【Cheng Tianwei promised you numerous benefits.】
【Including arranging for you to rejoin the company, starting as a team leader, with the potential to rise to a managerial position within a few years.】
【With his support, as long as you gain experience and continue learning, taking charge of an entire department in the future would be effortless.】
【Cheng Tianwei spoke earnestly, laying his cards on the table. He explained that Cheng Jun was his only child, and with no other heirs, he had to plan for the future.】
【Tiancheng Group was a colossal entity, and its every move carried significant consequences. He would never entrust it to an incompetent person.】
【But Cheng Tianwei assured you that he would treat you like his own son, dedicating all his efforts to nurture you. If you worked hard enough, you could even become the group’s successor.】
【There were countless other perks and conveniences too numerous to list.】
【All of this was a ladder most people could only dream of—a shortcut to reaching the pinnacle of success. Yet, beneath these lavish promises lay a single condition.】
【You had to cut ties with everyone else and devote yourself wholeheartedly to Cheng Jun alone.】
【Cheng Tianwei had thoroughly investigated you and knew about your past relationships. He was aware that Cheng Jun had fought hard to win you over.】
【Though he didn’t have high hopes for your relationship, he was powerless against Cheng Jun’s stubbornness and saw you as the only way to influence the situation.】
【As a man, he understood your past experiences, but once married, you were expected to restrain yourself and remain faithful.】
【Cheng Tianwei made it clear that as long as you treated Cheng Jun with unwavering devotion after marriage, everything else would be forgiven.】
【This was a father’s promise—but if you refused, you would learn what a billionaire was capable of.】
【His words carried an unspoken warning.】
【You listened carefully to Cheng Tianwei’s offer and understood it was both an opportunity and a threat. Yet, you had your own perspective.】
【You had experience leading a massive corporation before, and precisely because of that, this path held little appeal for you.】
【Becoming a leader came with wealth and power, but also immense responsibility and constant crises.】
【Your life would become overwhelmingly busy, leaving little time for family or personal freedom.】
【Living under someone else’s roof meant being controlled—a burden and a shackle. After long consideration, you expressed your desire to live freely for the rest of your life.】
【You declined Cheng Tianwei’s proposal but assured him you would still treat Cheng Jun with sincerity and never betray her.】
【Cheng Tianwei wasn’t entirely satisfied, but at least part of his goal had been achieved.】
【In his eyes, it was only a matter of time. Life wasn’t just about love—wealth, career, and ambition were equally compelling. Eventually, you would be assimilated.】
【As the conversation neared its end, Cheng Tianwei set a final condition: the wedding must take place within three months, before Cheng Jun began showing her pregnancy. He expected you to tidy up any loose ends by then.】
【Cheng Jun was unaware of this discussion, but she knew the wedding was approaching and was overjoyed every day.】
【Despite rejecting Cheng Tianwei’s arrangements, you still felt responsible for Cheng Jun, so the wedding would proceed as planned—regardless of the underlying pressure.】
【Cheng Jun was smug but remained vigilant, determined to eliminate any remaining threats.】
【Soon after, she dragged you to secretly obtain a marriage certificate and began planning pre-wedding photoshoots, keeping you constantly busy.】
【Word of this eventually reached Fu Nanzhi and Shu Yunyi. Having their home stolen from under them was unbearable, and they erupted in fury.】
【Cheng Jun hadn’t intended to provoke them, but she couldn’t resist a bit of gloating. In her mind, their rivalry had only paved the way for her victory.】
【Pressure from Cheng Tianwei intensified. He quickly arranged a meeting between your parents, and the wedding date was swiftly decided.】
【Everything was handled by others—a massive team mobilized to organize what would be an extravagant ceremony, leaving no room for your input.】
【With the situation nearing the point of no return, Fu Nanzhi and Shu Yunyi set aside their feud and confronted you for answers.】
【You revealed Cheng Jun’s pregnancy, emphasizing your responsibility toward her, but omitted the pressure from both families.】
【Their reactions differed—Fu Nanzhi fell silent, while Shu Yunyi wept quietly.】
【Since Cheng Jun was her cousin, Fu Nanzhi had braced herself for this outcome. She had even anticipated it from the start, though the final result wasn’t what she had envisioned.】
【Shu Yunyi, however, was blindsided. She lashed out at Cheng Jun, calling her a liar and a scheming manipulator.】
【Between sobs, she begged you to see Cheng Jun for the villain she was and leave her.】
【You spent a long time defending Cheng Jun, taking all the blame upon yourself and pleading for Shu Yunyi’s forgiveness.】
【But you had to reject her desperate hopes. The wedding was inevitable, and all you could offer was consolation—nothing could change the outcome now.】
【Matters of the heart were never simple. To avoid descending into farce, it was best to accept reality.】
【As the days passed and the wedding drew closer, your schedule became increasingly hectic.】
【Cheng Jun had dreamed of this day for years. Even while pregnant, she was brimming with energy, smiling and laughing with unrestrained joy.】
【Meanwhile, Shu Yunyi was a shadow of herself, often crying herself to sleep at night.】
【Fu Nanzhi, soft-hearted and unable to hold grudges, noticed her distress and frequently visited to keep her company.】
【Shu Yunyi no longer had the energy for arguments. With a bitter smile, she asked if two heartbroken people clinging together counted as mutual consolation.】
【Fu Nanzhi had no interest in forming some "league of the lovelorn."】
【As the wedding day approached, Fu Nanzhi’s parents—longtime family friends—were invited, though she herself was not.】
【Ji Shulan’s displeasure was palpable. After a heated argument with her daughter, they parted on bad terms.】
【Shu Yunyi, drowning in sorrow, turned to alcohol again, breaking the sobriety she had fought so hard to maintain.】
【Finally, the wedding day arrived. With the families living apart, the traditional bridal pickup was skipped.】
【Cheng Tianwei booked the city’s finest hotel, inviting relatives, friends, and business elites to a grand celebration.】
That evening, you accompanied Cheng Jun backstage as she changed and did her makeup, while the host went over the entire schedule with you both once more to ensure everything would go off without a hitch.
In the blink of an eye, Shen Yi's vision whitened as he was pulled into the simulated scenario.
"After the blessings, I'll announce the exchange of rings. The groom will receive it first, then the bride—order matters, alright?" The officiant meticulously explained, flipping through a small booklet.
Shen Yi nodded in understanding.
"Got it," Cheng Jun replied, unable to turn her head as she spoke.
She looked stunning today, dressed in a pristine white wedding gown, seated before a full-length mirror with three or four attendants bustling around her.
Just then, the phone on the table rang. Shen Yi picked it up and glanced at the screen—Fu Nanzhi’s name flashed across it. He hesitated, looking at Cheng Jun for a moment before stepping into a corner to answer.
"Hello?"