start. Don’t you want to walk me down the aisle?”
Today was her wedding, and Li Guangliang was the only family she had left.
Hearing her words, the guarded look on his face relaxed into a genuine smile.
“Of course. I’ll escort you.”
----
Madam Chen watched the newlyweds on stage, a flood of emotion welling in her heart. Both Bryce Shaw and Yancy Shaw had families of their own now; the only one she still worried about was Nathan Shaw, standing quietly at her side.
Biologically, he wasn’t her child, but she’d long since considered him one of her own.
She knew exactly what Nathan Shaw had gone through all these years. Now that Mandy Snow had finally gotten what she deserved, it was time for him to start living for himself.
She looked over at him, urging gently, “Now that your younger brothers are both settled, Nanfeng, isn’t it time you started thinking about your own future?”
Why did she always feel like her whole life was spent nudging her children toward marriage? Ah, too many kids, too many worries. Her heart was always in knots for their sake.
Nathan Shaw didn’t know how to reply right away, so he turned his gaze to Lauren Shaw.
Not long ago, Lauren Shaw and Yancy Shaw had bumped into Nathan Shaw while shopping. They’d recognized the woman at his side, though the couple themselves didn’t go over to say hello.
Yancy Shaw had told Lauren Shaw that the woman was his eldest brother’s ex-girlfriend—the two of them were deeply in love before he’d married Mandy Snow, but a misunderstanding tore them apart.
From the look of things, old feelings were rekindling.
Of course, Madam Chen didn’t know any of this. Knowing she was worried about her eldest stepson, Lauren Shaw leaned in and whispered, “Mom, Big Brother has actually...”
Madam Chen’s eyes widened in sudden understanding. “You mean...?”
Lauren Shaw nodded. Madam Chen turned to Yancy Shaw, silently asking for confirmation. When he nodded too, she gave an exasperated sigh.
“Nanfeng, you really are something! All this time I’ve been scouting girls for you, pestering you to go on blind dates, and you’d already found someone—just kept it a secret from me.”
Her tone was teasing, not reproachful. Nathan Shaw smiled, softer than anyone had seen him before. “I’ll definitely bring her to meet you soon.”
Only then was Madam Chen satisfied. With everyone paired off, her only remaining wish was for grandchildren.
‘Two kids in three years’—if that happened, her house would be filled with little ones. Just imagining a gaggle of rosy-cheeked grandchildren clamoring around her, all calling her ‘Grandma’, made her beam with delight.
Shen Wenting sidled up to her, whispering, “What’s got you grinning like a cat? Tell me so I can have a laugh too.”
“Hmph, not a chance.” Madam Chen huffed and raised her chin. No way was she going to let Shen Wenting in on her daydreams.
Shen Wenting didn’t get upset; instead, he chuckled. “I already know, anyway. You’re dreaming about a house full of grandchildren. You’ll be cuddling two, and I’ll have two more in my arms...”
Yancy Shaw and Nathan Shaw, standing nearby, exchanged a glance—utterly bewildered by the conversation...