Chapter 23 Chapter 23 I do.
Ever since she asked this question, the words "fake marriage" have been lingering in her mind, to the point that she suffers from insomnia at night, tossing and turning until the second half of the night before she falls into a drowsy sleep.
The next day, she came to the office with swollen eyelids. Before she entered the gate of the research building, she heard someone calling her from behind.
"Hey, Mr. Lin, wait for me."
Lin Mo recognized it as Ms. Li from the Human Resources Department. She knew without a doubt that Ms. Li was going to introduce her to a blind date. She was terrified. Could she give her some time off? She pretended not to hear and quickened her pace.
"Lin Mo, hey, this little girl..."
I ran to the office quickly, thinking I could escape, but I didn't expect that when I went to the cafeteria for lunch at noon, I was caught by Sister Li, who grabbed my arm and kept showing me her enthusiasm.
"He's a technician at the Third Hospital. He's tall and handsome, and both his parents have decent jobs. I'm not exaggerating, he's a really good guy! He's got great conditions!"
"How about it? Go meet her. You two are such a perfect match, it's definitely going to work out."
"It doesn't matter if it doesn't work out. Just think of it as making another friend."
The two of them were standing at the cafeteria's stir-fry pick-up window. People were coming and going around them, and Sister Li's voice was quite loud, so everyone nearby could hear her clearly. Lin Mo was extremely embarrassed.
"Sister Li, go get your food first, we'll talk later."
"It's okay. I ordered some noodles with oil. They'll take a while. Pick up your food and I'll sit down with you and eat."
“…”
Lin Mo's mind raced, and she immediately changed her strategy. "I'm in a hurry to finish some work, so I'll pack it up and take it home." She then said to the window clerk, "Auntie, take it away."
Escape first.
"Then I'll pack up and go back with you. We can talk while we eat. I'll show you Tang Kai's photo. I'm sure you'll be satisfied. As for Tang Kai, when he found out that the girl I want to introduce to him is you, he was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling. Hahahaha."
It’s so embarrassing!
Lin Mo smiled bitterly and chuckled twice. She really wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into. Seeing that the stir-fried dishes were not yet cooked, she was worried that Sister Li would say something shocking again, so she hurriedly tried to find a way to stop her.
"Sister Li, I'm not in a hurry to find one for now."
"Oh, it doesn't matter if you're in a hurry or not, just treat it as making a friend."
"Actually..." Lin Mo suddenly blurted out, "Actually, I have a partner."
"ah?"
This trick really worked. Sister Li's smile froze. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Didn't Sister Fang's introduction to that doctor yesterday fall through? I only decided to formally introduce Tang Kai to you after receiving the exact information from Sister Fang."
"Yes, it's over, but there are new ones." Lin Mo had already lied, and she was gradually becoming more adept at it. "I met two yesterday. The first one didn't work out, but the second one did."
"Really? You didn't lie to me?"
Lin Mo raised three fingers with sincerity in her eyes: "Really, I definitely didn't lie to you."
"Isn't that too fast?"
Sister Li couldn't believe it. He was on a blind date yesterday, and he has a partner today?
"Lin Mo, were you scared because your blind date failed last night? I'm telling you, don't be afraid. Girls need to be chosen carefully. If this one doesn't work out, just try another one. It's nothing."
"No, absolutely true. I have a boyfriend now."
As she spoke, Lin Mo opened her phone and calmly flipped through the text chat history with Lu Yanxiao. She deliberately only let Sister Li see the last few messages, which were the information related to their agreed meeting.
"We had a blind date in Shaofeng before the holiday, but there was a small misunderstanding at that time and we didn't confirm the relationship. We met again last night and officially confirmed the relationship."
"Oh, I see."
Sister Li's doubts were dispelled. She patted her shoulder and said with a hearty smile, "That's great! Girls, it's normal to choose and compare more. As long as you find the right one, then I won't match you up randomly."
After leaving the cafeteria, Lin Mo breathed a long sigh of relief, not only because she had "gotten rid of" Sister Li, but more because she knew very well that from the moment the lie came out of her mouth, the balance in her subconscious mind had tilted - a fake marriage with Lu Yanxiao was more practical than finding true love through blind dates.
After careful consideration, Lin Mo flipped through Lu Yanxiao's WeChat and sent him two messages: [Mr. Lu, does the fake marriage you mentioned still count?] [I've thought it over and am willing to have a fake marriage with you.]
After sending the message, Lin Mo held the phone in anxiety, with all sorts of messy thoughts popping up in her mind.
"Will he regret it? Will he think I'm coming back to him because I can't find anyone else? He's the heir to the Lu Group, and I rejected him before. Will he be angry and give me the cold shoulder later?..."
Ah, the more she thought about it, the more unsure she became. She simply threw her phone aside as if it were some dangerous item.
Buzz.
Ten minutes later, the phone vibrated. Lin Mo stood up and looked at the screen nervously with one eye squinted.
