Jiang Kaiwei stood there and did not move. Xia Xiaowan smiled contemptuously and slowly walked forward with her wedding dress raised.

As spring ended and summer came, the botanical garden was full of beautiful flowers of brilliant purples and reds. But she didn’t want to view it and just walked forward. However, she didn’t know where she was going. Her feet hurt again. She leaned against a tree to rest. Her snow-white dress had become grey-white as it trailed on the ground, and some grass clippings were wrapped around it. She found it funny that she came to the botanical garden in a wedding dress of millions. She considered herself willful.

After walking aimlessly for a while, she saw a swath of white magnolia trees in front of her. So they were here. The corners of her mouth raised slightly, and she strolled in. The tall white magnolia trees stood tall and upright. The white jade-like flowers bloomed on the branches like countless white jade cups. They were also like a group of white doves waiting to fly. Waves of fragrance wafted. She took a deep breath and stopped under a tree.

She thought that she would never come here again. But she still came. It was not for Jiang Kaiwei. She knew very well in her heart that it was definitely not for him. She just wanted to reminisce about her youthful years and herself of the past, who was high-spirited, beautiful and shy. Her laughter was as clear as a bell. Her figure crawled between the flowers and trees like a light little deer. She could never return to that kind of carefree time.

In fact, she was not old. She was only twenty-eight years old. Her eyes were still bright and clear. Her skin was still smooth and delicate. If she stood among girls in their early twenties, there would be no sense of disharmony. However, her heart was as old as eighty-two years old. It was full of holes, dark and lifeless.

Her feet were squeezed so hard by the toes of her high heels that she couldn’t stand them anymore. She simply took them off and stepped barefoot on the road paved with fine pebbles. She felt a little itchy and slightly painful when her feet stepped on those bulging pebbles. She took a few steps and felt adapted. She remembered that the garden at home was also paved with such a small path. Her father often stepped on it barefoot. He euphemistically called this a kind of foot massage. When she was interested, she accompanied her father for a walk, but she often lost her patience after a round trip. Now, walking slowly like this, she seemed to grasp the feeling, and her heart gradually calmed down.

Because it was not a weekend and it was morning, there were no other tourists. She was barefoot, wearing a white wedding dress, walking slowly between the flowers and trees in the sea of fragrant white flowers. The sunlight was like a handful of fine golden sand, pouring down on her body, making the fine diamonds on her chest twinkle. The pink diamond on her head was even more dazzling. The soft light covered her white face, presenting a sense of serenity and dignity. She did not look like a bride, but more like a noble and beautiful princess.

Jiang Kaiwei stood under a tree and looked at her in a daze. She was still so beautiful. Her appearance hadn’t had any change in the past five years. However, there was a sense of serenity in her beauty that accumulated over time. Her quiet appearance was breathtakingly beautiful. It also made his heart ache.

In the sanatorium that was filled with the smell of disinfectant, the lively and pretty girl gradually lost her liveliness and became quiet. Sometimes, she maintained a posture and sat quietly for half a day, watching the flowers outside the window. Sometimes, she made a fuss for half a day like a trapped beast constantly roaring. Her shouting didn’t stop even if she was exhausted and her throat was hoarse. The wild and hoarse voice was full of grief, making people feel desolate when they heard it.

When he sat in the dark and stared at the woman roaring on the screen, he felt greatly distressed. The pain was so unbearable that he finally could not help but cry. Since he was young, his father had taught him that a man should not shed tears easily. A man may shed blood, but he shall not shed tears because tears were a sign of weakness. So from the moment he could remember, he had never shed tears again. Even when he was hurt like that and was so uncomfortable that he punched the wall with his bare fists and bit open the corner of his lips, he did not shed more than half a drop of tears.

But that night, he cried. His face was full of tears that looked like little cold snakes slithering. He forced himself to finish watching the video tape.

After watching the tape, he fell to the ground, crying like a wounded little beast, slapping the floor continuously.

He made a mistake. He made a great mistake. Five years ago, he hated her so much. Now that the truth was revealed in front of him, he knew that he hated the wrong person. He should hate himself!

Regret was like a poisonous snake, constantly biting and torturing him.

Jiang Kaiwei heaved a heavy sigh. He came back to his senses from his memories, only to see Xia Xiaowan standing under the tree opposite him, looking at him blankly.

The man standing under the flower tree was tall and slender. His white clothes were as white as snow. The scene made Xia Xiaowan suddenly get a bit absentminded. It was as if the past and the present were intertwined, bringing her back to her beautiful memories.

The two of them just stared blankly at each other. As the wind blew, a flower petal fell down. Like a large white butterfly, it danced gracefully in the air and slowly landed on her head. He slowly walked to her and gently took away the flower petal from her head. He wanted to throw it on the ground, but Xia Xiaowan held his hand and took the flower petal away.

“Xiaowan,” he called her softly.

Xia Xiaowan raised her index finger and made a gesture of silence. She opened her arms, raised her face, and closed her eyes.

He didn’t know what she was going to do, so he looked at her in confusion.

But she did nothing and just stood there as if she was listening.

When he thought of her medical history, his expression immediately changed and he called out to her, “Xiaowan.”

