After briefly greeting her parents downstairs, Su Zhaotang hurried out of the villa.
Zhou Lingjing leaned against the car, watching her walk out of the house. She wore a simple, fitted white dress, her makeup was exquisite, and her hair gently brushed her shoulders, looking very natural and comfortable.
On her feet were a pair of flat shoes, making her appear even more petite and adorable.
When she reached him, Zhou Lingjing slowly asked, “Did you bring everything?”
“Mm-hmm, everything’s here,” Su Zhaotang replied, looking at him obediently.
His heart stirred, and he couldn’t help but reach out to touch her head, gently stroking it.
Seeming to realize his behavior was a bit unusual, Zhou Lingjing lowered his hand, covering his lips as he gave a light cough, then quickly said, “Get in the car, let’s go now.”
With that, he stepped into the car.
Su Zhaotang hadn’t even recovered from the head pat when she saw his tall figure already seated in the driver’s seat.
“What’s with him?” she muttered, pouting.
The car soon arrived at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau, and the two entered one after the other.
Since it was a weekday, there weren’t many people at the bureau.
They went through the steps one by one, and in less than half an hour, two brand-new marriage certificates were in their hands.
Su Zhaotang opened hers to look. In the photo, she was smiling, her eyes bright and lively. The man beside her, captured by the camera’s raw lens, was unaffected in his outstanding appearance—his handsome features were as finely carved as a sculpture.
Who would have thought her first photo with Zhou Lingjing would be on a marriage certificate? Su Zhaotang sighed inwardly, but…
“It turned out pretty nice,” she commented softly, looking down at the photo.
Just as she was still admiring the picture, the two little red booklets in her hand were snatched away.
“Let’s go, you can look at it properly when we get home,” Zhou Lingjing said, quite naturally draping an arm around Su Zhaotang’s shoulders as he led her out.
Once they were back in the car, Zhou Lingjing placed the marriage certificates in Su Zhaotang’s lap, his eyebrows slightly raised as he teased, “Now you can admire them slowly.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he reverted to his usual cool and dignified demeanor. His long, strong hands gripped the steering wheel as he focused intently and calmly on driving.
Su Zhaotang looked at the marriage certificates in her hands and stole a glance at the man beside her. Seeing that he wasn’t looking her way, she quickly picked up her phone and opened the camera. The click of the shutter sounded especially abrupt in the quiet car.
Guiltily, she slowly turned her head to look at him. Seeing that Zhou Lingjing hadn’t reacted, she breathed a sigh of relief. The atmosphere was subtly awkward.
“Do you want to have lunch with me?” a low, slightly hoarse voice asked.
“Sure, I’m free today,” Su Zhaotang replied cheerfully.
Zhou Lingjing glanced sideways at her, only to see her head bowed, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders, her hands busy fiddling with her phone.
In reality, Su Zhaotang was texting her best friend, Zhao Xi.
Tang Xiaotang: I have something to tell you. Don’t be shocked.
Zhao Xi replied instantly.
Xixizi: ?
Tang Xiaotang: I got married, hehe.
Xixizi: ?! Who? You? You got married?!
Tang Xiaotang: Yep, fresh out of the oven marriage certificate, she sent the photo over immediately.
Shortly after, a voice message over twenty seconds long came through on WeChat.
Su Zhaotang habitually tapped to play it, only to be startled by a piercing scream of ahhhhhhh in her ear. She quickly paused it.
“Sorry about that,” she apologized.
Zhou Lingjing’s brows furrowed slightly, but he didn’t speak.
She converted the voice message to text:
[Ahhhhhhhhhhh, you got married! And it’s actually with Zhou Lingjing! You’re so sneaky—were you secretly dating him behind my back? Ahhhhh, Su Zhaotang, how are you so lucky? This is Zhou Lingjing we’re talking about! The man countless women in the capital can’t even get close to actually married you, wuwuwuwu…]
Even through the screen, Zhao Xi’s shock and frenzy were palpable.
Tang Xiaotang: [Calm down a bit, okay? Your voice message nearly made me die of embarrassment!]
Xi Xi Zi: [Who wouldn’t be excited, Missy? You just returned to the country and quietly got your marriage certificate without a word. You two are moving at lightning speed! Could it be… a shotgun wedding?]
Seeing Zhao Xi’s wild imagination at work, Su Zhaotang rolled her eyes inwardly. If this conversation continued, things would spiral out of control.
[What nonsense are you thinking? I’m still a girl! A girl! I’ll explain everything next time we go out. I’ve got to go now—I’m still in his car.]
Xi Xi Zi: [Got it, got it. I won’t disturb your little love nest. Your humble servant shall retreat now!] She even added a sticker of someone fleeing at the speed of light.
Looking at Zhao Xi’s hysterical messages, Su Zhaotang couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Her laughter caught the attention of Zhou Lingjing, who had been quietly observing. He asked softly, “What’s so funny?”
Hearing this, Su Zhaotang shook her head and looked at him with an innocent expression. “Nothing, really. Just focus on driving.”
With that, she turned her head to gaze out the window, leaving only the back of her round, fluffy head facing him.
After a while, as she stared at the scenery outside, Su Zhaotang realized something: the road they were on seemed to be heading toward the central business district’s office buildings.
With a puzzled expression, she asked, “Aren’t we going to eat?”
“I have a meeting at ten-thirty. You can wait for me in my office for a bit, okay?” Zhou Lingjing explained gently.
“Alright, then,” Su Zhaotang replied slowly and lazily.
When they parked the car and appeared together at the company’s front entrance, the receptionists greeted them with their usual professional smiles. “Good morning, Mr. Zhou.”
Zhou Lingjing gave a slight nod, his expression calm as he took Su Zhaotang’s hand and led her toward the elevator.
Su Zhaotang, suddenly held by his hand, felt her cheeks flush. In her over twenty years of life, this was the first time a man other than her father or younger brother had held her hand.
For a moment, she was too stunned to react and simply followed him in a daze.
On the surface, the two receptionists maintained their professional smiles, but inside, they were screaming! Their Mr. Zhou had never personally brought a woman to the company before—and such an exquisitely beautiful one at that!
Her little white dress resembled a blooming flower, hugging her slender figure and accentuating her graceful curves. Delicate embroidery adorned the dress, adding a touch of sweetness and romance.
Though she wore a pair of sunglasses, her elegant jawline and delicate, upturned nose couldn’t hide her beauty.
She followed Zhou Lingjing obediently, her hand in his. Since she wore flat shoes, the height difference between them was even more pronounced—one tall and handsome, the other charming and adorable. They looked perfectly matched!
One of the receptionists secretly snapped a photo of them holding hands and sent it to the company’s internal employee group chat. The group immediately exploded.
[? Don’t tell me that’s our CEO.]
[No way, when did Mr. Zhou start dating? Wuwuwu… my chances are completely gone now.]
“Wake up, sis, even if he wasn’t dating, you’d still have no chance.”
Someone immediately replied below, truly, adding insult to injury.
“Ahhhh why didn’t I get to witness this historic moment with my own eyes?”
“This back view looks so perfectly matched, how can they be so sweet?”
One of the receptionists replied:
“Not just sweet, but that girl is incredibly, unbelievably beautiful! Her looks are completely on par with our top celebrities, I’m totally obsessed.”
“Just wait, everyone, when Mr. Zhou reaches the executive office, I’ll see if I can sneak a photo of her face.”
“Sis!! I’m counting on you!!”
“+1”
“111”
With a “ding,” the top floor arrived. Zhou Lingjing, holding Su Zhaotang’s small hand, stepped out of the elevator.