Dong Fangqing immediately realized what was going on and cheerfully introduced, "This is Shi Aotian, my…"
Before she could finish, Yun and Fang exchanged knowing looks. Fang Ya cut her off and said, "Oh, I get it. With an introduction like that, who wouldn't understand? I never thought the belle of our university department would one day be moved by love. By the way, he's quite handsome—and very cool—much better than the one I've got at home."
In an instant, everyone burst into laughter, leaving only Shi Aotian with a puzzled expression and Dong Fangqing blushing furiously.
Although Xu Feng kept a smile on his face, inside he was grinding his teeth in hatred.
At this point, there were still three days left before Yun Hai and Fang Ya's wedding. Over the next few days, other classmates arrived one after another, and even Fatty Jin Zhong, who was far away overseas, came specially to offer his congratulations. This time, their old dormitory group was practically having a full reunion. Shi Aotian, however, seemed more and more out of place—although everyone knew he was Dong Fangqing's boyfriend, no one paid him much attention.
Old classmates greeted each other warmly, enthusiastically swapping stories about the past three years, talking about everything under the sun.
Finally, October 1st arrived—National Day, and also the wedding day of Yun Hai and Fang Ya. The banquet hall was packed with guests who had come to offer their congratulations. Yun Hai's father, Yun Zhenlin, was a well-known figure in the city, and his business had been growing ever more prosperous. For his son's wedding, he had invited many high-ranking officials and prominent figures, who all came to give him face. The entire atmosphere was lively and festive. Yun's father spared no expense for this wedding, determined to make it the talk of the town.
While the reception was in full swing, a young man in a well-tailored suit and gold-rimmed glasses walked into the hall.
The moment Yun's father saw him, he immediately rushed forward in delight, embracing him tightly, tears welling up in his eyes. The guests looked on in puzzlement.
As the bride, Fang Ya nudged her husband Yun Hai with her elbow and whispered, "Darling, who is that man your father is hugging so emotionally?"
Yun Hai was equally surprised. Then, suddenly, he seemed to recognize something—his eyes widened, and he said excitedly, "Wife, I know! That's my cousin, Zhou Yun. When we were kids, we often played together. He's three years older than me. When he was eight, he and his parents emigrated to the UK. But not long after they left, my uncle and aunt died in a car accident, leaving only my cousin alive. After that, we lost all contact. I have no idea how my father managed to get in touch with him."
"Your cousin?" Fang Ya asked softly in confusion. "Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"Absolutely sure," Yun Hai replied firmly. "Even though we haven't seen each other in more than twenty years, I still remember the nail-sized red birthmark at the corner of his eye. I could never mistake him for anyone else."
Looking a little excited, Yun Hai walked straight over.
"Son, come here—do you still remember who this is?" Yun's father asked happily.
"It's my cousin," Yun Hai said, still sounding a little disbelieving.
Cousin Zhou Yun smiled faintly and embraced Yun Hai warmly.
"You really are my cousin. I believe it," Yun Hai said. Though they hadn't met in over two decades, childhood memories began to surface in his mind. "Cousin, how have you been all these years? We haven't heard anything from you."
"This is your big day, so let's not talk about that now. I'll tell you later," Cousin Zhou Yun said, patting Yun Hai on the shoulder.
Zhou Yun's appearance was undoubtedly the icing on the cake for Yun Hai's wedding, making the atmosphere even more lively.
Shi Aotian faintly sensed a killing intent. Although it was hidden extremely well, it could not escape his sharp instincts. He tried to pinpoint this unusual aura, but the noisy crowd and the bustle of the banquet greatly affected his judgment.
In that moment, a sharp, piercing gaze swept across Shi Aotian, then vanished silently into the sea of guests.
Shi Aotian seemed to feel something and focused his senses, searching intently.
Eventually, two razor-sharp gazes locked onto each other.
Shi Aotian's heart jolted: It's him.
At the same time, the man whose eyes met Shi Aotian's felt a sudden shock: So it's him… I never thought I'd run into him here.
