Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Was this a false certificate?
On the day of the gathering, he clearly said they would register their marriage very soon.
An Xiaoning immediately understood what happened upon recalling his expression back then.
She proceeded to take a shower and changed into a fresh set of clothes before driving towards the Civil Administration Office.
After checking her official marital status with the office, she discovered that the marriage certificate was real.
She had registered her marriage with him unknowingly on the second day of the fourth month on the lunar calendar.
An Xiaoning had no recollection of how she made it back home for her mind was preoccupied and was sent into a whirlwind throughout the entire journey.
Once she arrived at Wei Ni Estate, she caught sight of Fan Shixin, who had just returned, from a distance away.
She hurriedly got down from her car and scrambled towards Fan Shixin.
“Did you find him?”
Fan Shixin looked at her and shook his head in dismay. “No.”
The look of hope in An Xiaoning’s eyes faded instantly.
“It could mean that he’s still alive if you couldn’t find his body. It’s a good thing, it’s a good thing…”
Noticing that she was holding the marriage certificates, Fan Shixin asked, “You saw… that?”
An Xiaoning looked down and asked, “You knew about the registration of our marriage?”
“Yes, I do. Young Sir went to register your marriage personally with your passport and his. He initially wanted to propose to you with the helicopter by the beach. He already had it all planned out. Although he knew you would say yes, he still wanted to arrange a proper marriage proposal. He even planned to tell you that he’s registered your marriage once we return from N Nation…” Fan Shixin paused his speech, too agonized to carry on. At last, he said, “I won’t give up on searching for Young Sir.”
“Why are you back now then? Why didn’t you continue searching for him?”
“The directors of the company gave me a call, saying that the company is going through a tumultuous time right now. Young Madam, you have to take charge of the situation now that Young Sir is not around. Otherwise, the senior Sir Jin would have to step in once again. I’m afraid the company would end up in someone else’s hands while we’re carried away with searching for Young Sir. It would be disadvantageous to the Jin Corporation if Sir Jin takes charge of the company. Remember his relationship with Chi Rui’er? I’m worried that she would try to bewitch him again. By then… it’d be inevitable…” Fan Shixin explained.
Although Jin Qingyan was currently nowhere to be found and the press had speculated that he’s more likely than not dead, An Xiaoning knew that she would never give up unless she saw his corpse with her own eyes.
Since he was not around, she had to guard all that belonged to him safely.
“I got it.”
Just as An Xiaoning was about to turn around, Fan Shixin added, “Young Madam…”
“Yes?”
“Young Sir had prepared a will beforehand.”
An Xiaoning turned to face him in shock. “A will? He’s still so young, why did he draw up something like that?”
“I don’t know, perhaps because Young Sir just wanted to take precautions. I was next to him when he drafted the will, so I know the contents of it. It’s said on his will that all of the assets under his name would be bequeathed to you and Youqing. Since Sir Jin still has a portion of the company’s shares, Young Sir’s mother would be receiving a fixed amount of allowance from the company every month,” said a haggard-looking Fan Shixin.
A lump formed in An Xiaoning’s throat, and she reached out to wipe away her tears. “Alright, I know what to do.”
She then began walking towards the living room. It had never occurred to her that this would be the circumstance under which she’d remarry him.
He had bequeathed all of his assets, including himself, to her and their child.
Yet, she refused to trust him enough at the start and constantly denied his wishes to get married again, in fear that history would repeat itself.
However, she was filled with gratitude towards his decision to register their marriage secretly behind her back, for it had fulfilled his lifelong wish.
Moreover, An Xiaoning had never resented the fact that she could tell fortunes as much as she did right now.
She could read the fortunes and predict the fates of every single person in this world. Everyone except him.
If only she could read his fortune, they would have never embarked on that vacation.
Yet, it was all too late now.
Once she reached the door, An Xiaoning stopped in her tracks all of a sudden and said to Fan Shixin, “When Qingyan was admitted to the hospital previously for attempting to poison himself, I happened to hear him mention that he managed to survive because of that jade ring. Was that true?”
Fan Shixin nodded and explained, “Back then, when we discovered that Young Sir was unconscious, it had already been some time since he drank the poison. Yet, during the emergency rescue, it was found that all the toxins and poison in his blood had accumulated inside the ring.”
An Xiaoning saw a sudden glimmer of hope upon hearing his answer. “Could the ring have watched over him and saved his life too this time? Fan Shixin, we can’t slacken our search for him. We must find him, be he dead or alive,” she instructed.
“Yes, Young Madam.”
Xiao Huang came scurrying from the main entrance and reported, “Young Madam, Mr. Gu has come by a few times asking to see you. But I’ve been refusing to let him enter because you’ve been in low spirits lately. Would you like to see him?”
“Let him in,” An Xiaoning instructed.
“Alright.” Xiao Huang then turned around and zoomed towards the entrance.
Soon, Gu Beicheng appeared and began walking towards them.
He was alone.
Gu Beicheng was stunned to see that An Xiaoning had gotten visibly thinner and gaunt within just days of not seeing her. In fact, she looked as thin as a skeleton that could be blown away by the wind easily.
“Mother said she misses you. She’d like you to come home for a meal.”
An Xiaoning nodded in agreement. “Alright, give me half an hour.”
She quickly returned inside and made her way upstairs.
About half an hour later, An Xiaoning stepped out of the house, looking very different from before. She appeared much more beautiful and radiant with some makeup on her face.
After giving some instructions to Fan Shixin, she followed Gu Beicheng back to the Gu family home.
She knew that her godparents was worried sick about her.
There was silence inside the car throughout the entire journey.
A deafening silence filled the air.
Gu Beicheng was focused on driving while An Xiaoning remained quiet without uttering a single word.
They soon arrived at the Gu family mansion.
Mrs. Gu rushed forward to hug her at the sight of them returning home. “Why have you lost so much weight? Come here, Xiaoning, come inside with Mother,” Mrs. Gu said worriedly.
An Xiaoning entered the house with Mrs. Gu pulling her along.
There was a sumptuous spread on the dining table.
An Xiaoning was pulled towards the dining table. Mrs. Gu then said with a mellow voice, “We’ve seen the news. We tried to call you so many times these past few days, but we couldn’t get through. Beicheng tried to look you up in Wei Ni Estate, but to no avail either. We were worried sick. Xiaoning, remember, you still have us.”
“Mother, I’m fine,” An Xiaoning said reassuringly while forcing a smile.
Gu Beicheng and Lin Mingxi sat down opposite her.
Mr. Gu and Gu Dongcheng also took a seat in silence.
“Isn’t he yet to be found? That means he must still be alive. Otherwise, it can’t be that they can’t find him. Don’t worry, he will be found soon. Maybe he was rescued, you never know,” Mrs. Gu comforted her.
She then handed a pair of chopsticks to An Xiaoning and said, “Look how thin you’ve gotten. Here, let’s eat.”
An Xiaoning forced herself to eat something although she really did not have an appetite.
Mrs. Gu scooped the dishes into An Xiaoning’s bowl continuously, allowing her actions to do the talking and show her utmost concern.
“The Jin Corporation has been rather unstable lately. Since he’s not around, how are the directors planning to handle the situation…?” Mr. Gu asked.
Shaking her head, An Xiaoning answered, “I don’t know, I haven’t gone to the office yet. Now that he’s not around, I definitely have to take charge on his behalf.”
“But you two haven’t gotten married. Will they allow you to enter the company?” Mrs. Gu asked worriedly.
An Xiaoning looked at her and said, “Mother, we’ve already registered our marriage. He sneakily brought my passport to get the registration done behind my back on the second day of the fourth lunar month.”
