Hearing Wang Xiaoniu mention Hou Mingzhu, Ye Tiancheng instinctively wanted to evade, so he planned to say a few casual words to brush it off.
"Those petty romances aren't that important to me anymore, and I don't plan to think about them. There are too many troublesome matters around me that need handling, and I don't have the energy for it."
"Brother Ye, I know you're short on companionship right now. Perhaps I can be that person?"
So this was Wang Xiaoniu's intention. Ye Tiancheng had been too obtuse before to have noticed her feelings.
"I'll only be a burden to you now, so it's best not to."
Ye Tiancheng's rejection did not deter Wang Xiaoniu; instead, it made her more fervent.
"Brother Ye, I know you've gotten into big trouble. At this time, I should be by your side even more because I like you. I used to feel I wasn't good enough for you, so I never dared to say it. Now I've finally gathered the courage, and I hope you can accept me."
This confession came rather suddenly, but Ye Tiancheng could sense from Wang Xiaoniu's tone that her attitude was sincere. Her feelings for him were likely not a fleeting impulse but had been buried in her heart for a long time.
"I'm sorry, I don't want to drag you down. I'll pretend I didn't hear what you said today, and please don't say it again."
"No, Brother Ye, actually, when I heard about your troubles, my first reaction was worry. At the same time, I felt a little fortunate, thinking I finally had an opportunity to get closer to you."
Wang Xiaoniu's thoughts were quite perilous, but Ye Tiancheng could understand. For someone who had secretly harbored a crush on him for so long, finding an opportunity to become closer would naturally bring joy.
"But I already have someone in my heart. I feel that if I were with you while my heart belongs to someone else, it would be truly unfair to you, which is why I'm rejecting you."
Upon hearing Ye Tiancheng say he had someone in his heart, Wang Xiaoniu was deeply struck and couldn't help but start guessing who that person might be.
First, Wang Xiaoniu thought of Hou Mingzhu. After all, Hou Mingzhu was Ye Tiancheng's nominal fiancée, and it was highly possible they had feelings for each other.
"Is it Hou Mingzhu?"
"Don't make wild guesses. There's no relationship between Hou Mingzhu and me. Our nominal engagement should automatically dissolve after a period of time."
Hearing Ye Tiancheng say this, Wang Xiaoniu remained unconvinced, as if failing to identify this person would be her greatest failure.
"Brother Ye, if it's not Hou Mingzhu, it must be Miss Su. Su Muxian is very beautiful, I admit, and she carries an air of celestial grace."
"You're quite good at guessing. It's not Su Muxian either. I don't want to implicate her."
Mentioning Su Muxian, Wang Xiaoniu had something to say. Perhaps she wouldn't have spoken if things hadn't reached this point, but now she had to.
"Brother Ye, I know no one can escape Su Muxian's noble demeanor, but she's getting married. There will be no story between us, and even if there were past stories, they are all over now."
"What? Su Muxian is getting married? How have I never heard of this? What's going on?"
Ye Tiancheng, already exhausted by recent events, was further shocked by the news of Su Muxian's impending marriage.
He had never heard of Su Muxian dating anyone before. Even if she were dating, they would likely have known each other for some time before getting married. The sudden news of her wedding was difficult to accept.
"Brother Ye, it seems you really don't know. Su Muxian is marrying someone from a well-matched family. While not from the four great families, she's marrying into the Ouyang family, who are quite affluent."
Speaking of the surname Ouyang, Ye Tiancheng was familiar with it. There was indeed an Ouyang family with considerable financial resources, involved in the oil industry.
"No, something must be wrong. I need to go ask Su Muxian."
Unless Su Muxian told him herself, Ye Tiancheng wouldn't believe it. In just a few days, he hadn't heard of this person, and now they were suddenly going to marry Su Muxian. This felt like a joke.
Marriage was a serious matter. Even someone as carefree as Ye Tiancheng wouldn't marry casually. How could he bear to see someone he cared about fall into a predicament?
"Brother Ye, please don't go. This marriage has already been announced to everyone; it won't change." Wang Xiaoniu still felt that because she wasn't good enough for Ye Tiancheng, he was fixated on someone else. "Brother Ye, if there's anything wrong with me, I can change. I'll strive to become the person you idealize. Please stop liking someone else, okay? I hope your heart only has room for me."
"Alright, please stop talking. I'm sorry, but I must see Su Muxian and ask her directly. Otherwise, I won't be able to rest easy."
Regardless of Wang Xiaoniu's pleas, Ye Tiancheng drove his pickup truck directly to the Su family's residence. The Su family's butler aggressively blocked Ye Tiancheng at the gate.
"Oh, who is it? Isn't this Mr. Ye? Mr. Ye is bankrupt now and isn't very welcome anywhere. It's best not to come to our Su family. Our Su family is small; we can't accommodate such a distinguished guest like you."
"I need to see Su Muxian."
Ye Tiancheng's expression grew more serious. Today, no one would stop him, and he would show no deference. Ye Tiancheng needed to see Su Muxian immediately.
