Marriage—Ye Nanqi had never in a million years imagined that these two words would have anything to do with him at this point in his life.
The words “Marry your damn mother” had almost slipped out of his mouth. But when he thought of Aunt Shen’s kind face, he swallowed them back down.
Wen Chen had assumed that those paparazzi had grown bold enough to call him directly and demand money. He immediately slapped the table. Before he could even get out an angry retort with any real force behind it, he saw Ye Nanqi stand up, his expression shifting unpredictably.
Wen Chen was afraid he might actually go and sell one of his precious kidneys. “There’s still a way to handle this. Don’t do anything rash…”
Ye Nanqi quickly made up his mind. He let out a heavy sigh. “Brother Wen.”
Wen Chen adopted an expression that said he was all ears.
“Which would you choose: a sex scandal or marriage?”
Wen Chen didn’t understand why he was suddenly asking this. He let out an “Ah,” and, seeing Ye Nanqi’s sincere expression, answered somewhat blankly, “Your sex scandal or marriage rumors? Of course, marriage would be better… Wait, damn it! What do you mean, which one would I choose? We need to deal with the photos first. Otherwise, you might really end up with a sex scandal…”
Ye Nanqi nodded to show that he understood, then smiled at Wen Chen. “But Brother Wen, have you forgotten that there’s more than one paparazzi agency? Some are short on money and want to extort a sum from me, while others don’t need the money and just want to make a huge headline.”
It wasn’t that Wen Chen didn’t know this. He simply didn’t want to think about it.
If he had a choice, he would rather strangle the celebrity who had openly gone out to hook up with someone.
Seeing Wen Chen furrow his brows, Ye Nanqi nodded. Even though he was half-paralyzed, he still managed to walk with an elegant air. “Then I’ll go get married.”
Wen Chen was momentarily fooled by how naturally he said it. It wasn’t until half a minute after Ye Nanqi closed the door and left that he finally realized something was wrong—
It was already too late.
Ye Nanqi turned off his phone, got into Shen Du’s car, and abandoned the usual pretense of humility and gentleness. He punched Shen Du squarely in the face.
Shen Du neither dodged nor tried to block it. He took the punch, leaving one side of his face bruised. His brows tightened in pain as he shot Ye Nanqi a glare. “Stop jumping around my car like a monkey dressed in that ridiculous outfit.”
Ye Nanqi had always been gentle and courteous, abiding by the principle that “a gentleman uses words, not fists.” But looking at Shen Du’s face, he still felt like throwing another punch.
The clothes he was wearing were the ones from last night. They carried a mixture of alcohol, cigarette smoke, some unknown perfume he’d picked up somewhere, and sweat. In the cramped car, the smell was simply indescribable.
Ye Nanqi didn’t care about looking disheveled. He rubbed himself against the leather seat again. Seeing the murderous look Shen Du shot him, he felt thoroughly refreshed after that little act of mischief. Only then did he mock him, “You dealt with the photos pretty quickly. I never thought President Shen would have a day when he’d worry about a sex scandal, too.”
Shen Du didn’t get angry. Instead, he raised an eyebrow. “My face wasn’t visible in the photos. Handling this matter was just a little favor for Celebrity Ye. As for what you should say when we see my mother later, I believe you already know.”
Shen Du had always been rather sharp-tongued. Just one sentence from him could set someone off. At the thought of the two formidable women waiting for them, Ye Nanqi immediately felt a headache coming on. He didn’t even have the energy to argue back.
Although both of them were strongly against the idea, they understood one thing very clearly.
Their respective mothers were their natural nemeses. Whether they got married or not might no longer be up to them.
Ye Nanqi’s adolescence had been rather miserable. Less than a year after his family moved, his father drove to school to pick up his younger sister. On the way, a truck came driving in the wrong direction, causing a traffic accident.
His father had desperately shielded his younger sister and suffered severe injuries. After lingering in the hospital for several months, he eventually passed away. His younger sister was still lying in the hospital to this day. Both her legs were crippled, and she had also lost her eyesight.
