Chapter 26

Wu Tianqi remained dazed long after the shadow of the Cullinan had vanished.

"What did Ji Xi just say?"

Yuan Yuan found her voice amidst the biting wind: "Did he mean he was waiting for his wife to go home? Or did I misunderstand?"

Wu Tianqi: "That’s what I heard, too."

Had he not been sober, he would have assumed he was drunk.

Yuan Yuan: "Then that must be it."

But that didn't make sense. He said "wife"—why did Sharon get into the car? And why go home together? Wasn't Ji Xi just their client and Sharon’s high school classmate?

With his brain still reeling, a thought suddenly struck Wu Tianqi.

When Ji Xi came to Chunxiang last time, he had mentioned he was getting married soon. Later, Wu Tianqi had asked him a few times in private who the bride was, but Ji Xi never answered. He hadn't thought much of it, assuming he would find out when the time was right, or that Ji Xi had just been making small talk.

Yan Yi and Sheng Yao had also lingered, stunned by the scene.

Yan Yi turned to Della, his face pale. "Della, is she really married?"

Sheng Yao, finally snapping out of her shock, chimed in: "How is that possible! There is no way Ji Xi would marry her."

As the only person in the group who knew the truth, Della remained the most composed. She frowned at the remark and retorted, "How is it impossible? Should he have married you instead?"

Sheng Yao was left speechless.

Della added, "That’s assuming he’d even want to."

Sheng Yao’s expression darkened.

Yan Yi pressed further: "Then why was there no news about this before?"

Della laughed. Since Ji Xi had called her "wife" in public and Shu Shiran had gotten into his car, it was clear they were no longer planning to keep it a secret. She decided to make the most of it and vent some of her frustration on Sharon’s behalf.

"Who do you think you are? Why would she need you to know she’s married?"

Sheng Yao flushed with anger.

Della continued: "They are a legally married couple with a marriage certificate from the Civil Affairs Bureau. Irrelevant people should keep their distance."

She beckoned to the still-astonished Wu Tianqi and Yuan Yuan. "Let's go."

***

Elsewhere, the black Cullinan wove through the night.

At this hour, the traffic in Nancheng had finally cleared. A designated driver was behind the wheel, while Shu Shiran and Ji Xi sat in the back. After she got in, neither spoke for a long time. The car was so quiet that Shu Shiran could hear her own heartbeat, erratic and uncontrollable, much like the flickering lights passing by outside.

"So, you just got into my car like that?" Ji Xi’s lazy voice broke the silence.

Shu Shiran remembered the moment and turned to look at him in the dim light. With so many eyes watching outside the club, the news would spread quickly. He had left her a way out; she could have pretended he wasn't talking to her and brushed it off. Yet, when she met his gaze, she hadn't thought at all—she had simply responded to him and climbed in.

"Grandma already knows anyway," Shu Shiran said. "There’s no need to hide it."

Their initial plan to keep it quiet had been to prepare her grandmother.

Ji Xi curled his lips. "I suppose."

After two seconds, she asked, "Were you waiting for me on purpose?"

The light from outside suddenly flooded in, illuminating his slightly arched brows. It vanished in an instant, and then his voice followed: "My wife runs into her ex-boyfriend. Was I just supposed to drive away?"

Shu Shiran: "...Did Wu Tianqi tell you that?"

Ji Xi didn't deny it, his tone slow and steady. "He didn't look away when he saw you, and he kept staring. Could it be that he’s having regrets?"

"..."

Shu Shiran hadn't expected Wu Tianqi to report even the fact that Yan Yi had been looking at her. Thinking of the way Yan Yi’s behavior had disgusted her, she couldn't help but scoff. "He’s just greedy. Even if he regrets it, I haven't seen him break up with his first love."

Ji Xi: "Did you see him in private?"

Shu Shiran paused.

He had even noticed that.

"We ran into each other in the hallway," she said.

Feeling his heavy gaze on her, she looked back. They stared at each other in the darkness. For some reason, she felt a slight sense of unease. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and changed the subject. "All that talk about unforgettable first loves and 'white moonlight'—it’s all a lie."

It had only been three months. The reckless way Yan Yi had reunited with his first love now seemed like a joke.

Ji Xi smiled with a touch of mockery. "That just means he didn't like her enough."

Shu Shiran was surprised by his comment. Before she could probe further, Ji Xi looked away toward the car window. The lazy, indifferent air he usually carried had dissipated, replaced by a weightier emotion.

The streetscape outside shifted, and the car fell silent again. This silence didn't last long before her phone chimed. That first sound acted like a switch, followed by a flurry of notifications. Shu Shiran opened a few messages; they were all asking about her and Ji Xi.

It seemed the news had spread. Even in their small group chat, Zheng Tingyan was tagging her.

