What happened next streamed past Jiang Wei’s eyes in a continuous flow.
A thick stack of prenuptial agreements, and five of the country’s top lawyers, explained the terms of the agreement to Jiang Wei in detail.
Qin Xiaoye had not treated her poorly—8 million RMB per month, increasing by 8 percent each year, escalating annually.
Qin Xiaoye’s assistant, Xiang Dong, carefully weighed his words: “Miss Jiang, although your private life is not restricted, if your behavior affects the stock price of Mr. Qin’s company, Mr. Qin will hold you accountable.”
The agreement did not specify what the consequences of breach would be.
Jiang Wei: “How would he hold me accountable?”
Xiang Dong looked deeply at Jiang Wei: “Miss Jiang, you don’t want to know.”
A chill rose from the soles of Jiang Wei’s feet, winding slowly and persistently into her body.
The methods of wealthy magnate families—whether above board or not—would never be written into a contract.
But the methods were certain to be cruel and effective.
Xiang Dong was very polite, hinting: “Miss Jiang, if you have other requests, you may raise them.”
Jiang Wei: “I have no other requests.”
She understood Xiang Dong’s hint—the price could be raised.
But the money Qin Xiaoye gave, Jiang Wei had to send all of it to the Jiang family, to repay the Jiang family for raising her. And her marriage alliance with Qin Xiaoye—the Qin family had made enormous business concessions to the Jiang family, which had already been on the verge of bankruptcy. She had no way to ask Qin Xiaoye for more money.
When she finally finished signing the thick stack, she let out a deep breath.
The lawyers filed out one after another with the agreements.
Only Qin Xiaoye and she remained in the restaurant.
Qin Xiaoye wore a black suit, his back to Jiang Wei, standing by the window, hands in his pockets, leisurely and composed, speaking fluent French into his phone.
Bamboo grove, misty rain, wooden eaves, water dripping down.
Wind chimes mingled with the distant sound of chanting, slow and unhurried.
His firm, sleek muscles filled out his suit, his voice rising and falling with cadence, echoing off the roof together with the sound of rain—magnetic and hoarse, exceedingly pleasant to the ear.
Qin Xiaoye seemed to sense something, slowly turned around, and met Jiang Wei’s gaze.
Faint and lingering.
He said something into the phone, hung up, and strode over, standing before Jiang Wei, his figure enveloping her.
His voice was low and hoarse, unhurried: “Miss Jiang, let’s go get the certificate now.”
Jiang Wei had just picked up her teacup—at those words, her hand froze, the teacup tipped over, wet and rolling away.
She was flustered.
Qin Xiaoye’s expression was steady, watching her.
Jiang Wei looked at the spilled tea, stood up, lowered her eyes: “Okay.”
Getting the certificate meant… tonight they would… do it?
A fine, dense heat seeped from Jiang Wei’s body.
Qin Xiaoye turned slightly, faint light falling on his handsome face, his features deep: “Shall we go?”
Jiang Wei nodded.
Qin Xiaoye walked to the restaurant entrance, bodyguards on both sides opened the doors for him. He picked up the black umbrella placed at the door, opened it, leaving half of it free, and turned to look at Jiang Wei.
Jiang Wei hurried under the umbrella, a slight gap remaining between them.
The long corridor stretched deep and winding, the wooden pillars soaked with rain, blurring into a warm, dark texture, moisture wrapping around the quiet solitude, layer by layer spreading out.
At the end of the corridor, a black stretch Lincoln waited quietly.
Stepping on the stone-paved path, the view opened up—before her eyes was a hazy, dense green, kneaded soft by the misty rain.
The scent of flowers and grass mingled, the curtain of rain merging with the deep green, pattering and dampening the ground.
Their arms drew slightly close, and Jiang Wei could smell the cool, woody fragrance on him mixed with the scent of damp rain—cold and restrained, faintly lingering around her.
Walking to the car, the two bodyguards respectfully held up black umbrellas and opened the car door.
Qin Xiaoye closed his umbrella, handed it to the bodyguard, and got into the back seat.
Jiang Wei followed and got in as well. Inside the car, Qin Xiaoye’s scent grew more pronounced—no longer a faint, steady presence, but a wild aura that rushed at her, making Jiang Wei feel dizzy despite herself.
Guides are naturally sensitive to the scent of Sentinels, especially those with high Consolation Compatibility Values.
The back seat was very spacious, and Jiang Wei deliberately left some distance.