If everything had ended there, perhaps the despair would have had a limit. Unfortunately, Heaven hadn’t stopped playing its cruel jokes on them.
Not long afterward, his older sister, who had secretly dropped out of school to help ease their mother’s burden of supporting the family, was discovered by a talent scout and entered the entertainment industry. Her prospects had been bright, but before long, all kinds of negative scandals suddenly erupted about her: promiscuity, drug abuse, loan sharks, and gambling. Each one was enough to thrust her into the center of a public storm.
Unable to bear the pressure, his older sister jumped to her death. Afterward, a crowd of debt collectors descended on their home, smashing things and hurling insults.
Ye Nanqi’s mother collapsed on the spot. She almost never got back up.
After all these years, the two families, who had once been extremely close, had lost contact with each other. They had only unexpectedly reunited a few months ago.
Ye Nanqi’s mother, who had never lifted a finger around the house when his father was alive, had suffered a mental breakdown and become extremely fragile. Ye Nanqi had become the family’s sole pillar of support. Over the past few years, even a minor scrape on his skin was enough to bring her to tears.
Because Ye Nanqi had entered the entertainment industry, mother and son had even been estranged for an entire year. They had only reconciled recently.
There was a good chance that Aunt Shen had already discussed the wedding date with her former best friend. His mother must be overjoyed.
The more Ye Nanqi thought about it, the more he felt that his head was about to explode.
Compared to this, the awkwardness of having slept with his romantic rival was nothing.
Before reaching the private room where the two women were waiting, Shen Du first took Ye Nanqi to change into a fresh set of clothes. Otherwise, if he went upstairs looking so disheveled, Mother Ye might have been frightened straight into the hospital.
By the time they went upstairs, Ye Nanqi’s expression was still somewhat stiff and cold. But when he entered the room and removed his mask, his face already wore a gentle smile. Shen Du found this smiling, hypocritical facade of his extremely irritating and stood to one side with a frown.
Ye Nanqi skillfully brewed two cups of tea, then stood behind his mother and gently massaged her shoulders. In a soft voice, he greeted them, “Mom, Auntie.”
Mother Ye had delicate, gentle features, as beautiful as a painting. The only traces time had left on her were her white hairs. She reached out to stroke her son’s head, then smiled at Shen Du and sighed. “Our Nan Nan has finally found someone to take care of him, too.”
Before his mother opened her mouth, Ye Nanqi had still wanted to make one last desperate attempt to resist. But all the words he had prepared became stuck in his throat the moment he met her gentle gaze.
Regardless of whether it might upset this frail woman, whose life had been so tragic, he couldn’t bear to disappoint her—at least, he couldn’t bear for that disappointment to come from him.
Shen Du hadn’t expected Ye Nanqi to surrender without putting up a fight. He was so angry he nearly spat blood. Under the watchful eyes of the two elders, he mustered his courage and said, “Mom, I already told you earlier. You’ve misunderstood our relationship.”
The moment he finished speaking, the smile on Mother Shen’s face gradually disappeared. However, she didn’t lose her temper in front of Mother Ye.
She held her best friend’s hand and smiled. “You know how thin-skinned this child has been since he was little. He’s very shy. I’ll step outside and have a few words with him.”
Mother Ye sensed that something was wrong. She turned anxiously toward her son. Ye Nanqi’s expression didn’t change. He took her hand and smiled gently. “It’s fine. Don’t worry, and don’t overthink it. Would you like some pastries? The ones here are quite good—sweet without being cloying, and they melt in your mouth. Wanyuan would probably like them. You can take some to her when you visit. I’ve been a little busy lately, so I might not be able to go to the hospital.”
A few words temporarily diverted Mother Ye’s attention, and Ye Nanqi secretly wiped away a bead of sweat.
While Ye Nanqi was gently reassuring his mother, Shen Du was being scolded.
