Chapter 108 Fiancé [VIP]

"Please leave your phone number or your social media account?" The QR code for the social media account was brought up. "I'll leave my social media account; it'll be easier to send messages if needed."

[Tsk, it's lamentable that I'm so young and haven't even had a relationship, yet I'm about to become a divorced, second-marriage man.]

As winter approached and the weather turned cooler, Ran Yu wore a dark coat. The dark color was mainly to avoid getting his clothes dirty while working, but it actually made his fair skin stand out.

At this moment, he stretched out his hand holding the phone, and his sleeve slipped up due to the movement, revealing his fair wrist, with a bluish mark half-hidden and half-revealed below the cuff.

Cen Guanzhou's gaze swept over the boy's wrist. He seemed lost in thought for a moment, and when he came back to his senses, he subconsciously added the boy as a friend using his own account.

"See you next Monday at the Civil Affairs Bureau, right?" Ran Yu put away her phone after adding him as a friend.

Looking at the new friend profile pictures on his phone, Cen Guanzhou frowned.

"Um."

Ran Yu: "See you next Monday. I have to go check on the shop now. Goodbye."

He waved goodbye, his sleeve slipped down, revealing more of the bluish mark on his wrist, which looked like an unidentified bluish tattoo.

Before the man could get a good look at her, Ran Yu had already jogged away, her sleeve falling back to cover her wrist.

Cen Guanzhou couldn't see the familiar sly smile on Ran Yu's face as she ran away with her back to him.

Qingran returned to the flower shop in a cheerful mood.

It was almost noon, and there was no one in the shop yet, so he was met with a barrage of gossipy questions from Xiao Chun.

"Boss, boss, you really got married? Was it really because of some network malfunction? Who's the other person? Is it the one who came looking for you earlier?"

Qingran asked with great interest, "With so many questions, which one should I answer first?"

Xiao Chun followed closely behind him, saying, "Answer whichever one you remember."

Qingran: "According to my household registration information, I am indeed married now. I don't know why. As for my marriage partner, it's the man I just found."

Xiao Chun: "Are you the only two who got married? Are there any other couples?"

Qingran: "I don't know about that."

"Wow," Xiao Chunxi said, clutching her heart with satisfaction after finishing her melon. "So that man was the boss's husband. I should call him the boss's wife."

Upon hearing this, Cen Guanzhou, who was outside the flower shop, walked without stopping to his car parked by the roadside, and drove away.

Qingran and Xiaochun, who were watching this scene through the glass of the flower shop, looked at each other in bewilderment.

With such a striking presence and such eye-catching attire, who wouldn't notice him?

Qingran cleared her throat: "Ahem, essentially, he and I are still strangers."

Xiao Chun insisted, "But you two are married."

Qingran: "I'll leave next week."

Xiao Chun: "It means we haven't divorced yet."

Qingran: "It's time for lunch. My treat."

Xiao Chun: "Yay, thank you boss!"

After exchanging contact information, Qingran did not chat with Cen Guanzhou.

It wasn't until Sunday evening that he sent his first message on their empty chat interface.

[Ran Yu: Are you there? I just wanted to confirm, are there any changes to tomorrow's schedule?]

The system had told him that the chat account belonged to Cen Guanzhou, and Qingran also knew that he had been communicating with Cen Guanzhou ever since.

But that doesn't stop Qingran from adding Cen Tingye to his contact list.

After sending the message, Qingran nestled on the sofa, switched out of her account, completed the social interactions on Yu Qingran's account, and then switched back, but the man still hadn't replied.

The time displayed in the upper left corner of the phone is a little after 8 PM.

Is Cen Guanzhou already asleep so early? Or is Cen Tingye currently in control of the body?

The man replied to the message early the next morning.

Cen Tingye: Yes, the itinerary remains unchanged.

Qingran smiled after reading the message.

This is not his fault. Last night it was Cen Tingye, but on Monday it was Cen Guanzhou.

Ran Yu's phone only has Cen Guanzhou as a friend, and the only person who can reply to his messages is Cen Guanzhou, whose contact name is Cen Tingye.

Even Cen Guanzhou himself was probably speechless, having come all this way only to clean up the mess left by his mortal enemy.

Qingran didn't care about any of that, gave an OK sign and continued washing up at her own pace.

