Getting the Marriage Certificate

Li Wei tidied herself up, and the two walked out of the small building one after another, heading towards the main building in silence.

The morning light was faint. In the dining room of the Gu family's main building, only Liang Qiushi sat alone at the long table, eating with elegant posture.

A maid stood by, occasionally clearing her plates and replacing hot towels. An air of opulence filled the room.

The breakfast was as exquisite as a work of art, each portion small and delicate, with a pleasing arrangement.

Li Wei had never seen such refined food, but she had little appetite at the moment.

The thought of getting her marriage certificate with the man immediately made her feel incredibly heavy and conflicted.

Ah—so annoying!

She poked at the bird's nest congee in front of her with her silver spoon, her gaze uncontrollably drifting to Liang Qiushi, a hint of resentment in her eyes.

Liang Qiushi paused with her coffee cup halfway to her lips, looking a bit awkward.

She put down the cup and said in her usual gentle tone, "I'm sorry, A Xue, it was my oversight..."

"It's mainly because time is too tight," she explained. "The wedding is set for August 2nd, and we have exactly one week."

Li Wei's eyelids twitched upon hearing this. The wedding was in a week?!

This was too fast!

But then she thought about it. Gu Jinzhi was going to the Western Frontier in September, and she was supposed to take his place. It was indeed necessary to leave some buffer time.

If they got married closer to the departure date, the purpose of the marriage would be too obvious!

Once she understood this, and considering the superficial nature of this marriage, her mood inexplicably improved.

I'm not getting married, I'm acting... I'm not getting married, I'm acting...

She repeated this silently to herself, brainwashing herself.

Liang Qiushi observed her expression. Seeing that her brow seemed to have relaxed a bit, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and added:

"Don't worry, taking photos and getting the certificate will be very quick, and picking out a wedding dress won't take too much time. If all goes smoothly, we'll be done by noon. In the afternoon, you can go to the Martial Arts Alliance; it won't delay you."

Hearing Liang Qiushi say this, Li Wei's mood finally brightened.

Beside them, Gu Jinzhi continued his meal with meticulous movements. Only after Liang Qiushi finished speaking did he faintly ask, "Where are Father and Jinwen, Jinyi?"

Liang Qiushi glanced at Li Wei, intentionally or unintentionally, and said calmly:

"Your father thought they were too lazy recently, so he took them to the training ground for extra practice early this morning."

Li Wei quietly stirred her congee, mentally lighting three sticks of incense for the unlucky siblings: Pitiful, truly pitiful.

After breakfast, the three of them set off together.

This time, they switched to a more spacious and luxurious silver and black two-tone car, and quickly arrived at the nearest Civil Affairs Bureau.

The photo session was exceptionally difficult.

The photographer lavished praise on their stunning looks, saying things like "So perfectly matched," and "A golden couple," but inwardly, he was complaining fiercely.

During the photos, one of them had a wandering gaze, while the other was completely expressionless. Forget about affection; they didn't even show basic familiarity.

"Groom, get a little closer! Yes!"

"Bride, look at the camera! Smile! Think of something happy!"

"Ah, yes, yes, turn up the corners of your mouth a bit... No, that smile looks worse than crying..."

The photographer had no choice but to step in personally.

He pushed the two of them until they were almost touching, and then painstakingly guided their expressions.

After more than ten minutes of fussing, he managed to capture a single photo that looked reasonably normal.

Inside the service hall of the marriage registry, the two of them attracted everyone's attention, with whispers and gasps of amazement erupting one after another.

Li Wei and Gu Jinzhi maintained stiff expressions throughout, like two soulless marionettes. Under the guidance of Liang Qiushi and the staff, they mechanically signed, pressed their fingerprints, and completed all the procedures.

Aunt Liang, I'm sorry, I wanted to act affectionate, but... I overestimated my acting skills and psychological endurance...

When the brand-new red booklet was handed to her, Li Wei felt as if her fingertips had been burned. Her heart felt hollow.

