Chapter 3 — Jilted at the Altar

The four security guards standing behind him took a synchronized step forward.

Madam, please mind your language, the manager said, producing a document from his coat pocket to clarify the situation. Before leaving, Miss Shen Nian gave our hotel very clear instructions. Because the bride for this wedding was suddenly swapped for Miss Lin Yuan, Miss Shen explicitly stated that she would refuse to cover any expenses incurred from that point onward. In other words, the cost of these thirty tables of seafood rests entirely with all of you.

The manager pointed to the surveillance camera, its red recording light blinking ominously overhead. Whoever eats the meal pays for it; that is only natural.

Huas Zes calves began to tremble, and the lingering haze of alcohol vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, sharp terror. He turned to look at Lin Yuan, who was just as panicked, clutching her stomach and stumbling backward. The relatives of the Hua family, who had been crowding around the pair just moments before, shifted their expressions as the reality of the debt settled in.

Wait, the bill has not been paid yet?

Goodness, I felt something was off today. Who has ever heard of a bride being swapped at the last minute?

Oh, look at the time. I have a pot of soup simmering on the stove at home that I forgot to turn off. I really must be going!

Seeing that the atmosphere had turned sour, the relatives immediately scrambled toward the main exit. However, the head of security let out a chilling laugh and signaled for his team to seal the doors shut. No one is leaving this building until the bill is settled.

The manager’s tone remained polite, yet it carried an underlying edge of steel. Everyone, five hundred thousand yuan is not a trivial sum. If you intend to dine and dash, I will have no choice but to involve the police. Once the patrol cars pull up to the front entrance, every single person present will be taken to the station for fraud. If this ends up affecting the background checks for your children’s careers or their chances at civil service, do not say I did not warn you.

As soon as these words were spoken, the Hua family relatives erupted in chaos.

Hua Ze, you bastard! What kind of disgraceful stunt have you pulled?

If you did not have the money, why on earth were you playing the big spender? Pay the bill immediately and stop dragging us into your mess!

Hua Ze stood frozen as his elders pointed fingers directly at his nose, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. Frantically, he whipped out his phone to call me, only to find that he had been blocked. He scrambled to his messaging app, but each voice note he attempted to send was immediately met with a harsh, red exclamation point. Trembling with rage and humiliation, he turned to scream at his mother.

Mother! Take the money and pay the bill for now!

Zhu Gui-mei clutched her fabric purse tightly against her chest, shaking her head like a rattle. All our family savings were poured into investments and lost; the little that remains is my pension for my old age. I cannot give it to you!

Hua Ze turned his gaze toward Lin Yuan, but she only retreated in fear. A-Ze, that money was given to me by your mother for the wedding customs. I cannot give it back to you!

The manager checked his watch. My patience has its limits. I am giving you ten minutes to pool your funds. If I do not see the transfer after ten minutes, I will call the police immediately.

Driven to a dead end, Hua Ze snatched the purse from Lin Yuan and emptied out the ten thousand and one yuan intended for the wedding rituals, but it was nowhere near enough. Under the watchful gaze of the security team, the entire Hua clan was forced to scrounge for cash on the spot. Hua Ze even downloaded three high-interest predatory loan applications right there in the lobby, agreeing to exorbitant rates just to secure another two hundred thousand yuan. After scraping together every cent they could find, they finally managed to settle the five-hundred-thousand-yuan debt.

By the time they emerged from the hotel, the sky had already darkened. Hua Ze had been bled dry, burdened with a mountain of crushing online debt. I learned all of this while sitting comfortably at home, sipping high-grade Longjing tea sent to me by a senior colleague, watching the security footage the manager had sent over.

The next day was Monday. I canceled my vacation leave and returned to work as usual. Just as I reached my desk and brewed a fresh cup of coffee, the receptionist hurried over, looking flustered.

Sister Nian, there is a man named Hua outside looking for you. He claims to be your husband. He is causing quite a scene at the front desk, insisting he must come in. The guards are struggling to hold him back.

I arched an eyebrow. Husband? He has the audacity to use that word? I lifted my coffee cup and walked toward the lobby at a leisurely pace. In the company foyer, Hua Ze was shouting at the security guards, his neck vein bulging. He had deep, dark circles under his eyes, his suit was wrinkled from yesterday’s disaster, and his hair was a wild, bird-nest mess.

Get out of my way! I am the husband of your manager, Shen! We held our wedding just yesterday! Do you dare block me? Do you want me to tell her to fire the lot of you?

Nearby, my colleagues were whispering and stealing glances. I stepped out from behind the crowd and leveled a cold, impassive stare at him.

Hua Ze, who exactly do you think is your wife?

Seeing me, Hua Ze’s eyes lit up. He shoved the security guard aside and lunged toward me, completely oblivious to the gravity of his actions the day before, wearing an expression of arrogant entitlement.

Shen Nian, have you finally finished your tantrum? You got angry yesterday and ran off, making me and my mother lose all face in front of our relatives. You even had the nerve to leave the bill unpaid!

He held out his hand, palm open, waiting for me to apologize and fix the mess he had made.