The real result was not any of her random thoughts. Lu Yanxiao only sent two words: [Count]
Lin Mo pursed her lips, suddenly feeling that she was being mean-spirited, and immediately replied: "But, I work in Changli, and I can't be back to Shaofeng until Friday night at the earliest. Are you free on Saturday or Sunday? I'll come find you."
Lu Yanxiao: [No need, come here in the evening.]
Then, an address was thrown over: [Changli VIP Hotel.]
Is he growing pears?
So, she was not mistaken when she saw that familiar figure in the mall last night!
【Are you in Changli? 】
To be on the safe side, Lin Mo sent another WeChat message to confirm.
Lu Yanxiao: [Yes.]
Lin Mo: [Okay, I'll come find you after work.]
*
Most of the high-standard hotels in Changli are located in several large research institutes of the Aviation Group. They are called hotels, such as the First Institute Hotel and the Flight Test Institute Hotel. These hotels are not open to the public and only receive colleagues and leaders related to the research institute.
But in addition to the research institute, the group also includes industries such as aircraft parts production, aircraft manufacturing, and aircraft assembly. The products produced by these industries are aimed at the national and global markets. Therefore, there are often many domestic and foreign customers coming to Changli.
The aviation industry involves hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions, and the customers are all top VIPs, who cannot be neglected in the slightest. Therefore, the group built the "Changli VIP Hotel" for external operations. Although it has no star rating, its internal configuration and service quality are above five-star, and it has extremely high control over the surrounding environment and order.
Naturally, there is no "simple" carport that can power off the motorcycle.
After get off work, Lin Mo parked her electric scooter in the company's carport and took a taxi to the VIP hotel.
During the first month of the lunar year, the temperature is still relatively low, especially at night, when the breeze blows, it feels very cold.
Lin Mo specially wrapped herself in a fluffy woolen scarf before going out. As expected of the most luxurious hotel in Changli, the heating was free of charge. As soon as she entered the lobby, the surging warm air hit her face, and her face immediately became hot.
Lin Mo loosened her scarf and sent a message to Lu Yanxiao as she walked towards the coffee shop in the lobby.
She had rejected others before, but now she took the initiative to seek cooperation. She carefully chose her words and tried her best to express her friendliness through words, hoping to narrow the distance.
Lin Mo: [I'm here, waiting for you in the cafe.]
After sending the message, Lin Mo just walked to the door of the coffee shop. When she looked up, she was suddenly startled.
She saw two familiar figures in the coffee shop. One was a colleague from another department in the same company. They were not very familiar with each other but knew each other. The other was Tang Kai, the blind date introduced by Sister Li from the Human Resources Department. The two were explaining something to the foreign friend at the same table on the computer.
She and Lu Yanxiao had agreed to meet in a private room at the coffee shop, but Tang Kai and the others were seated near the door, so they could see her as soon as they entered. She had just accepted the marriage agreement, and she felt guilty about it. She was afraid someone might find out while they were chatting, so she sent Lu Yanxiao another WeChat message.
Lin Mo: [Excuse me, we have acquaintances in the coffee shop. How about we go somewhere more private?]
Lu Yanxiao replied quickly, sending four numbers directly: [1010]
Room number?
Lin Mo was stunned and looked at the sky outside. It was getting dark, and being in the same room with a man in the hotel was somewhat ambiguous. She looked at WeChat and was conflicted, but it was only a brief moment, and she quickly convinced herself.
Since you have decided to "marry" him, this kind of situation will definitely happen more often in the future, so just adapt to it in advance.
Lin Mo replied: [I'll be right up.]
I'd been to the VIP Hotel a few times before, but each time I'd just chatted with people about work in the ground-floor cafe or restaurant. This was my first time actually going upstairs to the guest rooms. The hotel wasn't very tall, only ten floors, but the space inside was ridiculously large, like a maze. Lin Mo searched for a long time before finally spotting a patch of light on the carpet in the hallway ahead. It was Room 1010.
The door to the room was half-open, revealing a luxurious suite. In the middle of the living room was a coffee table and sofa. A few papers lay scattered on the coffee table, as if someone had just worked there. Lu Yanxiao was nowhere to be seen.
Lin Mo stood outside the door, took a few deep breaths, raised her hand and knocked on the door twice.
"Come in." Lu Yanxiao's mellow voice came from the room.
Lin Mo adjusted her expression, stepped into the room, and was about to close the door when the man's voice came again, "No need to close the door."
Lin Mo withdrew her hand, turned around and saw Lu Yanxiao walking out from the inner room of the suite.
He looked completely different from what he had seen before. Perhaps it was because he was in his own room, but the Lu Yanxiao in front of him was lazy and casual, with his hair hanging limply on his eyebrows, his shirt buttons undone to reveal his collarbone, and hotel slippers on his feet. He looked like a homely male model who had just walked out of a home textile advertisement.
"What do you want to drink?"
The man's words interrupted her stunned state, and Lin Mo replied casually, "Ice water will be fine."
The hotel's heating was so hot that Lin Mo's throat felt dry in just a moment. She had no choice but to untie her scarf and asked awkwardly, "Um, can you turn the temperature down a bit?"
