Chapter 1013: Change of heart

When Yue Ling returned to the sitting room, Madam Lu greeted her with a warm smile.

"Feeling better, dear?"

Yue Ling nodded.

"Mm. I’m sorry for keeping you waiting."

"Nonsense. Come, sit. We were just discussing the ceremony."

She returned to her place beside Lu Tian.

He reached for her hand beneath the table, giving it a gentle squeeze.

She looked at him and managed a small smile before turning her attention back to his mother.

Madam Lu resumed explaining the arrangements.

There were still several venues to consider, although the selection had already been narrowed considerably. The guest list needed another review, and the invitation designs had to be finalized before the printing could begin.

Yue Ling listened.

She nodded when appropriate, occasionally offered a quiet response, and looked at whichever photograph Madam Lu placed before her.

But her mind kept drifting elsewhere.

The conversation gradually became a distant murmur.

Her gaze drifted across the scattered documents, the elaborate floral arrangements, and the photographs of magnificent wedding venues.

Everything was beautiful.

Everything had been carefully considered.

Yet the longer she looked at them, the more certain she became that none of it was what she wanted.

Not anymore.

’Yeye...’

She remembered the way her grandfather had held her in his study.

The weariness in his voice.

The sorrow in his eyes.

And the words he had spoken with such quiet acceptance.

’When my time comes, I want you to continue living happily.’

Her chest tightened.

The engagement was closing in but the wedding was still another month away.

What if her grandfather’s time came sooner than anyone expected?

What if they spent time planning the perfect wedding, only for her grandfather to no longer be there when the day finally arrived?

What if he never got to see her walk down the aisle?

The thought struck her so painfully that she could barely breathe.

"Then we could arrange the reception—"

Yue Ling abruptly stood.

Madam Lu stopped speaking.

Lu Tian immediately looked up.

"Yue Ling?"

Yue Ling stared at the table, her fingers trembling slightly at her sides.

Madam Lu’s expression turned concerned.

"Dear? Do you need to step out again?"

For several seconds, Yue Ling could not answer.

Then she shook her head.

"I’m sorry."

Lu Tian rose slightly from his seat.

"What’s wrong?"

Her lips parted, but the words she wanted to say refused to come.

She looked at the folders, the guest lists, and the beautiful photographs spread before her.

"I can’t do this."

The room fell silent.

Lu Tian froze.

Madam Lu stared at her, confused.

"Ah Ling, what do you mean?"

But Yue Ling had already turned away.

Without another explanation, she hurried out of the sitting room.

"Yue Ling!"

Lu Tian called after her.

She did not stop.

Yue Ling did not return to the sunroom.

Instead, she walked straight through the entrance hall and out of the mansion.

The cold afternoon air struck her face, but she barely noticed.

She descended the front steps and continued along the driveway, her thoughts growing increasingly tangled.

’What am I doing?’

She loved Lu Tian.

There was no uncertainty about that.

She wanted to marry him. She wanted to spend the rest of her life beside him.

But the wedding they had been planning suddenly felt impossibly far away.

The venue.

The invitations.

The endless guest lists.

The months of preparation.

The engagement dress her team was helping her design.

What if they ran out of time?

Her grandfather had already admitted that his health was declining. He had spoken about death with a calmness that frightened her more than anything else.

She knew he was trying to prepare her.

But she was not ready.

She was not ready to imagine a wedding where his seat remained empty.

Where she would look toward the family and find that he was no longer there.

Her eyes stung.

"I want Yeye to see me get married."

She wanted him to be the one to walk her down the aisle.

To smile at her.

To know that she had found someone who would love and care for her after he was gone.

Was that so selfish?

Would Lu Tian understand if she asked him to abandon the elaborate preparations?

Would he agree to a small wedding with only their closest family and friends?

Would he be disappointed?

Her steps carried her farther down the driveway.

She was nearly at the gates when a familiar deep voice called from behind.

"Yue Ling!"

She stopped.

Before she could turn, Lu Tian reached her.

He caught her gently by the arm and turned her to face him.

