“Hmm… so, your ‘tomorrow’…”
After listening to Mo Lin’s story about the signing the “marriage intention contract” with Jiang Yuanmu, Cheng Lulu was a bit stunned, even appearing somewhat clueless.
“So, on March 6th, we started our trial marriage.” Mo Lin continued to stare calmly at Cheng Lulu and told her, “You should know more or less what happened afterwards.”
“Ah? Me?”
“Yes.” Mo Lin nodded firmly, “The first task we decided to complete on the first day of our trial marriage was to meet each other’s friends. And Jiang Yuanmu has no friends; I only have you as a friend.”
“No…” Cheng Lulu rubbed her throbbing temples, “Meeting me was considered a task? … No… I shouldn’t be concerned about that. I should say it’s an honor, right?” Cheng Lulu stared at Mo Lin, pulling a half-hearted smile, “You still remembered me…”
“Of course,” Mo Lin said. “This is something we had carefully planned. We meet our friends first to test if our contract interaction model is feasible. If there were issues, we could adjust in order to be more thorough when meeting the parents. In marriage, every meeting should achieve a purpose.”
“……”
Task, experiment, purpose…
Which of these words were commonly used in the context of a regular marriage!?
Cheng Lulu looked at Mo Lin, who still showed a contented smile when recalling the past. She opened her mouth, changing her expression several times, and finally blurted out, “You… are indeed… well-matched…”
Of course, Cheng Lulu remembered the day five years ago when Mo Lin brought Jiang Yuanmu to meet her.
…even vividly.
Cheng Lulu had a bestie like Mo Lin, who seemed to be impervious to the opposite sex since she was a student, and one day she suddenly heard that:
Mo Lin got engaged.
She met that man three days ago through a blind date.
Moreover, the man claimed to have a masters degree, to be from a well-off family, and currently in the stage of starting his own business.
In the end, her friend was unusually smitten and satisfied with the man…
Any friend hearing this would have to say, “Aren’t you falling into a scam?”
So, when Cheng Lulu received Mo Lin’s call, listened to her introduction of Jiang Yuanmu, heard about their “relationship status,” and received an invitation to have dinner with Jiang Yuanmu at 6:30 p.m….
Cheng Lulu couldn’t say she wanted to treat this man, Jiang Yuanmu, with respect; she could only say that she wanted to annihilate his entire family.
Back at home, Cheng Lulu put on her most intimidating makeup, wore her most aggressive dress and trench coat, stepped into her sharpest high heels, carried her heaviest small bag, and with a scornful expression, went to the appointment.
She thought, once she exposed this “pig butchering scam”1romance scam- the scammer builds trust with the victim over time, ‘fattening them up’, before ultimately ‘slaughtering’ them by taking their money, she would use this bag to break both of Jiang Yuanmu’s legs!
That evening at 6:40, Cheng Lulu deliberately arrived ten minutes late to the restaurant. As she walked to the private room, her high-heeled boots clicked on the Western restaurant’s floor and created a battle rhythm sound. She pushed open the door with a bang.
Cheng Lulu haughtily glanced at Mo Lin and Jiang Yuanmu, who were sitting at a round table ordering food. Mo Lin sat at the twelve o’clock position, and Jiang Yuanmu sat at the three o’clock position.
The two people who were ordering food both looked towards her commotion simultaneously, but maintained the same calm expression.
“You’re here” Mo Lin said. “Sit down, what would you like to eat?”
Cheng Lulu’s aggressive pose at the door seemed somewhat deflated by Mo Lin’s bland words. She gave Mo Lin a look of exasperation and then walked between the two, positioning herself on the “one-thirty”2I guess she is on 2 o’clock haha spot.
Mo Lin looked up at her, and Jiang Yuanmu also looked at her.
“You can sit over there,” Mo Lin pointed to the nine o’clock position.
“No.” Cheng Lulu folded her arms, not looking at Mo Lin but staring challengingly at Jiang Yuanmu, “I want to sit here.”
Then Cheng Lulu saw Mo Lin and the damned man Jiang Yuanmu exchange a glance right in front of her. She didn’t know what information they communicated, but then both Mo Lin and Jiang Yuanmu moved aside simultaneously. Mo Lin moved her utensils and chair, while Jiang Yuanmu called out to the waiter outside, “Please, add a chair in the middle.”
Then…
Cheng Lulu sat down.
At the round table, the three of them crowded into a 60-degree angle at the edge.
The waiter seemed a bit speechless but didn’t dare say anything. After they finished ordering, the waiter retreated. Following a brief silence in the private room, Cheng Lulu spoke again:
“So, you’re Jiang Yuanmu, right?”
