After Becoming a Full-Time Employee, I Signed a Romance Contract with My Ice-Cold Boss - Chapter 16

Obtaining the Marriage Certificate

“What did you say?”

The bowl in Xu Que’s hand nearly slipped; she thought she was hallucinating.

“I said,” Jiang Fengyi repeated calmly, “this Friday, we are going to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get our marriage certificate.”

Xu Que was completely stunned. “Aren’t we… isn’t this a fake marriage?”

“Fake marriage, real certificate,” Jiang Fengyi said, taking a sip of the chicken soup, which had been stewed until the meat fell off the bone. She squinted her eyes in comfort.

“I considered getting a forged certificate to fool my mother, but the fake ones run the risk of being discovered. I don’t want to take that chance.”

“Although it wasn’t written in the agreement, I can add more money to your compensation.”

“That… that works.”

Xu Que felt as if her feet were treading on clouds; everything happening before her eyes felt surreal. It was as if she had just stepped out to throw away some trash, and not only did a meat pie fall from the sky, but it had been thoughtfully cut into small pieces and fed directly into her mouth.

What was the difference between this and a real marriage? She quietly observed Jiang Fengyi as she drank the soup—the delicate features, the dainty nose, the rosy lips. She was beautiful in every single way!

“We won’t be attending the department team-building event this weekend. You need to accompany me to my mother’s place for dinner this week.”

Xu Que almost forgot the obligations she needed to fulfill under the marriage agreement and asked hurriedly, “Besides eating, what else do I need to do?”

“Nothing. Just stay by my side.”

Jiang Fengyi’s stomach was filled with the care coming from Xu Que. She set down her bowl. “Then I’ll pick you up at 9:00 AM on Friday.”

“By the way, bring a change of clothes and pajamas. We need to stay overnight at my mother’s place this weekend.”

“Actually, never mind. Just come as you are; I’ll prepare them for you.” She gave Xu Que a heads-up in advance. “When the time comes, we’ll have to stay in one room and sleep in one bed.”

Jiang Fengyi looked at the person opposite her. “Can you… accept that?”

“Yes!”

Xu Que had already prepared herself for the prospect of sharing a room with Jiang Fengyi the day she signed the agreement, not to mention that she had already developed feelings for her. To her, this was purely a reward.

As a result, when Xu Que went back that day, she tossed and turned in bed, too excited to sleep. She habitually opened the “Little Green Book” (Xiaohongshu style app).

Edit, post—done in one go.

[What should I pay attention to after my heart-fluttering crush advances to being my wife?]

“Let me explain, the OP and ‘Wife’ aren’t marrying out of love. It’s because my Wife wants to deal with her family that she’s dragging me to get a certificate. So, we are just an ‘agreement couple’ without feelings.”

“But the OP has unavoidably fallen in love with her during our daily interactions. She really is a kind and gentle person.”

“Asking for advice: is there any way to make my Wife develop feelings for me?”

【Funny. If there are no feelings, can you even call yourselves a couple? You should be called business partners.】

【It’s simple. Treat your wife the way you treat your boss. Seeing your last post where you asked how to suck up to your boss, you must have some experience.】

【The person above is right. Treat your wife like a boss and provide enough emotional value.】

OP: 【But… my wife is my boss~】

OP: 【Do I not need to change my strategy? If I keep treating her like that, I’m afraid she’ll only ever see me as a regular subordinate.】

OP: 【I’m no longer satisfied with just having an employer-employee relationship; I want to go a step further.】

OP: 【I want her to like me too~】

Xu Que had already learned to add a “~” at the end of her sentences. The sisters on the app said it made her seem cute.

【”My wife is my boss”—look at you showing off!】

【Can someone please mute the OP? She’s the only one talking.】

【I’m really going to throw a tantrum. Why does everything good happen to you!】

【You can’t force feelings. It’s best to let nature take its course.】

Late at night, He Shuyi had finished all her work and was browsing the app while enjoying a midnight snack. Seeing the familiar avatar posting again, she didn’t even finish reading the title before clicking in without hesitation.

After browsing the title and the comments, the “carb coma” she was feeling from her snack immediately vanished.

He Shuyi: “!!!”

Weren’t you just carefully trying to please your boss last week? How did she become your wife in just a few days?

This progress was faster than a rocket launch. What had she missed?

He Shuyi was truly curious and silently left a comment.

Bookworm: 【Forgive me for asking, but is the ‘wife’ the OP is talking about the same ‘boss’ from the last post?】

OP: 【Yes】

Xu Que still remembered this nickname. This netizen had given her a lot of pointers before, so she immediately expressed her gratitude.

He Shuyi had a full “Auntie smile” on her face. The digital CP (couple) she was shipping was handing out “candy” so soon!

Bookworm: 【First, congratulations on your crush becoming your wife. Second, I want to ask: are you sure your boss has absolutely no interest in you?】

【Could it be mutual affection that you’ve mistaken for unrequited love?】

He Shuyi remembered clearly that, based on this user’s descriptions, the boss definitely had feelings for her. Otherwise, why would she go get a marriage certificate?

On the other end of the screen, Xu Que thought carefully for a moment and didn’t notice anywhere where Jiang Fengyi seemed interested in her.

【It’s not mutual. I’m the one with a secret crush on her.】

Truly, the one involved is confused while the bystander sees clearly. He Shuyi couldn’t wake Xu Que up from her fog; she really wanted to see the day Xu Que realized the other woman’s hidden affection.

If it wasn’t mutual, why go get a certificate? Wouldn’t just signing an agreement be easier?

He Shuyi didn’t give any more specific advice, only saying: “Then spend more time by her side. Long-term companionship can get you what you want.”

She didn’t believe that two people living together every day wouldn’t eventually break the thin veil between them.

Xu Que took the advice to heart, pondering how to increase her time with Jiang Fengyi.

Work overtime with her every day? Find excuses to make her accompany me? Move in with her?

Amidst her drifting thoughts, Xu Que dizzily fell into a dream.

Time flew by, and Friday—the day agreed upon to get the marriage certificate—arrived.

As soon as the sky turned pale, Xu Que woke up. Unable to sleep, she simply got out of bed to groom herself early. After washing up, she changed into a white shirt and combed her hair meticulously back, revealing her full forehead and exquisite features.

She winked at herself in the mirror, softly reminding herself that this wasn’t a dream; everything happening was real!

Knowing that Jiang Fengyi would come to pick her up later, Xu Que kindly prepared breakfast. However, she was so nervous that she lost her sense of portion control, resulting in quite a lot of food.

“This much?”

“Is it just the two of us eating?”

Jiang Fengyi looked at the table full of food. There were several types of staples alone: freshly cooked porridge, steamed sweet potatoes and corn, steaming buns, not to mention the side dishes—both meat and vegetable.

Xu Que: “I… I might have made a bit too much.”

Jiang Fengyi pulled out a chair and sat down. “Then it’s just as well we don’t have to cook lunch. We’ll save the leftovers for when we get back from getting the certificate.”

Under Xu Que’s nervous anticipation, the two arrived at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau. Inside the glass doors, it was quiet; not many people were there to register. Only a few staff members were in the corners, dozing off.

Xu Que took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and proactively took Jiang Fengyi’s hand. She marched up the steps and walked inside.

The staff was very efficient. When the two red certificates were placed in their hands, only half an hour had passed.

Xu Que flipped open the marriage certificate. The photo inside was taken on the spot. Fortunately, both of them were good-looking enough that even the skill-less photographer managed to capture a warm moment.

“Newcomers, move a bit closer. Smile.”

Click—

A new couple was born.