Teng Man Rui donned her off-shoulder fluffy white wedding ball gown, her hair already tied in an elegant low bun behind her head.

The young lady faced the day as if it was the last day of her life.

Indeed, it was the last day to make a change. She wanted to dictate how her life would go from here on hence.  She wanted it so badly…

Yet, what could she ever do?

Lifeless and hopeless, she mechanically executed one procedure and another and another, until it was time to go to the function hall at the center of the city.

Currently, she had stayed and prepared for the big day in the Teng old mansion.  She had not left it since she was dragged out of her home in Hangzhou. 

Thankfully though, she was able to leave some sort of a goodbye letter to Zhu Li Qiang…

Zhu Li Qiang…

The guy that would do everything for her.

Poor guy.

Teng Man Rui shook her head, shunning anything senseless inside her head.  Slowly, while lifting the humungous skirt of her gown, she lifted her one foot as she entered the bridal car.  Her parents and siblings who were previously just around her, surrounding her, also alighted their designated mode of transportation.

The car where her brothers embarked in went first, followed by the parents' and lastly, the bridal car.

Inside the car, Teng Man Rui froze like a statue, her supple cherry lips were covered by her gloved hand.  Her eyes would have popped out of its socket if it could.

Because aside from the driver at the front, and her maidservant Chichi at the pa.s.senger seat, she wasn't alone at the back seat.

There, seated beside her, was in fact… none other than…

The poor guy himself.

"Zhu Li Qiang." She somehow was able to mumble under her breath.

The man, face as stoic and grim as the grim reaper himself refused to budge.  He stared straight towards the winds.h.i.+eld in front, and beyond it at the road ahead.

"What are you doing here?" She faced him regardless if he wasn't paying her any attention.

"Surprised?" Zhu Li Qiang gradually turned his head in a ninety degrees direction.  His face was unsmiling and unreadable.

The lady nodded and tore her gaze away out of shame.  She sat up straight, and never did she return her eyes on him again.  She could feel his gaze at her, though.

"You look lovely in white.  What a pity…"

He cleared his throat.

Such awkwardness was stifling!

The lady bit her lower lip and clenched the skirt of her gown.  "Pull over."

"Man Rui!" Zhu Li Qiang grabbed her upper arm in protest.

"Ow!"

"Sorry." He released her slightly but kept his hold of her.

"Man Rui, we can start over.  I have fake pa.s.sports with me.  We can leave the country within the hour.  You and I can start over together!"

As Teng Man Rui pressed her lips in a tight line, pearl-sized tears escaped her fully-made up eyes.  Her eyelashes, thick and lush, fluttered as it tried to sweep the tears away.  "I can't."Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

"Zhu Li Qiang, I can't."

"Hush, don't cry." He tapped the back of his index finger on her rosy cheeks.  "You'll ruin your make-up."

The lady laughed sarcastically.  "You even worry about that, huh?"

"It worked, didn't it?"

Teng Man Rui rolled her eyes as she regained her composure.

Zhu Li Qiang, seeing her confidence return, squeezed her hands within his.  This little action from the man made Teng Man Rui grow anxious again.  She tried to retrieve her hands.

"No, Zhu Li Qiang!" More urgent tears came flowing down her cheeks.  She was extremely fl.u.s.tered.

"I'm pregnant!" Superfluous sobbings came.  "I am so so sorry."

"I know."

"What?"

"I know." Zhu Li Qiang repeated heedlessly.  His voice sounded off as if it was not his own.  "When you left, I searched for you everywhere, even at the hospital where you've had your check-up.  That's where I learned about it.  Since I am… was… well, used to be your guardian, they thought… that I'm…"

Teng Man Rui sniffed indifferently no matter how many more tears escaped her eyes.

"Then, you should understand my stance and why we can never be together."

"The thing is, I don't understand.  I don't understand at all." Zhu Li Qiang, for the first time, broke his mask of apathy.  Face scrunched, all the pain he had been during alone came rus.h.i.+ng through the crack in his façade.

Yes, he was in pain, too.  Who wouldn't?