Hostility, dissatisfaction, provocation, and vigilance were all written on Cheng Lulu’s face, and of course, seen by Jiang Yuanmu and Mo Lin.
“It’s me,” Jiang Yuanmu replied.
“I heard you just graduated from graduate school, right? Which school, what major, can it be verified on the academic record website…”
Before she finished speaking, Jiang Yuanmu placed his phone on the table, showing a PDF document that contained all his certificates, automatically playing as images.
Cheng Lulu was stunned, then turned incredulously to Mo Lin.
Mo Lin said, “I checked, everything is fine.”
Cheng Lulu: “…”
No…
Something was not right…
Cheng Lulu steadied herself and rallied, “So… you met through a blind date. It’s only been a few days? And you’re already talking about marriage?”
“My aunt introduced us,” Jiang Yuanmu replied.
“Yu Jie,” Mo Lin added.
Of course, Cheng Lulu knew Yu Jie—a long-time client, a wonderful client, reliable, capable. If this was Yu Jie’s eldest nephew… Cheng Lulu’s wariness inexplicably decreased by half.
“I admire Mo Lin’s character,” Jiang Yuanmu continued. “It’s rare to meet someone like her, and I don’t want to miss the opportunity.”
At that time, Cheng Lulu didn’t know that this statement was just a “standard answer” written in their contract, but hearing Jiang Yuanmu say it did reduce her dissatisfaction a bit.
Cheng Lulu knew Mo Lin’s personality all too well. As for this man, Jiang Yuanmu, although she didn’t know him well, he seemed to be a very calm and composed person—at least from his earlier behavior.
Cheng Lulu slowly lowered her crossed leg and finally took a proper look at Jiang Yuanmu, giving him an evaluation: looks decent enough, probably matched Mo Lin two or three points.
“Isn’t it a bit too rushed?” Cheng Lulu said as she moved her weapon—the handbag—from her lap to behind her back. “Shouldn’t you get to know each other better? Marriage isn’t a game.”
“Of course,” Jiang Yuanmu said seriously. “I don’t take this matter lightly, and I believe Mo Lin doesn’t either.”
Jiang Yuanmu looked at Mo Lin.
Mo Lin smiled calmly and nodded.
“Although we haven’t communicated enough, based on my understanding and judgment, Mo Lin is the only person so far with whom I’ve considered entering a marriage. She is the most suitable, without a doubt.”
Regarding the term “the only one,” it was emphasized twice, very plainly.
Cheng Lulu froze with her water glass near her lips. Suddenly, she felt that the 60-degree angle was a bit crowded, and being in the middle made her feel somewhat… unnecessary…
“You…” Cheng Lulu coughed lightly, glancing at Mo Lin, “Do you… feel the same way?”
“Yuanmu is indeed very suitable for me,” Mo Lin replied.
Well…
Although it sounded a bit strange…
They both seemed quite satisfied.
Relationships, after all, are about mutual consent and finding a suitable match…
And then, before Cheng Lulu could find more opportunities to challenge them, the food arrived.
The subsequent conversation was much calmer. The dinner that evening didn’t have the passionate, fierce, tense, and exciting atmosphere that Cheng Lulu had imagined. She didn’t end up heroically saving her friend from disaster; instead, she found that Jiang Yuanmu’s identity was indeed not fabricated.
What he said was true, and it seemed that their parents had some business connections in the city…
By the end of the meal, Cheng Lulu was somewhat in a daze.
When Jiang Yuanmu went to pay the bill, Cheng Lulu couldn’t help but ask Mo Lin:
“Did you really find such a person in just a few days? He doesn’t have any ulterior motives? Are you sure?”
Mo Lin was silent for a moment, then looked at Cheng Lulu, showing a rare cautious expression: “Ulterior motives? You mean…?”
“Special fetishes, strange demands, like he’s actually a control freak, a sadist, or has tendencies towards domestic violence? Acting well now to gain your trust, but after marriage…”
Hearing Cheng Lulu say this, Mo Lin appeared relieved: “No, there’s none of that.”
Mo Lin’s words were strange. What did she mean by “none of that”? What did she mean by “that”? But at that time, Cheng Lulu didn’t catch the underlying meaning.
Instead, Mo Lin thought for a moment and then said to Cheng Lulu:
“Lulu, thank you for caring about me.”
Cheng Lulu was stunned for a moment when she heard this. Mo Lin touched the back of Cheng Lulu’s hand.
