(After getting our marriage certificate, she brought me straight home. Does this mean we are going to start living together from now on?)
As this thought crossed Qin Yuan's mind, Wen Yue stood between him and Wen Ming and spoke calmly.
"Uncle Ming, let me formally introduce you. This is Qin Yuan, my man. As you saw yesterday, we already got our marriage certificate at the civil affairs bureau."
"This is our family housekeeper, Uncle Ming."
"As for my parents, they haven't returned from their business trip in M Country yet. I'll formally break the news to them... once they're back."
Hearing this, Uncle Ming hesitated for a moment. Yesterday in the car, Wen Yue had already instructed him not to let her parents arrange any more blind dates or pressure her into marriage anymore, saying she had already found a good son-in-law for them.
Being shrewd and efficient, Uncle Ming had deliberately reported only the first half of that instruction to Wen Yue's parents. As for the second half, he had taken the liberty of changing the narrative.
(Miss has found a partner, and things are going quite well so far. Once she returns, she will bring him to meet you.)
Wen Yue's parents had found it a bit sudden and puzzling, but they were currently up to their necks in work over in M Country, so they hadn't given it too much thought.
Uncle Ming's approach not only gave the older couple a buffer period to accept the news, but it also gave Wen Yue and Qin Yuan some breathing room to genuinely develop feelings for each other during their time together—at the very least, keeping things from being too absurd.
Besides.
It also saved him from getting a thorough tongue-lashing.
"Hello there, Uncle Ming."
Qin Yuan smiled, took the initiative to reach out, and shook hands with Uncle Ming, though the smile on his face looked somewhat forced.
Wen Yue glanced at the two of them, turned her gaze to Uncle Ming, and said, "Let's hold off on lunch for a little while. Also, there's no need to make the bed in Qin Yuan's room on the third floor; I'm heading upstairs first."
With that, Wen Yue stepped into the elevator ahead of them.
This luxury villa had five stories in total, and as expected, it was equipped with an elevator. It just went to show that as long as you had money, you could furnish and set up a house however you pleased.
After Wen Yue went upstairs, Uncle Ming offered to show Qin Yuan around so he could get familiar with the luxurious mansion, but Qin Yuan politely declined the kind offer, saying he would just head up to his room first.
Visiting the Wen family's grand mansion for the very first time, Qin Yuan still felt somewhat reserved, even though the other person was just the family housekeeper.
The moment Qin Yuan stepped alone into his designated room, before he even had a chance to take it all in, his phone suddenly rang in his pocket.
It was a call from his good buddy, Fang Haobiao.
Fang Haobiao and Qin Yuan were fellow hometown boys, both originally from Yuncheng. They had known each other since high school, attending the same school but different classes, and later went to college together in Jiangzhou—the only difference being that Fang Haobiao was in the physical education institute.
Yuncheng wasn't too far from Jiangzhou, only about three hundred kilometers away. Fang Haobiao had parents who adored him dearly; seeing him head off to college in Jiangzhou, they simply packed up their family food stall business and moved it to Jiangzhou to keep doing what they knew best, and the business turned out even better than before.
Over the years, Fang Haobiao's parents had also treated Qin Yuan exceptionally well. Knowing his family background, they practically treated him like a second son.
The moment he answered the call, Qin Yuan was immediately greeted by Fang Haobiao's irritating voice.
"Kid, I'm not by your side—did you miss your daddy or not?"
"Get lost! You unfilial wretch, asking for a beating, are you?"
Qin Yuan snapped back angrily without a moment's hesitation. He didn't stand on ceremony with his good buddy; after all, this was pretty much their standard way of greeting each other.
Fang Haobiao didn't mind at all. He let out a cheeky chuckle and continued.
"Tsk, I figured since I've been back in our hometown for several days, I hadn't seen you. Oh, by the way, I swung by your old family place to take a look—your courtyard is completely overgrown with weeds, so I hired a couple of aunties to help clear them out."
"Thanks, buddy. I'll treat you to a meal when I get back."
A wave of warmth washed over Qin Yuan, and his tone turned sincere.
That was a true brother right there. Taking a trip back to his hometown, he hadn't forgotten to check on his buddy's place and had even thoughtfully arranged for someone to help clean it up.
