Beloved Bride: Captured by the Top Playboy

Chen Ziqian drove his convertible along the road—it had been seven years since he had last returned, and T city had undergone significant changes.

He had been doing well on Wall Street in New York, but his old man had insisted he return, pretending a sudden myocardial infarction, claiming it was urgent, making him fly back home immediately.

At that time, he had hurriedly resigned and booked a flight back. However, the trip had given him time to figure out the strangeness. He knew his father's health too well—how could he fall ill so easily? So, after landing, he immediately called Liuzi, his childhood friend, asking him to check if his father was truly ill or faking it—and his suspicions were confirmed when Liuzi told him his father had been drinking with him just the day before.

"The old man is getting craftier by the day!" Chen Ziqian muttered under his breath and pulled out his phone to dial a number, then put on his Bluetooth headset.

"Afei, it's me, Chen Ziqian." Afei was his desk mate from high school.

"Yes, I've returned. Remember the new house I bought in Jinfeng Garden before I left? The one I asked you to look after? Is everything okay there? I'd like to stay there for a while."

"What? You're now in S city? What's the password? I'll just go over there myself!"

The more cunning the old man acted, the more he refused to go home. Just as he hung up the phone, it rang again—this time, it was Liuzi calling.

"Liuzi, what's up?"

"You've booked a table at Dafangyuan to welcome me back? And all our old friends are there? Alright, I'll be right there!"

Just as Chen Ziqian hung up the phone, a white wedding gown suddenly fell from the sky, drifting straight toward his car and completely blocking his view.

A black car was changing lanes at that moment, speeding by and nearly causing a rear-end collision. Just when the gown obstructed his view, Chen Ziqian braked hard while swiftly turning the steering wheel.

With a "snap," the white wedding gown quite coincidentally wrapped entirely around Chen Ziqian's face at that moment.

A crash sounded as the convertible hit a hard object and came to a stop.

"Who's so wicked as to throw a wedding gown down like this!" Chen Ziqian cursed as he frantically pulled the gown off his head, looking up only to see nothing but tall buildings. "Must be some old maid! Can't get married, so takes it out on her wedding gown!" In anger, he threw the gown down and got out to check the condition of his car.

The convertible had hit a flower bed by the roadside—there was a significant dent in the front, caved in and damaged, seeing his beloved car in such a state infuriated and distressed Chen Ziqian immensely.

"I curse that old maid to never find a husband in her next eight lifetimes!"

While cursing, Chen Ziqian pulled out his phone to make a call, then waved down a taxi.

Suxin clutched that box and returned to Jinfeng Garden. It was a famous high-end apartment in T city, where she had lived for three years. T city was vast, and although she and Liu Haoran lived in the same city, their workplaces were too far apart, so they generally only saw each other once a week.

She entered the password, opened the door to a three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment, though she only rented one room. Oddly enough, the other two rooms had never had tenants. The landlord offered her a discounted rent of three thousand a month with the stipulation to keep the entire apartment clean.

She liked this arrangement, so even though she was lazy, she always remembered the landlord's words to keep everything spotless, fearing a sudden inspection that might kick her out. Living in such a fancy place for just three thousand a month and enjoying such space and quiet was like a pie from the sky—what was cleaning in comparison?

Upon returning home, she began tidying up, determined to erase every trace of Liu Haoran—throwing away his dedicated cups and slippers.

Opening her computer, she looked at the photos of her and Liu Haoran from their university days to the most recent ones. Seeing their happy smiles in the pictures made Suxin's tears uncontrollably stream down. Being unemployed was tough, but not as devastating as her boyfriend of eight years telling her he had cheated.

Trembling, she clicked through the photos, selecting delete and confirming the action.

When she opened the drawer, her fingers touched Xu Yuteng's CD, "Wait a Minute." Tears streamed down her face again as she put the CD into the computer, and the familiar song started playing.

If time forgets to turn, forgets to take away something

Would you still be stopped at the day you said you loved me

Then in a corner of the world, there would be a home for us

You said my chest would make you feel warm

If life had no regrets, no waves,

would you never have a day to say goodbye?

Perhaps the hearts of the young are too tender, unable to withstand wind and waves.

If I could return to yesterday today, I would compromise with myself,

...

This song was given to her by Liu Haoran on the eve of their graduation when they almost broke up. It was because of this song that she was moved to bravely stay in T City to strive in this expensive metropolis and carve out a niche for herself.

But five years had passed, the song remained, yet Liu Haoran was no longer the same person he had been.

Tears blurred her vision, for a long, long time...

The ringtone of the cellphone broke the silence. Suxin grabbed it and saw "Bai Xiaoyan" flashing in big letters,

Bai Xiaoyan was her university classmate, roommate, and best friend. Their relationship couldn't be closer.

"Hello, Xiaoyan," Suxin answered the phone, her voice somewhat weak.

"Susu, you must be exhausted from the photo shoot today, right? But wait till you see those beautiful wedding photos, you'll feel happy. If it weren't because of my seven-month pregnant belly and Xu not wanting me to go, I would have definitely come to see!" Bai Xiaoyan burst out speaking, her tone incredibly excited.

"Xiaoyan, we broke up."

"Broke up? What do you mean 'broke up'?"

"Haoran has another woman."

"Susu, you're not joking with me, right? Liu Haoran would cheat?" Bai Xiaoyan was full of disbelief.

"It's true, he told me himself." Suxin's tone was very low.

"Damn, Liu Haoran is such a scumbag? I really misjudged him. How Liu Haoran chased you back then, I was so moved watching it all, even helped him out a few times. And now he changes his tune just like that, what a jerk!" Bai Xiaoyan couldn't help but curse.

"Xiaoyan..." Suxin couldn't help but cry again hearing Bai Xiaoyan's words.

"Susu, don't be sad. Getting heartbroken over such a scumbag is just asking for trouble. It's good that you didn't marry him. What if you found out after getting married, wouldn't that be a huge loss? Let me tell you, when one Liu Haoran leaves, maybe someone better will come. You're only twenty-nine; you have plenty of opportunities!"

"Xiaoyan, I am already twenty-nine, a Gold Saint Warrior. Where can I find someone better?" Thinking about her age, Suxin started to feel sad. She hadn't felt her age was a big deal before, but now mentioning twenty-nine made it seem so big.

"Susu, only twenty-nine, what's there to worry about? I'll rally my various aunts and uncles, and yes, Xu too, to see if there are any outstanding young men at his workplace. I'm sure we'll find someone better than Liu Haoran. I'll start asking now and will get back to you tomorrow!" Bai Xiaoyan was a native of T City and had all her relatives there.

"Blind dates? Isn't that too soon? I just got out of a relationship..." Mentioning blind dates made Suxin feel awkward.

"What are you saying, Susu? If you don't go on blind dates, are you planning to remain single for Liu Haoran forever?"

"Stay single for him? How could I? How could I be so stupid?"

"Exactly, so you better catch the tail end of your twenty-nine years and find a good man to marry. Otherwise, a woman past thirty is like expired fruit, discount upon discount, and you never know if anyone will want them!" Bai Xiaoyan had a way with words, whether flipped or flopped, all at her command.

"Hehe," Suxin's voice became melancholic, "Xiaoyan, how did I accidentally become twenty-nine and turn into a Gold Leftover Warrior?"

"Susu..." Bai Xiaoyan also felt sympathetic, "So, you start going on blind dates now; you have to find someone better than Liu Haoran and make him regret it!"