Qiao Qingyan and Chen Xiaomeng’s weddings had both been set for the second day of the lunar month.
The dates had been chosen separately by each groom’s family. Although everything had been arranged rather hastily, it was the only auspicious day suitable for marriage within the next two months.
On the wedding day, Shidianzi Village was alive with the deafening sounds of drums, gongs, and firecrackers.
Relatives and friends crowded into the Qiao family home while Chen Xiuying and Qiao Nianshan busied themselves greeting the guests.
Two bicycles were parked outside the family’s shabby courtyard.
Jiang Runsheng was dressed in a crisp white shirt and dark blue trousers, with a large red wedding flower pinned to his chest. Tall and handsome as ever, there wasn’t the slightest trace of joy on his face.
One hand rested on the bicycle handlebars, but instead of looking at Chen Xiaomeng, his eyes landed on Qiao Qingyan, standing quietly nearby.
The two sisters stood side by side, both wearing braided pigtails, yet they couldn’t have looked more different.
Chen Xiaomeng had naturally dark skin. Today she wore a brand-new, elaborate scarlet dress that only made her complexion appear even darker.
She had inherited her mother’s sharp features—high cheekbones, thin lips, a rather mean-looking face, and a skinny frame that gave off a distinctly rustic air.
Qiao Qingyan, on the other hand, wore nothing more than an old pale-pink dress with a simple cut. The light fabric accentuated her porcelain-white skin, making her delicate, beautiful face glow.
She had a slender waist and long legs. She wasn’t overly thin—soft curves where they belonged gave her a fair, creamy appearance.
Simply standing there, she looked like a beauty who had stepped out of a painting.
How had he ever lost his mind?
How could he have abandoned such a beautiful fiancée and ended up rolling around in the wheat stacks with Chen Xiaomeng instead?
Jiang Runsheng leaned his bicycle against the wall and slowly walked toward them.
The moment he approached, Chen Xiaomeng beamed and hooked her arm around his.
“Brother Runsheng~”
But Jiang Runsheng’s gaze seemed magnetically drawn to Qiao Qingyan, refusing to leave her.
“Qingyan…”
He couldn’t stop himself from calling her name.
The smile on Chen Xiaomeng’s face froze instantly, replaced by a dark, ugly expression.
【Qiao Qingyan! At a time like this, you’re still trying to seduce Brother Runsheng? Shameless bitch!】
Qiao Qingyan shot Chen Xiaomeng a cold glance before shaking her head helplessly, as though looking at nothing more than a ridiculous clown unworthy of another second of attention.
Only then did Jiang Runsheng notice that Qiao Qingyan also wore a small red flower pinned to her chest.
His heart clenched.
Pointing at the flower with a trembling hand, he stammered,
“Y-You’re…”
Qiao Qingyan smiled faintly and pointed toward the other bicycle.
“Brother Runsheng, I’m getting married today.”
“What?”
His pupils shrank in disbelief.
“What did you say? You’re getting married?”
She had only broken off their engagement not long ago.
How could she possibly be marrying someone else so quickly?
He stared at her, dumbfounded, as if frozen in place.
“Qingyan… are you saying this just to make me angry?”
Qiao Qingyan let out a soft laugh.
“Why would I gamble my entire future just to spite you? Brother Runsheng, you really think too highly of yourself. The world doesn’t revolve around you.”
Her words struck him like a loud slap across the face.
“Brother Runsheng, Qingyan really is getting married today,” Chen Xiaomeng said. “She’s marrying into the Xiao family in the neighboring village. From now on, she’ll be another man’s wife.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she looked at Qiao Qingyan with contempt.
【Go marry that cold, uneducated brute of a hunter. Once your in-laws work you to the bone and you turn into a poor, ugly country woman, let’s see how proud you still are. Let’s see if Brother Runsheng will even spare you another glance!】
But Jiang Runsheng refused to believe it.
He stubbornly convinced himself that Qiao Qingyan had deliberately chosen to marry someone else on the very same day as his wedding just to make him jealous.
She still cared about him.
She had to.
In his memories, Qiao Qingyan had always loved him.
They had grown up in the same village, running along the field ridges together and playing house as children.
Later, she moved to the city with her aunt.
By sheer coincidence, he ended up attending the very same high school as her.
At school, they were the envy of everyone—a handsome young man and a beautiful young woman.
Though neither had ever openly confessed their feelings, they were far closer than ordinary friends.
Long ago, Jiang Runsheng had already regarded Qiao Qingyan as his girlfriend… and his future wife.
After graduating, he was assigned to work at the township broadcasting station.
As soon as his job became stable, he eagerly told his parents that he wanted to marry Qiao Qingyan.
Their engagement had come naturally.