Xia Xiaowan made the sound of “shh” without opening her eyes. She said softly, “Don’t talk, listen!”

He also lowered his voice, “Listen to what?”

“The sound of the wind,” Xia Xiaowan said, “and the sound of petals leaving flowers.”

Jiang Kaiwei usually never did such a strange thing. But he imitated her, opened his arms, and closed his eyes.

He could really hear the sound of the wind. They gently brushed his hair and playfully went through his fingers. They were like extremely thin threads that stuck to his skin like silk.

He listened for a long time, but he could not hear the sound of the petals falling. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Xia Xiaowan’s body swayed twice, and then silently fell down.

He was shocked and quickly reached out to catch her. He picked her up and ran out in a hurry. His car was parked at the entrance of the botanical garden. When he went out, he got in the car and asked the driver to take them to the nearest hospital.

The woman lay weakly in his arms. The familiar scent lingered in his nose. He could no longer escape and held her tightly in front of his chest. Indeed, he loved this woman. He had always loved her. He loved her so much that he was unable to restrain emotions. However, the more he loved her, the more he pushed her away. He hurt her, but in the end, the pain redoubled itself and returned to him.

It was all his fault. Jiang Kaiwei grabbed his hair in regret. It was all his fault that made her become like this. If possible, he was willing to do everything he could to make time run backward so that she would not encounter those terrible things.

He lowered her head and gently kissed her smooth forehead. “Xiaowan, I was wrong. I don’t ask for your forgiveness, but you must be fine. You must be fine…”

Without the bride, the wedding banquet became a mess. Xia Nanze was extremely angry. When he went out, Xia Xiaowan had already disappeared. Jiang Kaiwei and his car had also disappeared. He was so angry that he kicked the tires of the car next to him. Gu Nianbin also came out and asked him, “Where is Xiaowan?”

“She ran away,” he said angrily.

However, Gu Nianbin comforted him, “Don’t worry. Xiaowan is an adult. Nothing will happen to her.”

Xia Nanze cursed angrily, “It’s good if she dies outside. What’s wrong with her? Was her head kicked by a donkey? She got together with Jiang Kaiwei again. Did she forget the painful lesson?”

“It’s good if she is fine. I guess they are together.” Gu Nianbin patted his shoulder. “We should deal with things here first and then go to Jiang Kaiwei’s house to find her.”

Xia Nanze suddenly remembered that Gu Nianbin was the most embarrassed person. He sighed, “I’m sorry, Nianbin. What Xiaowan has done is totally absurd. I apologize to you and your whole family.”

“It is not the time to talk about this. Let’s go in first.” Gu Nianbin held his shoulder and walked in together with him.

Shao Boqing stood under the stage and was waiting anxiously. When Shao Boqing saw Gu Nianbin coming in and was about to greet him, Gu Nianbin shook his head. Shao Boqing understood and jumped onto the stage. He raised his hands and gestured for everyone to calm down.

“Everyone, please be quiet. I’m really sorry. Because something happened, today’s wedding would be temporarily canceled. I’m really sorry to have you make this trip in vain. Please leave in order. I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Everyone stood up and walked out while discussing. Xia Nanze and Gu Nianbin stood at the door and kept bowing to express their apologies.

After all the guests left, there were only the Gu and Xia families, Han Xiaoxue, Shao Boqing, Shen Li, and Ling Yun in the church.

Fang Yaru was so angry that her fingers trembled. Finally, she could not help but lash out, “How can Xiaowan do this? How will others view our Gu family?”

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry,” Xia Deren apologized with a guilty expression. “Brother Gu, Sister-in-law, I’m really sorry. We didn’t discipline Xiaowan well. When we find her, we will definitely have her go to beg for forgiveness in your house.”

Madam Xia also quickly said, “Yes, don’t be angry. It’s not worth it to ruin your health because of her. When I find her, I will scold her and take her to your house to apologize.”

Fang Yaru was still resentful and snorted angrily. Gu Guangxian said, “Forget it. Now that things have come to this, don’t scold Xiaowan when you find her. Ask her clearly, what is she thinking about? If she really doesn’t want to marry Nianbin, we won’t force her. We should respect her choice.”

Seeing that Gu Guangxian did not look good, Gu Nianbin knew that his father must be provoked. So he asked Gu Shanshan and Fang Yaru to accompany father back first. Then he said to Xia Deren and Madam Xia, “Uncle, Auntie, please go back too. Don’t worry, we will find Xiaowan. I will listen to what my father has said. If Xiaowan is really unwilling to marry me, I will respect her choice. Don’t ruin the relationship between our two families because of this.”

When Madam Xia heard this, she was so moved that her eyes turned red. She held his hand and said, “Nianbin, I am really touched that you can think like this. Thank you for your tolerance. Xiaowan is not blessed. She is not worthy of you.”

Xia Deren also patted his shoulder. “Nianbin, thank you. You are a good boy!”

When the elders left, everyone gathered around Gu Nianbin and looked at him worriedly. However, Gu Nianbin smiled and comforted them. “I’m fine. It’s more important to find Xiaowan now. Let’s go to look for her separately!”