Chapter 15: Yan Xinfeng’s Love at First Sight

They fell into a silent cold war.

Until the cruise ship docked at the port of the Faroe Islands, the conversations between the two could be counted on the fingers of one hand.

The vegetation on the Faroe Islands was low and tough, with tundra covering the islands, shimmering in cold green tones under the sparse sunlight. Rays of light leaked through the leaden clouds, slanting across the black basalt.

The wedding venue was set up on a seaside cliff lawn, with pure white drapes lifted by the sea breeze, and lily of the valley entwined with ivy rustling on the flower frames.

When the music signaling the start of the wedding played, Wei Tingxia and System 0188 sat in a corner, watching Xu Wei appear in the wedding dress she had designed herself.

After these days of ordeal, System 0188 had lost its defiant spirit and spoke much more calmly: [When exactly are you two going to talk?]

Wei Tingxia’s expression remained unchanged. While clapping, he asked, “Why do you care about that?”

[I will decide when to buy enough bombs based on your answer,] System 0188 said. [When the mission fails, we’ll both die together.]

Wei Tingxia: “……”

The best man and bridesmaid stood on either side like decorations. The tailcoat accentuated Yan Xinfeng’s tall and powerful figure. Wei Tingxia idly admired him and unexpectedly met his gaze.

“Calm down. It’s not time for the mission to fail yet.”

He soothed System 0188. “Besides, they’re getting married. Don’t talk about life and death.”

System 0188 sneered coldly, unwilling to spare even a second on Wei Tingxia’s clumsy attempt to change the subject, and directly went offline.

Wei Tingxia’s ears finally regained their peace, yet he felt that substantial gaze still lingering on him.

“……From this day forward, in good times and bad, in wealth and poverty, in health and illness, do you promise to love him, cherish him, until death do you part?”

The priest’s question pulled Wei Tingxia back to reality. At the altar, Xu Wei’s smile was sincere and joyful.

“I do,” she said.

With his response, Yan Xinfeng’s gaze slowly fell again, landing on Wei Tingxia’s shoulder like a feather.

Wei Tingxia pretended not to notice and took a sip of champagne.

Once the ceremony ended, the atmosphere at the scene relaxed considerably. Wei Tingxia carried his champagne and slipped to the back garden, where the distant music floated faintly, as if filtered through frosted glass.

He bent down to examine a white rose, its petals edged with fine wrinkles, as if gently rubbed by someone’s fingers.

When footsteps approached from behind, Wei Tingxia did not turn around. Yan Xinfeng carried the cold scent of snow pine, subtly blending with the damp grassy aroma of the garden. He straightened up and saw the other man also holding a glass of champagne, the liquid shimmering pale gold in the sunlight.

The best man’s attire was masterfully tailored, impeccable and fitting. The flower on his chest was slightly askew. Wei Tingxia set down his glass and reached out to adjust it for him. His fingertips inadvertently brushed Yan Xinfeng’s suit lapel, faintly sensing the warmth beneath the fabric.

Throughout the process, they did not even exchange glances. Only when Wei Tingxia withdrew his hand did Yan Xinfeng speak: “I’ve recently acquired a riverside penthouse in downtown A City.”

Bringing up property out of nowhere meant it was both bait and a step down.

Wei Tingxia reluctantly took the step: “For me to live in?”

Yan Xinfeng nodded, his gaze finally settling on his face: “You can choose the renovation style yourself. The assistant will cooperate with you.”

They had been in a cold war too long, and Wei Tingxia was tired of the stalemate. Since the other had lowered his head first, there was no need for him to keep up the pretense.

He took a sip of wine, his lips curving slightly: “What about the location? If it’s too boring around there, I don’t want it.”

A faint trace of amusement flashed in Yan Xinfeng’s eyes, as if he had anticipated the question. He gave an address right at the border of the arts district and the financial center.

Wei Tingxia raised an eyebrow and finally looked at him squarely: “You sure know how to pick.”

The sea breeze swept through the garden, and laughter from the guests drifted from afar. Yan Xinfeng suddenly reached out, his fingertip brushing Wei Tingxia’s lip corner to wipe away a trace of lingering wine.

“So,” he said in a low voice, “is it over?”

Wei Tingxia let out a light hum, neither admitting nor denying it. He could not really leave Yan Xinfeng—perhaps, as the older generation said, forget about right and wrong for now and muddle through.

He still had a world on the brink of collapse to deal with.

After the wedding, guests could choose to leave or stay longer in the area.

Yan Xinfeng had just come clean with his mother and knew he would be scolded upon returning, so he might as well stay a bit longer until her anger subsided.

Wei Tingxia was fine anywhere. Seeing that Yan Xinfeng had no immediate plans to depart, he asked for the assistant’s contact and communicated online about the renovation plans.

On the fourth day, the newlyweds were set to begin their honeymoon trip. Before departure, Lu Zhao found Yan Xinfeng alone in a local tavern.

“Where’s Wei Tingxia?”

He looked around but saw no one.

“Went horseback riding,” Yan Xinfeng said.

A pint of dark beer sat untouched before him, condensation sliding down the glass, bubbles rising upward.

“Why didn’t you go?” Lu Zhao asked. “Horseback riding—such a great chance. Him in front, you behind, galloping on horseback…”

His mind was completely filled with filthy thoughts; he could not string together three clean sentences.

Yan Xinfeng shook his head: “Some things I haven’t figured out yet.”

So he did not plan to have prolonged contact with Wei Tingxia for the time being, lest his already muddled thoughts become even more chaotic.

Lu Zhao nodded in understanding: “There must be a lot between you two that’s hard to figure out. I mean, extremely chaotic and shocking.”