They were childhood sweethearts whom everyone believed would spend their lives together.
If Chen Xiaomeng hadn’t deliberately seduced him…
If she hadn’t clung to him after he’d had a little too much to drink…
If she hadn’t forced herself between them…
The woman marrying him today would have been Qingyan.
The thought made his chest feel unbearably tight, as though stuffed with cotton.
No.
He couldn’t just stand by and watch Qiao Qingyan marry a man she didn’t love.
Especially not an uneducated hunter.
He couldn’t let her ruin her entire life.
Taking a step forward, he pleaded earnestly,
“Qingyan, marriage is something that lasts a lifetime. You can’t make such an important decision out of impulse. I know you’re still angry with me. What happened between Xiaomeng and me… I can explain it. I can make it up to you…”
He was becoming more and more ridiculous.
Before he could continue, Qiao Qingyan interrupted him.
“Brother Runsheng, I’m still calling you ‘Brother Runsheng’ out of respect for the years we’ve known each other. But this is the last time I’ll explain myself.”
“I have never had romantic feelings for you.”
“I also don’t care who you’re with.”
“Today is a happy day for both of us. I don’t want to ruin it by talking about the past.”
“From now on, let’s each live our own lives.”
“As your younger sister, I sincerely wish you happiness.”
Standing beside them, Chen Xiaomeng dug her fingernails into her palms while forcing herself to maintain a bride’s smile.
Ever since Jiang Runsheng arrived, he hadn’t looked at her even once.
He hadn’t spoken a single word to her.
Every glance he gave belonged entirely to Qiao Qingyan.
As though she—the bride who was actually marrying him today—were nothing more than invisible.
Did he even remember who he was marrying today?
What made her even angrier was hearing several neighboring women whispering among themselves.
Every word they spoke was praise for Qiao Qingyan’s beauty.
They all said she far outshone Chen Xiaomeng.
They thought they were speaking quietly enough.
But every single word reached Chen Xiaomeng’s ears.
If she weren’t getting married today, she would have marched over and slapped every one of them.
She had gone to so much effort dressing up.
She had worn a brand-new dress.
She had even applied lipstick.
Everything had been for one purpose—to outshine Qiao Qingyan today.
Afraid Qiao Qingyan might steal the spotlight, she had even told her mother beforehand not to prepare any new clothes for her, insisting she be married off in an old dress.
Yet despite that…
Qiao Qingyan only had to stand there with her naturally fair, makeup-free face…
And she effortlessly overshadowed her.
Qiao Qingyan…
Why?
As long as you’re around, I’ll always be the plain, forgotten one.
Everyone’s eyes will always be on you.
Why?
The incessant noise gave Qiao Qingyan a headache.
She frowned, ignored the pair entirely, straightened her back, and walked toward the other bicycle.
The rider was a relative sent by the groom’s mother to escort the bride.
Following behind the bicycles was a donkey cart carrying her dowry—a quilt and mattress, along with brand-new pots, bowls, kitchen utensils, and other household necessities.
She pressed the two hundred yuan tucked safely inside her pocket.
Without sparing this family—or anyone in it—another glance, she climbed onto the bicycle.
“Let’s go,” she said softly to the rider.
Jiang Runsheng stood there like a statue.
The constant trembling of his fingers betrayed the turmoil raging inside him.
Watching Qiao Qingyan ride away, he instinctively took a step after her.
But Chen Xiaomeng grabbed his wrist tightly.
Her voice was filled with grievance.
“Brother Runsheng… she’s already made herself perfectly clear.”
“Please stop chasing after her.”
“I’m your bride today.”
Her words were like a bucket of icy water thrown over him, instantly snapping him out of his obsession.
He slowly withdrew his gaze and looked down at Chen Xiaomeng.
Her dark face had been covered with a layer of powder.
Seen up close, it gave her complexion an unnatural grayish-white tint.
It was like adding legs to a snake—or Dongshi imitating Xishi.
She would have looked cleaner and fresher without all the makeup.
One foolish mistake…
And he had lost the woman he loved most.
Instead, he had married someone else.
Jiang Runsheng lifted his head toward the sky in agony.
He wished a torrential downpour would fall that very instant—
To wake him.
To free him from this absurd, terrifying nightmare.
As the bicycle rattled down the road, the courtyard grew smaller and smaller in Qiao Qingyan’s eyes.
She vaguely saw Chen Xiaomeng and Chen Xiuying standing at the gate, holding each other’s hands and crying—a mother reluctantly bidding farewell to the daughter she was sending off in marriage.
She also caught sight of her father, Qiao Nianshan, standing silently at the entrance, looking in her direction.
Whatever emotions lay hidden in his eyes…
Qiao Qingyan neither understood them…
Nor cared anymore.