Chapter 15

The sound of “Mrs. Rong” left Cheng Li frozen in place once again.

Amid the whirlwind of this entire morning, she finally felt a hint of reality sink in.

From this moment on, she wasn’t just Cheng Li anymore—she was also the wife of the man standing before her.

Rong Qi’s eyes remained fixed on Cheng Li, as if waiting for her reaction.

Gradually, the shock on Cheng Li’s face softened. Her lips curved upward into a light, sweet smile.

“Happy marriage.”

Cheng Li pressed her lips together, feeling too shy to call him “Mr. Rong” out loud.

“Shall I take you home first?” Rong Qi asked.

Cheng Li thought for a moment, then nodded. “Sure, I took the whole day off anyway, so I don’t need to go to the office.”

Rong Qi called the driver, instructing him to pick them up at the Civil Affairs Bureau entrance.

While waiting, Cheng Li hesitated but eventually spoke up. “About getting the certificate… can we wait a bit before telling our families? It was all so sudden, and I’m worried they might not take it well.”

After all, even now, Ms. Ling didn’t know that she and Xu Jiheng had broken up.

If she suddenly announced that she had registered her marriage with Rong Qi, Cheng Li had no doubt Ms. Ling would probably disown her on the spot.

Rong Qi lifted his gaze, his expression calm. “Alright.”

After a brief pause, he added, “Whatever you say.”

Hearing this, Cheng Li let out a quiet sigh of relief.

It felt like choosing between walking up to the guillotine now or delaying it for a while—there was a significant difference.

Just then, the driver pulled up in the car.

Rong Qi walked over and opened the car door for her.

Seeing this, Cheng Li approached, bent down, and got in.

As she settled into her seat, a thought crossed her mind—a kind of resigned acceptance. No matter how she looked at it, she wasn’t at a loss in this marriage, right?

After they were seated, the driver didn’t start the car right away.

It was Rong Qi who reminded him, “You can start driving now.”

The driver snapped back to reality, started the car, but couldn’t help glancing at the rearview mirror.

So they’re really married??

Having personally driven his boss and Miss Cheng to the Civil Affairs Bureau, the driver felt like the first witness to this marriage—a weighty responsibility indeed.

Since he had already been to the Jiayuan residential area earlier, the driver instinctively headed back there without needing further instructions.

“Are you going to visit your grandmother later?” Cheng Li asked.

Rong Qi, who had been lost in thought, turned to look at her.

His gaze carried a hint of curiosity, making Cheng Li wonder if she had said something wrong.

“Grandmother,” Rong Qi said softly, emphasizing the word.

Cheng Li was about to ask, What’s wrong?

But before she could, Rong Qi continued, “I suppose I should adjust how I refer to her now.”

What?!

No!!

Does this man have to be so attentive to every detail?!

Cheng Li only now realized that her subtle change in wording had been instantly picked up by him.

In truth, changing how she addressed his grandmother wasn’t a big deal.

But it gave the impression that she was overly eager, which made her a little self-conscious.

“If Grandmother finds out, she’ll definitely be very happy,” Rong Qi said in his low, gentle voice.

Those words instantly dispelled the chaotic thoughts swirling in Cheng Li’s mind.

Trying to reassure him, Cheng Li said, “Don’t worry. The doctor did say earlier that her condition is stable. If things continue like this, she’ll soon be able to leave the ICU.”

The drive from the Civil Affairs Bureau to Cheng Li’s residential area took about twenty minutes.

She had been holding herself together, but as the car moved smoothly forward and the subtle, calming fragrance inside the vehicle lingered, her eyelids grew heavier.

Eventually, the last thread of tension snapped, and she drifted off into a deep sleep.

Rong Qi, after replying to a message on his phone, felt a slight weight on his shoulder. Turning slightly, he saw that the previously upright Cheng Li had unknowingly leaned against him.

Perhaps because she felt safe in the car, she had fallen into a defenseless slumber.

Rong Qi glanced at her face—her long, thick eyelashes resting gently against her eyelids, her features peaceful and serene in sleep.