It was as if something important had completely drifted away from her with the appearance of this booklet.

If you find this book good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.

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Damn it, if any of my old acquaintances see my marriage certificate, and then discover that I'm the one with long hair and wearing a skirt... will I still have any face left?

Clutching the marriage certificate, she dazedly followed Liang Qiushi and Gu Jinzhi out of the Civil Affairs Bureau.

The luxurious car did not return to the Gu family manor but headed north, driving into the affluent commercial district north of the Imperial Capital.

At 10:30 AM, the car entered the underground parking lot of the Tianchen International Commercial Center.

Next to a dedicated VIP parking spot, a young woman in a sharp business suit and gold-rimmed glasses was waiting.

Seeing the three of them get out of the car, she immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"Madam, Young Master Gu, Miss Jiang, this way please."

Led by the young woman, the three took the internal elevator directly to the 78th floor.

Ding—

The elevator doors slid open silently, revealing a spacious area filled with artistic flair. Outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows was the bustling cityscape of the Imperial Capital.

"Cloud & Lace" were elegantly engraved in gold lettering on the frosted glass wall at the entrance.

A woman in her early thirties, dressed in an off-white gown with an elegant and gentle demeanor, greeted them with an impeccable smile.

"Aunt Liang, Jinzhi," she first greeted Liang Qiushi and Gu Jinzhi familiarly.

Her gaze then fell upon Li Wei, and her eyes instantly lit up with a dazzling brilliance, as if she had discovered a rare treasure.

She enthusiastically stepped forward and took Li Wei's hand. "You must be Miss Jiang? I'm Lin Shuying, the owner and chief designer of CL. Please, come in!"

Li Wei was caught off guard by the overwhelming enthusiasm, feeling a bit dazed.

Then, she was practically half-pulled, half-carried by this elder sister into the more private VIP fitting area.

The next period of time saw Li Wei once again experiencing the terror of being made to change outfits, even more so than yesterday.

Lin Shuying treated her as if she were a walking muse.

Excitedly, she took out one exquisite wedding dress after another for Li Wei to try on, constantly exclaiming:

"It's perfect! This one is practically tailor-made for you!"

"No, no, this one is even better; the shoulder design highlights your collarbones more!"

"The hairstyle needs to match too, to bring out that ethereal feel!"

Li Wei felt like she was suffocating.

The wedding dresses were indeed beautiful, each one exuding an ethereal charm and captivating allure.

But... they were really pushing her limits!

They either had plunging V-necks that went down to her navel, or completely exposed backs, or were made of sheer gauze that subtly revealed her curves.

There was even one style where the key areas were cleverly covered by exquisite lace and tiny diamonds, while the rest of the dress was practically nonexistent!

She screamed internally, [What's the difference between wearing this and not wearing anything?!]

"Ahem, Sister Lin," Li Wei tried to maintain her politeness, "This... isn't there a bit too little fabric?"

"And... with the back cut this low, won't it show too much?"

"Are there... any... slightly... more traditional, more conservative styles?"

Under Li Wei's strong protests and insistence, Lin Shuying finally, and with great reluctance, gave up on those "bold and avant-garde" designs and unhappily brought out a relatively "plain" style.

It was a vintage, long-sleeved, off-the-shoulder wedding dress.

The neckline and cuffs were adorned with exquisite handmade lace floral patterns, the waist was cinched perfectly, and below that was a layered, lustrous satin skirt, exuding elegance and grandeur.

While it still accentuated her figure beautifully, at least it covered all the necessary parts.

"This one it is!" Li Wei exclaimed, feeling like she had been granted amnesty, and quickly made the decision.

Lin Shuying and Liang Qiushi exchanged a look, both helpless and amused.

As for Gu Jinzhi, after trying on his suit, he had been sitting on the sofa in the lounge area.

When Li Wei, wearing the wedding dress, was reluctantly pushed out by Lin Shuying and Liang Qiushi, he was stunned.

In that moment, the world seemed to fall silent, leaving only the man's increasingly erratic heartbeat.