Chapter 642: 569 Wedding Turmoil (4): One Hour
Qing Lin’s gaze intensely fixed on Princess Chinian, his words nearly squeezed through his clenched teeth,
"Are you not ashamed enough already?"
Princess Chinian blinked her misty eyes, and large tears fell, evoking pity.
She could not speak, and even though she could use sign language to express her feelings at this moment, her father... probably wasn’t in the mood to watch.
Zhongli Yuting saw this situation and was about to go over and quietly discuss with Wen Nian, but then he saw Princess Chinian suddenly fling King Qing Lin’s hand away. She glared at King Qing Lin with widened eyes and rasped out in an unpleasant voice, "No!"
This exclamation surprised everyone present.
It even stunned King Qing Lin and Chiluo.
Princess Chinian wiped away her tears. She stepped back several times, widening the gap between herself and Qing Lin, and defiantly extended her hand to signal Qing Lin to not come any closer!
"No!" It was almost all of Princess Chinian’s strength and the only thing she could express verbally.
"Ah ah ah..."
She was making noises, but no one could understand what she wanted to say. She desperately tried to speak but couldn’t communicate anything.
Princess Chinian wore a wedding dress; she was like a Barbie princess stepped out from a cartoon. On such a day, she should have been the most dazzling person, beyond description.
But now...
The honorable princess of M country, in front of these guests, was a laughing stock, their eyes filled with sympathy and pity.
She took a deep breath, glanced at the two people kneeling by the side, and directly rushed over. She grabbed Xiaoer’s shoulder and pushed, sending Xiaoer stumbling backward.
Wuzhi was startled and was about to get up to help Xiaoer, but Princess Chinian blocked his way, standing directly in front of him.
Her eyes red, she glared at him, raised his left hand, showing him the black bracelet on her wrist!
"You promised! Wuzhi, do you think I’m so easy to bully?"
Princess Chinian’s threatening sign language made the nearby interpreter too scared to translate.
Lili looked somberly and said,
"Princess Chinian, let’s all calm down. There’s no need to argue, and besides, Wuzhi doesn’t understand sign language. Let’s all come together, sit down, and discuss things clearly."
"This isn’t something that can be resolved just by talking it out! The wedding is already happening, and our marriage announcement has already been broadcast worldwide!"
"Princess Chinian, I know you’re upset. But what result will you get by confronting Wuzhi like this?"
"You’re all siding with them, everyone here is supporting Wuzhi and Xiaoer!"
"Niannian! Stop it!"
King Qing Lin’s face had turned completely livid; he never expected his daughter, born mute, to have such a forceful side.
"I haven’t! I just want Wuzhi to fulfill his promise! He said he would marry me!"
"So even if I marry you and treat you coldly, you still want me to marry you?"
Wuzhi looked at her coldly.
Princess Chinian paused, her face full of suspicion. Could he understand sign language?
"I don’t understand sign language, but I roughly understand what you’re trying to communicate."
Wuzhi’s voice grew even colder.
Princess Chinian looked up at him,
"Yes, even if you treat me poorly after marriage, you still have to marry me!"
"Her meaning is, no matter what, you have to marry her as promised."
Xiaoer had already stood up, speaking indifferently.
Wuzhi looked at Xiaoer...
Xiaoer smiled faintly, "Wuzhi, marry her or marry me, the choice is yours."
"..."
"But I’m giving you one last chance, if this time you don’t choose me, then for all eternity, I’ll regard you as a stranger."
Xiaoer simply smiled faintly as she said this.
Considering the guests were all prominent figures, no one dared to join the commotion.
The three people on stage seemed frozen.
Zhongli Yuting quietly discussed with Wen Nian,
"Your Excellency, should we let the guests disperse first?"
"Uncle Zhongli, if we let the guests disperse now, given that they’ve only seen half of the show and don’t understand the entirety of the situation, they might spread rumors afterward. It wouldn’t benefit any of the three involved."
Lili stated directly.
Wen Nian nodded,
"Lili’s right. Uncle Zhongli, you wouldn’t want your family’s wedding to turn into a scandal in Anlin, would you?"
"Your Excellency, I certainly wouldn’t."
Zhongli Yuting hurriedly said, "But Xiaoer is stubborn, and Princess Chinian is so persistent. Even if Wuzhi can make a decision, I’m afraid not everyone will let it go. If we intervene..."
He lowered his voice,
"We might offend the Royal Family of M country, Your Excellency..."
Wen Nian and Lili exchanged glances; handling this matter indeed seemed difficult.