After washing up, I chose an earring, put it on, changed my clothes, went out, and took a taxi to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

Today is a workday, and there was a traffic jam during the morning rush hour. Qingran left home at 8:30 and was not dropped off at the Civil Affairs Bureau until 9:30.

Normally it would only take half an hour at most.

Cen Guanzhou drove himself there and arrived a little earlier than him. He was sitting in the familiar Maybach parked by the roadside.

Qingran paid to change into Ran Yu's persona and got out of the car, standing in front of the bustling Civil Affairs Bureau, looking around.

The weather in December is getting colder.

The boy was tall and slender. He wore a short, white down jacket because he was afraid of the cold. The fluffy jacket framed his fair face, making him look youthful and handsome.

Cen Guanzhou, who spotted him first, pushed open the car door and stepped out with his long legs.

Compared to the youthful and energetic attire of the boys, the men's clothing was much more understated and somber, still entirely black from head to toe, with masks covering their faces, revealing their exceptionally handsome eyebrows and eyes.

Ran Yu only noticed the other person when they walked up to her side, and was startled when she turned around.

"...I'll ask you a question that you might find offensive: Do you have an identity or profession that you need to keep confidential?"

[For example, celebrities.]

As she spoke, the special material of her right earring shimmered with a warm luster. The earring was less than half an inch in diameter and was intricately carved with a coiled snake relief.

His gaze lingered on the shape for a moment before Cen Guanzhou succinctly stated, "I don't want to be seen."

[Oh, don't want acquaintances to know and cause trouble? Luckily, I'm all alone, so I don't have that worry.]

The man walking beside her glanced at her, but Qingran pretended not to notice.

There were more people inside the Civil Affairs Bureau than outside, with long queues forming in the lobby for both marriage and divorce.

The two went to the divorce window and chose the shorter line to join.

Seeing that there were quite a few people ahead of them, and estimating that it would take a long time, Ran Yu asked Cen Guanzhou if he had eaten breakfast, so that he could buy some breakfast and wait in line.

The man coldly replied that he didn't need it.

"Then could you help me stand in line?" Ran Yu smiled, her beautiful eyes crinkling.

[You could say he's aloof, but he answers every question; you could say he's not aloof, but the person he answers might not be the one you're asking about. He's such a hard man to understand.]

You've successfully caught my attention!

Cen Guanzhou remained unmoved as he listened to the innermost thoughts.

Ran Yu returned after breakfast. He messaged Cen Guanzhou, saying he was worried that the breakfast might smell bad and upset the other people in line.

When I came back, there were only two or three couples ahead of me who were getting a divorce, and it was almost their turn.

Ran Yu spotted someone and squeezed next to the man.

He was half a head shorter than Cen Guanzhou. When he got close, the fresh scent of laundry detergent wafted to the man's nose, faintly mixed with a familiar and alluring fragrance.

It was very faint, lingering in the air like a dream.

“Cen Tingye,” Ran Yu gently tugged at the man’s sleeve to remind him, “it’s our turn.”

Cen Guanzhou snapped out of his daze, nodded, and took the lead into the room.

The staff member handling divorce proceedings sat behind a desk, typing away on the computer while expertly going through the process, asking, "Are you aware of the divorce cooling-off period?"

Cen Guanzhou: "Hmm."

Ran Yu: "I know."

Staff member: "Okay, show me your ID."

The two of them took out their ID cards.

Ran Yu glanced at Cen Guanzhou's ID and was both surprised and unsurprised that it was Cen Tingye's ID card.

The staff member, who was typing on the computer, glanced at the table, then looked away: "And the marriage certificate."

Ran Yu: "We don't have a marriage certificate."

Staff: "That won't work. You can't get a divorce without a marriage certificate. Go back and bring your marriage certificate before you come back."

They were about to call out to the next couple.

"It's not that I didn't bring it, it's that I don't have it," Ran Yu interrupted in time.

The staff member was getting impatient: "Did you break it or lose it? Don't you know to go and get a replacement? We told you we can't process this without a marriage certificate."

Ran Yu wanted to explain that he and Cen Tingye were only shown as married in the data system because of an accident; in reality, the two did not know each other at all and could not possibly have a marriage certificate.

At that moment, the man beside her suddenly stood up and said calmly, "Let's go."

"I—" Ran Yu paused, having only uttered one word. "But we…"

"Come out first," Cen Guanzhou said briefly.

