Roses in Flames

After the successful proposal, Xiao Lin asked his elders to choose an auspicious day, and he took Ye Yuntang back to the Jingbei Civil Affairs Bureau to get their marriage certificate.

As Ye Yuntang left the Civil Affairs Bureau, she looked at the red marriage certificate in her hand, feeling a sense of unreality, like in a dream.

She looked at it over and over again before it felt more real.

From today onwards, she and Xiao Lin are husband and wife.

Once she was in the car, she glanced at the man next to her.

The man was taking pictures of their marriage certificate with his phone. She looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What are you doing?"

Xiao Lin's thin lips curved slightly. "Post it on WeChat Moments and tell everyone that I'm married."

After taking the photo, he looked at her and said, "You send one too."

Ye Yuntang couldn't help but find it amusing. "Don't all the people around us know about our relationship?"

Xiao Lin pursed his thin lips. "Shen Yan doesn't know we're married yet."

Ye Yuntang was stunned for a moment, then glared at him speechlessly, "Why are you still thinking about him?"

"I heard he still hasn't found a girlfriend," he paused slightly, a possessive glint in his eyes, "I'm afraid he still has feelings for you."

Ye Yuntang was both amused and exasperated. "You're so petty."

He sent her the photos he had taken, saying, "Send one quickly."

"Okay, okay, I'll send it."

Both of them opened their respective Moments and pressed send at the same time.

After sending the message, he took her hand and kissed her finger adorned with the ring. "Yuntang, I will give you a grand wedding."

Ye Yuntang naturally knew that he would give her a grand wedding. Before registering their marriage, he had already taken her to pick out a wedding dress.

He observed all the proper etiquette without missing a single detail.

The feeling of being cherished and pampered by him was truly wonderful.

She is very happy now.

After they got their marriage certificate, he took her to meet his childhood friends and acquaintances in northern Beijing.

Yan Xu was one of them.

"Beauty Ye, no wonder my second brother wouldn't let me pursue you back then. It turns out he'd already set his sights on you all along," Yan Xu teased.

Xiao Lin's sharp gaze swept over Yan Xu, "Still calling her Beauty Ye?"

Yan Xu immediately changed her address, "Sister-in-law, sister-in-law!"

……

After leaving Yecheng, Bai Chuwei started working at the Jingbei Club.

When she went to the private room to deliver the wine, she unexpectedly saw Xiao Lin and Ye Yuntang.

Yan Xu and several other young men from Beijing's elite circles were also in the private room. They were regulars at the club, and she knew they were people she couldn't possibly befriend.

But she didn't expect that those young masters from Beijing's elite circles would be so respectful and enthusiastic towards Xiao Lin.

Wasn't Xiao Lin from a very ordinary family?

Bai Chuwei stared blankly at the man who was being fawned over by everyone, her expression momentarily dazed.

Today he was wearing a white shirt and black trousers, looking slender and upright, even more handsome than before.

Conversing with those young noblemen, he was calm and composed, exuding the poise and elegance of a mature man in every gesture.

Bai Chuwei glanced at Ye Yuntang next to Xiao Lin again.

Everyone called Ye Yuntang "sister-in-law," and from their conversation, she also overheard that Ye Yuntang and Xiao Lin had registered their marriage.

They became husband and wife.

Bai Chuwei felt a tightness in her chest, and even her breathing became erratic.

When exactly did the two of them get together?

When Ye Yuntang was with Xiao Lin, her features became more delicate and beautiful, and she became even more elegant and feminine.

Bai Chuwei suddenly felt a little ashamed of herself.

When Ye Yuntang looked in her direction, she retreated in a disheveled state.

After leaving the private room, Bai Chuwei found a secluded spot and dialed Fu Shili's number.

She hadn't contacted Fu Shili for a long time, and she didn't know if he would still answer her calls.

The phone rang for a long time before it was finally answered.

"President Fu, I saw Xiao Lin and Ye Yuntang. Did you know they got their marriage certificate?"

Ye Yuntang and Xiao Lin posted on their WeChat Moments, and Fu Shili learned from a friend that the two had registered their marriage.

After a long silence, Fu Shili said in a hoarse voice, "They've been together for a long time, so it's normal for them to get their marriage certificate."

Bai Chuwei asked, "What exactly is Xiao Lin's identity? Just now at the club, all those rich young men were surrounding him and calling him 'brother'."

"Xiao Lin's identity is not simple. Don't provoke him anymore. He and Ye Yuntang are truly in love. We have wronged them in the past, so let's just silently wish them well."

Is Xiao Lin's identity not simple?

Is he even more impressive than those wealthy young men from Beijing's elite circles in the private room?

Bai Chuwei suddenly felt a chill run through her body, as if her blood was about to freeze.

If she hadn't been materialistic and looked down on Xiao Lin for being just an ordinary criminal police captain, would the ending have been different?

The next second, Bai Chuwei laughed self-deprecatingly.

Even if she didn't let go or show any disdain, he could never be hers.

Because from beginning to end, he never truly liked her.

She lost miserably, not because of her family background, but because he never had feelings for her.

Bai Chuwei hung up the phone with a deathly pale face.

……

On the way back after leaving the club, Ye Yuntang mentioned Bai Chuwei to Xiao Lin, saying, "She works as a waitress at the club."

Xiao Lin nodded indifferently, his dark eyes showing no reaction whatsoever, as if he were just an insignificant stranger.

Ye Yuntang looked at the man, "Aren't you curious?"

Xiao Lin turned his head, his eyes fixed on her alone. "I only care about you." After saying that, he seemed to think of something and asked her in a low voice, "What about you? Do you still hate her? She ruined your marriage with Fu Shili."

Ye Yuntang shook her head, her eyes devoid of resentment and hatred. "I haven't felt anything for a long time. It's all in the past. I'm even... a little relieved. If it weren't for that, you and I wouldn't have ended up together."

Xiao Lin's heart tightened. He reached out and pulled her into his arms tightly. "Yun Tang, in the next life, I want to meet you sooner, to protect you by my side, and never let you suffer any injustice again."

Ye Yuntang smiled and said, "Okay, I'll be waiting for you."