Jian Hang soon got their marriage certificate.

She and Qin Moling were not familiar with each other, so they each kept their own marriage certificates.

The two came out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, one after another, without any communication at all during the entire process. Those who didn’t know would think they were here to handle divorce procedures today.

She and Qin Moling got their marriage certificate completely according to the wishes of their elders. Grandma Qin said today was an auspicious day and urged them to get their certificates.

So just like that—without a proposal, without any commitment, without any romance or sense of ceremony—she married Qin Moling.

Her car was parked in the parking lot across the road. Qin Moling’s driver drove his car over and stopped slowly in front of them.

When the car stopped, Qin Moling opened the rear door and got in without waiting for the driver to get down and open the door. He glanced at Jian Hang and had nothing to say. He nodded slightly to her and closed the car door.

“Qin Moling.” Jian Hang thought of something and walked over quickly.

Qin Moling slid down the window and asked, “Is there anything else?”

Jian Hang raised the marriage certificate in her hand, “Do you plan to keep this marriage a secret?”

Qin Moling answered with a question, “Does the employment contract you signed with Yinlin include a clause prohibiting marriage?”

Huh? “No.”

“Then what’s the point of a hidden marriage?” Qin Moling said. “You’re not a celebrity.”

She had seen that he was unwilling to receive the certificate and even insisted on getting it in the afternoon, so she asked this question now just to be clear—lest she tell others that he was her husband and it turned out he didn’t want to make it public after all. It would make her look like she wanted her face to be slapped.

There was another reason why Jian Hang confirmed with him whether he wanted to get married secretly, “If you don’t have any plans to get married secretly, I would like to mention my marital status when I explain Mrs. Gao’s matter to the board of directors.”

The marriage certificate between her and Qin Moling was good evidence that she had no involvement in Mr. Gao’s marriage.

Qin Moling once again gave her a definite answer, “A hidden marriage is worse than not getting married at all.”

Alright then, she can use the marriage certificate as a shield.

Jian Hang did not regard him as her husband and so said politely, “Thank you.”

Qin Moling propped up his chin. His eyes, as deep as the bottom of a river, stayed on her face for a few seconds, and then looked at the busy road ahead. “Did Yinlin’s board of directors give you a hard time?”

Jian Hang hesitated for a moment. It was unclear for the time being. Pang Linbin had seen the video, then other members of the board of directors should have seen it too. There would always be people looking for something good to see. It was impossible for it to not have been passed on to the other directors by now.

“The board of directors hasn’t contacted me yet,” she said.

Qin Moling nodded and said nothing else.

The window slid up, and the driver started the car and drove away.

Jian Hang went to find her car on the other side of the road. She didn’t understand why Qin Moling looked at her just now, as if he was looking at her, but also as if he was thinking about something.

She couldn’t see through Qin Moling, and she didn’t have the energy to guess what he was thinking, so she started the car and went back to the company.

… … translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

At the office workstation, five or six people were sitting around eating afternoon snacks—coffee and desserts—each with their own portion.

These few people were eating and laughing, completely unaware that Jian Hang was there until Lin Xiao turned around and saw her standing at the door, looking at the dessert in his hand.

Lin Xiao was stunned. He didn’t know that Jian Hang had gone to get the marriage certificate; he thought she had gone home early today. He had seen her walking to the elevator with her bag and car keys, but he didn’t realize that she intended to return.

How could this be?

Being humiliated by Mr. Gao’s wife in front of all her subordinates would make anyone else doubt their life and need to go home and soothe herself. If it was more serious, it was not impossible to even resign.

But Jian Hang looked completely fine.

Lin Xiao was sure that he was not simply dazzled. He saw the relaxed and happy look on Jian Hang’s face. Lin Xiao was unable to help but feel his heart pounding. When Jian Hang became calm like this, it meant that there was a storm waiting for them.

“Boss, we…” Lin Xiao smiled, “We’re going to work overtime all night, so we ate something first to fill our stomachs.”

It was now only 4:30 in the afternoon. He said that they had to eat dinner in advance to work overtime all night, but it was too early. When Lin Xiao explained matters just now, he also felt guilty. He originally even had his legs on his desk, but he immediately took them down and sat upright on his chair.

Several other people all lowered their heads silently. There were still desserts in their mouths, and they had no time to chew them. They swallowed them fearfully and almost choked to death.

The boss was already in a bad mood today, yet they were still so carefree while she was away. Wasn’t this just seeking death and presenting their heads to the muzzle of the gun?

Jian Hang asked, “Who bought the afternoon snacks?”

Lin Xiao readily admitted the crime, “Me. I bought it on my own initiative, and I also made them eat with me. If you want to blame someone, boss, blame me alone.”

“We wanted to eat it ourselves,” several other people said in unison.

Lin Xiao kindly invited them to have afternoon snacks, saying that when the boss held a meeting today, they were all nervous and so needed a cup of coffee to calm their nerves.

They knew about it before Lin Xiao bought it and did not refuse. It would be unkind to let Lin Xiao take the blame alone.

Jian Hang looked at Lin Xiao and said, “I’ll reimburse you for the afternoon snacks. It’s my treat.”

Everyone was stunned.

“Drink your coffee slowly.” Jian Hang turned around and returned to her office.

… …

In this matter involving Mrs. Gao, she must take the initiative. If she waited for the board of directors to ask her to give an explanation, she would be in the passive position.

Right now, only Pang Linbin has asked her what was going on. In a sense, Boss Pang’s inquiry did not represent the entirety of the board of directors. She was the head of the Beijing branch appointed by Pang Linbin. He sent her a message asking her what was going on, and there was still an element of concern in it.

Originally, she planned to find out the whole story first and then report it to the board of directors in detail, but now she decided to report it in advance to see the board of directors’ reaction so that she could prepare.

Jian Hang did not make long remarks. She explained the whole story clearly in a clear, concise manner.

It took less than twenty minutes to get it all written down. She emailed it to Boss Pang and copied all other directors.

It’s 5 am in Manhattan, and they won’t see the email that early.

Jian Hang exited the mailbox and leaned back in her chair, sitting in silence for a few minutes.

This afternoon lasted longer than a month.

Jian Hang took out the marriage certificate from her bag, photographed it, and sent it to her family group chat.

Two minutes passed and no one in the group responded.

Her grandparents should be busy in the shop; her mother might have gone hiking again today; and her father was probably still in class. After her mother retired, she often invited friends to go hiking. Her father was teaching the third year of junior high school this year and had many classes.

Jian Hang exited the group chat.

She picked up the marriage certificate and looked at the ID photo on it. She and Qin Moling had become husband and wife, but he didn’t love her. When the video of Mrs. Gao being thrown out of their doorstep was sent to Pang Linbin, she thought her marriage to Qin Moling would not happen anymore.

After calming down, Jian Hang put away her marriage certificate and resumed working.

Marriage First, Love Later translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

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Chapter 2.2 — Solve Her Troubles

Chapter 3.1 — Agreement
Chapter 3.2 — Agreement

Chapter 4.1 — Valentine’s Day
Chapter 4.2 — Valentine’s Day

Chapter 5.1 — Borrow Her Car
Chapter 5.2 — Borrow Her Car

Chapter 6.1 — Go To Her Office
Chapter 6.2 — Go To Her Office

Chapter 7.1 — Moving In
Chapter 7.2 — Moving In

Chapter 8.1 — Wednesday Night Phone Call