There was no point in calling him!
Lu Beicheng’s thin lips moved slowly. He refused outright. “No.”
“…Why?” Lin Qiqi tugged at his sleeve and tilted her face up to look at him.
Her dark, pearl-like eyes could barely conceal their urgency.
Lu Beicheng lowered his gaze to the sleeve she was clutching and said unhurriedly, “As what?”
Lin Qiqi: “…”
The man fixed his dark eyes on her. “In my unit, only family members can accompany their spouses.”
With that, he pulled his sleeve free again.
“I have things to take care of at the unit, so I’ll go first. If you need anything, tell my mother. I’ll let her know.”
By the time Lu Beicheng finished speaking, he was already heading for the door.
Lin Qiqi glanced at her now-empty hand, then at the man’s retreating back.
In that brief moment, her thoughts had already turned over several times.
“Wait.” She called out to stop him.
Lu Beicheng paused slightly but didn’t turn around. “What?”
Lin Qiqi bit her teeth. “Let’s get our marriage license!”
For the sake of the child, and for her own sake, she had no choice but to compromise.
It was only a marriage license. What was the big deal?
The man was handsome, in great shape, capable, and from an extraordinary family… She wasn’t losing out, either.
Besides, no one said getting a marriage license meant she had to give herself to him.
If things really didn’t work out later, they could always divorce.
If he, a man, wasn’t afraid, what was she afraid of?
Lin Qiqi pursed her lips, frantically thinking up reasons to reassure herself.
Lu Beicheng gave a cool “Oh,” and his hard features seemed to soften a little.
Lin Qiqi blinked her pretty almond-shaped eyes. What did “oh” mean?
Was he agreeing or not?
She ventured, “Go submit the marriage application now.”
“All right.” Lu Beicheng glanced back at her. “Since you’ve brought it up, let’s do that.”
Lin Qiqi: “…”
Heh. That reluctant look on his face made her want to itch for a slap!
She didn’t want to look at him, so she turned her gaze away. “There’s something else.”
Lu Beicheng raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?”
Lin Qiqi got straight to the point. “Until I can join you at the unit, I have to live with you.”
As for how to make that happen, she was sure the man would have plenty of ways.
Lu Beicheng’s brows drew together slightly. His gaze flicked to her abdomen, then settled on her pale face. “Do you need me to look after you?”
If that was the case, he’d recommend that she stay at home. His grandmother and mother would take good care of her.
He had a lot to handle at the unit, and when things got busy, he might not be able to look after her.
Lin Qiqi shook her head. “No.”
She could take care of herself just fine.
“I just need to stay by your side.”
Just stay by his side?
Lu Beicheng was rather pleased by her words; the corner of his thin lips lifted almost imperceptibly.
Since this woman wanted so badly to be with him, he’d indulge her.
“Fine.”
He would submit the marriage application as soon as he got back to the unit. It should be approved in about a week, and once they had their marriage license, she could apply to join him.
They could stay at the house for about a week. If he asked his superior for leave, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Lu Beicheng gathered his thoughts and looked at Lin Qiqi. “Come with me.”
He happened to have a house near the unit. For now, they could stay there.
Lin Qiqi nodded, and at last, the tension that had been wound tight inside her began to ease.
She held out her hand to the man. “Hold my hand.”
Her body had already done well to hold out this long. Now she urgently needed to be in contact with him.
Lu Beicheng frowned and took her hand. Women really were troublesome.
Her hand was small and soft in his palm, as if it had no bones.
He couldn’t help loosening his grip a little.
He didn’t want to squeeze too hard by accident and have her make trouble for him again.
With him holding her hand, Lin Qiqi immediately felt much better. She couldn’t help smiling, her eyes curving.
She had no idea what was special about the man’s constitution, but for her, he worked even better than a miracle cure.
Lu Beicheng happened to turn his head and caught sight of her smiling eyes.
Was holding his hand really enough to make her that happy?
His thin lips curved slowly in response. But when he noticed the look on her face, his brows knitted again.
He had no idea how this woman had grown up with such poor color and a body so weak she could barely stand.
How could she endure the strain of pregnancy?
Lu Beicheng’s deep eyes lowered as he considered it. It looked as though he’d have to find a way to build her strength back up. If she became seriously depleted, she could be in danger.
They walked side by side, fingers intertwined, and went downstairs together.
In the living room, everyone heard footsteps coming from the stairs and looked over at the same time.
With so many pairs of eyes fixed on her, Lin Qiqi felt a little embarrassed.
She tugged at her hand and murmured to the man beside her, “Let go for now.”
They could hold hands again later, when no one was around.
Lu Beicheng glanced at her, unimpressed.
She was the one who’d asked him to hold her hand, and she was also the one asking him to let go after only a few minutes.
What a lot of fuss.
Ignoring her, he led her straight over to the sofa.
Lin Qiqi: “…”
Fine. If he didn’t want to let go, they could keep holding hands.
The more they held hands, the better.
Lu Beicheng reached the sofa and sat down with Lin Qiqi. He greeted everyone there in turn. “Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom…”
They answered him casually, their attention almost entirely on Lin Qiqi. They barely even looked at him.
Lin Qiqi smiled awkwardly at them. Her lips moved as she tried to think of a polite way to greet everyone.
Before she could decide, the man’s voice sounded beside her.
After greeting his family, Lu Beicheng glanced at Lin Qiqi and immediately added, “Her name is Lin Qiqi. We’re getting our marriage license.”
A marriage license???
It was such a simple statement, yet none of them could take it in at first.
Several seconds passed before Old Master Lu was the first to recover. “Good, good, good…”
Those repeated words were enough to express how he felt.
Getting married was wonderful!
After hoping and waiting for so long, he had finally lived to see this day for his grandson.
“When are you getting it? I think today’s an auspicious day, and the registration office hasn’t closed yet. There’s no time like the present. Why don’t you go now?”
As he spoke, Old Master Lu looked at Lin Qiqi with a broad smile, clearly asking what she thought.
Lin Qiqi was every bit as astonished as the other members of the Lu family, who still hadn’t recovered.
She truly hadn’t expected Lu Beicheng to announce so frankly that they were getting a marriage license.
She opened her mouth, but for a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
Lu Beicheng glanced at her and tightened his grip on her hand slightly.
He looked at Old Master Lu. “Grandpa, there’s no need to rush. I’ll submit the application when I get back to the unit, and we’ll go after it’s approved.”
Old Master Lu glared at him.
You little rascal. You weren’t in a hurry, but I was!
“Getting the application approved is easy. I’ll call Xiao Chen, and it’ll be ready in no time.”
The Xiao Chen Old Master Lu meant was Lu Beicheng’s superior, who had once worked under Old Master Lu.
You could say Old Master Lu had personally promoted him.
As he spoke, Old Master Lu reached for the telephone beside him and began dialing.