Despite clarifying the situation, Cheng Huan's heart remains unsettled. She wonders about the hasty nature of this marriage, which seems like child's play. What does she need from this arrangement? Money? Although she is not wealthy, Cheng Huan has her own hands and a stable job—she doesn't need that much money. Returning home to her small and humble dwelling, she opens her computer, hoping that diving into a game will help calm her chaotic emotions. While she is willing to assist her uncle's company by agreeing to this unusual marriage, she cannot shake off the discomfort that such an essential institution as marriage is being treated so casually.
Cheng Huan dreams of wearing a pristine white wedding gown, taking romantic photos with her husband by the seaside, and celebrating with family and friends. However, she is alone; her parents passed away, and she has few friends. The dream of a perfect wedding seems to have slipped away. Frustrated, Cheng Huan throws her computer aside, lies on her wide bed, and hugs her beloved doll. She screams out in agony, feeling like her beautiful dreams have shattered.
Realizing that she can't change the situation, Cheng Huan tries to lift her spirits. Even if she cannot have the wedding she dreamed of, she convinces herself to accept the reality. She takes out the marriage certificate to study it carefully. The man next to her in the photo is the most handsome she has ever seen. Cheng Huan's heart flutters, and her face blushes. She playfully touches the face of the handsome man in the picture, daydreaming about the moment when she will meet him in person. Cheng Huan exhales deeply, suppressing her racing heart. She knows she must stay calm and face everything with composure.
"Leaving on the Road to Love"
Chapter Six: Encountering Mockery
Chapter Seven: Turmoil Within
Life continued on its normal course, and Cheng Huan's heart remained preoccupied. She kept murmuring the name "Leng Yuzhe," furrowing her brows, feeling a strange sense of familiarity with those three words. However, she couldn't recall where she had heard them before. Frustrated, she gave up trying to remember, deciding that remembering Leng Yuzhe as her fake husband was enough.
Days passed uneventfully, but Cheng Huan's mind was fixated on one thing—when would she meet Leng Yuzhe? Despite the fake nature of their marriage, she felt it necessary to meet him at least once to acknowledge their connection. Time dragged on for Cheng Huan, who was eagerly awaiting this encounter.
Impatient and vexed, Cheng Huan threw documents onto her desk. Her face turned pink with frustration. Her life had taken an unexpected turn. Without any prior experience or challenges, she would have aimlessly drifted through life. Now, everything was different. She found herself inexplicably married, and her only wish was to meet her "husband."
Time continued to slip away, leading to Sunday. Cheng Huan's thoughts, however, had been consumed by excitement and torment throughout the week. Growing increasingly frustrated, she slammed the papers onto her desk, and her cute face reddened. The week had passed, and the so-called marriage felt more like a boring joke. Wasn't this a bit too much?
"What's gotten into you? Are you angry? Can't you see I'm calculating something here? Annoying!" scolded Wang Lili, her colleague from the same office.
Cheng Huan took a deep breath, whispered an apology, and sat down. She sipped her bitter coffee, attempting to suppress the inexplicable anger within her. Despite her ordinary life and mild temperament, an entire week had passed without a word or appearance from the man she was supposedly married to. This was bound to frustrate her.
As she took her first sip of coffee, her phone suddenly vibrated loudly on the table, startling Cheng Huan. She nearly choked on her coffee and quickly wiped the liquid from her lips with a tissue. She picked up her phone and saw an unfamiliar number. Her heart skipped a beat, and she took a deep breath before answering with a gentle tone, "Hello, who's this?"
"Miss Cheng Huan, right? I'm Leng Yuzhe's personal assistant. Would it be convenient for us to meet?" The voice on the other end was composed and fluent, leaving a distinct impression on Cheng Huan.
Cheng Huan was a bit stunned, taking some time to process what just happened. She nodded blankly and said, "Uh... sure, when and where should we meet?"
"If it's convenient for you, let's meet this afternoon. I'll be waiting for you at your workplace. Let's meet at five o'clock. Goodbye!" The person on the other end swiftly finished speaking and hung up before Cheng Huan could say the last word.
"Goodbye!" Cheng Huan said dumbfoundedly. Holding her phone, her hand trembled involuntarily. The uneasy feeling in her heart grew stronger. If she didn't hear it wrong, the man on the phone sounded very businesslike. Come on, this is about a marriage; how could he discuss it in such a tone?
Cheng Huan was filled with anger but had nowhere to vent it. What frustrated her even more was that, although they had a phone conversation this time, she still hadn't seen the main character. The person who claimed to be his personal assistant just now—what was going on? She wanted to meet him, not his assistant!
"Who is it? Did you get a new boyfriend?" Wang Lili turned around and saw Cheng Huan's dazed expression, teasing her.
Cheng Huan snapped out of it and quickly replied, "Don't make things up! I don't have a boyfriend!" No boyfriend but a husband now, she thought, feeling too overwhelmed to even cry. What kind of situation was this?
"Really? Why do you look so mysterious when you answer the phone? Afraid that I'll overhear some confidential information?" Wang Lili complained.
"No, no, it was a friend of my uncle. Don't guess randomly!" Cheng Huan chuckled nervously, then hurriedly left the office!
Summer evenings arrived late, and Cheng Huan sat at her desk, watching the clock on the wall point to five. She grabbed her bag and rushed downstairs.