Chapter 1

“The groom has run away!”

Suddenly, the door was pushed open and Qiao Yi, the bridesmaid, rushed in shouting.

Gu Wan’an was bending over and putting on her wedding shoes. When she heard this, she was stunned. “How is that possible? You must be mistaken.”

“It’s true… Mu Zi’an ran away from the wedding! Without the groom, the banquet hall is in a mess!” Qiao Yi gasped.

The expression on her face was grave, not at all like she was joking.

Gu Wan’an’s heart skipped a beat.

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She didn’t even bother to put on her wedding shoes. She stepped on the ground barefooted and rushed straight to the banquet hall.

Sure enough, the stage was empty, and there was no sign of Mu Zi’an.

Gu Wan’an felt as if she had been struck by lightning!

Mu Zi’an had really run away from the wedding!

Hundreds of guests at the banquet were currently whispering and discussing, watching the commotion.

“The groom disappeared at the wedding. What does this mean?”

“Who knows? Poor bride…”

“Shh, keep your voice down. The bride is here.”

“⋯⋯”

Upon hearing this, many guests turned around and simultaneously looked at Gu Wan’an in her wedding dress.

They looked as if they were watching a joke, a mixture of pity, curiosity, and ridicule in their eyes.

When she came back to her senses, Gu Wan’an was so angry that her entire body went soft, and she started trembling. She turned around under everyone’s gaze, gritted her teeth, and quickly ran out of the banquet hall.

Bastard!

Worse than a beast!

He stood her up at the wedding!

She took out her phone and dialed Mu Zi’an’s number through gritted teeth.

One call after another, and no one answered.

At this moment, footsteps came from behind. Before Gu Wan’an could turn around, someone covered her mouth and dragged her away silently.

⋯⋯

Ten minutes later.

Gu Wan’an was pushed inside the presidential suite on the top floor by two men.

The towel in her mouth was taken away and she took two deep breaths, her eyes full of vigilance. “Who are you? Why did you kidnap me?”

At that moment, the door to the room was pushed open.

An aristocratic woman of about forty years of age, with a beautiful face and a well-preserved figure, walked in.

Seeing the woman in front of her, Gu Wan’an’s eyes darkened, her pupils constricted, and her heart tightened.

“All of you, get out.”

“Yes, Madam.”

“Did you ask them to kidnap me?”

“Not bad.” Lin Lanfang’s face was cold as she reprimanded her. “We haven’t seen each other for a few years and you don’t even greet your mother properly when you see her, you’re becoming increasingly ill-mannered!”

“A wild child with no parents, isn’t it normal to be ill-bred?” Gu Wanan’s eyelids lifted slightly, and the corners of her mouth curled mockingly. “A beast who doesn’t even care about the life and death of her own child also deserves to be a mother?”

“How dare you! Unbridled! I think you just need to be beaten up and taught a lesson!”

Lin Lanfang flew into a rage out of humiliation. She raised her hand to slap Gu Wan’an and teach her a good lesson.

Unexpectedly, Gu Wan’an grabbed Lin Lanfang’s wrist and pushed her away. Clenching her fingers, she smiled coldly. “We have already severed our mother-daughter relationship. You have no right to discipline me now!”

The scene of Lin Lanfang abandoning her and her younger brother eight years ago was something she could never forget!

Lin Lanfang looked at the time and didn’t have the patience to dwell on it any further.

She was too lazy to talk any more nonsense and went straight to the point. “Ziqing suddenly disappeared. The wedding can’t go on without a bride. You’ll get married in her place.”

… A substitute?

Gu Wan’an was shocked, her eyes widened in disbelief, thinking that she must have heard wrongly.

Upon regaining her senses, she understood that, as it turned out, this was Lin Lanfang’s true purpose!

Gu Wan’an’s face turned purple from anger, and her chest heaved up and down. “Is there something wrong with your brain? Can’t you see that I’m getting married?”

“The groom has already run away from the marriage. Who are you going to marry? As long as a man wanted to marry you, would he disappear at the wedding? Maybe there’s already a mistress outside, or four or five. You’re the only one who’s still foolishly kept in the dark.”

Gu Wan’an’s face turned pale as she gritted her teeth.

“Besides, you’re an abandoned woman. What good man can you marry in the future? The person Ziqing is marrying is from the Gong family, the wealthiest family in the capital. All the girls in the capital are racking their brains trying to marry into the Gong family. To be able to replace Ziqing and marry into the Gong family is a blessing that you’ve cultivated for several lifetimes. If you listen obediently, how can I harm you?” Lin Lanfang’s expression softened slightly as she squeezed out a fake smile, but her tone was arrogant and complacent.

Hehe, did she think that she was a fool and easy to cheat?

Gu Wan’an sneered twice in her heart and asked lightly, “Why would Shen Ziqing run away from such a good marriage?”

The Gong family was the most powerful family in the capital, rich beyond compare. To Shen Ziqing and Lin Lanfang, who loved money as much as their lives and relished in vanity, it was simply a godsend blessing.

However, Shen Ziqing actually ran away from the wedding!

Obviously, the man she was going to marry had a serious problem!

Lin Lanfang choked. She ran out of patience and glared at Gu Wan’an “I’m warning you. You have to get married today, no matter what! If you don’t marry him, I’ll make the hospital cut off your aunt’s treatment.”

“You dare!”

“Try me and see if I dare!”

As they spoke, Lin Lanfang made a call and deliberately turned on the speaker. “Director Zhang, is there a patient named Gu Baiping in the hospital?”

“Yes, Mrs. Shen. She was diagnosed with kidney failure and is waiting for a kidney transplant.”

“Cut off her treatment and drive her out of the hospital. Cut off her medications too. Don’t give her a chance to live.” Lin Lanfang was vicious and spiteful, and a trace of ruthlessness flashed in her eyes.

“Yes, Madam. We’re already removing the tubes from her body.”

“⋯⋯”

Gu Wan’an was so angry that her eyes turned red and she felt like she was about to explode. She wished she could rush over and tear Lin Lanfang into pieces. “Lin Lanfang, you beast! You’re simply insane!”

Lin Lanfang remained indifferent, still noble and elegant.

She looked at Gu Wan’an, raised her eyebrows, and threatened, “If you get married in Ziqing’s place, I’ll pay for your aunt’s kidney transplant and medical expenses. If you don’t want to, Gu Baiping’s life will be gone! This deal, will you make it or not?”

Clenching her palms tightly, Gu Wan’an’s expression was complicated and her gaze was heavy. She struggled and hesitated.

Yet, she was tempted!

Her aunt had raised her and her brother since they were young. She couldn’t stand by and watch her aunt die!

Although Lin Lanfang was a beast and a bastard, there was one thing she was right about.

As long as a man wanted to marry you, would he disappear at the wedding?

Mu Zi’an had run away from the wedding and betrayed her. This was an undeniable fact!

Her lips curled into a sorrowful smile, and her heart was filled with mixed feelings.

She had lost her marriage, lost her love, lost the person she loved, and was forced to marry in someone else’s stead. She felt that all the bad luck had fallen on her head.

Even if she was unwilling to marry, what could she do?

Anyway, she had nothing left. To marry someone else and give her aunt a chance to live was a good deal.

It didn’t matter who she married now.

Gu Wan’an gritted her teeth and suppressed her unwillingness, resentment, and anger at the bottom of her heart.

In the end, she had no choice but to compromise.

Her expression was calm as she spoke in a hoarse voice, “This deal, I’ll make it. I’ll marry on her behalf.”