Chapter 11: I Am Her Fiancé

Jiang Yining decided to marry He Chi, and since she had already made up her mind, Zhang Qiao supported her.

But upon further thought, Jiang Yining realized that after they registered their marriage, she would have to move out, and this idea struck a heavy blow to Zhang Qiao.

The two of them had lived together for more than two years. Since Jiang Yining moved in, her quality of life had improved drastically—household chores were shared, and they had each other’s company.

Zhang Qiao, feeling heartbroken, clung to Jiang Yining’s arm. “Ning Ning, I don’t want you to move out. Why don’t you just live with me from now on?”

Of course, that was impossible.

Jiang Yining hadn’t thought about this issue yet, but now that Zhang Qiao brought it up, she found herself with another question to consider.

She was going to live with He Chi from now on!

Weighed down by this matter, Jiang Yining spent the entire night dreaming, with He Chi’s figure appearing in all her dreams.

She moved into He Chi’s house, and the two of them lay on the same bed, with He Xiaohui between them. When she dreamt of this scene, Jiang Yining was startled awake.

When she woke up, it was already 6:30 AM, and she no longer felt sleepy. She decided to get up and make breakfast instead.

Last night, she had made a little bed for He Xiaohui, and she wasn’t sure when it had crawled to her slippers, but when Jiang Yining got up, she saw it still sleeping soundly.

When Zhang Qiao came out of the bedroom, she saw the breakfast Jiang Yining had prepared on the dining table. Her reluctance only deepened, and she sighed, “Why can’t I be a man?”

Jiang Yining laughed, “What nonsense are you talking about so early in the morning?”

“If I were a man, I could marry you.”

“You have different beliefs, so even if you were a man, you still wouldn’t marry me.” Jiang Yining took the steamed buns out of the pot. “Hurry up and eat breakfast, or you’ll be late for work.”

Zhang Qiao had been busy with a project recently, working overtime almost every day, even returning to the office on Saturdays. Yesterday, she had finally had a day off, but now it was Monday again.

“Life is really boring,” she sighed.

The moment she entered the office, she felt like a zombie.

She used to advise Jiang Yining not to become a teacher, saying it was boring and too rule-bound. Now, she was glad that Jiang Yining had a firm resolve and hadn’t given up on her career despite her advice.

Being a teacher wasn’t easy, but at least there were winter and summer breaks to provide some relief. As for them, they could only look forward to the meager holidays.

Jiang Yining served her a bowl of porridge, listening to her vent. With a teasing smile, she said, “How about we switch places?”

“I’ll make it clear first—our salaries aren’t high, and we have to battle wits with the students every day.”

Zhang Qiao let out a sigh. “Forget it.” She glanced at He Xiaohui, who was lazily strolling out of Jiang Yining’s bedroom. “The way life is going, being a cat might be better than being a human.”

Despite her complaints, once she finished breakfast, Zhang Qiao obediently headed off to work.

After tidying up, Jiang Yining took advantage of the still-mild morning temperature and took He Xiaohui for a walk around the neighborhood.

Around nine o’clock, she received a message from He Chi.

He Chi: Could you send me your ID number and phone number? I’ll go ahead and make the online appointment for the marriage registration.

Jiang Yining sent him the details. Ten minutes later, she received a text confirming that the marriage registration appointment had been successfully scheduled.

Seeing that message, Jiang Yining felt as if she had just woken up from a dream. She was really about to get married. Her heart began to race with nervousness, and she started wondering if she should wear a white blouse for the registration photo.

But none of the blouses in her wardrobe looked nice enough. She browsed online and found some matching couple shirts with unique designs.

She picked out a few styles and messaged He Chi to ask if he wanted to get a pair with her.

But after sending the message, she didn’t hear back from him for a long time, leaving her distracted and unable to focus on anything all morning.

She simply set the book aside and went to tease He Xiaohui, tugging at the long fur around its mouth. “Tell me, why hasn’t your master replied to my message?”

He Xiaohui looked at her with proud, disdainful eyes, as if to say, Why are you picking on me just because he didn’t reply?

The phone on her desk buzzed twice. Only then did Jiang Yining let go of the cat and stand up.

He Chi: Sorry, I’ve been busy. Just saw your message.

He Chi: Let’s go with the third set. If you order it online, can it arrive before Thursday?

Jiang Yining had chosen options that could be delivered within the next couple of days. She replied, Yes.

Seeing her response, He Chi sent over his size.

Once that was settled, Jiang Yining didn’t message him again, afraid of disturbing his work.

She sighed quietly. They were about to register their marriage, yet there still seemed to be a long distance between them.

There’s a saying—a familiar stranger. That perfectly described her current relationship with He Chi.

He Chi’s influence on her was far too great. Once they started living together after the marriage, how could she possibly hide her feelings?

On Wednesday evening, He Chi came to pick up He Xiaohui first. He waited for her outside the neighborhood entrance.

After about ten minutes, he spotted a woman and a cat emerging from the complex. He stepped out of the car and first gave He Xiaohui a thorough once-over.

His brows furrowed slightly. “Why does it look like this guy has gotten a lot fatter?”

Jiang Yining gave a sheepish laugh. “Really? I don’t see it.”

Seeing her guilty smile, he immediately guessed that she’d been spoiling He Xiaohui and feeding it too much.

He Chi suddenly chuckled. “Then I must be imagining things.” His gaze dropped to her hands. “Is that the white shirt for me?”

“Yes, I already washed it.”

Jiang Yining handed over both the shirt and the cat to He Chi.

Neither of them knew what to say for a moment, so they just stood there awkwardly.

He Chi had probably come straight from home to pick up He Xiaohui. He was wearing a deep blue shirt, the collar slightly open. He always carried himself with that relaxed, effortless air.

Jiang Yining didn’t want to seem like she was staring, so she broke the silence. “Then I’ll just—”

“Do you want to have dinner together?” He Chi asked.

Right after speaking, he glanced at his watch, a trace of regret in his voice. “It might be a bit late, though.”

It was already nine-thirty in the evening. At this hour, Jiang Yining had likely already eaten.

Jiang Yining looked at him. “You haven’t eaten yet?”

He Chi answered honestly, “I had a little something on the plane, but it was barely enough to count as a meal.”

Jiang Yining thought back to Teacher Lin’s birthday and remembered how much He Chi had eaten. She couldn’t help but laugh. “Then I’ll go with you and keep you company while you eat.”

There was a restaurant nearby. When Zhang Qiao wasn’t home, Jiang Yining would occasionally eat there alone. She led He Chi over.

She’d been there often enough that the proprietress recognized her. When she saw Jiang Yining arrive with a tall, well-built man, she couldn’t help but look at him a few extra times out of curiosity.

As she brought over their dishes, she asked, “Miss Jiang, is this your boyfriend?”

Jiang Yining wasn’t sure how to answer that. She sneaked a glance at He Chi.

Noticing this, He Chi lifted the corners of his mouth slightly and stepped in to answer for her. “I’m her fiancé.”

The proprietress was surprised, then broke into a smile. “Oh my! Miss Jiang, the last time I asked, you said you were single, and now you’ve got a fiancé? That’s fast!”

“You two are such a perfect match—handsome and beautiful. I’ll give you a ten percent discount today and wish you a long and happy life together.”

When He Chi said the words “fiancé,” Jiang Yining’s ears instantly turned red. After the proprietress’s teasing, even her cheeks flushed with a faint blush.

She glanced at the man sitting across from her. He looked completely at ease, his deep black eyes glinting with a faint smile.

It dawned on her a moment later—He Chi had said it on purpose, just to tease her.