“Dear passengers, the next stop is Yangcheng Baiyun Station. Passengers getting off at Yangcheng Baiyun Station, please prepare your luggage and personal belongings in advance and get ready to disembark…”
The announcement echoed through the carriage.
Song Kening immediately sprang up from her berth and looked at Lu Zhiyu.
“We’re here! We’re here! Get the things down from the rack!”
Lu Zhiyu sat up from his seat and rolled his stiff shoulders before reaching up and taking down the two remaining plastic bags containing their clothes.
The train slowly came to a stop.
When the doors opened, Yangcheng felt even more humid and sweltering than Huacheng.
Song Kening took a deep breath, feeling as though her lungs were filled with waves of hot, damp air.
She followed the crowd toward the exit, while Lu Zhiyu carried the plastic bags behind her.
There were countless people leaving the station—travelers dragging suitcases, people carrying large and small bags, parents holding children.
Everyone squeezed forward inch by inch.
Song Kening clutched the household registration booklet in her hand and moved along with the crowd.
Lu Zhiyu glanced at the signs.
They clearly weren’t heading toward the subway.
“Why aren’t we taking the subway?”
Song Kening turned around.
“The subway to Huangcun costs seven yuan. The bus costs two. That’s ten yuan saved between the two of us. We can use it to pay for our marriage certificate.”
Lu Zhiyu’s brows furrowed even deeper.
“Who said we’re—”
Before he could finish, Song Kening interrupted him.
“Come on, let’s get out of the station first!”
Once they were outside, Song Kening looked around before turning back to Lu Zhiyu.
“Come on. First we’ll replace my ID card and then get our marriage certificate.”
Lu Zhiyu stopped in his tracks.
He turned his head, his eyes falling on her face.
His voice was cold.
“Song Kening, I already told you. I’d rather stay single for the rest of my life than marry you.”
Song Kening froze.
Then she remembered.
Those were the exact words Lu Zhiyu had said to the vicious female supporting character in the original novel.
Her eyes rolled as she stepped closer and looked up at him.
“That was the Lu Zhiyu from before you went bankrupt.”
“You’re the down-and-out Lu Zhiyu now. Things are different.”
Lu Zhiyu: “…What’s different?”
“Of course it’s different!”
“First, living without money is enough to turn everyday life into complete chaos. So you need someone like me who’s good at saving money to turn that chaotic daily life into something peaceful and manageable. That way, you can focus on rebuilding your career!”
She paused and placed a hand over her stomach.
“Second, if we don’t get legally married, what are we going to do about the baby’s birth certificate? How will we register the baby?”
“Third, what if you suddenly run away? If I’m raising the child alone, what reason am I supposed to give the police when I report you?”
“Wouldn’t I become some poor unmarried woman who doesn’t even know who her child’s father is?”
Song Kening tilted her head back and continued talking confidently without stopping.
The sunlight fell across her face.
Her almond-shaped eyes were clear and bright, with slightly upturned corners.
She was discussing something extremely serious, yet somehow she looked adorably innocent.
Lu Zhiyu stared at her for several seconds.
Sure enough, she had an ulterior motive.
She had thought everything through so carefully—even the birth certificate, household registration, and what reason she’d give the police.
Lu Zhiyu lowered his eyes, hiding the darkness within them.
He wanted to see exactly what she was up to.
Song Kening saw that he wasn’t saying anything and assumed he was still hesitating.
She immediately stepped closer.
“Lu Zhiyu, aren’t domineering CEOs like you always signing all kinds of agreements?”
“How about this? We have a marriage of convenience for three years.”
Lu Zhiyu raised his eyes and looked at her.
Song Kening spoke seriously.
“Three years from now, you should have rebuilt your career and made a comeback.”
“If I still haven’t found a way home by then, you have to do everything you can to help me find my way back. Then I’ll divorce you, and I’ll take the child with me.”
Lu Zhiyu looked puzzled.
“Aren’t you an orphan?”
Song Kening froze.
An orphan?
In the original novel, the vicious female supporting character Song Kening was indeed an orphan who had grown up in an orphanage.
But she wasn’t the original Song Kening.
She had come into this world as herself.
She had a family.
Parents who loved her.
A newly built home.
An older brother who secretly slipped her spending money.
She wasn’t an orphan.
Song Kening lowered her eyes, looking somewhat aggrieved.
“Who said I’m an orphan? I just…lost myself.”
She wanted to go home.
But right now, she had no idea how to get back.
She didn’t know when she would ever see her parents again.
Lu Zhiyu looked at her.
Her eyelashes lowered, casting a small shadow over her eyelids.
Her expression was lonely, confused, and full of grievance.
He remembered the previous night on the train.
She had curled up on her berth, trembling as she cried and said,
“I just miss home.”
Lu Zhiyu’s gaze deepened.
He spoke quietly.
“Fine. I’ll have a marriage of convenience with you for three years.”
Song Kening suddenly looked up.
Her eyes lit up.
“Really?”
Lu Zhiyu hummed.
A huge smile immediately bloomed across Song Kening’s face.
She grabbed his arm.
“Then let’s go! We’ll replace my ID card first, then get our marriage certificate!”
The two found a police station near the train station.
