Chapter 16: On the Day of Receiving the Marriage Certificate, Her Parents Came

“Get familiar with my place,” Qi Yanjing said.

Wen Zhixian responded with an “Okay,” but after a few seconds of hesitation, she added, “Mr. Qi, could we stay at my place instead?”

Worried he might not agree, she quickly added a few more reasons: “My place is in a good location, and it’s not too far from where you work. Maybe… you could consider it?”

She looked at Qi Yanjing expectantly.

Qi Yanjing had no intention of refusing. “Alright, I’ll go pack my things.”

Wen Zhixian breathed a sigh of relief and felt she should give an explanation, so she expressed her thoughts honestly: “Actually, I haven’t planned on telling my parents about us just yet. I don’t want them to suspect anything.”

“I understand,” Qi Yanjing said after a brief pause. “These are small matters. It doesn’t matter where we live, and I wouldn’t refuse your suggestion.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to be so formal. We just got married.”

Wen Zhixian started thinking about what married couples were supposed to do and how she should address him. Calling him “Mr. Qi” seemed too formal, but calling him by his first name felt a bit too casual, and using a nickname felt a little too unfamiliar…

It was frustrating.

She decided not to dwell on it. But as they drove along, the road started to look familiar. Wasn’t this the way to Gu Yuchen’s house?

The thought of Gu Yuchen suddenly made her feel anxious.

“Is your place around here?” she asked.

Qi Yanjing replied with a simple “Yes,” and then remembered that the last time she fell, it was near a building in this area—possibly her ex’s place. He offered, “If you don’t like this route, I can take another one.”

She shook her head. “No need, it’s over between us. Besides, we’re married now.”

She no longer cared about Gu Yuchen, but she still remembered the slap, and that was something she couldn’t forget.

Qi Yanjing trusted her words.

“We’re here.”

After getting out of the car, Qi Yanjing naturally took her hand as they walked into the elevator.

The mirrored walls of the elevator reflected their figures, and for a moment, Wen Zhixian felt dazed, standing beside the man now holding her hand—Qi Yanjing.

“Are you uncomfortable?” Qi Yanjing noticed her staring at the mirror and leaned slightly toward her, asking with concern.

She lifted her gaze and smiled softly at him. “No, it’s just… hard to believe I just got married.”

As her words fell, the elevator doors opened. Qi Yanjing squeezed her hand gently. “I’ll do everything I can to help you adjust to me.”

Whether he meant it or not, his words were reassuring.

Following him out of the elevator, he shared the door lock code and let her open the door.

His home was decorated in a traditional Chinese style. Upon entering, she immediately saw a landscape screen divider. Everything was neat and orderly, and the elegance of the place matched him perfectly.

“Once I finish packing, we’ll head out for lunch.”

Wen Zhixian nodded and followed him to the closet. Resting her chin in her hand, she watched him pack his things efficiently. It seemed not too bad, and her earlier anxiety started to ease.

In about five minutes, he had packed everything he needed and closed the suitcase.

“Let’s go, time to eat.”

By the time they arrived at the restaurant, it was already 11:30.

As they ate, Qi Yanjing asked, “You don’t want your parents or friends to know about me just yet, right?”

Wen Zhixian quickly explained, “No, it’s not that. I don’t mind if my friends know. I just need a couple of days to prepare before telling my parents. After that, we can visit them together. Is that okay?”

“Of course.” As long as it wasn’t a secret forever, he was fine with it.

“I know this might seem impulsive, but it’s not a whim. I truly want us to spend our lives together.”

Wen Zhixian nodded. “Even though we don’t know each other that well yet, I never thought of marriage as a game.”

Hearing her say this, Qi Yanjing felt much more at ease.

After lunch, they went shopping and bought quite a few things. Wen Zhixian was puzzled when she saw Qi Yanjing buying cigarettes, alcohol, skincare products, and various nutritional supplements.

“These are gifts for your parents, just to be prepared,” he explained. It was better to be ready, as meeting them was inevitable.

Suddenly, Wen Zhixian felt a bit guilty. Mr. Qi was so proactive that she felt bad for keeping him from meeting her parents, as if she was hiding him.

“Then I’ll also buy something for your parents in advance,” she said, even though she wasn’t sure when they’d meet.

Following Qi Yanjing’s lead, she bought a similar set of items. In the end, however, Qi Yanjing was the one who paid.

“Shouldn’t I be the one paying?” she complained slightly.

Qi Yanjing chuckled helplessly, “We’re married. Does it matter?”

She muttered softly, “It’s not the same.”

Qi Yanjing heard her mumbling but couldn’t make out what she was saying.

They made two trips to carry everything back home.

After spending the entire afternoon shopping, her body was aching. She collapsed onto the sofa without worrying about her image in front of Mr. Qi.

She wasn’t usually like this, but lately, she’d lost a bit of weight, and her stamina was lacking. She silently cursed Gu Yuchen a few more times.

Seeing Qi Yanjing dragging his suitcase over, she got up to help him in the closet.

“This half is for your clothes from now on,” she said. Her clothes were on the left side, and she planned to give Qi Yanjing the right side.

“Alright.” He crouched down and started organizing his clothes.

Wen Zhixian went inside to change out of her dress and into her home clothes. Just as she had taken off her dress, the doorbell rang.

Thinking about Mr. Qi’s proactive attitude today, she felt it would be unfair to keep hiding him. So she suggested, “Mr. Qi, could you get the door? It might be my friend, Qin Zhaoli.”

She didn’t plan on hiding him, and to be honest, she was a little happy. She quickly put down her clothes and headed to the door.

On his way to the door, Qi Yanjing thought about the name Qin Zhaoli. It seemed familiar—he recalled that day when Wen Zhixian had called out “Zhaoli” while he was cooking, without having seen who it was. So, this must be a close friend of hers.

But when he opened the door, he was met with an awkward silence.

The people standing outside weren’t her peers. Judging by their age and appearance, they seemed more like Wen Zhixian’s parents.

It became clear where her beauty came from—her parents had passed on some good genes.

Wen Xingzhi and Shen Ling were holding two food containers. Upon seeing that the person who opened the door wasn’t their daughter, they took a step back and double-checked the door number.

Shen Ling, confused, muttered, “But this is the right place.”

Wen Xingzhi looked at Qi Yanjing. “Excuse me, who are you?”

Qi Yanjing stepped aside and greeted them, “Dad, Mom, good evening.”

Wen Xingzhi: “?”

Shen Ling: “?”

The sudden “Dad” and “Mom” left Wen Xingzhi and Shen Ling completely baffled.

“Please come in, Dad and Mom,” Qi Yanjing added. He suddenly felt grateful for his foresight in buying gifts that afternoon; otherwise, this situation could have been extremely awkward.

Who would have thought he’d meet Wen Zhixian’s parents so soon? He was quite pleased.

As long as her parents knew about him, it would mean that he was officially and publicly acknowledged as Wen Zhixian’s husband.

After they entered and saw the familiar décor, they finally confirmed they hadn’t gone to the wrong place.

Qi Yanjing immediately served them tea, leaving both of them completely dumbfounded.

Just as they asked, “Who exactly are you?” they heard Wen Zhixian’s voice from the other room: “Zhaoli, you…”

Wen Zhixian had changed into her home clothes and was walking toward the living room. But when she saw who the visitors were, she froze in place.