CHAPTER 19: LONG TIME NO SEE

When Ruan Zhizhi followed Gu Nian and Cheng Fengjin to Houston’s top five-star hotel in City A, she peered through the car window and indeed saw a constant stream of guests entering and leaving.

Gu Nian and Cheng Fengjin went into a private room to greet friends and family, while Ruan Zhizhi’s main task as bridesmaid was to stand at the hotel lobby and collect the red envelopes for the newlyweds.

Cheng Fengjin had gone all out for this once-in-a-lifetime wedding, inviting many guests, including friends and classmates from their time studying abroad.

Ruan Zhizhi had to greet old classmates while meticulously registering each red envelope, her hands flying in a frenzy.

As another red envelope was handed to her, she didn’t even lift her head, extending her hand and trying to keep her voice cheerful. “May I have your name, please?”

“Ruan Zhizhi, it’s only been a few days and you’ve already forgotten my name?”

The voice was crisp yet slightly husky, low, and utterly intoxicating.

Just one sentence, and Ruan Zhizhi immediately recognized it: Shi Yan.

It was no surprise that Shi Yan would attend Cheng Fengjin and Gu Nian’s wedding—they were both professors at University A, and had been classmates in the U.S. She couldn’t believe she had momentarily forgotten.

She looked up at him. To show respect to the couple, Shi Yan wore a deep blue suit today, sharp, flowing lines, and exquisite tailoring details, exuding refined gentlemanly charm.

Like a gem among strangers, a peerless young master.

Ruan Zhizhi accepted Shi Yan’s red envelope, feeling inexplicably stirred inside. All because of what Gu Nian had just said.

“Shi Yan, I didn’t get a chance to properly thank you for the other night, and you also covered the bar tab. I really feel bad about that,” Ruan Zhizhi said, keeping her head down as she wrote his name on the registration sheet. “How about I treat you to a meal after the wedding?”

Shi Yan smiled slightly, nodding without hesitation. “Alright, I’ll wait for you in the lobby after the wedding. Don’t be late.”

Ruan Zhizhi looked up and smiled. “I won’t be.”

She didn’t dare meet his eyes. They seemed to hold a sky full of stars, twinkling endlessly, effortlessly captivating her.

After registering all the guests, Ruan Zhizhi stretched and carefully brought the collected gift list backstage, handing it to Gu Nian.

Gu Nian’s bridal makeup artist and stylist were now performing the final checks on her full ensemble, as all the guests had arrived and she was about to walk down the aisle and take her vows in front of the officiant.

Ruan Zhizhi took a small mirror and checked herself. After a busy morning, her own makeup had slightly smudged, but she didn’t care—today wasn’t about her. Her role was merely to complement Gu Nian.

Soon, the wedding march echoed through the hall. Not long after, the applause began, signaling that Cheng Fengjin was likely on stage, ready to take his bride from her father’s hand.

Hearing the sounds outside, Gu Nian turned to Ruan Zhizhi, pouting. “Zhizhi, I’m a little nervous… what if I accidentally step on my dress and fall? That would be mortifying.”

Ruan Zhizhi sighed and patiently reassured her. “Don’t overthink it. I’ll be right behind you, carefully holding up your gown. You won’t step on it, I promise.”

At that moment, the large doors in front of Gu Nian slowly opened. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to appear poised and elegant, stepping out in her 12 cm crystal heels.

Behind her, Ruan Zhizhi carefully lifted the trailing hem of the dress, walking step by step.

Ahead was a bright red carpet, lined with eight flower arrangements. Gu Nian’s father stood to the right, reaching out to hold his daughter’s hand.

His eyes were slightly red, as he struggled to contain his emotions. Ruan Zhizhi felt touched.

Gu Nian had been cherished by her father all her life, unlike herself—after her parents’ divorce and the court ruling custody to her mother, her father had barely visited.

Ruan Zhizhi wondered if her own father would look as reluctant and sorrowful on her wedding day.

She walked step by step, hearing the applause and murmurs of nearly a thousand guests, all commenting on the perfect match of the newlyweds.

Halfway down the aisle, she looked up and caught Shi Yan’s gaze in the crowd. Among nearly a thousand guests, he was the only one whose eyes remained fixed on the bridesmaid behind the bride.

He raised his head slightly, his dark, luminous eyes gazing warmly at her.

At the front of the aisle, Cheng Fengjin had been waiting. Gu Nian’s father handed his daughter’s hand to the man, tears glistening in his eyes.

The applause grew even louder.

The couple stood side by side at the center of the altar. The officiant raised his voice, reading the wedding declaration: “Before God and all witnesses present here today, please solemnly declare your vows…”

Ruan Zhizhi had never seen Cheng Fengjin so solemn. He looked down at Gu Nian like she was a precious jewel, carefully choosing his words:

“I, Cheng Fengjin, solemnly promise to take Gu Nian as my wife. I vow from this day forward, in good times and bad, in wealth and poverty, in health and sickness, to love and cherish you for all my days. I promise to be forever devoted and faithful to you.”

According to the wedding schedule, the best man should have come forward to hand over the wedding rings by now. But for some reason, he was nowhere to be seen.

What a delay.

Ruan Zhizhi frowned, thinking of sneaking off the stage to check, when suddenly, a figure appeared out of nowhere. The man was in a sharp suit, his steps steady and composed. He walked to the officiant, calmly handed the wedding rings to the couple, and then slowly turned and approached her.

Completely unguarded, his face gradually came into view.

