Getting The Marriage Certificate

Jiang Xiao clutched her restless heart, hesitating for a while, but finally, she gritted her teeth and said, stuttering, “I’ve… I’ve considered it carefully.”

Zhou Qishen raised his hand to adjust his glasses, a faint smile flickering in his eyes, leaving her no room for regret, “Since you’ve considered it carefully, then… I’ll arrange everything that follows?”

“What do you mean?” Jiang Xiao’s mind was still muddled, not understanding what he meant by the things that followed in his words.

Seeing her resistance reflected in her expression, Zhou Qishen narrowed his eyes, exuding a playful nonchalance, and began to give examples on his own, “Such as getting the certificate, meeting the parents, the wedding…”

Jiang Xiao’s breath stagnated as she listened, feeling increasingly overwhelmed. She hurriedly interrupted him in her anxiety, “Wait… aren’t we moving too fast? Shouldn’t we start by getting to know each other? Understand each other?”

Unconcerned, Zhou Qishen whispered, “It’s not too late to get to know each other after marriage.”

Provoked by his indifferent attitude, Jiang Xiao couldn’t help but feel annoyed, lowering her voice to retort, “No, I want to get to know you before marriage.”

Zhou Qishen fell silent for a moment, half-questioning, half-smiling, “What’s the difference?”

“Of course, there’s a difference. Pre-marriage and post-marriage are two different concepts. If you want to marry me, you must follow my requirements.” Jiang Xiao insisted stubbornly, even though she couldn’t articulate her reasons, she subconsciously wanted to evade.

“Marriage?”

Almost as soon as Jiang Xiao finished speaking, a surprised exclamation came from behind.

Jiang Xiao quickly stopped her voice and turned her head to see a mature and beautiful woman standing not far away, with delicate makeup, red lips, and fair skin. She looked knowledgeable and gentle, her gaze directed at Jiang Xiao carried no malice, only curiosity as she assessed her.

It was the woman who went on a blind date with Zhou Qishen.

Without thinking, Jiang Xiao knew that the other party must have misunderstood her relationship with Zhou Qishen. However, she didn’t intend to explain, raising her hand to lower the brim of her hat, walking past Zhou Qishen towards Liang Cheng’s location, “I won’t disturb your blind date.”

He can marry whomever he wants.

Xu Zhinian watched the other person leave in a huff, seeing Zhou Qishen didn’t follow, for a moment she didn’t know the relationship between the two people.

After a moment of silence, Xu Zhinian could not resist her curiosity and specifically chose a part she was interested in, to ask:

“Mr. Zhou, when did this meal turn into a blind date? How come I, the person involved, had no idea? And what did that girl mean by marriage? Are you going to marry her? When did this happen?”

Since graduating from college, Xu Zhinian and her husband Yang Tingxiao had been living in Country M. Due to their relocation back to China, their contact with Zhou Qishen had naturally become less frequent. Despite knowing him for several years, Xu Zhinian had a good understanding of Zhou Qishen as a calm and composed person, not driven by worldly desires, and was the least interested in women among their circle of friends.

If she hadn’t accidentally overheard part of their conversation, she would have just thought it was a normal conflict and wouldn’t have thought about any emotional conflicts.

Listening to Xu Zhinian’s barrage of questions, Zhou Qishen frowned slightly and replied somewhat evasively, “Now you know.”

Xu Zhinian was caught off guard by his response, but seizing this opportunity to catch Zhou Qishen off guard, she continued teasingly, “Tsk tsk tsk, pretending it’s a blind date to deceive a young girl, Mr. Zhou really knows how to play tricks… Aren’t you going somewhere? Not eating? Old Yang will be here soon.”

Old Yang was her husband. Since two years ago, he began to shift the focus of his company’s business to China. They had just returned to China last week, and she and her husband hadn’t seen each other much due to work.

Unexpectedly, she ran into Zhou Qishen’s rare love affair. Seeing her appearance, it seemed that she had misunderstood something.

“Let’s make an appointment another day. I’m going to do my trick.” Zhou Qishen looked into the distance, his voice ending in a hint of nonchalance, and then he quickly returned to his seat to get his coat, and then headed to the other side of the restaurant.

