The courtyard fell completely silent.

No one moved.

No one even dared to breathe too loudly.

I stood quietly beside Fu Sheng beneath the lantern light while watching Li Manman’s face twist with humiliation and anger.

She clearly wanted to refuse.

Anyone could see it.

Her hands trembled at her sides while her chest rose unevenly from rage. Several times, it looked like she wanted to turn around and leave immediately.

But she could not.

Because the crowd had already cornered her completely.

"They made the bet themselves..."

"She cannot deny it now..."

"If she runs away, everyone in the barren lands will laugh at her..."

The whispers spread through the courtyard like pressure pressing down on her shoulders.

Li Manman’s face grew paler with every passing second.

Even Fu Fong had become strangely quiet.

And somehow, that silence made things worse.

Because he was no longer helping her.

No longer protecting her.

The moment the situation turned bad, he pushed everything onto her instead.

I watched Li Manman carefully.

Then finally—

Her knees slowly bent.

A loud gasp spread through the courtyard immediately.

Li Manman lowered herself stiffly onto the ground as though every movement was forced out of her against her will.

The moment her knees touched the floor, the entire courtyard exploded with noise.

"She actually knelt!"

"She really lost!"

"I never thought I would see this happen!"

Li Manman’s face burned red with humiliation.

Her nails dug deeply into her palms before she finally forced the words out through clenched teeth.

"...I apologize."

Her voice was low and barely audible.

Bai Ming looked down at her calmly.

The lantern light reflected softly against her red wedding robes, making her look colder and calmer than before.

For once, there was no weakness left in her expression.

Only confidence.

"You should apologize properly," Bai Ming said quietly.

Li Manman’s body stiffened instantly.

The crowd immediately agreed.

"She is right!"

"We could barely hear her!"

"She shouted loudly enough before!"

Li Manman’s breathing became uneven.

For a moment, it looked like she might faint from humiliation.

But in the end, she raised her voice slightly.

"...I apologize."

Bai Ming remained silent for a few seconds before finally speaking again.

"Do you know the kind of woman I hate most?"

The courtyard slowly quieted once more.

Li Manman lowered her head without answering.

Bai Ming’s gaze remained steady.

"A woman who destroys another woman."

A ripple spread through the crowd.

"You knew what kind of situation I was already in," Bai Ming continued calmly. "But instead of showing understanding, you tried to humiliate me publicly."

Li Manman’s fingers tightened harder around her clothes.

"You called me shameless."

"You mocked me."

"You wanted everyone to laugh at me."

Her voice never rose loudly.

But somehow, that only made the words feel heavier.

Then Bai Ming looked directly at her.

"But the truly disgusting person here was never me."

The crowd instantly became restless again.

Several women nearby nodded immediately.

"She is right..."

"What kind of woman humiliates another woman like that..."

"She went too far..."

Li Manman’s shoulders trembled slightly.

Bai Ming’s eyes slowly darkened.

"You are a home breaker," she said coldly. "You proudly entered another woman’s marriage and then tried to destroy her afterward."

The whispers around us grew louder immediately. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"And she still acted arrogant after all that..."

"Disgusting..."

Li Manman’s face completely lost its remaining color.

I watched her quietly.

And strangely—

I did not pity her.

Not after everything she had done.

Beside me, Fu Sheng let out a quiet breath but remained silent.

Meanwhile, Han Fuji slowly stepped forward again.

Unlike earlier, the smile on his face had completely disappeared.

For the first time since meeting him, I could clearly see the cold spite hidden beneath his usual playful behavior.

His gaze landed directly on Fu Fong.

"You seem very quiet now," Han Fuji said calmly.

Fu Fong’s expression darkened immediately.

"This matter is already finished," he replied coldly.

Han Fuji tilted his head slightly.

"Finished?"

A faint laugh escaped him.

"No," he said softly. "I do not think so."

The atmosphere instantly tightened again.

Fu Fong narrowed his eyes.

"What else do you want?"

Han Fuji’s faint smile returned.

"You seem to have forgotten your own punishment."

The moment those words fell, the crowd exploded again.

"The brothel!"

"That is right!"

"He also lost the bet!"

"Room sixteen!"

Fu Fong’s expression immediately became ugly.

"You—"

Han Fuji interrupted him calmly.

"You were very confident before," he said. "Surely a man should know how to honor his own words."

Several men nearby burst into loud laughter.

Even Fu Tong nearly choked trying not to laugh.

"Room sixteen..."

"I heard the women there are terrifying..."

Another wave of laughter spread through the courtyard.

Fu Fong’s face darkened completely with rage.

"You think you can humiliate me?" he snapped.

Han Fuji’s expression finally turned cold.

"You humiliated Bai Ming first."

Silence followed instantly.

Then Han Fuji stepped slightly closer.

"And unlike you," he said quietly, "I still remember what that felt like."

For the first time, Fu Fong could not respond.

