Gu Xiyan's wedding dress was off-the-shoulder, exposing her upper body to the air. Shang Tuqi was somewhat dissatisfied with the design of this wedding dress. Although it was beautiful, "This wedding dress is not good, it exposes so many places." These places could only be seen by him.

  "Big brother Shang, what are you saying? If nothing's wrong, I'll head down now. Otherwise, they'll be looking for me later." Gu Xiyan had a hunch that this time, Shang Yue seemed... to have ulterior motives. At this moment, his plump fingertips were resting on her collarbone. Gu Xiyan only felt that the spot where his fingertips touched was a scorching heat on her skin.

  It won't work. She can't be involved with him anymore. She's getting married soon. Thinking this, Gu Xiyan suddenly took advantage of his inattention and ran towards the door.

  Shang Yi's face darkened after realizing her intention, and he quickly stepped forward to grab Gu Xiyan. He said in a cold tone, "Don't go anywhere. Come back with me to the capital city and remarry me."

  "Ah." Gu Xiyan's heart was stirred by his words, and her eyes showed a hint of shock. Did he know what he was saying? They were already divorced, how could he still say such things.

  Forced a smile, Gu Xiyan looked at Shang Huaiqi's leopard-like eyes and pretended to be calm: "Brother Shang, don't make such jokes anymore. I really have to go now. The wedding ceremony is about to start soon. I'll go down first, you can come later." Gu Xiyan said this with a hint of avoiding suspicion. After all, there were many people coming and going today. If someone saw them together, who knows what they would say? Although Xu Qian allowed her to enter the door, if she knew that she still had dealings with her ex-husband, she was afraid that she would not be pleased.

  Gu Xiyan was still a few steps away from the door. After finishing speaking, she struggled to open her hand which was being held by Shang Zuo. Then she was about to leave.

  She wants to leave. A hint of anger flashed across Shang Qi's eyes. As Gu Xiyan reached for the door handle, Shang Qi stopped her in time and pinned her against the door. "You're so eager to leave, can't wait to see Wei Zhe immediately?"

  Gu Xiyan struggled for a while, but found herself unable to move. She gave up her physical resistance and looked at him with fear, worry, and confusion in her eyes, not understanding what he wanted to do. Her voice trembled slightly. "Shang Ge, what do you want to do? Today is my wedding day, and this will make things difficult for me."

  Shang Yi's face turned red with anger as he heard her say that. "Marriage is difficult. When you knelt down and begged me to divorce you back then, did you ever think that I would also find it difficult? That I would also be heartbroken? Enough! It's been over three months already. I don't want to play this divorce game with you anymore. Tomorrow... no, this afternoon, you're coming with me back to Jing City."

  "Big Brother Shang, what have you arranged?" Gu Xiyan furrowed her brow due to Shang Yue's unreasonable words. However, she still spoke in a good temper: "Big Brother Shang, I don't want to talk too much with you today. You're not calm enough. Let's meet again when you're calmer, okay?"

  "Not good. I don't allow you to marry him. You are mine. Mine alone." Shang Xi said domineeringly, and as soon as he finished speaking, his thin lips were pressed against Gu Xiyen's earlobe, nibbling at it.

  "Big brother Shang, if you continue like this, I'll call for help. I'm about to become Wei Zhe's wife. Don't you think it's shameful to treat a married woman like this?" Gu Xiyan spoke hastily, and at this moment, she was really scared. He didn't have any rationality to speak of. A wet, numb, and tingling sensation spread from her earlobe. This feeling... Gu Xiyan had once been all too familiar with it.

  "Wei Zhe thought about interfering with our marriage, how did he not think he was wrong? Why is the person you've been thinking of only him? Even when I was still your husband. Do you even have a heart? Can't you see all the good I've done for you?" Shang Xi started to murmur unclearly while moving his lips to Gu Xiyuan's forehead, then forcefully kissed her brow, and continued to her pale nose tip.

  "Brother Shang, don't do this. Let me go..." Gu Xiyuan resisted and dodged the kiss that was falling on her. "Brother Shang, what you're doing is wrong. Stop it, okay? I know you're good to me..."

  "I know I'm good to you. Then why are you still leaving me?" Gu Xiyan couldn't help but let out a loud roar when she heard her last sentence.

  Gu Xiyan's body trembled with the sudden surge of anger, a flash of fear flickered in her eyes. She struggled to calm her chaotic breathing. Why? If she had a choice, why would she want to leave him? Even if he didn't love her, she wanted to stay by his side, no matter what. She would be good to him, making it impossible for him to bear leaving her again.

  Gu Xiyan smiled, but did she ever have the chance to choose? No, perhaps there was one, but in the end, she couldn't bear to refuse a loving mother's sincere plea.