Seeing the man finish speaking and walk out, and the staff calling for the next couple behind him, Ran Yu had no choice but to get up and follow him with regret.

"It was so hard to get a turn..."

[Although it doesn't seem like a good thing. How bizarre! My first time at the Civil Affairs Bureau, and it's to get a divorce from a complete stranger!]

Upon entering the outer hall, the crowd showed no signs of decreasing; as far as the eye could see, there was a dense, bustling scene, with everyone in pairs.

Among so many people, Ran Yu immediately spotted the exceptionally tall and imposing man by the window, a man of refined elegance and outstanding bearing.

He walked through the crowd and asked directly, "What are you doing out here?"

Cen Guanzhou's gaze fell emotionlessly on the white figure in front of him: "Ordinary government staff will only follow the rules and regulations, and there will be no exceptions."

Ran Yu: "Even if our situation is special?"

Cen Guanzhou: "How do you prove it?"

Ran Yu was speechless. Instead of spending time collecting evidence, it would be more efficient to get a new marriage certificate before getting a divorce.

He opened his mouth, his lips glowing pink in the warm indoor air, and asked, "...So what do we do now?"

[Should we really get a new marriage certificate? Or should we stay married?]

To get a divorce, you must obtain a new marriage certificate.

Cen Guanzhou, who wanted to simply ignore the situation, fell silent for a moment.

Cen Tingye is, after all, a personality that split off from him, and he uses his body. How could he really have no connection with him at all?

Finally, Cen Guanzhou spoke up: "Supplement the certificate."

So a few minutes later, the two of them, enduring the strange looks from the people around them, joined the queue at the marriage registration office again.

I waited until almost noon, and finally got into the office to explain my needs, only to be dismissed by the staff with just a few words.

Because Ran Yu and Cen Tingye are only bound together by marriage, there is no record of their marriage registration in the system database.

The normal marriage process involves both parties filling out a bunch of forms, and after the staff approves them, they register their marriage and update their marital status in the database.

The current situation for Ran Yu and Cen Tingye is that they have skipped a large part of the process and directly changed their marital status to "married".

"It's impossible for me to issue you a new marriage certificate under these circumstances," the staff member bluntly refused their request.

"I just called my supervisor for instructions, and he said that the database information might be lost and can't be retrieved. You'll have to go through the process again."

Is it possible that it wasn't that it couldn't be found, but that it never existed in the first place...?

Ran Yu: "What does 'going through the process' mean...?"

"It means you two can get married again," the staff member said, glancing jokingly at the well-matched couple. "You haven't forgotten the questions you did back then, have you?"

[？？？？]

[Weren't we here to get a divorce? How come we came out of the Civil Affairs Bureau preparing to get married?]

Standing at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau, Ran Yu looked shocked, bewildered, and unable to process what she had just witnessed.

Just then, a divorced couple walked by from behind, pulling and tugging at each other. The man, with a fierce look on his face, punched and kicked, and when he broke free from the restraints of the people trying to break up the fight, he lost control and suddenly crashed into Ran Yu.

Cen Guanzhou promptly pulled the person who seemed absent-minded over.

The two were standing face to face, but when Cen Guanzhou pulled her, Ran Yu was caught off guard and fell into the man's arms.

He instinctively placed his hands on the man's chest, his first reaction being to turn around and look at the man who had fallen to the ground, clutching his shoulder and screaming in pain, without his intervention.

[Did I just hear a crisp cracking sound?]

Cen Guanzhou looked down at the hand pressed against his chest. A section of the boy's wrist was exposed to the air due to the movement, which made the blue tattoo stand out even more.

He grasped the wrist.

Reminded by the warmth and touch of her hand, Ran Yu turned around and subconsciously withdrew her hand and stepped back.

She kept her distance, but her gaze lingered on the man like a veil of smoke.

He thanked the man with lingering fear, "Thank you for earlier, otherwise I probably would have been the one who fell to the ground."

The cuffs fell down, concealing the marks on the wrists once more.

The man lowered his empty hand, looked up, and noticed the earring on the boy's right ear.

"...Be careful."

"Mmm." Ran Yu gently curved her beautiful eyes.

The man next to him, whose arm was either broken or fractured, was apologized to and helped away by his family. He then remembered his business.

"Are we really going to get married?"

[The marriage process seems quite complicated; you have to take wedding photos, answer questions, and getting a divorce is also troublesome, with a one-month cooling-off period.]

