Chapter Three

The next morning.

After finishing breakfast, Xing Bei returned to her room to tidy up a bit. Her blind date was scheduled for around nine o'clock, and now was the perfect time to drive there.

A few days ago, Ms. Shi sent the other party's WeChat, but she didn't add them because she didn't think she would go through with it. She only added them last night using a secondary account.

Upon arriving at the agreed location, she informed the other party, and within two seconds, the other party sent her a photo showing her seat number.

Upon entering the store, Xing Bei quickly found number 13, a window seat where the person sitting there had their back to her.

Those broad shoulders gave Xing Bei a strange sense of familiarity, and the closer she got, the more she felt that he resembled Lu Runxu.

Upon reaching the front and seeing a familiar face, Xing Bei froze on the spot: "Lu Runxu? It's you!"

The person sitting opposite her was also clearly taken aback, staring blankly at Xing Bei: "You're the blind date my mother introduced me to?"

Logically speaking, blind date partners usually provide information, but Xing Bei, adhering to the principle of never agreeing, never opened the information sent by Ms. Shi.

Judging from the current situation, it seems that Lu Runxu hasn't seen it and is just here to deal with it casually.

Xing Bei sat down leisurely: "You just came to see me yesterday, and I didn't expect you to come to a blind date again today. Are you planning to 'select the best'?"

Lu Runxu pushed the Cappuccino he had ordered in advance towards him, a faint smile playing on his lips: "I was just here to get by today, who knew I'd be so lucky, my blind date is you."

Xing Bei lowered her eyes and smiled: "If today's blind date is a girl you're attracted to, then you're not planning to form an alliance with me, are you?"

"No." Lu Runxu refused without even thinking. "I won't be tempted."

Xing Bei: "You're that confident?"

Lu Runxu did not answer the question: "Since we are so destined to meet, how was your suggestion last night?"

The man opposite her, dressed in a well-tailored suit, leaned lazily against the sofa, his large, slender hands supporting his handsome face, his fox-like eyes fixed on her with interest.

This scene reminded Xing Bei of a financial interview she had seen before, in which Lu Runxu, dressed in a black suit, sat upright on a brown leather sofa.

Before Xing Bei could answer the reporter's question, the man on the sofa lowered his eyes and chuckled softly. It was at that moment that Xing Bei realized what it meant to be a male fox spirit reincarnated.

Many people also posted screenshots of his solo videos, and his aloof and noble temperament, coupled with his alluring fox-like eyes, instantly made him a sensation across the internet.

She has been dubbed a "cold and beautiful fox" by many netizens.

Now it seems that the title is indeed well-deserved, especially when he smiles, it's a sure way to seduce her.

Xing Bei naturally wouldn't refuse the suggestion of mutual help, especially since it was Ms. Shi who had chosen it herself, so there wouldn't be any fault with it later.

She smiled and picked up the ceramic cup in front of her: "It's a pleasure working with you."

He was initially a little nervous, but upon hearing this, he instantly breathed a sigh of relief and raised his cup to the other person, saying, "It's a pleasure to work with you."

She had a meeting to attend today, so her outfit was quite casual: a black coat over a white turtleneck sweater, a gray A-line skirt, and light makeup. It looked alright for her ID photo.

Upon arriving at the Civil Affairs Bureau, Lu Runxu didn't rush to get out of the car. Instead, he stopped to look at her, his gaze earnest as he asked again, "Are you sure you've thought it through?"

The tone was so earnest, as if two lovers were truly heading towards their final destination.

Xing Bei looked at him, holding the household registration booklet in her hand, and nodded: "I'm sure."

There weren't many people around early in the morning, and the marriage certificate was processed quickly. Xing Bei held the red book in her hand and looked at it, momentarily dazed.

Is she now tied to Lu Runxu in the same notebook?

So this is what it feels like to get a marriage certificate.

I'm very curious and looking forward to it.

Long ago, she thought she would marry Zhou Xuzhe and was really looking forward to that day.

Little did she expect that she would end up on this marriage certificate with another man.

Not far from the hall, a couple had just received their marriage certificate, both beaming with smiles. Marrying the person you love is truly a joyous occasion.

She turned her gaze to Lu Runxu beside her, a slight smile curving her thin lips as she stared intently at the marriage certificate in her hand.

Xing Bei turned her gaze back to the marriage certificate. The two people in the red photo were a handsome man and a beautiful woman, and their appearances were equally matched. They looked very well-matched.

She is the type who is bright and aloof, with a somewhat aggressive look, but a cheerful and easy-going personality. Her bright, tea-colored eyes always seem to be smiling, which softens her aggressive beauty.