  "Business brother, didn't you already know the reason? Because I love Wei Zhe, so I want to cherish the time we can spend together in my second half of life. I'm grateful to you, but I don't love you. So I can no longer ignore my true feelings and deceive myself into thinking that being with you is okay. Business brother, without love, I have no reason to stay by your side."

  Suddenly, Gu Xiyan's eyes were filled with tears. Shang Yi Qi's hand was already undoing her wedding dress. Gu Xiyan wanted to escape, but she couldn't escape his grasp. Turning her head, her eyes were full of bitterness and sorrow. Her voice was heavy with an unnameable weight.

  Gu Xiyan continued, "I'm a heartless, selfish, and biased bad woman. I will be biased towards the man I love. As long as I can be with Wei Zhe, I'll do whatever it takes. Business brother, if I end up hurting you because of this... then... sorry. Business brother, I don't dare ask for your forgiveness. Except for returning to your side, I'm willing to make up for everything in any way possible. If there's anything I can help you with in the future, just let me know. But I really should leave now. If someone goes to the dressing room and can't find me, things will get very bad. There are a lot of people here today, and I don't want Wei Zhe to lose face because of me."

  I'm really sorry. I love you. Even though it's been more than three months since we parted ways, and even though Wei Zhe has taken great care of me and tried his best to make me happy during these three months, I still can't bring myself to fall in love with him again. I once thought I could do it, that after leaving you, I would be able to quietly follow Wei Zhe and become a good wife who, if not virtuous, was at least understanding and considerate. But now I realize that apart from being your wife, I couldn't possibly be a good wife to anyone else. How can a woman with divided loyalties be a good wife? Returning to you is something I cannot agree to. Even though I love you, I must secretly bury this love deep in my heart and carefully keep it hidden from others. Your kindness towards me has already been wasted on me, so I don't want to waste Wei Zhe's kindness as well.

  My love has yet to bloom but is destined to wither away. You will have something better, and I am not worthy of your kindness towards me.

  Two lines of clear tears slid down from the corners of her eyes. Gu Xiyan silently vented the sorrow in her heart.

  Shang Yiqi's hand, which was holding onto Gu Xiu Yan's delicate and crystal-like fingers through her wedding veil, clenched into a fist. "You're crying. Do you despise me that much? Then why were you so bad? Why did you make me remember you constantly? Why were you so good to me in the past? You used to be so gentle, so obedient, and so soft towards me. But since you were good to me, why couldn't it last forever? Why did you have to cruelly take back that kindness when I couldn't leave you? Do I owe you something? I must have owed you from my previous lives too. Otherwise, why would you punish me like this? Is Wei Zhe that great? Why? Why can't you give me a little bit of love? Why can't you love me?" Shang Yiqi said, and then fiercely pulled at Gu Xiu Yan's exquisite and expensive pure white wedding veil, instantly tearing it open with a large rip.

  Her eyes were bloodshot as she turned Gu Xiyan's face towards her own direction. The destructive madness and pain in Shang Yi's eyes made her heart ache to the extreme in an instant. Why was all this happening? She thought that once they returned to T City, they would never see each other again. But he had actually followed her here. Hadn't he promised to let go? Then what kind of mentality did he have when he chose to come on this day? And the despair in his eyes at this moment, what was it caused by?

  "Love, how can it be divided?" Gu Xiyan no longer wanted to look at her own tattered wedding dress. She muttered to herself and lowered her eyelids.

  Shang Yi's heart ached at her words. She said, "She would never be able to love him." Her love was all given to Wei Zhe, wasn't it? How could she do this? How could she? "Look at me, look at me. I'm asking you for the last time. Come back with me to Jing City and remarry me. Will you?"

  He knew he wouldn't get the answer he wanted, yet he couldn't help but ask anyway. Would love really make someone so humble? He abandoned his so-called pride and dignity, just wanting to exchange it for her one sentence: "Okay, I'll go back with you."

  He was delusional after all. Gu Xiyan was taken aback for a moment before shaking her head ruthlessly. "It's impossible. Even if you ask me a thousand times, ten thousand times, my answer won't change. My second half of life can only be as Wei Zhe's wife. The past seven years and more I just treated it as a dream. Now that the dream is over, everything is back to its original state. I cannot leave Wei Zhe's side. So you should go back to Jing City. With your family background, talent, and abilities, you can marry a good woman with ease. As for me, I am destined to be just a passerby in your life. You are the same to me."

  "Is this how you define our relationship?" Gu Xiyan's lips were suddenly invaded by Shang Yiqi's fierce and stormy kiss. Gu Xiyan had applied a light layer of watermelon-flavored lip gloss on her lips, which now melted into their mouths as they kissed.

  Author's Notes