Cen Guanzhou looked at his clear and bright eyes: "You don't want to?"

Ran Yu tilted her head: "Would it be useful if I didn't want to?"

Cen Guanzhou: "You don't have to get married if you don't want to."

Cen Tingye can figure out how to handle the mess he caused; it's up to him whether he decides to leave or modify the database again.

Then Ran Yu asked him a question that he hadn't expected.

Do you have a stable boyfriend/girlfriend? Or a fiancé/fiancée?

Cen Guanzhou: "No." He used to be engaged to Yu Qingran, but it was dissolved while he was in a coma.

"If we don't get married, we can't get a divorce. If things continue like this... you don't want to find a partner, but I still do."

Ran Yu sized up his handsome features and tall stature.

"Or are you going to offer yourself as compensation?"

The familiar flippant gaze and manner of speaking made Cen Guanzhou's eyes suddenly sharpen.

“It’s you.”

[Me? What happened to me?]

Ran Yu looked at him with a puzzled expression: "What's wrong with me?"

The entrance to the Civil Affairs Bureau was bustling with people, not a suitable place to talk, so Cen Guanzhou pulled him toward the roadside parking area.

"Where are you taking me?" Ran Yu struggled to free her wrist, but without much force, and naturally, she couldn't break free.

“I’m hungry,” he drawled.

His lazy, languid tone of voice was becoming more and more like the person in my memory.

The man walking ahead stopped, paused for a few seconds, then pulled him around and led him to a nearby restaurant.

After lunch, the waiter cleared away the plates and served fruit and snacks.

The restaurant is stylishly decorated, and nearby there are students playing the violin part-time.

Accompanied by melodious piano music, the boy in the booth slowly ate his chocolate cake with a fork. The dark brown chocolate sauce clung to his rosy lips, exuding the rich aroma unique to sweets.

Cen Guanzhou's gaze fell heavily on him.

"Your name is Ran Yu?"

Ran Yu licked her lips: "Didn't you already know?"

The man, who had not received a clear answer, frowned, his mind in turmoil.

He got up and went to the counter to pay, then went straight outside and waited.

The cold winter wind quickly calmed Cen Guanzhou down.

Ran Yu, who had just finished eating the cake, saw him at the door and asked, feigning surprise, "You didn't leave?"

Cen Guanzhou pulled him into the car without saying a word: "Where are you staying?"

Ran Yu fastened her seatbelt and gave the address: "Are you going to take me home? Why the sudden change in your attitude towards me today?"

[To be precise, it seems it was after I told him to compensate me with himself? So Cen Tingye likes this kind of thing?]

The man who was starting the car suddenly stopped and turned his gaze to the side.

Ran Yu noticed her head tilting: "Hmm?"

When he noticed the shape of the earring in Cen Guanzhou's right ear again, he asked, "Do you think I'm Cen Tingye?"

Ran Yu retorted, "Aren't you one too?"

Cen Guanzhou grabbed his hand and rolled down his sleeve, revealing the full shape of the tattoo on his wrist.

It was a slender snake with its tail between its legs, and a red scale between its eyebrows, exactly the same as the details on the white jade hairpin.

"A tattoo?" the man asked, stroking the blue mark.

The gentle pressure made Ran Yu feel a little itchy, and she tried to pull her hand away, but the man held it firmly.

I could only answer, "No, it's more like a birthmark."

Cen Guanzhou: "Had it since childhood?"

Ran Yu: "Well, it wasn't so obvious at first, but about a month ago, I don't know what happened, I woke up one morning and it suddenly became much clearer."

A little over a month ago, the timing also matched up.

But he doesn't remember him.

Cen Guanzhou: "Have you ever had amnesia?"

Ran Yu: "No."

The man's expression gradually became complicated.

Ran Yu: "What's wrong with you?"

Cen Guanzhou: "Don't you know what's wrong with me?"

Ran Yu: "Should I know that?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the man who had been holding his wrist suddenly released his grip and grabbed his chin, forcing Ran Yu to look directly at him.

"Do you know I can hear what other people are thinking?"

"Did you cause the network failure?"

The hand that had been gripping his chin then moved down to pinch his delicate neck, the man's gaze cold and deep.

"You've even specified the time details so clearly, how long are you going to keep up this act?"

A note from the author:

Thanks for the lightning strike, thanks for the watering, chirp!

No nickname yet, threw 1 landmine.

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