Qiao Xiaon'an bit her lip, and, hiding a shadowed thought deep within her heart, she gave him a brisk nod. "Yes, I do," she said, responding to his proposal with a joyously mischievous smile that made her dimples deepen. "You did say that the betrothal gift from the Yun Family was enticing. Why shouldn't I agree?"
What she needed was only a marriage license to escape her mother's relentless matchmaking. And him, being the eldest son of the Yun Family, having a status her mother deeply approved of, why should she refuse?
As for what was said the day before, his dismissive and demeaning remarks, as well as his misunderstanding about her being avaricious, those were irrelevant.
She clapped her hands cheerfully, "Let's go, whoever backs out is a sucker."
Yun Mo recalled her muttering under her breath, "You want to force me into marriage, okay, I will go on a blind date myself. I'll find someone of mediocre background, earning less than five thousand, without a car, without a house. As long as he is sincere. Once we have the marriage certificate and the rice is cooked, what can you do about it?"
Was she speaking to herself out of resentment towards her mother?
He turned to look at the petite figure of Qiao Xiaon'an who moved ahead to the marriage registry office, his gaze was somewhat complex. Frowning slightly as he watched her, perhaps she too was being forced into marriage; yesterday might have been a misunderstanding.
Tall legs always have their advantages. Yun Mo, with only a couple of leisurely strides, caught up with Qiao Xiaon'an. His tall and lean figure, wrapped in a form-fitting suit, was a perfect Cinderella-and-Prince combination standing next to her.
One was stunningly handsome, almost devilish.
The other was average, simply and modestly pretty.
More than a few people had already cast their glances at them.
Silent onlookers.
Surprised, scornful.
Doubtful, yet envying.
Even when she overheard some whispers from passers-by while taking their wedding photos, Qiao Xiaon'an's steps remained firm. She was only wearing a white blouse, which the photographer said was too light to show well in official photos. So Yun Mo offered to take off his black suit coat for her to wear since his shirt underneath was black and would not be considered a light color.
"I don't want it," Qiao Xiaon'an flatly refused.
Without speaking, Yun Mo remained calm and collected, as if undisturbed by the outside world. Casually removing his coat, he draped it over her shoulders without her consent, "Put it on. It's time for the photo."
She felt her back being softly caressed as Yun Mo helped her put on the coat, which was pleasantly warm and still carried his scent. Involuntarily taking a deep breath, she found the scent pleasing. She adjusted the collar and slipped her arms into the sleeves before starting to pose for the photos as instructed by the photographer.
She couldn't tell what the slight fragrance on his clothes was. It was too light to be cologne, more likely something he wore regularly.
At least, he was a man that liked cleanliness.
After the couple's photo was taken, she returned his coat.
When the marriage certificate was stamped with the official seal and handed over to Qiao Xiaon'an by the registry office staff, for a fleeting moment, she felt helpless. She had once passionately loved someone else. How had she ended up marrying a random man she had met by chance?
Laughable. She had even been misunderstood by him for being a money digger.
What a joke.
After all, she was Qiao Xiaon'an. She had once been pursued relentlessly by Chu Nantian. It wasn't until Chu Nantian gave up his inheritance to the Chu Family's Tongyu Group to be with her that she was moved. The Tongyu Group was a large company that many college students dreamed of interning at.
If she were a gold digger, she would have agreed to Chu Nantian a long time ago, slept with him, gotten pregnant, and become Chu's young mistress.
Why would she refuse to get in bed with Chu Nantian, to the point where her cousin suddenly took her place?
Forget it, what's past is past. Now she was a married woman. Let's see what this marriage certificate looked like:
"Legal Holder, Qiao Xiaon'an, Yun Mo, this is your wedding photo? It looks so cold," but that didn't matter, he still looked very handsome. Looking at the other one, besides the legal holder being Yun Mo, it was identical to hers. She passed it over to him. "I asked for leave to come here. I have to get back to work now."
"I'll have the driver take you."
"No need, I like taking the subway."
Her cheery and resolute voice rang out like the sweet song of a golden oriole. As Yun Mo listened, he found it pleasant, but his face remained icy as he watched her petite figure gradually disappear into the drizzling rain beyond the gate of the marriage registration hall. The sky, drenched in an impending storm, hinted at a heavy downpour to come.
Watching her figure disappear into the thin curtain of rain, her silhouette rubbing her arms against the embracing chill, he wondered whether she was cold in the brisk early spring rain.
She was dressed so thinly, soaked by the rain, wouldn't she feel cold?
Strangely enough, why was he worried that she might be cold?
At this moment, Assistant Ade approached.
"Mr. Yun, should I take you back to the company?"
"How long till the meeting starts?"
"In forty minutes."
"Go to the nearest mall."
"But Mr. Yun, the meeting is about to start..."
"Go to the mall."
Ade was bewildered, Yun Mo never delayed meetings. What was going on today? Not until they reached the women's clothing department of the mall did he understand. Apparently, Yun Mo was buying clothes for Mrs. Yun.
What else could it be?
Could the clothes he was closely examining be for someone else?
Know this, over the years, Yun Mo hasn't had any woman by his side, let alone buying gifts for the opposite sex.
Other than the occasional gifts for his mother Deng Jiaru, he has never bought anything for any other woman.
Yun Mo looked at the white casual women's suit in his hand, thoughtfully recalled that Qiao Xiaon'an seemed to prefer white, and didn't like to dress up. She always looked serenely plain, her only adornment being a pair of white earrings. She would surely like the white clothes in his hands!
It wasn't until he had Ade pay for them and returned to the limousine that he asked, "After dropping me off at the company, send the clothes to Tongyu Group."
When Deng Jiaru told him at the villa that his grandfather had sent someone to the Qiao Family to propose marriage, Yun Mo had done a background check on Qiao Xiaon'an and naturally knew where she worked.
"Leave them at the reception area, and don't say they're from me."
"Yes, sir."
"Also, pick up my wife this afternoon and bring her to the Oriental Pearl."
"Yes, Mr. Yun."
"Tell Grandfather that I, as he wished, am now a married man."
"Yes... Mr. Yun, Assistant Ade has had a question for many years..."
The two of them were sitting in the car, one in the front and one in the back. When Ade looked up, he could see Yun Mo's cool, but not displeased expression in the rearview mirror. Over the years, Ade knew that when Yun Mo found someone annoying, he would frown. If you were allowed to continue talking, he would stay silent.
Thus, the conversation between the two continued:
Ade: "Mr. Yun, why have I never seen you fall for a woman in all these years, even to the point of…"
Yun Mo: "Spit it out."
Ade: "Then I'll really say it."
Yun Mo: "…"