Her words were half serious, half joking. She lowered her eyelashes, casting a shadow that made her look unusually soft and pitiable.
Meng Shang watched and listened, feeling a pang in his chest. He frowned again.
From her attitude, she likely wasn't close to her family. Raised by her mother alone, then studying in Gangcheng for over a decade, she ended up distant from both sides.
"I was joking." Sensing his shift, Jiang Ruoqi quickly explained. She hated being pitied, finding it pretentious.
"The apartment isn't a problem. I don't care about the rent. If either side's elders come to visit, they can stay there without affecting our privacy. That's fine."
"Besides, you just recommended a business to your colleague. If I suddenly said I wanted to cancel the lease because I'm marrying you, that would be messing with them."
Meng Shang was silent for a moment, then confirmed again: "Are you really sure?"
Jiang Ruoqi narrowed her eyes: "You're the one hesitating, and you're trying to pin it on me?"
Probably.
But... forget it.
Meng Shang sighed, completely giving in: "Then let's go back to my place first. I need to get my household registration booklet."
He wasn't a Xinhai native, but after graduation, he transferred his household registration to the apartment he bought. As a single household, he didn't have to worry about not getting the booklet.
He didn't know about Jiang Ruoqi.
She'd lived in Gangcheng for a long time; her father was from there. He wasn't sure where her registration was or if she had her booklet handy.
Jiang Ruoqi didn't say, and Meng Shang didn't ask. He trusted that if she'd proposed registering, she was already prepared.
"Dr. Meng must be too busy with work to browse the internet, huh." Jiang Ruoqi raised an eyebrow, as if she'd been waiting for this. "Since this May, mainland couples only need their ID cards to register. No household booklet needed."
"To facilitate couples who fall into love headfirst and rush into the fortress of marriage. By the time their heads cool down and they want to regret it, it's too late—breaking up isn't so easy."
Jiang Ruoqi clapped her hands sharply, cutting off her own commentary. Her eyes met Meng Shang's expressionless face, and realizing something, she quickly added flattery:
"Of course, we're not that flimsy. This reform is just convenient for people like me who want to marry without parental approval."
That wasn't much better either.
Meng Shang was speechless. Hearing this, he thought of his own parents, who were also in the dark, and the phrase "eloping" popped into his mind, though it didn't quite fit.
But Jiang Ruoqi didn't give him time to ponder this strange sense of taboo.
"Still, I'm looking forward to you getting carried away and falling in love with me after we marry."
Meng Shang: "..."
He knew it. When she opened her mouth, he couldn't get a word in edgewise.
"The results will be out in thirty minutes. Let's get something to eat first?" Meng Shang glanced at his wristwatch, an old-fashioned gesture.
Jiang Ruoqi stood on tiptoe, pulled his arm down, her fox eyes sparkling: "Not really hungry. Can we take photos first? I have an appointment~"
She looked almost harmless, and for a moment, Meng Shang felt she resembled the round-eyed, clingy cat at home.
Of course, she wasn't a tsundere cat. She was a fox luring him step by step into a trap, making him itch to do something but unable to act.
"Let's go then."
Meng Shang wisely stopped asking what kind of photos. He wasn't clueless.
Near the checkup center were plenty of related services: shops for registration photos, wedding styling, and such.
As a meticulous J-person, Jiang Ruoqi had done her research, picked a highly rated shop, and booked for 1 p.m.
Meng Shang was right about one thing.
Since he first contacted her, she hadn't let this "duck" off the stove. From checkup to registration photos to getting the marriage certificate, every step was part of her plan to make him accept.
Jiang Ruoqi wasn't that skilled. Scheming was hard—too many steps, too much guesswork. So she did the opposite: she laid herself bare honestly.
When truth outweighs lies, the lies start to seem true too. She found it wasn't as hard as she'd thought.
And now, the "duck" willingly lay in the steamer.
They arrived at the photo studio a little earlier than their appointment. Luckily, the shop wasn't busy. With both of them blessed with striking looks, makeup and styling took no time.
The photo shoot went smoothly. For the red-background registration photo, they needed on-site editing. Jiang Ruoqi took the opportunity to stop by the checkup center for the results and then returned to the shop to pick up the finished photos.
Xinhai's civil affairs bureau, officially the Marriage Registration Center, was open on Saturdays from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
They rushed and arrived at a middle-of-the-pack time. They took a number, and the ticket showed it was printed at 3:02 p.m.
Jiang Ruoqi clutched her photo, ID card, and their pre-filled forms, slumping into the waiting area sofa with a long sigh.
Good, they could still register today.
Meng Shang stood beside her. Even without trying, his tall frame formed a solid wall. Standing, he could completely block the seated Jiang Ruoqi—the scene of her looking up and him looking down exuded an air of possessiveness.
"Two more numbers before us. Are you sure you don't regret this?"
Jiang Ruoqi glared at him: "On our happy day, don't say such unlucky things."
What happy day?
Meng Shang wanted to say he'd checked his phone—the built-in almanac showed today was a bad day for everything. If they were serious, they should wait.
But when he looked down and saw her sitting, one hand clutching his sleeve as if to prevent him from fleeing, he swallowed the words.