"I don't want to."
The farmhouse courtyard was decorated with lanterns and colorful banners. Standing on a makeshift stage, wearing a red corsage and a red bridal veil, Wang Xue suddenly spoke.
Silence fell over the crowd; one could have heard a pin drop.
All the guests looked up in disbelief at the young couple on the stage.
Wang Xue turned to look at Hou Yong. She clenched her palms slowly and said, "I'm sorry, Hou Yong. I want to be brave just once and follow my heart."
Having said that, she turned to the guests below and looked at Sun Liangyu, who was sitting among a group of educated youth. "I want to be with you. Are you willing to take me away?"
Sun Liangyu, dressed in a faded suit, stood up excitedly, an irrepressible joy in his eyes. "Xiaoxue, I am."
Hou Yong, standing in the groom's position, was completely stunned.
It wasn't because he had been dumped in front of everyone, but because he hadn't yet fully accepted the reality that he had been reborn.
He was a native of Bafang Village. When Wang Xue and the other educated youth had arrived in the countryside, he had been struck by her beauty at their very first meeting.
For three years, he had tightened his belt to provide for her every need. In an era of material scarcity, he worked at a factory during the day and scavenged for scrap at night, all just to ensure Wang Xue could live a comfortable life.
Back then, scavenging wasn't exactly a respectable trade, but he had been single-mindedly focused on earning money. He supported her for two years, finally enabling Wang Xue to get into university.
According to their original agreement, the Hou family held a banquet in the village the year she was admitted—partly to celebrate her success, and partly to host their wedding.
After they married, Hou Yong followed Wang Xue to the city. While she attended school, he started from the bottom. After twenty years of struggle, he finally became a CEO with billions in assets—only to find that his own wife had betrayed him.
Wang Xue had handed over all the company's core secrets and patents to a small, obscure firm. His massive business empire collapsed overnight.
Only then did he realize that for all those years, Wang Xue had never forgotten her "white moonlight" from the past. She had packaged his life's work and gifted it directly to Sun Liangyu.
"Hou Yong, don't blame me. I just wanted to follow my heart. We've already spent twenty years on the wrong path; I don't want to keep making that mistake."
When he went to Sun Liangyu's office to confront them, Wang Xue and Sun Liangyu were standing on the second floor. Wang Xue’s tone had been icy and biting. In that moment, Hou Yong felt he had lived his life as a joke.
The crushing debt after the bankruptcy and his wife’s sudden betrayal drove Hou Yong mad. He spent his days wandering beneath the office building that had been seized from him.
That year, Hou Yong was huddled under a bridge, shivering in the raging wind.
In a daze, he saw a woman with a haggard expression approach him.
It was Gu Panpan, Wang Xue’s best friend.
In his memories, this girl had always hidden in the corners, watching him secretly. Back then, Hou Yong had been so obsessed with Wang Xue that he had never truly paid any attention to her.
Gu Panpan reached out and gingerly cradled his frost-cracked face, pulling him gently to her chest, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Brother Yong, I finally found you."
"Brother Yong, wake up! I’ve called an ambulance, you have to hold on."
"Wang Xue was in a car accident. The people who hurt you have already met their retribution. Please, you have to hold on."
Hot tears fell onto his face. That was Hou Yong's final memory.
A warmth began to spread from his face, and he ended his life in Gu Panpan’s arms.
...
Then, immediately afterward, he found himself standing on the stage of his own wedding in 1980. The lightness of his death hadn't yet faded, and he nearly stumbled, almost falling on the spot.
To the outsiders, it appeared that Hou Yong had suffered a massive blow and was acting out of character.
Wang Xue tore off her veil and placed it in Hou Yong's hands.
The red veil, a bit larger than a handkerchief—the most popular wedding accessory in the eighties, often tied into a flower shape.
He squeezed it hard twice. The slightly rough texture helped Hou Yong’s thoughts return, piece by piece.
Car accident. Rebirth. Engagement broken.
It was a completely different start from his previous life. Hou Yong gradually realized that Wang Xue must have been reborn as well, which was why she chose to correct her "mistake" right from the beginning.
"Follow my heart"—the exact same line made Hou Yong even more certain of his judgment.
Watching Wang Xue walk off the stage and take Sun Liangyu’s hand, Hou Yong's father slammed his wine glass down on the table, causing the cheap white liquor to splash out.
"Wang Xue, say that again! What exactly are you trying to do?"
Hou's father pointed at her, his finger trembling with rage.
Wang Xue’s expression remained calm. "I'm sorry, Uncle Hou. I’ve been accepted into university, but Hou Yong is just an ordinary farmer from Bafang Village. Our paths will be different from now on."
"I know I’ve received a lot of help from your family over the past two years, but forcing me to marry your son like this is against the law."
Hou Yong smiled.
She really was a time-traveler from the 21st century; she was even citing the law on the spot.
In this era, especially in rural areas, old-fashioned customs still held sway. Once a marriage contract was written and signed by both parties, the village considered them wed; they just needed to register the marriage later after the banquet.
"Dad, calm down. Don't ruin your health over this; it's not worth it."
Hou Yong quickly walked over to his father and patted his back gently, his own face remarkably calm.
"Wang Xue, is what you just said true? You won't regret it?"
Hou Yong’s question caught Wang Xue off guard.
In her memory, Hou Yong had always treated her like a treasure until she bankrupted him. She didn't expect him to be so composed after being dumped in front of everyone.
Unfortunately, since this segment hadn't happened in her previous life, Wang Xue naturally didn't realize that Hou Yong was also reborn. She took a deep breath and nodded firmly. "I will never regret it. Hou Yong, I hope you understand that the gap in our status will only grow larger in the future. We aren't suitable."
"Mm, I think so too. Then let’s make sure neither of us regrets this."
"Mm, neither of us will regret it."
*Is there really such a good thing?*
Both of them had this thought cross their minds simultaneously.
Wang Xue had been prepared for Hou Yong to cause a massive scene, while Hou Yong felt a sense of relief, as if a weight had been lifted off his chest.
If the beginning was a mistake that led to twenty years of resentment, then it was better not to have begun at all.
To him, family was always the most important thing.
"Good. We’ll be going then."
Thinking of how Hou Yong had lost his mind in the future, Wang Xue was afraid that his current calm exterior was a volcano waiting to erupt, so she grabbed Sun Liangyu and prepared to leave immediately.
"Wait a moment, you two. Don't be in such a hurry to leave."
Hou Yong stopped her. "I’ve already gone to the trouble of setting up this stage. You might as well finish attending my wedding before you go."