Hearing his joke, Xu Zhinian was briefly surprised. Seeing his urgency, she wisely didn’t stop him. Dinner could be arranged at any time, but it would be a great sin to hinder someone from chasing his wife.

But when did Zhou Qishen find a girlfriend? And has it developed to the point of marriage? She didn’t hear any wind.

No, she’ll have to ask Old Yang later and see if he knows anything.

*

In the luxurious western restaurant, accompanied by soothing music, guests chatted and laughed, enjoying the harmonious and pleasant atmosphere.

Liang Cheng watched Jiang Xiao, who was sulking alone across from her, wondering what had caused her to be so upset with Zhou Qishen. Her cheeks were puffed up like two dumplings, leaving her bewildered.

Jiang Xiao gripped the handle of her coffee cup, looking lost and murmuring to herself, “Just let it be, just let it be, just let it be.”

She needed Zhou Qishen’s help and knew that she had no right to be sulky, but she always had the right to give up her life. If the negotiation failed, then she would just give up. Humph, she didn’t want to be led by the nose.

It was precisely because of her absent-mindedness that she missed Liang Cheng’s desperate winking at her. The next second, a figure suddenly appeared next to her, and the warm brown sofa sank partially under the weight.

With a slight turn of her head, Jiang Xiao saw Zhou Qishen’s handsome face close by, and she instinctively asked, “Why are you here?”

There was an obvious unwelcoming tone in her voice.

Zhou Qishen spoke slowly and calmly, “To finish our conversation.”

Jiang Xiao’s hand holding the coffee cup paused for a moment, and she snorted lightly, “Your companion might not be happy.”

Zhou Qishen lightly hummed in response.

“…”

Jiang Xiao suddenly felt like she had punched cotton. Her expression was complicated for a few moments and she shut her mouth awkwardly. The parties involved didn’t care about each other’s feelings, so what else could she say?

“How’s your knee injury?” Zhou Qishen suddenly asked.

Jiang Xiao didn’t expect him to still be concerned about her knee injury. Her expression softened a bit, and she no longer deliberately showed an attitude. She replied quietly, “It’s almost healed.”

It was originally a minor injury, so it didn’t matter. However, as an artist, scars from small bumps wouldn’t look good, so she had been carefully observing it these days. She would apply scar removal cream once it fully healed.

Zhou Qishen nodded slightly at her words, then immediately cut to the chase as to why he had come after her, “I didn’t consider it well just now, which made Miss Jiang angry. I wonder what Miss Jiang wants to know?”

She said that she wanted to get to know each other, but actually it was just an excuse for her to delay time. Jiang Xiao had never thought about understanding anything at all, and she couldn’t answer for a while, so she chose to keep her mouth shut.

Perhaps seeing her hesitation, Zhou Qishen shifted his posture, lazily crossing his long legs and propping his cheek on his hand, staring fixedly at her. “Education? Family? Social circle? Or physical?”

His words seemed normal at first, until the last word came out. Jiang Xiao was so surprised that her eyes widened. For a moment, she even wanted to cover his mouth, suspecting she had misheard. Stammering, she asked, “Ph-Physical?”

What did he mean by physical?

A series of inappropriate images flashed through Jiang Xiao’s mind, making her feel more and more embarrassed. Her cheeks suddenly burned like fireballs. How could he, with such a restrained and handsome face, say such astonishing words with a straight face in public?

Perhaps because her expression was too shocked and incredulous, Zhou Qishen leisurely appreciated her expression. After a while, a smile curved up at the corners of his mouth, and he casually continued in a drawn-out tone, “Hmm… Isn’t physical health quite important?”

After a long while, Jiang Xiao finally regained her composure and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, “So you meant health…”

Zhou Qishen’s smile deepened, “What else did you think it was?”

Jiang Xiao didn’t dare to say she had misunderstood. She quickly shook her head, “N-nothing.”

Liang Cheng, who was sitting at the next table, was dumbfounded, watching Jiang Xiao, who was firmly held in check by Zhou Qishen, and couldn’t help but stare blankly. However, she was observant enough to realize that the current atmosphere was not suitable for her as a third party. So, she tried to keep a stable tone and said, “I’m going to the bathroom. You two talk slowly.”

Zhou Qishen nodded, “Please do as you wish.”

