Deadly Trap

Chapter 108 Extra: The Sea on a Summer Night
One year later, in the summer, in Minzhou.

"No! I disagree!" Zhou Yi declared firmly. "Su Li cannot be the bridesmaid."

At that moment, Yu He was trying on a pure white wedding dress, the hem folding like snowy waves in Su Li's gentle hands. Yu He's gaze, however, was like Zeus judging Olympus: "Old Zhou, what's wrong with you?"

On Monday, he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall: "If Su Li is the bridesmaid, then which station do you want Gu Mufei to fly to?"

Yu He looked completely bewildered: "What, your brother doesn't agree to be the best man?"

Monday was speechless: "I haven't asked yet. But if Young Master Gu is my best man, are you kidding me? Do I even need to be the groom?"

Su Li smiled faintly, her head bowed, her fingers carefully arranging the fluffy lace at Yu He's waist.

"Your logic is so strange," Yu He scoffed.

"Wife, wake up!" Zhou Yi complained angrily. "Gu Mufeng looks all dignified in a suit, like he's about to get married! You want me to wear an evening gown and stand next to him? Do I, the groom, even need to show my face? What does 'order of guests and hosts' even mean?"

Before he finished speaking, Gu Mufeng returned carrying a box of milk tea. He first presented two specially ordered cups to Su Li and Yu He—definitely Su Li's favorite flavor. Then he treated them to the rest and distributed them to the staff, ensuring everyone got some.

Upon seeing the exceptionally handsome face on the casual suit, the sales assistants' eyes lit up instantly, all turning to look at him. Gu Mufeng, however, who was used to being stared at, had clear eyes and appeared completely innocent and pure.

"See?" Zhou Yi whispered angrily into Yu He's ear.

Taking small sips of the tapioca pearls in his milk tea, Yu He glanced sideways at Zhou Yi: "So, who are you planning to be your best man?"

On Monday, he paused for a moment, then argued, "I have a vast network of friends, I can just pick any one of them. Or, well, how about my adorable little brother?"

Yu He chuckled softly: "The bridesmaids and groomsmen need to be paired up. Do you really want my new brother-in-law to be killed by Gu Mufeng at the wedding?"

On Monday, looking utterly defeated, he exclaimed, "Not a single one of these MBA students is a good person!"

Seeing how concerned and serious Zhou Yi was, Yu He sighed. Mature and steady men only exist in women's fantasies. In reality, men can be best buddies one second and then suddenly act childishly, wanting to be each other's father the next.

Yu He felt that comparing who was in the center position was better than comparing other things:
"How about this, you agree to let Gu Mufeng be the best man, and I promise to help you prank him at his bachelor party. As long as it doesn't hurt Lihua's feelings, I'll do my best."

"Wow, what a great wife." Clearly, his decade-long friendship couldn't compare to the smug satisfaction of someone at a wedding. Without a moment's hesitation, Zhou Yi readily agreed: "Deal!"

Behind the flowing white skirt, the young couple secretly made a pinky promise.

Looking again, Gu Mufeng was leaning against the back of the sofa with one hand, talking sweetly with Su Li in the corner. Su Li held a milk tea in one hand and punched Gu Mufeng's chest with the other, her fingertips seemingly reluctant to let go, and even teasingly brushed against his waist and abdomen under his thin shirt.

Her phoenix eyes narrowed with a cold smile, a smug glint in them as she looked up from behind the redness in her peach-blossom eyes. Su Li let out a small, playful scolding: "Go away!"

The two were completely unaware of the conspiracy unfolding here.

Seeing the former icy demeanor now filled with doting affection was too much to bear, Zhou Yi pulled Gu Mufeng aside: "Those women can pick and choose until dark. Perfect timing, you negotiation master can find a new job, come with me to the venue and haggle over a price."

As the men, once again appearing "mature and composed," chatted and disappeared through the door, Yu He, arm in arm with Su Li, continued to choose wedding dresses, trying on two or three more.

Su Li asked curiously, "You two actually decided on your own wedding? I thought the Zhou family handled everything and just used you two as a display case."

