Chapter 38: Could She Have Feelings for Him?

"They won't care who I marry, only that I am married, so that’s enough."

A flash of imperceptible sorrow crossed Wen Kening’s eyes, though she was careful not to let Shen Tingzhou, standing beside her, notice. After the two had reached an agreement, they walked a short distance together before Wen Kening realized he was still following her.

"Why are you following me?"

Shen Tingzhou spread his hands. "Didn't I tell you just now? I have no car, no house, and no savings. Since we’re getting married, shouldn't we be living together?"

Seeing his naive expression, Wen Kening couldn't help but laugh. Upon reflection, she knew she couldn't stay with Su Mian forever, so they quickly came to a consensus. "Alright then, let’s go rent a place. I don’t have anywhere to stay either."

They went to a rental agency, but when it came to stating their requirements, they were at odds.

"The amenities you mentioned are too sparse. Without proper facilities, how are we supposed to live?" Shen Tingzhou said, seriously rejecting the listing after listening to the agent.

"But we’re just ordinary people. Why would we need such high-end facilities?" Compared to Shen Tingzhou’s fussiness, Wen Kening was much more pragmatic.

"How is a normal person supposed to live without these things? Besides, there are two of us." Shen Tingzhou tried his best to convince her.

The agent, caught in the middle, didn't know what to say. After a long pause, he finally offered, "Why don't you two discuss it first? Whether you want something with better amenities or something more standard, I have both and can show you either."

"We’ll take the standard one. As long as it has the basic necessities, what’s the point of anything else? We’re living here, not showing off to others."

Shen Tingzhou wanted to retort, but he noticed Wen Kening’s expression had turned strained. To keep his identity hidden, he had to agree. "Fine, let’s rent a standard one. But it can’t be *too* basic. Even if it’s a fake marriage, it’s still technically our marital home, right?"

Wen Kening thought that made sense, so she asked the agent to find something in the middle. By the time the apartment was rented and she held the keys, she was still in a daze.

"My goodness, I really didn't expect this."

Shen Tingzhou felt the same way. He couldn't fathom why he had agreed to Wen Kening’s wild scheme, let alone gone as far as renting an apartment with her. If anyone found out, they would surely think he had lost his mind. But looking at the expression on her face, he found it strangely amusing.

"That’s settled then. I’m going to go buy some supplies. I still have to work, so we’ll meet up later."

***

The two said their goodbyes at the door. Wen Kening stood there for a long time before she suddenly remembered to go find Su Mian. She arrived at Su Mian’s office building just as she was getting off work.

"What’s wrong?" Su Mian asked, surprised to see Wen Kening waiting there.

"I just can't believe it. I’ve gone and gotten myself married just like that. Even if it’s a sham, if nothing goes wrong, this should be the last time."

Su Mian, of course, understood what she meant. "So soon? Who is he? The one you saw online? Did you look into his family background?" Even though it was a fake marriage, Su Mian didn't want her to end up with the wrong person.

Wen Kening pulled the fake marriage certificate out of her bag. "Look. I’ve learned that you can’t trust photos online. While the photo looked decent, he looks nothing like it in person—he’s even better looking, quite pleasant to the eye, and very cooperative. He’s just a bit difficult when it comes to picking out apartments."

Su Mian took the fake certificate, recognized the person on it at a glance, and her mouth twitched. "This is your fake husband? Are you sure you didn't mix this up?" If she remembered correctly, this was Shen Tingzhou. They had met at a bar before, and he had been quite helpful; he seemed like a decent guy. But why would he agree to such a request from Wen Kening?

"How could I mix this up? No one else would have agreed to it, anyway. Although, he looks fancy but is actually quite poor. I paid for the rent this time. I was in such a rush that I forgot to ask what he does for a living, though he did say his job wasn't great." She paused, then added, "But it doesn't matter; I don't really care about those things."

Watching Wen Kening chatter on about Shen Tingzhou’s situation, Su Mian’s expression turned complex. Shen Tingzhou was friends with Huo Beihan precisely because of the ties between the Shen and Huo families; he was far from poor. Was there some hidden reason for him doing this? Thinking of this, she decided not to expose him just yet. She would find an opportunity to ask Shen Tingzhou what he was up to.

"Oh, whatever. It’s done now. I’ll find a way to make this public, and once I snap a photo, let’s see how the old man tries to force me into anything else!" Wen Kening exclaimed. "Though, this certificate looks quite real. Even without the seal, you can’t tell in a photo."

"Well, it cost a fortune, after all."

***

The two chatted at the office entrance for a long while before Wen Kening excitedly suggested, "Since this is basically the night before my 'wedding,' why don't we go to a bar to celebrate?"

Su Mian nodded eagerly. "Of course we should! Real or fake, we definitely need to blow off some steam."

They hit the club, danced, drank, and felt much lighter. Su Mian didn't drink much, but Wen Kening was determined to get drunk, downing glass after glass. When she took a taxi home, the moment she closed the car door, she ran into Huo Beihan downstairs.

"Big Brother, wh-why are you here?" Su Mian wasn't drunk, but she felt a bit woozy.

"I just finished work. You two went out for drinks?" He looked down at Wen Kening, whom Su Mian was supporting, and reached out to help them get upstairs.

"Yeah, we were happy today, so we wanted to relax a bit."

After they got Wen Kening to her room, Huo Beihan waited outside. Su Mian tucked her in and then stepped out, still feeling a bit dizzy.

"Do you have a headache? I’ll make you some hangover soup." Huo Beihan looked at Su Mian’s flushed face, his tone hesitant. "If you go drinking next time, call me in advance. I’ll come pick you up."

"No need, thank you, Big Brother. I didn't drink much; it was just a bit hot in there, so I might be a little flushed." Su Mian walked over, sat on the sofa, and patted her head.

Huo Beihan stood at the doorway, watching her small gestures, before heading to the kitchen to prepare the soup. After sitting for a while and noticing he wasn't in the living room, Su Mian followed him to the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe. Her voice was soft and gentle, "Oh, by the way, Big Brother, do you have Shen Tingzhou’s contact information?"

As soon as she said this, Huo Beihan’s hand, which was stirring the soup, froze. He turned his head and looked at Su Mian with a complex expression.

"Why do you need Shen Tingzhou’s contact information?"