Fang Haobiao snapped his lighter with a *click* to ignite a cigarette, and as if suddenly remembering something, quickly went on.
"Oh right, I almost forgot the real reason I called you."
"So, how did things go with your marriage proposal to Jiamu? It's been over a day now, and you haven't given me any updates. What's the latest with you two?"
Hearing this, Qin Yuan's heart skipped a beat.
It wasn't that he didn't want to talk about it; it was just that this whole mess was truly impossible to put into words. Out of everything that had happened over the past two days, which single thing could be considered good news?
Qin Yuan felt a surge of helplessness. Recalling the dramatic events of the last couple of days, he couldn't help but laugh bitterly at himself.
After a long silence, he finally spoke in a low voice.
"Brother Biao, to be honest with you, I've already gotten my marriage certificate."
"What the hell? Moving that fast? You proposed to her successfully, and then went straight to the civil affairs bureau to get hitched?"
"No, I got my marriage certificate, but not with her."
"What the—cough, *cough, cough*!"
Hearing this information-overloaded bombshell, Fang Haobiao's CPU practically fried. Overcome with shock, he ended up choking fiercely on his cigarette.
"No, you—you better speak clearly. What is that supposed to mean? Your buddy's brain is totally fried here!" Fang Haobiao hastily demanded, sounding agitated.
"I can't explain it clearly to you all at once. To sum it up in one sentence: there won't be any more contact from now on. I've completely cut ties with the Zhang family, and I..."
Right at that very second.
*Knock, knock—*
Footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the room. The moment Qin Yuan heard them, he knew instantly that the footsteps belonged to Wen Yue. Without waiting for Fang Haobiao to reply, he rushed to finish his sentence.
"I can't talk right now. We'll meet up and chat in detail when you get back to Jiangzhou. I've got stuff to deal with here, hanging up now."
With that, Qin Yuan hung up the phone straight away.
Right on cue, Wen Yue walked up to the doorway of Qin Yuan's room, though she didn't step inside. The two of them raised their heads and exchanged a glance. Wen Yue cast her eyes down at the phone in his hand; clearly, she had heard the sound of Qin Yuan's phone call just now.
Wen Yue remained silent for a moment before speaking softly, "Grab your luggage, pack up, and come downstairs for dinner. Once we're done eating, I'll take you to where you'll actually be living."
Hearing this, Qin Yuan froze in confusion.
"W-what do you mean?"
Clutching his duffel bag, he stood up and walked toward the doorway, asking perplexedly, "Didn't you say this is where we're going to live? Isn't this your house?"
"Take another close look at the room card I gave you when we walked in—does it belong to this place?"
"I did say I wanted you to move in with me, but I didn't say it would be here. My parents haven't returned yet, so there's no need to rush into staying here."
Wen Yue's expression remained cool and detached as she said, "In Jiangzhou, my family has houses to spare. Just follow me."
Qin Yuan: `?!`
(My family has houses to spare.)
What a niche phrasing. Did she think this was some obscure, fourth- or fifth-tier county town? This was Jiangzhou, a first-tier megacity where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold.
The most plain-spoken tone, delivering the most arrogant words.
After that, Wen Yue turned around and walked off without another word.
Qin Yuan stood frozen for a moment before following Wen Yue downstairs.
After the two of them had lunch at Jiangzhou No. 1, they headed out again. Qin Yuan was still the one driving, while Wen Yue set the navigation destination for him.
(Moxuan Apartment)
"I've always lived in this apartment by myself, and it's much closer to the company, which makes things a lot more convenient."
Wen Yue sat in the passenger seat, glanced at Qin Yuan, and said flatly, "The room card I gave you is for Moxuan Apartment."
Hearing this, Qin Yuan's heart skipped a beat.
Wait a minute.
A realization suddenly hit him.
Back at Jiangzhou No. 1, there had at least been a housekeeper like Uncle Ming, along with gardeners, nannies, and other domestic staff. But what Wen Yue had just said was...
Moxuan Apartment was a place where she had always lived entirely by herself.
Qin Yuan had expected to live with Wen Yue, but he hadn't expected that it would literally just be the two of them sharing a roof in that kind of cohabitation.