Li Minghui's shock came to an abrupt end, but he immediately called again.
She put it on silent and ignored it.
She took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart, pressed her cold, damp palm against her cheek, then, disgusted by the moisture, switched to the back of her hand.
To be honest, she wasn't in the right state to continue with the marriage registration. Unresolvable anger and inexplicable grievance weighed on her chest, making her feel like a firecracker about to explode at any moment.
But no one should bear her negative emotions, especially Meng Shang, whom she had coaxed here. He was still waiting for her.
Jiang Ruoqi patted her cheeks, adjusted the smile on her face, and turned around.
Meng Shang was standing not far behind her, taking her place and staring intently at the display. Perhaps catching her in his peripheral vision, he immediately looked at her when she approached.
"What's wrong?"
No matter how well she pretended, there were always flaws. Meng Shang could see the dejection beneath her bravado and asked with concern.
"Nothing major." Jiang Ruoqi shook her head and changed the subject. "What number are they calling?"
Meng Shang didn't press. He handed her the paper ticket he was holding and glanced at the display: "We missed our turn."
Jiang Ruoqi's expression dimmed. She crumpled the paper and tried to comfort herself: "I was on the phone too long. No big deal. I'll get a new number and line up again."
Meng Shang reached out and stopped her: "Don't bother. They stop issuing numbers at four."
Jiang Ruoqi frowned and looked back at Meng Shang, gripping his hand tightly: "They stopped issuing numbers?"
"Mm."
She had been on the phone for over half an hour. The registration counter closed at 4:30, and in theory, they stopped handing out numbers half an hour before.
Jiang Ruoqi looked at the display. Her legs, in heels, suddenly felt heavy—too heavy to even make the short walk to the service counter to confirm.
She thought, since they were already here, maybe a staff member would kindly give them an additional number and finish the process.
But then she thought, this was probably just an excuse for Meng Shang to back out at the last minute, giving them both a way out. If she went and asked now and got a different answer, it would be awkward for both.
She wasn't the type to cling. Even though Meng Shang was her ideal choice, she wouldn't grovel. It was just... time was tight, the sunk cost was high, and finding a replacement was impractical.
So Jiang Ruoqi looked up at Meng Shang and demanded his final stance: "I just took a call. Is it really too late now?"
She thought, if he backed off even half a step, she would retreat to square one—friends or strangers.
She wasn't so fixated on Meng Shang. She was that petty.
Jiang Ruoqi stared stubbornly at Meng Shang. What he saw was someone who, despite everything, still held her head high and refused to yield.
Even when she looked up, she only reached his shoulder. Her eyes were upturned at the corners, but now, as she looked at him, they were downcast.
She must be expecting some answer from him, yet she pretended not to care. Her eyes betrayed everything, softening his principles into mush.
Meng Shang sighed helplessly but still asked back: "Does it have to be today?"
Jiang Ruoqi sniffled, turned her head away, and hummed twice before saying: "I'm afraid you'll change your mind tomorrow."
It sounded as if he was the reluctant one.
Meng Shang sighed again: "And you? After your father's call, you haven't changed your mind?"
Far from it—she was only more determined.
Jiang Ruoqi's thoughts wandered. She wondered if Li Minghui had given up calling her by now.
But that man wasn't easygoing. If he couldn't get through to her, what would he do next?
Would he directly get Chen Jiameng to go to her company and find her bald boss?
Or... seek help closer to home?
Jiang Ruoqi's mind drifted at an inopportune moment, completely forgetting that Meng Shang was waiting for her answer.
But in a moment that felt like an eternity to him, Meng Shang looked down. His hand, hidden in his pocket, clenched and unclenched, as if holding back, before he finally let his emotions slip.
"Never mind."
Meng Shang's brow twitched.
"If we can't get it today, we'll come another day. If Dr. Meng is unwilling, I'll... find a way. Anyway, since we've come this far, I'll tie you up and drag you here if I have to."
Jiang Ruoqi's threatening tone was just for show. In reality, she was already calculating if there was anyone around her as reliable as Meng Shang.
After all, one shouldn't fixate on one tree.
"What goes on in your head all day?"
Meng Shang sighed, then laughed despite himself.
He withdrew his elegant hand from his pocket, stopped in front of Jiang Ruoqi, and slowly opened it: "Miss Jiang doesn't need to resort to force to solve this problem."
"I take the bait willingly."
In his open palm lay a call ticket, its edges crumpled and ink slightly faded, as if it had been handled for a long time.
Jiang Ruoqi grabbed Meng Shang's forearm, her eyes wide with surprise as she sought his gaze.
Meng Shang steadied her. There seemed to be a hint of laughter in his deep eyes.
He didn't avoid her probing gaze and replied warmly: "Don't worry. I took the last number for today."