Marriage First, True Love Later

Only after Huang Dexing personally came out to assure them that they would receive results addressing the accident within a week did those burly men finally nod and reluctantly agree to withdraw for the time being.

After they left, Huang Dexing called the project’s general manager, Hou Zhengwen, and Anran into the office.

In the office, Anran and the person in charge of the project’s construction sat in front of Huang Dexing’s desk. On the desk, the drawing for the architectural design of the current project was spread out. Huang Dexing leaned back on his black, leather, swivel chair with a solemn expression on his face. He said coldly, “Concerning the accident at the construction site—since they came all the way to the company to cause such a ruckus, I want to hear what you guys have to say.”

The person in charge glanced at Anran, then turned around to look at Huang Dexing and said, “My construction was done in accordance with the architectural designs. If you don’t believe me, the company can send someone for verification.” It was clear what he was insinuating—that the issue was with the design, and since all he did was ensure that the construction went according to the drawing design, it wasn’t his fault.

Huang Dexing looked at him, then turned to look at Anran and asked, “Anran, what do you think? Does the issue lie with the design?”

Anran pressed her throbbing temple, and simply said, “My opinion is that the family of the deceased deserves an explanation.”

“Explanation?” The person in charge of the construction glared at her and said coldly, “Before you give them an explanation, don’t we have to determine whose fault it is? Otherwise, how would we give them an explanation in the first place?”

Anran took a deep breath. She didn’t want to quarrel with him, nor did she want to shirk her responsibilities, but she was truly annoyed that he was declaring with such certainty and aggressiveness that her drawings were the issue. She turned her head to look at Zheng Wenwen and said, “If it is my responsibility, then I definitely will not shirk responsibility. I will be prepared to explain myself accordingly, apologize, and make any necessary reparations all on my own accord without burdening the company. I can tell you with certainty, the location and strength of the balcony were all the result of the meticulous calculation I had done. I believe that, with your construction experience spanning more than 20 years, you know more than I do that there is nothing wrong with this design!”

Hou Zhengwen didn’t look at her and continued to deny it. “I don’t know. All I did was construct it according to your drawing designs. As to whether there were any problems with them, I have no idea.” Now, an accident has already occurred, and if it wasn’t because of her drawing designs, then it meant that the problem occurred during the construction process. He didn’t want to bear that responsibility.

Anran didn’t look at him and turned to Huang Dexing. “Director, I request that an expert investigate this accident. If the final result is that my design truly is the issue, then I will bear the responsibility for this accident alone without bringing trouble to the company or anyone else.” After saying this, she turned around and left the office.

After leaving Huang Dexing’s office, Anran headed toward the bathroom with annoyance, turned on the faucet on the countertop, and started patting the water directly onto her face in order to calm herself down.

It seemed like someone was already in the bathroom, and, after a flushing sound, Xiao Xiao’s voice sounded behind Anran. “Trouble over the accident?” the voice asked as a paper towel was handed to her.

Anran looked up, turned off the faucet, took the paper towel she was handed, then wiped off the water on her face without saying anything.

Xiao Xiao pouted while applying lipstick in front of the mirror and said, “You have really run out of luck this time, and the person in charge is also very famous in our company for his tendency to shirk responsibility. This is the first time you have worked with him, right?” Then, she put the lipstick back in her bag and flipped her wavy hair in front of the mirror, striking flirtatious poses.

Anran didn’t say anything. She threw the paper towel directly into the basket, then turned around and headed out of the bathroom.

Xiao Xiao watched her figure disappear behind the door, and the corners of her mouth twisted into a nasty snarl as she sneered, “Supercilious phony.”

1

Anran returned directly to the office and sat in her chair as she stared at the pile of documents on her desk, but she remained still without moving.

Knock, knock, knock…

Anran did not respond and still sat there motionlessly.

Knock, knock, knock…

The knock on the door sounded again, with a sense of rhythm to it.