After Liang Cheng walked away, Zhou Qishen once again turned his gaze towards Jiang Xiao. His lips, slender and slightly upturned, outlined a gentle curve as he spoke, “Miss Jiang, I don’t have the option to back out now. Since you just agreed, then we can only get married.”

Whether his gaze carried purposeful scrutiny or calm contemplation, it always imparted a sense of pressure. Jiang Xiao blinked and her lips trembled slightly. “Let me think about it,” she said.

Her thoughts were in disarray at this moment, but the system chose this moment to interfere.

[System 003: Little Mistress, wouldn’t it be nice to marry the villain? Living under the same roof makes it easy for you to leech off his popularity anytime, anywhere.]

Jiang Xiao smiled bitterly: You make it sound so easy.

Marriage was indeed a daunting topic that modern young people tended to avoid. Even if it was a contractual marriage, it would inevitably involve two families and too many considerations, far more complex than just sharing a meal together.

“I understand your concerns, Miss Jiang,” Zhou Qishen said thoughtfully after a moment, his black eyes glinting faintly. He continued calmly, “How about this? As a gesture of sincerity, you can draft the prenuptial agreement, and set the terms as you wish.”

“What?!” Jiang Xiao was almost overwhelmed by his words.

Letting her set the conditions? That was quite audacious.

Zhou Qishen added, “As a gesture of sincerity, take this card for now.”

With that, he pulled out a black wallet from his suit pocket and took out a card, placing it on the table in front of Jiang Xiao.

Jiang Xiao glanced at the unlimited black card on the table, furrowing her brow. “What does this mean?”

Was he trying to buy her with money?

“I know you’re not short of money, Miss Jiang, and you won’t be easily swayed by it,” Zhou Qishen said in a clear voice, his tone unhurried and not displeasing, “We don’t have an emotional foundation between us after all, and it’s natural for you to distrust me. Consider this card as material compensation.”

His reasoning was actually quite reasonable.

In today’s restless society, compared to elusive emotions, people often valued tangible material possessions more. Not to mention in a contractual marriage where there was no emotional basis to begin with, apart from a legally binding contract, money seemed to be the only assurance.

After pondering for a few seconds, Jiang Xiao turned her head slightly and met Zhou Qishen’s gaze with even greater caution, tentatively asking, “If I set the terms and use the card as I wish, what will you get? I don’t believe it’s just to appease your family.”

Zhou Qishen’s offered terms were indeed enticing. Even just allowing her to draft the contract was a significant show of sincerity. However, in her understanding, there were no free lunches in this world.

Especially when such self-sacrificing terms were offered, it seemed like a huge pitfall designed to lure her in.

Leaning back against the chair, Zhou Qishen tilted his head slightly back to meet her gaze. “The reason is naturally related to your ex-boyfriend whom you want to retaliate against.”

The soft evening light gently bathed him, reflecting specks of light off his lenses. His deep black eyes looked convincing, “My father likes him a lot and intends to promote him to replace my position. Do you think I would sit idly by?”

Jiang Xiao’s eyelids twitched. His words were not wrong. According to the book’s development and the protagonist’s halo, Mr. Zhou would only continue to favor his grandson, Zhou Wenting, and promote him more and more, thus increasingly neglecting and suppressing his younger son, Zhou Qishen.

It could be said that Mr. Zhou’s attitude change directly led to the later power struggle between Zhou Qishen and Zhou Wenting.

However, Zhou Wenting had only recently returned to the Zhou family, and there were few people in the Zhou family who were willing to acknowledge this illegitimate child. Mr. Zhou’s attitude towards him should be ambiguous at this point. Zhou Qishen had actually noticed Mr. Zhou’s hidden thoughts so early?

Jiang Xiao was somewhat surprised, but her concerns were also alleviated by half. Zhou Qishen married her because they had the same goal: to “retaliate” against Zhou Wenting.

Although her goal was fake, Zhou Qishen’s was definitely real, after all, he was specifically set up as a villain to target the male protagonist.

If she agreed to marry Zhou Qishen according to the agreement, for Zhou Wenting, it would be like his disliked ex-girlfriend suddenly became his younger uncle’s wife, making him unable to avoid her. Not only would he endure her occasional appearance in front of him, but he would also have to treat her with respect as an elder.

Thinking like this was indeed disgusting enough.

