Volume 1, Chapter 4: Honey, Let’s Go to the Civil Affairs Bureau
“I want to sit up—can you help me?”
The girl’s pitiful tone completely stripped Shang Shiyan of his resistance.
Helplessly, he placed his palm on her shoulder.
With his other hand supporting her waist, he let her use his strength to sit up.
Unfortunately, Meng Zhi was too badly injured. The moment Shang Shiyan loosened his grip even slightly, she lost support and fell backward.
Seeing her break out in sweat from the pain, Shang Shiyan immediately helped her lie back down on the bed.
“Your injuries are too severe. You should stay lying down for the next couple of days.”
Meng Zhi wasn’t too discouraged by this outcome.
“Then help me look through my bag—see what’s inside?”
Maybe seeing those things would jog some memories.
Shang Shiyan hesitated at her request.
Meng Zhi noticed his reluctance and shot him a firm, reassuring look.
“It’s fine if my husband looks through it.”
This man was really wonderful—perfectly matching her preferences and aesthetic in every way.
Shang Shiyan: “…Mm.”
The man’s fingers were long and well-proportioned, yet not at all frail—they carried a distinct sense of strength.
He was especially careful as he pulled out each item one by one.
When Meng Zhi saw the student ID he retrieved, her mind went into a whirl.
She was still a student?
Weren’t they already married?
The next second, Shang Shiyan pulled out the household register inside, and his deep eyes contracted sharply.
His gaze darkened further and further, and the hand gripping the register involuntarily tightened with strain.
Shang Shiyan pressed his thin lips together, his emotions complicated.
Meng Zhi didn’t notice his mood. Looking at the household register, she instead felt a sudden realization dawn on her.
So she had been on her way to get their marriage certificate before the car accident.
Her gaze instinctively drifted toward Shang Shiyan.
The man’s features were exquisitely handsome—sharp brows and eyes, a high, straight nose bridge.
When his thin lips weren’t smiling, his entire presence was overwhelmingly imposing, but when he smiled, he became incredibly gentle.
Even scrutinizing him up close, she couldn’t find a single flaw—it was a perfect face.
But what attracted her most was Shang Shiyan’s temperament.
Even dressed in the most ordinary, simple suit, he was utterly impossible to look away from.
With such a handsome, high-quality husband, she needed to hold on tight and not let him slip away.
“Honey, are there any auspicious days coming up? Let’s go to the Civil Affairs Bureau again!”
If it weren’t for the fact that she could barely sit up, she would have wanted to go get the certificate right away, to avoid any delays or complications.
Faced with her urging, Shang Shiyan pressed his lips together.
He thought of how Shang Ye had taken the household register from home this morning—
Perhaps if not for this car accident, they would have already gotten their certificate by now.
Especially seeing Meng Zhi looking at him, her eyes filled with longing and anticipation for happiness.
Even though Shang Shiyan stood right across from her, he felt as if there were an abyss between them.
Because he knew that these feelings of hers weren’t meant for him.
Shang Shiyan’s chest ached with a sour, swelling sensation—an indescribable bitterness and sorrow.
It took him a long moment before he found his voice:
“Focus on recovering first.”
For a fleeting instant, he truly wanted to set aside all his concerns and agree to go get the certificate with her.
But looking at her clear, innocent eyes, he couldn’t help but despise himself.
She didn’t remember anything right now. If he actually did this, it would be taking advantage of her—truly despicable.
Not wanting to continue this topic, Shang Shiyan took the initiative to ask, “After looking at all this, has anything come back to you?”
Meng Zhi shook her head, seeing that he was avoiding the topic just now. She bit her lip and stared at him with a pitiful expression.
“Why are you changing the subject?”
“Did you change your mind? Don’t want to marry me anymore?”
As the questions left her mouth, Meng Zhi’s eyes turned red, like a poor little rabbit.
“I do.”
Shang Shiyan didn’t hesitate at all.
Duan Yang stood nearby, seemingly expressionless, but inwardly he couldn’t help complaining:
Had his boss been possessed or something?
Look at how cheap he looked in front of Miss Meng—it was too embarrassing!
