"Mr. Mu, aren't we here for a blind date?"
Zhang Ling asked anxiously.
Her father had only told her to go on a blind date in place of her half-sister; he had said nothing about a whirlwind marriage.
Mr. Mu said impatiently, "They nag me every single day, acting as if I grew up in the countryside and can't find a wife. I'm sick of blind dates. Let's just go straight in and get our marriage certificate."
"But..."
Mr. Mu glared at her. "Are you unhappy with me?"
Zhang Ling quickly denied it. "Mr. Mu, this is our first time meeting today. We don't know each other at all."
Her father had told her that no matter what demands the other party made, she had to satisfy them.
She had assumed her blind date would try to take advantage of her physically, and she had been hesitating: for the sake of her mother's medical bills, should she let the man take some liberties, or should she just kick him flying?
Never in her wildest dreams had she expected the blind date's demand to be getting a marriage certificate on the spot.
"I'm not interested in women. I don't have the patience. Everyone is the same to me—I don't need feelings, as long as you're a woman, that's enough."
Mr. Mu added, "My eldest uncle introduced you to me."
His mother and eldest uncle shared a deep bond as siblings.
Her uncle had introduced Zhang Mutian's daughter to him, and regardless of whether he wanted to or not, his mother had nagged him into coming back for a blind date.
She had gone on and on about how Zhang Mutian's daughter was young and pretty, a perfect match for him, and how the two families were well-matched in social status. With the Zhang Group at the peak of its success, an alliance between the two families would be an unstoppable force in City A.
His mother's endless chattering was like the monk Tang Seng chanting sutras, driving him completely crazy.
For the sake of some peace and quiet, he had reluctantly agreed to come back for the blind date.
He had even brought his household register with him, figuring that since it was a girl his mother approved of, he would just get the marriage certificate right away and spare himself his mother's daily nagging.
He didn't have anyone he liked, and he knew that families of their standing essentially relied on political marriages. He might as well just take home a wife who satisfied both parents, so at least there would be peace at home.
Once he got the marriage certificate, he could go back to the countryside to manage his farm, orchard, and vegetable market.
He was a very busy man.
Not interested in women?
Zhang Ling was stunned. Was this the main reason why Zhang Qing had been unwilling to marry the eldest young master of the Mu Family?
So the eldest young master was gay and didn't like women.
"Miss Zhang, are you willing to go inside with me to get our certificate or not?"
Mr. Mu asked again.
Zhang Ling hurriedly said, "Mr. Mu, I didn't know we'd be getting our certificate right away, so I didn't bring my household register."
Mr. Mu looked somewhat irritated. "Didn't Zhang Mutian make things clear to you?"
"My dad didn't say anything. He just told me to come and wait for you at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau. I was even wondering why the blind date spot was chosen right outside the Civil Affairs Bureau."
So it was to get the certificate directly.
Her father hadn't made it clear probably because he was afraid she would refuse.
"Mr. Mu, where I live isn't far from here. How about I run back and get my household register?"
Glancing down at his wristwatch, Mr. Mu nodded. "Fine. I'll give you half an hour. If you aren't back in half an hour, the whole thing is off, and I'll tell your father never to try and suck up to my aunt again."
His mother rarely went out, and others practically never had the chance to curry favor with the senior Mrs. Mu.
So they turned to currying favor with his uncles instead.
Zhang Ling remained silent.
She knew this blind date opportunity was something her father had groveled for.
Her father must have wanted Zhang Qing to marry into the Mu Family as the young mistress, but unfortunately, the other party didn't appreciate the gesture. Not wanting to offend the Mu Family, her father had used her weak spot to force her to go on the blind date in Zhang Qing's place.
It was also possible that Zhang Qing had her eyes on one of the other young masters of the Mu Family. After all, the Mu Family was a powerhouse, and there were reportedly eight or nine young masters in this generation. Aside from the eldest young master, those other young masters were all exceptional talents.