The two men stared at each other for several seconds, then, as if nothing had happened, both casually looked away. In truth, each already understood what kind of person the other was.
The man who had met Shi Aotian's gaze was none other than Yun Hai's cousin, Zhou Yun—who was also Assistant Zhou of the Black List organization. In the information Mo Junyan had sent him earlier, there had been a photograph of Shi Aotian. Thus, the instant their eyes met, he recognized the new Black List assassin before him. What he hadn't expected was that Shi Aotian's eyes in real life were even colder and sharper than in the photo.
This was something ordinary people could never notice. But Zhou Yun, professionally trained, could sense the primal aura of death radiating from Shi Aotian—an aura that was not concealed in the slightest, which showed just how terrifying this man truly was.
Having recognized each other, Shi Aotian and Zhou Yun reached a silent understanding. Both decided to bide their time, to watch and see what the other would do.
The wedding banquet began, the atmosphere growing ever more festive. The happiest ones, of course, were the newlyweds, Yun Hai and Fang Ya. The host on stage chattered away with a stream of humorous and congratulatory words, pushing the celebration to its peak.
Yun's father had booked eighty-eight tables for this banquet—a lavish gesture—with every seat filled by distinguished guests. Shi Aotian was seated at a table with Dong Fangqing's university classmates. Among them was a new face—Li Na's boyfriend, Qin Zijian. As it was his first time meeting the group, he seemed a little reserved and spoke very little, making him something of a kindred spirit to Shi Aotian.
After years apart, everyone eagerly shared their personal stories. Three years had passed, and the most successful among them was Jiang Zhongming. Fascinated by computers since childhood, he had gone into software development after graduation. After years of effort, he had made a name for himself, opening his own small company, with business steadily improving.
Li Na was living with her boyfriend and seemed quite happy, prompting everyone to ask when they would get married. As for Fatty Jin Zhong, there was no need to mention—coming from a wealthy family, he had returned from studying abroad with his head held high, and he wasn't as fat as he used to be.
Li Jingjing, now a teacher, had no grand ambitions. Her greatest wish was to live a peaceful and steady life, which suited her personality well. Yao Qian was just as quiet and unassuming. Though she worked as a secretary to a manager, her attractive looks had stirred her boss's lust on several occasions, making her want to quit.
Zhang Yuanming, who had always secretly loved Li Na, remained constant in his feelings. Compared with the decadent Zhou Jun, he was much more positive toward life.
Zhou Jun was the most decadent among them—not because he lacked talent, but because he had never managed to free himself from the shadows of his past. This alone showed how deeply he had once been invested in love. In his depression, he spent his days with cigarettes and beer, staring at his computer screen without blinking, his face pale and lifeless. His classmates and friends had all tried to persuade him to change, but every time, he would simply smile faintly and continue living the same way.
Amid warm applause, the host on stage finally finished his long-winded speech. The banquet officially began, and the handsome groom and the beautiful bride started making their rounds to toast the guests.
"The bride and groom won't get to our table for a while, so why don't we start first? Come on, everyone, raise your glasses—let me toast you all." Unable to contain himself after seeing the wine, Zhou Jun eagerly stood up, raising his glass in invitation.
Everyone else also stood up, glasses in hand—except for Shi Aotian, who remained seated. The others were puzzled. Dong Fangqing quickly tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "What are you doing? They're about to toast—why are you still sitting?"
Shi Aotian finally stood, drawing everyone's attention.
"I never drink. You all go ahead," he said reluctantly, his words leaving everyone surprised and even shocked. The people at the table began forming their own opinions of him, thinking: We're offering a friendly toast, and he refuses? That's just disrespectful.
Dong Fangqing felt her face flush with embarrassment—she had never expected Shi Aotian to say such a thing. She quickly tried to smooth things over: "I'm so sorry, everyone. Aotian isn't feeling well today, so he can't drink. How about I drink in his place?"
Everyone could hear what she meant, and for her sake, they decided to let it go. They raised their glasses again and drank together.