Xing Bei was carefully stroking the photo when, before she could finish looking at it, a large hand suddenly wrapped around her shoulder, pulling her directly into Lu Runxu's arms.

"Look at the camera."

Xing Bei looked over as she spoke, but before she could even control her expression, a "click" sounded, and the image froze in that instant.

"What are you doing?" she asked Lu Runxu, puzzled.

Lu Runxu smiled and glanced at her, his long, thin fingers tapping on the screen: "Since we're already married, we definitely have to announce it on social media, otherwise how would my parents know?"

Yes, then should she also post it on her WeChat Moments to let her mother know?

Never mind, let's wait until Ms. Shi asks.

"etc......"

Suddenly remembering something, Xing Bei quickly stopped Lu Runxu's actions. Seeing that the message had been successfully sent on her phone, she looked at Lu Runxu with a sense of utter despair.

She was just admiring the photos in the marriage certificate and hadn't even realized what was happening. She was still completely bewildered when Lu Runxu took the photos, so they must have looked hilarious.

If his parents saw this, wouldn't their first impression be terrible?

She cares a lot about her image.

Lu Runxu immediately saw what she was thinking and handed her the phone: "Very cute."

Xing Bei glanced at the photo. To be honest, it wasn't bad. The person in the photo was still glamorous and beautiful, with round, bright eyes. The expression of not having reacted to what was happening on her face added a touch of playfulness.

Back in the car, before Xing Bei could put the marriage certificate in her bag, Lu Runxu snatched it away.

She stared blankly at her empty hands, dumbfounded, and looked at Lu Runxu with a bewildered expression.

Lu Runxu cleared his throat when he caught her gaze and said seriously, "It's safer to keep such important things with me. It would be quite troublesome if you lost them."

After saying that, he quickly put the marriage certificate in his breast pocket and patted it twice, treating it like a precious treasure.

Xing Bei was speechless. She hadn't even had a chance to fully appreciate the photos before he took them away. Judging from his actions, anyone who didn't know better would think she was trying to steal a marriage certificate.

Along the way, Xing Bei actually sensed that Lu Runxu was genuinely happy, which puzzled her somewhat.

Wasn't they in a marriage of convenience?

It's not real, so what's there to be happy about?

I really don't understand what men are thinking all day long. Is a fake marriage something to be happy about?

Lu Runxu didn't rush to leave after watching Xing Bei enter the company. He raised his hand to touch his chest, lowered his eyes, and chuckled softly.

It's time to go back to the old house and share the good news, so as not to frighten the two people in the family.

-

The Lu family's old residence.

Upon seeing her son's marriage certificate post on WeChat Moments, Lu's mother excitedly grabbed her phone and rushed downstairs: "Honey, honey, look at WeChat Moments! Our son got his marriage certificate!"

Mr. Lu was reading the newspaper in the living room when he saw a white dress flash by in a hurry. He smiled and reminded her, "Slow down, be careful not to fall."

Lu's mother didn't care about any of that and excitedly handed over the phone. Lu's father pushed up his glasses, clearly not believing it: "This is probably just to appease us, and they've gotten someone to fix it."

“Impossible.” Mrs. Lu put away her phone, sat down next to him, and refuted him firmly, “This girl is the one in the blind date profile I sent him, there’s no way it could be fake.”

Mr. Lu smiled faintly, his fox-like eyes looking exactly like someone else's: "Why don't you call and confirm?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the butler's voice came from outside the courtyard: "Young Master is back."

Lu's mother and father exchanged a glance, then quickly sat up straight, one pretending to read the newspaper and the other leaning back on the sofa pretending to watch videos.

"Mom and Dad, I'm home." Lu Runxu went straight to his mother as he entered the house.

Lu's mother put down her phone and looked at him seriously: "You didn't go on a blind date?"

Lu Runxu casually picked a grape from the fruit plate on the table and sat lazily on the sofa: "I went, but I'm back to tell you the good news. I got my marriage certificate with that girl."

"Really?" The person reading the newspaper nearby gave him a cold look. "You wouldn't have gotten a fake marriage certificate just to fool us, would you?"

Lu Runxu: "...There's no need to question me like that."

Lu's mother nudged the person beside her with her cane and looked at Lu Runxu with a smile: "Runxu, you really like this girl that I introduced to you."

Lu Runxu nodded: "I like it, I like it very much."

Mr. Lu, who was standing nearby, also looked over and said, "Bring her back for a meal when you have time. Don't think that getting a marriage certificate is enough."

Lu Runxu leaned back on the sofa, a smug look on his face. He shook his head as he looked at them and said, "It might be a while before they come. They might not come."

