In Fang Yaoting's room, he sat at the table, staring blankly at the beautiful red wedding gown that he steadfastly refused to try on. Lee Dachin walked to the table and sat opposite Fang Yaoting, his presence a quiet comfort.
Lee Dachin smiled gently and said, "Yaoting, you refused to try on the clothes. Let me help you put it on."
"It doesn't matter to me," Fang Yaoting replied, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.
Lee Dachin walked to Fang Yaoting's side and gently helped him out of the chair. He grabbed the wedding gown and carefully began to dress Fang Yaoting in the elaborate attire. After dressing Fang Yaoting, he asked Fang Yaoting to sit in front of the mirror and tied Fang Yaoting's hair into a formal style.
Lee Dachin looked at Fang Yaoting's reflection in the mirror and smiled, a poignant ache in his chest. He said, "Yaoting, you are very handsome. I bet you are the most handsome groom of the year."
Lee Dachin slowly combed Fang Yaoting's hair, his movements tender. Suddenly, his tears fell on his hands, betraying his hidden sorrow. He wanted to wipe away the tears without Fang Yaoting noticing, so he deliberately dropped the comb on the ground. When he bent down to get the comb, he quickly wiped away the tears, hoping to hide his pain.
Fang Yaoting noticed that Lee Dachin had been crying since he started combing his hair, but he did not want to expose Lee Dachin's vulnerability. He pulled Lee Dachin into his arms and hugged Lee Dachin tightly, offering silent comfort.
Fang Yaoting smiled faintly and said, his voice laced with emotion, "Dachin, let's get married tonight."
"What did you say?" Lee Dachin whispered, shocked.
"I want to marry you first," Fang Yaoting explained. "The first bow to heaven and earth, to the parents, and to each other, I want to do it with you."
Fang Yaoting took Lee Dachin's hand and faced the open window, where the moonlight streamed in. He knelt beside Lee Dachin, and together they bowed to the moon twice. On the third bow, they bowed to each other, sealing their private vows.
"I, Fang Yaoting, will recognize you, Lee Dachin, as my only partner in life," Fang Yaoting declared, his voice filled with solemn conviction. "From today on, I promise that I will share happiness and sorrow with you until we become two elderly men. Even so, I will never stop loving you."
Lee Dachin's eyes were wet with tears, overwhelmed by his sincerity. He said, "Yaoting, thank you for loving me." He smiled at Fang Yaoting, a heartbroken expression. Deep inside his heart, he wanted to tell Fang Yaoting that they were still young and their future was uncertain. Even if Fang Yaoting belonged to someone else tomorrow, he did not regret the moment he was with Fang Yaoting. He would cherish every single moment, because Fang Yaoting was his best memory.
Fang Yaoting hugged Lee Dachin tightly in his arms, and he sobbed, his own fears surfacing. "Dachin, I'm afraid."
"What are you afraid of?" Lee Dachin asked, stroking his back.
"I'm afraid you will leave me," Fang Yaoting confessed, his voice cracking with emotion. "Even if I have a wife and children, please don't leave me." His voice broke. "I really love you from the bottom of my heart. I'm sorry, I let you go through all this. Please forgive me. I want to grow old with you and take my last breath looking into your eyes." He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself, and hugged Lee Dachin even more tightly inside his arms.
Lee Dachin cried, tears streaming down his face as he returned the embrace. "Alright, let us grow old together," he promised.
Fang Yaoting and Lee Dachin cried in each other's arms, finding solace in their shared pain and unwavering love.
Early in the morning, in the Fang residence, everyone woke up very early, anticipating the grand wedding. When the sun began to rise, everyone stood up and waited outside for the arrival of the bride and groom. All family members and close friends were there. The people on the Wang family's side cheered for joy, their faces bright, but the Fang family was not so happy, their expressions somber.
Lee Dachin set up a small table for his friends, a private space amidst the crowd. He knew that only Guo Baiyu and Ping'an might be the only two people that would show up, given the previous night's drama, but when everyone showed up—Zhao Renshu, Guo Longtong, Lim Peizhi, and the Huang sisters—he was genuinely surprised. He smiled, tears welling in his eyes, and welcomed all of his friends.
"I'm afraid they will bully Dachin, otherwise I will never show up," Guo Longtong complained, still grumpy but loyal.
"Me too," Zhao Renshu agreed, echoing his sentiment.
