"Xia Yuan…" Ying Sitong was so angry she couldn't speak.
She was still a pure and kind Blood Clan member, completely no match for these dirty, despicable humans.
Wait.
"Are you stupid?" Ying Sitong looked at Xia Yuan in disbelief. "If you send such an email to your friend, won't she know our secret?"
"Don't worry," Xia Yuan continued explaining. "I've already hired a lawyer. She can only get the file password if I die an unnatural death. I sent it to my friend through encrypted files."
"…"
Ying Sitong froze for a moment.
"My god, Xia Yuan, are you even human?" She shook her head, never expecting this piece of garbage had thought so many steps ahead. "And here I trusted you so much. This is a ticking time bomb, you know? If I die, you'll die too."
"Sorry, this is just self-preservation for the weak," Xia Yuan shrugged. "You can choose to sign the other one instead."
He took out another contract and placed it before Ying Sitong:
Termination of Contract—
From now on, no contact whatsoever. Even if we happen to meet, pretend not to know each other. Neither party may interfere with the other's work or life, nor enter each other's lives.
Of course, as repayment for saving his life, Ying Sitong could choose material compensation from Xia Yuan—he would give her all his possessions.
Otherwise, Xia Yuan would still make the email public, and they'd both go down together.
"Fine, I'll sign."
Furious and flustered, Ying Sitong picked up a pen and wrote her name on one of the contracts.
It was the prenuptial agreement.
…
That afternoon, the two went to the civil affairs bureau to get their marriage certificate.
To avoid sunlight, Ying Sitong bundled up tightly, wearing not only a hood and sunglasses but also carrying a parasol the entire time.
Their marriage photo looked bizarre:
Xia Yuan wore a white shirt, his expression serious.
Ying Sitong wore a black long-sleeved blouse, her face twisted in agony.
Both lacked color in their cheeks, their skin pale.
Fortunately, the civil affairs bureau was efficient. That day, only they were there to get married—the other 28 couples were all there for divorce.
So the staff processed them quickly.
They successfully obtained their marriage certificates.
Two little red booklets were placed inside a wooden box.
"Oh my god," Ying Sitong picked up the red booklet, examining it repeatedly, quite dissatisfied with the photographer's skills. "I don't look like this at all, okay? You could've at least photoshopped some blush or lip color on me. Looking at this, those who know think it's a wedding photo; those who don't would think it's a memorial portrait."
Xia Yuan shot her an annoyed glance.
Just be grateful.
"This is just a formality anyway."
He snatched the booklet back from Ying Sitong's hands and carefully placed it in the small box.
"Ah, my heart aches."
Ying Sitong clutched her chest in pain. "I actually gave my first time to a man like this."
"Don't say nonsense, we're completely innocent, okay?" Xia Yuan rolled his eyes.
"But from now on, I'm a married woman."
"As if you're the only one at a disadvantage. Didn't I become a married young husband too?"
"Reputation-wise, women clearly suffer more!"
"Now it's about gender equality," Xia Yuan responded to her. "Besides, you could have chosen to sign a different agreement back then."
"No way."
Ying Sitong gently touched her flat stomach.
"A world without delicious food is even more terrifying than marriage."
Your train of thought is really something…
…
After obtaining the marriage certificate, the two became legally protected formal spouses.
However, there were still some important matters to attend to—
For example, the 【wedding ceremony】.
Marriage might seem like a matter between two people, but in reality, it isn't just about the two of them.
Because humans are social animals, they have their own social circles.
In fact, marriage is a matter between two families.
Fortunately, Ying Sitong's social network was very simple—
She grew up in an orphanage, had no relatives, had just been fired from the hospital, and had no colleagues, relatives, or friends…
Xia Yuan was starting to feel a bit sorry for her.
"How lonely has your life been?"
"No choice," Ying Sitong said. "What can I do? I'm a Blood Clan. The Blood Clan Code states that we must seek advantages and avoid harm, which ultimately leads to being all alone, doesn't it?"
"Alright, that's actually good." Xia Yuan nodded. "At least it saves us a lot of trouble now. So, the rest is on my side."
Xia Yuan had no parents, but there was someone very dear to him—
He had an aunt, his mother's younger sister, who was five years older than him, named Zhang Shiting.
Since his parents passed away, it was this aunt who had been taking care of him.
So, while he might not need to tell anyone else in the world, he couldn't not tell his aunt.
"My aunt is very suspicious. Before we inform her, we'd better rehearse a few times and get our stories straight to avoid any mistakes."
"Mm." Ying Sitong indicated she would cooperate actively; she didn't want to expose herself either.
"If my aunt gives you a red envelope," Xia Yuan said.
"What about it?"
Hearing the words "red envelope," Ying Sitong immediately perked up.
"After you receive it, remember to transfer it back to me."
"Why should I?"
"Have you forgotten what our agreed rules say?" Xia Yuan reminded her. "Do not interfere with each other's work and life."
"This is for me!" Ying Sitong couldn't hold back her anger. "Have you forgotten what Rule Six says?
Do not arbitrarily harm the other party's interests or cause physical harm. When there is a possibility of such consequences, the other party's opinion and consent must be sought."
"…"
"This interest is for me and my future real wife. If you take it, you're harming my interests."
"Right now, it's for me," Ying Sitong stubbornly insisted. "So giving it to you would harm my interests."
Xia Yuan opened his mouth but couldn't find the words.
These six rules seemed quite rigorous at first, but who would have thought they'd be broken so quickly?
"Fine, let's split it fifty-fifty," Xia Yuan said.
"Money-grubber." Ying Sitong glared at him in annoyance.
But having something was better than nothing, so Ying Sitong could reluctantly accept it.
"Just mentioning red envelopes makes me angry."
"Do you know how many red envelopes I've given out?" Ying Sitong said with a worried and indignant expression. "After being fired, can I still invite those colleagues who received my gift money to our wedding banquet?"
"What do you think?"
…