Chapter 2

Lu Xi was trembling all over, her heart pounding wildly with fear. Che Nan, however, held her tightly and tried to pull her toward the bed. His breathing had grown heavier. “Xixi, I’ve liked you for years.” “Don’t do this. Think about my sister. Think about Guoguo. Think about your job. You just got promoted.” Lu Xi was frantic, her voice trembling as she desperately tried to push him away. But Che Nan did not budge, while she became so anxious that she broke out in a cold sweat. It was the middle of summer, yet Lu Xi felt as though someone had poured cold water over her. Her entire body turned icy cold. Unable to control his emotions, Che Nan said, “Don’t worry, Xixi. Our relationship won’t change. The three of us can live together.” Boom! It felt as though Lu Xi had been struck by five bolts of lightning. She could hardly believe what she had just heard! Live together? The three of them?! Before Lu Xi could recover from the shock, she suddenly fell backward, and Che Nan’s body came crashing down on top of her. “Che Nan!” Lu Xi screamed. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes. She was terrified. Che Nan hurriedly said, “Be good, Xixi. I’ll be gentle.” Lu Xi struggled desperately, screaming at the top of her lungs, “Help me!” Che Nan laughed. “Xixi, your sister is at the hospital.” But at that very moment, Lu Yao’s voice came from outside the door. “Xixi, are you home?” Che Nan was startled. Lu Xi, however, felt as though she had suddenly grabbed hold of a lifeline and screamed desperately, “Sis, save me!” Che Nan covered her mouth and lowered his voice as he coaxed her. “Lu Xi, you know how much your sister loves me. Don’t do anything unnecessary.” Lu Xi’s entire body turned cold. By then, Lu Yao had already walked over and pushed the door open. Seeing her husband, Lu Yao smiled. “A-Nan, you’re back?” Che Nan had already straightened his clothes. He smiled helplessly. “Yeah. You looked so exhausted yesterday, so I took the day off today.” Lu Yao scolded him lightly. “What were you thinking, coming into Xixi’s room? Aren’t you afraid people will gossip? Xixi isn’t a little girl anymore. She should be looking for a boyfriend soon. Be more careful from now on.” Che Nan sighed. “I bought you a jasmine milk tea, but Xixi threw a little tantrum and insisted on having it. I only came over to take it back.” Lu Yao could not help laughing. “It’s just a cup of milk tea. If Xixi likes it, just give it to her. Do you really have to make such a fuss?” Che Nan kissed Lu Yao’s cheek. “If Xixi likes it, I’ll give it to her. But what if Xixi likes me? Would you give me to her too?” Lu Yao froze for a moment before playfully scolding him, “Stop talking nonsense. One of my coworkers wants to introduce someone to her.” Che Nan pouted and handed the milk tea to his wife. “Is he reliable? If he isn’t, you absolutely cannot introduce him to Xixi.” “We’d rather have no one than settle for the wrong person. If she can’t find someone as good as me, then let Xixi stay single. I can support you for the rest of your life. Supporting Xixi too wouldn’t be a problem.” Lu Yao was deeply touched. “A-Nan, meeting you is the greatest happiness of my life.” Che Nan tightened his arms around Lu Yao. “What are you saying? You’re the happiness of my entire life.” Lu Xi kept her lips tightly pressed together without saying a word. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to explain. She simply had no evidence. Che Nan was too good at pretending. Her sister trusted her brother-in-law completely. If Lu Xi spoke up now, Che Nan would only turn the tables and accuse her instead. “Sis, you two should go out first,” Lu Xi said, urging them to leave. Lu Yao assumed her younger sister was simply embarrassed because of the milk tea and affectionately said, “Alright, alright, we’re going.” Before leaving, she still left the milk tea behind because her sister liked it. As soon as they left, Lu Xi immediately dug out the household registration booklet and hurried out of the house. Marriage was, after all, a major decision. Lu Xi hesitated too, but she had just graduated and did not have the means to rent a place of her own. Marriage was a way out. After their parents remarried, neither of them wanted to take responsibility for Lu Xi and her sister. Lu Xi had been raised by her older sister since childhood. When her sister got