Chapter 4 The Wedding Ring: Me? Whom Am I Marrying?
The same to you.
Yin Xiao suddenly felt a mental block, and her temples throbbed. Three words floated slowly past her ears, seemingly there yet there, endlessly repeating.
"What am I?" she asked uncertainly, clenching her palm.
"Happy wedding." Yi Zhiyan looked down at her, his gaze focused, not like he was joking.
Yin Xiao pressed on with difficulty, "Me? Who am I going to marry?"
"Me." Yi Zhiyan frowned, then changed the subject, "You don't know?"
Yin Xiao didn't speak, her lips were taut and her complexion wasn't good.
The chandelier overhead rhythmically changed color, from blue to purple, casting swaying shadows that swirled in front of my eyes, causing a dizzying sensation.
Yi Zhiyan stared at the girl for a while before finally coming to his senses. No wonder they hadn't been on the same wavelength these past two days; it turned out she didn't know.
"I'm sorry." He explained in a low voice, "I thought Aunt Qian had told you about this... If I offended you with what I said before, it wasn't my intention, I'm really sorry."
He glanced at her stunned expression and said, "Since you were unaware of this, let's pretend the marriage was never mentioned."
The girl nodded absentmindedly, forced a smile at him, and jokingly replied, "Haha, this is all so strange. I'll go back and calm down first."
After saying that, she quickly turned around to make a phone call, no longer looking at him. Less than a minute later, the girl who was with her ran out carrying two long down jackets and a handbag, and took her arm as they walked up the escalator.
Yi Zhiyan watched the two figures leave, his expression unchanged. The indoor stadium's heating was running smoothly, causing a thin layer of sweat to form on the back of his neck, making him feel as if he were standing next to a stove, inexplicably tormented.
He leaned against the railing, looking up at the grey-blue sky through the giant glass wall in front of him. He took out a candy box, popped a mint into his mouth, waited for the coolness to spread and melt, then picked up his phone to make a call.
"She was unaware of the marriage, don't involve her, switch to plan B."
The person on the other end reluctantly agreed, and he hung up the phone and returned to the private room.
There was still a lot of food left on the table. Fang Yiwen swirled his wine glass, a piece of juicy braised pork dangling from his mouth, and mumbled, "You...you didn't see me off?"
Yi Zhiyan glanced at him, said nothing, and sat down to drink the half-cold soup.
"Hey, what are we going to give them? Those two have probably run off somewhere. What? Do they think our food isn't good enough for them...? Especially that Yin Xiao, just like her sister, materialistic, vain, arrogant, and conceited..."
The man with the perm across from me kept piling foie gras into his bowl, spewing nothing but derogatory remarks.
“Don’t talk nonsense…” His girlfriend pushed him, “Xiaoxiao is not like that. She has already asked Alan to explain for her. She has something to take care of at home first.”
The woman with the perm clicked her tongue impatiently. "Well, she left halfway through her meal anyway. What does it mean that she left before I treated her? Does she look down on me? People like that are really boring..."
Clang.
The glass shattered on the table, the sharp sound silencing him abruptly.
Yi Zhiyan gripped the glass tightly, tapping the rim of it casually with his fingers. "Your name is Jiang Fei?"
He nodded, his head held high.
He narrowed his eyes, his finger pausing. "Someone like you is interesting, spreading rumors behind people's backs."
The sentence was spoken slowly and casually, with the tone deliberately lowered at the end, yet the anger was obvious.
Fang Yiwen had sobered up considerably, and even though he was slow to react, he could hear the sarcasm in Yi Zhiyan's words.
He shivered suddenly, frowned and glared at Jiang Fei across from him who was pretending to be deaf and dumb, and couldn't understand how this person had become so bad after not seeing him for a few months.
He was terrified during the second half of the meal, and several times he almost spoke but then stopped, but he finally made it to the end.
As Fang Yiwen walked out of the restaurant, he slowly zipped up his down jacket, glancing sideways at Yi Zhiyan's expression. He quietly leaned closer to defend himself, "Old Yi, I didn't know he had such a foul mouth. I just thought of my old classmate..."
Yi Zhiyan glanced at her phone, then raised her hand to interrupt him, "Young Cafe, you know it?"
