"…Yes". Xiang started automatically, then froze. "...Wait, what?!" Panic surged through him. He blinked rapidly, hands lifting in reflex. "No, that's not...".
But Ruoxi wasn't listening anymore. "I won't tell anyone," she rushed out, her voice trembling slightly as she backed away. "I promise. I wish you and Feng a happy life."
Before Xiang could say another word, she turned and ran, disappearing back into the noise and lights of the wedding hall, moving too fast, as if fleeing from something she was never meant to hear.
Xiang stood there, staring after her, chest tight. For a brief second, a hollow, self-mocking chuckle escaped his lips. Then he groaned.
"Idiot," he muttered to himself before turning and slamming his forehead lightly against the wall in frustration. Once. Twice.
What unsettled him now was the sharp twist in his chest at the thought of Ruoxi believing that lie. And running away because of it.
And yet another couple
Wu Lixi sat alone at the edge of the banquet hall, half-hidden behind a towering floral arrangement. The laughter, music, and clinking of glasses washed over her like distant noise, muffled and unreal. Ruoxi was gone, stormed off by Xiang. Guo Min had left with Zihan. And now, she was the only one left behind, a solitary figure nursing a glass of wine she had no intention of finishing.
She stared into the ruby liquid, eyes unfocused, chest tight. Her husband hadn't looked at her. Not once.
The thought stung more than she expected. She lifted the glass slowly, the rim barely touching her lips...
"Don't drink that." A hand closed firmly around her wrist.
Lixi startled, breath hitching as Yang Yufan's presence enveloped her, solid and unmistakable. His grip wasn't rough, but it was unyielding, as if instinct alone had moved him.
"You're pregnant," he said, brows drawn together in a deep frown.
She blinked at him, as though only now registering his existence. "Oh…" Her voice came out distant, hollow. "…I forgot."
That made him pause. Yufan studied her face more closely now, the lack of light in her eyes, the way her shoulders slumped as if carrying an invisible weight. Wu Lixi had always been soft-spoken, but never absent like this. Never detached.
His frown deepened. "What's wrong?". The question lingered between them. And for a second, Lixi froze.
Then she inhaled quietly, straightened her back, and turned to him with practice ease. The softness returned to her features, a polite smile curving her lips as if she had slipped a mask back into place.
"I want to go home," she said gently.
Yufan searched her face, clearly unconvinced, but he didn't press, he rarely did anyway. "…Okay," he replied after a moment. "Wait for me in the car. I'll be there in three."
He released her wrist and turned away without another word, already walking back into the crowd, into obligations and conversations that seemed to matter more than her silence.
Lixi watched him retreat until he disappeared among the guests. Only then did her smile fade.
She placed the untouched glass of wine back onto the table, fingers trembling slightly, and stood up. As she walked out of the hall alone, the noise of the wedding faded behind her, replaced by a heavy quiet that pressed against her chest.
She stood in the cool night air, one hand unconsciously resting over her stomach, the other hanging limply by her side. The chatter and music from the mansion felt distant now, muffled, as if the world had narrowed to the slow rhythm of her breathing and the ache in her chest.
A few minutes later, Yufan appeared. His steps were a little hurried, his expression unreadable. "Let's go," he said curtly.
He got into the driver's seat and started the engine just as she slipped into the passenger seat, fastening her seatbelt with practiced movements. The car pulled away smoothly, swallowing them in a familiar, heavy silence.
Streetlights flashed past the windows. Neither of them spoke. The quiet stretched until it began to feel unbearable. "…Yufan," Lixi finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.
He glanced at her briefly. "What is it?"
"I'm sorry."
His brow lifted slightly. "Sorry for what?"
She hesitated, fingers tightening against the fabric of her dress. "I'm sorry for everything. The forced marriage… the forced child…" Her voice trembled despite her efforts to steady it. "I'm sorry for tricking you into sleeping with me."
Yufan's grip on the steering wheel tightened, but he didn't respond immediately. The car continued forward, engine humming softly as he processed her words.
After a long moment, he spoke, tone flat. "It's fine. What's done is done."
Her lips curved into a small, strained smile. "Yes… I know." She swallowed. "I really am sorry. I'll leave after I give birth, I promise."
The words had barely left her mouth when the car swerved slightly and then came to an abrupt stop by the side of the road. The sudden stillness made her heart lurch.
Yufan unfastened his seatbelt slowly and turned toward her, his expression hard, eyes sharp and searching. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, voice low. "Repeat what you just said."
Lixi flinched under his gaze, the forced smile crumbling instantly. Her hand moved instinctively to her stomach as her pulse raced.
"I... " she inhaled shakily. "I mean… after the baby is born, I'll leave. This marriage was never meant to be real. I don't want to keep burdening you."
His jaw tightened. "You think you can just decide that on your own?" he said quietly, the calm in his voice far more dangerous than anger.
She nodded faintly, her lashes trembling. "This was never fair to you. I took something that wasn't meant to be mine. I'll give you your freedom back."
Yufan stared at her for a long, unbroken moment. The silence inside the car thickened, pressing down on her chest until it was hard to breathe. Outside, cars passed occasionally, strangers moving freely, unaware of the quiet wreck unfolding in a parked vehicle on the side of the road.
"Wu Lixi," he finally said, his voice calm to the point of cruelty, every word measured, "you sound funny to me. Why?"
He paused, then answered his own question, eyes darkening as he turned fully toward her. "Who do you think you are," he continued slowly, "coming into my life and then thinking you can leave whenever you want to?"
Her breath hitched. Confusion and hurt flickered across her face, her lips parting slightly as if she didn't quite understand what she was hearing. "Then… what do you want me to do?" she asked, her voice small, almost fragile.
For a second, she thought he might say her name differently. Softer. That he might tell her to stay, or at least acknowledge the pain trembling in her voice.
Instead, he turned forward, started the engine, and spoke without looking at her. "Nothing much," he said flatly. "Be a good mother."
The words landed like a final verdict. Whatever fragile hope she had been clinging to shattered quietly, without drama. No argument followed. No tears... not yet. The car filled again with silence, colder than before, heavier than any anger.
When they arrived at the penthouse, Yufan parked and cut the engine. Before he could say anything else, that is if he even intended to, Lixi was already unfastening her seatbelt. She grabbed her bag, pushed the door open, and stepped out without a backward glance.
At first, she walked with composure, her back straight, her steps elegant as she crossed the lobby toward the elevator. Anyone watching would have seen only a calm, well-kept woman returning home.
But the moment she was out of his sight, the moment the elevator doors slid shut, her control crumbled. Tears spilled down her cheeks, silent and unstoppable. She pressed a hand to her mouth, shoulders trembling as she slid down against the cool metal wall.
Maybe... just maybe... if she hadn't forced him into marriage. Maybe if she hadn't been so desperate, so foolish. Maybe then… things would have been different.
Her other hand drifted to her stomach, fingers curling slightly as if seeking reassurance. She didn't know what to do anymore. All she knew was that she was trapped, between a man who refused to let her leave and a life she no longer knew how to endure.