Lu Yanxiao nodded and pointed to the middle of the living room: "The agreement is on the coffee table."
"Okay." Lin Mo draped her scarf on the back of the sofa, sat down and began to read the agreement carefully.
In fact, during the lunch break today, she also drafted a marriage agreement, which was similar to Lu Yanxiao's, but Lu Yanxiao's was obviously more domineering and ruthless, and some of the terms were difficult for her to understand.
It states: "The agreement is valid for three years, commencing on the date it is formally signed. During these three years, both parties will be legally married and must cooperate with each other in all social relationships, including with family and friends. Internally, they will be independent individuals and may not interfere with each other's lives. During the duration of the cooperation, neither party may unilaterally terminate the agreement."
The agreement she drafted stated: "During the period of the agreement, if one party experiences other changes in circumstances, including but not limited to meeting true love, the other party must cooperate with the other party in 'divorcing'."
What this means is that as long as both parties reach a consensus, this agreement can be terminated at any time, leaving room for both parties.
"Any questions?" Lu Yanxiao placed the water in front of her and sat down on the sofa opposite.
"Thanks."
Lin Mo first gulped down a few sips of water, and her smoking throat finally felt better. Then, she took out the agreement she had drafted from her bag, handed it to Lu Yanxiao, and said with a sweet smile, "Mr. Lu, take a look. I feel that mine is more humane."
Lu Yanxiao only glanced at it, put the agreement on the coffee table, and looked at her with a raised eyebrow: "Do you allow cheating during marriage?"
As he spoke, the man crossed his long legs and his words were suggestive, clearly expressing a rejection.
Lin Mo waved her hands repeatedly and explained with a smile, "No, no, that's not what I meant. Look, we didn't really like anyone at the moment, so we got married in sham form to appease the elders at home. Three years is neither long nor short. What if I meet true love in these three years? I've thought about it carefully. If I do meet someone I like, we'll just keep it quiet and low-key. When we feel it's time for a divorce, we'll break off the engagement."
Lu Yanxiao sneered: "How do you want to keep a low profile?"
"It's not me, it applies to both of us."
Lin Mo frowned. This was clearly a clause that was beneficial to both parties, but now he was talking about it as if she was thinking of cheating before they even got married!
"Mr. Lu, I won't ask if you find someone else."
"That's quite generous."
"It was fake in the first place." Lin Mo smiled casually.
Lu Yanxiao's eyes glared, and he snorted coldly. He then stood up and said coldly, "I can't sign it."
"Why? This is also to protect your rights." Lin Mo raised her head and stared at him in confusion.
The temperature in the room was high and the girl was wearing thick clothes, so her face was already flushed from the heat. She pursed her pink lips in anxiety, and no one could bear to criticize her soft look.
Lu Yanxiao unconsciously suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "No need."
Lin Mo was still puzzled. What did "no need" mean? Was he sure he wouldn't find true love, or was he simply not planning on falling in love, and therefore, had no such desire?
Thinking of this, Lin Mo couldn't help but be shocked: "Do you have someone you like, but you can't be together?"
Lu Yanxiao remained silent.
"Okay, then forget about this one and just follow your signature."
Her original intention in drafting this clause was to take into account that Lu Yanxiao was the boss of the group and had been involved in so many gossips in the past, and there might be many more in the future. So she told him openly, "I won't interfere with your private life, as long as you keep a low profile." In fact, it didn't matter much whether it was written in the agreement or not.
Lin Mo didn't insist any further and picked up Lu Yanxiao's copy: "Come on, sign now."
After signing and putting their fingerprints on the document, each person holds a copy, and the cooperation is reached.
"Okay, then, we're now a couple. We'll officially become husband and wife after we get the marriage certificate next week." Feeling relieved, Lin Mo put the agreement into her bag. "By the way, Mr. Lu..."
"Still calling you Mr. Lu?"
Lin Mo let out a confused cry.
"Xiao, Boss?"
Lu Yanxiao raised his eyebrows slightly, glancing at her with a half-smile: "What do normal lovers call each other?"
Yan Xiao? Xiao Xiao?
It seemed too intimate, and Lin Mo felt a little embarrassed. She looked up at Lu Yanxiao and met his probing eyes, as if threatening her to "think it over before speaking." After thinking it over again and again, Lin Mo called out tentatively.
"Lu, Yan, Xiao?"
The man chuckled and didn't embarrass her anymore.
Lin Mo secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued the previous topic: "I wanted to ask, how long have you been staying in Changli?"
"What's up?"
"Um."
Since the cooperation has been reached, it should be possible for her to raise the demands involved in the agreement. "If it is convenient, can you show your face in front of my colleagues and help me avoid the trouble of being introduced to blind dates?"
"Tomorrow, I'll pick you up from get off work?"
Lin Mo nodded vigorously: "Lu Yanxiao, you are really smart."
“…”
The corners of Lu Yanxiao's lips twitched unconsciously. He didn't expect that in just a moment, the girl called his name so smoothly. Okay, as long as she felt comfortable.
Lu Yanxiao nodded: "Okay."
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