Chapter 60: Sometimes Love is Nothing More Than a Hollow Name

Stability means being prepared for the fact that happiness won’t last forever. After all, so-called true love is nothing more than a compromise between men and women when they can’t have what they truly desire; and so-called perfect timing is just a small coincidence of companionship during the darkest moments of life.

Shi Rui asked everyone to attend her wedding in Shanghai. Not only that, she also asked them to accompany her through the entire wedding process—picking up the bride in the morning and attending the banquet in the afternoon. As she spoke, she felt a bit embarrassed. A girl getting married in a foreign city, aside from her parents, probably wouldn’t have many relatives or friends around. Her daily life in Shanghai revolved around work and blind dates, and her phone contact list was filled with acquaintances she barely knew. When Jiang Lei finally agreed to host Shi Rui’s wedding in Shanghai, the number of friends she could invite wouldn’t even fill a single table.

At this point, everyone exchanged glances, unable to refuse her request.

The one most reluctant to attend was Brother Ma. In a group chat without Shi Rui, he sent a voice message, sounding extremely impatient: “Why not just hold it back home? Do you know how much it costs to attend a wedding in Shanghai? Even if Shi Rui invites us to dine at some fancy restaurant, my six hundred yuan might not even cover the cost. Besides, I’m her landlord, not her friend. Why should I go?”

But on the day of the wedding, at around six in the morning, Brother Ma was already initiating a voice call in the group chat: “What car are you guys taking there?”

Helping Shi Rui wasn’t just about showing up—it was also about having a flashy fleet of cars. Jiang Lei and Shi Rui started from the hotel together, followed by several friends driving wedding cars along a planned route. According to Brother Ma, none of this was very “Shanghai-like.” There was no door-blocking game, no red envelope snatching, no bridal shoe-changing ritual—just driving around the city, which seemed quite low-key. Shi Rui must have secretly looked up the prices of each car online because He Jie’s BMW M4 was placed at the front of the convoy. Shi Rui herself, wearing a large bridal gown, sat in a rented Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Right behind her was Jian Zhaowen’s tuned Audi, the white Audi finally fulfilling its destined role as a wedding car. Bringing up the rear was Zheng Zeyan’s red Honda Civic. Despite only meeting once, Zheng Zeyan readily agreed to join the occasion. Brother Ma glanced around, whispered something to Zheng Zeyan, and then climbed into the Honda.

Yu Zhimei sat in the driver’s seat of Jian Zhaowen’s car, while Jian Zhaowen dozed off in the passenger seat, exhausted from staying up all night fixing bugs for Shi Rui’s sake. Just looking at the cars behind them, Jian Zhaowen couldn’t help but sneer: “If it’s all about the cars, Shi Rui might as well ask you to borrow one.”

“Don’t underestimate Zheng Zeyan’s Civic. It’s the red emblem version—worth over seventy thousand yuan.”

“What? Are you serious? A Honda?”

“You didn’t expect it, did you? Some people in China change their car emblems themselves, but his is genuinely imported and modified. Did you see Zheng Zeyan’s smile when Shi Rui put him at the end of the lineup? He saw through it but didn’t say anything.”

Jian Zhaowen fell silent. Yu Zhimei noticed the quietness in the passenger seat and sensed the awkward atmosphere. Sure enough, Jian Zhaowen couldn’t help but speak up: “I don’t feel secure.”

“What?”

“Zheng Zeyan still likes you. Otherwise, why would he bother coming just for your sake?”

“He didn’t come because of me—it was Shi Rui. Can’t you think straight?”

“No, I really don’t understand. Before I met you, I had plenty of admirers chasing after me. But since we’ve been together, not only has my romantic luck disappeared, but I’ve also been constantly plagued by insecurity. I’m always worried about losing you. Why are you laughing?”

“Am I curing your emotional instability?”

“Vain.” Jian Zhaowen glanced at the BMW M4 ahead: “He Jie and Zheng Zeyan—they seem a bit off too.”

“How so?”

“It’s like Lenz’s Law between their eyes.”

A clever analogy from an engineering student. Yu Zhimei didn’t mention her unpleasant tongue kiss with Zheng Zeyan; instead, she pressed the accelerator and sped down the road. The young people weren’t fond of the繁琐 rituals of weddings, but they certainly wouldn’t pass up the chance to drive around the city. With a calm tone, Yu Zhimei said to Jian Zhaowen: “Let me ask you something.”

“Go ahead.”

“A few days ago, we didn’t use protection… so, what if I’m pregnant?”

“Then we’ll have a baby. Raising a child with you sounds interesting.”

Yu Zhimei was momentarily stunned. She glanced at the passenger seat while the road ahead was straight. Jian Zhaowen was busy replying to work messages. After sending the voice message, he picked up the conversation again: “If things get heated on impulse, am I supposed to say, ‘Let’s go buy condoms’?”

