Inside the golden hall, dazzling lights intertwined with the purity of the white wedding gown. On the giant screen, a fairy-tale love story flashed—showing the couple from school uniforms to wedding attire. It was the dream scene countless people fantasized about.
Pop! The sound of shattering champagne abruptly ended the romantic wedding march. The bride’s sudden action left the emcee, who was just about to say “exchange the rings,” completely dumbfounded.
“Yihan, you know what today means. Can’t we at least complete the ceremony?” Gu Zhe’s voice had already turned to a pleading tone. “So many relatives and friends are watching from below.”
And yet, the groom’s only request was that the bride finish the ceremony.
Song Yihan shook her head, looking troubled. “Ah Zhe, Mingdong has been drowning himself in alcohol these days. I just got a call—he drank so much he started vomiting blood and was rushed to the hospital. I have to go see him!”
The veins on Gu Zhe’s hand that was holding the ring bulged.
She had to go.
She had to leave in the middle of the wedding ceremony, before the rings had even been exchanged, to go see another man.
So many times—on Gu Zhe’s birthday parties, graduation speeches, promotion celebrations—at the most important moments in his life, in front of his friends, colleagues, and relatives, there was always one call that could easily take his girlfriend away. That man was Duan Mingdong.
The male best friend who had been buzzing around Song Yihan like a fly ever since college.
“Ah Zhe, you’re mature and have your own opinions. But Mingdong needs my care. I’m just stepping away for a little while when he needs me.”
“Ah Zhe, Mingdong loves this movie series. I’ll just watch it with him this once.”
“We had a fight that day. I needed someone to talk to—turning to my best friend is normal, right?”
“Gu Zhe, will you stop already?”
“I’m with Mingdong right now. I’ll call you later.”
Gu Zhe had thought that if he just treated Song Yihan better, even better than before, she wouldn’t need any so-called “male best friend” anymore.
But he was wrong.
Song Yihan’s attitude had changed—from guilty at first, to entitled and even more out of line now.
Countless past memories rushed through Gu Zhe’s mind, finally condensing into the words Song Yihan softly said with her red lips, “I’m sorry.”
Gu Zhe instinctively reached out, trying to stop Song Yihan from leaving.
But she yanked her hand free. The ring in Gu Zhe’s hand was knocked away and fell to the red carpet like trash.
The ring that symbolized eternal love now looked like a clown’s red nose.
Song Yihan never looked back.
The wedding scene erupted in uproar.
Gu Zhe’s father was furious, “An apartment, a car, and an 880,000 yuan betrothal gift—only to marry a heartless, shameless woman like this!”
Although Song Yihan’s parents knew they were in the wrong, they couldn’t bear to hear their daughter insulted like that.
“Old Gu, that’s too much! And wasn’t it 280,000 yuan? When did it become 880,000?”
“Yeah, in-law, explain yourself!”
Gu Jianjun’s eyes bulged like a bull’s. “I personally transferred 880,000 yuan to your daughter. You think I’d fake that?”
At that moment, one of the bridesmaids smacked her forehead as if remembering something, “Now that you mention it, Duan Mingdong lost money on some investment funds and even borrowed high-interest loans. I heard he recently paid it all back!”
“Yeah, he even tried borrowing money from me back then…”
“How much did he owe?”
“About… 600,000 yuan?”
The truth was clear.
Gu Zhe’s vision went black.
Well played, Song Yihan.
With a smiling face, she took 880,000 yuan from her fiancé’s family—the money they had scraped together with blood and sweat—and casually used 600,000 yuan to pay off her male best friend’s debts.
Song Yihan, how generous of you.
Gu Zhe felt the blood in his body boiling.
It was like 10,000 wild horses broke free and were stampeding through his brain.
A sharp pain suddenly exploded in his head, and his body went limp, collapsing on the stage.
“Gu Zhe! Gu Zhe, are you okay?”
“Oh no, it might be a sudden cerebral hemorrhage! This could be fatal—call emergency services!”
“Aunt fainted too! Somebody help Aunt!”
The once joyful wedding venue descended into chaos, like a battlefield.
Ever since the day they got together, Gu Zhe’s life had revolved around a solo melody played by Song Yihan. Like a candle burning itself out, he had illuminated nothing but the road for her to run to someone else.
Years of overwork and the depression caused by Duan Mingdong had already left his body in shambles.
Now, with the runaway bride and the scammed dowry, this was the final straw that broke him.
Gu Zhe felt his life slipping away.
He wanted to open his eyes and say one last thing to his parents: Your son has failed you.
Drip.
“Gu Zhe, don’t sleep!”
“Gu Zhe, wake up and look at me!”
“Xiao Zhe!”
A desperate female voice, her warm tears falling onto his face, made Gu Zhe briefly regain consciousness.
A pair of full, shapely legs with nearly perfect curves—but marred by one glaring scar—flashed before his eyes, ruining the beauty like a flaw on a masterpiece.
Gu Zhe didn’t have time to see her face clearly before he passed out again.
The hand that once held the ring hung limply.
Through his blurred vision, he saw a slim figure in a white dress almost crawling across the red carpet, trembling as she picked up the other ring.
Under everyone’s stunned gaze, she slipped it onto her own finger.
“Even if it’s just one second… just one second is enough…”
“Gu Zhe, let me be your bride, just this once, okay?”
…
In a daze, Gu Zhe felt someone feeding him water.
“Cough, cough!”
He suddenly sat up, staring blankly at the 5-liter bottle of Nongfu Spring in front of him.
“Damn, are you giving me water or trying to drown me?!”
Beside him, a boy with a hooked nose looked aggrieved, “Zhe-ge, you know how it is—boys’ dorms have nothing else!”
The slightly dim and cramped room had the standard upper-bunk-lower-desk layout. The air was filled with a mix of instant noodles, sweat, and laundry detergent.
A typical college male dorm.
And in front of him, his younger version of his best buddy and roommate—Zhao Si.
“What day is it today?”
Gu Zhe’s strange question made Zhao Si panic a little. He answered nervously, “Zhe-ge, today is your one-year anniversary with Song Yihan.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
Wait a second… one-year anniversary…
Zhao Si remembered—they started dating after freshman military training.
So, one year would mean… sophomore year.
Gu Zhe glanced at the calendar on the desk.
April, 2014.
His pupils shrank. He dashed to the bathroom and looked into the mirror.
A youthful yet handsome face stared back.
His 19-year-old self…
He had been reborn!
Gu Zhe trembled slightly as he raised his slender, well-defined hand and looked at his ring finger.
That blurred figure who picked up the ring kept replaying in his mind.
Some people treat me like treasure. Some toss me aside like garbage.
Living again, he would dedicate everything—only to himself, only to those who are truly worth it, a million times over!