"Where are you going? You didn’t even wear your coat. Are you trying to freeze out here?"

Yue Ling looked down at herself, realizing she didn’t put on her coat, then looked up.

The moment she did, her heart dropped at the expression on his face.

There was confusion in his eyes.

And hurt.

A kind of hurt she had rarely seen from him.

Yet, despite all that, he was still worried about her.

"Tian..."

He studied her face, searching for an explanation.

"Talk to me."

She lowered her gaze.

He had followed her without even taking the time to put on his coat.

The cold wind stirred his hair, but he seemed oblivious to it.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked quietly.

Yue Ling immediately shook her head.

"No. God, no."

"Then what happened?"

She opened her mouth.

Nothing came out.

Lu Tian’s hand slowly loosened around her arm.

For a moment, he looked away, struggling to make sense of what had just happened.

They had been happy.

Only that morning, they had arrived at the Lu Household hand in hand, teasing each other about his mother’s enthusiasm.

He had watched Yue Ling smile as they discussed their future.

When he followed her to the sunroom, he knew something was bothering her despite her telling him otherwise.

Then, without warning, she had stood and declared that she could not do it.

And walked away.

He had never imagined that a few simple words could leave him feeling so devastated.

His heart had only ever been shattered like this twice.

The first was when he watched the truck ram into Liu Shan’s car with his wife still inside.

The second was when he learned that their unborn child had not survived.

Those two moments had nearly destroyed him.

And now, as he watched Yue Ling walk away without an explanation, that same crushing fear gripped his heart once more.

Was he about to experience it a third time?

Did she have a change of heart?

Was he going to lose her again—not to death, but because she no longer wanted him?

If only he had just pushed her hard enough to talk to him. Maybe if he had, they wouldn’t be in this situation.

His gaze filled with pain returned to her, searching.

"Yue Ling."

His voice was low.

"Are you regretting saying yes to marrying me?"

Yue Ling froze.

The question struck her harder than she expected.

She looked at him.

For the first time, she understood what her sudden departure must have looked like to him.

He thought she was walking away from their marriage.

From him.

"Tian, no..."

"Then tell me. Please."

His voice remained gentle, but the pain beneath it was unmistakable.

"When you said you couldn’t do this, what was I supposed to think?"

Yue Ling’s eyes filled with tears.

She had been so consumed by her fear of losing her grandfather that she had not considered how her words would hurt the man standing before her.

For several seconds, she simply looked at him.

Then she took a step closer.

Her hand rose to his cheek.

Lu Tian went still beneath her touch.

"No," she whispered. "I have never regretted saying yes to you."

His eyes searched hers.

"Not even for a moment."

She gently caressed his cheek.

"Meeting you was one of the happiest things that ever happened to me. I love you, Tian. More than I know how to put into words."

His expression softened, though he remained silent.

"I want to marry you. I want to spend my life with you."

Her voice trembled.

"It’s the wedding preparations I can’t do."

Lu Tian frowned slightly.

Yue Ling drew a shaky breath.

"I don’t want a lavish wedding."

She glanced toward the mansion.

"I don’t want hundreds of guests, the media, or the entire world watching us. I don’t want to spend all this time choosing venues and arranging a ceremony for people we barely know."

She looks at the window where they were moments ago preparing.

"But seeing your mother put so much into everything, I didn’t know how to tell her no..."

Her eyes returned to his.

"I’m sorry for hurting you by just walking out but I just want us."

Lu Tian listened.

"Our family. Our closest friends. The people who genuinely love us."

She paused, struggling against the tightness in her throat.

"And Yeye."

His expression changed.

Yue Ling lowered her head.

"He’s running out of time, Tian."

The words were barely audible.

"I keep thinking about what he said in the study. About how tired he is. About how he wants to rest."

A tear slipped down her cheek.

"What if we spend all this time preparing for a beautiful wedding, and he doesn’t live long enough to see it?"

Lu Tian’s chest tightened.

She looked up at him.

"I want him there."

Her voice broke.

"I want him to see me get married. I want him to know that I’m happy. That I’ll be alright."

She swallowed hard.