She was so close, her calm expression quietly mesmerizing.

His lips pressed into a faint smile, and he put his phone down, refraining from replying to any more messages.

It wasn’t clear how much time passed before Cheng Li yawned and slowly woke up.

Opening her eyes, she stared at the back of the seat in front of her, gradually realizing that she was still in the car.

What’s more, her head was tilted to one side.

Cheng Li moved cautiously, trying to create the illusion that “if I don’t say anything, nothing ever happened.”

But Rong Qi broke the silence with his calm voice, “Awake?”

“Mm.” Cheng Li smiled sheepishly. “We’re home already? Why didn’t you wake me up?”

Rong Qi replied, “You probably didn’t sleep much last night. Rest properly when you get home.”

Huh?

That’s it?

She had expected another round of Rong Qi’s signature teasing remarks.

It wasn’t that he mocked her outright, but he had a way of saying things—with just the right tone and expression—that always managed to uncover and lay bare the unspoken awkwardness between them.

Every time, it left her either socially “dead” or on the verge of it.

Yet this time, his calm, gentle tone took her by surprise.

Cheng Li, get a grip!!

She couldn’t help but shout at herself internally.

“I’ll head back now,” Cheng Li said, then added, “You didn’t get much rest after rushing back overnight. You should take a nap too.”

Rong Qi nodded. “I will.”

Up in the front seat, the driver listened quietly to their polite yet inexplicably caring exchange.

After Cheng Li entered her residential area, the driver asked, “Mr. Rong, where to next?”

“Take me back to the office first,” Rong Qi replied, his voice now tinged with fatigue.

Although Grandma was still in the hospital, he had his assistant stay there and even hired a professional caregiver. After all, there was no way for him to enter the ICU.

For now, he could only handle the work at hand temporarily.

Once Grandma was transferred out of the ICU, he would take care of her properly.

The car had only been driving for a short while when Rong Qi took out the marriage certificate and held it in his hand.

He didn’t open it.

He just stared at the cover, the words “Marriage Certificate,” and examined it for a long time.

As they stopped at a red light, the driver in the front noticed through the rearview mirror and, after a long internal debate, finally spoke up: “Congratulations on your marriage, Mr. Rong.”

Rong Qi snapped out of his daze as if waking from a dream.

He glanced at the driver, his face breaking into a visible smile. “Thank you.”

After saying that, he lowered his head again to look at the marriage certificate. The driver cautiously added, “Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to keep this confidential.”

As a driver, especially for someone wealthy, he knew all too well how crucial confidentiality was.

“That won’t be necessary.”

After a while, a reply came from the back seat.

*

When Cheng Li returned home, Ms. Ling wasn’t back yet.

Heaven was truly on her side.

She quickly stuffed the household registration booklet back into its original place, tiptoed out of her parents’ master bedroom, and returned to her own room.

Once she lay on the bed, she finally had the energy to take out the marriage certificate from her bag and examine it closely.

The front was that solemn deep red.

Opening it revealed a photo of the two of them together.

It was quite coincidental that both of them had chosen white outfits today—perhaps because white is a safe choice.

In the photo, Rong Qi wore a white shirt with one button undone at the collar, slightly open, while Cheng Li was dressed in a white dress. Her hair was casually tied up in a ponytail, her complexion fair, but her eyes were slightly red.

Fortunately, she had always been photogenic. Even after a sleepless night, her beauty still shone through.

What truly amazed her, however, was Rong Qi.

Although she had always known he had strikingly good looks and was universally acknowledged as handsome, the fact that even in an ID photo—a notorious test of one’s appearance—his features were flawlessly proportioned was impressive. His straight brows, prominent high nose bridge, and deep black, clear eyes stood out.

No matter how the world changed, his eyes always seemed this pure.

The marriage certificate was a thin document, and no matter how much she stared at it, there was nothing more to see.

So Cheng Li sat up, scanned the room, and thought about where to hide it.

