"Doctor Wan, it really is you."
Gao Jiaming strode over, his eyes wide with pleasant surprise as he looked at Wan Yunting. "I've been trying to reach you all this time," he said with a smile, "I thought you weren't going to come."
"Mr. Gao."
Wan Yunting looked at Gao Jiaming and smiled. "I was busy abroad during this period, but I happened to be in Singapore these past two days, so I came over for the wedding banquet."
"Haha, that's great."
Gao Jiaming clapped him on the shoulder. "Perfect timing, I'll take you to see the Old Master. He was mentioning yesterday how you hadn't arrived yet..."
Wan Yunting nodded and followed Gao Jiaming towards a villa within the estate. Upon seeing Gao Zhixiong and his wife at the entrance, greeting and entertaining many important figures, Gao Zhixiong's face immediately darkened when he saw Gao Jiaming leading Wan Yunting over. "Wan Yunting, what are you doing here!"
Gao Jiaming immediately stepped in front of Wan Yunting. "Brother, Doctor Wan was personally invited by the Old Master. Do you dare to drive him away!"
Wan Yunting looked at Gao Zhixiong's livid and angry face and couldn't help but sneer inwardly. He then took out the invitation card given by Gao Zhe and waved it. "Mr. Gao," he said with a smile, "this invitation was sent to me by your son."
Gao Zhixiong's expression froze, and he looked at the invitation card in Wan Yunting's hand with confusion, unable to understand why his son would invite him to the wedding.
"Doctor Wan, please come in. Don't mind him."
Gao Jiaming ignored Gao Zhixiong, raising his hand in a gesture for Wan Yunting to proceed. Wan Yunting nodded and walked up the steps. As he passed by Gao Zhixiong, Wan Yunting suddenly paused, turned his head, and gave him a strange, cold smile before entering the villa.
Gao Zhixiong's face remained grim as he watched Wan Yunting being led away by Gao Jiaming. Wan Yunting's peculiar cold smile particularly irked him.
However, since Wan Yunting was personally invited by the Old Master to attend his son's wedding, Gao Zhixiong was currently powerless against him...
"Dad, look who's here."
Gao Jiaming led Wan Yunting into the villa's living room, where Gao Tianhe was entertaining several prominent business magnates from the country in the guest reception area. Gao Tianhe looked up, his old eyes lighting up with joy. "Young Doctor Wan, you've arrived."
"Elder Mr. Gao, thank you for your invitation. I've come specifically for the wedding banquet."
Wan Yunting went forward, maintaining a polite and cheerful demeanor, and cupped his hands in greeting. "Congratulations," he said with a smile.
"Good, it is my honor, Young Doctor Wan, to have you here. Please, come and sit..."
Gao Tianhe stood up, leaning on his cane, and personally took Wan Yunting's arm to have him sit beside him. This caused a look of confusion on the faces of the several elderly gentlemen present, prominent business magnates from Shenzhen's previous generation, who asked, "Elder Gao, who is this young man?"
After all, it was very rare for someone like Gao Tianhe, a business tycoon, to stand up and greet someone with a smile, especially such a young man, which piqued the curiosity of everyone present.
"Haha..."
Gao Tianhe turned to look at his old friends, pointing to Wan Yunting sitting beside him. "This Young Doctor Wan is a divine doctor from Huadu City. He cured my old leg ailment, and also my youngest daughter's illness."
"A divine doctor from Huadu City..."
The old fellows' eyes widened as they scrutinized Wan Yunting. Many of those present, apart from the Gao family members, did not recognize Wan Yunting.
However, seeing how polite Gao Tianhe was towards him, everyone knew that this young man was certainly not ordinary.
Wan Yunting naturally did not recognize anyone present, so he saw no need to converse with them and merely chatted casually with Gao Tianhe...
Meanwhile, Gao Zhe's luxurious wedding motorcade slowly pulled up to a private villa.
This was actually Gao Zhe's private villa, but it was currently occupied by the Su family.
As the wedding was being held in Singapore and the Su family had no significant assets there, Gao Zhe arranged for them to stay here as Su Ke'er's residence before her marriage.
At this time, there were not many people in the villa, only the elders and younger generation of the Su family. However, the Su family's Old Master, Su Yunhe, was not present. Given his advanced age, and that Gao Zhe would be holding another banquet back in their home country after the wedding, it was then that Su Yunhe would be invited to attend.
Currently, only Su Ke'er's parents, Su Wenbai and Bai Shuhui, her elder brother Su Xing'an, and several aunts and other relatives were gathered in the living room on the second floor of the villa, waiting for Gao Zhe and his entourage to arrive for the bride fetch.
"Wuwu, Mom, I don't want to marry him..."
However, in the room with the door closed, Su Ke'er, who had been forced to put on an exquisite wedding dress, was sobbing in the arms of an elegant and dignified beauty in a qipao.
This beautiful woman was her mother, Bai Shuhui. She was also wiping away tears and gently patting Ke'er's back to comfort her. She knew her daughter had fallen in love with someone else and didn't want to marry Gao Zhe, so Bai Shuhui had objected, but it was useless.
"If you don't marry, then who will?"
Su Wenbai, sitting on the sofa by the room, had a grim expression. He glanced at Su Ke'er, who was crying in her mother's arms by the bed, and grunted, "This marriage was arranged by your grandfather and the Gao family. Even if I object, it's no use. You must get married today."
"I won't marry him."
Su Ke'er lifted her head from her mother's embrace, her tear-filled almond-shaped eyes and the pattern of falling rain making her look pitiful and charming. She cried out to Su Wenbai, "I'd rather die than marry him..."
"Ke'er, what nonsense are you saying."
Her mother, Bai Shuhui, chided her daughter with a heartache. She also turned to her husband with tears in her eyes and said, "Wenbai, can't you think about Ke'er's future happiness?"
Su Wenbai stood up angrily, spreading his hands and exclaiming, "Do you think I haven't objected to Old Master? But what good does it do? Their engagement was settled ten years ago. Do you think Old Master will go back on his word and change this?"
"I'm telling you, it's too late to say anything now!"
"Wuwu..."
Su Ke'er wept heartbrokenly, knowing that even death would not change anything. She was now filled with nothing but despair.
Just then, the door opened, and Su Xing'an entered. "Dad, Gao Zhe is here."
Then, Gao Zhe appeared at the doorway, holding flowers, with Fang Tai and Chen Guangyang and other members of the groom's party. He smiled at Su Wenbai inside. "Uncle Su, I'm here to pick up Jiacheng."
"A Zhe, still calling him Uncle? Haven't you changed your address to Dad?" Fang Tai and the others chimed in with a laugh.
"You and I..."
Gao Zhe immediately changed his address to Su Wenbai and smiled. "Dad, I'm here to pick up Jiacheng."
Su Wenbai had no objections to this son-in-law, but his daughter's distress had taken the smile off his face. He merely nodded to Gao Zhe with a softened expression before turning to his wife by the bed. "Take her out, don't delay the auspicious hour."
"I don't want to..."
In Bai Shuhui's arms, Su Ke'er looked at her mother with tearful pleading eyes, making a final struggle. However, Bai Shuhui was also helpless. She cried as she wiped her daughter's tears. "Ke'er, we must accept our fate."
"Wuwu..."
At this, Su Ke'er fell into complete despair...