There weren’t many people in the household registration hall.
Song Kening walked up to the counter with the household registration booklet and handed it over.
“Hello. I lost my ID card and need to get a replacement.”
The staff member took the booklet, flipped through it, then looked up at her.
“Is this household registration booklet yours?”
“Yes, it’s mine.”
The staff member checked the information again before handing her a form.
“Fill this out, then go next door to have your photo taken.”
Song Kening took the form and carefully filled it out at the nearby desk.
After finishing, she checked it again to make sure everything was correct before handing it back.
The staff member verified the information and handed her a receipt.
“Go take your photo. Afterward, pay the 20-yuan processing fee. You can come back and collect your ID card in fifteen working days with this receipt. You can also choose to have it mailed to you, but you’ll have to pay the postage yourself.”
Song Kening took the receipt and turned toward Lu Zhiyu.
He was standing by the entrance to the hall.
His white shirt looked particularly fresh and crisp in the air-conditioned room.
He leaned against the wall with his eyes lowered, seemingly lost in thought.
Song Kening walked over and tugged lightly on his sleeve.
“Come on. Let’s take the photo.”
The photo room was next door.
It had a simple white backdrop, a camera, and a chair.
Song Kening sat down and smiled at the camera.
“Don’t smile. This is an ID photo,” the photographer reminded her.
Song Kening immediately suppressed her smile and tried to look more serious.
After the photo was taken, she went over to look at the screen.
Her face in the photo was completely expressionless, her eyes wide and round.
She looked a little silly.
Lu Zhiyu was still standing by the doorway.
When she came out, his gaze swept toward her.
Song Kening tucked the receipt into the plastic bag and looked up at him.
“Let’s go. To the Civil Affairs Bureau.”
The Civil Affairs Bureau wasn’t far from the police station.
It took them only about ten minutes to walk there.
The two stood outside the building and looked at the white sign with red lettering:
Yangcheng Baiyun District Civil Affairs Bureau Marriage Registration Office.
Lu Zhiyu stared at the sign.
His footsteps stopped.
His face was cold, and it was obvious he didn’t want to go inside.
Song Kening had no choice but to grab his arm and pull him forward.
“What are you waiting for? Come on!”
There weren’t many people inside.
Several couples were sitting on the long benches waiting their turn, all wearing sweet smiles.
One couple was having their wedding photo taken.
The bride wore a white dress, while the groom wore a suit.
They smiled happily at the camera.
Song Kening glanced at them before looking away.
She walked up to the consultation desk.
“Hello, we’d like to register our marriage.”
The staff member handed them two forms.
“Fill these out. Do you have your ID cards and household registration booklets?”
Song Kening handed over the household registration booklet and pointed toward Lu Zhiyu.
“He has his ID card.”
Lu Zhiyu took his ID card from his pocket and handed it over.
The staff member looked at the documents, then at the two of them.
The woman was all smiles.
The man looked as though he’d been dragged into marriage against his will.
The staff member couldn’t help asking,
“Are you two doing this voluntarily?”
Song Kening hurriedly nodded.
“Voluntarily!”
The staff member didn’t ask anything else.
She returned their ID card and household registration booklet.
“Fill out the forms, then go over there for your photo. After that, wait for your number to be called.”
Song Kening took the forms and pulled Lu Zhiyu over to a nearby bench.
She handed one form to him and began filling out the other.
Name.
Gender.
Date of birth.
ID number.
Registered address…
She filled everything out carefully.
When she reached the section asking whether this was her first marriage, she checked Yes.
She glanced at Lu Zhiyu beside her.
He was filling out his form as well.
His fingers were long and slender, his knuckles distinct.
Even the way he held a pen looked elegant.
At the same first marriage section, he also checked Yes.
Song Kening quickly looked away and continued filling out her form.
Once they finished, the two went to have their wedding photo taken.
The photographer directed them into position.
“Groom, move a little to the left. Yes, just like that. Bride, move closer to the groom. A little closer… Good. Don’t move.”
Song Kening moved closer to Lu Zhiyu.
She caught a faint fragrance.
It wasn’t perfume.
It was the naturally clean, cool, woody scent of agarwood that seemed to belong to him.
“Look at the camera. Smile.”
She went over to look at the photo.
Lu Zhiyu still had that same cold expression.
Well…
It was actually not bad.
Back in the main hall, they went to the counter and handed over the forms, photos, ID cards, and household registration booklet.
The staff member checked everything carefully before looking up at them.
“Are both of you voluntarily entering into this marriage?”
“Yes.”
Song Kening nodded.
Lu Zhiyu was silent for a moment before giving a slight nod.
The staff member asked them several more questions.
Then she handed them two little red booklets.
“Sign here and leave your fingerprints.”
Song Kening took the pen and signed her name in the designated spot.
Afterward, she pressed her fingerprint onto the red ink pad.
The bright red ink stained her fingertip.
As she pressed it down, a strange feeling suddenly came over her.
Fill out a few forms.
Take a photo.
Sign your name.
Press a fingerprint.
And just like that…
she was married?
The staff member stamped the two red marriage certificates and handed them over.
“All done. Congratulations on your marriage.”
“Thank you!”
Song Kening accepted the marriage certificate and thanked her.