“I do have some at home—but they’re leftovers from Douyu. Using them would ruin the mood.”

“Stop mentioning him. You’re my girlfriend now. Go throw those away when we get back.” Jian Zhaowen licked his lips: “We’ve just started dating, and now you’re making me face the consequences of impulsive decisions. Isn’t this a bit sudden?”

“Don’t worry. I was in my safe period a few days ago.”

Damn. Jian Zhaowen smiled and silently cursed in his heart.

Jiang Lei, standing at the restaurant entrance, surprised everyone. He greeted everyone cheerfully, exuding warmth and approachability. Like Jian Zhaowen, he had the face of a “universal heartthrob.” Though his frame wasn’t as striking as Jian Zhaowen’s, he appeared more affable and straightforward, leaving everyone pleasantly surprised. Brother Ma, who had initially planned to eat his fill and leave, took out his phone to add Jiang Lei on WeChat before the ceremony began. Jiang Lei, surrounded by a few local friends, warmly hugged Shi Rui as if to encourage her. He understood the tension and unease on her face, and Shi Rui, wearing her wedding dress, radiated a sense of reaching the end of a long journey.

The small courtyard venue on Yuyuan Road wasn’t large. Aside from both sets of parents and relatives, there were around fifty to sixty guests in total. To avoid awkwardness, Jiang Lei thoughtfully changed the round tables to a buffet-style setup. The elders seemed a bit uncomfortable, but the younger crowd sighed in relief. Brother Ma kept an eye on the time, calculating the hours: “You guys estimate how long you’ll stay. Once it’s time, we need to leave quickly. Parking here costs fifteen yuan per hour.”

Surprisingly, no one paid much attention to Brother Ma’s frugality today. Even Yu Zhimei and He Jie’s faces bore a hint of melancholy. When everyone settled down, Shi Rui, wearing her wedding dress, stood at the end of the red carpet. As the music began, tears streamed down her cheeks, and she sobbed uncontrollably. Jiang Lei took Shi Rui’s hand from her father, while He Jie discreetly wiped away her tears. On stage, Shi Rui’s father smiled, but his cuff was wet. Brother Ma whispered: “He Jie, what’s wrong with you? It’s just an act—why take it so seriously?”

“Shut up.” He Jie’s tears wouldn’t stop. Zheng Zeyan passed her a neatly folded black handkerchief from across the aisle.

At this moment, Jiang Lei gently embraced Shi Rui and spoke politely and confidently: “Today, the hand I’m holding isn’t just the hand of a daughter given to me by her father—it’s the hand of an entire family. This is probably the happiest day of my life because I suddenly have twice as many family members. Recently, my father suffered a heart attack, and it was Shi Rui who flew back to our hometown with me, helping me through the darkest period of my life and giving me immense courage to face life. For the rest of my life, I simply want to treat her with care.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Zhimei’s eyes reddened—no girl could escape the emotional weight of the father-to-husband handover ceremony. Jian Zhaowen gently held her hand, while his phone buzzed incessantly with notifications. Messages from content groups, operations groups, and tech groups had all exceeded 999 unread messages—time no longer fully belonged to him. Strangely, Lei Zheng, who lived next to the company, didn’t reply to any messages, as if he’d vanished from WeChat. The only thing that comforted Jian Zhaowen was that this seemed to be a wedding he had indirectly orchestrated—even though they had met occasionally in person, they were matched through the algorithm on DayNight. They were both active users of the app, posting numerous updates about their emotions and accumulating many followers and flirtatious records. Yet, in the end, they chose each other. This was perhaps the moment Jian Zhaowen felt most deeply about DayNight: People’s seemingly casual choices were actually filtered and recommended by algorithms. While “algorithm” might not sound romantic, it was precisely because data could be subtly quantified and calculated that DayNight was influencing people’s emotional waves in its own way.

Shi Rui’s father took the microphone, struggling to find the switch several times. His repeated attempts seemed more like excuses for his choked-up voice: “Today is my daughter’s joyous day. I’m incredibly proud and happy. They met through a friend and came together because of fate. I hope they grow old together from now on. I entrust my daughter to you!”

Through a friend…? They had clearly met because of another male user on DayNight…

Taking the microphone, Shi Rui shyly smiled at everyone. Jian Zhaowen only caught one sentence from her speech: “It’s such a blessing to have met Jiang Lei through a friend and become husband and wife. I now firmly believe in a saying—when you keep thinking of someone, there will always be a response.”

Applause erupted. Jian Zhaowen stared blankly at the happy couple and their parents on stage, lost in thought for a long time before snapping back to reality. The grand romance that could grace elegant halls was often introduced through friends or arranged meetings—even in-laws were acceptable. Free love required a traditional reason to formally introduce partners to elders. Meeting through an app, even in such a big city, couldn’t be casually mentioned—how ironic.