"The thing is, Man Rui, you didn't trust me with your secret.  You decided for us yet again.  Well, here's my piece.  I would like to be the father of that lucky baby inside you, and I will be lucky too - fortunate enough to build a family with you, Man Rui."

He coursed through all his solemnity with his eyes.  The problem was that the lady did not even look at him.

"Man Rui."

"Why would you do that?  So typical of you.  So thoughtless of you!" Teng Man Rui was upset.  She stormed some more.  "It's a lifelong commitment!  Do you think I can bear to pa.s.s it on to you?  Do you even know who the father is?"

"Me.  I can be.  I want to be.  Doesn't matter who."

"Zhu Li Qiang!  Don't fool around." She ma.s.saged her head that was starting to ache.  "Mother saw some pictures of me flirting in the club.  That's what made her quite furious at me." Teng Man Rui laughed satirically.  "She must have despised me.  I'm my family's humiliation.  She came to Hangzhou and dragged me out of my apartment."

"So I've heard… But I don't believe it's one of those guys… Man Rui?  You aren't like that."

"What? A s.l.u.t?"

"Shhh!"   The man sighed in exasperation.  He had to stop his persuasive attack since his lady had been taking it wrongly.  Knowing Man Rui, she could fight words with words.

"I have a strong feeling that you wrote your letter way before your mother dragged you out."

They rode in silence.  After a while, they changed vehicles from the bridal car to Zhu Li Qiang's black Cadillac XT4.  The lady did not protest.  It figured that it would be the best course of action at the moment.  She changed into casual, normal clothes, eventually in one of the stopovers.  Chichi had been ready with some change of clothes.  When she returned, she had been informed that their destination was to the airport.

Zhu Li Qiang did not dare try to reopen the topic.  So far, from her body language, Teng Man Rui seemed amenable to the idea of escaping with him since she did not protest again; however, she did not enter into a conversation with him, either.

"I'm going to keep it." Teng Man Rui broke the silence, not talking to anyone in particular, more like thinking out loud.

"You're going to be a good mother.  I just know it." Zhu Li Qiang retorted, eyes on the window at the pa.s.sing picturesque view.  "I can be a father to it if you only accept it.  We've intended to be wed, after all.  It's just a small side trip in the long journey that we will start together.  I can wait.  I will wait for you forever." He dug into his coat's pocket and retrieved a small red pouch.  He slid it onto Teng Man Rui's handbag.

"What's that?"

"I don't take back the gifts that I already gave away.  It's yours to keep.  Do whatever you want with it."

Teng Man Rui opened up her handbag, and the pouch, and gasped.  It was her moonstone engagement ring.

"I would have to respect your decision to start over without me.  Just accept the moonstone back.  You can throw it away on your own accord.  Also, accept the pa.s.sports with fake ident.i.ties.  I would want to make sure that you'll get out of the country safely today.  Bring Chichi with you to lend you a hand when you get heavy with… with it."

"Zhu Li Qiang…"

"Thank you, and I'm sorry.  Just like in my letter to you, I wish you well.  I genuinely pray for your happiness.  Find a girl that is better than me…" She extended her hand, adorned with a white lacy glove, for a handshake.

Zhu Li Qiang stared at it, quite amused.  Eventually, he took it but pulled the lady with it into his warm embrace.  Instinctively, Man Rui blocked her tummy with her other free arm from any possible contact.  The man noticed it, of course, and felt the pain in his heart creep once more.  Yet, he acted as if nothing was the matter, and hugged the lady goodbye.  "I wish you well too.  Be safe, and I hope that you will have a safe delivery.  It's not the end yet, Man Rui.  I will pray for the day that the girl you talk about which should be better than you will arrive one day… And, I prefer it to be still you, only another version of you.  I will long for your return, my love."

The car stopped in front of the airport.  Man Rui did not say any more words but gazed at Zhu Li Qiang's countenance and saved it in her memory bank.  She alighted from the car in silence, and proceeded into the airport, the maidservant Chichi following closely behind.