“Lin Wan, you spread the news that we’re getting married. How exactly do you plan to clean this up?”
Huo Xiao’s deep, dark eyes locked onto her. Lin Wan had the feeling that, in front of him, she would never be able to escape.
“I already got accepted into a job at the Huacheng Post Office. With a job, I won’t have to go to the countryside anymore.”
“Later I’ll just tell my mom and the others that we’re not suitable and that we’ve broken up.”
“Don’t worry—it won’t affect you!”
Huo Xiao curled his lips coldly.
“Comrade Lin Wan, breaking off an engagement also requires a reason.”
“I am an active-duty military officer.”
“Conduct matters very seriously. If someone reports me for suddenly breaking off the engagement without justification—accusing me of messing around with women and deceiving a young woman’s feelings—my career would be ruined.”
Lin Wan hadn’t considered that angle at all.
A wave of guilt surged up in her heart.
She hurriedly apologized.
“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry! I slipped and didn’t think it through—I’ve caused you trouble!”
“How about this, we’ll just say the breakup is my fault. I’m the one who thinks we’re not suitable, and I insist on calling it off.”
Huo Xiao lifted his eyelids slightly. His long lashes hid the faint darkness in his eyes.
“With my conditions, what reason could you possibly give for breaking up?”
“No matter how noble it sounds, it won’t stand.”
“Because dating without the intention of marriage is considered misconduct.”
“In that case, whatever reason others speculate will be enough to completely ruin your reputation.”
“And not only would your newly secured job be at risk, but if someone exaggerates and reports it, you could even be paraded through the streets.”
Lin Wan: “!!!!!”
Damn it.
She really hadn’t thought that far.
Not to mention outsiders—even the women in their residential compound would gossip:
With a man like Huo Xiao, she still wants to break off the engagement? She must have done something shameful.
Lin Wan wanted to slap herself.
Damn mouth.
Why did it always run wild?
She scratched her head until she was almost frustrated, but still couldn’t think of a solution.
Weakly, she asked:
“Then… then can we just get married?”
“And divorce afterward.”
“That would just be a family conflict—emotional incompatibility.”
“Then no one could say anything, and no one could use it against us.”
Huo Xiao let out a faint scoff and looked away toward the road ahead.
Lin Wan quickly clasped her hands together, pleading pitifully.
“I’m really sorry. I truly didn’t think my careless words would cause you trouble.”
“I know I was wrong, I’ll change!”
“Turning a single young man into a divorced one is my fault… I… I can compensate you financially, okay?”
She had money.
She had supplies.
She had ration coupons.
Even though she didn’t dare take them out in front of Huo Xiao, it was still her confidence.
“Once I start working, I’ll give you my entire salary!”
“For three years—how about that?”
She had already asked Sister Gao about it: apprentice postal workers earned 26 yuan a month, and after becoming regular employees it was 35 yuan.
The apprenticeship lasted two years.
One year of accompanied deliveries, the second year solo, then an evaluation for regular employment.
That meant 312 yuan per year during apprenticeship—624 yuan in total for two years. After that, 420 yuan a year.
Altogether, it came to 1,044 yuan.
A thousand yuan in this era was a huge sum of money.
But using it to “buy” Huo Xiao’s first marriage… it still felt like she might be the one taking advantage.
Seeing that he still didn’t speak, Lin Wan grew even more anxious. She slowly raised another finger.
“Or… f-four years?”
Her voice carried a reluctant, tearful softness.
Huo Xiao’s heart suddenly softened.
Even his tone unconsciously gentled, and the tapping of his fingers on the steering wheel slowed.
“I agree to the marriage.”
“But these next few years are a critical stage in my career. I cannot get divorced.”
“Let’s sign a three-year agreement.”
“Within three years after marriage, neither party is allowed to divorce for any reason, and both must cooperate to fulfill the social and family responsibilities of husband and wife.”
Lin Wan nodded like a chick pecking rice.
On this matter, she truly had no room to negotiate at all.
Huo Xiao continued, “My parents have relatively high expectations for my partner. My father listens to my mother. After we marry, she may make things difficult for you and your family because I married without her approval.”
“If that happens, you don’t need to be polite to her or my family.”
“Of course, if you can’t accept this, we don’t have to get married. But Comrade Lin Wan should come up with a better solution.”
Lin Wan couldn’t think of anything at all.
If Huo Xiao said so, then his mother must be extremely difficult to deal with.
She cautiously asked, “Really don’t need to be polite? Even if she’s your biological mother?”
Huo Xiao turned and met her gaze seriously.
“No need.”
For a moment, Lin Wan thought her brain must be malfunctioning—because she seemed to catch a flash of expectation in his eyes.
What the hell?
She must have misseen it.
“I was raised by my grandparents,” Huo Xiao added. “Besides my grandparents, you don’t need to care about anyone else. No need to be polite.”
“Of course, if there are difficult matters, push them onto me. I’ll handle them.”
Lin Wan quickly nodded. “I understand!”
“Publicly affectionate, privately mind our own business!”
The two reached an agreement.
Lin Wan took out a notebook and handwrote a marriage agreement. After a few minor suggestions from Huo Xiao, both of them signed and pressed their fingerprints.
Huo Xiao even kept her copy.
“I’ll hold onto it. If this thing gets leaked…”
Lin Wan quickly raised her hand. “I know, it would seriously affect your career prospects!”
“Also… weren’t you investigating me? Now that we’re getting married, you don’t suspect I’m a spy or bad element anymore?”
“Are you marrying me just to fish for information?”
Well, you won’t catch anything anyway.
But she didn’t want to be monitored either—how was she supposed to turn her supplies into cash if she was being watched?
Huo Xiao let out a light laugh.
“The organization has already investigated your situation and cleared it.”
Cleared of suspicion?
Lin Wan immediately became happy.
As she got off the car, she suddenly remembered something.
“I’m not going with the army!”
She had finally secured her job—she had to squeeze every last point out of the system before considering changing locations.
To track Xu Hui and Luo Yong’s movements, her points had already been nearly drained by the system.
Huo Xiao handed her the net bag with the lunch boxes before leaving the car.
“Alright.”
“This afternoon go to the neighborhood office to get your marriage certificate paperwork. Tomorrow morning I’ll pick you up to register the marriage.”
Lin Wan nodded while holding the net bag.
“Okay!”
Watching Huo Xiao drive away, she couldn’t quite describe her mood. She muttered to herself as she walked back.
“No wonder he didn’t care whether I ate or not…”
The corners of her lips lifted uncontrollably. She couldn’t suppress it even if she tried, and she started humming as she bounced upstairs:
“A beautiful jasmine flower…”
“You’re back, Xiaowan?”
“Oh my, you’re in such a good mood!”
“So many lunch boxes—what good thing happened?”
The neighbors gathered around.
Lin Wan smiled brightly. “I got a job!”
“A postal office job!”
The neighbors: “!!!!”
What the hell?!
A postal job!
Her?
Lin Wan got it?
The girl who used to fail exams with duck eggs could actually get a postal office job?