Zhang Ling hurried home at top speed, grabbed her household register, and rushed back to the Civil Affairs Bureau.
The round trip took her a mere twenty minutes.
Even so, Mr. Mu had waited with extreme impatience.
Zhang Ling figured that while this man was certainly handsome, his temper left a much-to-be-desired impression.
No matter; after all, he had said he wasn't interested in women.
After their whirlwind marriage, they would simply be nominal husband and wife who didn't interfere in each other's lives.
The two of them walked into the Civil Affairs Bureau.
While filling out the forms, Zhang Ling finally learned her whirlwind husband's full name: Mu Lingfeng.
Holding her marriage certificate, Zhang Ling walked outside while flipping it open to look inside.
Just like that, she had married herself off.
Still, for the sake of treating her mother, it was worth it. At least Mu Lingfeng was a scion of a wealthy family; eccentric as he might be, he was certainly handsome.
"I usually live in the countryside and rarely come back to the city center, though I do own property here."
Mu Lingfeng pulled out an access card and a set of keys, handed them to Zhang Ling, and said, "This is my apartment in Huaxi Gardens, unit number 388. Move in if you like, or don't—I won't force you."
Zhang Ling accepted the access card and the keys.
"Mr. Mu doesn't usually live in the city?"
"Yeah, rarely."
That was fantastic.
Zhang Ling suddenly felt that marrying Mu Lingfeng in her half-sister's place wasn't such a bad deal after all.
"Can you get back on your own?"
Mu Lingfeng asked, figuring that since they were husband and wife now, he ought to ask out of basic courtesy.
"I'm very busy and have to leave now. I've wasted a good chunk of my morning. My Cotton is giving birth today."
Cotton was giving birth?
Zhang Ling was utterly bewildered, having no idea who this Cotton person was. But she didn't ask; they barely knew each other as husband and wife, so playing dumb suited her best.
"Mr. Mu, I'll go back by myself. You go ahead and be busy."
"Alright then, I'm off."
With that, Mu Lingfeng straddled his electric scooter and, without even saying goodbye, rode off on his little e-bike with a whoosh.
Zhang Ling looked at his retreating figure, then down at the marriage certificate in her hand, feeling as though she were in a dream.
Having rushed over in such a frantic hurry to go on a blind date and get married on the spot, was Mu Lingfeng afraid he had married the wrong person?
Whatever; she was just going through the motions anyway.
Zhang Ling tucked the marriage certificate into her handbag, ordered a Didi ride on her phone, and headed for the hospital by car.
Her mother was due for dialysis again today.
She had to get back to keep her company.
Halfway there, Zhang Ling received a phone call from her father.
"Zhang Ling, did you go to the Civil Affairs Bureau?"
"I did."
Zhang Ling answered coolly. "I met Mu Lingfeng. He wasn't entirely thrilled with me, but he didn't say anything harsh either."
Zhang Mutian asked with a hint of tension, "You didn't blow your cover, did you?"
"He only asked if I was Zhang Mutian's daughter, not whether I was Zhang Qing. That hardly counts as blowing my cover."
No matter how much she disliked her father, she couldn't erase the fact that she was Zhang Mutian's daughter.
Zhang Mutian let out a sigh of relief and asked again, "You two met—what did you say, what did you do?"
"What can you do at the Civil Affairs Bureau? Dad, he didn't want a blind date; he wanted to get a marriage certificate right on the spot. Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"
Zhang Ling interrogated her father.
"You guys went out of your way to suck up to them just to marry your precious daughter into the Mu Family, didn't you?"
"Aside from not liking women, does Mu Lingfeng have any other bad habits that made your precious daughter unwilling to marry him?"
They were both his daughters, yet Zhang Qing was the apple of her father's eye while she, the eldest daughter, was treated like a blade of grass—never valued, and hauled out to be trampled upon whenever it suited him.