The news of Ye Tiancheng and Hou Mingzhu's impending marriage spread, and everyone thought Hou Mingzhu had lost her mind. Choosing to marry Ye Tiancheng at this time was like picking up a mess.
The Hou family sent many people to persuade Hou Mingzhu to reconsider. Hou Mingzhu merely showed them their marriage certificate and smiled without a word. Having obtained the marriage certificate, they now had a substantive marital relationship in the eyes of the law. Anyone who tried to persuade them otherwise would essentially be advising them to divorce.
As the saying goes, it's better to demolish ten temples than to ruin one marriage. No one wanted to do such a wicked deed, so they all chose to remain silent.
"Mingzhu, take care of yourself. Dad can't tell you anything now. You've grown up, and you'll walk your own path from now on. No matter how it turns out, Dad can't help you anymore."
Hou Mingzhu's father was furious, looking several years older. However, after seeing the marriage certificate, he could only swallow his pride.
As a father, it was naturally heartbreaking that his daughter had been tricked away by someone.
"Dad, don't be so pessimistic. Ye Tiancheng has some ability, and he's coming to our house as a son-in-law without asking for a penny. It's like you've gained an extra son. You haven't lost anything; I think our family has benefited by getting a free laborer."
Logically, Hou Mingzhu should have given Ye Tiancheng some money for becoming a son-in-law to the Hou family. However, Hou Mingzhu didn't give him a single cent. She directly took Ye Tiancheng to the Civil Affairs Bureau and tricked a good young man like this.
"You girl, I can never win an argument with you. Anyway, this is the marriage you chose, and I can only support you. But no matter what, Ye Tiancheng has failed in his business, so you can't invest money in him. He can do whatever he wants, but he can't drag our family down with him."
Hou Mingzhu knew this very well. She didn't even need her father to say it. If she tricked a son-in-law and ended up turning herself into a liability, it would be too embarrassing.
Hou Mingzhu invited some of her close girlfriends to have a small wedding. It wasn't very formal, but fearing that people would laugh at her for being unconventional and choosing a country bumpkin, Hou Mingzhu made sure Ye Tiancheng was well-dressed.
With a bit of styling, Ye Tiancheng looked exceptionally handsome, possessing a celebrity-like charm. Many of the female guests present were stunned.
"Mingzhu, at first, I didn't understand why you'd choose a poor guy. Now I get it. You chose Ye Tiancheng because of his looks. You're quite wise. We sisters have status and money, so why should we look for ugly men of equal standing? Of course, we should find a pretty boy to play with."
Hou Mingzhu's girlfriends were all birds of a feather. They were always frivolous and had extremely twisted values. Hearing their discussion, Ye Tiancheng felt a headache coming on, as if he were being treated as a plaything or a commodity.
"Little handsome guy, you're not at a disadvantage marrying Hou Mingzhu. Mingzhu is ranked as the most beautiful among our circle of friends. You both have such high颜值, so hurry up and have a child. Don't let your good genes go to waste."
Ye Tiancheng had been stunned for a long time, feeling as if he had been tricked. He had somehow inexplicably registered his marriage with Hou Mingzhu and become a couple. Before he could enjoy any benefits, he was already facing pressure.
"Ye Tiancheng, the only regret is that men can't have children. Otherwise, if you had a couple more for me, I promise to reward you handsomely."
Hou Mingzhu, in front of her friends and acquaintances, suddenly uttered this absurd statement. Ye Tiancheng now understood that Hou Mingzhu was clearly toying with him. Ye Tiancheng felt quite humiliated, but he had to swallow his pride.
The day he decided to become a son-in-law, he couldn't afford to be as hot-tempered as before. Those without ability could only endure suffering in silence. If they wanted to resist, they had to strive to become stronger from the beginning, rather than just getting angry and ending up with nothing, capable of causing trouble but not resolving it.
"Miss Hou, you are absolutely right. Your husband, marrying into your family based on his looks, has little status in your household. To solidify his position, he truly needs to be honored by his children. It's a pity he can't have them, hahaha..."
Ye Tiancheng silently noted down this remark from Hou Mingzhu's girlfriend, whose face was clearly enhanced by plastic surgery. She was spewing nonsense with such audacity, truly shameless.
"Ye Tiancheng, congratulations on your wedding."
As a group of children from wealthy families were making fun of Ye Tiancheng, a commoner, a woman exuding an ethereal aura suddenly appeared. She was wearing a white dress with minimal makeup. In contrast to the heavily made-up, surgically altered women around her, she appeared pure and refined.
