In the hospital corridor, Li Yi looked at Jiang Longcheng with a scrutinizing gaze.
Under that intense gaze, Jiang Longcheng couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.
“Bro-in-law, just say what you want to say. Don’t look at me like that—it’s kind of scary!”
“What’s the deal between you and Zhang Xinyao?” Li Yi asked in a low voice.
“What do you mean, ‘what’s going on’? I just took a liking to her!”
“Zhang Xinyao’s only been in Beijing for about two weeks, and you’ve met her no more than ten times. How did you two hit it off so fast?”
“That’s called love at first sight!”
“There’s no such thing as love at first sight—it’s just lust at first sight!”
Li Yi continued, “Even if it is love at first sight, what’s Zhang Xinyao’s deal? She’s not the kind of woman to just give in. How could she agree to your advances after only meeting you a few times?”
“She didn’t agree—she just said she’d think about it!” Jiang Longcheng replied.
“You idiot! If she didn’t turn you down on the spot, that basically means she said yes!”
Clearly, Li Yi had a pretty good grasp of women’s psychology—at the very least, he was a cut above this clueless Jiang Longcheng.
“Is that so?” Jiang Longcheng asked, his voice tinged with excitement.
“Don’t get too excited just yet. I just feel like you two shouldn’t have moved so fast!” Li Yi said.
At that, Jiang Longcheng grinned and said, “What do you mean ‘shouldn’t’? It’s just a matter of two people hitting it off—if they’re a good match, that’s all that matters!”
“So are you the turtle or the mung bean?”
Jiang Longcheng suddenly said, “Um… actually, it’s not quite what you’re thinking. Her and I have a rather special situation!”
“Special?”
“Yeah, I just asked her to do me a favor!”
“What kind of favor?” Li Yi asked immediately.
“To marry me and be my wife!” Jiang Longcheng said, shocking everyone.
“What? Is that even a favor? What the hell are you two up to?” Li Yi frowned.
Jiang Longcheng replied, “Isn’t that the idea you gave me?”
“Me?”
“Yeah, didn’t you say last time that I should find someone to marry me in a sham marriage? That way, I could shut my family up!” Jiang Longcheng said.
“So you approached Zhang Xinyao?” Li Yi asked, looking astonished.
“Right. I wasn’t planning on asking her at first, but I chatted with her a few days ago and thought she was pretty interesting, so I brought it up with her!” Jiang Longcheng said.
“Did you make it clear to her that it’s a sham marriage?” Li Yi asked in a low voice.
“It’s a real marriage, but we’ll each live our own lives—we’re just sharing a household!” Jiang Longcheng said.
“Ugly and promiscuous—who’d ever do something like this…”
Just as the two were talking, a series of footsteps suddenly echoed from the end of the hallway.
Immediately afterward, Li Yi saw his third older sister, Li Na, and Zhang Xinyao walking toward them carrying a basin; it looked like they were coming back from the restroom.
Upon seeing the two of them, Third Sister asked in surprise, “What are you two doing standing here?”
Li Yi smiled and said, “Just chatting!”
Then, turning to Zhang Xinyao, he said, “Xinyao, hold on a second—I need to ask you something!”
“Sure!”
His third older sister immediately took the lunchbox from Zhang Xinyao’s hands and returned to the nearby hospital room.
Then Li Yi turned to Jiang Longcheng and said, “Go sit with Xiao Xue and the others for a bit. I need to talk to Xinyao alone!”
“Um… Brother-in-law…”
“Get lost!”
Jiang Longcheng glanced at Zhang Xinyao, then turned and left as well.
Once they were alone in the hallway, Li Yi asked straight away, “He just told me about the two of you. Are you really going to marry him and be a couple in name only?”
Zhang Xinyao lowered her head and remained silent for a moment, then nodded and said, “Yes.”
“Can you tell me what you’re thinking?”
“I don’t want to go home. I want to stay in Beijing and make money!”
Perhaps worried that Li Yi might misunderstand, Zhang Xinyao went on to explain, “My family situation is pretty complicated. My dad is disabled, my mom has been sick for years, and I have a few younger brothers who need to get married. We need money for everything at home.”
“Given our family’s situation, even if I went back to the county seat and got a government job, earning a meager salary wouldn’t help my family much. It’s better for me to stay in the capital with you so I can earn more money.”
A perfectly reasonable answer!
Li Yi was aware of Zhang Xinyao’s family situation. In her previous life, she had returned to the county under similar circumstances, which ultimately led to a lifetime of tragedy.
“Even if you want to stay in the capital, there’s no need to marry him just for that!” Li Yi said.
“I’ve already processed my return to the city. Unless I have a compelling reason, I can’t put off going back—and marriage is the most valid reason.”
“Have you thought about your own future?”
“I haven’t thought that far ahead. My plan is to earn as much money as I can, help my mother get better, and find wives for my three younger brothers. We’ll worry about the rest later!” Zhang Xinyao said.
“Aren’t you afraid he’ll take advantage of you?”
“He… he doesn’t look like the kind of bad guy, does he? Besides, he told me he’s only marrying me to appease his family. After we’re married, aside from living under the same roof, we’ll still go about our own lives. How could he mistreat me…”
Li Yi shook his head and said, “You two… Sigh, never mind. Do whatever you think is best!”
“Hmm, actually, I think this works out pretty well. I’m helping him placate his family, and he’s giving me a reason to settle down in Beijing!” Zhang Xinyao said.
Li Yi nodded, saying nothing more.
They were both adults; no matter what choice they made, as long as they could take responsibility for it, that was all that mattered.
Besides, while their situation might seem a bit absurd, it was essentially a case of mutual benefit.
At the very least, it was better than Zhang Xinyao going back to her hometown and marrying that thug.
After all, he was in the capital too, and Zhang Xinyao was right under his nose; he’d just have to keep an eye on her and offer some support when needed.
After finishing the conversation, Li Yi returned to the hospital room.
He chatted with Tang Xue and his mother-in-law for a while longer before leaving the hospital with Jiang Longcheng.
Back in the car, Jiang Longcheng couldn’t wait to ask, “Come on, tell me—what did you two talk about?”
Li Yi looked at him and said, “Have you two really decided to spend the rest of your lives like this?”
“Life is so long—who can say for sure? But I just don’t want to marry a woman from one of those prominent families. If I absolutely have to marry someone, I think Zhang Xinyao is a good choice!” Jiang Longcheng said.
“All right, then. But she’s a friend and benefactor to both me and Xiaoxue—you can’t take advantage of her!”
“Don’t say that. Am I the kind of guy who would mistreat a woman?”
“I hope not. If you do, I’ll really lose respect for you!” Li Yi said.
“Enough with the small talk. Let’s focus on how to sell those clothes!” Jiang Longcheng said.
“Don’t worry about sales. I’ll set up the distribution channels as soon as possible. All you need to do is find a suitable location in town and open a flagship store!”
Li Yi continued, “Also, keep a close eye on production and get the clothes manufactured as quickly as possible!”
“Alright, I’ll start working on the boutique tomorrow. I promise to get it sorted out perfectly!” Jiang Longcheng said.
“Alright!”
“Are you heading back to the store or your place now?”
“The shop.”
“Alright!”
…….