Chapter 2

"May I know why you're looking for him?" Lu Shijin's assistant asked guardedly as he moved to stand in front of Lu Shijin. ... Tang Ruochu quickly walked up to the two men and nodded as she got straight to the point. "I overheard Mr. Lu saying earlier that he was looking for a woman to marry, so I was wondering if I fit the bill." "Huh?" his assistant exclaimed as he gaped at her in astonishment. ... Lu Shijin didn't expect that this woman would speak so boldly to him, so he couldn't help giving her a second glance. A strange look crossed his eyes when he noticed her wedding gown and her deadened eyes, as though he was a little surprised by what he saw. Tang Ruochu felt a little nervous as he stared at her. She might have delivered her request calmly, but she wasn't sure if Lu Shijin would accept her proposal. After all, someone like Lu Shijin, who had such an impressive family background and who was influential, would have tons of women salivating at the chance to marry him. She was sure that there would definitely be women who were more outstanding than her, so she had just popped the question in the unlikely event that he might agree. Time seemed to stop for a brief moment and Lu Shijin finally asked after a short pause, "What about your fiancé?" His voice was very deep and masculine, which made him sound extremely sexy and attractive. "He ran off with another woman. I just happened to hear you say that you're looking for a woman to marry, so if you haven't got someone else in mind, would you like to form a partnership with me? Don't worry, I can cook, wash, and am a sensible and thoughtful woman. I'd be a good wife and I'll avoid becoming too close to other men. I'll keep my marriage vows, look after my husband well, and will perform my marital obligations," she said playfully as she winked. She sounded so flippant that she might as well have been talking about the weather. She seemed completely unaffected by his aloofness. Lu Shijin's assistant finally shook himself out of his shocked reverie and his mouth twitched in horror. "Is this woman serious about forming a marriage partnership? Does she think they are on a mission to level-up to kill monsters? "And isn't her story so sad?" "Miss, I'm really sorry but..." Lu Shijin's assistant was about to reject Tang Ruochu's proposal when Lu Shijin waved his hand and cut him off midway. ... Lu Shijin's assistant froze in surprise, and before he could even react, Lu Shijin's eyes narrowed and he looked thoughtfully at Tang Ruochu for some time. He finally nodded to everyone's shock and said, "Sure, let's get married." "Hmm? Did he just agree to my proposal?" Tang Ruochu couldn't believe what she had just heard. She was shocked that he had agreed without probing any further. "Uh... didn't he just agree too readily?" Tang Ruochu wasn't the only one who was stunned by his reaction, his assistant was equally shocked. "Sir, uh... doesn't this seem odd to you? We don't know who exactly this woman is, so shouldn't you look into her background before making a commitment?" his assistant said. He swiftly reacted and tried to persuade Lu Shijin to think twice. ... There were so many women who were gold-diggers out there, and besides, this woman had addressed Lu Shijin as "Mr. Lu" the moment she saw him, so she clearly recognized him. How could they determine whether she had an ulterior motive or not? "There's no need for that," Lu Shijin said nonchalantly as his eyes bore into Tang Ruochu. "You can't choose to back out once we're married, so are you sure about this?" he asked. ... "Yes, I won't regret it," she said as she nodded solemnly. It was clear that she had made up her mind. ... "Do you have your residence booklet with you?" Lu Shijin asked. He didn't beat around the bush and swiftly started to work out the logistics. ... "I don't," Tang Ruochu said while shaking her head. Lu Shijin raised his arm to look at his watch before saying, "Go back and get it. Let's meet at the Civil Affairs Bureau in an hour. Do you have any objections?" "No," Tang Ruochu immediately replied. "Very well. Mu Ling, take her home," Lu Shijin said as he issued the order to his assistant, who stood behind him. Mu Ling was speechless. ... Tang Ruochu completed the marriage registration formalities with Lu Shijin approximately an hour later. After she walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, she held her newly printed red booklet in her hands. Everything seemed so surreal. She was a married woman from this day onward, and although her husband was not the one whom she had initially thought it would be, she didn't regret her decision. "Mr. Lu, do you have a spare moment? Can we talk?" Tang Ruochu suddenly called out to Lu Shijin, who walked ahead of her. ... "Sure," Lu Shijin said as his brows arched. He didn't turn down her request. ... They went to a nearby cafe to speak and Tang Ruochu sat across the table from Lu Shijin. "What would you like to talk about?" Lu Shijin said the moment he took his seat. "Forgive me for asking but I would like to state my condition and I hope that you'll agree to it," Tang Ruochu said uncertainly. ... It seemed wrong to state her condition just right after they registered their marriage and while their marriage license was still hot off the press. "Go ahead." Lu Shijin's brows creased imperceptibly but he didn't seem offended by her request. ... Tang Ruochu couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief. Then, she gathered her courage and said, "Could we keep the news of our marriage private for now? I have many private matters to settle and I don't want to get you involved. You can continue doing whatever you want and I won't poke my nose into your affairs." Lu Shijin looked impassively at her, but there was a barely perceptible flash of emotion in his eyes. He thought for a moment before he finally said, "I agree to your condition but I would like to add several conditions of my own as well." "Please state your conditions!" Tang Ruochu said with a nod. "First, I want you to move in with me. This is the foundation of maintaining a successful marriage. Second, I have my own reasons for doing so but I will make the news of our marriage public if necessary and you can't object to it," he said. "I agree," Tang Ruochu said. She had no reason to turn down his request since he had agreed to hers. Tang Ruochu didn't linger after they wrapped up their chat and left the cafe. Mu Ling walked in right after Tang Ruochu left the cafe. He looked at Lu Shijin and blurted out, "Sir, are you sure that there's no need to conduct a background check on Ms. Tang?" Lu Shijin would have asked him to dig into her background if it had been any other woman, so why did he stop him from doing so earlier? It seemed completely out of character for him to do so! "Of course I'll look into her background. I want to know exactly why she decided to marry a complete stranger," Lu Shijin said as he pursed his lips, and a contemplative look crossed his eyes. ... "Yes, I'll look into this immediately. But..." "Hmm?" "I have a question. Have you met Ms. Tang before this?" Why else would he have agreed to marry Ms. Tang without probing any further? It didn't seem like him at all! Lu Shijin ignored Mu Ling's question. He looked in the direction where she had left and said with a meaningful smile, "You should address her as 'Mrs. Lu' from now on!"