Her parents typically wouldn’t enter her room, but better safe than sorry.

After much deliberation, she couldn’t find a suitable spot.

In the end, she simply tucked the marriage certificate under her pillow and fell asleep.

This nap lasted until nightfall, when the entire city was once again shrouded in darkness. She awoke to the sound of her parents talking in the living room.

Yawning, her first reaction was to reach for her phone on the nightstand.

As expected, as soon as she unlocked it, she saw a string of WeChat message notifications.

She opened WeChat, and the first thing she noticed was a notification from her pinned contact.

Rong Qi: [Awake yet?]

This message had been sent an hour ago.

Cheng Li lazily replied: [Just woke up.]

There was no immediate response, likely because he was busy.

So Cheng Li exited the chat and began checking other messages.

Most were promotional push notifications, but there were also some from coworkers and a friend, Meng Yuange.

Meng Yuange: [Li Mi, what do you think of this outfit?]

Meng Yuange: [Work sucks. When can I strike it rich and quit?]

Meng Yuange: [I’d do anything as long as it doesn’t involve writing press releases.]

Meng Yuange: [What’s up with you today? Super busy?]

Cheng Li: [Busy, indeed.]

And surreal.

The events of today were so incredible that she doubted anyone would believe her.

In just one morning, she had resolved her lifelong commitment.

The only pity was that, for now, she had no idea how to tell Meng Yuange about it.

As she pondered, her phone buzzed again.

A reply had come in.

Rong Qi: [What do you want to eat tonight?]

Cheng Li glanced at the message, thought for a moment, and replied earnestly: [Depends on what my dad cooks.]

Over on Rong Qi’s side, seeing her response, he couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Cheng Li quickly followed up with another message: [How’s Grandma doing?]

Rong Qi: [I’ve arranged for specialists to be brought in. There will be another consultation tomorrow. If the results are favorable, I won’t consider transferring her to another hospital.]

The hospital they had rushed to last night had decent medical resources, but it wasn’t the best.

Today, Rong Qi had arranged for experts in cardiovascular care, and tomorrow, there would be a comprehensive consultation.

Reading his reply, Cheng Li couldn’t help but marvel at how great it was to have money.

After lying in bed for a while longer, she heard her parents’ voices growing louder outside.

“Isn’t your daughter up yet?” Ms. Ling sounded impatient.

Cheng Dingbo: “Let her sleep a bit more. Who knows how late she worked at the office last night.”

“What kind of job requires such late hours? No wonder you always hear about young people collapsing from overwork. At this rate, our daughter’s health will be in trouble.”

Cheng Dingbo couldn’t stand it anymore. “Don’t jinx her! Pfft, pfft. Don’t speak such nonsense about your own child.”

Hearing her parents getting louder, Cheng Li finally couldn’t stay in bed any longer.

She got up, opened the door, and walked out.

“Li Li, you’re up,” Cheng Dingbo said with pleasant surprise. “What do you feel like eating?”

That day, Cheng Li had only eaten a sandwich given to her by Rong Qi and was starving. She said, “Just make anything, Dad. I’m so hungry.”

Seeing her acting spoiled, Cheng Dingbo chuckled, “Alright, the rice is ready. I’ll stir-fry some dishes now.”

It was only because Cheng Li hadn’t gotten up that Cheng Dingbo hadn’t cooked earlier—he worried the food would go cold by the time she was awake.

Ling Shuanghua, who had been sitting on the sofa, looked at her and asked directly, “Did you not come home last night?”

“Yeah, I didn’t,” Cheng Li yawned. “Something came up.”

She wasn’t sure if it was the right time to tell her parents about Rong Qi’s grandmother being ill.

Ling Shuanghua admonished her, “If something happens, you should let us know in advance. If I hadn’t knocked on your door this morning and gotten no response, we wouldn’t have known at all.”

“Mom, I’m 28, not a child anymore,” Cheng Li replied helplessly.

Living with her parents meant being treated like a kid all the time.

