Inside the luxurious seven-star hotel, the atmosphere is vibrant.
On a stage covered with a golden silk carpet, the moderator excitedly asks the groom, "Mr. Yeli, are you willing to marry Miss Gu Qing, in sickness and in health?"
The audience, filled with envy or jealousy, turns their gaze to the strikingly handsome man on stage just as the moderator finishes his question.
The man, immaculately dressed in a bespoke black suit, does not answer the moderator's question directly. The atmosphere around him becomes tense.
Everyone knows that today is the wedding of the wealthiest man in Nanzhou and the most influential and beautiful woman in Country A, Gu Qing.
The Ye family, led by Yeli, holds the economic lifeline of Country A. Rumor has it that Yeli's fatherless upbringing allowed him to build the Ye family on his own. Despite being only thirty years old, his methodical and ruthless tactics inspire fear even in the president.
As for Gu Qing, her father, being the governor of Nanzhou, oversees the entire region. Most importantly, her father has the favor of the president and is his right-hand man.
Therefore, this marriage, on the surface, is a perfect match – both parties are well-matched and well-liked by others.
In private, some are speculating whether this is a power move merging the political and business circles.
After about five minutes, the groom, Yeli, finally spoke up: "I do."
His voice is magnetic and pleasant, yet his expression remains chilly, as if marrying the bride was not his own choice.
Hearing his response, the host finally breathes a sigh of relief and turns to the bride, asking excitedly, "Ms. Gu Qing, are you willing to marry this man by your side, in sickness and in health?"
Gu Qing looks exceptional today, with a delicate makeup and beautiful custom wedding gown. She is as beautiful as a fairy tale princess who has stepped out from a painting.
She lifts her head, looks at the man standing in front of her, and opens her cherry-like mouth with a smile, saying, "I don't."
The very moment these words were spoken, everyone present appeared shocked.
The emcee, scared and sweaty, instantly realized that if this wedding fell through, he would undoubtedly bear the blame. Hurrying to defuse the tension, he managed a weak laugh and said, "Miss Gu, you must be joking with us."
"I'm not joking. When I say I don't want to, I mean it," Gu Qing said, word by word.
Down below the stage, a commotion had already started. Although both bride and groom were influential, today's wedding turned out to be quite a farce.
The bride put the groom in an awkward position and everyone eagerly anticipated the ending.
Ye Li's face was extremely unpleasant.
He had lived for thirty years and had never experienced such humiliation.
He had been grudgingly attending the wedding anyway, so given this turn of events, there was no reason for him to be polite any longer.
His cold, sharp eyes stared at Gu Qing intensely as he emphatically declared, "Since Miss Gu Qing looks down on me, Ye Li, I hereby declare that the Ye family cancels the marriage contract with the Gu family. From this day forward, we have nothing to do with each other!"
Having said that, he turned around arrogantly and exited.
Gu Qing watched the man's retreating figure, a hint of contempt flashing in her eyes. She echoed loudly, "Remember your words, we have nothing to do with each other. Never meet again!"
And thus the wedding ended as a farce.
Back at the Gu mansion...
Gu Ming was so furious his lips were trembling.
Although he was very angry, Gu Qing was his only daughter.
Even when she was messing around, he had to indulge her.
Gu Ming suppressed his emotion and said, "Qing'er, Father knows you don't like Ye Li. But from my observation, only Ye Li in the entire Nanzhou is worthy of you. And in the future, only he can protect you..."
Before Gu Ming could finish, Gu Qing interrupted him.
"Dad, as long as you are with me, I'm not afraid of anyone." She walked forward, wrapped her arms around Gu Ming's arm and playfully said, "I know this time it was me who embarrassed you, Dad, don't be angry. Punish me. Whatever you ask me to do, I'll agree." While she was speaking, she rubbed her head against Gu Ming's chest, acting coquettishly.
Every time Gu Ming was mad at her, this trick always made him feel better.
"Ah!" Gu Ming sighed and patted his beloved daughter's head. He pulled her to sit on the sofa, and with a very serious gaze, he stared at Gu Qing and after a long pause, he said, "Father won’t be with you for a long time in the future. The person I'm most worried about right now is you."
"Dad, do you have official duties again? Going abroad?" Gu Qing, who had never seen her father look so worried, asked curiously.
Gu Ming didn't explain, only said, "After father leaves, go find Ye Li."
"What? You want me to grovel to that man again? I've already broken off the engagement with him, do you think he can tolerate me with his character?"
Gu Qing said, a little pissed.
Gu Ming's expression was very grave, and he wasn't as reasonable as he used to be, "I told you, only he can protect you!"
After saying that, he pushed away Gu Qing and went upstairs.
"Dad, why?"
"Dad, tell me, what do you see in that man?"
Gu Qing asked urgently.
Gu Ming moved swiftly, heading upstairs and locking himself in his study without paying any heed to Gu Qing.
She was left standing outside the door, trying to eavesdrop. From the muffled sounds, she could tell that her father was on the phone talking to someone for hours on end.
She had no idea about the contents of his conversation, and her attempts to call him from outside went unanswered.
Ultimately, Gu Qing gave up and headed back to her room to sleep.
A dreamless night ensued.
The following morning was filled with an uproar that came from downstairs, affecting Gu Qing greatly.
When she went downstairs, she was taken aback.
Why were there so many government officers at her house?
And... her father was being taken away by them.
She caught only a fleeting glimpse of her father's retreating figure. Her attempts to rush after him and ask the reasons were thwarted.
" What are you doing?" Gu Qing, in a state of distress, cried out. " On what grounds are you unlawfully arresting people?"
"Miss Gu, we are just following the President's orders in the execution of our duties."
"Would you be so kind as to pack your belongings and leave the Gu Mansion today? And remember, you are not to take anything from here."
Gu Qing had never anticipated their family to end up like this. She demanded to know why they were arresting her father, but the officers remained silent.
Her father had always been a righteous man, he hadn't done anything that would harm the people, so why was he arrested?
Gu Qing felt her head buzz and stood dazed in place.
In the end, she was expelled from the Gu family mansion.
As she collapsed to the ground, reporters surrounded her, taking photos indiscriminately.
She had always been concerned about face in the past, but this time, she wanted nothing else but the safety of her father.
Gu Qing spent a whole night outside the Gu family mansion, but the public officials guarding the entrance wouldn't allow her in.
Early the next day, the media coverage all over Nan Zhou was about the Gu family, completely eclipsing the news of the cancelled engagement.
"Breaking news: Gu Ming has been arrested for accepting bribes, the Gu family falls, Miss Gu weeps uncontrollably!"
"Is Gu Ming's imprisonment a retaliation by the Ye family for calling off the engagement? Having nothing left to her, what will become of Miss Gu?"
"Inside scoop: The former deputy governor Gu Chang is about to take office as the governor of Nan Zhou, and his daughter Gu Lan is to be married into the Ye family!"
"..."
