C2 Chapter 2

Seeing Old Mrs. Qin like this, Su Jiyue pressed her lips together, glanced at Qin Yaochen—his face set in a hard scowl—and clung to the older woman’s arm, turning on the charm. “Grandma, you already know I’m a girl. You’ve got to give me some time to get ready…”

“Jiyue, I know exactly what you’re thinking. You’re twenty-four already—are you really going to let that flaky Xia Miaomiao keep hanging around Yaochen?” The usual cute routine, which always worked before, unexpectedly fell flat.

Just as Su Jiyue was about to keep pushing, Old Mrs. Qin took both her hands and sighed. “I like you, and that’s that. I don’t care if it’s Xia Miaomiao or whoever—Grandma doesn’t like any of them!” As she spoke, she patted Su Jiyue’s hand in reassurance.

“Grandma, if there’s nothing else, I’m going to head out,” Qin Yaochen couldn’t help but say. The moment the words left his mouth, he cursed himself—why would he walk straight into this?

Sure enough, as soon as he finished, Old Mrs. Qin shot him a fierce glare. Then she grabbed Su Jiyue’s hand and Qin Yaochen’s hand and pressed them together. “Enough. I’m deciding this. You two are going today to get your marriage license!”

“What?”

“Grandma!”

They spoke at the same time, both equally stunned.

“Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on in your heads. Yaochen, you’re still thinking about that Xia Miaomiao. I’m telling you right now—while I’m still breathing, she’s not marrying you!” Old Mrs. Qin snapped, then turned and glared at Su Jiyue. “And you, Jiyue—every time Yaochen says something, you just go along with it. Not this time. Grandma’s making the call. Today. You’re getting that marriage license.”

Facing the stubborn old woman’s take-no-arguments expression, Qin Yaochen frowned hard. “Grandma, if we go now, the county clerk’s office is probably already closed.”

“What, you think the county clerk’s office is going to tell someone from the Qin family no?” Old Mrs. Qin reached for the desk phone and dialed an outside line. “Chen, call the clerk’s office. Tell them to stay open late. And have the driver bring the car around right now—take Yaochen and Jiyue to get the license!”

With everything basically set in stone, Su Jiyue pursed her lips and flicked a glance at Qin Yaochen’s sour face out of the corner of her eye. She couldn’t quite name what she was feeling.

She was an orphan, but somehow she’d always been lucky. Growing up, no one really pushed her around. When she was eight, she saved Old Mrs. Qin’s life by accident. The next year, she was taken in by the Qin family—one of the four most prominent families in the city. She never changed her last name to Qin, but she’d understood from the time she was little: she was being raised to become Qin Yaochen’s fiancée.

In other words, a child bride.

Too bad being the “future Mrs. Qin” didn’t mean she got any advantage. Qin Yaochen had a childhood best friend—Xia Miaomiao. Miaomiao was spoiled, bossy, and acted like the world revolved around her, but Qin Yaochen doted on her anyway. From high school to now, there’d never been anyone else by his side besides Xia Miaomiao.

“Jiyue, Grandma’s coming with you to the courthouse!”

Su Jiyue followed Qin Yaochen out the front doors of the villa. Just as she was about to get into the car, Old Mrs. Qin’s voice called from behind them.

“Grandma, it’s an hour into downtown from here,” Su Jiyue said, hurrying back to her and taking her arm. “Don’t you get carsick? Just wait for us at home.”

Old Mrs. Qin let out a sigh. “If I didn’t know you two kids so well, I wouldn’t put myself through this. If I’m not there today, that boy of mine won’t behave and get the marriage license with you.” She patted the back of Su Jiyue’s hand. “This time, no matter what, I’m getting this settled for the two of you.”

With that, she all but dragged Su Jiyue into the luxurious Rolls-Royce.