Mother Shen was a woman of decisive action, and she was just as straightforward when it came to educating her son. After looking around and making sure no one was nearby, she raised her delicate eyebrows. “Shen Du, what did your father and I teach you when you were young? A man must take responsibility for what he does! Don’t think I can’t tell that you have a problem with Nanqi. Whatever is going on between you two, now that you’ve already gotten involved with him, you have to take responsibility! You son of a—You have the nerve to do it but not the nerve to admit it?!”
Shen Du couldn’t exactly remind his mother that she was the one who had said those words. His head was already aching. “Mom, I don’t like him.”
Mother Shen replied, “What couple doesn’t start out disliking each other? Besides, even if you don’t like him, I do.”
Shen Du shrugged. “Then why don’t you just adopt him as your son?”
Mother Shen flew into a rage. “Nanqi’s grandfather once carried your grandfather down from the battlefield. Your grandfather was still thinking about that favor right up until his dying day. Their family isn’t doing well now, and Nanqi is stubborn. Every time I secretly try to help, he turns me down in every possible way. The Ye family helped us so many times back then, yet when they needed us most, we failed to help them. Your father and I have always felt guilty about that. So don’t give me that nonsense about whether you slept with Nanqi or not! Even if it’s just to repay that debt of gratitude, you are still going to marry him!”
As fate would have it, when Ye Nanqi’s family was falling apart, the Shen family—the only family capable of helping them—had also run into trouble of their own. They had nearly ended up in prison as a whole family.
Shen Du already had complicated feelings about the matter. Hearing his mother’s words, he was momentarily speechless.
After a long while, he finally asked with a frown, “What if Ye Nanqi doesn’t agree?”
If Shen Du was Ye Nanqi’s bottom line, then for the sake of his mother and younger sister, Ye Nanqi could move that bottom line to accommodate Shen Du.
His mother had suffered too much, and both her physical and mental health were poor. He didn’t want her worrying about him, nor did he dare do anything that might upset her—at least, not openly.
And so, this marriage was settled in a completely muddled fashion.
Mother Shen was afraid the two might change their minds, so the very next day she urged them to go register their marriage. Everything was happening so quickly that Ye Nanqi inexplicably felt as though he’d boarded a pirate ship with no way off. On the way to get their marriage certificate, his mood was practically the same as if he were heading to a funeral home.
It took him quite a while to recover his usual fake smile. Then, enunciating every word, he said, “We’ll split everything fifty-fifty.”
Shen Du nodded politely. “That was exactly what I had in mind.”
Only after receiving their red marriage certificates did Ye Nanqi turn on his phone.
In fact, his vacation had ended yesterday. But everything had happened so suddenly that he’d had no choice but to request a few more days off and turn down several engagements. His heart was practically bleeding.
The moment his phone turned on, a call from Wen Chen popped up. What was bound to happen had finally happened. However, Ye Nanqi intended to dump the entire mess into his new husband’s lap. It would be very easy for Shen Du to handle those rumors.
Wen Chen was practically on the verge of exploding. “You little ancestor! Where the hell have you been?! I was about to call the police!”
Ye Nanqi glanced at Shen Du and smiled with incredible insincerity. “I told you. I got married.”
“Where the hell did you find some lover to marry?!” Wen Chen nearly laughed from sheer anger.
His voice was so loud that even Shen Du heard something. During a pause at a red light, he turned around, his expression darkening.
Ye Nanqi kicked the back of the front seat. He felt that he couldn’t actually murder his “husband,” but he could certainly make his life miserable. So he smiled sweetly. “Lover, huh? Got the certificate?”
Shen Du thought for a moment before retaliating. “Wife.”
Ye Nanqi was immediately disgusted.
Shuddering, he hung up and leaned over to search for the certificate himself. He took a picture, mosaicked Shen Du’s face, and sent the image to Wen Chen along with a voice message.
“My lover is too ugly. I wouldn’t want to hurt your eyes. Take a good look. It’s an official government certificate, absolutely not a fake.”