"Sweetheart, look at all these distinguished guests. You and your husband will be swimming in gifts and money. What could possibly make you unhappy?"
Xu Juan was overjoyed.
She had only ever seen these important figures on television before. Now that she saw them in person, she desperately wanted to curry favor with each of them.
Jiang Tiantian, her face a mask of coldness, stared at the hall doors.
The guests soon arrived, and the wedding ceremony began.
The host loudly called out the bride's name. Jiang Zheng, as her father, led her forward.
The pastor turned to Wu Zhen, "Groom, do you take this bride to be your wife? Will you stay with her, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for all the days of your lives?"
"I do!"
Wu Zhen shouted excitedly.
Warm applause erupted from the audience.
Zhang Yunfei leaned over to Manager Wang and whispered, "What's going on? Didn't Dr. Lin tell us to come watch a show? What's so interesting about a wedding?"
Manager Wang shook his head, "I have no idea either."
Manager Niu chuckled, "Why the rush? When has Dr. Lin ever let us down? Just wait patiently."
The pastor turned to Jiang Tiantian, "Bride, do you take this groom to be your husband? Will you stay with him, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for all the days of your lives?"
Jiang Tiantian stared blankly at the hall doors, her eyes growing desperate, as if she had fallen into a bottomless abyss.
"Bride..."
The pastor repeated the question.
"Tiantián!"
Wu Zhen whispered a reminder.
Murmurs began to spread through the crowd.
"Ahem..."
The pastor cleared his throat and asked for the third time.
"I..."
Jiang Tiantian's eyes welled up with tears as she said, "I do not!"
The moment she uttered those words, the hall doors were suddenly flung open from the outside.
Sunlight streamed in, casting Lin Fan's long shadow across the floor.
"Xiao Fan!"
Jiang Tiantian's tears of despair turned into tears of joy. "I knew it, I knew you would come and save me!"
Wu Zhen's face turned ashen. "Lin Fan!!!"
The guests began to whisper amongst themselves. "What's happening? Who is that? I've never seen him before."
"I don't know. Looks like he's here to steal the bride."
"My goodness, in this day and age, someone's still crashing a wedding?"
On the VIP seats, the dozen or so managers exchanged knowing glances, their faces alight with amusement.
"I told you, Dr. Lin wouldn't disappoint us!"
Wu Tian roared, "Who are you? Today is my son's wedding day, how dare you cause such a scene!"
Chen Pingping shrieked, "Security! Where's security? Get this man out of here!"
The entire hall descended into chaos.
Lin Fan ignored everyone's stares and strode purposefully towards the stage.
"I promised I would help you, and I never break my word!"
"Xiao Fan, thank you!"
Jiang Tiantian nodded emphatically, her eyes brimming with joy.
She clutched the hem of her wedding dress and stood by Lin Fan's side.
"Tiantián! Who is this person?"
Xu Juan and Jiang Zheng's faces were extremely displeased.
"Dad! Mom! His name is Lin Fan, he's my... friend."
Jiang Tiantian snatched the microphone from the host and declared loudly, "I don't like Wu Zhen! I refuse to marry him!!!"
Boom!
The venue erupted in an uproar.
Everyone stared with incredulous expressions.
Wu Zhen, his anger flaring, lunged forward to seize her, but Lin Fan's gaze froze him in his tracks.
Wu Tian trembled with rage and threatened, "Jiang Zheng, if your daughter doesn't get married today, with so many important businessmen watching, your whole family will suffer!"
Xu Juan trembled like a leaf. Jiang Zheng dared not speak.
"Vice President Wu, that's not quite right,"
At this moment, Zhang Yunfei stood up. "We didn't come here for your son's wedding."
Wu Tian frowned, a sense of foreboding washing over him.
"Manager Zhang, what joke is this? I was the one who treated your mother's illness back then."
"Hmph!"
Zhang Yunfei snorted. "You're right, for a tiny intestinal polyp, you charged me three hundred thousand yuan!"
Wu Tian's face paled with panic. "You're slandering me! I never asked you for money!"
Zhang Yunfei smiled and produced a recording, playing it for everyone to hear.
The audio contained Wu Tian promising to expedite the elderly woman's surgery in exchange for a three hundred thousand yuan 'benefit fee.'
The assembled guests were immediately uneasy.
"You dare to extort me!" Wu Tian roared in anger.
Zhang Yunfei sneered. "Extort you? Do you think I built my business empire this way? If I didn't have these precautions, I would have been ruined by scoundrels long ago!"
Wu Tian had never imagined that Zhang Yunfei, who had once called him brother, would have such a card up his sleeve.
"What can a single recording prove? I have the support of many friends, you can't bring me down alone!" Wu Tian declared defiantly.
Instantly, the VIP guests all rose to their feet.
"Vice President Wu, today, we are all here for Dr. Lin."
"Vice President Wu, evidence like Manager Zhang's, each of us has some. Tell us yourself, can we not bring you down?"
Dean Fang also stood up. "Wu Tian, Wu Tian, I thought your placement of your son in the hospital was merely a matter of personal gain, but I never imagined you'd committed so many misdeeds. You've truly disheartened me!"
"Wu Tian's behavior is extremely egregious. I suggest we arrest him immediately and send him to the police station!"
Someone shouted this, and everyone else nodded in agreement.
"You..."
Wu Tian was stunned. He slumped to the ground with a thud, his face ashen.
Cold sweat dripped down his forehead.
When he committed these acts, he deliberately avoided leaving any written evidence, opting for face-to-face meetings or phone calls. He never imagined these businessmen would be more cunning and each keep a backup.
"Lin Fan, who exactly are you?"
Wu Tian suddenly looked at Lin Fan, his aged eyes filled with unwillingness.
Just a few days ago, when his son was fired from the hospital and returned home, Wu Tian had scoffed, believing Dean Fang was targeting him.
He never expected that today, he himself would be brought down by a mere youngster!
Lin Fan smiled faintly. "Who I am is not for you to know."
Wu Tian seethed with resentment. It was clear now that the businessmen's initial absence and then their collective appearance were all orchestrated by this Lin Fan!
Chen Pingping and Wu Zhen were already petrified.
Their family's future depended entirely on Wu Tian's status and influence!
Xu Juan and Jiang Zheng exchanged glances, then rushed forward and slapped Wu Zhen hard.
"Pah! I knew your family wasn't clean. Otherwise, where would a mere vice president get so much money?"
"You dared to commit crimes and still expected us to marry our daughter to you? Dream on!"
Chen Pingping couldn't believe that just minutes ago, these two were addressing each other as in-laws and fawning over them like dogs. Now, their faces had changed faster than flipping a book.