Ge'er couldn't recall exactly how she ended up at the Civil Affairs Bureau with Shang Jincheng, or how they got the marriage certificates.
By the time she came to, she was already in bed.
They were lying on the same bed, her nestled in Shang Jincheng's arms, even resting her head on his arm.
Sensing she was awake, Shang Jincheng lowered his head and kissed her forehead, then raised a hand to cup her chin.
Their eyes met. Seeing his face clearly and feeling his warmth, Ge'er was startled. With a jolt, she scrambled up.
"You, you, you... Am I dreaming? Shang Jincheng, why are you here?"
Fortunately, they were both still fully dressed.
Shang Jincheng saw her agitation and slowly pushed himself up.
"Just woke up, what are you shouting about? This is my place, where else would I be?"
"This is your place?" Ge'er became even more agitated.
She looked around the unfamiliar surroundings.
"How did I end up at your place?"
She had drunk a lot yesterday and was completely blacked out. She vaguely remembered doing something outrageous, but wasn't that just a dream?
Shang Jincheng shrugged, looking smug and triumphant.
"Miss Zhan. Oh, no, Mrs. Shang. Forgot what you were bragging about last night? You said you weren't a coward, that whoever backed out was a motherless child. Now you wake up and want to renege?"
Mrs. Shang?
The title sent a shiver down her spine. Ge'er glared at him angrily.
"What nonsense are you spouting? What was I bragging about last night? What do you mean I want to renege? What did I do to you?"
The marriage certificates were on the bedside table. Shang Jincheng reached out, grabbed them, and waved them in front of her.
"Look for yourself. I'm yours now. Recognized by the state, protected by law. It's too late to back out even if you wanted to."
Ge'er looked at the two bright red booklets. She blinked her eyes hard and reached out, her hand trembling as she took them.
She still clung to a sliver of hope that this was Shang Jincheng's prank.
However, when she opened the booklets, their photos were inside.
Under the holder's name, their names were clearly printed.
She couldn't believe it. Just released from home, and after one night's sleep, she had married herself off.
And to Shang Jincheng, whom she had disliked since childhood!
"This... I... you... Shang Jincheng, you did this on purpose!"
Shang Jincheng maintained a shamelessly indifferent demeanor.
"It's happened, the rice is cooked, the deed is done. Whether I did it on purpose or not doesn't matter anymore."
"Face reality, and let's enjoy our married life. Mrs. Shang, today is our first day of marriage. Whatever you want to do, I'll accompany you."
Did he have to use such disgusting language to annoy her?
Ge'er was getting extremely annoyed by his constant use of "Mrs. Shang."
"Who's talking about our first day of marriage? Who wants to enjoy married life with you? Impossible!"
"Shang Jincheng, knowing I was drunk yesterday, you took advantage of my impaired state to drag me to get married. You have ill intentions!"
Saying this, she scrambled off the bed in a panic, searching for her shoes.
"Who said the rice is cooked? Who said the deed is done? How can drunken follies count? I don't want to do anything right now, let's go get this annulled immediately!"
"Get up quickly!"
Shang Jincheng was not surprised by her reaction at all and wasn't annoyed. He just watched her with a smile.
"You're not a three-year-old child. How can such a smart person say such foolish things? What do you mean, get the paperwork annulled? These are marriage certificates."
"What about marriage certificates? Are we close? Getting married without any feelings is a joke! Since no one knows yet, I admit defeat. At worst, we'll divorce. Let's go get the divorce papers!"
Shang Jincheng sighed, still leaning against the headboard, not moving.
"You really break my heart. To go from being a married person to a divorced person in less than eight hours. Although my reputation isn't good, it's not like you can joke about it like this."
Ge'er found her shoes and wished she could throw one at his face.
"Who is joking with whom? I was a respectable maiden, and because I had a couple of drinks, you tricked me into becoming a divorced woman. If my dad and brother find out, they'll break your legs!"
"I'm not even holding you accountable, and you're still playing the victim. Hurry up and get up!"
Shang Jincheng raised his wrist to check the time.
"Miss Zhan, no, Mrs. Shang, could you please check what time it is?"
Ge'er also frantically raised her wrist to check the time.
05:40 PM.
Damn it, the Civil Affairs Bureau was already closed.
All her strength drained away. She slumped to the floor, stunned for a few minutes.
"Even if we can't do it today, we have to go first thing tomorrow to get the paperwork done."
"How can you be so shameless? Knowing I can't hold my liquor... If my parents find out, they'll make you pay with your life!"
She gnashed her teeth, truly regretting getting the certificate with him. Shang Jincheng's heart chilled at her anger, and he slowly dropped his smile.
"I really regret not taking a picture of your resolute look last night. Now I can't explain myself. You were the one who insisted on dragging me there, and you even made me hand over all my cards. Fine, now it's all my fault."
"Hmph!" Ge'er turned her head away, refusing to listen to his excuses.
Shang Jincheng stared at her puffed-up expression for a few seconds, then softened his tone.
"Divorce isn't that easy. Since we've come this far, it must be fate."
"You don't have anyone you like anyway, so who you marry doesn't matter. I'm not without merit. Think carefully before you decide."
She had never met anyone so good at praising themselves.
Ge'er didn't need to think. Shang Jincheng wasn't her ideal type. She would never live with him, even if it killed her!
"Who has fate with you? It's a karmic misfortune, more like. I will absolutely not marry you, and I warn you, Shang Jincheng, besides the two of us, no third person is to know about this! If you dare to spread it..."
She didn't know what she could do to him.
Even if she broke his legs, so what? Being divorced was an undeniable fact.
She really regretted moving out.
No wonder her parents had kept her and Tian Tian so close. The outside world was truly treacherous!
The weather was still very cold, and Nancheng had no heating. The room also had no air conditioning. Shang Jincheng worried she would catch a chill sitting on the floor and got up to help her.
"Alright, alright, I'm wrong, I'm shameless, I shouldn't have taken your drunken words seriously. It's all my fault."
"If you're still angry, hit me a few times to vent. Don't hurt yourself. Get up quickly."
Ge'er was annoyed by him and didn't want him to touch her. She twisted her body to dodge him.
"Get lost, don't touch me! You change girlfriends all the time, who knows if you're sick!"
Shang Jincheng's hand froze. "Tch, Zhan Jingge, here you go again!"