Let's Get Married on the First Day of Rebirth - Chapter 14

“It’s not me, how could it be me?” Out of professional habit, Qu Ange denied it outright without a second thought. Only after the denial did she pause to consider her mother’s words, realizing: perhaps, possibly, maybe, that person was indeed her.

Her entire face involuntarily scrunched up as she thought: Could my luck really be that bad?

So she decided to struggle a bit more: “Haha, there are plenty of pretty girls in this world. It definitely wasn’t me.”

Mother Qu clearly didn’t buy it, eyeing Qu Ange suspiciously for several seconds before asking, “Then why did you ask me for the household register?”

Qu Ange racked her brain for reasons one might need a household register, then had a sudden flash of inspiration: “I need to renew my ID card. That’s why I need it.”

Mother Qu frowned. “Why do you need to renew your ID? Has it expired?”

Qu Ange replied, “The photo on it is too ugly. I want a new one. It’ll help with work.”

Mother Qu: “Then why didn’t you just say so instead of trying to steal it?”

Qu Ange: “Which is why I said it wasn’t me.”

Realizing her argument wasn’t convincing, she reached out and grabbed Xu Mi’s arm, saying, “Right, Mi? You came with me, I definitely didn’t say that, did I?”

Xu Mi, who had just calmed down a little, glanced at Qu Ange and then at Mother Qu. She wasn’t the type to lie, and her hesitation was plain to see. Mother Qu nodded knowingly. “So, it was you. Mi would never lie.”

Qu Ange: “…” Regret. I shouldn’t have dragged Xu Mi into this, totally backfired.

She stiffened for a moment before quickly conjuring another excuse: “I really don’t remember saying that. It must’ve been a joke— ike, since you weren’t here yet and I was in a hurry, I just said, ‘Let’s just take it.’ Not steal, just a figure of speech.”

Mother Qu, tired of Qu Ange’s convoluted excuses, cut straight to the point: “I’ll go with you tomorrow to renew it. That way, you can’t pull any tricks.”

Qu Ange protested, “Mom! Tomorrow’s Saturday! I’m leaving tonight. I have work! I’m in a hurry!”

Mother Qu, who had been about to start cooking and had already tied on her apron, yanked it off and threw it onto the counter, glaring at Qu Ange. “Fine! I’ll go with you right now! Happy?”

Qu Ange: “…”

She took a deep breath. It was time for a last-ditch effort. In the span of a second, without even blinking, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. With a choked sob, she cried, “Am I even your daughter? You don’t trust me at all. And Xu Mi’s right here. She’ll go with me! If you don’t believe me, at least believe her! Ask her am I trying to sell the house or not?”

Her crying wasn’t loud or dramatic but quiet and restrained, tears pooling in her reddened eyes, making her seem utterly wronged and heartbroken. Every choked pause, every tremble of her lashes deepened the sorrow and pain. Mother Qu was momentarily stunned, suddenly feeling like some kind of cruel, oppressive parent. Flustered, she stammered, “I—I never said I didn’t believe you. Fine, go ahead.”

She headed toward the bedroom. Qu Ange was baffled. She was sure she’d already turned the room upside down but then she watched as her mother opened the top shelf of the wardrobe and pulled the household register from the pocket of a coat that looked like it hadn’t been worn in a decade.

Qu Ange thought to herself: It seems she really is guarding against me.

Mother Qu snapped out of her shock and handed the household register directly to Xu Mi, saying, “Mimi, you don’t lie. Tell me honestly, is Ange planning to sell the house?”

Xu Mi confirmed, “She really isn’t.”

Mother Qu asked, “Then she hasn’t borrowed a lot of money, has she?”

At these words, Qu Ange decisively grabbed Xu Mi and ran outside, saying, “Mom, stop asking. I’m in a hurry.”

Because she currently did owe a lot of money, and Xu Mi wouldn’t lie.

It was already 5:10. Qu Ange pulled Xu Mi straight to the intersection and hailed a taxi. As soon as they got in, she said, “Civil Affairs Bureau, please. We’re in a hurry, step on it.”

She made sure to scrutinize the driver carefully, confirming it wasn’t the same one who had dropped them off at the station earlier.

The driver was warmhearted and said, “Rushing to get your marriage license? Why leave it so late? They’re about to close.”

Qu Ange clasped her hands together. “I know, so please, hurry.”

She held Xu Mi’s hand tightly, only then realizing her palm was so sweaty it had turned slippery. She didn’t dare look at Xu Mi, partly because she feared that if their eyes met, Xu Mi might snap out of it and regret everything.

Her heart pounded so hard her eardrums throbbed. She thought: We have to make it in time.

This was another advantage of small towns. Despite it being rush hour with heavy traffic, the driver got them to the Civil Affairs Bureau in just ten minutes. Qu Ange dragged Xu Mi to the entrance and grabbed the first staff member she saw, asking, “Where do we get the marriage license?”

The person was startled and took a moment to reply, “Second floor.”

