Chapter 12: Do You Dare to Legalize with Me

Jiang Hao's gentle tone caught Qiao Xinwei off guard, and only through personal experience could she understand how tightly he was holding onto her waist and how he was threatening her to cooperate.

Ji Shanshan stood there in a daze for a long time. Even the most luxurious outfit couldn't hide her current sense of loss. "What did you say? Do you really have a girlfriend?" In the coffee shop, Jiang Hao had made it clear that he already had a girlfriend, but she didn't believe it. Now that she saw it with her own eyes, she had no choice but to believe it.

Jiang Hao held Qiao Xinwei even tighter, and casually took her handbag. The hand around her waist also gently caressed her a few times, as if he was worried that she would catch a cold on this autumn night.

"Yes, I haven't had the chance to tell my parents yet. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been such a misunderstanding. She is my girlfriend." He was explaining to Ji Shanshan, but also to Qiao Xinwei.

Ji Shanshan carefully examined the woman next to Jiang Hao from head to toe. With her straight black hair, simple attire, and natural beauty, she didn't stand out at all. There were plenty of women like her on the street, and she wouldn't stand out in a crowd.

"Jiang Hao, if you are not satisfied with me, you can just reject me directly. If you casually find a woman to use as a shield, then..."

Jiang Hao's cold face broke into a faint smile. He slung the handbag over his arm and then held Qiao Xinwei's chin, kissing her without saying a word.

In the bustling street, in the solemn autumn night, he kissed her in front of everyone.

Qiao Xinwei was completely stunned. She had been forcibly kissed by two men in one day.

Jiang Hao's lips were much softer than he appeared. He didn't disgust her by sticking out his tongue like Jing Shang did. The slight touch of their lips made her feel like she had been electrified. In that moment, she didn't push him away.

Slightly longer than a dragonfly touching the water, when Jiang Hao let go of her, he saw her with her eyes closed, looking like she was enjoying it, and he couldn't help but smile inside.

"Does this prove that I was telling the truth?" Jiang Hao turned to Ji Shanshan and said, "Do I need to guarantee it with my reputation?"

Ji Shanshan trembled. How could she dare? He was the noble Jiang Hao, the young master of the Jiang family. It wasn't worth lying.

At least she was a well-bred lady from a scholarly family. Even if she felt a million times angry and ashamed inside, she had to maintain her composure. She adjusted her shawl and casually played with her hair. "Well, it seems to be a misunderstanding. I'll leave you two alone. I won't disturb your private time." Finally, she looked at Qiao Xinwei with meaningful eyes and said, "Miss Qiao, you are a lucky woman."

Ji Shanshan elegantly walked away in her high heels, her car parked at the coffee shop's entrance.

"Give it to me." Qiao Xinwei pushed Jiang Hao away and reached for her handbag.

Jiang Hao gentlemanly handed over the handbag and apologized first, "Sorry, it was a sudden situation."

Qiao Xinwei took the handbag and turned to leave. "You've lost the face of a man. You don't deserve to be called a man."

She swore that if she had known how powerful his influence was, she wouldn't have dared to say that. She thought that Jiang Hao was just relying on his family's status, so he received a little more respect from others. The title "Chief" was just a polite form of address between friends, just like how they would call a colleague "boss" or "manager" in private.

Jiang Hao quickly stepped forward to block her path, sternly asking, "I don't deserve to be called a man? On what basis do you say that about me!"

"Isn't it true? Using a rejected blind date as a shield, you don't deserve to be called a man. It's just a blind date. What's the big deal if you didn't like her? Your 'eating from the bowl while looking at the pot' behavior, how is that like a man?!"

Jiang Hao was instantly infuriated. He had lived for thirty-two years, and this was the first time he had been belittled to such an extent. He didn't know where his fighting spirit came from, but he suddenly said, "Who said I used you as a shield? I liked you. Do you dare to register with me right now?"

"Are you crazy?" Qiao Xinwei didn't want to deal with him at all.

"I'm serious!"

"The Civil Affairs Bureau is closed."

"Then tomorrow," Jiang Hao looked at her firmly, not at all joking, "tomorrow at nine o'clock, at the Civil Affairs Bureau. Will you dare?"

Qiao Xinwei suddenly felt a flutter in her heart. She clearly felt her heartbeat intensify at that moment. "You dare, what wouldn't I dare!"

In the crowded street, the autumn wind blew a bit chilly, and the two of them stood there in a stalemate for ten seconds, until Qiao Xinwei couldn't help but sneeze.

Jiang Hao teased, "Is your cold not better yet?"

Qiao Xinwei gave him a disdainful look, turned around, and walked away.

"Hey, I'm serious, not out of spite." Jiang Hao casually took off his coat and gallantly draped it over her. "Give me a chance."

Qiao Xinwei hesitated, "Were you really not joking just now? Are we really going to register tomorrow?"

"Since neither of us can find the right person, why not give each other a chance? To be honest, I don't really have time for romance. Starting a relationship from scratch at my age is not very practical. My family is pushing me, and I have a lot of work to do. I like to be efficient in everything I do."

Compared to what he said after being provoked earlier, this statement sounded more sincere. Qiao Xin Wei pointed ahead and said, "That Miss Ji looks more compatible with you."

"Although I really want to get married, it's not for everyone. Besides being a woman, the person also has to meet my basic requirements."

"What requirements?"

Jiang Hao casually raised an eyebrow, "I hope she can be interesting."

Qiao Xin Wei didn't like hearing this. "Are you saying I'm not interesting? What's so funny about me? How can this be a basic requirement?"

"I meant interesting, not funny," he said frankly. Trying to reason with a woman was like asking for trouble. So he just continued, "I don't have very high requirements, but the problem is I never seem to meet the right person. You're not bad."

His life was not understood by ordinary people. His body and life were not his own, and he had to unconditionally obey whatever his superiors ordered him to do.

As soon as his superiors spoke, they could go two or three months or even longer without contacting their families, which was common.

Therefore, he hoped that the person who would become his wife in the future would not center her life around him, would have her own job, and would know how to entertain herself. Simply put, she should not be too dull.