The appearance of the woman in the pink dress quietly disrupted the calm demeanor of several people at the scene, subtly affecting the atmosphere.
Of course, this influence was confined to a small circle of people who were in the know. For those who had no idea, today was still just Fang Cheng and Su Bai's wedding banquet.
Chen Xingran furrowed his brows and, lowering his voice, said somewhat unhappily to Zi Yu beside him, "Didn't you say you'd already settled her down at the Jin Xiu Community? How did she end up at Fang Cheng's wedding?"
Zi Yu, his gaze lingering on the woman in pink, was just as puzzled. Since the moment Zhang Tingting appeared, he felt as if he'd been struck by a heavy blow, his mind in complete confusion.
"It's impossible, I even called to confirm earlier today. She was definitely staying at the Jin Xiu Community. Plus, I never mentioned Fang Cheng's wedding to her. Given her status, there's no way she could've heard about it."
Zi Yu downed a drink in frustration, growing increasingly uneasy, but before he could figure out what was going on, Chen Xingran suddenly sneered and said, "You're right. There's no way she could've known about Fang Cheng's wedding. But someone made sure she found out, and not only that, they blatantly brought her here. Ha, this move is really something!"
At first, Zi Yu was still clueless, but following Chen Xingran's gaze, he suddenly saw another familiar figure standing near Zhang Tingting.
Gong Zheng?
Zi Yu's face turned crimson with realization, and he cursed through gritted teeth, "Damn that Gong Zheng, that bastard! He's actually trying to stir things up at the wedding."
Gong Zheng and Fang Cheng had been enemies for a long time. Though they were in the same industry, the two had always been at odds. A couple of years ago, when they both entered the company, they'd clashed over something, and their rivalry had only intensified over the years, both on the professional front and through their followers.
Whenever they met in big gatherings, they'd ignore each other, but the tension had reached a new high in recent years, especially due to the situation with Zhang Tingting. Neither would back down, and the atmosphere between them had grown more intense, almost to the point of physical confrontation.
There were plenty of women to choose from, but who knew that both of these young masters would have the same taste? Just a regular department store cashier—she wasn't even anything special—yet both Fang Cheng and Gong Zheng had set their sights on her. Naturally, they both wanted to claim her.
Not long ago, Fang Cheng had managed to arrange for Zhang Tingting to be safely settled. But who would have guessed that Gong Zheng would step in and snatch her away, bringing her right here to the wedding.
And the worst part was that he had shamelessly brought her to the wedding. Was this a deliberate attempt to make Zhang Tingting give up, or was he planning to stir up a scandal at the wedding to tarnish the Fang family's reputation?
Although Chen Xingran was also furious with Gong Zheng's actions, he held his anger in check, pulling his gaze away from Gong Zheng and saying indifferently, "Zi Yu, looks like that place you found for her was already on Gong Zheng's radar. He didn't make a move earlier because he's waiting to pull off something big at Fang Cheng's wedding."
Zi Yu nodded, looking frustrated. "I should've known better. Gong Zheng's father and Uncle Fang are from the same circle, so no matter what, the Fang family couldn't leave him off the guest list. Gong Zheng would naturally show up here. This time, it's my fault for not handling the situation properly. If I had known earlier, I would've sent Zhang Tingting abroad."
But Chen Xingran wasn't convinced, sneering as he said, "You think sending Zhang Tingting abroad would've solved everything? If she really wanted to cause trouble, you could send her overseas, but she'd still find a way to show up."
Zi Yu fell silent, clearly acknowledging that Chen Xingran's point made sense. The key issue now was how to get Zhang Tingting out of here immediately. She hadn't seen Fang Cheng yet, and most likely, she had been tricked into coming here by Gong Zheng. She probably didn't even know whose wedding it was.
But neither of them dared to think about the worst-case scenario—what if Zhang Tingting encountered Fang Cheng and realized that the groom was him? Who knew what kind of chaos she might cause? The most pressing matter was to figure out how to get her away from the venue before anything went wrong.
