Shao Wenye’s father was a high-ranking cadre, while his mother was a singer in the cultural arts troupe. With their status and position, they had seen all kinds of storms in life.
But when it came to their own family, Wang Xuemei still panicked.
“Old Shao, what should we do now? The wedding has only just begun. By the time Wenye comes back, it’ll already be too late.”
“I’ll handle the guests first. You take Wenwen home. Since this happened for a reason, everyone will understand.”
Looking toward the girl still standing blankly on the stage, clearly unable to process what had happened, Wang Xuemei sighed softly.
“This is the only thing we can do.”
“Sorry, everyone. Something unexpected came up at home, so the ceremony will end here. The food at the cafeteria should already be prepared. Please head over there and enjoy yourselves—eat and drink well.”
For today’s wedding, the Shao family had reserved five tables at the cafeteria. According to the original plan, once the ceremony here ended, everyone would head over for the wedding banquet.
“Political Commissar Shao, don’t worry too much. Wanwan probably thought about Wenqing and got overwhelmed, which caused her to faint. The two of them had such a good relationship before. Who would’ve thought Wenqing would…”
The speaker suddenly stopped and smacked their own mouth twice.
“Look at me, bringing up the wrong thing at the wrong time.”
Xu Wan’s husband, Shao Wenqing, was the Shao family’s eldest son. Three years ago, he had died in the line of duty. Fortunately, he had left behind a child, so the family line had not been cut off, giving his loved ones at least something to hold onto.
Xu Wan and Shao Wenqing’s son was now a little over two years old. His name was Shao Rong, the treasured darling of the Shao family. Since there were too many people at the wedding today and they were afraid the child might get hurt, he had been left at home under the care of an orderly.
Thinking about his eldest son, Shao Kai let out a sigh.
“Thank you all for your understanding.”
“Ah, there’s nothing else to be done. Human life is more important, after all. A wedding is just a formality anyway. It doesn’t really matter whether it happens or not.”
“In rural places, people get married without all these ceremonies. A couple of banquet tables and that’s considered a wedding.”
“Some families don’t even hold banquets, and they still live happily together. So the banquet itself isn’t important. What matters is whether the husband and wife work together to build a good life.”
“Comrade Wen is educated. Her outlook must be broader than ours. She probably doesn’t care much about formalities.”
“This happened so suddenly. Comrade Wen should understand. Nothing is more important than a person’s life.”
“…”
Everyone chimed in one after another, speaking words of comfort, yet their eyes continuously drifted toward Wen Yu.
Even if there was a reason for it, who gets abandoned by the groom on their wedding day?
Comrade Wen was too pitiful.
She did not even have family members here to stand up for her. If her father had not been injured and forced to retire from the military, if he were still the influential figure he once was in the military district, no one would dare watch her humiliation like this.
Sigh.
Pitiful.
Truly pitiful.
Those pitying gazes made Wen Yu’s body turn cold. It felt as though rough gravel had scraped against her heart, the pain so sharp that her body trembled uncontrollably.
All kinds of thoughts flashed through her mind.
Was Shao Wenye dissatisfied with this arranged marriage?
Or was it because they had no emotional foundation between them, so when something happened, the first person he thought about was someone else?
At this moment, Wen Yu felt like a complete outsider. Embarrassment engulfed her whole being, leaving her unsure of how she should react.
Her father was paralyzed in both legs and unable to attend the wedding. Her mother had long since remarried. While traveling alone on the train, she had also felt lost and afraid. Yet every time she thought about starting a new life with the man she loved, all her uncertainty disappeared.
But now, it seemed this journey across thousands of miles had only been her own wishful thinking.
Someone took hold of her hand.
Shao Wenye’s mother said softly, “Wenwen, come home with Mom first.”