Not daring to wait for the elevator, Qu Ange bolted for the stairs. Signs on the second floor led them straight to the marriage registration office. Likely because it was almost closing time, there was no one else there. Qu Ange rushed to a counter, slamming her hands on the desk as she gasped for breath. “Marriage license!”

The staff member, a woman around forty, smiled at them and said, “Alright.”

Qu Ange’s wildly beating heart finally settled. She turned to look at Xu Mi’s face and saw she was also drenched in sweat, panting heavily, with strands of jet-black hair clinging to her cheeks like ink. Unable to resist, Qu Ange reached out and tucked those stray locks behind Xu Mi’s ear. Xu Mi lifted her gaze, her eyes shimmering with fragmented light.

Qu Ange smiled. She thought, Xu Mi really is willing. No one could have made it this far with her unwillingly.

Xu Mi’s mind was in a haze, but from within that fog, a single phrase faintly emerged:

“This is a vow to the heavens, we will never part.”

“I…”

“Your documents?” Xu Mi wanted to say something, but the woman interrupted. Qu Ange looked at her expectantly. Xu Mi pulled all the necessary papers from her bag, and the woman handed them two forms to fill out.

Name, age, gender, date of birth—all standard details. Then came occupation. Xu Mi lowered her eyes, thinking, before finally writing “unemployed” she had just quit her job and hadn’t yet decided what to do next.

She wanted to see what Qu Ange had written, but Qu Ange had already swiftly handed over the form. Left with no choice, she handed hers over as well. The clerk began entering their information into the computer. Xu Mi couldn’t help but swallow nervously and glanced at Qu Ange again.

Qu Ange was resting her chin on her hand, smiling brightly at her. The smile was so infectious that no one could doubt her happiness at that moment. Xu Mi’s heart, like an iceberg, began to melt once more. She imagined the days ahead after paying off the breach of contract, life would undoubtedly be tough for a while. But if she was with Qu Ange, hardship didn’t seem so bad.

Just as she was lost in thought, the clerk, a middle-aged woman, remarked, “Your occupation says ‘actor’ really?”

Qu Ange laughed. “Of course! I’ll be famous nationwide one day. Then you can say you were the one who processed my marriage certificate.”

Xu Mi finally remembered what she had meant to ask. She still had no idea what kind of life Qu Ange envisioned for the future, but from this exchange, she seemed to catch a glimpse of it.

A profound sense of desolation washed over her. Everyone around her was smiling, yet she had no idea what she was doing. The shock left her speechless. She leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

They were actually getting married just like playing house.

It was so absurd that she couldn’t help but laugh. The clerk handed over the freshly printed marriage certificates and said cheerfully, “Congratulations on your wedding! We don’t get many same-sex couples here. I’ll definitely remember you two.”

Qu Ange, overwhelmed with joy, opened her arms and embraced Xu Mi, whispering tenderly, “Let’s take care of each other for the rest of our lives.”

There was a time in her past life when this phrase had gone viral online. Qu Ange had always thought that if she ever married Xu Mi, she’d say it too. Just two days ago, she never imagined she’d actually get the chance.

But Xu Mi didn’t react. Sensing something amiss, Qu Ange gripped her shoulders and searched her face. Xu Mi pushed her away and said flatly, “Let’s go.”

Qu Ange’s heart pounded with unease. What had gone wrong now? They stepped out and entered the elevator. Qu Ange lowered her voice. “What’s wrong, Mimi?”

Xu Mi replied, “Nothing. Are we heading back straight away? Let’s go buy train tickets.”

Alarm bells rang in Qu Ange’s mind. “There’s definitely something, isn’t there?”

Xu Mi said, “It’s nothing. My own issue.”

Just as Qu Ange was about to press further, her phone rang. Expecting it to be Zhou Yue again, she was surprised to see Zeng Xuejia’s name. She still held Zeng Xuejia in high regard. Back when she was blacklisted and had no resources, Zeng had gone out of her way to share opportunities with her. A hopelessly kind soul. Remembering the debts of her past life, Qu Ange answered the call. Zeng Xuejia didn’t speak at first. After Qu Ange said, “Hello?” the voice on the other end asked, “Ange, when are you coming back?”

Qu Ange detected an odd tone, suspecting Zhou Yue might be nearby, so she replied cautiously, “Hard to say. What’s up?”

Zeng Xuejia said, “Did you know you’ve gone viral online?”

Qu Ange answered, “I saw.”

Zeng Xuejia continued, “You’ve been invited to a variety show CCTV’s Human Observer. It’s a long-running program with solid ratings.”

If it were the old Qu Ange, she would have been completely clueless at this point, thinking she had stumbled upon a great opportunity and eagerly preparing to join the show. But the current Qu Ange understood immediately.

This was a threat. Her contract hadn’t been terminated yet, and her entire livelihood was still in the hands of Guangju Media. No matter how good the opportunity was, if Guangju Media refused, she wouldn’t be able to take part.