Fortunately, Gong Zheng and Zhang Tingting only arrived after the toasts had finished, and most of the guests had already dispersed, so Fang Cheng and Su Bai didn't have to face them directly.
Chen Xingran and Zi Yu whispered to each other for a while before getting up to leave.
Of course, Gong Zheng noticed their little maneuver from a distance. The man sitting next to him, Zhang Bo, chuckled while picking up some food and whispered, "I bet that Chen Xingran kid went to warn Fang Cheng. Looks like he's desperate now."
"It's fine. The good show is still to come. It's still too early. The bride hasn't even seen it yet. She's the real star of the show," Gong Zheng said with a smile, shaking his head.
At this moment, Zhang Tingting, who had been sitting nearby, looked up in confusion and asked, "What are you guys talking about? Whose wedding is this? The scale is huge."
Zhang Bo chuckled and replied, "Young lady, just enjoy the meal for now. We brought you here to show you around. As for the groom and bride, you'll meet them soon enough."
Upon hearing Zhang Bo's words, Zhang Tingting became even more curious. But since Gong Zheng wasn't answering her questions, she could only feel a little frustrated and continue eating.
Meanwhile, Chen Xingran found Fang Cheng in the back garden, where he had sneaked off for a break after a busy day and was smoking. Chen Xingran briefed him on the situation in the hall, and Fang Cheng furrowed his brow, his expression darkening. He no longer had the mood to smoke. Squinting, he said to Chen Xingran, "Have Zi Yu take Su Bai away. Keep her as far from Zhang Tingting as possible."
"What about Zhang Tingting?" Chen Xingran asked, still concerned. Su Bai definitely couldn't run into Zhang Tingting, but that didn't mean Zhang Tingting would just leave.
Fang Cheng had already made up his mind. "I'll handle Zhang Tingting. She'll find out sooner or later. There's no way to keep it from her. What Gong Zheng wants to see is exactly this."
Having heard this, Chen Xingran didn't say anything further. He took out his phone and called Zi Yu. Upon receiving the news, Zi Yu immediately rushed to find Su Bai.
Luckily, it wasn't too hard to find Su Bai. He spotted her coming down the stairs after finishing her makeup.
Zi Yu blocked her path, and at first, Su Bai didn't know what he was up to. She gave a polite smile and said, "Have you finished eating?"
Not knowing what to say to Zi Yu—since she had only met Fang Cheng's friends a few times and they were hardly close acquaintances—she wasn't sure what else to talk about.
Zi Yu smiled and replied, "I'm full now, just planning to take a walk."
Su Bai nodded and was about to move past him toward the hall, but Zi Yu immediately blocked her again. Su Bai began to feel confused.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked.
Zi Yu appeared awkward for a moment but quickly covered it with a playful grin.
"Sis-in-law, look, today's a big day for you and Fang Cheng. A while ago, Chen Xingran and I were planning to send you a welcome gift. We left it upstairs, so let me show you," Zi Yu said, spinning a fib as his eyes scanned for Fang Cheng, Chen Xingran, and Gong Zheng, who were leading Zhang Tingting in another direction. Anxious, he placed his hand on Su Bai's waist and urged, "Come on, let's go upstairs and take a look."
Su Bai had no choice but to go along with Zi Yu. He coaxed and convinced her, leading her into an empty room upstairs.
As soon as she turned, she saw Zi Yu smiling and saying, "Sis-in-law, since it's a surprise, you have to wait a bit. Don't go anywhere, just stay here for now."
"But what about my parents?" Su Bai asked, feeling a bit troubled.
"It's fine. I saw Uncle Fang and Auntie leave already. Uncle Su left a while ago too. You'd just have to go down and greet all the leaders. That's too much trouble. Leave these things to us. After all, we're brothers with Fang Cheng," Zi Yu assured her.