Meng Zhi got the satisfying answer, and her previously pitiful little face was once again filled with smiles.
“That’s good. Once I’m discharged from the hospital, let’s go get our marriage certificate.”
Shang Shiyan didn’t speak. His eyes were deep and complex, making it hard to guess what he was thinking.
After a long moment, the man finally spoke in a low voice: “We’ve been talking for so long—are you tired? Rest a bit more, hmm?”
Meng Zhi nodded. Watching Shang Shiyan gently tuck the blanket around her, a wave of drowsiness washed over her.
When she opened her eyes again, Duan Yang was no longer in the hospital room.
“Water…”
The moment Meng Zhi spoke, a cup of warm water was immediately handed to her.
Shang Shiyan, mindful of her current condition making it inconvenient to drink, had specially placed a straw in it.
Meng Zhi was extremely thirsty and finished the entire cup in no time.
Seeing her like this, Shang Shiyan felt a pang of heartache: “Drink slower. Want another cup?”
“No need.”
She shook her head.
Her rehydrated lips were glossy and glistening, like a plump, juicy peach that made one want to take a bite.
Seeing the water stains at the corner of her mouth, Shang Shiyan raised his hand to cup her face, gently wiping with his thumb.
The girl’s skin was fair, tender, and elastic—simply irresistible to touch.
Feeling the scorching warmth of his palm, Meng Zhi looked up and happened to meet his deep, dark eyes.
Their gazes intertwined, and the intimate gesture made her face flush red involuntarily.
“Honey, I’m so tired of lying down. Can you hold me up to sit for a while?”
Her clear, beautiful eyes blinked without pause as she stared at Shang Shiyan with a pleading gaze.
Faced with her request, Shang Shiyan agreed without the slightest hesitation.
The man effortlessly lifted her up with one arm, letting her lean against his chest.
A faint, warm breath reached his nose. Looking down at the tiny girl in his arms, Shang Shiyan’s throat moved slightly, and his body temperature gradually grew hot.
Meng Zhi happened to notice the gold-rimmed glasses on the bedside table and suddenly became interested.
“Honey, can you put on those glasses for me to see!”
“I want to see them, please, pretty please…”
Gold-rimmed glasses were a man’s black silk stockings!
Meng Zhi couldn’t imagine how her aloof, strictly restrained husband would look wearing them.
To feast her eyes, she was willing to use every trick in the book—acting cute and coaxing the man.
In the end, he was completely worn down by her persistence. The man helplessly curled his lips, reached out his arm to grab the glasses, and as he put them on, his slender fingertips pushed them up.
The slowed-down motion made him look even more like a refined scoundrel.
Combined with his casually loosened collar and lazily rolled-up sleeves, it added a touch of idle, relaxed ease to his demeanor.
Meng Zhi’s heart was already pounding like a deer crashing around.
She uncontrollably swallowed, her clear gaze gradually turning fervent, tinged with a hint of desire.
“Honey, come here for a second.”
She held her breath and called out softly.
Seeing her stare blankly at him, Shang Shiyan curled his lips into a faint smile.
The warmth in his eyes rose accordingly.
It made one feel as if she were his entire world.
Meng Zhi felt her heart completely struck by his smile.
Especially when Shang Shiyan leaned in closer, his suddenly enlarged, handsome face and his focused, deep gaze made her both excited and nervous.
So handsome—it was simply unfairly handsome!
Even describing him as breathtakingly beautiful didn’t seem enough. Meng Zhi racked her brain but couldn’t come up with an appropriate word.
She gazed at Shang Shiyan with captivated eyes.
But the thought that others might see him like this made her feel a pang of jealousy.
“No way, I’m confiscating these glasses from now on. If you want to wear them, you can only do so at home.”
She didn’t want to attract a bunch of rivals.
This coquettish tone fell on Shang Shiyan’s ears. Looking at Meng Zhi, so lively and cheerful at this moment, he couldn’t help but recall their first formal meeting.
Back then, she hadn’t lost her memory yet, but she simply no longer remembered him.
She obediently followed beside Shang Ye, calling him “Uncle” as she did.