- Zheng Tingyan: @Shu Shiran, why is someone asking me if you and Ji Xi are actually married?
- Xu Ying: Someone asked me, too.
- Zheng Tingyan: ?
- Zheng Tingyan: Were they spotted?
- Shu Shiran: We aren't planning to hide it anymore.
- Zheng Tingyan: No wonder.
- Zheng Tingyan: Then I'll go ahead and reply.
- Shu Shiran: Yes, just tell the truth.

After responding, she looked at Ji Xi. He was looking down at his phone, unhurried. It wasn't just her phone; his was buzzing too, likely with the same inquiries. Ji Xi didn't reply to any of them; he swiped his screen a few times and then locked it.

He looked at her for two seconds. "Shall we make it public today, then?"

Shu Shiran nodded. "Should we post on WeChat Moments?"

Ji Xi: "This is the way to my place. Want to come over and talk about it?"

Only then did she realize she hadn't heard him give the driver a new address. She hadn't even thought about it.

Ji Xi added, "It’s a good chance to see the home of your 'contract husband'."

Shu Shiran: "..."

Why mention "contract marriage" all of a sudden? The driver was still there. After a few seconds, she remembered mentioning that term during her New Year's Eve phone call. So, he hadn't been blacked out that night.

***

Ji Xi lived in the financial district of Nancheng. Shu Shiran had dropped him off here on the night of Wu Tianqi’s birthday. Ten minutes later, they arrived. The driver gave them an odd look as he left.

Ji Xi: "Going up?"

Shu Shiran nodded.

They took the elevator from the basement lobby to the top floor. In the foyer, Ji Xi handed her a pair of slippers. She noticed they were women’s slippers. As if reading her mind, he said, "I got these for you."

She hadn't expected him to have them ready. Meeting her surprised gaze, he lifted his eyelids. "We’re married now. Isn't having a pair of slippers expected?"

Shu Shiran decided she would buy a pair of his own slippers to keep at her place.

After changing, she followed him inside. It was nearly eleven o'clock; she rarely visited a man's home at this hour. The air was filled with a faint, cool scent—likely similar to the one on Ji Xi—which gave her a sense of familiarity.

Ji Xi’s phone rang. He glanced at it, led her to the sofa, and said, "Sit for a while, or take a look around? I need to take this."

Shu Shiran: "Okay."

As his footsteps faded, she looked around. His place was very different from what she had imagined. She had expected something decadent or overly extravagant, but it was quiet, simple, and almost cold. It was in the best part of the financial district, overlooking the river just like her apartment at Chuansong No. 1, though a different section.

Before long, Ji Xi returned with two glasses of water. He placed one on the coffee table in front of her and sat at the opposite end of the sofa. She was thirsty after the drinks, so she took a sip. "So, shall we post now?"

Ji Xi gave a soft "Hmm." "Straight to the marriage certificate?"

Shu Shiran, who had been wondering what to post, paused. "That works."

Her certificate was at home, so Ji Xi went to get his. Because she wanted her uncle to think they had registered only after the Wanleng incident had passed, they didn't plan to post the inner pages with the date. They each took a photo of the covers of their certificates.

The cover was enough.

Shu Shiran opened her WeChat Moments, selected the photo, and typed three words: *We are married.*

After confirming, she hit "Post."

The screen automatically jumped to her feed. Today was the 5th. Their agreed-upon date for going public had been the 27th; it had been moved up by over twenty days without warning.

She looked up at Ji Xi. He was looking down at his phone, his shirt collar unbuttoned, looking both noble and rebellious. She had always been a planner, but ever since meeting him, everything—registering, being discovered by her grandmother, going public—had been completely unexpected.

Sensing her gaze, he looked up. "Done?"

She nodded.

Ji Xi scrolled through his phone, then looked at her. "Posted?"

She looked at him, confused. *What else would I be doing?*

Ji Xi’s eyes narrowed. "Shu Shiran, did you block me?"

Shu Shiran: "Why would I block you?"

Ji Xi: "Then why can't I see it?"

She checked her phone; she already had notifications for likes. How could he not see it? She leaned in to look at his screen. He tilted his phone toward her to make it easier to see. On her profile page, everything was blank except for her avatar and cover.

A small line of text appeared: *Friends can only view posts from the last three days.*

It really wasn't there.

She found Ji Xi in her contacts and opened his profile. A mocking laugh came from beside her, his tone chilly: "Oh, 'Client'."

Shu Shiran: "..."

She had always kept work and life separate and had blocked clients when posting to her feed. She had forgotten that Ji Xi was labeled under "Client."

"I labeled you that at the beginning," she explained. "I just forgot."

She really had forgotten. As she spoke, she deleted the "Client" tag.