Li Yang froze for a moment.
“Then…” She paused. “Then that’s fine.”
Xie Zongxu looked at her expression, and that faint curve at the corner of his lips appeared again.
This time it was more pronounced than before, and there was a trace of warmth in his eyes.
He said: “Miss Li, do you know that what you just said sounds very much like you’re leaving yourself a way out?”
Having her thoughts exposed, Li Yang felt a little embarrassed.
“So what?”
She lifted her chin stubbornly.
“Is it wrong to leave myself a way out? I’m only twenty-one years old. I can’t just muddle through and gamble away the rest of my life.”
Xie Zongxu said nothing and simply looked at her.
The stubbornness in her eyes, the way she was obviously guilty yet pretending to remain calm, did not escape his notice.
A few seconds later, he suddenly laughed.
This time, he truly laughed. The corners of his lips lifted noticeably, and amusement appeared in his eyes.
Li Yang was stunned.
During the days she had known Xie Zongxu, she had seen him indifferent, distant, and polite.
But she had never seen him smile.
So this was what he looked like when he smiled.
He looked much better than when he did not.
“Miss Li.”
Xie Zongxu suppressed his smile, though a trace of warmth still lingered in his voice.
“I accept your proposal.”
Li Yang blinked.
“Really?”
“Really.”
Xie Zongxu turned around and walked toward the door again.
This time, his hand rested on the doorknob, but he did not push it open immediately. Instead, he glanced back at her.
“But I have one condition.”
Li Yang’s heart tightened.
“What condition?”
“Before going to Singapore, we’ll get the marriage certificate.”
Li Yang froze.
“Get… get the marriage certificate?”
Even her voice changed pitch.
Xie Zongxu looked at her reaction and spoke unhurriedly.
“Miss Li, if we’re trying out a marriage, then without a marriage certificate, how can it be called a trial marriage?”
Li Yang felt as though her brain could not keep up.
“But… shouldn’t a trial marriage mean trying it first and getting the certificate afterward if it works out?”
Xie Zongxu slightly raised an eyebrow.
“That’s how ordinary people do trial marriages.”
“…”
He took a step forward, drawing closer to her.
“Do you think people can be allowed to know that the Xie Family and the Li Family are trying out a marriage?”
Li Yang was rendered speechless.
She had spent the entire previous night thinking about how to persuade Xie Zongxu, how to go to Singapore, and how to spend those seven days.
She had never considered this issue.
That was right.
The marriage alliance between the Xie Family and the Li Family was being watched by all of Capital City.
If people found out that she was going to Singapore with Xie Zongxu for a “trial marriage” without obtaining a marriage certificate, what would that look like?
Xie Zongxu continued calmly.
“The engagement in a month is for outsiders to see. We don’t need to go through that formality ourselves.”
Li Yang looked at him.
“So what you’re saying is…”
Xie Zongxu enunciated every word.
“What I’m saying is that if we’re going to try, then we should do it seriously. Get the marriage certificate, become Mrs. Xie, go to Singapore with me, and live as a real married couple for seven days.”
The tips of Li Yang’s ears began burning again.
A real married life.
Instinctively, she wanted to retreat, but her feet felt rooted to the ground.
Xie Zongxu looked at her.
“If it works out, then we continue. A month later, we’ll get engaged, and everything will proceed according to plan. If it doesn’t work out…”
He paused.
“Then we’ll divorce.”
Li Yang’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Then we’ll divorce.
He said it so casually, as though divorce were as simple as eating or drinking water.
Xie Zongxu looked at her.
“Miss Li, what do you think?”
Outside the window, another airplane took off. The distant roar drifted over, muffled and low.
Li Yang lowered her eyes, her eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath them.
Get the marriage certificate.
Live in the same room.
Sleep in the same bed.
Seven days.
If it did not work out after seven days, they would divorce.
It sounded as though it was not entirely unacceptable.
After all, she had wanted to try.
To see whether she could accept this marriage.
To see what kind of person Xie Zongxu really was.
