From Hongqi Commune to the county town, there was only one shuttle bus every day.
Su Wanqing sat on the bumpy bus, watching the scenery outside roll backward, crushing all her past.
She clutched a small cloth bag tightly in her hand.
Inside it was all her belongings, and a determination that wagered on the future.
The County Armed Forces Department was a gray, three-story building with a sign hanging outside, soldiers standing guard, solemn and dignified.
Su Wanqing stood across the road, staring at the building, her heart pounding.
The farthest place she had ever been to in her life was the county supply and marketing cooperative; she never imagined she would step into such a place.
She straightened her back, adjusted her clothes, and stepped forward.
Before she could reach the entrance, a tall and upright figure walked out of the building.
The man had just changed out of a faded old military uniform and was now wearing a brand-new, crisp army green officer’s uniform.
The two stripes and one star on his shoulder epaulets glinted brightly in the sunlight, making him look even more heroic and exceptional.
His military cap was pulled low, only revealing a strong jawline and tightly pressed thin lips.
It was Lu Zhanting.
He seemed to have finished his business and was about to leave but stopped on the steps.
His gaze was almost tangible, piercing through the dozen meters between them, fixing on her.
His eyes scanned her from head to toe with the weight of scrutiny, leaving her nowhere to hide.
Su Wanqing stopped in her tracks and met his gaze.
Lu Zhanting took long strides and was soon standing right in front of her.
He was more than a head taller than her, his figure completely overshadowing her, making the air around them seem thinner.
“Here.”
His voice remained low, with no unnecessary words.
“Mm.” Su Wanqing nodded.
“Follow me.”
Lu Zhanting dropped those three words and turned to walk back into the Armed Forces building.
Su Wanqing silently followed behind him.
His broad back was like a mountain; his footsteps steady and powerful, each step firm and somehow reassuring.
The guard at the door straightened immediately upon seeing Lu Zhanting and gave a standard military salute.
“Hello, Commander!”
Lu Zhanting slightly nodded in response, without pausing.
Su Wanqing followed behind him, feeling the guard’s curious gaze linger on her briefly.
Her heartbeat quickened slightly, but her expression remained calm.
Lu Zhanting led her directly to the second floor, arriving at an office with a sign that read “Organization Section.”
He pushed open the door, and a middle-aged officer busy writing documents immediately stood up, his face full of respectful smiles.
“Commander Lu, you’re back. This must be your wife?”
The officer’s eyes landed on Su Wanqing, warm yet polite.
Su Wanqing felt a little awkward.
“Wife?”
That title felt foreign to her, as if referring to someone else.
“All the paperwork is ready?” Lu Zhanting ignored the officer’s gossip and went straight to the point.
“All done, all done,” the officer quickly said, pulling out several forms from the drawer. “Commander Lu, your case is special, so the process has been simplified with special approval. You only need to fill out this application form and sign, and I can issue the certificate immediately.”
Lu Zhanting took the forms and pen and handed one to Su Wanqing.
“Fill it out.”
There was a guest table in the office where the two sat side by side.
The table was narrow, and Su Wanqing could clearly smell his scent—sunlight mixed with soap and a hint of masculinity, clean and strong.
She looked down at the form, which asked for name, age, place of origin, and family background.
Her hand stiffened slightly, holding the pen, but she hesitated to write.
Was she really going to write her name on this paper and become legally married to a man she had only met twice?
“Don’t know how to write?”
The man’s low voice suddenly sounded in her ear, making her eardrums tingle.
Su Wanqing shook her head, gathered herself, and began to write.
Her handwriting was delicate and elegant, each stroke calm and steady.
Lu Zhanting didn’t write but turned his head to watch her fill out the form.
His gaze fell on her slender, fair fingers, then slowly moved up, passing her slightly pursed lips, and finally resting on her focused profile.
Her eyelashes were long, casting a small quiet shadow beneath her eyes.
This girl had been calm from start to finish.
Calm when tearing up the marriage contract, calm when cornered by him in the alley, and now, only a brief hesitation before regaining composure in front of a form that would decide her whole life.
This calmness made him admire her but also feel a certain elusive distance.
Su Wanqing quickly finished her part and pushed the form and pen toward him.
Lu Zhanting withdrew his gaze, took the pen, and signed his name in a bold, flourishing style.
His handwriting was as vigorous and sharp as he was.
The officer took the documents, checked them over, and stamped them with a bright red seal.
Then he took out two small red booklets the size of a palm and began carefully filling them out with a pen.
The office was very quiet, only the rustling sound of pen on paper.
Su Wanqing’s hands rested on her knees, fingers slightly curled.
She could feel the steady breathing of the man beside her, contrasting sharply with her own pounding heart.
