Mei Ting raised a brow. What nonsense was he uttering?
Seeing the confused look on her face, Yang Zichen smirked, "You must think you can use me as a stepping stone or something."
To him, marriage was an investment, give and take, if she doesn't offer anything, then he doesn't want her.
"Do you even use your phone? Everyone knows and you don't?"
"I hadn't had time t-" A photo which had fallen out of the envelope Yang Zichen tore had caught her eyes, and she bent down to pick it up.
"I don't care. Don't ever contact me; I will sue you if I ever hear you utter my name."
Yang Zichen was too busy severing ties with her to notice that the girl in the certificate he was holding wasn't Mei Ting.
"Zichen, wait, listen to me." She tried to hold his hand, "I think you need to see th-" but he moved it away from her reach.
"And don't touch me."
Their little encounter caught the attention of a few people. It wasn't uncommon for couples to break up just when they were about to get their certificate.
She walked beside him, trying to get his attention, but he didn't stop, not even once.
Her chest tightened. A drop of tears fell on her cheeks and she quickly wiped it off with a thumb.
Instead of crying, she decided to see what was wrong with the certificate.
Mei Ting approached a staff member and explained her notice to him.
She accompanied him to his office, sat on the cushion in front of him and watched his hand punch the keyboard on the laptop in front of him. On one side of the table has a pile of files. The man had on square rim glasses which sat on the bridge of his nose his eyes staring intently at the screen in front of him
"I'm sorry, but there seems to have been a switch, which resulted from a technical issue. The man earlier wasn't your husband." She moved out of her chair as if that would make her understand the man better.
"What do you mean?" curiosity drenched her eyes.
"You see this?" He turned the screen to face her before pointing at a part of it. Mei Ting's eyes scanned the content, reading it though she could barely understand what it meant.
"You are married to someone else. I'll have this fixed. Once again, sorry for the inconvenience" Her head was spinning, this was too much information to take in one day.
First, Yang Zichen broke up with her, then he said some things she hadn't confirmed so she wasn't quite sure how true they were. Now, she is married to a stranger.
Sigh!
Mei Ting was asked to wait outside while they fixed the mistake. She stepped out of the office and walked back to the lounge; she tried to fight the tears which threatened to fall from her eyes; she schooled her features; she couldn't cry here; she didn't want to.
Mei Ting dropped on a cushion at the longue.
She brought out her phone, she wanted to check if what Yang Zichen said was true. She needed to know.
She knew whatever happened in the Li household was always placed online. However, she was reluctant to search for a while, scared that what Yang Zichen had said earlier was true.
She took in deep breaths trying to settle her beating heart. The fan in the middle of the ceiling made faint creeks as its blades rotated, sending out a gentle breeze.
Mei Ting was finally able to bring herself to search for Li family updates. She prepared herself mentally for the worst.
She didn't have to search for too long. The Li family was already on the number one trend topic. Her hands holding her phone trembled.
Everything Yang Zichen said was true.
Madam Li was dead.
Her heart shattered at the revelation. This was the woman who had taken her in since she was ten and had raised her like a daughter.
She couldn't be dead. Mei Ting shook her head wishing this was all a bad dream. She didn't mind being cast out of the Li family. She always knew that was what Li Weiyoung wanted.
Mei Ting's eyes blurred with tears. She felt a throbbing sound in her ear as hot tears ran down her cheeks. She knew she had to go see Madam Li before she was buried.
She stood, but her legs were unable to hold her weight so she ended up falling back into the cushion.
All those around shook their heads in pity for the girl in red trousers and black top. Most of them had witnessed her fiance breaking up with her, so naturally, they assumed that was her reason for crying.
After some minutes passed, Mei Ting was able to pull herself together. She wiped her tears. She couldn't stay here. Being married to someone else suddenly became the least of her concerns.
Her foster mother was dead.
She had to go back home, she had to see what Li Weiyoung was up to. She had to meet with Li Weiyoung to at least clear her name; that was the only way she could pay her last respects to Madam Li.
The sky was clear, the sun cast a long shadow on the beige building, its rays leaking through the oak leaves.
Mei Ting took slow and unsteady steps, everyone she walked past turned around, squinting their eyes at the girl with slumped shoulders.
Mei Ting was a few feet away from her car when three black cars entered through the gate. Their tyres screeched loudly on the floor as they came to a stop.
This caused everyone to pause on their track and turn their gaze to the new arrivals, including Mei Ting.
Men in black suits walked out of the car, the middle car was then pulled open by one of the men who held the door till a tall man stepped out.
Mei Ting was about to continue on her way when these men suddenly walked swiftly towards her, their feet stomping the ground.
They bowed their heads in front of her, causing Mei Ting's face to contour in surprise, followed by a slight gnash of her teeth.
They hit their legs twice on the floor, still with their heads bowed, they all echoed in one loud voice, "Madam"
She blinked a few times wishing the men would step aside so she could step into her car.
This scene caught the attention of a lot of individuals and some brought out their phones to film.
A man in a black, neatly ironed Italian suit stepped forward; the men quickly moved to the side, creating a path for him. She sprained her neck to look at his perfectly chiselled face; his brown eyes sparkled, and his red hair made him stand out.
"Wifey, we finally meet," his voice was deep and slightly hoarse, complimenting his entire demeanour.
Mei Ting pointed to herself with an index finger, "Are you referring to me?" She asked. Her eyes swept around the little crowd.
Luo Chen's lips pulled up in a smile, before nodding.
She bit the inside of her mouth as she stared at this handsome figure in front of her claiming to be her husband.
From his entrance, she could tell that he was someone powerful, and with all that was going on in her life currently, she didn't want to add to it by offending someone she shouldn't.
"I think there has been a misunderstanding." Her voice was soft, oozing respect for the man before her.
The strange man held his hand to the side and one of his men placed a brown envelope on his hands. He opened the envelope with his slender fingers and pulled out a white sheet of paper.
Without scanning the content, he passed it over to her.
Mei Ting readily received it, eager to see what was in it.
She didn't need to read far. On the top of the paper was the inscription, "Marriage Certificate"
Below it was her name and a photo. Her eyes widened at the realization that this was the man she had married as a result of the switch.
She passed her hand over her hair, frustrated.
Looking around at the crowd who were still littering around and Whispering amongst themselves, Mei Ting decided that it would be best to handle this elsewhere.
She raised her head to look at the man whose smile wasn't even flattering.
"Can we leave, go somewhere quiet and talk?"
The man seemed satisfied with her proposal. If she had not suggested it, he would have.
They settled in his car a few minutes later.
"When I said there was a misunderstanding, I meant it." She said once the car started into the streets.
Luo Chen turned so he could watch her speak.
"You see, earlier today, I was about to get a certificate with my fiance, and that was when I realized this switch. We've been accidentally wedded."
" I know that and I don't mind." Luo Chen spoke, choosing his words carefully.
"So, you intend to keep this marriage?" She asked.
Luo Che didn't need to think. He had made up his mind before going to the registry. It would take over six months to end this marriage since they just got married. He had weighed his pros and cons and settled with her as his wife was better.
"Yes. I intend to keep this marriage." His voice was laced with firm conviction.
He moved his eyes forward and then returned it to her.
"How about you, what do you want?" As much as he has made his decision, he wants to know what she thinks.
He would only do what she wants. He watched in anticipation as her lips moved to speak.