"Su Muxian, why are you here?" Hou Mingzhu spoke, then smiled slyly and ran to Su Muxian's side. "A warm welcome! But don't think about causing trouble. I know you're Ye Tiancheng's ex-girlfriend and must be unwilling, but we're already married. Even if you disrupt this small wedding, it won't do any good."
Su Muxian didn't want to talk to Hou Mingzhu. With tears in her eyes, she looked at Ye Tiancheng, took half a step forward, and then looked at him with hurt.
"Ye Tiancheng, is this true? You've registered your marriage with Hou Mingzhu?"
Like Su Muxian, Ye Tiancheng felt uneasy. Recalling his past promises to Su Muxian, Ye Tiancheng wished he could slap himself. He felt like a scumbag at that moment.
"Su Muxian, I'm sorry. It's all my fault for putting you through so much pain."
Su Muxian had always spoken gently and rarely seemed so anxious.
"Ye Tiancheng, answer me, is this true? Do you have some unspeakable difficulty?"
Since he had decided to take this path and it had been witnessed by so many people, Ye Tiancheng knew there was no turning back. Everything was set in stone.
If he didn't act decisively, not only Su Muxian would suffer, but he would also be in dire straits. Thinking of Hou Mingzhu's wrath if she kicked him out onto the streets, Ye Tiancheng even feared facing destitution. Ye Tiancheng instantly became frightened.
He dared not gamble with his future. If he was a scumbag, so be it. He had to bow to reality. Having endured so much pain and been severely beaten by the real world, it was an unavoidable choice.
"I have no hidden reasons. I'm marrying her because I like Hou Mingzhu very much. I'm sorry, I lied to you about some things before. Forget them."
Su Muxian's tears fell like pearls from a broken string, while Hou Mingzhu watched with great satisfaction.
"Miss Su, you could have gotten married and even been with a prominent family like the Ouyang family. Yet, you insisted on being difficult and made everyone unhappy. Today, you even came here to be humiliated. I sometimes really don't understand why you're so stubborn."
"Today is Ye Tiancheng's wedding. I'm here as Ye Tiancheng's friend to attend the wedding. Is there a problem?"
Ye Tiancheng couldn't bear to watch any longer. He turned his head. Hou Mingzhu sneered at Su Muxian, "Then do as you please. Don't forget to give a wedding gift. When you were engaged to Ouyang Xu, our Hou family gave a gift, but it inexplicably fell apart, and you didn't get it back. Now you have to return it."
Su Muxian finally couldn't hold back. She put down the gift money and presents and left without looking back, for she was already despairing.
As soon as Su Muxian left, another woman named Wang Xiaoniu arrived, also unable to have Ye Tiancheng. Wang Xiaoniu attended Ye Tiancheng's wedding in her finest attire, her eyes filled with tears, yet she forced herself to appear strong.
Hou Mingzhu found it all immensely satisfying, especially when Ouyang Qianqian also made an appearance. Hou Mingzhu felt it was a matter of great pride to have won Ye Tiancheng as her prize.
"It's so lively today. I don't know how I found this husband; so many ex-girlfriends have shown up. It's practically a reunion of ex-girlfriends."
Her accompanying girlfriend played along, "Isn't that because your boyfriend is too charming? But it's also good, proving your excellent taste."
Hou Mingzhu forced a smile and looked at Ouyang Qianqian, surprised to find Ouyang Qianqian's gaze constantly following Ye Tiancheng.
"Stop looking, Miss Ouyang. Control yourself, or your eyes might fall out. Oh, and I must remind you again, Ouyang Qianqian, we are already married. Looking is useless."
"Ye Tiancheng, I congratulate you and have brought you a gift. It's a pleasure to meet you, but I only regret meeting you so late. If it were earlier, perhaps our story would be different."
"Thank you for coming."
The regrets of others didn't affect Ye Tiancheng as much. Only when facing Su Muxian did he feel truly sorry.
After the small wedding ceremony concluded, Ye Tiancheng prepared to go his separate way, not returning home with Hou Mingzhu, but heading back to his employee dormitory.
"Ye Tiancheng, you've gone this far with the act, so you must see it through. What if others find out you didn't come home with me? How would I explain it?"
Ye Tiancheng thought Hou Mingzhu had a point, so he followed her home.
This was Hou Mingzhu's private villa. It had been mostly empty before. Hou Mingzhu didn't like to come here often, only occasionally staying over when she was drunk and it was nearby. Now, it could serve as their marital home, providing Ye Tiancheng with a complete family.
As the car stopped at the villa entrance, Hou Mingzhu calmly instructed the driver. It would take another five minutes to drive inside. The villa had its own garden and a vast estate, so driving took time.