Qin Xiaoye turned his head and glanced at the large, wide empty space.
Jiang Wei crossed her arms, watching the rain outside the car window. The early spring rain fell with vitality.
Even with the distance between them, Qin Xiaoye’s body heat drifted lazily over to Jiang Wei, like a heat source.
Qin Xiaoye: “Xiang Dong, turn up the air conditioning.”
Xiang Dong: “Yes, sir.”
The sound of adjusting the AC temperature—click, click—rang out in the car.
Qin Xiaoye took off his black suit jacket and handed it to Jiang Wei.
Jiang Wei was briefly stunned, her soft, full lips parting gently: “Thank you, Mr. Qin.”
Her voice flowed into his ears like clear mountain spring water.
Their fingertips lightly overlapped at the edge of the black suit jacket. A steady warmth traveled from where their fingers met, and Jiang Wei’s hand went half-numb, her breathing falling into disarray. She quickly hooked the jacket and pulled her hand back.
Qin Xiaoye withdrew his now-empty hand, opened his laptop, and began working.
Xiang Dong drove, glancing at the storage compartment where a small blanket was kept year-round, and his lips curved up slightly.
A delicate, soft sensation lingered on Qin Xiaoye’s fingertips—smooth and moist. He rubbed his two fingers together lightly, trying to shake off that unfamiliar, slick feeling.
His fingertips tapped the keyboard, making faint click-click sounds.
He lowered his eyes and rubbed his fingers again.
Jiang Wei put on Qin Xiaoye’s suit jacket. The oversized black jacket enveloped her, and a masculine, virile scent closed in around her, drilling into her skin, seeping into the crevices of her flesh. It was as if she’d been scalded by the fierce scent.
Before long, her cold body grew warm.
She clutched the jacket, listening to the click-click of typing and the rustle of rain, growing drowsy.
Qin Xiaoye turned his head, his gaze landing on the woman dozing beside him. Her fair little face was wrapped in the black suit jacket, her lashes very long and trembling slightly, her cheeks flushed from sleep, her lips pink and glowing softly.
He turned to look at his own fingers and rubbed them again, still feeling that tingling numbness.
He lowered his head and continued typing, but much more slowly.
For some reason, the scent emanating from the woman in the car kept drawing him in. He took a slow, deep breath, a sense of restlessness rising in him.
It was like the scent of morning sunlight—clear, soft, and moist.
And also like a ripe peach, giving off a faint fruity fragrance.
Qin Xiaoye glanced on and off at the experimental data sent over by the company’s medical investment division.
The car stopped. They had arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau entrance.
Qin Xiaoye turned his head. Jiang Wei was still curled up in the suit jacket, asleep, wrapped up tightly with only her head showing.
Qin Xiaoye closed his laptop and, through the suit jacket, gently patted her arm: “Miss Jiang.”
Jiang Wei, half-asleep and muddled, reached out and swatted his hand away: “How many more eggs need to be sliced?”
Qin Xiaoye looked at the fair, tender lotus-root-like arm that reached out from the suit jacket, swatting his hand and landing on the black fabric.
The swat left his hand tingling.
Jiang Wei opened her eyes and saw Qin Xiaoye’s face. Her heart sank as she remembered what she’d just said, and she was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear.
She quickly sat up straight, and the suit slipped off her, revealing her fair neck. The suit hung below her chest, giving her figure a fleshy appeal.
She hurriedly explained, “Sorry, I often cut… no, I’ve been busy with work, so…”
Qin Xiaoye looked at her directly. “Miss Jiang, we’ve arrived.”
Jiang Wei looked outside—the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau.
She let out a low “oh” and swallowed hard with a gulp.
The rain and mist were still falling, though lighter now.
The bodyguard opened the car door. Qin Xiaoye, holding a black umbrella, received Jiang Wei at the door.
Jiang Wei thought to herself, so this is the upbringing of a powerful family—even toward a wife he has no feelings for, he is elegant and proper.
Jiang Wei placed the suit on the back seat of the car, stepped out, and said softly, “Thank you.”
The two walked into the Civil Affairs Bureau together.
The Civil Affairs Bureau was only receiving them as a couple.
At the window, Qin Xiaoye turned to Jiang Wei. “ID card.”
Jiang Wei took it from her bag and placed it in Qin Xiaoye’s hand. Her fingertip lightly brushed his palm like a feather—a touch and gone.
Qin Xiaoye’s palm tingled faintly, for just a moment.