Chapter 49: Tears
Even a fool could see what was happening in front of them.
Xu Mingze had originally thought that even if someone at the door noticed, they would leave quietly, not wanting to make a scene.
How sincere could a marriage like theirs really be? Even if Mia caught him in the act today, in the end, he thought, she would still continue the marriage due to family pressure.
But Xu Mingze didn’t expect that the one who saw it would be Shen Shuyi.
“Whoa.”
Shen Shuyi picked up his phone and started recording.
Xu Mingze: ?
Xu Mingze, humiliated and enraged, shouted, “What are you doing!”
His pants were still on the floor, and he hurriedly pulled them up.
“Stop filming! Don’t—”
Even the bridesmaid beside him screamed.
“Relax. I’m just sending this to Mia,” Shen Shuyi said. “Someone like you… showing this to anyone else… it’s basically a censored horror show.”
Shen Shuyi didn’t expect that while he was about to cleanse his ears, he also had to cleanse his eyes.
He recorded the evidence and casually sent it to Mia. He didn’t want to confront Xu Mingze directly; handling it privately seemed better.
If it blew up, it would only embarrass Mia.
Shen Shuyi finished filming and started to leave, not wanting to stay in that hellish place lest he end up needing a full-body checkup at the hospital.
But just two steps away, Xu Mingze charged out and grabbed Shen Shuyi’s arm.
Shen Shuyi reflexively shook him off: “Don’t touch me!”
Xu Mingze took a deep breath. “Third Young Master, listen to me. This is my fault. Don’t tell Mia. Our marriage… it still has to go on today.”
Shen Shuyi ignored him. “Too late. I’ve already sent it to Mia.”
He turned to leave. Xu Mingze’s eyes turned red; seeing that the wedding might fail today, he no longer feared offending Shen Shuyi.
Gritting his teeth, Xu Mingze said, “Give me your phone!”
Shen Shuyi rolled his eyes and walked on without replying.
Xu Mingze’s heart surged. He lunged for Shen Shuyi’s phone—but Shen Shuyi was quicker. With a sidestep, Xu Mingze couldn’t stop himself and fell to the ground.
At the same time, Mia received Shen Shuyi’s message and rushed over.
She was still in her wedding dress, but the smile on her face had vanished. She looked at Xu Mingze, then at the bridesmaid.
Mia’s expression turned fierce. Xu Mingze had just gotten up when she slapped him hard: “Bastard!”
Xu Mingze turned his head from the blow. Mia glared coldly at the bridesmaid, the so-called friend who claimed to be her bestie.
Another slap followed.
Mia broke down: “I’ve treated you so well! Why would you betray me? On our wedding day! You promised me you wouldn’t do this again!”
Shen Shuyi stood by, realizing Xu Mingze was a repeat offender.
“Mia, let me explain,” Xu Mingze stammered.
“Explain what?” Shen Shuyi sneered. “Explain that you accidentally tripped and, under gravity’s effect, fell on that lady, and somehow your clothes came off too? And then you kept tripping hundreds of times in half an hour?”
Shen Shuyi’s description was vivid and clear; the scene was seared into their minds.
Mia had briefly considered forgiving Xu Mingze, thinking that maybe, after marriage, he’d straighten out.
But after hearing Shen Shuyi, her hope was completely gone.
“I don’t want to hear your explanation. This marriage is over. We’re divorcing.”
The word “divorce” made Xu Mingze lose his composure. He turned to Shen Shuyi.
“Third Young Master, I know you’re Mia’s good friend. If you really care about her, if you’re really her friend, can you stop making trouble here? What kind of friend encourages a breakup instead of reconciliation?”
The bridesmaid, who hadn’t spoken until now, bit her lip and suddenly said, “Third Young Master, what right do you have to lecture us? Didn’t you interfere in someone else’s relationship too?”
Shen Shuyi froze, momentarily unable to understand Chinese.
“What did you say?” he murmured.
The bridesmaid, already upset from the slap earlier, was fuming. She was a minor influencer and had connections with many wealthy, stylish women—Xiao Wen being one of them.
She had seen Xiao Wen’s latest post on Little Red Notes, calling out a mistress; it had already gained over 100,000 likes.
The first image showed a boyfriend seemingly cheating; the second showed Shen Shuyi’s photo, taken from a distance in an elevator—someone unfamiliar wouldn’t recognize him.
At first, the bridesmaid didn’t recognize him either; she just felt familiar. But she hadn’t had the chance to identify him clearly.
After calming down and looking closely, she realized he was the “male mistress” Xiao Wen had mentioned.
