As knowledge and strength were both valued; the challenges included martial arts, mathematics, physics, chemistry, literature, history, philosophy, etc.The first challenge was related to literature, as the bridesmaids requested the men to recite the entirety of Act 2, Scene 2 in Romeo and Juliet. They chose this because it was a touching and well-known love story fitting for a wedding.The groomsmen consisted of ten handsome, smart, and wealthy heirs, some of whom had completed their postgraduate studies abroad. Yet, everyone was utterly dumbfounded upon hearing the challenge. 'What the heck? Who would randomly memorize an entire play for no reason?!' They all thought in their heads."So none of you can do it?" One of the bridesmaids smiled cheekily. "Fine then, I'll give you the option to bribe us. Starting from eight thousand dollars!""Yep, okay! Right away!" Xavier took his phone out, eager to participate. "You should have said so earlier! Why would we waste our time on some
Everyone turned to look at Stefan, expressing disbelief. Most knew about the messy history between these three, after all.It was already quite surprising that Stefan attended the wedding in the first place, but now that he even took part in these wedding games, it resulted in everyone finding the man rather forgiving.Stefan pressed his lips together, remaining silent and standing still. He looked like he wanted to refuse. The atmosphere felt tense and extremely awkward in an instant.Realizing that they were going to be late, Xavier started panicking and sighed deeply. "Stef, we know this is crossing your boundaries…""But we have no choice. Didn't Cecy say she feels guilty about wronging you? That's why she wishes to hear your blessing! I'm guessing she'll be leaving the door shut till you speak up. Why don't you just… fulfill her wish. Just this once?"Christopher furrowed his eyebrows. "Xavier, don't push Stef. He should be the last person to ever do this!""But…" Before X
Realization finally dawned upon Stefan, and he found himself not knowing how to react. 'How did this woman draw the conclusion that I'm sad?''I did look gloomy just now, but it wasn't because of Cecilia.'Instead, he was simply reminiscing about his marriage with Renee. He realized that the entire event was too rushed and dismissive. There wasn't a single thing that could be considered a good memory. Regretting his lack of attention then, he even went as far as to plan a whole new wedding in his head, hoping that he could get back together with the woman someday…However, he obviously wouldn't tell her the truth. On the contrary, he took the chance to mess with Renee. Putting up a perplexed face, he said, "Yeah, I'm so upset that my heart hurts, and I'm so angry that they would do this to me! What do I do?"This made Renee sympathize with the man even more, patting him on the head as comfort. "Don't be sad, cheer up… In my opinion, the best revenge is to live a better life tha
Everyone was utterly shocked. Stefan’s action was similar to a bomb, causing an explosion in everyone's heads.That was because the rest had always known Stefan as a cold, calculated, and low-profile person. They thought he would never even dream of participating in a public display of affection, let alone displaying a kiss in public."Mmh!" Renee's eyes widened as her mind went blank. She instinctively tried to push him away but remembered she was supposed to help the man out.'If I struggle my way out, I'd be humiliating him, right?'With that, she chose to accept it, despite her initial unwillingness…Stefan's focus and burning passion completely disrupted her once-placid heart. As though she had been thrown into an oven, her face burned up as she started reciprocating his advances…"Yes! Exactly! So sweet! So sexy! You two should be an example to all the couples here!" The photographer was excited, to say the least, greedily capturing the moment as rapidly as he could.The c
"Really now?" Stefan seemed conflicted, his lips curving upwards. "What should I do then? Should I crash the wedding in the name of love?"Renee's expression turned stiff for a moment, as mixed emotions welled up in her chest. 'So that means he really hasn't moved on from Cecilia.'In a way, her heart was aching for both him… and herself. She realized that their four-year marriage truly was a mistake from the start. Even without Briar driving a wedge between them, there was no way that she could've won his heart over.His first love had already taken over his entire heart, leaving nothing for her."If you really can't let her go, then have a good talk with Ms. Smith about your feelings. As long as you do that before the ceremony, it wouldn't be too late to change her mind…" Renee said, suppressing the bitterness in her heart. She acted as if she wasn't affected in the slightest, even going as far as to give him advice."Oh, and, if you really do love her, don't use such childish m
Sticking to her principle of working hard for the one who paid, Renee started looking for seashells with a serious face.Stefan, on the other hand, followed behind the woman from a short distance as if he was her secret guardian angel, protecting her from afar.With the light wind breeze, the two walked around the warm golden sand, leaving their footprints behind as their shadows danced over each other. The scenery was just wonderfully romantic, as though it had come straight out of a teenage romance film…"Oh my god! I found it! I found it!" Renee cheered excitedly after digging behind a reef. Stefan seemed amused and dumbfounded at the same time. 'So it really exists?'He was someone who was solely aligned with materialism and normally viewed things in a complete logically way. Hence, he didn't believe in myths at all.Despite this, he somehow didn't intend to undermine the woman's efforts, seeing just how exhilarated she seemed. He even approached her, acting as if he was jus
