Tomorrow is the day. I’ll pick you up and take you to the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Oh. Got it.
It was only when Qi Zhongjing sent the reminder the day before they were to register their marriage that Meng Lingyao snapped back from his frantic work, feeling somewhat dazed.
Oh, so several days have already passed. The appointed time is almost here.
When Qian Linhao entered to report on work, Meng Lingyao pointed at the schedule. “Postpone these few meetings. I’m going to register tomorrow morning.”
“Understood,” Qian Linhao responded swiftly. “Of course. Out of these meetings, only this one is relatively important; we can coordinate moving it to 4:00 PM.”
“That works.”
“Young President Meng, do you need someone to accompany you? For example, the specific details of the registration can be delegated so you don’t have to make the trip yourself,” Qian Linhao offered thoughtfully.
However, Meng Lingyao’s gaze appeared rather vacant. He stared blankly at Qian Linhao like a dead fish, his voice sounding flat. “Brother Qian, I’m afraid that won’t work. For marriage registration, the person must be present. I need a prenuptial agreement to draw a line between the Meng Clan and the Qi Clan.”
Marriage registration?
Oh, so it’s marriage registration!
Marriage registration?!!
With President Qi?
“…” Qian Linhao’s smile froze. It took several seconds before he could steady his voice. “I understand.”
Qian Linhao left the office in a state of floating outside of reality.
The Young President is getting married to President Qi. If the Great President finds out, he’ll probably tear President Qi apart limb from limb!
Qian Linhao looked up at the sky, feeling sorry for the Young President.
Great President, please wake up soon. Your younger brother is being bullied.
…
That evening, Meng Lingyao went home and had dinner with Lin Qingwan. Naturally, the topic shifted to the company’s recent affairs.
Heartaching for her son, Lin Qingwan ladled a bowl of nourishing soup for Meng Lingyao, noting the dark circles under his eyes. “Drink a bowl of soup first. You look like you’ve lost weight.”
“I’m fine. Things will be better once this busy period is over. Mom, don’t worry, I’m doing great.” Meng Lingyao took a sip of the soup and praised, “Delicious.”
“It’s been simmering all afternoon. If you’re coming back, just have the kitchen arrange it. There’s plenty more where that came from. Eat some dishes too, don’t just drink soup. The Qi family has helped us a lot this time; we should invite him over for a meal sometime.” Lin Qingwan watched her son eating with relish, her eyes crinkling with a smile; she was happy in her heart.
Meng Lingyao froze. His hand holding the bowl paused, and he forced a strained smile. “Yeah, I know. We’ll see.”
“Do you feel wronged?” Lin Qingwan misunderstood his forced expression, hearing the perfunctoriness in his voice.
“No, I’ll talk to him later. I’ve just been too busy lately to manage it.” Meng Lingyao shrugged, half-jokingly saying, “Besides, I’m just afraid he won’t dare to come.”
“Our Meng family is a dragon’s pool and a tiger’s den—we could tear him apart. Plus, I have a grudge against him.”
“You child, what’s there to be afraid of!” Following Meng Lingyao’s banter, Lin Qingwan’s attention was diverted. Meng Lingyao’s joking tone actually put her at ease.
After dinner, as per his routine, Meng Lingyao went to see Meng Lingsheng, telling him about the company’s recent status and some of his recent strategic deployments.
Once his mother went to rest, Meng Lingyao returned to the main building and took the documents needed for tomorrow out of the safe in the study.
…
The next day, Meng Lingyao left the house as usual. Early on, in a conspicuous spot in the company’s underground garage, a man was leaning against a car door—a prominent man, a particularly dazzling man.
Unlike the world illuminated by the bright sunlight outside, the basement was somewhat dim, yet it couldn’t stop that person from being as eye-catching as a lightbulb.
Feeling a bit blinded, Meng Lingyao smoothly slid his car into the spot next to him. He checked himself over—perfect score, not losing to anyone.
He pushed the car door open. Thin-soled leather shoes stepped onto the ground, and long legs wrapped in suit trousers strode out. He perked himself up, his tone slightly sarcastic. “President Qi arrived quite early.”
Since yesterday, Qi Zhongjing had been in a state of hyper-excitement. Unable to sleep late at night, he had wandered around his room several times, looking at the layout of his bedroom—his and Meng Lingyao’s future little nest.
Their little home.
Just savoring those words in his heart felt incredibly sweet.
Inevitably, in the deep of night, he started overthinking and getting “emo”—wondering if Meng Lingyao would like the room’s arrangement, if Meng Lingyao would regret it…
He thought about all sorts of things all night and didn’t sleep well, but his spirit was extremely high.
He had come to the Meng Clan early in the morning to “wait by the stump for the rabbit,” terrified that the rabbit in his hands would kick its legs and run away.
Who could have imagined that the super CEO, who appeared well-dressed and dignified to outsiders, secretly exuded a “sneaky and suspicious” dog-like aura?
He had been staring eagerly at the entrance, just waiting for the person of his dreams to enter.
“Standing guard like this, isn’t President Qi afraid of being seen by people coming and going?”
Was this a glorious thing?
Was it?
Meng Lingyao thought back to when the other party had repeatedly insisted on keeping this a secret and not letting anyone know. Now, this grand display, as if afraid people wouldn’t see, was truly a self-contradiction.
Is this supposed to be glorious! his inner self roared.
“I didn’t consider it thoroughly.” Qi Zhongjing rubbed his nose, his ecstatic joy at seeing the person somewhat reined in.
Meng Lingyao huffed unpleasantly, not dwelling on the matter. “Let’s go up and sit for a bit first.”
“Okay.”