Yu He chuckled softly, "It's all thanks to Old Zhou cutting ties cleanly with Min Gang's social circle. He notarized his relinquishment of the decision-making power in Hengtai Group, retaining only a stake, so it won't go bankrupt. Anyway, the probability of the Zhou family going bankrupt would only be higher if they handed it over to him. His parents breathed a sigh of relief on the day of the notarization."

"Now he can stay at the university and write books with peace of mind, while I study actuarial science. We live a more carefree life. I only invited my parents and close friends to the wedding, and the engagement ring is still my mother-in-law's old style. We didn't spend a penny."

Su Li nodded: "That sounds great. So you'll have a Western-style wedding then?"

Yu He shrugged: "What can I do? I just want the beach. After thinking about it for a while, isn't a Chinese style on the beach a bit too weird? But the wedding photos will be in a Chinese style."

Turning his head, Yu He suddenly asked, "Lihua, what kind of wedding do you want?"

Su Li's heart was filled with every detail. How could she not have thought of it? She counted them off on her fingers as if they were precious treasures:

"I want a Gothic cathedral. No more than twelve people. We'll have a picnic on the lawn after the ceremony. I've even chosen which song to play at the wedding."

Her eyes held a surprisingly complicated expression.

But clearly, as the melody of Bach's G String Air began to play in her mind, she seemed to have already tentatively walked through the cathedral. Alone, only her pure white veil and train accompanied her through the river of history. Through the rose window, the altar shone with pure white light…

Will she stop moving forward?

The shop assistant pushed over a rack; the bridesmaid dresses were in a terrible state. Yu He frowned and complained to the shop assistant, "Do you even know who her boyfriend is? There's no big shot in Minzhou anymore. Lihua, hurry up and show off your idol's black card again!"

Su Li laughed at her, saying, "Look at how you've fooled the sales assistant. It's alright, the main character should be the beautiful bride, after all."

In the end, she chose a light gray rose-colored long dress. She had a feeling it would go well with the white sand beach.

Yu He frowned seriously, looking worried: "If I let you dress so ugly, will your idol take revenge?"

Su Li was amused by Yu He: "Mu Mu is very well-behaved."

With a meaningful look, Yu He couldn't help but glance at Su Li: "Lihua, you're a master animal tamer. Only you would see a lion as a kitten. Be careful, he can easily get into the University of Chicago MBA program by accompanying you, he won't be content to be an idle playboy by your side."

Su Li's heart sank slightly. Gu Mufeng's energy and desire for control, lurking beneath a gentle exterior, would always need an outlet. Could the difficulty of an MBA truly fill that void?
Even Su Li, is she ready for... an even more challenging day? >>>>>
On the wedding day, the simple beach decorations revealed no trace of Zhou's wealthy background, while Yu He's middle-class parents wore smiles. Zhou Yi's younger brother gave a speech, Su Li and Gu Mufeng each went about their duties, and Su Li even played a romantic piece, "Liebestraum," on the piano backstage, a piece she hadn't performed in a long time.

The sun sets over the sea. Yu He and Zhou Yi finally share a passionate kiss. But when it's time to throw the bouquet, Yu He discovers that her bridesmaid, Su Li, is already gone.

"Where's Lihua? I've already pre-ordered my bouquet for her."

On Monday, Zhou frowned: "Good heavens. The best man is missing too!" Before they could even look for him, the young couple were already being urged by Mrs. Zhou to go and serve tea to their parents.

Meanwhile, on the beach some distance from the wedding, Su Li and Gu Mufeng were strolling in the sunset, carrying their shoes. The faint sound of music from some restaurant or hotel drifted out.

"Madam, would you like to dance?" Facing the setting sun, Jiao Jin's hair fell to the bridge of his nose as Gu Mufeng took Su Li's hand in his chest. The vibrant life force of the emerald made Su Li's fingertips gleam.

