With the departure of Grand Elder Song, the official wedding ceremony inside the main hall had concluded.
The remaining time belonged to high society and celebrities, a time for mingling, networking, and expanding connections…
The bride and groom made rounds between the front tables, offering toasts and making conversation.
After Lu Li stepped away, Yang Zhen'er was initially overwhelmed with nerves. Her heart pounded uncontrollably!
She looked up and took in the golden splendor of the main hall—the enormous crystal chandeliers casting dazzling golden light...
Then, glancing around discreetly, she saw guests dressed in exquisite custom-tailored suits and gowns, adorned with expensive necklaces and jewelry—just like the scenes from TV dramas or the glamorous world she had always imagined.
This was the life she had dreamed of.
Yang Zhen'er lowered her head and stared fixedly at the table in front of her.
Time passed.
Her nervousness, once choking her like a tide, slowly began to ebb away.
And in its place... came an overwhelming excitement!
A rosy glow bloomed across Yang Zhen'er's fair skin, glowing like red jade…
After sitting for a while longer,
Yang Zhen'er couldn't stay seated any longer.
This venue was filled with so many A-list celebrities…
If she could snap a photo with just one of them, get an autograph—she could brag endlessly to her girlfriends back home!
Those petty girls would be green with envy!
With that thought, Yang Zhen'er took a deep breath and stood up.
She hesitated, feeling awkward with empty hands—then noticed that other guests were casually holding glasses of red wine.
So she picked up her own glass and began to wander through the grand and luxurious ballroom of high society…
…
Outside the main hall, long corridors stretched out.
Along the corridor stood rows of Ionic columns, classic in their architectural rhythm and placement...
In the still corridor,
Zheng Yaoru, the current patriarch and head of the Song Family, slowly pushed his elderly father forward in a wheelchair.
Seated in the chair, the aged Song Shixiong—so frail he needed to rest after uttering a single sentence—half-opened his eyes and stared out at the stone columns, gazing through their arches at the corridor's distant scenery...
In those sights, fragments of his glorious youth flickered vividly in his mind.
Song Shixiong, in his younger days, had once ruled the Bund of the Modu City with overwhelming presence.
His temper matched his name—fiery and explosive. He had done many wild and outrageous things...
But looking back now, it was those very wild moments that he remembered most fondly.
"Yaoru…"
Song Shixiong suddenly spoke from the wheelchair.
"Yes, Father, I'm here."
Zheng Yaoru stopped at once and responded quickly.
"After I die… the Song Family must never commit the sort of acts that bring joy to our enemies and sorrow to our kin…"
Song Shixiong paused for a long while before speaking gravely.
What he referred to as "joy to enemies, sorrow to kin" was, of course, the internal power struggles among heirs within elite families—fighting over wealth until brothers turned against one another.
"Don't worry, Father. I understand."
Zheng Yaoru lowered his head, his eyes rimmed red.
The Song Family's medical team had already clearly explained Song Shixiong's condition to him. He knew… his father's time was almost up.
Song Shixiong seemed to want to say more.
But just then, footsteps echoed from the far end of the corridor—the same direction they had just come from.
The crisp sound of leather shoes striking marble rang out.
Tap… tap… tap…
The footsteps had a perfect rhythm. The intervals between each pair of steps were precisely identical.
Zheng Yaoru and Song Shixiong stopped speaking, turning to look in the direction of the sound.
They saw a young man in a suit, with a handsome face, walking toward them.
When the young man noticed them looking, he paused briefly and smiled brightly.
Then he continued forward.
But just then—
A shocking and almost terrifying sight occurred.
The young man's figure suddenly disappeared from their vision—and when he reappeared, he was already several meters closer!
It was as if he had used some legendary skill—"shrinking the ground into inches."
With just a few flickers, the young man stood merely a step away from the father and son.
The Song men, seasoned and worldly as they were, found their eyes wide and their scalps tingling...
"Who are you?"
Zheng Yaoru asked in a low, steady voice.
"Song Shixiong. Age: 97."
The young man only gave Zheng Yaoru a quick glance before turning his gaze to the elder in the wheelchair. The polite smile faded from his face, replaced by calm detachment.
He paused for a moment, then continued:
"Remaining lifespan: 1 day, 1 hour, 23 minutes, 33 seconds… 32 seconds… 31 seconds…"
"So… you're the God of Death?"
Song Shixiong did not immediately express disbelief. Instead, he asked in a deep voice.
"No. I am a Time Merchant."
"You may call me…"
"Mr. Lu!"
Lu Li smiled brightly as he looked at the two men standing before him and announced in a loud, clear voice.
"The Time Merchant…"
Zheng Yaoru and Song Shixiong murmured the phrase under their breath.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。