Mia’s face changed. This bridesmaid was a small influencer Mia had met during a previous trip. Because of her makeup skills and fashion sense, Mia had quickly befriended her.
The influencer didn’t know Shen Shuyi’s identity, which was why she spoke so recklessly. If she offended the Shen family here, Mia herself couldn’t protect her.
“Elle! What are you doing? Do you know who you’re talking to? Shut up!” Mia shouted.
“No need,” Shen Shuyi said grimly, but with a lazy smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Keep talking. Who did I interfere with?”
After saying this, Elle immediately regretted it. She didn’t know who Shen Shuyi was, but Mia was a top-tier influencer in their circle.
Yet in front of Shen Shuyi, Mia always acted timid and submissive.
Shen Shuyi’s identity was beyond her comprehension or power.
But when she recalled Shen Shuyi’s glance at her and Xu Mingze earlier—it had looked as if he were looking at two pieces of trash. Even rich people shouldn’t humiliate someone like that.
Unintentionally, the commotion in the hallway grew. Many guests started turning to watch.
But no one dared openly approach because Shen Shuyi was there.
Elle bit her lip and asked a few questions: “Third Young Master, don’t deny it. Is your boyfriend Zhao Yuheng? Honestly, Zhao Yuheng was dating my friend a few months ago. Their relationship was great, everyone knew it. Xiao Wen’s personality is well-known. She knew you were living with Zhao Yuheng and feared you were being deceived. She messaged you, but you didn’t reply. Zhao Yuheng deleted and blocked all of Xiao Wen’s contacts for you—probably because you’re wealthier than Xiao Wen. Xiao Wen, so cheerful, now cries daily. She went to the hospital two days ago and was diagnosed with severe depression.”
“Third Young Master, you’re wealthy and powerful, yet as a mistress you act more arrogantly than anyone. I have moral issues too, but at least I knew I was the mistress. Unlike you, you practically forced the legitimate wife into the hospital. What right do you have to lecture me and defend Mia?”
“You and I are the same kind. Neither of us should judge the other!”
Before Elle could finish, Mia slapped her hard.
“Apologize!”
Mia trembled with anger, her eyes red. “Apologize to Shen Shuyi!”
Even when Shen Shuyi had fallen out with Yan Chi that year, he had never felt such humiliation in front of so many people.
Mia, furious, grabbed Elle again. Xu Mingze tried to protect Elle and raise his hand to retaliate at Mia.
Elle, after all, was still his woman.
Moreover, he now realized Mia was clearly siding with Shen Shuyi.
Xu Mingze’s move snapped Shen Shuyi out of his daze.
Before Xu Mingze could strike, Shen Shuyi kicked him. Xu Mingze, unprepared, collided with a life-sized vase, shattering it and drawing everyone’s attention.
Shen Lu set down his champagne and looked over. “What’s happening?”
The waiter rushed to check and returned pale-faced: “Mr. Shen, it seems Third Young Master is fighting with the groom!”
Shen Lu: …?
Shen Lu hurried over, and on the way, the waiters explained what had happened.
Apparently, the little rascal in his family caught the groom cheating at the wedding. In the process of acting righteously, the bridesmaid accused him, turning him into the “male mistress” in everyone’s eyes.
Finally, Shen Shuyi, outraged, fought Xu Mingze.
…What in the world?!
Shen Lu’s head hurt from hearing it.
“Mr. Shen has arrived.” Someone announced in the crowd, and onlookers cleared a path.
Mia’s father, Mr. Ma, followed Shen Lu. Seeing his daughter crying and the groom disheveled, he nearly blacked out. “Quickly remove all irrelevant people!”
The waiters hurriedly dispersed the guests.
“Excuse us, ladies and gentlemen, please hand over your phones. Filming at the wedding is prohibited, sorry.”
Black-clad bodyguards emerged from all directions—both Ma’s and Shen’s.
The guests, being from this circle, knew to hand over their phones without reminders.
If today’s events leaked, the consequences would be severe.
Shen Lu intended to scold Shen Shuyi for being reckless at someone else’s wedding. But when he saw Shen Shuyi’s distraught face, his heart softened. He couldn’t say a harsh word.
“What happened?”
Shen Lu’s gaze darkened on Xu Mingze and then swept the room.
“Mr. Ma, I attended your daughter’s wedding with goodwill, gave face, and presented gifts. Yet at your daughter’s wedding, my brother was falsely accused of being a mistress by a bridesmaid. Can you explain this?”
Mr. Ma nearly collapsed. He regretted inviting Shen Lu, and now the scene was a disaster.
“Apologize to Third Young Master immediately!”
