Chapter 1: Bad News Of A The Wedding

This story begins on a certain summer day.

Because of a car accident, Meng Weiyu stayed in a private hospital room for two full days. Apparently, a car had suddenly driven quickly in the wrong direction, causing a chain collision. Meng Weiyu was one of the unlucky people caught up in the accident. After he woke up, the nurse told him he was considered fairly lucky. He had been near the edge of the accident scene, so his injuries were not as severe as most people’s. His car had merely flipped over and rolled a few times.

Wearing a hospital gown, with his arm and half his face wrapped in bandages, Meng Weiyu turned his head and looked at the lush green leaves outside the window. The hot wind unique to southern summers blew in, lifting his soft, fine hair. Because of the dazed look in his eyes, his beautiful face appeared especially delicate and pitiful.

His conclusion was different from the nurse’s. He felt that his injuries were actually quite serious.

“We’ve already contacted your family. These are the things you had on you before.” The nurse handed him the items inside a transparent document pouch. “While you were unconscious, it seemed someone kept calling and messaging you. The hospital was busy before, and your phone had run out of battery, so in the end, the police contacted your family and explained the situation. He seems to be overseas. After hearing the news, he immediately rushed back to the country. He should be coming to pick you up today.”

“Family?” Meng Weiyu narrowed his eyes, becoming even more puzzled.

Seeing his expression, the nurse finally realized something was wrong. Curious, she reached out and waved her hand in front of Meng Weiyu’s eyes to test his focus.

Meng Weiyu noticed the nurse’s hand. His originally unfocused eyes immediately regained their light. He raised his head, his eyes curving as the corners of his mouth lifted. With only half of his face exposed to the air, he stubbornly radiated a seductive charm. He could be considered physically injured but mentally unyielding. Even in this kind of situation, he still did not forget his flirtatious nature.

“What are you doing?” Meng Weiyu asked with a smile in his voice.

The nurse suddenly blushed.

“To think I received a certain someone’s extremely urgent call telling me to hurry to the hospital and check on you, afraid you might be missing an arm or a leg. But the moment I arrive, I find you flirting with people.” At some point, the door to the private ward had been pulled open. The person standing at the entrance spoke, cutting through the ambiguous atmosphere.

Seeing someone had arrived, the nurse said to Meng Weiyu, “If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, just press the call button.”

After saying that, she left the room with a flushed face.

“What? So it’s just you.” Meng Weiyu looked at the person who had arrived, not hiding his disappointment at all. He even let out a heavy sigh.

So the so-called family member was Ning Wu, a friend he had known since elementary school.

Known… all this time. That should be right, shouldn’t it?

Meng Weiyu stared hard at the person walking toward him. His face turned cold, and his sharp eyes scrutinized him.

Ning Wu still had that approachable handsome face. He was wearing a suit that looked extremely expensive. In one hand, he carried a fruit basket. In the other, he held a bouquet with a chaotic mix of colors, which he casually handed to Meng Weiyu.

Meng Weiyu put away the gentle tone he had used while flirting with the nurse and said coldly, “Take away that cheap bouquet.”

“Hiss.” Although Ning Wu had already imagined Meng Weiyu might react this way, when Meng Weiyu actually spoke to him like that, he still showed an expression as if he had suffered a heavy blow. Then he placed both the flowers and the fruit on the table. “I came in a hurry. The flowers and fruit were both bought nearby.”

Meng Weiyu looked at him and sighed again.

“What exactly are you dissatisfied with me about?” Ning Wu had long since gotten used to ignoring his friend’s disdain. Naturally, he pulled over the chair nearby and sat beside Meng Weiyu.

“I heard they contacted my family, and it actually turned out to be you?” Meng Weiyu felt disappointed on one hand, but secretly relieved on the other.

“There’s no helping it, right? Your other half is in England. After receiving the call yesterday, he was so anxious he skipped his meeting and bought the fastest plane ticket back.” Ning Wu glared at him. “I know you forget your friends when you see someone attractive, but as your friend, I also rushed over as soon as I saw the news. Be a little nicer to me.”

“Mm.” Meng Weiyu was not listening to him at all, because he noticed something very strange inside the pouch the nurse had given him. Meng Weiyu opened the pouch. His long fingers avoided the phone and wallet, accurately taking out the ring tucked away in the corner.

A bloodstained ring.