married, she did not ask for a bride price. She had only one condition: Lu Xi had to marry into the Che family with her. Over the years, setting everything else aside, her brother-in-law had treated her sister well. So Lu Xi did not want to make things difficult for her sister. Lu Xi decided to get married and earn as much money as possible. She wanted to support her sister and give her a better life. Lu Xi gave herself three hours. Only after making sure she wasn’t acting on a momentary impulse did she call “Jiang Yizhou.” The call connected, and a man’s deep, magnetic voice came from the other end. “Who is this?” Lu Xi swallowed nervously and gathered her courage. “Mr. Jiang, this is Lu Xi. I’ve thought it through, and I agree to the marriage. Are you free right now?” Fu Nanzhou glanced at the dozens of senior executives in the conference room. His thick eyebrows rose slightly. “Right now?” “Mm, right now. I’m in a bit of a hurry.” Fu Nanzhou could not help letting out a low chuckle. This little girl was rather adorable. All the executives in the room widened their eyes in disbelief. Their CEO had actually laughed during a meeting! Hadn’t he been furious just moments ago? What happened next shocked them even more. Fu Nanzhou suddenly stood up and said in a deep voice, “The meeting is suspended. I’m going to get married. I’ll be back as soon as possible.” Boom! The entire group of executives was struck dumb once again. G-Get married?! Their CEO had actually said he was going to get married first? What on earth was going on? ** Lu Xi stood outside the Civil Affairs Bureau, feeling somewhat uneasy. She was beginning to wonder if she had acted too impulsively. “Was this still just an impulse?” Lu Xi muttered under her breath. At that moment, Fu Nanzhou stepped out of a Buick business van. His tall, straight figure stood there, looking as perfect as a sculpture. “Brother Jiang.” Lu Xi jogged over to him. Fu Nanzhou held out his hand. “Give me your ID card and household registration booklet. I know someone here, so we can make this quick. I’m in a hurry.” “Okay.” Lu Xi nodded and quickly handed both her ID card and household registration booklet to Fu Nanzhou. The entire process went smoothly, except for the photo. Lu Xi had only just met him, and she was rather shy. When the photographer told her to move closer, she shuffled a little nearer, but it still wasn’t enough. In the end, Fu Nanzhou put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. Lu Xi felt as though she had been covered in a layer of cement. Her entire body was stiff. And once the cement had dried, it was as though someone had carried her out under the scorching sun to bake her. Her whole body felt unbearably hot. Click. Click. The official seal was stamped onto the documents, and the staff member cheerfully handed the red marriage certificates to Lu Xi and Fu Nanzhou. “Congratulations to you both. May you have a happy marriage.” Lu Xi’s little face flushed as she thanked them. “Thank you.” She was so embarrassed that holding the marriage certificate felt like a dream. She had gotten married right after graduating. She had gotten married without ever dating. She had gotten married after meeting the man only once. None of this had been part of her plans! Lu Xi opened the marriage certificate and stared at it in a daze. But the moment she saw the name printed on it, her eyes widened. She looked at Fu Nanzhou, then at the marriage certificate, completely speechless. Fu Nanzhou, born September 17, 1994! No wonder she had thought he seemed a little old. He was already thirty! Fu Nanzhou was amused by her expression. He felt that this little girl was quite interesting. Lu Xi stammered, “Y-Your name is Fu Nanzhou?” Fu Nanzhou smiled faintly. “Yes.” “You… You’re not Jiang Yizhou?” “No.” “Then why didn’t you tell me?!” Lu Xi felt like crying. Fu Nanzhou gave a faint smile. “You never asked.” Lu Xi was speechless. Oh, heaven. He seemed to be telling the truth! At the time, she had only asked whether he was the person Yiyi had introduced to her. She had never actually asked if his name was Jiang Yizhou. It was over. She had gone on the wrong blind date and married the wrong man! Lu Xi wanted nothing more than to punch herself. She was such an idiot. “Um… I mistook you for someone else. Could you… divorce me first?” Lu Xi was practically on the verge of tears.