Chapter 099: Return to the Original Owner

Round and round, fate always finds a way to reconnect those whose bonds run too deep to be severed.

Jiang Yao stared at the woman before her, gulping down breaths as if suffocating, unable to shake the stifling weight in her chest.

Mo Qing’s eyes, once so beautiful, were now bloodshot, memories of the past twisting her expression. She felt mocked by destiny and let out a cold, deranged laugh, “Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! The one who destroyed my marriage is now to be my bridesmaid!”

“I didn’t destroy your marriage,” Jiang Yao protested hurriedly.

“Silence!” Mo Qing snapped. “If you had even a shred of shame, you wouldn’t dare show yourself in front of me now! How old were you back then—old enough to seduce your teacher? No wonder you’ve caught He Yunqing now!”

Mo Qing’s rage was relentless, each word a blade.

“You can curse me, but don’t wrong Teacher Chen. I’ve searched for you for ten years, just to… just to…” Jiang Yao’s eyes burned red.

“Qing, what’s wrong?” Mr. Zhou suddenly entered, puzzled. “I couldn’t wait to see my bride—why this expression?”

Jiang Yao desperately wanted to tell Mo Qing that her decade-long search was to fulfill Teacher Chen’s dying wish: to return the ring to Mo Qing’s hand.

But now, another man stood by Mo Qing’s side.

Everyone seemed to be moving forward, except Jiang Yao, who kept circling the same ground, clinging to the past.

Round and round, like a cruel joke.

She looked at Mr. Zhou. “I’d like to speak with Qing alone.”

Mo Qing shot Jiang Yao a glare. “But I don’t want to talk to you.”

Turning to Mr. Zhou, Mo Qing said, “Jiang Yao just told me she’s feeling very unwell; I’m afraid she won’t be able to be my bridesmaid today. I’ll only have the other one. Is that alright?”

Mr. Zhou gazed at her with affection. “It’s fine, as long as you’re happy.”

Mo Qing’s gaze toward Jiang Yao brimmed with hatred. “If you’re unwell, hurry back and rest. Why linger here?”

With Mr. Zhou present, Jiang Yao could say nothing more and left in silence.

“Look at you, temper flaring again,” Mr. Zhou said gently to Mo Qing. “Miss Jiang may truly be unwell—we should be understanding, not so harsh.”

“I don’t understand,” Mo Qing restrained the urge to smash something. “I will never understand someone like her!”

Dismissed from her role as bridesmaid, Jiang Yao could only hide in a quiet corner, watching Mo Qing’s wedding from afar.

At some point, He Yunqing appeared behind her. “I hope you’re not angry I’m late.”

Jiang Yao turned and saw his strikingly handsome face. Suddenly, all her pent-up grievances surged forth. Her eyes reddened, and she threw herself into his arms, sobbing softly.

“Let me cry for a while—then I’ll explain.”

He Yunqing was startled by her sudden action, but gently patted her back.

After what seemed like ages, Jiang Yao finally lifted her head, glancing at the tear stains on his shirt and sniffing quietly.

“Now can you tell me why you’re crying?” He Yunqing coaxed her tenderly, as if she were a child. “Surely it’s not just because I was delayed by work. Weren’t you meant to be a bridesmaid? Why hide here in tears?”

Jiang Yao looked toward the stage. “She doesn’t want me as her bridesmaid anymore. In fact, I doubt she’ll ever want to see me again.”

He Yunqing sat beside her, elegantly shelling sunflower seeds, eyes fixed on the wedding ceremony. “Did you two quarrel?”

Jiang Yao sighed. “It was far more than a quarrel.”

On the stage, Mr. Zhou slowly slid a new, beautiful wedding ring onto Mo Qing’s finger.

Jiang Yao’s heart soured. She glanced at the matching rings she and He Yunqing wore. “The wedding ring I left with you—do you still have it?”

He Yunqing considered for a moment, then took it from the pocket over his heart. “This one?”

Jiang Yao took the ring, studying it under the lights. It was certainly less dazzling than the one Mo Qing now wore.

Yet to Jiang Yao, it was precious beyond measure.

“I may never need it again,” she said sadly, “but I still have to return it to its rightful owner.”

“To its rightful owner?”

Jiang Yao looked at the stage. “Remember I told you about Teacher Chen? This ring belonged to his bride. And his bride is standing right there.”

He Yunqing’s brows knit instantly.

“Time has changed everything. The ring’s meaning is gone, and maybe I shouldn’t disturb her peaceful life anymore.” Jiang Yao clenched the ring tightly. “But… but I can’t stay silent. I have to clear Teacher Chen’s name. He was such a good man, and he’s endured ten years of false accusations…”

All day, Jiang Yao found no chance to speak with Mo Qing alone.

Not until evening, when Mo Qing sat alone in her hotel room, resting, did Jiang Yao approach.

Mo Qing’s smile had vanished. She cast a cold glance at Jiang Yao and He Yunqing. “So, you brought back-up this time?”

She strode to He Yunqing. “Mr. He, let me warn you: be careful with this woman. You probably don’t know that since she was young, she was entangled with her teacher—even when he was married.”

“I know exactly who Jiang Yao is,” He Yunqing replied solemnly.

Mo Qing sneered, shooting Jiang Yao a disdainful look. “You know I don’t want to see you. The fact I didn’t throw you out of my wedding is already more than you deserve.”

Jiang Yao hesitated, then pulled the ring from her pocket and placed it gently on the coffee table before Mo Qing. “I came to return this. Do you remember it?”

At the sight of the ring, Mo Qing’s expression faltered for an instant, but she quickly recovered. “So that scum even gave you this? Too bad—it’s already used.”

“Teacher Chen was not a scum,” Jiang Yao bit her lip. “And he didn’t give this to me. He entrusted it to me before he died, asking me to return it to you personally. You should know—he’s no longer in this world, isn’t he?”

Mo Qing’s face turned dreadful.

She knew. She had only learned recently.

She’d heard it when she tried to file for divorce.

“So what? Didn’t someone like him deserve to die? I have a new ring now. I don’t need that piece of junk!”