On the day of graduation, I was dragged by my rich father to get the certificate

Gu Wan was struck by lightning, staring blankly at Si Yehan on the screen, dressed in a well-tailored suit. He looked pale but still strikingly handsome, while Mu Rui, wearing a haute couture gown, smiled sweetly as she held his arm.

"No... this is impossible..." Gu Wan muttered to himself, his chest seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand.

Nian Nian tilted her head: "Mom, is that Dad? Why is he standing with that aunt?"

Gu Wan didn't answer. She rushed to the door and banged on the heavy wooden door frantically: "Let me out! Someone! Open the door! I want to get out!"

There was silence outside the door.

Gu Wan refused to give up. She picked up the crystal table lamp on the bedside and smashed it against the door lock. With a loud bang, the table lamp shattered, but the door lock remained motionless.

"Mom..." Nian Nian was scared and started crying.

Gu Wan hugged her daughter and fought back tears: "Don't be afraid, Mom is here..."

At this moment, footsteps were heard outside the door, and the housekeeper's whispered report was heard. Then, the door lock opened with a click.

Nangong Xuan stood at the door, wearing a Chanel suit and delicate makeup. She looked at her daughter coldly: "Have you had enough of the trouble?"

Gu Wan protected Nian Nian behind him and said, "Let's go."

Nangong Xuan chuckled and said, "Let her go."

The butler hesitated and said, "But..."

"She'll only give up if she sees Si Yehan engaged to another woman with her own eyes." Nangong Xuan said in a cold tone, "Nian Nian stay."

Gu Wan bit her lip, leaned over and whispered a few words in her daughter's ear, then rushed to the door.

She nearly fell because of the excessive force. She looked up at Nangong Xuan, her almond-shaped eyes full of determination, and then turned and ran.

In the hallway, Gu Wan's high heels tapped a rapid rhythm on the marble floor. She didn't know what to say to Si Yehan, not even what position or identity to use to meet him. But she had to hear Si Yehan's explanation in person. At this moment, she believed nothing but his own words.

"Si Yehan, please... you must have your reasons..." Gu Wan prayed in her heart as she rushed out of the Nangong mansion.

The engagement ceremony was held at the Imperial Hotel, part of the Mu Group. When Gu Wan arrived, the banquet hall was already packed. She hid in a corner, watching the glamorous male and female protagonists on stage, her heart aching.

The emcee was enthusiastically introducing this "match made in heaven" couple, to thunderous applause from the audience. Si Yehan stood expressionless, his eyes gazing blankly into the distance, as if his soul had been torn away.

"Now, please ask the groom to put the engagement ring on the bride to be!" the master of ceremonies announced loudly.

Gu Wan dug her nails into her palm, but felt no pain. She watched Si Yehan take the glittering diamond ring from the empress, her vision darkening.

At this moment, someone at the scene started to make noises: "Give me a kiss! Give me a kiss!"

Cheers echoed. Mu Rui lowered her head shyly, but then looked at Si Yehan expectantly. Si Yehan, however, acted as if he hadn't heard her. He mechanically picked up the ring and prepared to put it on Mu Rui's finger.

Gu Wan's ears buzzed, and the sounds around her seemed to fade away. She only saw Si Yehan's slender fingers pinching the ring as he slowly approached Mu Rui's hand...

Suddenly, Mu Rui's gaze passed over Si Yehan's shoulder and met Gu Wan's in the corner. A flicker of surprise flashed across her eyes, then turned into a malicious smile. Before Si Yehan could put the ring on her finger, Mu Rui suddenly stood on tiptoe and forcefully kissed him on the lips.

At the same time, she gave Gu Wan a victorious smile.

Si Yehan suddenly pushed Mu Rui away, only then noticing the commotion below the stage. He turned to follow the crowd's gaze and saw Gu Wan, whose face was pale.

"Wanwan?!" Si Yehan's voice was filled with shock.

Gu Wan's tears finally burst. She turned and ran, through the whispering crowd, towards the exit.

"Wanwan! Wait!" Si Yehan chased after her without hesitation. The engagement ring slipped from his hand, bounced a few times on the ground, and rolled to Mu Rui's feet.

The banquet hall erupted in an uproar. Murray bent down, picked up the ring, and slowly slipped it onto her finger. She stared at the diamond ring, exhaled, and said in a voice only she could hear: "Anything I set my sights on will eventually be mine. No one, not even the gods, can take it away from me."

Outside the hotel, a torrential downpour poured down. Gu Wan rushed into the rain, the icy water instantly soaking through her dress. She ran aimlessly, tears mixing with the rain.

"Wanwan! Stop!" Si Yehan's voice came from behind.

Gu Wan ran faster, but her high heels slipped on the slippery road and she fell heavily to the ground. A sharp pain came from her knee, but she didn't bother to check and struggled to get up.

A pair of strong arms embraced her from behind. Si Yehan's breath enveloped her, a mixture of rain and the faint scent of ambergris.

“Let me go!” Gu Wan struggled desperately, “Go find your fiancée!”

"That's not true!" Si Yehan turned her around and forced her to look him in the eye. "Wanwan, listen to my explanation!"

Gu Wan looked up, the rain running down Si Yehan's angular face. His black hair was wet and plastered to his forehead, and his eyes held an anxiety and sincerity she had never seen before.

"What do you want to explain?" Gu Wan choked up, "Explain why you were engaged to someone else? Explain why you kissed her just now?"

"I didn't kiss her! She suddenly..." Si Yehan scratched his hair in frustration. "Damn it, this was all part of a plan!"

"Plan?" Gu Wan sneered, "A plan to abandon me and Nian Nian?"

Si Yehan suddenly held her face in his hands, his voice low and firm, "A page is missing from the account book. There might be something else behind that transaction from twenty years ago. Grandma hinted that there's evidence in that missing page. Grandma set this up to make Mu Rui let down her guard so she could get the complete chain of evidence."

Gu Wan was stunned: "What did you say?"

"I swear, you're the only person I'll ever marry." Si Yehan pulled a waterproof bag from his suit pocket. Inside was a yellowed copy of a ledger page. "My grandmother gave it to me this morning. It records the transfer from the Mu Group to my uncle."

"Uncle?" Gu Wan took the waterproof bag with trembling hands. In the light of the street lamp, she could clearly see the number and signature on it. It was the autograph of Mu Rui's grandfather.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Gu Wan's voice softened.

Si Yehan pulled her into his arms, "I can't take any risks. Someone from the Nangong family is also involved in the case, and your grandmother..."

"My grandmother?" Gu Wan looked up suddenly.

Si Yehan nodded. "Wanwan, I need time to get the original copy of that page in the account book. Until then, you and Nian Nian will stay at the Si family mansion."

Gu Wan hugged Si Yehan tightly, sobbing bitterly in his arms. The rain washed over the two of them, but it couldn't dispel the warmth of their embrace.

"Trust me, okay?" Si Yehan kissed the top of her head.

Gu Wan nodded and was about to speak when suddenly a glaring headlight shone on them. A black car stopped by the roadside, the window lowered, revealing Nangong Xuan's cold face.