Anran finally snapped back to reality, took a deep breath, then raised her head and yelled at the door, “Come in.”

Anran’s intuition told her it was Ling Lin, but unexpectedly she saw Huang Dexing, instead.

She stood up a little awkwardly. “Director?”

Huang Dexing raised his hand and motioned for her to sit down. He sat down in front of her and said, “This Hou Zhengwen really is too quarrelsome; don’t let him get to you.”

Anran merely shook her head without saying anything.

“Concerning this accident, the company will definitely investigate the cause and the specific responsibilities, and afterward, not only will the victim’s family be given an explanation, but you will also be given an explanation as well,” Huang Dexing continued.

Anran was caught off guard, then held his gaze steadily and asked, “So, director, you mean to say that there weren’t any issues with my drawing designs?”

“I have checked your drawing designs, and the proportions and calculations were all correct, but I won’t know the specifics concerning the liability for the accident and the results until after the investigation. I came to you mainly because I didn’t want you to neglect your work at hand, or for this accident to affect the progress of your other work,” Huang Dexing looked at her and said.

Anran nodded and understood that he was referring to the bid for the government building. “I know. I will not let myself be distracted, and I will hand over the design to you this weekend.”

Huang Dexing nodded with satisfaction and said, “Well, but in terms of this design, the company intends to hold a friendly contest with all you young designers as participants, and each of you will submit drawing designs for this project. Not only will this make our company’s drawing designs more competitive during the bid, but this contest will also be a great way to stir up enthusiasm within the company. What do you think?”

“Competition is a great thing, so I have no objections.” Anran was well aware of the evolutionary theory of survival of the fittest, so she wasn’t averse to competition, and she knew that comparisons were necessary to differentiate the good from the bad.

“Hmm.” Huang Dexing nodded with satisfaction and stood up to leave. “Then, you continue on with your work, and the company will investigate the accident. The most important thing for you is to focus on your task at hand.”

Anran nodded and said, “I understand.” Then, she got up to send him out.

Su Yicheng’s phone call came half an hour before work ended. He told her that he was going to pick her up because they had to go back to Anran’s house for dinner in the evening and to use this as a chance to move Anran’s things into Su Yicheng’s apartment.

“No, I will drive back by myself. My car has already been parked here for many days,” Anran refused. In reality, when she initially decided to get a marriage certificate with him, all she wanted was to find a suitable person to complete marriage with as a task. She thought they, nonetheless, would still be strangers, merely tied together by a piece of paper, and didn’t think it would have much impact on her daily life. She would still go about her ordinary life, and, although she wouldn’t shirk her responsibilities as a wife, she had never thought about bothering anyone else, even if that person was technically her husband.

1

“You can drive tomorrow, since I may not have time to pick you up tomorrow,” Su Yicheng said over the phone.

“I really don’t—”

“Anran, wait for a moment.” Anran wanted to say something just then but was interrupted by Su Yicheng before she had the chance. She overheard him talking to someone next to him but couldn’t clearly discern their words.

She waited for a minute or two, and after a while, Su Yicheng said on the other side, “I still have some unfinished work at the moment. You wait for me at the door after work. I’ll pick you up afterward.” Then, he hung up the phone without giving a chance for Anran to respond.

Anran looked at the shiny phone and shook her head helplessly. Her husband seemed to be far worse than she imagined, and things seemed to have completely spun out of her control. She felt lost and wondered, “Did I really make the right choice in agreeing to this marriage?”

Although she didn’t want to be simply chauffeured around by Su Yicheng like this, due to the previous phone call, Anran nevertheless obediently waited by the company’s gate after work at the promised time, yet she didn’t see his flashy car. Anran looked up into the sky and wondered whether tonight was the night she would have a heartfelt talk with him.

As she was contemplating, a black Mercedes parked at the curb of the road. A handsome man stepped out of the car, looked at her, and called out, “Anran.”

Anran was snapped back to reality and looked at Mo Fei, who was standing in front of her. For a moment, she was too stunned to react.