The civil affairs bureau was unusually crowded that morning.
Couples lined up, hands intertwined with shy smiles and red booklets that dazzled in the sun.
Wang Wei Ling stood alone by the corner, holding her registry booklet nervously to her chest.
Today, she was to marry Gu Chen Xi, but he was nowhere to be found.
"Ma'am, are you here to register?" asked. "Where is your partner?"
"He's... on his way." Wei Ling forced a smile. It was the same response she'd been giving for the past three hours.
She dialed Gu Chen Xi's number again, it rang but he didn't pick up. He didn't bother returning her calls and even left her WeChat messages on read.
This wasn't exactly new to Wei Ling. Chen Xi had always been nonchalant to her, cold and distant.
But she loved him nevertheless.
She'd been in love with him since the day he'd saved her back in college.
She pursued him then, despite the fact that he had zero interest in her, not giving up till he finally asked her to date him. But even at that, he didn't have any deep affection for her.
She did everything she could to please him, even when he kept another woman by his side, his so-called white moonlight, she still smiled and pretended not to see all of it.
She loved him so much that she waited for him like a fool in City A, when he spent months abroad with another woman.
She even proposed to him.
Yes.
She, Wang Wei Ling was the one who proposed.
The world seemed to have mocked her for that act of foolishness and her family threatened to disown her, but she didn't care.
Because she believed that no matter how cold Gu Chen Xi was, and no matter how much he adored that woman. He would be hers, if only she endured long enough.
Her phone suddenly vibrated, her heart skipped a beat as it did.
[ Chen Xi ] Let's cancel, something urgent has come up.
Her fingers trembled as she looked at the message.
She'd endured everything he'd done in the past, but this? It was the height of it all. What could possibly be more important than their wedding?
She locked her phone and let out a shaky breath.
Her phone vibrated again, this time It was from Chen Xi's lover.
[ Yi Qing We] Brother Chen is having lunch with me on your wedding day. Do you know why? It's because he only loves me!
[ Yi Qing We] Please leave brother Chen, we deserve to be happy together.
Wei Ling sighed, feeling nauseated. She didn't know how Li Qing We had managed to get her contact, but she made it her job to keep her posted on what Chen Xi was doing at all times.
A week ago, she'd even sent her a pregnancy report that stated Chen Xi was the father of her baby.
Wei Ling proposed they got their marriage certificate after that. Yes, she knew another woman was carrying his child but she still wanted to marry him.
That was just how much she wanted to be with Gu Chen Xi.
A notification popped up on her screen a moment later.
[Just in: CEO of Gu group seen escorting his girlfriend who just returned to China from the airport. Does that mean a Gu wedding is coming up soon?]
"Girlfriend?" Wei Ling scoffed.
The accompanying photo loaded slowly. In it, Chen Xi stood tall and cold as ever, but his gaze was gentle.
He held his white moonlight affectionately, and his eyes exuded a kind of softness she'd never seen before, a kind he'd never shown her.
Her mind trailed back to the night Gu Chen Xi had asked her to be his girlfriend.
He'd invited her to a pool party at his house. He prepared a bouquet and sweets, and then told her he liked her.
She was so moved that she wasted no second in accepting him. Li Qing We showed up at that moment and dared to threaten Wei Ling.
"You think brother Chen cares about you because he asked you to be his girlfriend?" She scoffed.
Wei Ling was lost for a moment. "What do you mean by that?"
"Let's see if he really does," Li Qing We smiled. Before Wei Ling could process what was happened, she'd been dragged into the pool.
She struggled to stay above the water but failed, she couldn't swim.
"Help!" Li Qing We screamed, attracting everyone's attention.
Gu Chen Xi rushed towards the pool in an instant, but instead of saving Wei Ling whom he'd just made his girlfriend, he dived towards Li Qing We.
Wei Ling was heartbroken when she saw this. It should've been her first cue that Gu Chen Xi would never love her, but she stupidly turned a blind eye.
It was a stranger who jumped into the pool and dragged her out. She was weak and her skin had turned pale.
Gu Chen Xi stood a distance from her, pulling his coat over Li Qing We, he even had the guts to blame Wei Ling for what had happened.
"Why did you do that? Don't you know Li Qing We is sick?!" He yelled.
But she was too weak to defend herself, too shocked to explain how scheming Li Qing We really was.
Wei Ling stared at the photo on her screen for a long time, then she smiled. A quiet, almost relieved smile.
"So this is it…"
For years, she had been chasing a shadow. Now, the light had finally exposed the truth... She was never truly part of his story
A tear drop slipped from her eyes but she quickly wiped it away.
She wasn't going to cry, not anymore. Not for Chen Xi who'd hurt her so many times.
She looked at the red booklet in her hand one last time before tossing it away.
Seven years of unrequited love, she was finally going to let him go.
She dialed a number on her phone, it was answered after two rings.
"Hello, Mr. Han..." She hesitated for a second. "Are you still looking for a wife?"