But Cheng Li also recognized she was at fault for not notifying them. No matter how busy she was, she should’ve sent a message in the morning.

“I’m sorry, it won’t happen again,” Cheng Li proactively apologized.

Her softened tone left Ling Shuanghua at a loss for words.

About half an hour later, Cheng Dingbo finished cooking and called them to eat.

Cheng Li went to fetch bowls and chopsticks. As she was serving rice, the doorbell rang.

Since Ling Shuanghua was the only one not busy, she naturally went to answer it.

“Takeout? Nobody in this house ordered takeout,” her voice rang out at the door.

Cheng Li froze, a startling thought flashing in her mind.

“I, I, I,” she stammered, hastily putting down the bowl and rushing to the door.

The delivery person said, “Are you Miss Cheng? This is your order.”

Cheng Li quickly took it. “Thank you.”

“When did you order takeout?” Ling Shuanghua asked, puzzled.

“Just now. I suddenly wanted something,” Cheng Li lied.

She brought the neatly packaged bag to the dining table. Opening it, she found that the food was served in delicate boxes, nothing like the typical plastic containers used for takeout.

The first box revealed fresh, tender slices of beef.

When all the boxes were opened, Cheng Li found two servings of bird’s nest soup and a portion of sea cucumber porridge.

The bird’s nest soup was likely meant for her and her mother, while the porridge seemed to be for her dad.

She didn’t need to guess who had sent it.

“Is this bird’s nest? Why order such expensive food out of the blue?” Ling Shuanghua asked, recognizing the high value of the dishes at a glance.

“You were just saying my health couldn’t keep up. So, I thought I’d eat something nourishing,” Cheng Li responded.

For once, Ling Shuanghua had no retort.

Meanwhile, Cheng Dingbo fretted, “I already cooked—how are we going to finish all this?”

“We’ll eat this first,” Ling Shuanghua decided on the spot.

The three sat down, and as they ate, Ling Shuanghua couldn’t help but ask, “How much did this meal cost?”

Cheng Li avoided answering.

If she gave a high number, her mother might think she was being extravagant. But a low number would be equally unconvincing.

“Not much,” she said vaguely. “Just enjoy it. Think of it as an early celebration for my promotion and raise.”

“You got promoted?” Cheng Dingbo asked, delighted. “What’s your position now?”

“My former supervisor left, so the boss wants me to take over as Chief Architect,” Cheng Li explained.

Though her parents weren’t entirely clear on the responsibilities of a Chief Architect, the title alone indicated importance.

As they ate, Ling Shuanghua suddenly remembered something. “Next month is your grandmother’s 80th birthday. Your uncle and aunt have decided to host a banquet. You should bring Xiao Xu along…”

Cheng Li glanced at her mother, who was eating the bird’s nest soup and beef—all purchased by Rong Qi—yet still talking about Xu Jiheng.

It felt unfair to Rong Qi.

“Stop mentioning Xu Jiheng,” Cheng Li said abruptly.

Both parents turned to her in unison.

Ling Shuanghua, about to question her, was stunned into silence when Cheng Li continued, “He cheated. I broke up with him.”

For a moment, it was as if the air had been let out of a balloon. Ling Shuanghua’s anger was replaced by shock, but it quickly turned into a greater fury.

“That scumbag dared to cheat?”

For someone who had spent her life as an educator, Ling Shuanghua rarely cursed, even when upset.

“We never minded that he didn’t own property in Shanghai, or that he was from out of town. Your dad and I even discussed helping with a down payment if you two got married.”

“My daughter is beautiful, well-educated, and has a great job. She’s more than good enough for him. He must be blind to cheat!”

Cheng Li blinked and unexpectedly let out a chuckle.

Her parents looked at her, worried she’d been pushed to her limit.

Cheng Li clarified, “I just didn’t realize how perfect I am in your eyes.”

Ling Shuanghua: “…”

“I’m still angry—don’t try to distract me,” she scolded.

Cheng Li consoled her, “Don’t be mad. He’s not worth it.”

