The landlady watched the two of them successfully walk into the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Just then, a man in a neatly tailored suit emerged from the photo studio’s developing room.
The refined-looking man adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses with his slender fingers.
Standing at the studio entrance, he followed his wife’s gaze and said helplessly,
“Aren’t you worried Wenqian will be angry with you for practically selling him off like that?”
Qin Wenying tugged at her floral dress, looking completely confident.
“Of course not. You didn’t see the way he looked at that young lady just now. His eyes lit up by eight hundred watts! Exactly the same as when you first looked at me. He probably already knew her.”
Thinking back to their first meeting, Si Chongguang awkwardly rubbed his nose.
“If your family’s old general finds out about this, he’ll probably oppose it.”
Qin Wenying raised an eyebrow.
“It won’t matter if he does. I’m living proof of that.”
“You always said I wasn’t cut out to be a matchmaker. Well, didn’t I just make a successful match? Let’s close the shop early today and go home. We need to celebrate my idiot little brother, who’s been single since birth, finally finding someone!”
Outside the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Everything had gone so smoothly that Lin Qimo was beginning to suspect Heaven had opened a back door for her because it knew she was poor.
The photo studio owner had declared that since they were newlyweds, the wedding photos would be her gift to them free of charge.
The staff at the Civil Affairs Bureau had said that because she and Qin Wenqian were entering a military marriage, they didn’t have to pay the certificate fee; the military would cover it.
So after the entire process, she hadn’t spent a single cent.
Instead, she had somehow gained a husband for free.
On the surface, it sounded like she had come out ahead.
In reality, she only had forty-five yuan left to her name.
Even now, Qin Wenqian showed no sign of objecting to any of this. His obedience was something Lin Qimo still couldn’t get used to.
She looked at him in disbelief.
“You really put your name into my household registration book. I’m not dreaming, am I?”
Qin Wenqian looked at her and answered firmly,
“No.”
“We really got married? This certificate isn’t fake?”
“No.”
“Is it because I’m too beautiful, or because you happen to like people with interesting souls like me?”
Qin Wenqian paused briefly before replying gently,
“I just happen to like people with interesting souls like you.”
Having been sweet-talked, Lin Qimo happily accepted the answer.
She didn’t care.
As long as she had successfully tricked her way into obtaining the marriage certificate, that was enough.
“So where are we going now?”
Qin Wenqian’s voice remained gentle.
“Shouldn’t I be going home with you?”
Caught off guard by the question, Lin Qimo suddenly felt guilty and lowered her voice.
“My house is a little rundown. I’m afraid you won’t be used to it.”
But in Qin Wenqian’s eyes, her reaction seemed to mean something else.
“You don’t intend to just get the certificate and not take me home, do you?”
Exposed, Lin Qimo immediately shook her head.
“Of course not.”
She smiled.
“I’m just worried you won’t be comfortable. Besides, my home is in a remote village. At this hour there aren’t any tickets left. We’d have to wait until tomorrow. Why don’t we find an inn and stay there for the night first?”
Hearing that, Qin Wenqian suddenly thought of something.
His ears instantly turned bright red.
He didn’t answer.
Meanwhile, Lin Qimo remained completely calm, not realizing there was anything inappropriate about what she’d said.
Qin Wenqian was three years older than her and had already become an officer in the military at a young age.
As for what rank he held or how important his position was, she had no idea.
“Once I return and get my marriage leave approved, should we choose an auspicious date and hold the wedding banquet?”
The sudden suggestion completely stunned Lin Qimo.
Am I imagining things?
Why does it feel like Qin Wenqian can’t wait to marry me properly, as though he’s desperate for official recognition?
Thinking about the situation back home, Lin Qimo wished she could hold the wedding immediately.
“You’re right. As soon as we get back to the village, we’ll hold the wedding. We’ll make it a grand celebration.”
The moment Qin Wenqian heard those words, all the coldness in his eyes melted away.
Lowering his gaze, he silently studied Lin Qimo.
At the same time, his thumb slowly rubbed over the marriage certificate in his hand, the motion so gentle that it seemed as though he were caressing a beloved treasure.
Lin Qimo never noticed this strange behavior.
Her mind was occupied with her own calculations, planning what she would do after returning to the village.
This time, my life will remain firmly in my own hands.
It’s not too late to settle the debts from my previous life in this one.
Just wait.
She silently vowed to herself.
If only she had looked up at Qin Wenqian for a moment, she would have seen just how deep, restrained, and affectionate his gaze toward her truly was.