"I don't know, why don't you ask Qi Chen? He knows this area well." Fang Yiwen suddenly caught sight of the familiar seaside lighthouse image and whispered gossip, "You're meeting up with a junior girl tomorrow behind our backs? The first time I've seen you not refuse, are you...?"
"If you're really free," Yi Zhiyan turned to look at him, his eyes cold and pointed, "you'd better clean up the trash around you as soon as possible."
—
Young Cafe.
Yin Xiao sat by the window, quietly scrolling through practice exam papers on her phone. Two jasmine lattes sat in front of her, steam rising gently before her eyes.
In the rising mist, someone seemed to sit down on the sofa opposite. The black scarf was pulled off, and Yi Zhiyan's clean features came into view.
"What do you want?"
Yin Xiao turned off her phone screen, looked up, gripped her latte, wiped the moisture from the handle of the stirring spoon with her fingertips, and made up her mind to speak.
Let's get married.
Yi Zhiyan rested his elbow on the corner of the table, his face expressionless, and lifted his eyelids to look at her, "Have you thought it through?"
Yin Xiao took a deep breath, nodded solemnly, and cleared her throat, trying to make herself sound as relaxed as possible.
Are you looking to find a marriage partner as soon as possible?
“Yes.” Yi Zhiyan said frankly, “But you should understand the current situation, right? Both of our families have people watching us.”
"Understood." Yin Xiao lowered her eyes and grasped the spoon.
The spoon struck the rim of the cup, making a crisp clinking sound, which made her even more alert.
Yin Xiao only found out yesterday that it was Qian Yue's WeChat profile picture that caused this chain reaction.
At a gathering of the two families, someone recognized her profile picture, leading both families to believe that the profile picture was proof that the two were in a relationship. They immediately agreed to push the two people, who didn't even know each other, into marriage.
However, something went wrong. Ms. Qian Yue claimed that she was just joking and did not actually agree to marry off her precious daughter, but the other party seemed to be ready and directly told Yi Zhiyan about her future partner.
Yin Xiao's first reaction after understanding was to refuse. Even though after these three meetings, Yi Zhiyan's face, figure, intelligence, and way of handling things far exceeded her expectations, the little flame that had just been ignited was not enough to make her want to get married.
However, the information Qian Yue sent mentioned the relationship between Yizhiyan and the Yizhi brand.
This information is very important; it concerns her closest family members, and more than one.
It's worth betting her life on marriage. Even if it's all about interests and no feelings, it's still a worthwhile investment.
Corresponding to her decision, Yi Zhiyan did not object. Judging from their brief interactions and WeChat conversations, he had implicitly accepted the upcoming marriage.
She couldn't possibly be delusional and assume Yi Zhiyan liked her. It could only mean that he needed this marriage and was simply making the process convenient.
Just like her.
"Am I right?" Yin Xiao smiled confidently.
“That’s right.” Yi Zhiyan looked up at her. “I guessed from the beginning that you, like me, needed a marriage that was half real and half fake… Your profile picture is probably to pretend to be your partner to appease your family.”
Yin Xiao didn't explain further that the profile picture was just a game punishment, concealing her true purpose. She smiled awkwardly, clasped her hands on the edge of the table, and leaned forward, "From now on, we're partners."
Yi Zhiyan raised his chin, his tone serious, "Shall we discuss the terms of cooperation now?"
Yin Xiao smiled and eagerly unlocked her phone, turning the screen around and pushing it towards the center of the table.
It's so much easier to talk to smart people.
She tapped the logo on the screen. "My mom told me that Yizhi Company is your family's?"
"I guess so."
"Your company has one quota for transferring staff from overseas branches back to China each year, right? Do you know how this quota is determined?"
Yi Zhiyan didn't think much of it and replied, "The person who ranks first in the company's internal assessment gets this spot, and it's always been like this."
Yin Xiao looked up and stared directly at him. "Really? Have you seen the assessment rankings?"
Yi Zhiyan frowned, remained silent for a moment, and understood the unspoken meaning in her words.
"So the company's upper management used their power to oust that original person." He spoke calmly, not out of surprise, lowering his eyelashes in thought. "This matter... will be difficult to investigate."
"Can you guarantee that this year's spot won't be taken away? Whoever comes in first, that's who."
Yi Zhiyan pursed his lips, took out a mint from his pocket, tilted his head back and poured two into his mouth. The mint's coolness was almost bitter, rolling and struggling in his mouth before slowly sliding between his teeth.