On this point, Zi Yu wasn't lying. Fang Cheng's parents and Su Bai's father, Su Lingfeng, had indeed left early because of their age. Originally, Su Bai was supposed to handle the remaining matters, but knowing her personality, she wasn't fond of mingling in crowds. Zi Yu had taken this into account when suggesting it.
Seeing that Su Bai was hesitating, Zi Yu quickly added a few more words. "Sis-in-law, really, it's fine. Most of the guests have already left, so just relax and stay here. I'll be back soon, and you can wait to receive your gift."
Once Su Bai finally nodded and agreed, Zi Yu let out a sigh of relief. To be on the safe side, he even closed the door behind him as he left.
However, he didn't expect to run into Qiao Nan on his way out. His heart skipped a beat, but he soon realized that Qiao Nan was just standing at the corner of the second floor, smoking and relaxing.
"Good afternoon, Sir," Zi Yu said with a smile, waiting for Qiao Nan to nod before quickly leaving.
By the time Zi Yu arrived at the hall, most of the guests had already left, and the hotel staff had begun cleaning up the venue. He felt relieved, knowing that at least no matter how big the trouble was, it wouldn't be out in the open for everyone to see.
After searching around for a while without finding anyone, Zi Yu remembered there was still the garden. He hurried out there, but before he could even turn the corner, he heard a sharp scream. His heart sank, and he quickened his pace. When he saw the scene before him, he froze in shock.
Zhang Tingting, pale-faced and gritting her teeth, stood to the side, while Gong Zheng had a cold smile on his face. Fang Cheng, with a dark expression, was being supported by Chen Xingran, a small trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.
That punch… Gong Zheng really didn't hold back.
When everyone's eyes shifted to him, Zi Yu nodded at Fang Cheng and Chen Xingran. Fang Cheng, though still pale, seemed slightly reassured, at least knowing that Su Bai was being taken care of.
"We'll go now." Gong Zheng straightened his collar, which had been askew in the scuffle, and pulled Zhang Tingting, who had tears in her eyes, out of the scene.
Fang Cheng took the cigarette Zi Yu handed him, lit it, and took a drag. He didn't speak, just stood there silently. The two men beside him stood quietly as well, knowing that he needed some time alone.
However, none of them—Fang Cheng, Gong Zheng, or even Zi Yu—realized that the whole drama had been witnessed by someone from beginning to end.
It turned out that the person who had been avoiding the social obligations of the alcohol-fueled gathering by stepping out early to smoke was none other than Qiao Nan.
Qiao Nan, who had lived for over thirty years, had certainly done his share of mischievous things, but even he didn't expect to get caught in something like this. At least, he never thought anyone would scheme against him this way.
Fang Cheng had been someone Qiao Nan had known since childhood. They weren't particularly close, but he thought well enough of him. However, he never imagined that something so chaotic would happen on the day of Fang Cheng's wedding.
Qiao Nan didn't like stirring up trouble and usually preferred to turn a blind eye to things like this. He just shrugged it off, not thinking much of it.
Just as he was about to head back inside, he spotted a flash of red coming down the corridor in a rush. Su Bai was walking—or rather, running—toward him, her steps erratic and frantic, as if trying to escape something.
Zi Yu had probably forgotten that the second-floor hallway was open, and the garden was visible from above.
Suddenly, a noise broke Qiao Nan's thoughts. He looked down and saw a medicine bottle rolling toward him. Instinctively, he bent down to pick it up. When he stood back up, he saw Su Bai in front of him, her face pale with embarrassment.
Despite the situation, her beauty was undeniable. Even Qiao Nan, who had seen all kinds of people, was briefly stunned by her appearance. He quickly smiled and handed the medicine bottle back to her.
Su Bai didn't say much. She swiftly took the bottle, seemingly eager to leave, but as she turned to walk away, Qiao Nan, who might have had a few too many drinks, faintly heard her muttering something under her breath. "Damn it!"