Cen Zhen wished she could be more carefree, continuing as if nothing had happened.
But with her mind preoccupied, she couldn’t bring herself to say “continue.” Instead, she said, “Next time.”
That night, the two of them ultimately did not consummate their marriage.
Early the next morning.
When Cen Zhen woke up, the man beside her was already gone.
He had, however, left her a note:
【Breakfast is in the dining room. Eat it while it’s hot after you wake up. I need you to accompany me to the hospital at noon to visit my grandfather. Please cooperate.】
The tone was extremely formal.
Cen Zhen accepted it calmly.
After a quick wash, she grabbed the breakfast bag and headed to work like a beast of burden.
The jewelry company she currently worked for was owned by her so-called father, Zhao Dahai.
Logically, as a graduate of the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts with a degree in jewelry design, her future should have been bright and dazzling. There was no need for her to stoop to being an ordinary clerk in this small family company. However, her biased parents, in order to keep a closer watch on her, threatened to withhold her grandmother’s life-saving medication, forcing her to endure it.
As soon as she arrived at her department, her colleague Alice said, “Cen Zhen, Chairman Zhao wants you to go to his office as soon as you arrive.”
Cen Zhen instinctively frowned.
She really didn’t want to go.
But with several pairs of eyes watching her, she pursed her lips and eventually headed toward the elevator.
However, before she could even step into the elevator, whispers erupted from the administrative and human resources department behind her.
“An illegitimate daughter who can’t see the light of day, what’s she acting so high and mighty for!”
“She usually seems honest and well-behaved, but who knew she’d be so scheming? Miss Zhao just gave her a bit more reception work yesterday, and she went and complained. Now Chairman Zhao has to coax her.”
“With her being so formidable, how could Miss Zhao ever be a match for her?”
“Keep your voice down. If she hears you, be careful she reports you to Chairman Zhao.”
“…”
Ever since Cen Zhen’s first day at work, rumors about her being Zhao Dahai’s “illegitimate daughter” had been spreading.
She knew full well it was her dear sister who had started it.
But it didn’t hurt her in the slightest.
Taking the elevator all the way to the chairman’s office.
When Cen Zhen knocked and entered, Zhao Dahai was holding a celadon teacup, looking composed, gentle, and dignified as he sipped his tea.
But as soon as he looked up and saw her, the gentleness on his face vanished completely.
The moment she closed the door, he stood up abruptly, his face livid, pointing at her and roaring in a fit of rage.
“Cen Zhen, why did you hang up on me yesterday!?”
“I gave you life and raised you, and this is how you repay me?”
“Do you even see me as your father anymore!?”
Faced with his hysterical anger and accusations, Cen Zhen’s expression remained indifferent, not a ripple of emotion stirring in her eyes.
Only after he had finished shouting did she finally speak, her tone cold and detached. “I’m currently married. I suggest you save yourself the trouble of arranging blind dates for me.”
“Married?” Zhao Dahai’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Don’t think I’ll believe you just because you’re spouting nonsense!”
“Believe it or not, that’s the truth.”
This was the first time Zhao Dahai had seen Cen Zhen so assertive.
He simply took it as rebellion and threatened her as usual.
“If you keep opposing me like this, don’t think I won’t stop your grandmother’s medication and freeze all your bank cards!”
Her grandmother’s medication was indeed Cen Zhen’s weakness.
As for the so-called bank card he mentioned, with a monthly limit of five hundred yuan, freezing it was no big deal. At most, she could take on a part-time job on weekends.
Cen Zhen left the office.
She left with a carefree air.
Staring at her retreating figure, Zhao Dahai gritted his teeth, “That brat, no respect for elders, daring to be so insolent—I’ll make you pay!”
At noon, before Cen Zhen could even order takeout, she received a call from Jiang Feng.
“Madam, I’ve already arrived downstairs at your company.”
“Alright, I’ll be right there.”
After getting in the car and not seeing Fu Linyuan, she casually asked, “Where’s your boss?”
“President Fu went home to fetch lunch for Elder Wen.”
Elder Wen was Fu Linyuan’s maternal grandfather.
A retired former municipal party secretary of the provincial capital, he had dedicated decades to public service. During his tenure, he never amassed wealth nor engaged in favoritism, earning a sterling reputation. When Cen Zhen was young, she often heard her grandmother praise Elder Wen for his integrity.
Cen Zhen thought to herself, her nominal husband was quite filial.
But then, considering that the purpose of their marriage was to reassure the two elders at home, it seemed only natural.
Over ten minutes later, the car arrived at the hospital.
Cen Zhen met Fu Linyuan in the hospital lobby.
The man, dressed as he was yesterday in all black—shirt and trousers—with his collar buttoned meticulously, exuded an icy, elite aura.
Spotting him, Cen Zhen waved.
“Husband, over here!”
With that, she quickly walked up to him without the slightest hesitation, taking the initiative to loop her arm through his.
“Let’s go, we shouldn’t keep Grandpa and Grandma waiting.”
Fu Linyuan paused, glancing sideways at her.
Cen Zhen looked up, her expression open and sincere, her tone gentle.
“Our current status is husband and wife. A bit of appropriate intimacy in public helps reassure the elders. Surely you don’t want your grandfather questioning our relationship, right?”
But in the end, they were still questioned.
In the hospital room, after Fu Linyuan introduced Cen Zhen to his grandparents, both elders frowned.
“You were just dumped by Miss Lin a week ago, and today you’re married? Your grandfather hasn’t reached the point of senility yet!”
“Exactly, A Yuan, where did you find such a lovely actress to put on this show with you?”
These two were a retired former provincial disciplinary inspection committee secretary and a retired history professor, respectively.
Cen Zhen had expected them to be strict and formal, but to her surprise, they spoke with humor and insight, without a hint of pretension.
Seeing this, she relaxed considerably.
As the two elders glared at Fu Linyuan with reproachful eyes, she quickly pulled a small red booklet from her bag.
“Absolutely genuine!”
“Grandpa, Grandma, it was love at first sight with Fu Linyuan. After our blind date, I immediately dragged him off to the civil affairs bureau to get our marriage certificate.”
After she finished speaking, an eerie silence fell over the room.
Fu Linyuan rarely showed his emotions; even in the face of major events, his expression usually remained calm.
But now, a faint blush spread across his typically impassive face.
After a moment.
Liang Wanxiang asked skeptically, “Young lady, are you sure?”
Wen Qingcheng added, “Young lady, how much did he pay you to lie against your conscience?”
Things weren’t unfolding at all as she had anticipated. Cen Zhen blinked, somewhat bewildered.
Huh, how strange.
Was Fu Linyuan really that untrustworthy in front of his family?
After all, the two elders were highly respected figures in society. Under their piercing gazes, Cen Zhen felt slightly nervous. She moistened her dry lips, trying her best to appear sincere.
“Grandpa, Grandma, how could I possibly bow for mere material gain? Even if you don’t believe in love at first sight, you must believe in the official seal of the Civil Affairs Bureau. Fu Linyuan and I are genuine husband and wife, certified and true!”
Liang Wanxiang and Wen Qingcheng still harbored some doubts.
However, after feeling the raised and recessed imprints and carefully examining the red official seal, they ultimately came to believe it.
After all, such things couldn’t be forged.
Once convinced, the elderly couple asked, “Young lady, what do you see in our A-Yuan? How could you dare to have a flash marriage with him?”