Reunited with ex-boyfriend at wedding

Less than a month after returning to Nancheng, Luna heard a rumor: the second son of the Xu family had declared, "If I ever see that woman, Luna, again, I’ll kill her!" Clearly, his hatred for her ran deep, so deep that even after all these years, he hadn’t forgotten. Luna thought to herself, *Is it too late to change my name?* It was definitely too late... When she thought about it, it was understandable why Ethan would say something like that. She had gone to great lengths to win him over, only to toss him aside like an old shoe. If she were in his shoes, she would want to tear apart the person who played with her feelings, too. Nancheng wasn't too big, but it wasn't small either. They didn't run in the same circles, so she figured the chances of running into him were slim. Luna admitted she was holding onto a bit of hope. Today was a big day, and she couldn’t afford to slip up. Standing in front of the hotel’s floor-to-ceiling window, she lightly patted her cheeks, trying to clear her mind. But the next moment, she couldn't help but think of that man. It was probably because this hotel, Xiting Hotel, held a certain significance. It was here, on that first night, that she and Ethan had shared a bed. As she closed her eyes, the memories came flooding back— the white bed, the walnut-colored floor, their clothes scattered across it, his and hers, tangled together like their bodies had been. Back then, she had been completely infatuated with that distant, unattainable "flower on the high mountain" and only wanted to make him hers, to hide him away so no one else could ever dream of him. She had been reckless, obsessed, grabbing every chance to be near him. Like a temptress, she had cornered him, the perfect scholar, luring him into the distractions of the mortal world. But Ethan wasn’t just any scholar. He was the dream of every girl in school, and beyond the school, he was the golden boy, the shining sun—impossible to touch. It had rained heavily that night. She pretended to be scared of the thunder and refused to stay in the room next door. She knocked on his door and jumped into his arms, clinging to his neck and refusing to let go. He had been the perfect gentleman, offering to sleep on the couch and leaving the bed for her. But she wasn’t so innocent. When he wasn’t paying attention, she squeezed onto the couch, into his arms, kissing him. The force of her desire had startled even her in hindsight. She often thought to herself, *How could you be so shameless, Luna?* Back then, Ethan had liked her, too. Naturally, he couldn't resist her advances, and once he gave in, there was no turning back. As the memories resurfaced, Luna’s gaze dimmed, filled with both nostalgia and helplessness over her current situation. A soft knock interrupted her thoughts. "Miss Xia, the wedding ceremony is about to begin," a hotel attendant gently reminded her. “Okay, I’ll be right there.” Luna exhaled slowly, calming her racing mind. She turned to face the mirror, adjusted her expression, and walked out in her high heels. * Dante's cousin was hosting a baby’s full-month celebration at Xiting Hotel today. He called Ethan to ask if he would come. Ethan declined and instead transferred a gift. This was expected. Had it been any other relative, Dante wouldn’t have wanted to come either. He’d much rather be hanging out with his buddies than enduring lectures from the elders. Just the thought of being surrounded by a group of them urging him to settle down gave him a headache. He made one last attempt to persuade Ethan. "Are you really busy today? If not, come by for a bit. My cousin was just talking about you the other day. Oh, by the way, Ling Yan will be there, too.” The call abruptly ended. Hearing the dial tone, Dante smirked, glancing at his phone’s screen. It was classic Ethan—once he decided not to show up, no one could convince him otherwise. Shaking his head with a chuckle, Dante pocketed his phone, humming a tune as he stepped into the elevator. He pressed the button for the 28th floor. The numbers climbed until the elevator stopped at 26. The doors slid open, and a woman wearing a pale pink dress with her hair neatly tied up walked in. She was looking down at her phone, so Dante couldn’t see her face. But judging by his years of experience flirting with women, he knew she was definitely a beauty. The dress was adorned with intricate pearl flowers that shimmered under the lights, and around her slender neck, she wore two pearl necklaces—one strung with tiny seed pearls, the other with larger, lustrous ones. Her impeccable taste only made him more curious about her face. He stared for a while before she seemed to notice and glanced in his direction. Their eyes met, and both froze. Dante’s eyes widened in shock. *Wait... isn’t this Ethan’s ex-girlfriend?* He would recognize her anywhere, even if she had turned to dust. Luna's heart thudded, like a drum struck by a heavy mallet. Of all the people she had hoped not to see, she hadn’t expected to run into Ethan’s friend so soon after thinking she wouldn’t. With a ding, the elevator reached her floor. She quickly glanced at the number to confirm it was hers and hurried out, her retreat almost comical in its haste. It had been six years. She had changed a lot since then, but she hoped Dante hadn’t recognized her… No, no, she couldn't fool herself. The look on his face, like he'd seen a ghost, made it clear he had. Her heart raced, pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of her throat. Her fingers tingled with nervous energy. How could things have lined up like this? As the elevator doors were about to close, Dante snapped out of his shock. He quickly hit the button to reopen them and rushed out, looking in the direction Luna had gone. He saw her disappear into a banquet hall, her figure vanishing from sight. He rubbed his eyes, making sure he hadn’t seen wrong—it really was Luna. The thick carpet muffled his footsteps as Dante, almost instinctively, made his way toward the banquet hall. He stopped at the entrance, his gaze landing on a large display stand. Hanging there was a giant poster. On it, the woman was none other than Luna, dressed in a pure white wedding gown. The man next to her, wearing a black suit and bowtie, was unfamiliar to him. Both were smiling, radiating happiness. Dante had been to plenty of weddings, so he immediately recognized this kind of poster as the couple’s welcome photo. It was meant to guide guests to the right banquet hall, letting them know that the wedding was being held here. His eyes dropped lower, and just as expected, below the photo were the words, written in a decorative font: “Joined in love, forever in harmony.” The names of the bride and groom were abbreviated in English initials—CSB & XX. XX. That was Luna, without a doubt. Ethan’s ex-girlfriend was getting married? For a moment, Dante’s emotions were in turmoil. He couldn’t tell if he felt pity for his best friend, anger, or maybe both. Immediately, he pulled out his phone and called Ethan. No answer. Damn it. Was Ethan seriously ignoring his call? He probably thought Dante was still trying to drag him to his cousin’s baby celebration. Refusing to give up, Dante called again. This time, after a long wait, the call finally connected. Before Ethan could even speak, he launched into his refusal: "I already told you I’m not coming. I’m drinking with Camel at Four Seasons Sea." “You're drinking in the middle of the day instead of coming to the celebration? My cousin treats you like a brother, and this is how you repay her? Are you even human?” Dante couldn’t help but gripe. But then he remembered why he had called in the first place, rubbing his temples. “Wait, that’s not what I called about. Guess who I just saw? Your ex! The one who played you like a fiddle! She’s here at Xiting Hotel, getting married. Aren’t you going to come and crash the wedding?” Silence hung on the other end of the line, as if Ethan was wondering if he was dreaming. What had he just heard? In all his years, he never expected the name “Luna” to reappear in his life. Dante thought the call had dropped and glanced at the screen. “Hello? Ethan? Ethan, can you hear me? I said I saw Luna at the hotel!” The mention of “Luna” again seemed to jolt Ethan awake. This wasn’t a dream. When he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse. “Which hotel?” “Xiting,” Dante replied, then realized Xiting was a chain of hotels with many locations in Nancheng. He quickly added, “The one on Huaiqing Road.” After a pause, he cautiously asked, “Are you… coming?” Just last month, Ethan had been drinking at Four Seasons Sea, muttering about how he wanted to make that woman, Luna, pay. Now, the opportunity was right in front of him.