Ch. 1 - This Wedding is Over

Excitement coursed through Gu Jinhan’s veins as she tried on her stunning white wedding dress that hugged her figure perfectly. Just then, her phone buzzed suddenly, jolting her from the moment.

Thinking it was a message from her fiancé, Lu Jingchen, she eagerly reached for her phone. But instead of a sweet message from him, she received a video that was shared in a group chat that caught her attention immediately. 

In the video, Lu Jingchen and his childhood sweetheart, Meng Sibei, were both dressed in traditional red wedding costumes, as if they were in the middle of a Chinese wedding ceremony.

Meng Sibei looked up at Lu Jingchen, her eyes filled with unconcealed passion and love. Lu Jingchen, too, seemed to be enjoying himself. While holding hands, the two exchanged affectionate smiles.

"The newlyweds shall now bow and pay their respects to each other” 

Meng Sibei blushed slightly, bowing happily before Lu Jingchen smirked playfully and pulled her into his embrace. Meng Sibei smoothly wrapped her arms around his neck.The passion between the two adults was palpable even through the screen.

"Brother Chen, let's consummate our marriage."

"Let's go!"

He scooped her up bridal-style, lifting her off the ground with ease.

Gu Jinhan’s fingers dug into her palm, but the sting from her nails was nothing compared to the shock that overwhelmed her.

At some point, her phone slipped from her hands and fell to the floor with a soft thud, but she didn’t even notice. She stood frozen as she stared emptily at her reflection in the mirror.

She was just one wall away, trying on a white wedding dress all by herself.

What a cruel joke!

She staggered back in disbelief and steadied herself against the wall.

Was this hers and Lu Jingchen’s wedding? Or was it Meng Sibei and Lu Jingchen’s wedding?

Gu Jinhan needed answers. She had to find out. 

Staggering to her feet, she left the dressing room and walked down the long corridor with her heart pounding in her chest. She arrived at the section with the traditional Chinese wedding costumes and took a peek at what the both were up to.

There, Lu Jingchen was lifting Meng Sibei’s red bridal veil with his eyes full of affection.

Meng Sibei gazed up at him and blushed like a delicate flower. “Brother Jingchen, let’s drink the nuptial wine! May we always share life’s joys and sorrows!"

Gu Jinhan stopped in her tracks, as though frozen by some invisible force.

Amid the cheers of guests celebrating the completion of the ceremony, Meng Sibei caught a glimpse of a white silhouette standing outside from the corner of her eyes.

“Brother Jingchen, which do you think looks better—the traditional red wedding costume or the Western-style white wedding dress?”

"Of course, the red—" Lu Jingchen began, but then his gaze finally landed on Gu Jinhan standing at the back.

The air between them turned cold and thick with tension in an instant..

Gu Jinhan was the first to break the silence.

“Continue,” she said, her tone cold like ice.

Meng Sibei bit her lip and gently tugged at Lu Jingchen’s arm, her voice tinged with concern.

“Brother Jingchen, Sister Jinhan looks upset!”

Seeing Gu Jinhan’s unwavering stare, he smirked and replied nonchalantly, “Hanhan, Sibei and I have been playing bride and groom since we were kids. If it bothers you, just stay away.”

Gu Jinhan’s lips curled into a bitter smile. “I see. You two enjoy yourselves, then.” She turned on her heel to leave.

“And from now on, I won’t come between you two anymore,” she added.

"What do you mean?" Lu Jingchen’s asked as his patience wore thin. 

"Are you calling off the wedding?"

Gu Jinhan smiled faintly,"Yes!"

To hell with this wedding. I’m not getting married!

Meng Sibei quickly tried to pretend to smooth things over. “Sister Jinhan, Brother Jingchen and I were just joking. Please don’t take it seriously…”

But Lu Jingchen cut her off, “Gu Jinhan, I have a fear of marriage. I really don’t want to get married!”

Gu Jinhan's gaze was steely as she nodded slowly. “That’s fine.”

"Even if we’re not husband and wife, we can still go back to being lovers." Lu Jingchen declared magnanimously and waved his hand dismissively as if he were doing her a huge favour.

However, Gu Jinhan was ready to put an end to this relationship for good. "No need. It’s better if we cut ties completely and not get involved with each other anymore."

A past relationship is like an injury, it leaves a scar even when the injury no longer exists.  

Lu Jingchen hadn’t expected her to be this decisive.

As Gu Jinhan turned to leave, her eyes lingered on the calming incense she had painstakingly created for him. It still burned quietly in the corner.

Lu Jingchen had suffered from chronic headaches for years, and no doctor had been able to cure him.

So after they got together, she spent countless sleepless nights researching aromatherapy to relieve his chronic headaches and learnt how to craft calming incense by herself. 

When his condition improved, he had embraced her, his gratitude turning into a proposal. “Jinhan, marry me. Life is so much better with you.”