After the toast, everyone sat back down. Xu Feng let out a small, disdainful "Tch," showing his disapproval of Shi Aotian's behavior. Muttering under his breath, he sneered, "Doesn't drink wine… what kind of man is that?"
Although he said it quietly, everyone at the table heard it clearly, and their expressions toward Shi Aotian became even more contemptuous.
Dong Fangqing felt a deep ache in her heart, unsure whether bringing Shi Aotian along had been the right decision.
As for Shi Aotian, he had never forgotten what happened ten years ago—after just one sip of his master's liquor, he had passed out drunk, leaving him so wary that even hearing the word "wine" made him uneasy. From that day on, he decided never to drink again.
What he didn't know was that his master's liquor had been specially prepared, far stronger than ordinary wine. These regular drinks wouldn't have the same effect, and even if he drank them, they wouldn't knock him out like before.
After several rounds of toasts, everyone was beginning to feel hot and flushed, and the atmosphere grew livelier. Shi Aotian, however, had no restrictions when it came to food. Raised under his master's training, he had developed an extraordinary capacity for eating—once full, he could go hungry for a week. This astonishing endurance was far beyond that of ordinary people.
While the others were busy toasting each other and paying him no attention, he had already begun his "food plundering campaign." By the time the rest had only taken a few bites, he had already devoured a quarter of the table's dishes. Everyone was shocked, even Dong Fangqing—she knew he had a big appetite, but she hadn't expected it to be so overwhelming. He didn't even leave the bones behind, eating like a true wild man.
Li Na, a naturally cheerful and lively girl at the same table, was so stunned by Shi Aotian's appetite that her mouth hung wide open. The others even set down their chopsticks, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
"Xiaoqing… is he really your boyfriend?" Li Na nudged Dong Fangqing beside her, her face showing clear discomfort. "He… I think…" She trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid—anyone could guess what she meant.
At that moment, Dong Fangqing didn't know what to say. Her mind was in chaos, and she wasn't sure if she should stop Shi Aotian in this situation.
While she was hesitating, the bride and groom arrived at their table to offer a toast. This time, another person had joined them—Zhou Yun.
As soon as Shi Aotian sensed Zhou Yun's presence approaching, he set down his chopsticks, stood up first, and fixed Zhou Yun with a piercing gaze.
Zhou Yun adjusted his glasses and let out an unprecedented aura of killing intent—he was deliberately picking a fight with Shi Aotian. He wanted to see for himself just how capable this newly famous assassin, who had killed Aka, really was.
The people at the table found it strange and quietly watched the two, not knowing what was going on.
Yun Hai, three parts drunk, didn't notice the tension. With the bride Fang Ya beside him, he smiled broadly and said to his cousin Zhou Yun, "Cousin, do you know each other?"
"No," Zhou Yun replied with a smile. "These are your classmates, right? I came over especially to toast them."
To the others, the words felt forced—there were so many tables, so why toast only theirs?
"I see. They're my university classmates, and this is my classmate's boyfriend, Shi Aotian," Yun Hai said, introducing them briefly under the influence of alcohol.
At that moment, Zhou Yun's lips curled into a faint smile as he thought to himself: So, it is him—Shi Aotian.
"Come on, everyone, don't just sit there. Raise your glasses—it's the most important day of my life! Old classmates, you're not planning to skip toasting me, are you?"
The group snapped out of their daze and, with the lively atmosphere restored, stood up with their glasses to toast the bride and groom.
This time, Dong Fangqing was prepared—she quickly shoved a ready-filled wine glass into Shi Aotian's hand and gave him a pointed look. She wasn't about to let him embarrass her in front of the newlyweds, so her gesture carried the force of an unspoken "order."
But Shi Aotian continued to stare unwaveringly at Zhou Yun, completely forgetting about the wine glass in his hand.
"Come on, everyone—cheers!" the bride and groom said heartily, downing their drinks in one go.
The others also drank without hesitation. When they set down their glasses, they noticed Shi Aotian and Zhou Yun were still holding theirs, locked in an intense stare.
