"Indeed, dear niece, the wedding time has arrived. Alas, as your uncle, I can only offer my sincerest blessings and wish you a happy marriage." With those words, the Luo family members sneered and departed the room.
Once everyone had left, only Luo Qinghan, her mother, and her daughter, who was still huddled beside her, remained in the room.
"Qinghan… alas…" Li Xin wanted to comfort her daughter, but for the moment, she couldn't find any words of solace.
Luo Qinghan remained silent, simply holding her daughter close. In the Luo family, only her daughter could offer her even a shred of comfort.
After a while, she gently put her daughter down, the vulnerability on her face completely banished.
Vulnerability was not for these beasts in the Luo family to see.
"Let's go, the auspicious time has arrived."
As Luo Qinghan spoke, she walked out of the room, her long wedding dress trailing behind her.
The wedding ceremony began.
On the wedding stage, Luo Qinghan looked like a celestial being descending to earth. Bathed in the lamplight, no one present could tear their eyes away from her.
However, on the other side, the man emerging in groom's attire presented a stark contrast. Setting aside his appearance or physique, the lecherous grin on his face was enough to indicate he was no decent person. To make matters worse, his face was pockmarked with pustules, and his posture was hunched.
Witnessing the groom's entrance, the guests in the wedding hall adopted looks of amusement. All present were from the Luo family, with no outsiders. Seeing their once high-and-mighty, cherished goddess marrying such a man, some felt pity, while others reveled in a perverse sense of pleasure.
Ever since giving birth to that *yezhong* three years ago, the Luo family had treated Luo Qinghan with even greater disdain.
"Dad, everything is arranged. This man is drowning in gambling debts and has a venereal disease. By then, Luo Qinghan will be utterly ruined," whispered Luo Cheng, his son, to Luo Buwei, chuckling darkly.
"Excellent! Afterwards, all that old man's fortune will be ours," Luo Buwei nodded, unhurriedly picking up a bottle of Wuliangye from the table and pouring drinks for himself and his son. Then, he looked at the people at the table and raised his glass, "Everyone, let us bless the newlyweds… and her *yezhong*."
Everyone at the table, understanding his meaning, raised their glasses with knowing smiles.
Luo Qinghan, the goddess in the eyes of others, was merely a stumbling block in their view. As for Luo Qinghan's child? In their eyes, she was merely a pawn to coerce Luo Qinghan.
With this child, Luo Qinghan would obediently comply.
Meanwhile, the wedding ceremony on stage commenced.
Luo Qinghan looked at the man in front of her, whose smile was utterly disgusting and who had even made advances towards her when he first appeared. She closed her eyes and sighed inwardly. Her gaze then became vacant once more. This was her fate, wasn't it?
The events that transpired four years ago…
The man who took away her most precious possession…
"...Miss Luo, do you take him to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer..."
Just then, at the front, the little girl held by Li Xin's arms blinked and looked towards the entrance of the wedding hall, as if something had caught her attention.
*Boom!*
The door to the wedding hall seemed to be knocked open by something.
A young man, flanked by a group of people, strode in.
This young man was precisely Lin Xiao.
The moment Lin Xiao entered the banquet hall, an indescribable aura instantly enveloped the entire space—excluding Luo Qinghan, her mother, and daughter.
"Who are you?"
Luo Buwei shivered involuntarily, his gaze fixed on Lin Xiao as he entered, his brows furrowed tightly.
This was a man he had never seen before. If he were a prominent young figure from Shashi, he would have recognized him at a glance, but this man was a complete stranger.
Moreover, Lin Xiao was also dressed in a groom's attire. In his hand, he held a bouquet of fiery red roses as he walked step by step towards the wedding stage.
As Lin Xiao moved, Ye Chen and his companions, who had entered with him, immediately formed two lines in front of him, creating a welcoming path.
Lin Xiao advanced step by step, holding the roses to his chest. From the moment he entered, his gaze had not left Luo Qinghan on the stage. To be precise, apart from Luo Qinghan and Xun'er, who was holding Li Xin's hand by the stage for protection, his eyes saw no one else.
An unusual silence fell over the entire wedding hall. It wasn't that they didn't want to speak, but after Lin Xiao's appearance, they felt an invisible pressure bearing down on them, rendering them speechless.
"Who the hell are you?!"
Seeing Lin Xiao's grand entrance, Luo Buwei's expression darkened. He immediately slammed the table, shouting, "Security!"
No one responded. The Luo family's bodyguards and security guards were all watching from a distance. It wasn't that they wouldn't go forward, but they dared not.
A mere thought of stepping forward sent a chill through their bodies. They felt as if they were rooted to the spot, unable to move.
Lin Xiao paid no mind to Luo Buwei and walked directly to Luo Qinghan's side.
"Who are you?! Trying to steal my woman?!" the original groom roared at Lin Xiao. As he spoke, he took a step between Lin Xiao and Luo Qinghan, attempting to block Lin Xiao's path.
Lin Xiao didn't even glance at the man. He simply took another step forward, and the next second, the man's body was flung away as if he were a rag doll, flying directly towards Luo Buwei's table.
"?!?"
Luo Buwei reacted quickly enough, managing to dodge to the side.
The "groom" crashed into the table, knocking over all the drinks before finally landing on the floor.
"You brat, today is a joyous occasion for the Luo family, and you come here to cause trouble. Are you truly not afraid of the Luo family seeking retribution?!" Luo Buwei yelled at Lin Xiao, his face dark with fury. Luo Qinghan was about to be ruined, and where did this man suddenly appear from?!
Luo Qinghan's formerly numb, resigned expression vanished. She looked at the man before her, her eyes regaining their spark, her lips beginning to tremble slightly.
It was him… four years ago, it was this man…
From below, Xun'er, nestled in Li Xin's embrace, instinctively reached out a hand towards Lin Xiao.
When Lin Xiao arrived before Luo Qinghan, he extended the roses in his hand towards her. "Marry me, okay?"