Ye Tiancheng had expected Su Muxian to be willing to leave with him, but she had refused him ruthlessly. Everything about her was too abnormal.
Su Muxian's attitude was one of unwavering resolve that Ye Tiancheng had never witnessed before. It also made him begin to doubt if he had misjudged something, and if Su Muxian had never truly liked him.
"I summoned up a great deal of courage to come here. With so many people present, you can't refuse me."
"Is your face still important? You're bankrupt, Ye Tiancheng. What face does a penniless bum like you have?"
Su Muxian brought up his bankruptcy again. Anyone else could mention his financial ruin, but hearing it from the lips of a woman he once loved felt particularly awkward.
"I'm warning you, don't say another word. If you continue to speak such unpleasant things, I won't bother asking for your consent and will just rob you away."
Ye Tiancheng's attitude and Su Muxian's resistance made the guests present feel like they were watching a play. Some even began to surmise the situation.
"Is he here to crash the wedding or to fight? Their relationship doesn't seem very good. I doubt it will succeed."
"I think it's unlikely too. The key issue is that Ye Tiancheng has no money. How can someone without money marry a lady from a wealthy family? It sounds unrealistic."
As the crowd buzzed with discussion, the groom of the wedding, Ouyang Xu Nuo, the heir of the Ouyang family, his face darkened, finally showing his displeasure.
"Alright, stop the commotion. Security, quickly drag this beggar out. No, today is a joyous occasion. Give him a red envelope with two hundred yuan."
Ouyang Xu Nuo was utterly condescending, treating him like a beggar to be dismissed. Ye Tiancheng wanted to slap him, but he didn't want to cause trouble. He was already burdened with enough problems recently and didn't need to add more.
Ye Tiancheng activated his time-stopping skill. Everyone else froze instantly. The groom, Ouyang Xu Nuo, was still pointing his finger in Ye Tiancheng's direction, but he was motionless.
Taking advantage of everyone being frozen, Ye Tiancheng hoisted Su Muxian onto his shoulder and ran, acting like a bandit without principles.
By the time Ye Tiancheng deactivated the time-stopping ability, Su Muxian, still in her wedding dress, was already sitting in Ye Tiancheng's pickup truck.
"How did I get here? I was clearly at the wedding venue just now. I need to go back and get married. Ye Tiancheng, stop the truck and let me out!"
Su Muxian was making a fuss, but Ye Tiancheng remained calm, driving the pickup truck steadily. He felt great having snatched a wife.
"Alright, stop the fuss. I'm not going to let you go back to get married. I know you're up to something. If you don't tell me the truth, I'll keep you by my side and prevent anyone from marrying you."
Su Muxian crossed her arms and remained silent, appearing puffed up with anger. Ye Tiancheng couldn't be bothered with her; he would take her home first.
However, before they even reached home, dozens of cars were roaring behind them. These were all top-tier luxury vehicles worth tens of millions. These cars were sent by the Ouyang family to reclaim their bride.
"Su Muxian, it seems I can't take you home. Let's escape. The Ouyang family has considerable influence. From now on, you'll have to live a life on the run with me."
"Ye Tiancheng, I really don't understand. If you don't like me, why did you come to crash the wedding? Isn't this giving me hope only to push me into an abyss? You truly are a scumbag."
In response to Su Muxian's accusation, Ye Tiancheng merely offered a faint smile, making no attempt to explain himself directly.
"What are you smiling about? Hurry up and send me back. It's not too late to change your mind."
"Why should I regret it? Once I've made a decision, I won't go back on my word. I'm taking you away, and no one can stop me." Ye Tiancheng suddenly stopped his playful demeanor and looked at Su Muxian with a serious expression. "Life with me will likely be difficult. Have you thought it through? You have the chance to change your mind. Just let me return you to that Ouyang Xu Nuo, and I will fulfill your wish."
Su Muxian began to panic at Ye Tiancheng's sudden seriousness. She had to seriously consider that once a decision was made, her entire life's destiny might be altered.
"You can send me back now."
"While I don't want you to marry someone else, I want you to be happy more than anything. I don't want my impulsive decision to lead you into an abyss of eternal suffering."
Ye Tiancheng's gaze was unusually sincere as he looked at Su Muxian, compelling her to face his true feelings.
"Actually, I'm very happy that you came to crash the wedding, Ye Tiancheng. I've made up my mind. No matter how many people oppose us, I'm willing to go with you."
"Then come sleep in the shack with me tonight."
Upon hearing Su Muxian's answer, Ye Tiancheng was overjoyed. He also decided to set up a barrier at the shack, ensuring that no one could obstruct them from then on.
"A shack?" Su Muxian's face showed disdain. "It seems the hard times are truly beginning, but it's my own choice. I accept my fate."
Ye Tiancheng actually brought Su Muxian to the shack. After Xiao Pang had forcibly renovated it once, the environment had improved considerably. Otherwise, it had been too rudimentary before, as if snakes, insects, rats, and ants could burst out at any moment.
"It's much better than when I was here last time. I thought it would be very dirty, but it looks quite decent."
"It needs to accommodate you, so I had to pay attention. Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll run off to find that Ouyang Xu Nuo."