Mr. Lu snorted lightly, "You've got potential."

Lu's mother glared at Lu's father. Although they were eager for Lu Runxu to get married, after all, he was already twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, getting a marriage certificate after a simple meeting was a bit inappropriate.

Gently taking Lu Runxu's hand, she said softly, "Runxu, you and that girl should discuss it properly. We're not in a hurry, but we still need to find a suitable opportunity to bring her back to meet us. We can't be rude."

A smile touched Lu Runxu's handsome features, and he gave a soft "hmm".

After chatting with his mother for a while, Lu Runxu received a call from his secretary and went to the company. Hearing the exhaust fumes fading into the distance in the yard, Lu's father, who had been keeping a serious expression, broke into a bright smile and picked up his phone to check the status update.

"This girl is really pretty. Lu Runxu is so lucky," he muttered to himself.

Lu's mother also leaned closer, her eyes filled with undisguised delight: "No wonder he didn't like any of the girls he found before; it turns out he likes this type."

*

Just as Xing Bei finished packing up and was about to go home, the general manager pulled them back to wait a moment, saying that they would have to work overtime again today.

"This project is very important. Everyone should spend more time on it. If you do it well, it will be included in your performance evaluation, and you might even get a bigger year-end bonus."

Xing Beisheng sat at her workstation, utterly dejected. She had heard this story about pancakes countless times before, and secretly rolled her eyes inwardly.

Xing Bei lost motivation after get off work hours, so she opened a job search website on her computer and saw that a company she had previously looked into was hiring.

Chi Qingtang leaned closer to take a look: "Isn't this the company you've always wanted to work for?"

Xing Bei looked at the job postings on her computer, sighed, and exited the page.

Chi Qingtang leaned back in her chair, looking at her with a puzzled expression: "Beibei, haven't you always wanted to be a comic artist? This is a good opportunity. Since things are the same here anyway, you might as well do what you like while you're young."

What do you like?

In an instant, a series of images kept flashing through her mind, and within a minute, a thin layer of sweat appeared on Xing Bei's forehead.

Even after all this time, she still can't face that incident.

Xing Bei forced a smile and patted her shoulder: "I'm not ready yet."

Chi Qingtang knew she still felt guilty about that incident, and asked again, unwilling to give up, "Such a good opportunity, are you really just going to give it up?"

Xing Bei stared at the icon below and rubbed the bridge of her nose: "I don't want to give up, but you have to give me some time, right?"

Chi Qingtang understood her personality. Since she was paying attention to this matter, it meant that she was also preparing to leave the rainy season that had shrouded her for so long.

What happened four years ago should have a resolution by now.

--

Around 6:30, after seeing the general manager leave, they prepared to pack up and go home.

Exhausted, Xing Bei grabbed her bag and stepped out of the elevator to find a suitcase outside her door.

My gaze shifted to the side, and there was a man with a straight posture leaning against the wall, his hand constantly swiping on the screen.

What is he doing here?

The hallway was dimly lit, making it impossible to see the man's expression. Xing Bei walked over with the snacks in her hand.

Lu Runxu noticed someone approaching out of the corner of his eye, put away his phone and looked to the side. Xing Bei was standing in front of him, glancing at the suitcase beside him.

"Are you planning to cling to me now?" Xing Bei crossed her arms and looked at him speechlessly.

Lu Runxu's gaze fell on her, his thin lips curving into a faint smile, and even his fox-like eyes softened with tenderness. Xing Bei knew from this expression that nothing good was going to happen.

Xing Bei looked away and conceded, "Tell me, what are you up to now?"

Lu Runxu glanced at the suitcase beside him, his meaning clear, and Xing Bei's beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Could it be that this young master wants to live with her?

Their superficial relationship is probably unnecessary.

“My mom said I lied to her about getting a marriage certificate so quickly,” Lu Runxu said casually. “If you want me to provide proof, I won’t come looking for you right now.”

Xing Bei crossed her arms and looked me up and down: "Are you sure you're not lying to me?"

Lu Runxu lowered his eyes and said seriously, "What good would it do me to lie to you?"

Hmph, letting Lu Runxu move in is like a ticking time bomb, not to mention what he might do.

The main concern is with her. I'm really afraid that one day she might become lustful and try something inappropriate with him, and then it would be impossible to explain.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Lu Runxu took her hand and shook it gently, as if he were pleading: "Xing Bei, can you really bear to see me being coveted by other women?"

Xing Bei: "..."

What does it matter to her whether he is being thought of or not?

They made her sound like a scumbag.