The heart-wrenching shout pierced through Yu Qinzhou’s ears and echoed outward, drawing Ming Qi’s attention. He had been quietly inching closer, trying to sneak a look at the marriage certificate. His gaze lifted from the document and met Yu Qinzhou’s half-lidded eyes.
Yu Qinzhou raised a brow at him, placed the certificate into his hand, gestured briefly—then turned and walked off to the side.
As soon as Yu Qinzhou walked away, Ming Qi went from secretly sneaking glances at the marriage certificate to openly admiring it.
Most of his college classmates were in the entertainment industry, and very few of them were even dating, let alone married. On the other hand, quite a few of his high school classmates had already posted their marriage certificates and wedding photos on social media. He had always been the one looking at others—now it was finally his turn to look at his own. The feeling was oddly fresh and novel.
Yu Qinzhou stood by a corner near a large potted plant. Through the gaps in the green leaves, his gaze fell on Ming Qi’s face. Seeing him studying the marriage certificate so seriously, he suddenly found the loud noise in his ear a little less irritating.
“Bro? Bro?! Why did you go quiet? Are you even listening to me, bro?!”
“I heard you. I’ll ask him.” Yu Qinzhou frowned slightly, snapping out of his brief moment of reflection. “Say one more word and I’ll send you straight home.”
Min Zhengyue didn’t mind at all. He chuckled and said, “Then I’ll wait for you guys at Chunqiu Residence.”
After hanging up, Yu Qinzhou returned to Ming Qi’s side.
His tall figure blocked the sunlight streaming in, casting a faint shadow over the red booklet. Ming Qi’s view was interrupted, so he looked up. Before he could speak, Yu Qinzhou asked, “Any plans after this?”
Ming Qi thought for a moment and shook his head.
“My cousin wants to meet you. Would you mind having a meal together?”
Ming Qi pointed at the phone in his hand. “The one you were just talking to?”
That ear-splitting shout had left a deep impression on him.
“Mm. He recently bought a paparazzi studio—and they happened to catch us registering our marriage.” Yu Qinzhou dropped the bombshell so casually that Ming Qi was left dizzy. His eyes widened in shock as he echoed the words like a parrot, “Paparazzi? They caught us registering?”
When Yu Qinzhou nodded, Ming Qi fell silent.
He opened his mouth. “Then…”
Seeing him trying to stay calm despite his obvious anxiety, Yu Qinzhou’s lips curved slightly before he quickly suppressed the smile, deliberately teasing him. “He said if Mr. Ming is willing to treat him to a meal, he might consider deleting the video. Mr. Ming, would you like to invite him to dinner?”
Without hesitation, Ming Qi asked, “Where are we eating?”
Yu Qinzhou let out a soft laugh.
After deciding on Chunqiu Residence, Ming Qi followed Yu Qinzhou to the parking lot behind the Civil Affairs Bureau. At a glance, the black Cullinan had replaced the Koenigsegg from a few days ago. Yu Qinzhou stood beside the car, his long legs and tall frame perfectly complemented by his suit and wool coat, exuding understated luxury.
Luxury cars suited handsome men just as well.
Ming Qi silently praised him in his heart and climbed into the car.
As soon as he sat down, Yu Qinzhou leaned in. The faintly aggressive cedarwood scent wrapped around him, making his breathing hitch slightly.
Click.
The seatbelt snapped into place. Amid his lingering nervousness, he heard a soft chuckle by his ear. “Mr. Ming, how about we trade something?”
“…What?”
Yu Qinzhou pointed at the marriage certificate still clutched tightly in Ming Qi’s hand, then opened his own right hand.
In his pale palm lay a ring.
Unlike an ordinary men’s diamond ring, this one resembled two intertwined vines. Sunlight filtered through the windshield, scattering across its surface. Countless tiny natural green diamonds refracted dazzling light—so beautiful it was almost unreal.
Yu Qinzhou smiled. “Deal?”
Trading a marriage certificate for a diamond ring—only a fool would refuse.
But—
Before Ming Qi could even ask, Yu Qinzhou had already taken the certificate from his hand and placed it into the storage compartment. At the same time, he gently set the ring into Ming Qi’s palm. All Ming Qi could see was the man’s sharp profile and the faint red at the corner of his eye.
“Even if it’s just a contract marriage, we should still have the essentials.”
Ming Qi blinked. That… made sense.
Having only the certificate without a ring might raise suspicion—especially from the old man.
Still… as he examined the ring carefully, he couldn’t help thinking Yu Qinzhou had excellent taste.
“Want to try it on?” Yu Qinzhou tapped the steering wheel lightly. Only then did Ming Qi notice that the silver ring Yu Qinzhou used to wear had already been replaced with a matching vine-style diamond ring.
Without hesitation, Ming Qi carefully slid the ring onto his ring finger. The cool touch fit snugly against his skin—it was the perfect size.
“It suits you.”
Yu Qinzhou’s praise was sincere.
Ming Qi’s skin was fair, his fingers long and slender. Under the sunlight, his hand looked like a finely crafted piece of art—delicate, refined, and expensive.
“It looks great on you too, Mr. Yu.”
Ming Qi’s eyes curved as he returned the compliment, his mood lifting.
…
A little over ten minutes later, the Cullinan pulled into the underground parking lot of Chunqiu Residence.