A famous celebrity, Ruby Chisholm, was shooting daggers at the two with her eyes, her expression visibly filled with jealousy.She had had her eyes on Stefan even before joining the entertainment industry, promising herself that she'd work hard to get his attention and become his wife.Unexpectedly, he married someone else before she got to make a name for herself.Yet after a long while of waiting, waiting for her dream man to get a divorce, it seemed that it would be to no avail."Who knows? I just know my cousin dislikes her, so I'm guessing she was the one who's pestering him!" Charlotte said as she looked towards Renee with disdain, patting Ruby on the shoulder. "You're just too modest, Ruby. You won't even make a move on him! Now that they're divorced, you should just go for it… My cousin is literally available now! Do you know how many people want him? How can you be so relaxed?"Ruby was visibly frustrated. "It's not that I don't want to, but I am at the peak of my caree
"No." Stefan quickly replied, his voice dismissive."Impossible!" Cecilia broke down, wailing at this point. She wrapped her arms around his neck, rubbing her cheek against his as before, hoping to rekindle his love."You're worried about hurting Chris. You're holding back your love for me, right? You've never forgotten about me, right?! You feel the same, don't you?!""This has nothing to do with Chris." Stefan looked frostier now, pushing her away. "Even if you never ended up with Chris, there's just no hope between us. Please understand that." "Why?!" Cecilia yelled at Stefan, unable to accept the fact that the man no longer loved her. "You used to love me so deeply!" she moaned. "I remember how you confessed to me under the sakura tree, how you kissed me softly! I know you genuinely loved me!"You were willing to give up your position as an heir for me! You would follow me overseas when I was planning to further my studies! How could you give up on love as deep as that?!"
Austin was telling the truth."Of course, children will always stay with their mothers. Home is wherever their mother is. You'd better ask about Ren's opinion instead of making a scene here."Austin glanced at the gilded ancient clock above the hall, his eyes sharp."The engagement ceremony of my grandson and Ren is about to start in ten minutes. You can ask her opinion when she's here.""Really?"Francine was delightedly surprised. For the first time, she felt that Austin was not as horrible as legend had it. He was reasonable. She tried to reconfirm with him. "So, you're saying that I can ask Ren to come home with me when she's out, and you'll let her go if she says yes?" "No, you're wrong." Austin shook his head. "She came here willingly. Of course, it's not as if you need to ask me to let her go.""It's fine. That's not important as long as you remember what you said." Francine was confident and eager. She then said smugly to Austin and the others, "Wait and see! I have w
When things became awful, an old but awe-inspiring voice came from behind them."What are you doing?" Undeniably, it was the powerful Austin who also enjoyed the highest status in North City.Instantly, the onlookers retreated and held their breaths.They knew how horrifyingly powerful Austin was because he owned military power. It would be very normal if he asked his army to shoot them to death if they fell out with him.Francine and the others, who were engaged in a fight, stopped too."Old Master Baldwin, nice to meet you."Francine nodded at Austin but didn't let go of Sophia. The scene was tense, but her actions looked amusing. "Dad, hurry up and catch these two! They're being unreasonable!"Sophia's pinned hair was messy because Francine kept scratching at it. If she wasn't mentally strong enough, she might have cried. She had imagined endless ways how the Hunt family would make a scene—except for the most primitive way. Francine made a scene like a three-year-old ki
Francine went berserk again and gripped Sophia's neck. "I'm going to count to three! Get my grandkids here! I'm going to take them home! If not, I'll break your neck!" she yelled. She couldn't stop Renee from marrying someone else, but she couldn't tolerate her two grandchildren relying on others' charity like Renee.It wasn't only about her dignity, but more about the children's growth and mental health. She couldn't be careless."You're out of your mind! Drive them out of here!"Sophia was a decent woman who couldn't allow herself to go berserk. Although she had a glib tongue, she found herself unable to handle a figure like Francine. Francine was never too harsh and would only make a scene. But now, she was out of control and was screaming nonstop. "Talk it out with them. Don't use violence. We're parents. It's humiliating to be violent," Alexander interrupted.Alexander tried to make Francine calm down and behave herself. Even so, he didn't act accordingly and pushed Ja