Su Li was led barefoot into this short waltz by him. Lightly, she twirled in her palms under his guidance, her fingertips brushing against the sea breeze…

Until her heel slammed hard onto Gu Mufeng's instep, she stumbled and fell into his arms. The two almost tumbled into the waves beside them. Gu Mufeng was in so much pain that he hissed and bent over.

"Mumu, are you alright...?" Su Li rushed forward in a panic.

Immediately afterwards, although her feet were bright red, Gu Mufei looked up and revealed a teasing smile.

"Oh, you're so mean!"

The two chased each other on the wet waves. Su Li, panting, chuckled softly, "The 'Mincai male god' from the inter-school dance, now he's reduced to dancing with bridesmaids in ugly dresses and getting his feet stepped on?"

"The dress is indeed ugly," Gu Mufeng replied with a smile, "but the person is even more beautiful."

Looking at her, Gu Mufeng seemed slightly lost in thought. He then answered sincerely, "I don't deny it, I've been thinking about what you would look like in a wedding dress since just now."

Su Li bent down, catching her breath slightly: No wonder Gu Mufeng seemed a little dazed during the wedding.

Gu Mufeng was waiting for her. Standing in front of her, his breath was like a gentle patter, his cold eyes filled with the afterglow of the setting sun, and his trousers were rolled up at different heights, covered with wet, glistening grains of sand.

Su Li asked softly, "Then what kind of wedding dress do you imagine me wearing?"

Surprisingly serious, Gu Mufeng lowered his eyes and gazed at her, his phoenix eyes as deep as the endless sea behind him:

"For the first time in my life, I dare not think about anything. But I am certain that you will make me feel like my heart is being pierced again."

Then, he turned to look at the sea, his tone as unreal as if he had suddenly traveled through time:
"It's summer now; it's in Minzhou, the sea you want. Suli, this is also the sea I ran by when I was a child."

"If the sea on a summer night can come true, then if you wear a wedding dress for me, can I look forward to that too?"

Su Li's heart tightened: Mu Fei, he still remembered the life-or-death promise made under the cape that night. Perhaps that promise had been deeply etched into their bones, like the countless nights that followed, when she had recurring nightmares, repeatedly dreaming of everything she was doing with Gu Mu Fei... Was it all just a hallucination in her mind?

Every night.

Su Li didn't want to dwell on whether it was a hallucination or not. She feigned nonchalance: "We're going to Hawaii, isn't that a summer night's sea?"

“That doesn’t count.” Gu Mufeng said calmly. “The sea is different. Only what you want, and what I want to give you, counts.”

As he walked away, the setting sun slowly melted into the sea. Soon after, the stars and moon would appear as expected. After a moment of silence, Gu Mufeng suddenly asked, "Su Li, what kind of wedding do you want?"

Su Li's heart pounded. She blurted out:

"Perhaps, right now?"

Gu Mufei was stunned.

He imagined that Su Li must have a very grand and detailed dream, with complex imagery such as a church lawn or even the release of white doves. And he would be more nervous than ever before, so nervous that he couldn't breathe on the altar, secretly twisting his fingers, and from then on, he dared not look at Guanyin.

His face was pale, yet flushed with a hint of excitement.

His cold gaze had already made up his mind about everything in this dream: he would push it to the very last detail, execute it perfectly, and let Su Li know that her dream had indeed come true.

But the beach grew increasingly dark; the deep blue starlight overhead seemed even more dazzling. The sound of the waves could not be more gentle than Su Li's voice:
"Actually... I haven't thought it through." Her voice trembled. "But when I decide to get married, Mu Mu, you'll definitely feel it. I promise."

In the darkness, Su Li's eyes sparkled like stars.

Compared to a complicated wedding, why can't this be her dream come true?
Gu Mufeng smiled and tightened his grip on her hand:

"Don't worry. I'm always here."

　[Author's Note | The Sea on a Summer Night]

　　Today's Minzhou coastline is about promises made in the past and promises made in the future.

　　Is a wedding really that important? Have you ever fantasized about your own wedding? Or is it actually not important at all?

　　What are your thoughts on this, everyone in the comments section?

　　(End of this chapter)