The CEO's Substitute Ex-Wife
Chapter 226: A Lingering Shadow

Chapter 226: A Lingering Shadow

Once, he was happy by her side, and he truly loved her. This love certainly wasn’t as profound as Xue Ru’s love for him, but it was genuine, and so he felt very happy.

Later, he slowly lost interest in her, for many reasons.

Chen Xueru’s personality was too conservative and didn’t align with his. Their interests were entirely different. She always accommodated him but never had anything to talk about, and gradually, he lost interest. Furthermore, Chen Xueru couldn’t give him the desired pleasure in bed. Many reasons made him begin to find her boring. Later, when he met Han Bi, his last lingering attachment to her also disappeared.

In these past few years, he never deliberately paid attention to news about her. Occasionally, when he saw her appear on small news pages, he would think, "This woman is the one I abandoned. She’s unhappy and uninteresting."

This was almost his entire impression of Chen Xueru.

He had never known that Chen Xueru could also be as radiant and captivating as she was today. Her appearance was beautiful, and she had always been beautiful, but she rarely smiled from the heart, which made her seem very subdued.

But today, she was so radiant, so dazzling, the most beautiful woman present, the absolute center of attention.

A sense of imbalance suddenly arose in his heart.

This woman was someone he had abandoned. She should have been unhappy, living in disarray. She absolutely shouldn’t be looking this beautiful and moving. She shouldn’t be living a happier life than him.

He couldn’t help but feel a little cursed.

Gu Rui began to understand why Tang Shuwen had invited him to this wedding.

He knew that Tang Shuwen understood his past with Chen Xueru. Since he invited him to the wedding, he should not mind his involvement with her, which indicated that Tang Shuwen did not care about Chen Xueru at all. What kind of man would allow his wife’s former lover to attend their wedding?

But now, he realized he was wrong.

Tang Shuwen invited him to the wedding simply to show him how happy Chen Xueru looked, and also to let him know what he had lost. Losing her was his loss.

How ruthless!

This was the most unbearable wedding he had ever attended. The woman who was once his had become another man’s bride, and she was more beautiful and captivating by Tang Shuwen’s side than she had ever been by his.

He had caused a flower to wilt.

And Tang Shuwen had made a wilted flower bloom proudly.

After exchanging rings, Tang Shuwen gently kissed Chen Xueru’s lips, stinging Gu Rui’s eyes.

He had been with many women, too many to remember, but Chen Xueru always remained in his memory, sometimes vague, sometimes vivid. Watching this scene now, her past self in his memory became even clearer.

Tang Shuwen’s move was truly venomous. He wanted him to never forget Chen Xueru, to forever regret and lament the mistakes he made in his youth. This kind of inner torment and anguish was more painful than anything else.

Tang Shuwen was truly seeking justice for Chen Xueru.

Gu Rui clenched his fists.

After the ceremony, everyone applauded. Wen Lan and Tang Si’s hearts also settled. They had feared complications with this wedding, but fortunately, there were none; it couldn’t have been more perfect.

Xiao Nian tugged at Wen Lan’s sleeve. "Grandma, Xiao Nian needs to pee."

Wen Lan kissed him. "Alright, Grandma will take you."

Wen Lan took Xiao Nian to the restroom.

The bride was about to toss the bouquet. All the unmarried women gathered to catch it. Wen Nuan watched the scene with amusement. What a massive crowd! She hadn’t intended to join the fun but was dragged over by Cai Xiaojing.

Chen Xueru tossed it backward, and the bouquet accurately hit Wen Nuan’s chest. She instinctively cupped her hands to catch it, a bit surprised. No way, she caught it? Ye Feimo’s lips curved upward. Wen Nuan happened to see him smiling and awkwardly stuffed the bouquet into Cai Xiaojing’s arms.

"You caught it," Wen Nuan said.

Cai Xiaojing laughed, "Anyone with eyes saw you catch it, alright? Looks like we’ll be drinking Wen Nuan’s wedding wine next."

"You’ll probably get married first, Sister Xiaojing. If you don’t get married soon, you’ll be old," Wen Nuan said with a grin. Cai Xiaojing cursed her, calling her a brat. Tang Mandong said, "Sister-in-law, that’s a miss. Out of all people, it hit you. I don’t think you look like someone who’ll get married anytime soon."

"Exactly!"

The bride went to change clothes, while the bridesmaids and groomsmen directed guests to the banquet hall.

Wen Nuan told Cai Xiaojing and the others to go ahead. She went to a pavilion in the park to rest. Her shoes were a bit small, and walking around in them had made her tired. The backs of her heels were already chafed and peeling.

She took off her shoes to rest her feet, flexing her sore legs.

She looked at the bouquet Cai Xiaojing had handed back to her, pursing her lips. How unlucky, how did she end up catching the bouquet? There was no hint of marriage in her future, so the saying about catching the bouquet meaning you’ll be the next to marry was completely unreliable.

A shadow fell over her. Wen Nuan looked up. Ye Feimo had appeared beside her at some point, still wearing his usual poker face, but his eyes held a hint of a warm smile. Today was his good friend’s happy day, so it was a struggle for him to smile all day.

Ye Feimo glanced at her feet. Wen Nuan’s skin was delicate, and her heels were chafed. He squatted down and lifted her leg. Wen Nuan flinched, but he held her firmly. "Does it hurt a lot?"

Her small foot rested on his thigh. Wen Nuan had always thought her feet were quite pretty, fair and tender, with long, slender toes. Her nails were even painted with a pink polish, making them even more attractive. But even if her feet were pretty, having them so openly displayed on his thigh for him to admire made her feel a little shy.

"It doesn’t hurt. Let go," Wen Nuan’s face flushed. She struggled for him to release her. Ye Feimo gently rubbed the swollen area, careful not to touch the broken skin, and couldn’t help but frown. "Go change your shoes."

"Where can I change shoes now? It’s fine, I’ll just bear with it." The dress and shoes were a matching set. The size was supposed to be correct, but it seemed she had remembered wrong and chosen shoes one size too small. And they were ten-centimeter heels, so she just had to endure it.

Ye Feimo glared at her. Wen Nuan thought, "What are you glaring at? I’m still in a cold war with you, mister. How dare you glare at me?"

She pulled her foot back. Ye Feimo sat beside her and took the bouquet. Wen Nuan saw it and hastily said, "Ha, that saying about the bride throwing the bouquet is totally unreliable. How could I be the next to get married? It should have gone to Sister Xiaojing; that would be reliable."

Ye Feimo glanced at her sideways, a mocking curve on his lips. Wen Nuan didn’t know what he was mocking, so she simply ignored him. After a long while, Ye Feimo said, "I think the saying about catching the bouquet is quite reliable."