He raised the ring, his expression becoming even more confused.

“You’re not seriously injured, right?” Ning Wu finally began to care about Meng Weiyu. “If you die, what will happen to your net worth of tens of billions?”

“My body should be fine.” As Meng Weiyu answered Ning Wu’s question, he raised the ring in his hand.

Ning Wu noticed something was wrong with Meng Weiyu. His voice died down, and his eyes stared unblinkingly at Meng Weiyu’s movements.

Meng Weiyu glanced to the side and saw the trash can nearby. Without the slightest hesitation, he threw the ring in his hand into it.

What was this thing?

It was filthy!

“Holy shit, what are you doing!?”

In all the years Meng Weiyu had known Ning Wu, this was the first time he had seen him use such a ridiculous movement to anxiously pounce toward a trash can.

Ning Wu reached into the trash can. Fortunately, there was nothing inside except that ring, so he quickly picked it back up.

“That’s a Nightingale ring, right? I know it’s very expensive, but it’s filthy. You can pick it up if you want, but please don’t return it to me.” Nightingale was a luxury brand Meng Weiyu had always liked. In the past, he had even secretly thought that if he ever got married, he would customize a ring from this brand.

But no matter how much he liked it, he could not stand this bloodstained, dirty ring.

“Holy shit. Holy shit. Did you smash your head too hard?” Ning Wu held the ring and stared at Meng Weiyu, dumbfounded.

“My head does seem to have a bit of a problem.” Meng Weiyu had actually noticed something was wrong with himself the moment he woke up. “For example, when I look at you now, I feel like you seem very rich.”

“Of course I’m rich. What nonsense are you saying?” If he were not rich, how could he have known this wealthy young master since childhood?

“You’re rich enough to participate in a time-travel experiment, and now you’ve suddenly aged ten years,” Meng Weiyu said.

“Hey!” Ning Wu found that his mind still worked as quickly as ever, and his words were still as vicious as ever. Aside from the bizarre act of throwing away his precious ring, there seemed to be nothing wrong with him.

“Ning Wu, how old am I this year?” Meng Weiyu asked him.

“Crazy.” Ning Wu already did not want to entertain his stupid questions.

“I feel like I’m seventeen right now,” Meng Weiyu told him.

The corner of Ning Wu’s mouth twitched. He retorted, “You’re the one who participated in a time-travel experiment, aren’t you?”

Meng Weiyu slowly blinked. His gaze was more serious than ever.

Ning Wu held the ring in both hands and once again rushed out of the room in a panicked, ridiculous manner, shouting loudly, “Doctor!”

The doctor came very quickly and took Meng Weiyu for a comprehensive examination.

The final conclusion was that because his head had been struck during the car accident, he had lost part of his memory. As for how much that part was, it was ten years.

The last memory in Meng Weiyu’s mind was from the spring when he was seventeen, a few weeks after the start of his senior year of high school.

But this year, he was already twenty-seven.

By the time Meng Weiyu was leaning against the hospital bed again, Ning Wu was sitting beside him in disbelief.

Meng Weiyu looked at Ning Wu with perfect composure. He seemed completely unconcerned about his own situation. Between the two of them, it was as if the worried Ning Wu was the patient, while he was merely someone who had stopped by the hospital to visit a friend.

“Why don’t you have any reaction?” Ning Wu was greatly shocked.

“I already reacted.” Meng Weiyu was in no mood to act out unnecessary scenes with him right now.

Knowing that he was no match for him, Ning Wu thought for a moment, then handed the cleaned ring back to him.

“I already said I don’t want it.” Meng Weiyu looked disgusted.

“This is your wedding ring. Are you sure you don’t want it?” Ning Wu calmly threw out a sentence that, to the current Meng Weiyu, was as destructive as a violent car crash.

When Meng Weiyu heard this, his mind went blank. When he finally understood what Ning Wu had said, his eyes widened.

Ning Wu looked serious. He was not joking.

“Cough, cough, cough.” Meng Weiyu, who had remained calm since waking up until now, was suddenly so frightened that he began coughing violently. “Non… nonsense. How could I possibly…”

He was so shocked he could not form a complete sentence.

How could he possibly be married?

“Are you insane, or am I insane?” Meng Weiyu looked at Ning Wu in a sorry state.