His wording was a mess, but it basically conveyed that feeling.

Back on the cruise ship, even though Yan Xinfeng had kept silent about it, anyone with eyes could see that he and Wei Tingxia had argued. They were in a cold war, and the spillover effect made everyone within their radius feel suffocated.

It was the kind of irritation where they wanted to throttle and kiss each other to death. Both were waiting for the other to yield first, creating intense anxiety.

Based on the current developments, the one who yielded first was probably Yan Xinfeng.

Not news anymore; it had always been like this.

Lu Zhao reasonably suspected that Wei Tingxia did not even know how to write the words “yield.”

“Why do you care so much about us?” Yan Xinfeng suddenly asked.

“What? Do I?”

“……”

Yan Xinfeng seriously recalled his memory and nodded affirmatively: “You do.”

Not just now, but always.

He had plenty of friends, but only Lu Zhao was willing to shell out twenty million to make Wei Tingxia disappear.

This went far beyond ordinary friendship.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhao followed his affirmation and reflected, realizing it was true.

“About that…”

He shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat: “Maybe it’s because I feel partly responsible.”

Yan Xinfeng looked at him: “What do you mean?”

“You two,” Lu Zhao gestured, “I introduced you. I didn’t expect things to turn out like this, but I feel like I can’t shirk responsibility for how it’s come to this.”

If he had not introduced Wei Tingxia to Yan Xinfeng, or if he had intervened right after realizing Yan Xinfeng’s love at first sight and kept these two people from different worlds apart, today might have been a different story.

Yan Xinfeng might have started a family long ago.

Every time he thought back, Lu Zhao felt regret.

……

Nine years ago.

A University.

When Lu Zhao took a shortcut across the sports field, the freshmen were just dismissed for a break.

The military training schedule that year was perfectly timed—or rather, torturously so. The training ground was like a massive steamer, the scorching sun baking the plastic track until it reeked of rubber. Standing there for a morning could peel your skin, and afterward, the campus would be full of tanned monkeys.

The camouflage uniforms surged toward the cafeteria like a tide. Lu Zhao did not need to compete with freshmen for food, so he stepped aside under a roadside parasol tree, planning to wait for the crowd to thin.

But in the midst of dodging, Lu Zhao accidentally elbowed someone solidly. The person grunted and sat on the ground.

Lu Zhao’s heart tightened, thinking he had knocked the person out. He squatted down to check and heard someone nearby call the person’s name.

“Hey, Wei Tingxia, you okay?”

The seated person waved it off while looking down, his voice low and hoarse: “I’m fine, just low blood sugar.”

“Oh, then you…”

Wei Tingxia’s classmate was clearly hesitant, not wanting to delay lunch for him. As the culprit, Lu Zhao could not pretend ignorance, so he said, “I’ll take him to the infirmary.”

The classmate, relieved to hand it off, bolted toward the cafeteria. By then, Wei Tingxia had recovered somewhat and lifted his head.

Lu Zhao saw a face striking enough to leave a deep impression on anyone.

Damp strands of hair clung to his forehead. Wei Tingxia’s features were overly vivid, yet his youth lent a touch of innocence to his face. His eyes had slightly upturned corners with a beautiful arc.

What was most stunning was the broken eyebrow on his left side, like a deliberate notch carved into a seal, adding an undeniable wildness to his face.

Wei Tingxia said, “You don’t need to take me to the infirmary.”

“You sure?” Lu Zhao stared at his pale lips, frowning. “You look like you’re about to pass out.”

“I won’t. I’ll be fine after resting a bit.”

With that, Wei Tingxia pushed himself up from the ground, brushed the dirt off his knees, and looked at Lu Zhao again. His gaze swept over the watch on Lu Zhao’s wrist and the fabric of his clothes.

“You were the one who bumped into me, right?”

Lu Zhao nodded: “Yeah.”

Wei Tingxia said, “Then compensate me a bit. Not much, just enough for a few meals.”

“What?”

Lu Zhao could not believe someone with that face would lack money for food. He suspected it was some clumsy pickup line.

But Wei Tingxia repeated seriously: “Two hundred okay? Cash.”

Of course it was fine—even if just to pay off the trouble, Lu Zhao was willing. But he had no cash on him.

“My cash is in the dorm,” Lu Zhao pulled out his phone. “Can you wait a bit?”

Wei Tingxia moved to squat under the tree shade and replied curtly: “Sure.”

So Lu Zhao texted Yan Xinfeng, who was still in the dorm, asking him to bring cash to the west sports field.

Yan Xinfeng arrived quickly, but the heat was oppressive, and Lu Zhao’s message had been vague, so his face was grim, as if someone owed him millions.

“Where’s the money?”

Lu Zhao reached out, and Yan Xinfeng slapped a stack of cash into his hand. Lu Zhao turned and counted out the bills. Only then did Yan Xinfeng notice the person huddled in the tree shadow.

“Here,” Lu Zhao added a few more. “If not, still go to the infirmary. Next time you faint, you might not get this lucky.”

Wei Tingxia lifted his head from his arm, his gaze first skimming the bills, then slowly rising to meet Yan Xinfeng’s eyes.

He did not wait long or stare long. After a silent nod, he took the cash from Lu Zhao. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Money’s given, so I’m off.”

Lu Zhao pocketed the rest and patted Yan Xinfeng’s arm: “Let’s go.”

It was too hot; the heat dulled Lu Zhao’s mind, so he did not notice the change in Yan Xinfeng’s gaze or that Wei Tingxia stood watching their retreating figures.

Thus, half a month later, when Yan Xinfeng brought Wei Tingxia to a party, Lu Zhao belatedly shivered, realizing things had spiraled beyond expectation.