"No need, I'll go by myself," Bai Xiao said hastily.
The driver was practically Ye Huang's spy, how could she dare let him take her to the Civil Affairs Bureau to verify her marriage certificate?
"Madam, it's impossible to hail a taxi in this area," Housekeeper Qin reminded her.
Bai Xiao responded with a radiant smile, "No problem, I'll use DiDi, it's very convenient."
Housekeeper Qin also smiled, "Do you have a mobile phone, Madam?"
"..."
The smile on Bai Xiao's face froze.
She had no phone!
Since waking up at five in the morning, she had no clothes, no luggage, no ID, no phone, no wallet... nothing!
Housekeeper Qin's smile grew even brighter, "Let's have the driver take you instead!"
"No need," Bai Xiao waved her hand dismissively, her gaze landing on the landline in the living room.
She walked over, picked it up, and dialed, "Liang Qiu, it's your auntie. I'm back in the country, hurry to the Ye Family to pick me up."
"Oh, Auntie, you're finally back! But how come you're at the Ye Family?" Liang Qiu's playful and surprised voice came through the phone.
He was one of the few friends Bai Xiao had as a child and the only person whose phone number she could recite by heart.
"None of your business? Get over here and pick me up within ten minutes," Bai Xiao commanded with authority, like a boss.
Liang Qiu immediately responded, "Okay, Auntie, wait for me!"
...
Ten minutes later, Liang Qiu appeared outside the Ye Family's entrance, riding a heavy-duty motorcycle. He was the same age as Bai Xiao and followed a non-mainstream style. His odd appearance made Bai Xiao's head hurt.
"Why didn't you come by car?" Bai Xiao asked disdainfully. She was wearing a dress, after all!
"My old man confiscated it," Liang Qiu said sheepishly, scratching his head before slapping his motorcycle, "Don't look down on it. This bike is expensive. It's worth more than a regular car, and just revving it a bit costs a dozen or so."
"Wastrel!"
Bai Xiao rolled her eyes at him and hopped on, pulling at her skirt.
With a rev of the engine, Liang Qiu took off with Bai Xiao. Housekeeper Qin immediately called Ye Huang, "Young Master Ye, Mr. Liang Qiu has taken the Madam away…"
——————
Following Bai Xiao's directions, Liang Qiu took her to the Civil Affairs Bureau. At ten in the morning, it wasn't very crowded.
Bai Xiao gritted her teeth and dragged Liang Qiu along to queue up.
Liang Qiu jumped in shock, "Auntie, why did you drag me to the Civil Affairs Bureau so early in the morning? Are you forcing marriage on me? I have a girlfriend, and there's no way I'm succumbing to you!"
Bai Xiao glared at him, "In your dreams!"
"Then what are you doing here?" Liang Qiu sized up Bai Xiao, "Also, didn't you come back last night? How come you ended up at the Ye Family so early in the morning?"
"I stayed at the Ye Family last night."
The more Bai Xiao thought about it, the angrier she got. She took out the marriage certificate and showed it to Liang Qiu, "I was tricked into marriage!"
"What?" Liang Qiu was stunned.
He flipped through the marriage certificate, which had photos of Ye Huang and Bai Xiao, their names printed on it, and was stamped with official seals...
"Are you saying Ye Huang concocted a fake marriage certificate to lure you to their home?"
"Yes! That foolish Huang even tricked me into thinking that yesterday was our wedding day."
"A wedding?" Liang Qiu frowned, "I didn't hear about that."
"Exactly, so it must be fake!"
"But did you ask your parents? They wouldn't be worried about you if you didn't go home after returning to the country?"
Bai Xiao paused.
Then she shook her head, "Maybe they're not worried. After all, in their eyes, I'm quite capable."
Liang Qiu knew some things about Bai Xiao's family situation and looked at her sympathetically, "So what's your plan now?"