"I don’t care how grand the wedding is. I don’t care if there are only a handful of people."

Another tear fell.

"I just want my grandfather to be there before it’s too late."

Lu Tian remained silent.

The hurt in his eyes gradually gave way to understanding.

Yue Ling continued, her voice growing smaller.

"I know it’s selfish to ask you to change everything because of what I want. Your mother has been so excited, and everyone has already put so much effort into the preparations."

She looked away.

"But I can’t stop thinking about it."

A bitter smile touched her lips.

"I don’t want to look back one day and regret spending all that time planning a wedding when I could have simply married you while Yeye was still here."

Lu Tian finally understood.

It had never been about her feelings for him.

She was afraid of losing another precious moment with someone she loved.

And in trying to outrun that fear, she had caused a misunderstanding between them.

He stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.

Yue Ling immediately wrapped her arms around his waist.

He held her tightly, pressing a lingering kiss against her forehead.

For several moments, neither spoke.

Then he lowered his head.

"Yue Ling."

"Mm?"

"I don’t care what kind of wedding we have."

She lifted her face.

He brushed the tears from her cheeks.

"If you want a small ceremony, we’ll have a small ceremony. If you want only our family and closest friends there, then those are the only people we’ll invite."

"Tian..."

"And if you want to get married tomorrow, I’ll arrange it."

Her eyes widened slightly.

He smiled.

"I would even go with you to the Civil Affairs Bureau and get our marriage license without a formal wedding."

A quiet laugh escaped her through her tears.

"Really?"

"Really."

He cupped her face, making her look only at him.

"I didn’t fall in love with you because I wanted a grand wedding, my love."

His thumb gently traced her cheek.

"I want to marry you because I want you beside me for the rest of my life."

Her lips trembled.

"Everything else is secondary."

He leaned forward until his forehead rested against hers.

"But please..."

His voice grew quieter. Hurt hidden behind his eyes.

"Don’t walk away from me like that again."

Yue Ling closed her eyes.

"I’m sorry."

"When you left that room, I thought..."

He stopped.

The memory of those few moments was still painfully fresh.

"I thought you didn’t want me anymore."

Her heart ached.

She slipped her arms around his neck.

"I would never stop wanting you."

Lu Tian exhaled and drew her close again.

"Then next time, tell me what’s troubling you. Even if you don’t know how to explain it."

She nodded against his chest.

"I will."

He kissed the top of her head.

"Good."

They remained together for a while, standing beneath the pale afternoon sunlight as the winter wind moved through the trees.

Eventually, Yue Ling lifted her head.

"What about your mother?"

Lu Tian smiled faintly.

"She’ll understand."

"She’s already done so much."

"And she’ll be just as happy to see us married, whether it’s in front of five hundred guests or twenty."

Yue Ling looked toward the mansion.

"Do you think she’ll be disappointed?"

"She might be disappointed that she doesn’t get to plan a grand celebration."

Yue Ling gave a small, worried smile.

"But she won’t be disappointed in you," he continued.

He tapped her nose in a teasing gesture.

"Besides, she can save the lavish planning for my brother."

He took her hand.

"Come. We’ll explain it together."

She looked at their intertwined fingers.

Then she nodded.

"Alright."

Lu Tian raised her hand and kissed her knuckles.

"And Yue Ling?"

"Hm?"

"Whatever kind of wedding you want, I’ll be there."

She smiled through the last of her tears.

"Of course you will. You’re the groom."

He chuckled.

"Then I suppose I should have some say in it."

"Oh?"

"Yes."

"What do you want?"

Lu Tian looked into her bluish-green eyes.

"You."

Her smile softened.

He leaned down and kissed her.

When they parted, he rested his forehead against hers once more.

"Now, shall we go back inside and tell my mother we’re changing the plans?"

Yue Ling blushed and nodded.

"Together?"

"Together."

Hand in hand, they turned toward the mansion.

For the first time that afternoon, the heaviness in Yue Ling’s chest began to ease.

The wedding no longer needed to be perfect in the eyes of the world.

It only needed to happen while the people she loved were still there to share it.