Chapter 2

Chapter 2

At nine o’clock the next morning, when the doorbell rang, I thought I was dreaming.

A hangover made my head throb painfully. I threw on a coat and went to open the door. The moment it swung open, I was instantly wide awake.

Gu Yanzhou was standing outside.

He wore a black overcoat over a meticulous white shirt. He held a document folder in one hand and a household registration booklet in the other.

His assistant stood behind him, eyes fixed on his own nose, looking as if this were all perfectly routine.

Gu Yanzhou looked at me, his tone as calm as if he were discussing a mundane business deal.

“The Civil Affairs Bureau is open. Get ready and come with me.”

I suspected I was still drunk.

“Are you serious?”

“I took what you said last night very seriously.”

I leaned against the doorframe, my headache worsening.

“Gu Yanzhou, I’d had too much to drink.”

“I hadn’t.”

He took a step forward, raising a hand to brace against the door. The movement wasn’t forceful, yet it made it impossible for me to close it.

“If you regret it, say so now. Once you do, I’ll turn around and leave.”

I should have said it.

But for some reason, meeting those eyes of his, it felt like something was blocking my throat.

Gu Yanzhou handed me the folder.

“Read this first.”

Inside wasn’t some flashy prenuptial agreement, but a comprehensive plan to clear the obstacles in my life.

Appointments for my mother’s specialist consultations, the loan approval for my studio, a demand letter for the project payments that were three months overdue, and even the design copyright procedures that Gu Zeqian had been secretly suppressing-everything was handled.

The final page contained only four lines of text.

A marriage of convenience, for one year.

During the marriage, Xu Yutang shall enjoy all public rights and interests as Mrs. Gu.

No member of the Gu Family may touch her or her family.

After one year, as long as she wishes to divorce, Gu Yanzhou will cooperate unconditionally.

I read through it page by page, my fingers tightening slightly.

“What do you want?”

“Marriage.”

Gu Yanzhou answered bluntly. “The trust fund in my grandmother’s hands requires me to be married before it can be settled.”

“So you’re just picking anyone to marry?”

“Not just anyone.”

He stared at me, his voice dropping an octave.

“It has to be you.”

These words were too direct, like a needle piercing my chest when I least expected it.

I avoided his gaze and deliberately asked with a cold face, “There are plenty of people in Lincheng who want to marry you. Why me?”

Gu Yanzhou was silent for two seconds. Suddenly, he reached out, his thumb brushing away the traces of smudged makeup under my eyes.

The movement was light, but it made my entire body freeze.

“Because you are worth it.”

My heart constricted violently.

Only yesterday, Gu Zeqian had measured my value in terms of interests. Today, Gu Yanzhou was standing at my door, saying I was worth it.

It was absurd.

And dangerous.

But that’s how people are sometimes-even when they know something is dangerous, they are still pulled along by that tiny bit of difference.

Half an hour later, I was sitting in the car with him on the way to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

The cabin was quiet. Gu Yanzhou leaned back on one side with his eyes closed, resting, appearing certain that I wouldn’t run away at the last minute. I stared at his long, cold profile, my mind a complete mess.

As we neared our destination, I couldn’t help but ask, “Gu Yanzhou, do you also think I’m just using myself to get revenge on Gu Zeqian?”

He opened his eyes and turned his head to look at me.

“Xu Yutang, you are not anyone’s accessory.”

“Then why marry me?”

Gu Yanzhou looked at me for a long time.

Outside the window, light and shadows flickered through his eyes, rising and falling.

“Because I want to.”

Just four words.

My ears burned as I heard them, but I didn’t dare ask anything else.

The process of getting the marriage certificate felt like a dream.

When it came to the signature line, my pen stalled for a second. Gu Yanzhou sat beside me. He didn’t rush me, but gently nudged the fountain pen toward my fingers.

“Sign it.”

His voice was deep, so close it felt like it was pressed against my ear.

“From today on, no one will be able to treat you like a pushover again.”

As I looked down and signed my name, the frustration that had been stifling my chest for an entire day suddenly dissipated by half.

I had just received the red booklet and hadn’t even had time to react when a black Maybach screeched to a halt in front of the Civil Affairs Bureau.

When Gu Zeqian stepped out of the car, his face was so dark he looked ready to kill.

“Xu Yutang, are you crazy?”

His gaze fell on the marriage certificates in my and Gu Yanzhou’s hands. His expression changed instantly, as if he had never truly believed I would dare to do it.

Before I could speak, Gu Yanzhou had already pulled me half a step behind him.

It was only half a step, but it was a posture of complete protection.

“Mind your tongue.”

Gu Zeqian stared at me, his teeth nearly grinding to dust.

“You married him just to spite me?”

“You’re overthinking it,” I chuckled. “I just suddenly realized that you’re worthless.”

Gu Zeqian’s expression shifted violently. He took a step forward, reaching out to grab me.

Gu Yanzhou caught his wrist. His grip was surprisingly powerful. Gu Zeqian let out a muffled groan, his entire body stiffening.

“She is my wife now,” Gu Yanzhou said tonelessly. “Touch her again, and I’ll break this hand.”

In that moment, Gu Zeqian was truly intimidated.

He had been afraid of Gu Yanzhou since they were children.

Others might not see it, but I could.

Yet he was unwilling to let go. His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at me.

“Xu Yutang, you’ll regret this.”

Gu Yanzhou pulled me into his arms, his palm pressing against the small of my back, shielding me entirely within his shadow as if asserting his sovereignty.

“Regret is not something you need to worry about on her behalf.”

After saying that, he looked down at me.

“Mrs. Gu, get in the car.”

Mrs. Gu.

Those two words hit me so hard my ears went numb.