“When did you find out?” her mother asked.

Cheng Li thought for a moment. “About half a month ago.”

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Ling Shuanghua’s voice rose.

Cheng Li stayed quiet. Maybe she’d just felt too embarrassed.

From a young age, she had been proud and accustomed to smooth sailing in life. Xu Jiheng’s infidelity was the first blatant betrayal she had faced.

Sometimes, she found it laughable—how the cheater didn’t care about his actions being exposed, yet she, the one betrayed, kept it hidden.

Under the table, Cheng Dingbo tugged at Ling Shuanghua’s sleeve, signaling her to stop pressing so hard.

Ling Shuanghua took a deep breath and said, “Forget it. The sooner you see through someone like that, the better. At least you weren’t married. Do you know how many of my colleagues and friends asked about you?”

“He’s nothing. Without him, you’ll only find someone better.”

Cheng Li was about to nod in agreement—she had, indeed, already found someone better—when Ling Shuanghua, still indignant, added, “I’ll reach out to some old friends in the next couple of days. You can go on a blind date soon. It’s clear we need someone whose background we can trust. Xu Jiheng seemed reliable, but look at what he’s done!”

Cheng Li, sipping her bird’s nest soup, almost choked.

She coughed repeatedly as Cheng Dingbo hurried to hand her a tissue.

“No need,” Cheng Li declined firmly.

Ling Shuanghua was about to argue when Cheng Dingbo said, “Let it go. Don’t push her so hard. After something like this, how could she possibly be in the mood for dating?”

“…”

Actually, she was.

Not only was she ready to date, but she had also already taken the plunge and gotten married.

But Cheng Li knew this wasn’t the right time to share that, so she kept her mouth shut.

After dinner, Cheng Li pulled out her phone.

She opened Rong Qi’s profile picture and, after a moment of thought, typed: [Dinner received. Thank you.]

After a while, Rong Qi replied: [How does it compare to the spring water beef we had in Hangzhou?]

Cheng Li hadn’t expected him to still be thinking about that meal. She replied: [It’s about the same, both were delicious.]

Rong Qi: [Next time, let’s go to Hangzhou together.]

About a minute later, Cheng Li received the message.

She smiled knowingly and typed a single word: [Okay.]

After opening up about Xu Jiheng, Cheng Li felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

As for when to reveal her marriage, she decided to leave that up to fate.

That night, Cheng Li slept soundly without dreams.

The next morning, she was in a rush again, hurrying out to catch the subway.

As she passed the garden outside her building, she spotted the familiar Maybach parked by the roadside.

Cheng Li hesitated, wondering if she should greet Rong Qi.

Then a voice came from the garden: “Cheng Li.”

She looked up and saw Rong Qi, dressed casually, walking slowly out the door.

“What a coincidence,” Cheng Li smiled and greeted him. “Good morning.”

“It’s not a coincidence.”

Rong Qi stared directly at her, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

Not a coincidence?

Then…

“I was waiting for you,” Rong Qi explained, cutting through her confusion.

Cheng Li was surprised and asked reflexively, “Why?”

Rong Qi replied calmly, “To give you a ride to work.”

What?

What??

Cheng Li’s stunned expression amused Rong Qi. He raised his eyebrows slightly and reminded her, enunciating each word clearly, “Should I go back and fetch our marriage certificate from my study?”

He emphasized the word “our” marriage certificate.

It was a pointed reminder of their current relationship.

Cheng Li’s first thought was how seriously he seemed to be playing the part.

From her perspective, Rong Qi’s willingness to marry her was mainly to please his grandmother and put the old lady at ease.

As for their relationship, they hadn’t even reached the level of familiarity where a ride to work seemed natural.

At least, that’s how Cheng Li saw it.

But when he opened the car door for her and she got in, the spacious back seat and the soothing, elegant fragrance inside the car were worlds apart from her usual crowded subway rides.

She glanced out the window at the hurried pedestrians.

Suddenly, a realization struck her.

Marriage… didn’t seem so bad after all.