This was a gamble.
She wagered her entire life on this man keeping his promise, betting that this deal would bring stability to her and her family.
“All done!”
The officer paused his pen and handed over the two small red booklets with a broad smile.
“Congratulations, Commander Lu! Congratulations, sister-in-law!”
The two red marriage certificates were placed side by side on the table.
The bright red color made Su Wanqing’s eyes sting slightly.
Lu Zhanting picked up one of them and shoved it directly into her hand.
Then he took the other and casually slipped it into his jacket pocket.
“From today on, you are Lu Zhanting’s wife.”
His voice was low but carried the solemnity of a command.
“From now on, no one will dare to bully you.”
Su Wanqing lowered her head, staring at the red booklet in her hand.
The three golden characters on the cover—“Marriage Certificate”—shone under the light.
She flipped it open to see clearly printed inside: Lu Zhanting, Su Wanqing.
Her name was now permanently bound to that of a legendary man.
A surreal feeling wrapped around her.
No love, no understanding, not even an extra greeting—they had become the closest relation in the world.
This small certificate, just a few thin pages, felt heavy on her heart.
It was a talisman that could shield her from all rumors and hidden dangers.
But it was also a shackle that locked her firmly to a strange world and a powerful man.
Her heart was filled with mixed emotions: a settled reassurance, fear of the unknown future, and a faint, unnoticed sense of security from being protected.
She clenched the marriage certificate tightly, her knuckles whitening from the grip.
No matter what the future held, at least the immediate crisis was solved.
She thought to herself, this deal wasn’t a loss.
Lu Zhanting had been watching her.
He saw her grip the certificate, her eyes clearing from initial daze to firm resolve.
His tiny doubts finally vanished completely.
He chose her because of her calmness and resilience.
He needed a woman who could hold down the home while he was on the battlefield—not a fragile flower who needed constant care.
Now it seemed he hadn’t made a mistake.
This girl, Su Wanqing, was even more composed than he had imagined.
A sense of satisfaction at the smooth completion of his plan rose in his heart.
To him, marriage was no different from carrying out a mission: set a clear goal, choose a plan, and then execute it decisively.
Now, the mission was accomplished.
Leaving the office, they walked side by side down the stairs, still silent, one ahead and one behind.
At the bottom, Lu Zhanting suddenly stopped.
He pulled out a stack of money and a bundle of ration tickets from his pocket and without hesitation shoved them into Su Wanqing’s hand.
“Fifty yuan, thirty catties of grain tickets, ten chi of cloth tickets, plus some industrial coupons,” he briefly explained. “Buy whatever your parents need. From now on, two-thirds of my monthly allowance will go to you.”
Su Wanqing stared dumbfounded at the thick wad of money and tickets in her hand.
This was far more than what Zhao Jianhe had offered as “compensation” before.
“This… is too much,” she instinctively tried to push it back.
“I, Lu Zhanting, can’t let my wife live poorly,” his strong hand firmly held hers to prevent her from pulling away, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Take it. This is what you deserve.”
His palm was dry but warm, rough with calluses, covering the back of her hand.
That unfamiliar, burning touch made Su Wanqing’s heart suddenly contract.
She quickly pulled her hand back.
Lu Zhanting seemed to notice something wrong, withdrew his hand, and casually slipped it back into his pocket.
Only his ears flushed faintly red.
“I have a meeting this afternoon. I’ll take you to the guesthouse first,” he said, looking ahead, his tone returning to its usual commanding style. “Tomorrow, I’ll send a car to pick you up to go home, and bring the betrothal gifts along.”
Betrothal gifts?
Su Wanqing was taken aback again.
She thought that this transactional marriage wouldn’t involve such formalities.
“You don’t have to do this—”
“I do.”
Lu Zhanting interrupted her, turning his head to look at her with burning eyes.
“I told you, my wife Lu Zhanting won’t suffer even the slightest grievance.”
“Not only that, but she’ll be treated with glory.”
He wanted the entire Hongqi Commune to know that Su Wanqing was not abandoned, but had married someone better—someone everyone could only look up to.
Looking into his deep, domineering eyes, Su Wanqing found she could no longer refuse.
She quietly put away the money and tickets and softly said, “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me between us.”
Lu Zhanting finished speaking and strode forward.
Su Wanqing followed behind, looking at his broad back with a complicated heart.
They were clearly from two different worlds, yet now their fates were intertwined by a single piece of paper.
Whether the road ahead would bring fortune or disaster, she could not know.
The only thing she could do was to play the role of “Lu Zhanting’s wife” well, keep her secret, and protect her family.
And he—the man who had just become her husband—though strong and domineering, seemed… perhaps not as cold and ruthless as the rumors said.