“Good question. When you said you were getting married back then, I said the exact same thing.” Ning Wu put on a brilliant smile and imitated Meng Weiyu’s infuriatingly sweet tone from back then. “Aiya, don’t be jealous~ Not everyone can accurately find the person they like and successfully walk into the hall of marriage.”

Meng Weiyu blinked wildly.

“Don’t throw it away. When your ring disappeared for a while before, you looked like you were about to go insane.” Ning Wu returned the ring to Meng Weiyu.

“I’m the type of rich person who doesn’t cherish objects,” Meng Weiyu said. However, his fingers could not help but take the ring from Ning Wu’s palm once more.

Ning Wu looked at him with a gratified smile.

Meng Weiyu glanced at Ning Wu and spoke viciously, “Don’t look at me with such a disgusting gaze.”

“Hahahahaha, it really is seventeen-year-old Meng Weiyu.” Ning Wu laughed loudly, full of curiosity. “How did you realize something was wrong with you?”

“The second semester of senior year started in spring, right?” And now, it was the height of summer, noisy with the sound of cicadas.

However, he also had not expected that in the blink of an eye, ten years had passed.

Meng Weiyu looked at the ring between his fingers and revealed a dazed expression.

During this time, Ning Wu, who had gone through several rounds of shock, had broken into a sweat. He took off his suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.

“What kind of work do you do now?” Meng Weiyu could not understand why someone would wear a suit in the middle of summer.

“Lawyer.” Ning Wu answered his question. He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and smiled smugly. “You didn’t expect that, did you?”

“I really didn’t.” In Meng Weiyu’s memory, Ning Wu should have been the type of person who hated memorizing things the most and hated arguing with others. There was no way he would become a lawyer.

Ning Wu smiled and shook his head.

If he had to explain the current situation to seventeen-year-old Meng Weiyu, he would probably scare him to death.

On the surface, Meng Weiyu looked harmless, like a bubble soaked in sugar water. But once the illusion was punctured, he was actually a hedgehog baring its teeth and claws.

Ning Wu wiped the sweat from his face.

Although the hedgehog was small, its attack power was not weak at all. Especially seventeen-year-old Meng Weiyu, who attacked everyone indiscriminately.

“How could I possibly get married?” Meng Weiyu raised the ring, filled with disbelief.

“You’re not married to me. How would I know the answer to that question?”

“Then…” Meng Weiyu raised his eyes and stared at Ning Wu with innocent eyes that did not match his clever face. Still suspicious, he asked, “Who did I marry? Is it someone you know too?”

“It’s someone everyone knows.” Ning Wu turned his head and smiled wickedly.

Meng Weiyu narrowed his eyes, feeling that Ning Wu’s words had a hidden meaning.

“But don’t worry.” Ning Wu temporarily comforted him. “Your partner is very high-quality, smart, and rich. After getting married, you lived a very happy life.”

“Ha, I’m already very rich myself.” Meng Weiyu habitually praised himself, then looked sideways at Ning Wu again.

“You really are troublesome. I already said you’re very happy now. I have proof. I took a lot of photos at your wedding back then. I’ll show you.” Ning Wu took out his phone and prepared to look for the photos.

Watching his movements, Meng Weiyu did not know why, but an anticipation he had never felt before began to grow in his heart. He could not help leaning over, wanting to look at Ning Wu’s phone.

“Why are all of these photos of my wife? Where were you two hiding?” Ning Wu looked quite troubled. “Aiya, why does my wife look good in every single photo?”

Meng Weiyu’s gaze gradually turned cold, and he prepared to start cursing.

What interrupted Meng Weiyu’s mood was the appearance of a familiar yet surprising face on Ning Wu’s phone screen.

“Shen Zhoudu?”

“Yeah, it’s Shen Zhoudu. Before, when he happened to be at the same banquet as me, I took this photo.” Ning Wu showed the photo to Meng Weiyu.

Shen Zhoudu could be called one of the people Meng Weiyu, who claimed to be magnanimous, hated the most. The man in the photo had long since grown out of the youthful appearance in Meng Weiyu’s memory. He wore an expensive yet boring suit. His shoulders were broad, his waist was slim, and he possessed a mature, steady charm. He wore glasses, and with an extremely handsome and refined face, he put on the most uninteresting expression as he sat on the sofa, boredly meeting the camera’s gaze.

“Tsk.”

The petty Meng Weiyu saw his enemy, curled his lip, and made a dissatisfied sound.