TBS Chapter 27

When they arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau, Xie Ge still felt like he was floating. Dizzy and light, like an overinflated balloon—if Xu Miao hadn’t been holding his hand, he might’ve drifted away.

Maybe because it was just an ordinary workday, maybe because they had come too early in their eagerness, there weren’t many people. Luckily, they became the first couple of the day to register their marriage.

The two-inch photo was stamped with a round red seal. Amid the clerk’s cheerful “Congratulations on your marriage,” Xu Miao accepted the marriage certificates. He ignored Xie Ge’s outstretched hand and stuffed both little red booklets into his own pocket.

For a moment, Xie Ge thought he was seeing things. He kept his palm held out expectantly, eyes wide open: “Where’s mine?”

“Confiscated.”

Xie Ge’s expression was as if he’d been struck by lightning. His gaze was resentful, locked on Xu Miao’s pocket, wishing so hard he could burn a hole through it and catch the certificate as it dropped.

But instead of indulging in fantasies, he quickly decided on a more practical tactic. He asked, “Can’t you not confiscate it? They give two for a reason, one each. Don’t you think it’s a little unfair if you keep both?”

“No, and no.”

Xu Miao answered every question, and every answer was exactly what Xie Ge didn’t want to hear. What could he do? Of course, he chose not to argue. Worst case, he’d just steal one in the middle of the night while Xu Miao was asleep.

The registration process was smooth and quick—less than twenty minutes, not even one-fifth of what Xu Miao had expected.

With so much time left, Xu Miao didn’t know what fun thing to do with Xie Ge. Almost home, Xie Ge suddenly called his name: “Can I tell people we got married?”

Hearing Xu Miao’s hum of assent, Xie Ge immediately lowered his head, carefully typed out a message, and thirty seconds later sent it to Liang Dong:

“I’m married. Xu Miao proposed. Don’t be too jealous.”

After sending it, he tossed his phone aside, completely unconcerned with Liang Dong’s reaction or reply. In this battle—which he didn’t even see as a battle—he had already won, having the referee on his side.

On the drive home, he guessed Liang Dong might show up. Still, when he actually saw Liang Dong in Xu Miao’s living room, he felt a sharp wave of discomfort. His expression soured.

He resolved to change Xu Miao’s door code once Liang Dong left. Their relationship wasn’t just verbal anymore—he deserved more authority.

At the sound of the door, Liang Dong looked at Xie Ge, then quickly shifted his gaze to Xu Miao, asking casually, “Why are you home so early today? Did you take leave? If something urgent came up, you could’ve asked me for help. I’m not busy lately.”

After that initial glance, he completely ignored Xie Ge, probing Xu Miao for an answer—though he already knew the answer would likely crush him.

“No leave. The boss wouldn’t approve it, so I skipped work.”

Because Liang Dong often suspected him, Xu Miao had developed the habit of providing evidence. He opened the system, intending to show the rejected request—only to see that it had been approved.

He paused for two seconds, a little confused, then looked up: “Turns out it got approved after all.”

That bland, indifferent response gave Liang Dong just enough time to compose himself. He retreated, muttering an “okay,” and didn’t press further. The three of them coexisted in peace until lunch, which they shared together.

At one o’clock, Xie Ge accompanied Xu Miao to his company. When he returned, Liang Dong was still there.

He had tolerated him all morning for Xu Miao’s sake, but now his patience snapped. Scowling, he barked, “What do you actually want? Can’t you get lost?”

The friendliness had only been for Xu Miao’s sake. With him gone, there was no need for pretense.

Liang Dong frowned. “What did you mean by that message?”

“Exactly what it said.” Xie Ge wasn’t keen on humoring him, but couldn’t resist showing off: “Xu Miao asked if I wanted to marry him. I said yes. So we got married.”

“I know what you’re thinking. I also know what you wanted to ask him this morning. Let me spell it out: the reason he came home early, the reason he’d rather take leave than ask you for help—it’s because he needed time to register with me. Sorry, marriage registration requires the person themselves, no substitute friends allowed.”

Liang Dong’s expression froze, then forced out a stiff, fake smile. “No one wanted to know.”

“Oh?” Xie Ge leaned back, casual. “I thought you were curious. Why else would you rush over the second you saw my message, and then ask Xu Miao all those questions? You just wanted to confirm if what I said was true, didn’t you? Why stop asking now—scared? Afraid once Xu Miao sees through you, you won’t even be able to stay friends?”

“You’re the one who said you’ve known him longer, that you understand him better. Then you should know what kind of person he is. You should know just how ruthless he can be.”

Xie Ge had experienced both Xu Miao’s ruthlessness and his softness. He believed Xu Miao would never betray their marriage—but he didn’t trust others to stop trying to tempt him.

So he made his words as sharp as possible: “Liang Dong, you don’t even have the chance to be a third party.”

Liang Dong’s face turned stormy. His lips trembled. “You just got lucky.”

Xie Ge chuckled. “Jealous, are you? Watching me and Xu Miao together eats you up, huh? Sorry—there’ll be plenty more days like that.”

Luck had never been an insult to him. Without it, he wouldn’t have met Xu Miao online, fallen in love, weathered crises, met him in person, and now married him.

Losing because of luck was nothing more than a loser’s excuse.

Since they were already at this point, Xie Ge decided to settle it once and for all, force Liang Dong to give up. He said, “The very first day I came, Xu Miao told me I could change the door code anytime. I didn’t. The only reason you can come in so freely isn’t just because Xu Miao allows it—it’s because I allowed it. If you don’t want to see things you’d rather not, I suggest you stop coming.”

Finally, Liang Dong lost his temper and stormed out, slamming the door.

Xie Ge let out a long breath, pounding his chest to calm his racing heartbeat before collapsing onto the couch.

It was unreal. He had never imagined a day when he’d be this harsh to someone—even if that someone was a childhood friend.

When he finished replaying it all in his head, he glanced at his phone: it was already 5:30, and aside from spam notifications, there were no messages from Xu Miao.

Not pleased, he called. A colleague answered: “Looking for Xu Miao? Tonight’s company team-building. Minister Xia said everyone has to hand over their phones to prevent people sneaking off. I’ll let him know to call you later.”

Before Xie Ge could say a word, the line cut off. He hadn’t even gotten the location.

He waited until 10 p.m., when his phone finally rang with Xu Miao’s name flashing.

He answered quickly: “Where are you? I’ll pick you up.”

“He’s drunk. The company arranged a hotel. He’s not coming back tonight.”

Xie Ge recognized the voice—it was the same one from yesterday noon, the call Xu Miao had made but didn’t realize he’d picked up.

But before he could speak, the call disconnected.