The two of them stood very close, the distance between their shoulders being at most a fist’s width. The large elevator was empty. From the corner of his eye, Meng Lingyao could see the man looking straight ahead, exuding a strong sense of pressure at all times.
The man was tall and upright, standing like a wooden post, and was half a head taller than him. Unexplainedly, Meng Lingyao felt annoyed.
Putting on airs! Hmph!
Men always enjoy competing with each other in various ways.
Unable to win on height and being stood so close to, Meng Lingyao’s heart was filled with silent criticism. He shoved his hands in his pockets, leaning somewhat lazily against the elevator wall, turning his head away, unwilling to look any longer.
So cute!
Qi Zhongjing was also secretly sizing up Meng Lingyao. At this very close range, he could clearly sense the fragrant scent coming from Meng Lingyao’s body.
It was fragrant and soft. He even really wanted to pinch the little tuft of hair tied up on Lingyao’s head. Watching him, Qi Zhongjing’s heart was fluttering with ripples.
Upon reaching the floor and entering the office, Meng Lingyao took out two documents. “Prenuptial agreement. Although this is a transaction, I think it’s still necessary to make a declaration first.”
“Actually, there’s no need…” As Meng Lingyao’s gaze turned dangerous, as if scrutinizing the intent behind those words, Qi Zhongjing quickly changed his tone. The ripples in his heart ceased; he had been too giddy and had forgotten himself. “It indeed should be signed. You are well-prepared, Lingyao.”
“Then take a look. See if there are any clauses that need modifying.” Meng Lingyao stared at Qi Zhongjing with a fake smile.
He suspected whether Qi Zhongjing wanted to take this opportunity to annex the Meng Clan. All his roundabout behaviors revealed a sense of weirdness.
Meng Lingyao couldn’t help but indulge in conspiracy theories. After all, Qi Zhongjing’s recent actions were as if he were possessed; they weren’t behaviors a normal person would exhibit.
“No problem.” After flipping through the entire agreement where every clause was detailed, Qi Zhongjing scribbled his signature with a few flourishes.
Two copies, one for each.
Seeing the other party sign the agreement, the suspicion in Meng Lingyao’s heart dissipated a little.
“Now, President Qi and I need to handle some official business,” Meng Lingyao said to Qian Linhao.
“Understood.” Qian Linhao gave a professional, shallow smile, responding with instant understanding: “If there are urgent matters at the company, I will contact you in advance.”
His gaze landed on the massive yet “dog-like” President Qi next to the Young President, and his eyes carried an unspeakable emotion.
It was… hard to describe.
…
Qi Zhongjing drove the car, carrying the person he had desired for many years, happily driving toward the gates of happiness.
Today was a special day, and there were quite a few people at the Marriage Registration Office. However, being of their class, they had sent word ahead of time. Under special care, they took a special passage, finishing everything quietly without being discovered.
Qi Zhongjing had even considered having someone come to them to handle it, but unable to choose a perfect venue, they simply came here.
Only a few staff members knew. The process took less than ten minutes to complete.
“We voluntarily unite as husband and husband. From today onward, we shall jointly shoulder the responsibilities and obligations bestowed upon us by marriage… We will surely uphold today’s vows!”
During the oath, Meng Lingyao stood on the platform with that fellow Qi Zhongjing beside him, feeling somewhat dazed.
He clutched that red certificate, already stamped with the steel seal. Now he was married—married to someone he used to hate and still couldn’t bring himself to like.
He looked at the sky; the bright sunlight scattered like a golden veil across the ground.
He’s married just like that?
It seemed so.
A sense of unreality hit him, but as he blinked, he caught sight of Qi Zhongjing, whose mouth was curving upward as he desperately tried to control his expression to remain face-less.
Married. I have the certificate with my dear wife. Hehe.
Bubbling with happiness, he was super joyful.
Control, control. Must be more steady.
Yet the corners of his mouth couldn’t stop arching upward, and his whole being was soaked in an ocean of bliss.
Qi Zhongjing was holding it in so hard his mouth was twitching, looking quite distorted. It made Meng Lingyao’s teeth itch with annoyance. “The certificate is collected. Anything else?”
Coming back to his senses from the daze, Meng Lingyao quickly adjusted his mindset, tucked the red certificate away, and asked Qi Zhongjing.
Since it was a transaction, there had to be a spirit of contract. Although Meng Lingyao had a bad temper, his word was his bond.
“Nothing.” Qi Zhongjing wanted to slap his own mouth the moment he finished speaking; he had blurted it out too fast. “Actually, it’s not ‘nothing.’ Perhaps we could go together to…”
“Oh, since there’s nothing else, I’m heading back to the company.” Meng Lingyao responded lightning-fast, completely ignoring Qi Zhongjing’s reaction. He raised his hand and hailed a taxi. “I have things to do, so I won’t exchange more pleasantries with President Qi. I’m leaving first.”
Meng Lingyao slipped away so fast that Qi Zhongjing’s hand, which he had raised to stop him, was still in mid-air when the other was already stepping into the taxi.
The taxi sped off instantly, leaving only the rear of the car in Qi Zhongjing’s sight.
“…” Even the freshly steamed marriage certificate didn’t seem as sweet anymore. His dear wife had slipped away too fast, not even giving him a chance to react.
Meng Lingyao did it on purpose. Taking advantage of the fact that Qi Zhongjing hadn’t finished his sentence, he used a smooth set of movements to block all the other man’s words.
He truly was busy; he had several interviews scheduled for today.
“Why did you choose our company?”
“What do you consider to be your strengths?”
“Regarding the current situation of the Meng Clan, what measures do you have to improve it…”