"I agree." He bit the candy, swallowed it, and said, "Is this your condition?"
"yes."
"Is this person very important to you that you're willing to risk your marriage?"
"It's very important." Yin Xiao smiled sincerely.
Yi Zhiyan looked up and sized her up. The girl's eyes were bright, but the corners of her mouth were downturned, revealing a hint of bitterness.
His Adam's apple bobbed. "If your condition is that you transfer the person back to China directly, I will agree."
She immediately stopped smiling. "No need, she can get first place."
“But,” she said seriously, her eyes earnest, “this matter must be kept secret. Don’t let anyone know.” Yi Zhiyan nodded in agreement.
Yin Xiaosong breathed a sigh of relief, "And you?"
"Sign a prenuptial agreement with me and act in front of your family for a year. We expect to get our marriage certificate before the end of the year. At that time, we will probably have to go through all the steps, such as trying on wedding dresses and taking photos, premarital medical examinations, notarization of property, and the wedding. We will make sure the act is complete."
“Fake couple, no problem.” Yin Xiao shrugged indifferently and stirred her half-cup of coffee.
Yi Zhiyan took out his wallet and placed it on the table. "You really don't want these cards?"
Yin Xiao stared at the bank cards on the table, pursed her lips, and said, "Give them to me if you want."
She poked the card with her finger and then pulled it back, saying, "Never mind, I can't take responsibility if it gets lost."
She rested her chin on her hand, deliberately changing the subject, "Do we just need to put on an act in front of our elders, and then maintain normal social distancing at school?"
"what ever."
“Then let’s not tell anyone.” Yin Xiao drew a circle between the two of them with her palm facing up. “I should be accepted into the graduate program at my current university. We’ll be alumni for at least another year and a half. Pretending not to know each other will save a lot of energy dealing with classmates’ gossip.”
"Okay." Yi Zhiyan looked at her phone. "But don't change your WeChat profile picture for a year."
He paused for a moment and then explained, "It seems that your profile picture is quite misleading to both families."
Yin Xiao puffed out her cheeks and thought for a few seconds before mimicking his logic and asking, "So, are you going to use my photo as your profile picture? If you're going to put on an act, then go all the way."
"You're right." Yi Zhiyan looked down at his phone. "Do you mind if I take a picture of you?"
"I don't mind." Yin Xiao straightened her back and made a peace sign confidently. "Take any pictures you like."
Yi Zhiyan held up his phone to his chin, swiping his fingers across the screen as if he were taking several pictures.
When she looked up and met his unwavering gaze, Yin Xiao's smile froze for a second. She slowly lowered her head, picked up the cup, bit the rim, and gulped down her coffee.
The faint floral fragrance dissipated, and a cup of hot latte was emptied. Yin Xiao tentatively looked up and caught a glimpse of Yi Zhiyan still holding his phone.
"Not finished filming yet?" Yin Xiao asked stiffly. "Why don't you film my back too?"
Yi Zhiyan put down his phone and looked at her. "You've never been in a relationship?"
The topic shifted abruptly, catching Yin Xiao off guard. She choked back, then retorted unwillingly, "You've been in a relationship?"
“No.” Yi Zhiyan said calmly, “But I asked Qi Chen, and he is very experienced.”
"We can't be too deliberate about the profile picture. It should be one that doesn't show your face but is still recognizable to your family..." He turned the phone screen towards her. "How about this one?"
In the photo, she has almost her entire head buried in the cup, with only her fluffy bun on top showing. A blue and white headband hangs behind her ears, and her hair at her temples is messy, making her look careless no matter how you look at it.
"Not very good." She shook her head in disdain. "Senior Qi Chen's teaching isn't very good either."
He turned back to his phone, stared at the screen for a few seconds with focused eyes, and said, "I think it's great, very natural and beautiful."
“…Okay then.” Yin Xiao didn’t dwell on it anymore. She glanced at the time, hurriedly grabbed a tissue to wipe the water from the corner of her mouth, and said, “I have an exam this afternoon, so I’m leaving now. Let’s chat on WeChat if you need anything.”
"Are you free tomorrow?" Yi Zhiyan called out to her, stretching out his arm and pushing a horseshoe-shaped ring box onto the table.
"Can I wear this ring and meet my family?"
A note from the author:
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