The matchmaker, a figure of pomp and ceremony, shouted, "The bride and groom are here! Please make way for the bride and groom!"
Fang Yaoting and Wang Shuchun came in from the door, each holding the end of a beautiful red cloth flower ball, leading them along the traditional path. Walking along the red carpet to Officer Wang and Master Fang, everyone cheered, their voices filling the air.
Lee Dachin stood up, his gaze fixed on Fang Yaoting. Every step Fang Yaoting took was like a knife piercing his heart, a sharp, excruciating pain.
Fang Yaoting then slowly stopped in front of Lee Dachin, pausing the entire procession. He stared right into Lee Dachin's eyes, and a single tear fell from Fang Yaoting's right cheek, a silent testament to his inner turmoil.
Lee Dachin held back his own tears, forcing a pained smile at his lover instead, trying to offer him strength.
Fang Yaoting did not continue walking towards the two elders. His eyes remained fixed on Lee Dachin. He dropped the red cloth down, abandoning the ceremony. He held Lee Dachin's hand, and the two rushed out, leaving everyone at a loss, a scandal unfolding. He dragged Lee Dachin toward the backdoor, trying to escape.
"Stop! Yaoting, stop!" Lee Dachin cried, pulling back.
"I can't!" Fang Yaoting shouted helplessly, tears streaming down his face. "I can't do it! Dachin, please, I don't want to do it! Why do you put me in this position?"
"Yaoting, listen to me," Lee Dachin pleaded, his voice firm despite his tears. "You can go back to the ceremony. Get married and have children. If you do that, I will wait for you. If you don't get married and have children, you will never see me again. I will ask Peizhi to hide me in Waterfall City."
"Dachin!" Fang Yaoting burst into fresh tears, devastated by the ultimatum.
Back in the ceremony hall, Officer Wang, furious, looked madly at Master Fang and asked, "What does Young Master Fang mean by doing this?"
"It must be a misunderstanding," Master Fang stammered, trying to regain control. "I'll go take a look."
As soon as Master Fang was about to get up, Lee Dachin and Fang Yaoting, their faces stained with tears but their resolve set, walked back into the ceremony, their presence shocking the crowd.
Lee Dachin smiled, a strained, polite smile. "I'm sorry everyone, he is too nervous," he said, offering a false excuse for Fang Yaoting's dramatic outburst.
After the ceremony, Fang Yaoting drank heavily, drowning his sorrows. He was so drunk that two guards had to carry him back to the bedroom. Zhao Renshu was also heavily drunk, perhaps in solidarity.
"Baiyu, I will stay here with Dachin tonight," Ping'an said to Guo Baiyu, sensing Lee Dachin's need.
"I will take them back to the inn," Guo Baiyu replied, referring to the still-conscious friends.
Guo Baiyu and the Huang sisters returned to Brightness Inn with Zhao Renshu, Guo Longtong, and Lim Peizhi.
Lee Dachin came back from Fang Yaoting's room with more wine and peanuts, seeking company. "Where are they?" he asked Ping'an.
"They are drunk and have returned to the inn," Ping'an replied.
"Are you not going?" Lee Dachin asked, surprised she stayed.
"I will stay here to accompany you tonight," Ping'an said softly, offering her unwavering support.
The two friends talked until most of the guests left, leaving the Fang residence quiet. There were only twelve people left, the core family and a few close attendants.
"Only you and me," Ping'an said, her voice gentle, as she observed his pain. "If your chest is too stressed, then you can let some go, Dachin." She held his left hand, offering comfort.
Lee Dachin burst into tears, the dam finally breaking. "It hurts, it's so painful that I'm suffocating, I can't breathe. If I were the young master of an upper-class family, no one would treat me like this."
Ping'an understood this sentence better than anyone else. In her own life, she had thought of the same sentence many times, experiencing similar injustices due to her background. Ping'an got up and sat beside Lee Dachin. She patted him gently on the back. "Go ahead and cry. Cry your heart out," she encouraged, a pillar of support.
"May I borrow your shoulder to lean on?" Lee Dachin whimpered, his voice small.
"Tonight," Ping'an replied, her voice firm and compassionate, "I am your shoulder to lean on."
Lee Dachin leaned on Ping'an's shoulder, tears streaming down his face, and he continued to sob, finding solace in her unwavering presence.