Mo Lin usually didn’t like physical contact with others, even with close friends. The image of them holding hands was almost nonexistent in Cheng Lulu’s mind.
Even occasional hand-holding or touching was initiated by Cheng Lulu when she wanted to do something with Mo Lin.
Mo Lin’s fingertips were a bit cold as they touched the back of Cheng Lulu’s hand. She sincerely said:
“Thank you for considering things from my perspective.”
Cheng Lulu had always thought that Mo Lin was indifferent and slow in dealing with people and social situations.
But unexpectedly, Mo Lin understood and realized that Cheng Lulu’s sharpness and offense were actually in her defense. So even though Cheng Lulu was rude and reckless today, Mo Lin didn’t scold her at all.
Cheng Lulu was moved, almost to the point of tears:
“How did you fall in love and decide to get married so quickly? I don’t even have time to react. Shouldn’t you follow a process, date for three to five years, and then decide? Don’t rush.”
Mo Lin’s gaze was calm and gentle: “This is something I’ve decided, something I must do.”
Cheng Lulu held back for a long time and then said sulkily: “But I still don’t like Jiang Yuanmu. Even though he hasn’t done anything wrong and there’s nothing bad about him, I still don’t like him. He must have an ulterior motive!”
Mo Lin opened her mouth, then closed it.
Just as Cheng Lulu’s words fell, “that Jiang Yuanmu” who had finished paying walked to the doorway.
Both Mo Lin and Cheng Lulu felt a bit awkward.
“Sorry, Mr Jiang… Yuanmu.”
“It’s alright.” Jiang Yuanmu took his coat hanging nearby. “Our situation is indeed sudden, and it’s normal for your friend to be dissatisfied with me. I don’t mind.” Jiang Yuanmu looked at Mo Lin, “As long as you trust me, that’s what matters.”
Mo Lin hesitated for a moment, then nodded: “Of course. I trust you completely.”
Cheng Lulu sat in her seat, looking at Mo Lin beside her and then at Jiang Yuanmu by the door.
They looked at each other, both with smiles on their faces and an inexplicable sense of conviction in their eyes.
“I have a meeting tonight, so I can’t take you home, sorry.”
“It’s okay, I also need to go back to the studio. I have work to do.”
Jiang Yuanmu left.
Mo Lin also left.
That day, they both returned to work overtime, leaving only Cheng Lulu to go back home in a daze.
That day, Cheng Lulu’s mother had just returned home after walking the dog. Seeing Cheng Lulu looking downcast, she showed a mother’s concern:
“What’s wrong, sweetheart? Weren’t you going to help Mo Lin check out her boyfriend? How did it go? Did you lose the argument? Do you need mom’s help?”
“No, it’s fine. Everything’s good.” Cheng Lulu lay on the sofa, hugging the dog that had jumped into her lap. After a long pause, she hesitantly spoke:
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
“I feel like a dog.”
“Huh?”
“For no reason, I’ve been kicked again and again.”
“Hmm?”
That day, Cheng Lulu truly felt that her best friend was about to be taken away to become someone else’s wife.
She felt powerless and, on top of that, had to endure the sight of their affection.
—
“The truth is… you’re telling me now that this is how things really are.”
Cheng Lulu looked at Mo Lin with indescribable pain and distress:
“So, five years ago! At that dinner! When I said Jiang Yuanmu had an ulterior motive, he really did have one. I never would have imagined! Never would have thought! You did too! When you said that you were suitable, it wasn’t about emotional suitability, it was about the suitability of terms! When you talked about trust, it wasn’t trust in love, but trust in contracts, laws, and government agencies! You really are! You really are!…”
Cheng Lulu racked her brain and finally found an idiom—
“Wolong and Fengchu!”3implies that someone is stupid and makes themselves a laughingstock
Faced with Cheng Lulu’s agitation, Mo Lin chose to correct her: “A string of pearl and jade.”4idiom- means perfect match. I left it like this to show that they were fighting each other basically with idioms
Cheng Lulu was so angry that she couldn’t speak.
After a while, Cheng Lulu asked again:
“Then what happened! Didn’t you say you would take a month to test the marriage! I remember after we finished dinner, not long after, you told me you got the marriage certificate. March 20th, right? That day you told me you got the certificate, and I was so anxious that I asked someone to make a celebratory wedding fireworks GIF for you. I remember it clearly! From March 6th to 20th, that’s not a month! Why were you in such a hurry!”
“Indeed, it wasn’t a month,” Mo Lin said. “Because something unexpected happened…”
Thank you for the new chapter! Awww, I like these besties ☺️