Marriage First, True Love Later

In the office, Anran started meticulously sketching the design for the city government building. After spending an entire afternoon, although there was still only a rough sketch, everything was starting to come into place.

Anran carefully examined the sketch with a paintbrush in her hand, then suddenly took the eraser to wipe away the newly painted sketch. After using the ruler to re-measure the proportions for a while, she finally nodded in satisfaction. As Anran prepared to draw the next item, there was the sound of knocking on the office door, and she looked up to see Xiao Xiao’s perfectly made-up face, framed by voluminous waves, and she was wearing a different suit than the one she had worn during the morning meeting. Anran frankly couldn’t understand how, despite the fact that they both worked at the same place, both had the same position, and both had the same job responsibilities, somehow Xiao Xiao had much more time for grooming. She had different outfits, different makeup styles, and different handbags for each occasion. Xiao Xiao was particular about her appearance, yet Anran couldn’t help but feel a little exhausted for all the effort she put into her appearance.

“Are you done yet? The director asked me to tell you that it’s almost time,” Xiao Xiao said at the door, with the corners of her mouth curled so slightly that Anran couldn’t tell whether she was smiling or not.

Anran looked at the time on the computer monitor, then turned to look at the dark sky outside the window. She sighed in rumination about how fast time had passed.

Anran nodded at Xiao Xiao as she packed up the things on the table, “All right then, I’ll head out this instant. Did the director tell you the address? I’ll drive over there myself.”

Xiao Xiao shot her a look, then simply smiled and asked, “Don’t you want to head to the bathroom first to reapply your makeup?”

Only then did she realize that she had been preoccupied with sketching designs the entire afternoon, and since she had a habit of scratching her head, she could only imagine how messy her hair looked at that moment. She looked at the time again, then instead of continuing to put away her stuff, she grabbed her makeup pouch and dashed toward the bathroom. As she passed Xiao Xiao, she didn’t forget to say, “Give me the address. I’ll drive there by myself.”

Xiao Xiao raised her eyebrows, then replied, “Youran Cuisine.”

Anran froze and secretly cried out bitterly inside. Why did it have to be Youran Cuisine? Why couldn’t they find another place to eat?

Looking at Anran wrinkle her brows slightly, Xiao Xiao asked disdainfully, “Why, you don’t like that place?”

“No.” Anran smiled as she shook her head, and prayed that she wouldn’t encounter Su Yijiao there.

Xiao Xiaoxiao didn’t make any further comments and merely raised her eyebrows as she watched Anran.

Anran avoided eye contact and simply said, “Don’t wait for me. I’ll drive over there by myself.” Then she headed directly toward the bathroom.

Xiao Xiao watched her figure disappear at the corner of the bathroom, then turned back around to look at the sketch on her desk, and she raised her eyebrows slightly while her eyes gleamed.

2

While in the bathroom, Anron combed her hair with her hands then put on some light makeup. When she returned to the office, Xiao Xiao had already left. After she finished packing her things, she grabbed her briefcase and the phone on the desk, then headed straight out the office door.

While she rushed downstairs from the office to the company’s parking lot, Anran stared at the phone in her hand and couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, but she didn’t know exactly what was wrong. After she sat in the car, only then did she remember that Su Yicheng hadn’t called her that day, nor did he tell her when he would pick her up. As she started the car engine to leave, she then remembered that, when Su Yicheng handed her breakfast in the morning, he told her that he would be doing inspections that day and would be returning home later than usual. Therefore, he had no time to pick her up from work, so she had to drive herself back home.

The car shook as the engine started, and Anran stared at her phone in a daze for a while, but then the phone in her hand suddenly started to ring. The call was from Xiao Xiao. Initially startled, Anran quickly picked it up, but before she even had the chance to open her mouth Xiao Xiao asked, “Anran, have you headed out yet? The Director and I are already on the road. We will be in room 208 on the second floor. Chief Tong will be arriving momentarily, so don’t be late.”

“Will do,” Anron replied and hung up. Then, looking at the phone in her hand, she shook her head and laughed in spite of herself. It hadn’t even been that long yet, but it seems that she had already grown accustomed to that man’s daily calls, and had also grown accustomed to him thoughtfully chauffeuring her around.

Growing accustomed to something is truly frightening.

When Anran had finally arrived, she bumped into Manager Zhang in the lobby. Due to Su Yijiao’s previous instructions, Manager Zhang greeted Anran with extreme enthusiasm and was all smiles as he asked her if she had a reservation or if she was with any friends. Anran felt overwhelmed, so she hastily replied that she was there for work and that she was there with her boss to entertain their business partners. She explained herself briefly, then hurried up the stairs. After knocking on the door and entering, she saw Xiao Xiao and Huang Dexing sitting next to each other. Xiao Xiao’s huge waves were a little messy, her face was a little flushed, and the lip gloss she was wearing was a little smudged. Huang Dexing, who was sitting beside her, was staring at his phone with an impassive expression. When he saw Anran come in, he nodded with a smile but didn’t say much. Xiao Xiao suddenly stood up to say that she had a stomach ache, then grabbed her bag and headed toward the bathroom.

Anran sensed that there was something going on between the two of them but refrained from saying anything since she considered it their business and didn’t think it wise to intervene. She simply stared at the exquisitely crafted tablecloth.

Chief Tong, who had been invited by Huang Dexing, entered the room before Xiao Xiao returned. To Anran’s surprise, the alleged Chief Tong was none other than the person she had met here last time, and he had seemed to be acquainted with her mother.

Tong Wenhai also recognized Anran. The first reason he had such a strong impression of Anran was due to her status as Su Yicheng’s wife, while the second reason was due to her being Lin Xiaofen’s daughter. Both of these identities made her someone he couldn’t ignore.

“You…” Tong Wenhai opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Huang Dexing, who stood up behind him.

“Chief Tong, long time no see; you are still as charming as ever.” Huang Dexing smiled and approached Tong Wenhai.

Tong Wen Hai snapped back to reality, then glanced at Huang Dexing and simply smiled. “Director Huang flatters me too much.”

“How so? Chief Tong is too modest,” Huang Dexing joked, then he turned toward Anran beside him to say, “Anran, this is Director Tong, the newly appointed Director of the Urban Construction Bureau. You should give him a toast to show your respect.”

Anran smiled, then nodded at Chief Tong as she said, “Greetings, Director Tong.”

Tong Wenhai nodded, yet there was a slightly conflicted look in his eyes.

At that time, the door behind them was pushed open as Xiao Xiao chatted animatedly with someone beside her as they entered the room. When Anran got a good look at the person beside Xiao Xiao, her eyes widened, and there was a startled and frightened expression on her face.