What a joke. All that self-sacrifice for nothing.

Lu Jingchen glanced over at her in the white wedding dress. Thinking she looked stunning in it, he suggested, “Jinhan, you can take the dress with you and leave.”

“No thanks,” Gu Jinhan replied coldly. 

She wasn’t that crazy.

Walking alone in a wedding dress on the street would only make her look like some deranged, marriage-obsessed lunatic.

As Gu Jinhan disappeared from sight, a subtle smile crept onto Meng Sibei’s lips.

She returned to the Western wedding dress section,stripped off the gown, and handed it over to the store assistant.

“Please contact the client who showed interest in this dress. I’m selling it  now.”

She had designed the wedding dress herself, so every stitch and seam on the dress carried her heart’s devotion and dreams of marriage.

When the dress was previously displayed in the store’s window, it had caught someone’s eye.

However, Gu Jinhan, who once dreamed of becoming the most beautiful bride for Lu Jingchen, had refused to sell it back then.

Now, she was willing to sell it for a million yuan.

“And also, take back the traditional wedding dress from that person who tried it on. I’ll be giving it to the customer who buys this dress.”

Gu Jinhan had planned for her wedding to be a fusion of Chinese and Western styles, with outfit changes during the ceremony.

However, before she even had the chance to try on the red dress, Meng Sibei had snatched it up.

Upon hearing the store assistant ask for the dress back, Meng Sibei instantly pouted and clung to Lu Jingchen, “But brother Jingchen, I love this dress! Can you buy it for me, please?”

Lu Jingchen agreed without hesitation and nodded.

“Mr. Lu, I’m sorry, but Miss Gu is the designer and owner of this wedding dress. She has made it clear that the dress is not for sale,” the store assistant explained with a polite smile.

Lu Jingchen’s irritation flared. Was she keeping it because she still had hopes of marrying him?

Once she finished her business at the shop, Gu Jinhan took the initiative to immediately contact Lu Jingchen’s lawyer.

“Lawyer Zhang, please bring the prenuptial agreement documents. Let’s finalise the asset transfers now.”

The lawyer was surprised. Before the wedding, Lu Jingchen had stipulated that if he and Gu Jinhan did not marry, he would give her 100 million yuan in cash, two properties, and three luxury cars.

Lu Jingchen had never truly wanted to get married but Gu Jinhan had failed to realise it until now.

All this while, she had only dreamed of marrying Lu Jingchen and becoming his wife.

But today, she was different.

Now that she had made up her mind not to marry him, she was determined to claim what was rightfully hers. This was her way of safeguarding her future.

Lawyer Zhang accompanied her to the bank, housing bureau, and the vehicle registration office. By the time they had finalised all the paperwork for the asset transfers, the city lights were already shining brightly against the dark sky.

Never once in his entire career had he encountered a case that went as smoothly as this. Gu Jinhan showed no hesitation whatsoever. She simply proceeded to get everything finalised.

“Miss Gu, everything has been processed. Mr. Lu said if you have any other requests, you may bring them up now.”

"Thank you, Lawyer Zhang, but I don’t." Gu Jinhan shook her head.

She then pulled out an exquisite box from her bag. “This incense helps reduce stress and improves sleep quality. It’s perfect for lawyers like you.”

Lawyer Zhang hesitated. He knew that Gu Jinhan’s handmade incense was highly sought after. In fact, it was practically priceless.

“Didn’t you make this specially for Mr. Lu?” He asked carefully.

Gu Jinhan’s lips curled into a faint smirk, her tone laced with mockery as she replied,“He won’t be needing it anymore,” 

With that, she returned to the Garden Villa, packed her things, and left immediately, without a trace of hesitation under the cover of night. The final chapter of her relationship with Lu Jingchen had been closed for good.

As the night settled in, Lu Jingchen returned home drunk, only to find the entire villa shrouded in darkness. That had never happened before.

Normally, no matter how late he stayed out, the lights were always on. Gu Jinhan would also always be waiting for him in the living room, greeting him with the brightest, warmest smile.

Drunk, he collapsed onto the sofa, only to wake up later with his head throbbing in unbearable pain.

“Hanhan, my head hurts…”

But there was no response.

In the past, the moment he called out, Gu Jinhan would immediately light a calming incense, massage his temples, and nag at him gently.

“I told you to drink less. You know that alcohol stimulates the nerves and sets off your headaches, yet you never listen. When will you ever learn?...”

Yet now, no matter how much he writhed in agony, even rolling off the couch onto the floor, not even a trace of Gu Jinhan could be found.

“Hanhan… Gu Jinhan… my head is killing me…”

Finally, as the first rays of morning light filtered into the room, a slender and graceful figure appeared beside him.

Lu Jingchen’s hand shot out, grabbing her wrist.

“You’re getting craftier with your mind games…”

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