Moreover, marrying him was not bad at all. Contractual marriage did not have too many restrictions. Moreover, it could disgust Zhou Wenting, and most importantly, it could complete the system’s mission and brazenly leech off popularity to save her life.

Jiang Xiao took a deep breath. The slight frown on her forehead relaxed slightly, and she agreed to his proposal, “Alright, I agree to marry you, but you still need to draft the contract.”

Zhou Qishen’s beautiful eyes were calm and indifferent, as if he was not surprised by this outcome. He casually said, “Let me draft it? Do you trust me that much? Aren’t you afraid I’ll play tricks?”

Jiang Xiao was taken aback by his words and pursed her lips. She added, “I’ll bring a lawyer to meet you this weekend.”

Zhou Qishen smiled meaningfully and changed the meeting date, “Let’s meet on Monday.”

Jiang Xiao glanced at him with a puzzled look.

Zhou Qishen took off his glasses from his high nose bridge, revealing handsome brows and eyes, and lightly curved his lips, “The Civil Affairs Bureau doesn’t work on weekends.”

Jiang Xiao’s mouth twitched slightly, “Are you saying that we’ll register for marriage right after signing the contract?”

He lazily lifted his eyes to look at her, seeming confident that she would sign, “Any problem?”

Jiang Xiao pursed her lips and fell silent. If the terms he proposed were irresistible, there might indeed be a possibility of immediately registering for marriage.

After a brief silence, Zhou Qishen handed his phone to her, “Save your number.”

Jiang Xiao instinctively refused, “I’ll contact you.”

However, Zhou Qishen persisted, “Because you haven’t called me yet, I have my doubts.”

Jiang Xiao couldn’t help but roll her eyes. It had only been a day; she hadn’t even made up her mind. What was she supposed to call him about?

But in the end, she compromised, taking the phone, entering her number and name, and quickly handing it back to him.

Not long after, a new friend notification with a red dot appeared at the top of her WeChat contacts. Clicking on it revealed a profile picture of a golden retriever and a username with two short dashes — unmistakably his.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qishen was also checking out her profile. Her avatar was a cozy daily photo of herself and a corgi, their faces close together, looking warm and loving.

As he looked, Zhou Qishen absentmindedly long-pressed to save the picture. By the time he realized it, the photo had already appeared in his gallery.

Unaware, Jiang Xiao clicked to agree to change the nickname and couldn’t resist asking, “Do you also have a dog?”

Zhou Qishen returned to his senses at her question, calmly exiting the profile picture view and replied warmly, “Hmm, I used to.”

Jiang Xiao didn’t catch that he meant he used to have one. Talking about pets was an easy topic to bridge the gap between them. Her mood relaxed involuntarily, and she became more talkative, asking again, “Then why didn’t I see it at your place?”

Even if there was a separate room at home for the dog, her dog, Wangcai, was lively and mischievous, with a knack for causing chaos. If she didn’t keep an eye on it for a moment, it would play around everywhere, leaving toys in every corner.

Given their natural tendencies, his dog shouldn’t be any less active than Wangcai. Yet she hadn’t sensed any traces of a pet at Zhou Qishen’s place.

“I had one when I was young. It passed away a few years ago.” Zhou Qishen’s tone was light, as if discussing something mundane, but a hint of heaviness flickered between his brows that couldn’t deceive anyone.

Realizing she had touched on a sensitive topic, Jiang Xiao hurriedly apologized, “I’m sorry, I brought up something painful for you…”

Zhou Qishen looked at her and pulled his lips, “It’s okay.”

Just then, the waiter arrived with their dishes, giving Jiang Xiao the chance to change the subject with a wry smile, “Shall we eat together?”

Zhou Qishen nodded in agreement, “Sure.”

Jiang Xiao messaged Liang Cheng, who hadn’t returned yet, letting her know she could come back. Not long after sending the message, Liang Cheng’s figure appeared around the corner, seeming to have waited for a while.

Taking up the originally scheduled dinner time, Jiang Xiao smiled apologetically at her, and Liang Cheng waved it off nonchalantly, indicating it was no big deal.

The atmosphere at the dinner table remained harmonious, as if nothing had happened.

After the meal, Zhou Qishen took the initiative to pay the bill, and the three went their separate ways.

**