They walked up a spiral staircase. When the door opened, a spacious hall greeted them—far larger than the private rooms on the second floor. Floor-to-ceiling windows let in soft light, their curtains swaying gently as a breeze carried a faint floral scent. Only upon closer inspection could one see the source—a vase of white camellias set in celadon porcelain. To the right of the windows stretched an entire wall covered in meticulous brush paintings, depicting a vibrant spring garden in full bloom.
Min Zhengyue had been draped across the table, sprawled on the sofa, and slumped in a chair—switching positions restlessly while muttering about how they still hadn’t arrived. At last, he saw them.
His gaze shot past the waiter’s shoulder and landed on the young man standing beside Yu Qinzhou.
He had already thought Ming Qi looked good in Death Notice, but seeing him in person was a completely different experience—he looked even better!
Min Zhengyue’s eyes lit up like bulbs. In the blink of an eye, he rushed over and greeted him enthusiastically, “Hey, bro! I’m Min Zhengyue—Yu-ge’s cousin. You can call me A-Yue. I’ve seen your performance in Death Notice. You were amazing!”
Ming Qi had no resistance to outgoing people—especially when they had seen Death Notice and praised him.
He couldn’t help but smile. “Hi, A-Yue. Just call me Ming Qi.”
“That won’t do. Even if you’re two years younger than me, you’re my brother’s legal spouse now—gotta call you ‘bro.’” Min Zhengyue grabbed Ming Qi’s arm and started leading him toward the table. But just as he did, his gaze flicked to the man beside them—who was watching him with a faint, unreadable smile.
In an instant, a chill crept up the back of his neck.
By the time he realized it, he had already let go of Ming Qi’s arm.
Yu Qinzhou casually turned his head away.
Min Zhengyue: “……”
Damn. That possessiveness—couldn’t even touch him?!
Min Zhengyue felt like he’d just learned something new.
Touching might be off-limits, but he dragged his chair a little closer to Ming Qi and asked with a grin, “So, Ge Qi, how did you and my cousin meet?”
Ming Qi instinctively glanced at Yu Qinzhou. Seeing that the man was calmly pouring tea, clearly having no intention of helping him out, he could only answer vaguely, “One time I had a fever, and Yu—”
He paused halfway through.
Their marriage being discovered by Min Zhengyue had been purely accidental. On the way here, he had forgotten to ask Yu Qinzhou whether it was okay to reveal the truth about their arrangement.
To avoid ruining Yu Qinzhou’s grand plan of infuriating the old man, Ming Qi quickly changed his wording. Dropping the more distant “Mr. Yu,” he started again, “A-Zhou brought me home and got a doctor for me.”
The moment the words left his mouth, the other two people in the room both paused.
Yu Qinzhou slid a cup of tea toward him. Meeting his gaze, he curled his lips slightly, the teasing glint in his eyes at the nickname “A-Zhou” making Ming Qi want to bury his face in the tea.
The two exchanged looks without realizing that Min Zhengyue was sitting there, stunned like a statue.
What the hell?
Helping someone find a doctor was one thing—but actually bringing them home?
He had known Yu Qinzhou for years. Since when was he this kind-hearted, helpful person? Wasn’t he the type who would kick you while you were already down, just to make sure you were truly finished?
Had the “living Yama” turned over a new leaf?
“So then you and my co—uh, my cousin hit it off?”
Ming Qi hesitated. Wouldn’t that be a bit too fast? It didn’t sound very logical.
Putting on a serious face, he made something up. “We had a few more interactions after that, and then we clicked.”
Impressive.
Min Zhengyue marveled internally and grew even more curious. “How did you click? Did my cousin do something that moved you?”
Ming Qi: “…He made me a bowl of porridge?”
Min Zhengyue almost lost his voice. “What?!”
Realizing something was off, Ming Qi quickly added, “I mean, I was sick at the time, so I could only eat porridge.”
Min Zhengyue: “……”
Oh. That made sense.
Wait—no, it didn’t.
His cousin had taken advantage of someone being sick to bring them home—and even cooked porridge personally?
Min Zhengyue suddenly felt a little jealous. “I’ve known him for twenty-five years, and I’ve never had his cooking.”
“But you’ve been beaten by me,” Yu Qinzhou shot him a glance. “You ask more questions than a background check. Change the topic.”
Min Zhengyue let out an “oh,” looking unwilling, but soon got absorbed in chatting with Ming Qi again.
When the moment felt right, Ming Qi quietly brought up the paparazzi issue. Min Zhengyue, clearly having already been warned by Yu Qinzhou, waved it off. “Don’t worry. They won’t post it. Our studio doesn’t go after our own people. So if there’s anyone you don’t like, just come to me—I’ll have everything on them dug up.”
Then his eyes rolled, and he lowered his voice. “By the way, Ge Qi, didn’t you work with Qiu Tuo before?”
Qiu Tuo?
That was a highly renowned triple-award-winning Best Actor.
Ming Qi rubbed his nose. “I just played a minor follower role for him.”
“That still counts. So is it true he was juggling eight relationships at once?”
Ming Qi’s eyes widened. “What?! He was juggling eight?!”
“You didn’t know?”
“No.”
“Then did you know his official girlfriend got revenge on him, drugged him, and now he can’t… perform anymore?”
“!!!!!!”