Getting the marriage certificate would make everything more real.
There would be no acting.
No pretending.
Just genuinely living as husband and wife for seven days.
If it did not work out, then they would divorce.
She raised her head and met his gaze.
“Okay.”
…
An hour later, in the corridor of the Civil Affairs Bureau Marriage Registration Office, Li Yang held her identification card in her hand.
When she had left home that morning, she had told her family she was going on a trip.
Only now, standing there, did she belatedly realize what she was doing.
Getting married.
To a man she had known for less than a week.
Xie Zongxu stood beside her, his suit immaculate and his expression calm.
Meanwhile, his secretary, Zhao Yan, stood behind him carrying a kraft paper bag, wearing a standard professional smile and occasionally checking his watch.
“Mr. Xie, the appointment is at nine-thirty. Five minutes left.”
Xie Zongxu nodded and turned to look at Li Yang.
Before coming here, she had changed into a light pink blouse and white trousers. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, revealing her fair forehead.
Compared to the lazy, alluring appearance she had in the lounge earlier, she now looked much more fresh and youthful.
“Nervous?”
he asked.
Li Yang pressed her lips together without answering.
Seeing her like this, Xie Zongxu’s lips curved slightly upward.
“It’s not too late to back out.”
Li Yang raised her head and met his gaze.
Suddenly, she was no longer nervous.
“I won’t back out.”
Her voice was steadier than she had imagined.
A trace of surprise flashed through Xie Zongxu’s eyes before disappearing.
“Then let’s go in.”
The registration office staff had obviously been informed in advance. The moment they entered, they stood up to greet them, smiling with perfect professionalism.
“Mr. Xie, Mrs. Xie, this way please.”
Mrs. Xie.
Hearing that title, something stirred faintly in Li Yang’s heart.
Filling out forms.
Taking photographs.
Signing documents.
Providing fingerprints.
The entire process went smoothly and so quickly that before she could fully process it, they had already reached the photography session.
The photographer was a middle-aged man in his forties.
Looking through the camera lens at the two of them, he frowned slightly.
“Could you sit a little closer together?”
Li Yang froze briefly and instinctively moved closer to Xie Zongxu.
The photographer was still dissatisfied.
“A little closer. Shoulder to shoulder. Yes, just like that.”
Xie Zongxu shifted slightly toward her, his shoulder gently pressing against hers.
Separated by layers of fabric, she could still feel his body heat and that familiar sandalwood scent.
Exactly the same as that night.
The tips of her ears began burning once more.
“Smile. Relax a little.” the photographer instructed.
Li Yang forced a smile, certain it looked fake.
But the shutter had already clicked.
“Perfect. Please wait a moment. The photos will be ready shortly.”
While waiting, Zhao Yan walked over to Xie Zongxu and quietly said a few things.
Xie Zongxu nodded, his expression unchanged.
Seated in her chair, Li Yang looked at the wedding photographs hanging on the wall.
Every couple smiled brightly at the camera.
A strange feeling suddenly rose within her.
She was married.
To a stranger.
Yet oddly enough, she did not feel afraid.
The photographs were quickly developed, attached to the red marriage certificates, and stamped with the official seal.
The staff member handed the two red booklets to them and said with a smile,
“Congratulations to both of you. May you enjoy a long and happy marriage and remain united forever.”
Xie Zongxu accepted them and thanked the staff member.
Then he handed one of the certificates to Li Yang.
She accepted it and lowered her head to look at the photograph inside.
In the picture, she and Xie Zongxu sat side by side, shoulder touching shoulder.
She was smiling awkwardly, while a faint smile curved his lips, a trace of amusement visible in his eyes.
They truly looked like a newlywed couple.
When they walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, Zhao Yan was already waiting at the entrance.
Seeing them emerge, he stepped forward.
The kraft paper bag was still in his hand.
“Mr. Xie, everything has been taken care of. The Civil Affairs Bureau staff have all signed confidentiality agreements as well, ensuring that neither your affairs nor Madam’s will be leaked.”