In an instant, the world seemed to spin.

Ruan Zhizhi could no longer focus on the couple exchanging rings. At that moment, all her attention was on the man before her, her whole body as if trapped in ice.

She stared at his confident face, a sentence lodged in her throat that she could not utter no matter how hard she tried.

Li Sicheng… time has passed, and yet, here you are.

After handing over the rings, Li Sicheng naturally stood beside Ruan Zhizhi. Tilting his head, he leaned close to her ear and whispered intimately, “Zhizhi… long time no see. I’ve missed you.”

It was as if she had lost the ability to speak. Standing next to him, Ruan Zhizhi couldn’t utter a single word.

Surprised? She had mentally prepared for his return.

Delighted? Her heart felt nothing like joy.

Then what were these overwhelming emotions flooding her at this moment?

The wedding proceedings had concluded. Guests began their meal, and the newlyweds changed into red ceremonial attire to toast each table. By all rights, the bridesmaids’ and groomsmen’s duties were now over.

Back in a private room behind the hotel, Ruan Zhizhi absentmindedly changed out of her bridesmaid dress. Her mind was in chaos—she didn’t even know what she would say to Li Sicheng if she saw him, her only thoughts now were of escape.

Three years had passed, and Li Sicheng seemed unchanged. Only his features were slightly more mature; his presence remained as gentle, cheerful, and impossible to dislike as before.

Even though he had once shattered her heart and trampled on it, she still couldn’t bring herself to dislike him.

In a sense, that felt a little pathetic.

Ruan Zhizhi closed her eyes, forcing the shadow of Li Sicheng from her mind.

So what if he’s back? Their entanglement had ended three years ago. To her, he was now merely a former university classmate—perhaps a friend, at most.

That was all.

After steadying herself, Ruan Zhizhi checked her belongings and sent Gu Nian a WeChat message saying she was leaving first. Then she departed.

The wedding hall was alive with clinking glasses and mingling guests, a scene of bustling celebration. Ruan Zhizhi nodded slightly, not wishing to greet anyone further, and quietly made her way to the lobby entrance.

“Zhizhi.”

That familiar voice rang out once more, like a spell. Its owner was the person Ruan Zhizhi had most wished not to see in the past three years.

“Zhizhi… will you look at me?”

He stood behind her, his usual confident tone now carrying a trace of pleading.

Ruan Zhizhi froze, standing rigid. After a long moment, she slowly, painstakingly turned around.

The person she had yearned for day and night, the one she had once held close in her heart, now stood before her, alive and real—handsome, sunny, ever smiling.

What was the word again?

Like a lifetime apart.

“Long time no see,” she managed, tugging at the corners of her mouth to force a smile.

Li Sicheng pursed his lips and stepped closer. “Zhizhi… how have you been these past few years? Since you returned… I’ve really missed you.”

He stood there, clear in the sunlight, and for some reason, Ruan Zhizhi suddenly felt a wave of calm.

For the first time since seeing him, she lifted her gaze, meeting his eyes without avoidance. “I’m fine. And you?”

Hearing her words, Li Sicheng lowered his head and gave a bittersweet smile. “You’re fine… but I’ve been miserable without you.”

Her heart pounded uncontrollably. It was still the same Li Sicheng, yet now, in the way he spoke and looked at her, he was entirely different from three years ago.

“Zhizhi… it’s been three years. Let me take you out for a meal—as a way to make amends. Will you let me?” He studied her expression, cautiously choosing his words.

Since when had he begun speaking so carefully? It was as if their roles had completely reversed.

“Make amends? What do you need to make amends for?” Ruan Zhizhi’s words were slow, measured. Even she didn’t realize how composed she had become in facing Li Sicheng again.

Her eyes darkened instantly at his reply. “Zhizhi… you’re still blaming me for what happened three years ago. I was too immature then, I didn’t understand… I admit it was all my fault. I only ask you to give me one more chance, alright?”

His lips moved in front of her, each word separated and clear—but when strung together, Ruan Zhizhi couldn’t understand the meaning.

She couldn’t adjust to this humbler, apologetic Li Sicheng, nor comprehend the implications of his words.

She remained silent. Li Sicheng didn’t know what to say next, only gazing at her with pitiful eyes. Three years ago, any hint of such an expression from him would have been enough to make her comply with anything, to endure any unfair treatment willingly.

But it wasn’t three years ago anymore.

Just as the atmosphere between them had grown tense, another voice rang out in the air, neither loud nor soft, low yet perfectly clear—

“Ruan Zhizhi.”

Startled, she immediately snapped back to reality. She turned, and to the side opposite Li Sicheng, she saw Shi Yan standing there.

Only then did she remember—before the wedding, she had promised Shi Yan that she would take him out for a meal after the ceremony.

At the time, Shi Yan had said: “Alright, after the wedding, I’ll wait for you at the lobby. Don’t leave without me.”

Don’t leave without me… Yet now she had completely forgotten.

Shi Yan stood there, eyes cast downward slightly, his deep black eyes veiled with a faint mist, fragile, as if they could shatter in the next moment.

The first time she met him, she had thought his eyes were just profound, all-encompassing, but devoid of emotion.

Now, she realized she had been wrong. His eyes were burning hotter than the bustling crowd; how could they lack feeling?

“Shi Yan—”

Biting her lip, she was about to apologize for her bad memory, when Shi Yan raised a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. Obediently, she held her tongue, only to hear him say: “Ruan Zhizhi… just this once, don’t refuse me. Come with me, alright?”