"Mr. Ye, do you not understand what I'm saying? I'm telling you to leave quickly and not bring your bad luck to our Su family. Our Su family cannot afford it."
"I need to see Su Muxian."
The same words were spoken again. Ye Tiancheng's gaze shifted. If this butler didn't get out of the way, Ye Tiancheng would take action.
As expected, the butler continued to block Ye Tiancheng. In the next moment, Ye Tiancheng made him writhe on the ground in pain, finally clearing his path.
Ye Tiancheng entered the Su family mansion without regard for etiquette and directly went to find Su Muxian. The obstacles along the way couldn't stop him.
The Su family bodyguards were tall and strong, but before they could even touch Ye Tiancheng, they all collapsed on the ground, twitching like the butler earlier.
Thus, Ye Tiancheng reached Su Muxian unimpeded. She seemed excited to see him, her eyes filled with tears, but she appeared to have many reservations and dared not speak, only staring at Ye Tiancheng.
"Su Muxian, I hope you can tell me truthfully why you are getting married so quickly, and to someone I've never heard of."
Perhaps it was only at the moment of potential loss that he realized how important this person was to him. Therefore, Ye Tiancheng couldn't accept Su Muxian marrying anyone.
This was Ye Tiancheng's selfishness at play. Even a more outstanding man wouldn't suffice.
"Ouyang Xinnuo is a good person, and he treats me very well. Brother Ye, thank you for coming to congratulate me, but I hope you won't cause trouble. I have my own life, and there are some things I don't need to explain to you in more detail."
In truth, Su Muxian's thought at the time was that she was already very happy that Ye Tiancheng had come; she didn't dare expect more.
"What Ouyang Xinnuo? I've never heard of him. He can't give you happiness. I won't allow you to marry him. No, I won't allow you to marry anyone."
Ye Tiancheng had been so cold before, but now it was Su Muxian who turned cold.
Su Muxian's attitude was entirely different from before. Previously, she had pursued Ye Tiancheng, but now she was eager to push him away forcefully, not wanting him to interfere in her affairs.
This drastic change was one of the reasons Ye Tiancheng found it unacceptable. He felt as if Su Muxian had suddenly changed, and this change must have a reason behind it.
"Please leave, Brother Ye. I know you are powerful, and these bodyguards of mine can't do anything to you. Even for the sake of our past connection, please let me go, okay?"
Su Muxian's plea pained Ye Tiancheng. They were such a good match, and they had once cherished each other, yet now they had reached this point.
"No, Su Muxian, tell me the truth. Do you have some hidden hardship? You wouldn't be like this. Unless there's something difficult to say, tell me."
Su Muxian pushed Ye Tiancheng away with great force, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. "What are you to me? Why are you meddling? Who I marry is my business. Please leave immediately, or I won't be polite."
"Su Muxian, I'm telling you too, I won't give up. You'd better not attend the wedding in three days, or we'll snatch you away at the wedding, bringing utter disgrace to your Su family."
"Ye Tiancheng, if you had said this before, I would have been deeply moved. But now, I only find it disgusting. You are already a penniless good-for-nothing. It's bad enough that you're living miserably, but you also want to drag me down. Are you being too heartless?"
Ye Tiancheng knew that after his troubles, he would inevitably face ridicule. He wouldn't have cared much about what irrelevant people said.
However, hearing these words from Su Muxian's mouth was a significant shock to Ye Tiancheng, making it difficult for him to accept.
"Su Muxian, what has happened to you?"
"Hurry up and leave, Ye Tiancheng. Your presence now only makes me uncomfortable. Also, I was thinking of inviting you to my wedding before, but it seems unnecessary now. I don't welcome you. I hope you never appear in my world again and don't affect my happy life."
Su Muxian truly embodied a woman's heartlessness to the fullest extent. For a moment, Ye Tiancheng didn't know what to say.
"Fine, I'll see how I feel. In three days, if I'm in a bad mood, I'll go to your wedding and take you away. You pray that you have good luck."
After Ye Tiancheng left, Su Muxian finally couldn't hold back her sobs.
For the past few days, Ye Tiancheng had been restless. First, Hou Mingzhu's murder had dealt him a significant psychological blow. Now, Su Muxian was about to get married, which was like a fire breaking out in his backyard.
Debts kept coming to him to cause trouble. Ye Tiancheng had compensated them as much as he could and was now penniless with no source of income. It was impossible to restart those projects, meaning Ye Tiancheng's life had suddenly plunged into desperation.
Tomorrow was Su Muxian's wedding. Ye Tiancheng had two little figures fighting in his mind: a frantic one and a rational one.
The frantic figure felt Ye Tiancheng should go to the wedding and snatch Su Muxian back. However, the rational figure kept telling Ye Tiancheng that he shouldn't disturb Su Muxian's happiness anymore.
Marrying a man like Ouyang Xinnuo, who was both young and rich, might be a good outcome for Su Muxian, perhaps better than being with him, a pauper.