Chapter 1.1 Flash Marriage Partner

At 9:46 PM, Shi Miao finally stepped out of the operating room. The type A aortic dissection surgery had taken nearly eight hours. The director was the chief surgeon, and she assisted as the first assistant.

When she returned to the department, a colleague had already ordered takeout for her.

Shi Miao had just taken two bites of noodles when her senior brother, who was on night duty, walked in.

“The director wants you to go to his office after you eat,” He Wenqian said, rubbing his neck as he sat down in front of the computer.

Shi Miao paused briefly. “The director hasn’t gone home yet?”

“No.”

The fact that the director had stayed behind to talk to her meant it wasn’t a small matter.

Shi Miao set down her chopsticks, grabbed a few tissues, and stood up.

He Wenqian pressed his hand down. “No rush, finish your food first. The director’s eating too.” He lowered his voice. “The ‘new ancestor’ complained about you in front of the other colleagues. I couldn’t get the details, but I bet that’s why the director wants to see you.”

The “new ancestor” he referred to was Jiang Yang, the son of the hospital’s dean. He’d recently joined the cardiothoracic department, but Shi Miao rarely interacted with him. As the chief resident of the department, she was responsible for scheduling shifts. Jiang Yang’s complaint was most likely about being assigned night duty.

Other than that, she couldn’t think of any reason she might have offended him.

If problems arose, she’d handle them as they came.

Shi Miao continued eating her noodles while checking her phone. Two hours earlier, her mother had called. She dialed back.

“Mom, I just finished surgery.”

Zhao Moyin’s voice was full of concern. “Have you eaten dinner yet?”

“I’m eating now.”

Shi Miao rarely ate on time. If an emergency surgery came up, lunch could easily be delayed until the evening. Though Zhao Moyin felt sorry for her daughter, there wasn’t much she could do.

“Are you able to take tomorrow off?”

“Yes,” Shi Miao replied. During her tenure as chief resident, she only had one day a week where she didn’t have to stay in the hospital. That day was precious to her. She asked what her mother needed.

“Come over for lunch tomorrow. You said you were sick of the hospital cafeteria food, right? I’ll have the housekeeper make some home-cooked dishes to switch things up for you.”

Without hesitation, Shi Miao declined. “I’m not coming.”

The phone fell silent for a few seconds.

Zhao Moyin lowered her voice. “Please come. It’s just me at home.”

Shi Miao didn’t want to go because it was her mother’s house, not hers.

When she was young, her parents had divorced. Her mother later remarried into a wealthy family. Not long after the divorce, both her parents formed new families. Shi Miao and her brother were raised by their grandparents. During holidays, her mother would pick her up to stay at her new home for a few days.

To be fair, her stepfather treated her well—polite and courteous. But she was, after all, an outsider. Frequent visits would only be a burden.

“I also wanted to talk to you about your personal life,” Zhao Moyin said. “The last blind date I set up for you didn’t meet your standards, but this time, I found someone who perfectly fits your criteria—”

“Mom,” Shi Miao interrupted, “I forgot to tell you. I’m already in a relationship.”

Surprised, Zhao Moyin asked, “Really? When did you start dating?”

“We didn’t date. We’re already married.”

Across the room, He Wenqian, who had been listening, burst out laughing. He couldn’t believe how casually Shi Miao had fobbed off her mother. No one else might know, but he did—Shi Miao hadn’t left the hospital once in the past two weeks. Apart from patient family members, no men had come looking for her.

Shi Miao kept talking into the phone. “I don’t remember the exact day we registered. Wait, let me check.”

“…”

He Wenqian nearly choked on his laughter as Shi Miao got up, retrieved her bag, and pulled out a red booklet. The words “Marriage Certificate” were prominently displayed on the cover. His eyes widened.

Knowing Shi Miao, she wasn’t the type to carry around a fake document.

Shi Miao flipped it open and read out the registration date to her mother.

He Wenqian checked his calendar. The date matched the day Shi Miao had been called back to the hospital for surgery at eight in the morning.

So she’d gone to register her marriage that day?

How could someone treat such an important event as casually as washing their scrubs?

Shi Miao closed the booklet but reopened it for another look.

Her mother, speechless on the other end of the line, had barely begun to process this revelation. Overwhelmed by her daughter’s sudden flash marriage, she tried to remain calm. “Bring your spouse over for lunch tomorrow.”

Shi Miao replied, “Before registering, we agreed not to meet each other’s parents for at least six months.”

“Then I won’t insist on lunch. Let me see him from a distance, at least,” Zhao Moyin pleaded.

“He’s currently abroad,” Shi Miao said. Or at least he should be abroad. She wasn’t entirely sure since they hadn’t been in contact.

The chill in Zhao Moyin’s heart deepened. “What does he do? He’s not in the same field as you, right?”

If her daughter had married a colleague, she might have understood. After all, working side by side could foster affection.

Shi Miao answered, “No, he’s in business. He’s the CEO of a publicly listed company. He’s the same age as my brother.”

To reassure her mother, she added, “He meets all my criteria, except for love. His emotional intelligence, intellect, abilities, and looks are all flawless. Most importantly, he doesn’t expect me to balance family life, so I can focus entirely on my career.”

Her mother pressed on. “What’s the name of his company?”

Giving the name of his corporation would reveal his identity. Shi Miao didn’t intend to keep it a secret, but she wasn’t in the mood for further explanations.

“I’ll send you a picture of our marriage certificate,” she said, ending the call.

Having overheard, He Wenqian couldn’t laugh anymore. Shi Miao wasn’t just a colleague; she was also his junior from the same mentor. He’d even been her teaching assistant. Their bond wasn’t ordinary.

When Shi Miao hung up, he asked, “How did you two meet?”

“A mutual friend introduced us.”

“You have no emotional foundation. You might not even really know him. How could you marry him?”

“Fate,” Shi Miao replied, brushing it off.

He stared at her for a moment, then opened his chat with his wife and forwarded a news article to Shi Miao.

She clicked it open. The headline read: “What Seemed Like the Perfect Partner Turned Out to Be a Carefully Planned Romance Scam.”

Shi Miao opened her mouth but ended up chuckling silently.