Because the entire courtyard had already turned against him.

The whispers. The mocking looks. The laughter.

Everything pressed down heavily around him.

Even Li Manman remained kneeling silently beside him, unable to raise her head anymore.

Then finally, Master Fu spoke coldly from behind us.

"That is enough."

The courtyard slowly quieted again.

Master Fu’s stern gaze swept toward Fu Fong and Li Manman.

"You have caused enough disturbance at this wedding."

His voice lowered slightly.

"Leave."

The single word carried undeniable authority.

Neither Fu Fong nor Li Manman moved immediately.

But everyone already understood.

They had completely lost.

Publicly.

Fu Fong clenched his jaw tightly before finally grabbing Li Manman’s arm harshly and pulling her to her feet.

Li Manman still kept her head lowered, unable to face the crowd around her anymore.

The surrounding guests immediately stepped aside as the two of them walked toward the exit beneath countless mocking stares and whispers.

And somehow—

The moment they disappeared beyond the gate, the entire courtyard felt lighter.

The tension finally broke completely.

It felt as though the wedding had only truly begun now

Han Fuji stood quietly for a moment before finally turning back toward Bai Ming again.

The coldness in his expression disappeared instantly.

"You are my wife now," he said proudly.

Bai Ming looked at him silently for a brief moment.

For the first time that entire night she smiled openly.

The atmosphere inside the courtyard gradually became lively again after Fu Fong and Li Manman were driven away.

Music resumed beneath the lantern lights while laughter and conversations filled the air once more. Guests gathered around the long tables covered with food and wine, eating happily as though the earlier disturbance had never happened at all.

Several people were already slightly drunk.

Fu Tong had somehow climbed onto a chair while loudly arguing with Han Fuji about who had contributed more to the wedding preparations, while little Fu Jun and Fu Jin ran around excitedly stealing sweet cakes from the tables whenever Madam Fu was not looking.

Even Bai Ming looked far more relaxed now.

The tension that had followed her for days had finally disappeared from her expression, leaving behind a calmness that made her look lighter than before.

Meanwhile, I stood quietly near the far side of the courtyard beneath the hanging lanterns while watching the lively scene before me.

Tonight, I had also changed into more formal clothing for the occasion.

The deep red hanfu Madam Fu insisted I wear matched the wedding atmosphere perfectly. Soft gold embroidery lined the sleeves while the flowing fabric moved lightly beneath the evening breeze. My hair had been styled carefully earlier by Fu Fei, with delicate hairpins resting neatly among the dark strands.

The lantern light reflected softly against the fabric, wrapping the entire courtyard in warm colors.

For once—

Everything felt peaceful.

I quietly watched Fu Li chasing after Fu Tong with half a steamed bun in her hand before letting out a small breath of amusement.

Then suddenly—

Warm arms wrapped around my waist from behind.

I froze slightly.

But only for a second.

Because I already knew who it was.

Fu Sheng pulled me gently backward against his chest while lowering his head slightly near my shoulder.

"You slipped away," he said quietly.

His voice was low and calm beneath the surrounding noise.

I relaxed slightly in his hold.

"There were too many people inside."

Fu Sheng hummed softly in understanding but did not let go.

Instead, his arms tightened slightly around my waist.

The warmth from his body immediately surrounded me, separating me from the cool night air outside.

For a brief moment, neither of us spoke.

The sounds of laughter and music continued nearby while lanterns swayed gently overhead.

Then quietly, Fu Sheng spoke again.

"You look beautiful tonight."

The words caught me slightly off guard.

I turned my head slightly to look at him.

Fu Sheng’s gaze remained calm as always, but there was something softer hidden in his eyes beneath the lantern light.

I stared at him for a moment before narrowing my eyes slightly.

"You sound suspicious."

That immediately made the corner of his lips twitch faintly.

"Is complimenting my wife suspicious now?"

"Yes."

My answer came too quickly.

Fu Sheng let out a quiet breath that almost sounded like laughter.

Behind us, the noise from the wedding grew louder again after Han Fuji apparently lost another drinking game terribly.

I could already hear Fu Tong mocking him loudly.

But Fu Sheng paid no attention to it.

His gaze remained on me quietly.

Then after a moment, he lowered his voice slightly.

"Do you remember what I told you earlier?"

I paused briefly before answering.

"The surprise?"

"Mm."

I turned slightly within his arms so I could look at him properly now.

The lantern light softened his usually cold features while the red decorations reflected faintly in his dark eyes.

"You still have not told me where you are taking me," I said.

Fu Sheng looked at me quietly for a moment.

Then finally—

"You will see soon."

I immediately frowned.

"That answer is annoying."

This time, he actually smiled faintly.

Not the small almost-smile he usually gave.

A real one.

"Come... let’s go see the suprise I had prepared for you." He said pulling me back into the house,

"Is the surprise inside?"

He had a naughty smirk on his lips.. "Maybe.. you will find out."