Because the civil affairs bureau isn't open on weekends.
In the middle of the night, Meng Shang suddenly opened his eyes to darkness. The double-layer blackout curtains were drawn tightly, but light still seeped through the gaps.
The light wasn't bright, but it was enough for him to see the plaster lines on the ceiling in the dark room.
He usually slept poorly and rarely dreamed, but recently he kept dreaming of Jiang Ruoqi.
He would dream and wake up, then couldn't fall back asleep. Now, he stared blankly at the ceiling.
He thought Jiang Ruoqi was wrong.
After that day, Meng Shang specifically checked the civil affairs bureau's business hours for marriage registration. They were open on Saturdays, so Jiang Ruoqi didn't need to take a day off.
Well, that wasn't the point.
Registration was still far off and not closely related to the current issue.
Meng Shang sighed.
In the silent room, occasional soft snores came from beside him. He moved his leg and felt the blanket pressed down firmly, knowing the fat cat had climbed onto the bed again.
Meng Shang, being a doctor, had a bit of a cleanliness fetish and usually didn't let the fat cat on the bed. But the cat would leave fur all over, and since most of his bedding was dark-colored, it was very noticeable.
But obviously, the concept of boundaries for cat owners was meant to be broken.
He was often away due to work, so the golden kiwi cat took over the house. It would jump onto the armrest of the sofa, stand there, and if it wore an Elizabethan collar, it could cosplay as the Lion King.
Now, it had sneaked onto the bed in the dark, sleeping comfortably, completely ignoring its owner's wellbeing.
In the deep winter, Xinhai, located on the southeast coast, didn't have central heating. To ward off the bone-chilling damp cold, they had to run the air conditioner and underfloor heating all day.
Meng Shang didn't like the warm air conditioning and usually set it to turn off automatically in the middle of the night. So now, only a thin layer of warmth remained. When he lifted the blanket, the cold was evident.
Meng Shang paused, then got up and walked to the kitchen.
Cold water and cold air helped alleviate the sudden insomnia.
Meng Shang stood by the marble island, lost in thought. The open kitchen faced the living room balcony. Although it was late, the community lights were still bright.
He thought about the phone call with his grandmother this evening. The old lady had complained to him with a pitiful tone.
She asked why his promised girlfriend hadn't appeared yet and when she could see him married. She also complained about having to stay in the hospital for IV drips when she could go home and visit the community clinic. She said her internal organs felt like they were burning every day and she wanted something cold to soothe them, but his mother and uncle wouldn't let her.
Meng Shang was a doctor. Even if his specialty differed, he knew what this meant. His grandmother's health might not wait for him to hesitate long.
"Thump... thump..."
Suddenly, two muffled sounds came from the ceiling.
Meng Shang looked up, then glanced at the living room electronic clock.
It was 2 a.m. Had Jiang Ruoqi just gotten home?
Given her commute, leaving at 8 a.m. and waking at 7 a.m., she could sleep at most five hours.
She was almost as busy as a doctor.
If they married, with both rarely home, it would still be the fat cat's territory.
Meng Shang chuckled and turned to look at the master bedroom door left ajar. He could see the fat cat's round head on the bed. It felt... not bad?
So be it. Perhaps their respective ulterior motives would make them a respectful couple. At worst... if things changed later, they could calmly sit down and discuss divorce.
After a few days of deliberation, Meng Shang finally made up his mind. The next step was to schedule a time with President Jiang.
Jiang Ruoqi wasn't playing hard to get. The nationwide launch of the new product at counters was set for Double Twelve shopping day, with teasers released a week in advance, coordinated with offline window ads, live streaming previews, etc.
As a newcomer, she didn't need to do everything herself, but she had to keep an eye on important matters. If she slipped up now, she wouldn't even need to join the "young master" in a palace coup; she could just pack up and job hunt.
"I still think this plan is a bit risky. Are you sure you want to refine it?"
Duan Jinchen walked out of the meeting room ahead of Jiang Ruoqi. He grumbled as he walked, his brows furrowed into a knot.
When he turned around, Jiang Ruoqi was far behind, holding her laptop and looking at her phone. Seeing the glass door about to swing shut, Duan Jinchen reluctantly grabbed the handle to prevent the distracted woman from getting hit.
Sensing the change in light, Jiang Ruoqi looked up and saw Duan Jinchen holding the door for her. She casually thanked him: "Thanks."
"?" Duan Jinchen immediately let go and brushed his hands as if disgusted. Seeing that Jiang Ruoqi wasn't waiting for him, he quickly caught up. "Hey, did you hear me?"
"Yes, I heard you. Keep your voice down, loudspeaker." Jiang Ruoqi rubbed her ears without looking up. "To be honest, it's worth a try, but I'm not optimistic about the results."
"...You're not optimistic?" Duan Jinchen's peach blossom eyes widened. He couldn't tell if Jiang Ruoqi was brushing him off. "If you're not optimistic, why did you present it at the meeting? Are you messing with me or with the one in Gangcheng?"
Jiang Ruoqi was texting Meng Shang. Their messages were long paragraphs exchanged in turns, with perfect synchronicity.
She couldn't multitask, and this wasn't something to discuss openly, so she ignored Duan Jinchen and headed straight to her office.
Duan Jinchen followed like a loudspeaker, asking "Why?" from her left and then "Did you hear me?" from her right.
This scene was witnessed by others. By the time she was far away, various versions of office gossip would likely worsen her relationship with Duan Jinchen.
"Jiang Ruoqi..."
Annoyed, Jiang Ruoqi flipped her phone face down, sat down at her desk, and coldly looked at Duan Jinchen, who had followed her in. "Close the door."
"Oh."
Duan Jinchen didn't see any problem. He closed the door and sat down opposite Jiang Ruoqi.