Xu Mingze and Elle were lifted by the tall bodyguards. Only now did the adrenaline fade, and they realized the severity of their actions.
Shen Lu’s cold, grim expression made it clear that this wouldn’t be overlooked.
Xu Mingze’s legs gave out; he knelt. “Mr. Shen, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything! Please forgive me!”
Elle, pulled along, fell to the floor in shock.
“Sorry…”
Shen Lu didn’t speak. Mr. Ma said: “From tomorrow, I don’t want to see these two in Hong Kong! Out! Make them leave!”
The bodyguards dragged Xu Mingze out. Mr. Ma wiped sweat from his forehead and said to Shen Lu, “Mr. Shen, I won’t disturb you further. I’ll have tea prepared for you and the Third Young Master. Call me if you need anything.”
The lounge cleared, leaving only Shen Shuyi, Shen Lu, and a few assistants.
“Little Shu?” Shen Lu sat beside him. Shen Shuyi hadn’t said a word since earlier.
He was silent because his mind was numb.
From the moment the bridesmaid called him a mistress and mentioned Little Red Notes, Shen Shuyi’s brain went blank.
If it were anything else, he wouldn’t care about being online. Hong Kong media treated him like a material library, critiquing him from head to toe.
The only difference this time: it involved Zhao Yuheng.
He couldn’t stay calm.
The bridesmaid had detailed everything; Shen Shuyi quickly found the highly popular Little Red Notes post.
Besides his photos, it contained many chat logs between Xiao Wen and “Zhao Yuheng.”
If he looked carefully, he could see that although the avatar was the same, the person chatting with Xiao Wen wasn’t Zhao Yuheng—his tone was completely different.
But his hands trembled as he read.
His eyes reddened, tears welled up, seeing that the person called Xiao Wen “baby,” bought her bracelets, said goodnight every night, and called her “little ancestor” when she acted spoiled.
Shen Shuyi’s sadness was almost unbearable.
The comments below the post were even worse. Supporters of Xiao Wen insulted him viciously.
“Mistress” was the mildest term; others included “male watch,” “dead gay,” “piece of trash.”
Shen Shuyi scrolled through pages, trembling with anger.
Without thinking, he sent the Little Red Notes post to Zhao Yuheng with only two words: [Explain]
But the moment he sent it, he realized: what could Zhao Yuheng explain?
Their relationship was purely a short-term family-arranged engagement. They’d only known each other for half a year.
He never said he liked him, confessed, or promised to be faithful.
In the end, they were merely betrothed in name, not in love.
It dawned on him: all of this was his misunderstanding, selfishly claiming Zhao Yuheng as his own.
Shen Shuyi felt unprecedented shame and embarrassment.
Even seeing the two words “Explain” on the phone felt like a slap to his own face.
It was truly, utterly humiliating.
Shen Lu had already heard Zhang Jun’s explanation.
Shen Shuyi recently started dating someone who turned out to be a scumbag, cheating and posting it online.
His fragile heart had never endured such humiliation and abuse.
Shen Lu, both heartbroken and helpless, said: “You… at a time like this, how could you cause such a mess?”
Fortunately, the Zhao family didn’t know yet, or Shen Shuyi would be accused of pre-marital infidelity.
Seeing his brother staring at his phone, Shen Lu grabbed it and checked.
The chat displayed the contact as “Asia’s Top Pie-in-the-Sky King”—overly sentimental, leaving no doubt about their relationship.
The page jumped, and the “Pie-in-the-Sky King” called. Thinking about Shen Shuyi’s suffering caused by this stranger, Shen Lu hung up, then blocked the number.
Pie-in-the-Sky King? Shen Lu labeled him King of Scumbags.
The phone number followed the same fate.
After blocking, the screen returned to Shen Shuyi’s Little Red Notes post. Shen Lu’s face darkened further.
“Zhang Jun, you have ten minutes to delete this post, or forget your year-end bonus!”
Zhang Jun shivered; he knew his boss was genuinely angry.
“Understood. I’ll block all topics related to Third Young Master.”
After Zhang Jun left, the lounge grew quiet.
Shen Lu wanted to say something. Shen Shuyi, on the verge of marriage, should start acting responsibly.
But every word of admonition was shattered by Shen Shuyi’s tears.
Shen Shuyi lowered his head; tears rolled over his hands, burning hot.
“Little Shu…”
Shen Shuyi sobbed softly, his voice choked, just like when he was a child.
“Brother… I… I feel so, so sad…”
Shen Lu was stunned for a long time, sighed, and embraced Shen Shuyi.
He couldn’t bring himself to speak a harsh word.
