Chapter 13: One Willing to Marry, One Willing to Marry

The night was deep, and Qiao Xin was wide awake, staring at the night sky outside the window. Jiang Hao said that his basic conditions were not high, but the problem was that he never met anyone good. In fact, she was no different.

Graduation, work, and marriage had always been her dreams. She wanted to leave the Jing family in a legitimate way, and she had been working hard step by step along this path. But plans can't keep up with changes, and how could she have expected that her longtime lover, Ji Xiaohai, would betray her.

The marriage fell through, but her desire to leave the Jing family did not waver.

Leaving aside whether she really only saw Jing Shang as a brother, even if she had a slight affection for him, she would never let that affection sprout. Aunts and some relatives were gossiping behind her back. Some traditional views, although outdated, were deeply rooted in people's hearts and not easily shaken.

She didn't want to trouble her mother, and she didn't want to trouble her stepfather. Whether it was coercion or helplessness, she just wanted to get married as soon as possible.

After thinking a lot, her mind was filled with worries, and the more she thought, the more confused she became.

Suddenly, she sat up from the bed and quickly pulled back the covers. "Where is it? I remember putting it here, why can't I find it?" Barefoot, she stood in front of the desk, opening the drawers one by one. She needed her household registration book, and it was in her hands.

She had always wanted to leave the Jing family. She had moved her household registration out when she entered university, and when she graduated, it had to be moved back to its original location. Thinking that she would soon marry Ji Xiaohai, she kept her household registration with her all the time.

It was a temporary A4 household registration, and it seemed like she often saw it when she didn't need it. But when she really needed it, she couldn't find it anywhere.

She picked up her notebook and flipped through it, and a piece of paper fell out. That was it. Was Jiang Hao really not joking? Am I really going to register with Jiang Hao tomorrow?

-"Jing Shang is a stubborn child. Once he sets his mind on something, it's hard to change. If this matter isn't resolved, he will keep remembering and missing you."

-"What should I do then?"

-"Get married, get married as soon as possible."

She could never forget the pleading look in her mother's eyes. As a daughter, she felt her mother was too selfish, but as a woman, she understood.

The next day, the weather was fine, the sun was shining, and there was a rare good weather. The light breeze carried a hint of osmanthus fragrance, refreshing, but she didn't have the mood to enjoy it.

"Heart Wei, think carefully about what I told you," Xiang Ling whispered to her before she left, "If your military friend is good, then make a decision quickly and bring him home to meet us."

Qiao Xin felt a bitter taste in her heart and replied lightly, "Oh, I understand. I have to go to work, Mom."

She left at eight o'clock sharp. When she reached the downstairs, Jiang Hao was already waiting. The morning sun shone on his back, his back was broad and straight, and the silver-gray suit looked relaxed yet not too casual. He was looking at his phone with his head down.

Dizzy with the faint osmanthus fragrance, Qiao Xin, in the same autumn, at the same location, but not with the same person.

Her phone suddenly rang, and at the same time, Jiang Hao turned to look at her. "I was just calling you."

Qiao Xin put away her thoughts and felt embarrassed that this half-stranger in front of her was about to become her husband. "When did you come? I just made a trip last night, it's hard for you to remember the way, it's not easy to find here."

"I've been here once and remembered it."

"Oh." She had wanted to chat with him a bit more, but hearing his indifferent tone, she gave up. "Well... let's get in the car."

Qiao Xin didn't know that the first thing Jiang Hao thought of when he woke up early was not to let her change her mind. He deliberately got up early and drove here to wait for her.

On the way, there was zero communication between the two. One was focused on driving, and the other was gazing out the window. Jiang Hao's years of military life had made him serious and even rigid, and being single for five years, he was not good at communicating with the opposite sex. He was tired of his parents constantly urging him to get married and hoped to put an end to it today.

As for Qiao Xin, her anxiety at the moment was indescribable. She didn't have high standards for her partner, as long as the other party was suitable, and this Jiang Hao, of all the blind dates she had been on, was the best one in terms of age and appearance.

For whatever reason, in any case, one was willing to marry, and the other was willing to take a spouse.

Soon they arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau. Jiang Hao walked ahead, and Qiao Xin followed awkwardly behind.

At the entrance, the service staff standing next to the ticket machine kindly reminded them, "You two, before handling the formalities, please take a number. Are you here for a divorce or...?"

Jiang Hao's face darkened. "We're here to get married!"

The service staff awkwardly smiled and said, "Hehe, getting married, that's a happy occasion. Here, take number 001. You're the first couple to register today. Congratulations on your marriage."

After that, everything went surprisingly smoothly. Filling out forms, signing, taking oaths, and receiving the marriage certificate took less than ten minutes.

Qiao Xinwei saw Jiang Hao's ID card for the first time and confirmed that he was thirty-two years old. They were both born in the 1980s, one at the beginning and the other at the end, both from the 80s generation. At the same time, she also saw Jiang Hao's military officer's card for the first time. He only showed it briefly, and she saw him in military uniform with epaulets and stars on his shoulders.

As they walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, the sunlight outside was still bright. Qiao Xinwei held the real marriage certificate in her hand, but she felt uncertain. She turned to look at the man standing beside her. Oh my, she had only met this man three times!

Feeling lost, Jiang Hao stopped and turned to look at her. "What's wrong?"

Qiao Xinwei looked bewildered and said what she was thinking, "I can't believe I've married a man I've only met three times..." She couldn't believe it, as if it were a dream.

"It's four times," Jiang Hao reminded her. "A few months ago, I went to your workplace, and you were crying so miserably in the men's restroom."

"..." Even if it was one more meeting, Jiang Hao was still a stranger to her. "Is that so? You have a good memory, I've forgotten."

"It's not that I have a good memory, it's just that you were very memorable that day."

Qiao Xinwei felt embarrassed. She already had doubts about getting married, and now Jiang Hao's words made her even more uneasy. "So, you recognized me when we met later, and deliberately acted so high and mighty?"

Jiang Hao's phone rang at an inappropriate time. "I need to take this call." He walked to the side, and his tone and expression became extremely serious after listening to the call. "What?! I'll go back to deal with it immediately."

"My unit has an urgent matter, I have to go back. I'll contact you later," he said before swiftly jumping into the car and driving away.

Qiao Xinwei stood still like a discarded object, holding the freshly printed marriage certificate in her hand, watching the car with Jiang Hao speed away. Her heart sank—her newlywed husband had disappeared after the registration.