Lili looked at Chiluo, who sat nearby with an equally distressed expression, approached him, and said,
"Your Highness, how about this? We let the bride and groom go to the upstairs rest room, you and King Qing Lin, along with Mr. Zhongli and his wife, go upstairs as well. Let the guests continue with the banquet, wait for a while; would that be alright?"
Chiluo took a deep breath,
"Let’s do as the President’s wife suggested, what else can we do?"
He tugged faintly at the corner of his mouth.
Lili looked back at Mr. and Mrs. Zhongli Yuting, "Uncle Zhongli, if there are no objections, let’s proceed with this plan."
"Alright."
"Xiao Li, you and His Highness Chiluo and the King go upstairs first; I’ll take Chinian up," Lili instructed.
The emcee, after hearing Lili’s instructions, went on stage, took the microphone, and briefed the seated guests.
"Chinian, Wuzhi, come with me upstairs. Who is right or wrong, whether the marriage happens or not, isn’t just about the two of you—it’s about two families."
Song Lili looked towards Zhongli Wuzhi, who showed no objections, but Chinian hesitated...
"Your Highness Princess Chinian, when things have happened, they must be resolved, but how they end should carry the dignity of a princess of Country M. Wailing on stage like a fishwife would become a joke in many people’s eyes. This, I believe, you understand," she whispered into Chinian’s ear.
"Come upstairs with me, I promise you won’t be wronged."
Chinian looked at Song Lili doubtfully, then sniffed and descended the stage to go to the reception hall’s upstairs resting room.
"Xiaoer..."
Zhongli Wuzhi grabbed Lu Xiaoer’s hand and pulled her into his embrace.
Lu Xiaoer hesitated for a moment.
"Wait for me. I promise, this is the last time you’ll have to wait."
"How long will I need to wait?"
Lu Xiaoer asked him.
"No more than an hour."
"Fine, I’ll wait only for an hour. If you don’t come down after that, I’m leaving."
Zhongli Wuzhi’s heart tightened.
Her last words made him anxious and scared.
Even though he knew he had made a decision in his heart, a decision he wouldn’t change, knowing he would definitely come down within an hour... But...
But he was still so scared!
He feared that every minute and second in the world was unpredictable and not to be underestimated.
So he hugged Lu Xiaoer even tighter, "How about you come up with me?"
Lu Xiaoer suddenly laughed, amused by his anxious words.
She could feel his whole body trembling...
For so many days, the pain had been both of theirs, the bitterness both of theirs. Despite the deep pain and bitterness, they were still going in opposite directions.
"Stop it; I’ll wait here."
Lu Xiaoer patted his back.
Zhongli Wuzhi held her tight, so tight it almost hurt. He was truly too scared to let go... The fear that if he were to let go even a little, the person he loved the most would disappear was too painful.
"Xiaoer..."
"Hmm?"
"Have you... really forgiven me?"
Zhongli Wuzhi’s face was buried in her hair, asking cautiously.
Lu Xiaoer bit her lip and muttered,
"Do you think forgiveness comes that easily? You’re dreaming."
Although Lu Xiaoer’s response wasn’t a direct "forgiveness," it was more pleasing to him than a direct answer. He smiled,
"I was dreaming too beautifully! Seeing you in front of me already feels like a dream! It’s just so beautiful, this dream..."
Lu Xiaoer’s heart ached,
"I won’t forgive you that easily."
"Alright, but you’ve already given me a chance. Let’s see how I do from now on, okay?"
"Hmm, go on then, I’ve started timing."
Lu Xiaoer said.
Zhongli Wuzhi reluctantly let go of her, stroked her face, and then hurried downstairs to the second floor like he was racing against time.
Lu Xiaoer stood watching Zhongli Wuzhi’s figure, wiping away the tears that slipped down her cheeks.
Song Lili approached her,
"Will you wait here, or..."
"Xiao Li, don’t worry about me. I’ll just sit here and wait."
Lu Xiaoer replied with a faint smile.
"You... always have to create something earth-shattering to feel satisfied, huh?"
"Xiao Li, you’re not starting to nag now, are you? I was encouraged by you."
Song Lili quickly waved her hands,
"Don’t blame me. I only advised you to give Zhongli Wuzhi and yourself a chance. How did it turn into this mess? I’m the President’s wife, what scandal this would cause! Have I gone mad?"
"For my sake, you’ve done too much..."
"..."
"Thank you, Lili, I’ve fully felt that Zhongli Wuzhi... truly loves me."
"Fool."
"You go ahead."
"Okay, just sit in my chair, eat something, have some drink, stop crying. You look so beautiful today."
After finishing talking with Lu Xiaoer, Lili went upstairs.
Lu Xiaoer took Song Lili’s place and sat down, but within a few minutes, guests approached, bombarding her with questions...