Francine's obvious provocation made others draw in a cold breath, let alone Justin's parents.No wonder she was one of the Four Princesses of Beach City. She was much too impulsive. Justin's parents looked very hideous. However, Sophia wasn't so soft. After taking a few deep breaths, she faced Francine with the same fake smile. "Don't worry. I'll take Adie and Abby back home. Since Ren is marrying Justin, my family will treat the kids as ours. We'll be their grandparents. In a few years, my son and Ren will have more kids to be their siblings. Then, we'll be one family!""What? Do you want to take the kids back home?" Fury instantly gripped Francine. She ignored all decency and demanded fiercely, "What do you want to do to my grandkids? They're still young! How could you target them?" "You must be mistaken. Ren is going to be a part of my family, so naturally, her kids are going to come with her. I'm sure there isn't anything wrong with that." Sophia snorted. "You're their bi
Leia couldn't understand it. Both Renee and Stefan once loved each other passionately. They had soldiered through a lot of difficulties. But when everything became better, they stopped seeing each other. Such separation brought a fatal blow to her views on love. Suddenly, she found herself too timid to give up her heart. After all, it was nothing. People could break up with each other easily."No wonder Xavier refused to come. If he was here, I would have hated him because of Stefan. I'd beat the crap out of him!" Leia was furious, but she couldn't find someone to vent her anger on.The Stuart family was invited to the party too, but Xavier refused to come. He claimed that he would have betrayed Stefan if he had come to the party.However, Stefan was the greatest betrayal of his romance since he remained silent and indifferent. While Leia was still angry, everyone in the hall suddenly fell silent. They stretched their heads to look at the entrance of the hall."The Hunt famil
"I… I don't know what you're talking about," Liam muttered guiltily, avoiding Leia's scrutinizing gaze. "You must know what I'm talking about!" Leia refused to let Liam go and went straight to the point. "Look! Because of such a bind, you probably fell in love with Amber, who isn't related to you. Why can't Ren fall in love with Justin after spending a long time with him?""So, what's your point?" Liam didn't refute Leia. He was curious about what she was trying to say. Leia reasonably explained her opinion, "I'm trying to tell you that things might not be as bad as you imagine. Even if you take Ren away and stop this ceremony, things might not be better either."She was too timid to tell Liam that she regarded Renee and Justin's marriage in a favorable light because she found them similar. Similar people could at least lead a stable life though it might not be very passionate and exciting.After leading a wandering life for such a long time, Renee needed steady happiness. It
Liam was impressed while looking at Justin's calm expression. He had always thought that Justin was cunning and full of schemes. He was even worried that Justin might plot against Renee in the future.However, Justin was quite open and generous. He was considering things from Renee's angle. He could be Renee's haven, but if he stepped down, he could willingly grant Renee's wish to be with the one she loved. It seemed that Justin was selfless, and Liam felt that he was worse than Justin. No wonder Renee would choose to spend the rest of her life with Justin. It seemed like he was a reliable man.Justin pocketed his hands and asked casually, "Is there any other problem now?""Not at the moment." Liam frowned in defeat. Since Justin had made such a big compromise, he would seem like a fool if he was too arrogant and refused to give up. A long sigh escaped him as he let go of Renee's hand, but he was still hopeful. He boasted to Justin, "Wait and see! I'll make Stefan appear.""Go
"Let go of her!" Justin turned cold and grabbed Renee's other hand. He said darkly to Liam, "You don't have the right to take her with you!""Hmph! I don't have the right to take her with me? Well, you don't have the right to marry her. I must take her with me today. Worst comes to worst, I'll fight your family!"Though he was too weak to fight the powerful Baldwin family, Liam was never a coward. He would fight the whole world alone for the sake of Renee's happy and stable life."Calm down…"In comparison, Justin was calmer. He was probably more confident since it was his territory and he could affirm Renee would not leave with Liam. He started mocking Liam. "I'm not the kind of person who will force others to do things they refuse to do. If Ren wants to leave, I'll let her go even if my family disowns me. But I know that she won't leave. At the very least, she won't leave with you.""What do you mean?" Liam could tell that Justin was mocking him, and it annoyed him. "Why are
Liam felt that his situation at the fort was almost the same as Renee's current situation. He had thought that the marriage was just for show. If he was unhappy, he could get a divorce. Even then, things were not that easy when he wanted to get out of that mess. If Amber had not protected him, Benjamin would have long gotten him killed. He knew better than anyone else how unfair it was for the other party when one tolerated and went through with the marriage.Amber was naive and was willing to be treated unfairly, but Justin was no fool. He would not be able to take it if it lasted for a long time. It was easy to imagine what Renee would face when Justin stopped taking her side."Let's go! I'm not afraid. You don't have to be afraid, either." Liam made up his mind to support Renee, who was standing behind him.Renee bit her lips and started to waver; not because she did not want to be with Justin, but simply because she was not confident in herself. She was afraid she would neve