"Mr. Shi, why not give my cousin the honor on his wedding day? Why raise your glass but not drink?" Zhou Yun said, his smile growing wider.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense. Xu Feng was secretly delighted—he hoped the situation would blow up so he could watch Shi Aotian make a fool of himself.
"Mr. Zhou, why haven't you drunk yours either?" Shi Aotian retorted without the slightest hint of backing down. In an uncertain situation like this, he could only improvise.
"I'm waiting for you," Zhou Yun replied firmly, stepping closer to Shi Aotian.
The others sat frozen, holding their breath, unsure of what the two were playing at.
"I never drink," Shi Aotian said plainly.
"In that case, we won't force you," the bride quickly stepped in, sensing something was wrong and trying to ease the tension with a smile.
"No, Brother Shi—today you can't refuse. This is a special day. When the host offers you a toast, how can you not drink?" Zhou Yun's words surprised the group, yet they also found them reasonable. His shift from "Mr." to "Brother" made the invitation sound warmer—and harder to turn down.
Beside him, Dong Fangqing tugged at Shi Aotian's sleeve, her eyes urging him to drink.
"Come on, let's finish this one together," Zhou Yun said. As soon as he spoke, he skillfully clinked his glass against Shi Aotian's and, without waiting, pulled it back and tilted his head to drink it all in one go.
In the eyes of outsiders, this was nothing more than a common trick to force someone to drink, nothing out of the ordinary. But deep down, Shi Aotian understood perfectly well that the hand holding the wine glass could not be released. Because of Zhou Yun's deft technique, he knew that the moment he set the glass down, he would immediately be humiliated in front of everyone.
"Drink up, Brother Shi. What, are you not giving me face?" Zhou Yun said with a sinister smile.
Without the slightest hesitation, Shi Aotian tilted his head back and downed the drink in one go, still gripping the glass tightly in his hand.
"Clap, clap." Zhou Yun set down his glass and began to applaud, praising, "What a great drinker! Brother Shi, you've really given me face today. I hope we can have a good talk sometime."
The others were swept up by Zhou Yun's applause and began clapping as well. Dongfang Qing finally let out a sigh of relief—she had truly worried that Shi Aotian might not drink, in which case he would have lost face completely.
"Mr. Zhou, there will certainly be an opportunity," Shi Aotian forced a faint smile and replied reluctantly.
Zhou Yun gave Shi Aotian a thumbs-up, adjusted his glasses, and smiled. "I'll be waiting." With that, he returned to his seat, while the bride and groom moved on to another table to continue toasting the guests.
Everyone sat back down and resumed their conversations.
"Are you alright, Aotian?" Dongfang Qing asked with concern.
"I'm fine." Shi Aotian had finally understood the difference between his master's wine and ordinary wine—one cup down and he felt no effect at all.
When no one was watching, Shi Aotian loosened his grip under the table. The glass had already shattered into several pieces. This was the real reason Zhou Yun had forced him to drink. If he hadn't drunk, Zhou Yun would have found a way to make him loosen his grip, and the moment he did, the glass would have shattered in front of everyone, making it impossible to save face. In fact, Shi Aotian had already realized this completely at the moment of clinking glasses with Zhou Yun—under that subtle strike, the glass had cracked long ago, and only his own strength had kept it from falling apart.
Quietly, Shi Aotian crushed the shards of the glass into powder under the table and scattered them onto the ground, then carried on eating as if nothing had happened.
After the banquet, the groom, Yun Hai, was already seventy percent drunk, while the bride, Fang Ya, was flushed with a rosy glow. The guests all showed signs of being slightly tipsy.
With his face flushed like pig liver, Yun Hai, supported by his wife Fang Ya, managed to stand steadily. The two, exuding a strong smell of alcohol, came over to Xu Feng and his companions' table, brimming with drunken cheer. After a few more rounds, everyone grew even more excited, and even Shi Aotian—who almost never drank—downed several cups with boldness.