The buffet dinner wasn’t as bad as expected. Brother Ma piled lobster and lamb chops onto his plate, eating while complaining: “The lamb chops are too tough.” Shi Rui, now wearing a pink mermaid-style dress, mingled with the guests. The curves of the mermaid dress emphasized her thin frame, and she kept discreetly pulling at the skirt, as if trying to hide her perceived weight loss in others’ memories. Recalling the once slightly chubby and shy girl, Yu Zhimei felt a sense of disorientation. At this moment, Shi Rui walked over to her and whispered: “Zhimei, thank you for everything.”

“Don’t mention it. I haven’t done anything.”

Shi Rui squeezed Yu Zhimei’s hand lightly, conveying unspoken words through her gaze—sometimes silence speaks louder than words.

Jiang Lei raised his glass to toast everyone: “Thank you all. Shi Rui has always been grateful for your care. Today, with so many guests, we may not have attended to everyone properly. Let’s meet up separately for drinks another time—I’d love to visit your dessert shop.”

Brother Ma still wanted to inquire about their living arrangements, seemingly more curious about their housing situation than their relationship: “Where will you live next?”

“Near Lujiazui. I applied for a talent apartment, but it’ll probably take about half a year to get approved.”

“Oh.” Brother Ma’s eyes betrayed a sense of superiority: “Talent apartments are decent, but they’re a bit small. They’re never as comfortable as residential homes. Where’s He Jie?”

The lively scene in the hall didn’t belong to Ou Jinghe. She emerged from the restroom nearby, impeccably dressed, though traces of lipstick remained uncleaned at the corners of her mouth. Her skin looked thin and irritated—the culprit being Zheng Zeyan’s stubble. Two minutes later, Zheng Zeyan strode confidently to the sink, only to meet Yu Zhimei’s scrutinizing gaze. He smiled openly: “Are you guys leaving?”

“No. Shi Rui is our friend. We’ll stay until the end.”

“I’m about done—I can leave. I had fun today. See you next time.” Zheng Zeyan walked behind Yu Zhimei: “I haven’t given up on pursuing you. After all, from college until now, I’ve liked you for so many years.”

“Ask Jian Zhaowen if he agrees.”

“What does it matter to him?”

“He’s my boyfriend.”

“So what if he’s your boyfriend? You’re not married.”

“I’ll ask you this: If I were married, would you try to persuade me to divorce Jian Zhaowen because you love me? And when you’re fooling around with He Jie, deep down, you know she’s someone else’s wife—you don’t feel obligated to take responsibility for someone who doesn’t respect themselves, right?”

Zheng Zeyan froze in place. Yu Zhimei stared steadily into his eyes: “When you can distinguish between loving someone deeply and acting recklessly, then you can truly love someone else. Don’t make shallow declarations of love all the time.”

“…”

“Challenging others’ boundaries within a safe range and imposing your self-righteous superiority on them—others may find it charming, but I just find you laughable.”

Just as they reached the entrance, Jian Zhaowen was anxiously searching for Yu Zhimei, holding the car keys: “Lei Zheng and Xiaoxi had a huge argument. It got so bad that they trashed the house. We don’t know why yet.” He loosened his tie halfway: “Such a headache.”

Shi Rui was standing at the entrance, tossing the bouquet to a group of young girls. Jian Zhaowen pulled Yu Zhimei’s hand and ran out of the banquet hall. Yu Zhimei accidentally stepped on Shi Rui’s train with her high heels. Startled, Shi Rui pulled her mermaid dress and threw the bouquet. Amidst the crowd, it bounced off someone’s hands and landed in Zheng Zeyan’s grasp, who had rushed out after Yu Zhimei. Overeager, Zheng Zeyan knocked Ou Jinghe’s phone from her hand. Hesitating for a second, he abandoned chasing Yu Zhimei, bent down to pick up Ou Jinghe’s phone, and paused at the black screen displaying DayNight’s interface. The chat history showed the message he had sent her earlier that morning—a line he had carefully typed from The Little Prince : “I should have guessed that behind her clumsy tricks lay the deepest tenderness. The hearts of flowers are always mysterious. I was too young. I didn’t know how to love her.”

The commotion over the bouquet seemed to settle. Amidst cheers, Yu Zhimei was hurriedly led away, feeling a tinge of sadness. Stability means preparing for the fact that happiness won’t last forever. After all, so-called true love is nothing more than a compromise between men and women when they can’t have what they truly desire; and so-called perfect timing is just a small coincidence of companionship during the darkest moments of life.

________________________________________

PS: The fourth segment has ended! Today’s update is a bit longer. Daily updates are tough, so I’m truly grateful for your continued support. If you enjoyed DayNight , please leave a five-star review. Thank you all! Feel free to add it to your bookshelf and cast your votes. I look forward to chatting with you all today!