C5 The Marriage Certificate

"Huh?" Su Kexin was completely taken aback, hardly able to trust her ears. "A marriage certificate?"

Maybe Su Kexin's reaction was a tad delayed, prompting the man to furrow his handsome brows and say, "Miss Su, you seem rather eager to get married, don't you?"

His certainty clued Su Kexin in that he must have overheard her conversation with Feng Zheng the day before, causing her cheeks to flush with heat.

"It just so happens, I'm in the same boat," he continued before Su Kexin could respond, his tone as steady as if discussing a simple transaction rather than a life-altering commitment. "We both have needs. What's the harm in helping each other out?"

It was then that it dawned on Su Kexin.

The man before her was seriously proposing marriage.

But they had only met twice. Wasn't this preposterous?

"Sir, please stop joking."

Su Kexin intended to offer money and leave, but the man spoke with unhurried clarity.

"Miss Su, you were willing to give that man yesterday a chance. Why not afford me the same?" His words seemed to seek her agreement, yet his tone brooked no argument. "Am I inferior to him? Oh, I see. Miss Su, do you disdain me for my disability?"

"Of course not," Su Kexin said reflexively, but meeting the man's half-smiling gaze, she realized she was being outmaneuvered.

Annoyed, Su Kexin bit her lip and composed herself. "Sir, we barely know each other. Rushing into a decision like this is reckless."

"The men from your blind dates were strangers too," he countered calmly, yet pointedly. Su Kexin, often at a loss for words, found herself speechless.

"Miss Su," the man said, hands crossed over his long legs atop his wheelchair, his piercing gaze fixed on her. "I believe you're in dire need of this marriage. If you pass up this opportunity, where do you think your next one will be?"

It must be acknowledged that this man was a master negotiator. Each phrase he uttered seemed to zero in on Su Kexin's vulnerabilities with precision.

Indeed, she was in dire need of a marriage.

More specifically, she needed a household registration in this city.

If not for that, she wouldn't have gone on dates with a slew of men over just three months, even crossing paths with an oddity like Feng Zheng.

Su Kexin conceded that he had swayed her; the word 'no' just wouldn't come out. She fixated on the man in the wheelchair for an extended moment before managing to squeeze out the question, "Are you... a resident of City S?"

At her inquiry, a subtle smirk played at the man's lips. "Yes."

Su Kexin remained silent, her hand inside her purse tightly gripping the household register.

It was quite the coincidence that today, of all days, she needed her mother's household register for some hospital paperwork.

Was this, perhaps, fate's design?

She gave the man another appraising look.

Despite being confined to a wheelchair, he had an air of refinement and good looks that far surpassed the parade of unsuitable men from her recent blind dates.

Su Kexin, oh Su Kexin, for the past three months, all you've sought is to swiftly marry a local and secure your place in this city.

With the chance to realize your dream now before you, why the hesitation?

Amidst a whirlwind of thoughts, Su Kexin bit her lip, quelling the last flicker of doubt. She looked up resolutely.

"Alright, I agree."