Perhaps it was because too many things had happened today, an inexplicable emotion welled up from the bottom of her heart. Her eyes grew slightly warm, and a mist formed before them.
Lu Jinshi’s expression stiffened, a crack appearing on his usually calm face. The man who remained unshaken even when Mount Tai collapsed before him was now panicking.
“I’m sorry. Maybe I’m being too hasty, but I genuinely want to take responsibility for you.”
His body tensed, hands clenched into fists. “Don’t cry.”
The moment the word “cry” left his mouth, Tang Wei’s tears fell with a soft “plop.”
Lu Jinshi was visibly flustered. “We can hold off on the marriage—”
“Marry.” Tang Wei’s voice was firm, carrying the spirit of someone walking to her death.
She wiped away her tears, her slightly reddened, tear-glazed eyes fixed on him. Her voice was still hoarse as she demanded angrily, “Are you going to back out?”
Wasn’t it just marriage?
Just getting a certificate—what was so hard about that?
For the child’s sake, she was willing.
After all, marriage had become optional to her anyway. She might as well give the child a legitimate status.
As for everything else, they could deal with it later.
Lu Jinshi was momentarily stunned, then shook his head.
He was the one who had proposed it, and it was something he had planned long ago. Why would he back out?
Tang Wei blinked, composed herself, and let out a soft breath. “But I still have one condition.”
Lu Jinshi: “Go ahead.”
“If we ever divorce in the future, I get custody of the child. Of course, I won’t stop you from visiting.”
Lu Jinshi’s eyes narrowed slightly, his dark gaze fixed deeply on her as he said in a low voice, “Marriage is serious. I won’t divorce.”
Marriage was not a game. Since he had decided to get the certificate, it was a lifelong commitment.
Abandoning his wife and child—he would never do something that compromised his morals.
Tang Wei didn’t believe him. “Life is unpredictable.”
Just a promise.
A hint of mockery surfaced on Tang Wei’s face. She had once believed in such things too…
It was just that promises were the cheapest thing in this world.
One second it was vows of eternal love, and the next second someone could turn their back and deny everything.
Even two people who had truly loved each other could get divorced, let alone the two of them who had no emotional foundation at all.
Right now, he wanted to take responsibility. But if he met someone he liked in the future and wanted a divorce, no one could say for sure.
Better to make things clear now. It was good for everyone, and they wouldn’t have to make an ugly scene when they parted ways.
Lu Jinshi frowned slightly, knowing she wouldn’t believe him. He could only go along with her words and nod. “I promise you.”
Tang Wei nodded, taking a light breath. Before she could relax, she heard his voice again.
“Let’s go.”
“Where?”
Tang Wei hadn’t fully recovered from what had just happened and asked instinctively.
Lu Jinshi raised an eyebrow casually. “To get the certificate. Isn’t it marriage?”
Given her attitude, he was afraid that if they waited another two days, she might change her mind again.
Tang Wei paused briefly. “Fine.”
Xu An waited at the door until he began to question his existence. He had already thought of countless ways to remedy the situation, and was just about to give up entirely when he finally saw the two of them return.
“Mr. Lu.” His tone carried a hint of caution, along with a fair amount of trepidation.
In his mind, he silently chanted that Lu Jinshi had already forgotten what happened earlier.
Commonly known as brainwashing himself.
Lu Jinshi stopped in his tracks and glanced at him. “Give me the car keys. Take the things you bought upstairs and let them know I won’t be coming up.”
Xu An looked at Lu Jinshi with confusion, handing over the car keys as he asked, “Where is Mr. Lu going?”
“To get the certificate.”
“Oh.”
Xu An nodded. So he was going to get a certificate. That made sense…
Wait!
A certificate?
His eyes widened like brass bells, and his gaze shifted to Tang Wei, bursting with unimaginable shock.
They had only talked for two minutes, and now they were getting a certificate?
Lu Jinshi, however, paid him no mind and left with Tang Wei.
Xu An couldn’t snap out of it for a long time. Even after their figures had disappeared from sight, he kept doubting whether he had heard correctly.
This… they were really getting a certificate?
With a whirlwind of emotions, Xu An went to buy the congee Song Shuhui wanted and returned to the hospital room.
Ning Qingshuang was chatting with Luo Shuhui. Seeing that Xu An had returned alone, she asked, “Where’s Jinshi?”
“Mr. Lu is…” Xu An hesitated, thinking that even the words he was about to say sounded utterly absurd.
“What’s wrong?” Ning Qingshuang gave a light hum, her delicate brows arching slightly.
As if she already knew the answer, her tone was calm and certain. “Off to work again.”
Song Shuhui also sighed. “Assistant Xu, you should persuade him to rest more often. He’s been working nonstop for a month. He finally came back and still won’t stop. The company won’t go bankrupt if he takes two days off.”
“No. Mr. Lu didn’t go to the company. He…”
Xu An took a deep breath. “He went to get a certificate.”
“…”
The room fell silent for a moment. What should have been a bombshell of news didn’t make a single splash. Not even a ripple.
Ning Qingshuang let out a speechless scoff. “The Best Model Worker Certificate?”
Xu An choked on his words, almost wanting to agree with her answer.
That certificate sounded more plausible.
Still, he reported truthfully, “It’s a marriage certificate.”
Ning Qingshuang cast a faint glance at Xu An, her eyes utterly unruffled. “Does he think I won’t scold him just because he uses that kind of excuse?”
A marriage certificate?
She had told him so many times to pay attention to his own marriage prospects, yet he remained unmoved.
And he could get a marriage certificate just by going out to buy something?
Was he messing with her?
Busy with work every day, having just returned from abroad this morning—who could he possibly find to get a marriage certificate with?
Did he go to the zoo and grab some random gorilla?
She let out a cold laugh and looked at Xu An. “You hear that? Do you believe it?”
“I…” Xu An was starting to lose confidence, nodding uncertainly. “I guess so.”
“Alright, you can leave too.” Ning Qingshuang let out a barely perceptible sigh and waved him off.
“You really came up with that flimsy excuse. If you’d said he was Qin Shi Huang, I might actually believe it a little more.”
Xu An: “…”
He nodded, offering no further explanation.
This kind of thing really was hard to believe.
If he hadn’t been waiting downstairs himself, he probably wouldn’t have believed it even if it killed him.
Anyway, he’d already said his piece—the rest was up to President Lu to explain to them personally.
In the car, Lu Jinshi asked for Tang Wei’s address and drove toward her place.
After getting the household register, Tang Wei hesitated again at the moment she was about to close the door. She bit her lip. “Maybe we shouldn’t get married after all.”
Lu Jinshi looked down at her, his gaze deep and dark, as if trying to see into her innermost thoughts.
Tang Wei clutched the household register and gave a bitter smile. “I’m not as simple as you think. Marrying me might bring you trouble, and I don’t want to drag you into it.”
She had only just been forced to close her studio by Qi Yanzhi today. If he found out she’d gotten a marriage certificate with Lu Jinshi, he would probably go out of his way to target him.
Agreeing to marry him just now had been partly impulsive. Now that she thought about it, it really wasn’t a good idea.