Su Muxian could tell that Ye Tiancheng was very concerned about Ouyang Xu Nuo, mentioning him from time to time. It seemed he harbored no good feelings towards this love rival and was likely quite jealous and angry.
"Since you care so much, I'll explain. The reason I decided to marry Ouyang Xu Nuo was to obtain that key. My father said that key is our family's heirloom. So, I agreed to marry Ouyang Xu Nuo, and then he would give me the key."
Now Ye Tiancheng understood what had happened. No wonder Su Muxian's eyes were so swollen from crying that day when he retrieved the key. He blamed himself for being too careless.
If he had asked more carefully, he might have discovered more clues, and so many misunderstandings could have been avoided.
"I'm sorry, Su Muxian. If you hadn't met me, your life would likely have been much smoother. I've caused you so much trouble."
Seeing Ye Tiancheng's sincere apology, Su Muxian found it somewhat amusing for some reason.
"Hahaha, I've also thought about getting rid of you. It seems impossible. If you hadn't crashed the wedding, it would have been fine. But since you did, the moment you appeared at the wedding, I had already lost."
Since Su Muxian had no other intentions and had accepted her fate, Ye Tiancheng stopped dwelling on it.
"Then let's live together happily."
"What about Hou Mingzhu? Although I'm not a particularly jealous person, the thought of you being entangled with others still makes me a little unhappy."
Su Muxian didn't state it explicitly, but Ye Tiancheng knew that since he had snatched the bride, he had to be responsible for Su Muxian.
Furthermore, Ye Tiancheng had already fallen out with Hou Mingzhu. In fact, this was better; he was finally free from being caught in a love triangle.
"I'm no longer involved with Hou Mingzhu. Regarding the engagement that the outside world perceived, I heard that after I went bankrupt, everyone thought I had been kicked out by the Hou family."
Su Muxian found Ye Tiancheng's words to be quite reasonable. Perhaps there was no need to overthink things. It was actually good that Ye Tiancheng had become a pauper; at least fewer people would be interested in him.
Especially women like Hou Mingzhu, who couldn't live without money, were unlikely to pester Ye Tiancheng anymore. This would bring him peace.
"That's great, Brother Ye. I never dreamed this day would come. You finally belong only to me. I don't have to compete with others for you anymore. It's so much less troublesome."
Mentioning this, Ye Tiancheng deliberately feigned anger. "Really? But I'm still a bit unhappy because you've called me a pauper several times now."
"Hahaha, Brother Ye, I know that even if you've encountered setbacks, it's only temporary. You'll definitely make a comeback. You're very capable."
"Is it a bit late to say these nice words to coax me now? Do you think I'm that easily fooled?"
After a period of playful banter, they soon grew tired and fell asleep. Ye Tiancheng was actually quite grateful to that frog monster. It was the source of his extreme bad luck, but when he had nothing, he was able to calm down and realize what he truly wanted.
Since Su Muxian had also abandoned her identity as a young lady, Ye Tiancheng intended to live a very ordinary life with her, absolutely free from the attacks of gossip.
The next morning, when Ye Tiancheng woke up, Su Muxian had already returned with breakfast.
She had bought steamed buns and soy milk. Although they were the most ordinary breakfast items, Su Muxian's heart was pure; she simply wanted Ye Tiancheng to have a warm meal.
Ye Tiancheng pulled Su Muxian into his arms. "How are you so virtuous, like a little wifey?"
"Oh, don't move around. You'll spill the soy milk. Hurry up and eat. I have good news to tell you after we eat."
"What good news? Why don't you tell me while I eat? Don't keep me in suspense."
Since Su Muxian insisted on setting this rule, Ye Tiancheng indulged her and didn't ask further. After they finished eating, he brought up what Su Muxian had mentioned earlier about the good news.
"I've paid off all your debts. No one will come to collect from you anymore."
Although Su Muxian said it so casually, Ye Tiancheng knew his debts were substantial. Now that she had left the Su family, it was difficult for a frail woman to have paid off her debts so quickly. She must have endured many hardships.
"How did you pay off the debts?"
"That wedding dress was ordered by Ouyang Xu Nuo. I heard it was ordered from abroad and was quite expensive. So today, I went to the bridal shop and sold the wedding dress. I also sold the jewelry. I didn't expect to get so much money. That jewelry was part of my dowry from my father."
While Su Muxian seemed to be speaking happily, Ye Tiancheng felt extremely guilty.
"So you've lost everything. Do you really intend to live a hard life with me like this?"
"I know you're very capable, Brother Ye. You won't let me suffer real hardship. What are those external possessions compared to that? As long as we can solve the current difficulties, those things are worth their value."
It seemed this foolish girl was truly foolish, willing to sacrifice so much for him. Ye Tiancheng was moved to the point of choking up for a moment.
"Su Muxian, if one day I do something that wrongs you, kill me with a single blow, and I won't even dodge."
"Mmm, I could never bear to kill you, Brother Ye. Don't say such scary things. We'll both be fine. No one can hinder our happiness."
After speaking, Su Muxian took out her phone and showed it to Ye Tiancheng. "Let me show you my balance. Actually, after selling everything, there's still some money left. Let's use this money to go out and play, relax a bit, and improve our moods."