chapter 1 Married

Siran Qiao decided to get married in the seventh year of her being single.
A week ago, her best friend's husband took the opportunity of being on a business trip with Siran to knock on her door and hug her. He told Siran that he had liked her for a long time and wanted to get intimate with her.
Siran was horrified.
A strength overcame her out of nowhere, and she picked up some items to beat her best friend's husband up.
Siran wanted to leave Peng City after returning from the business trip.
But she co-founded a small company with her best friend and her husband. All her income came from that job, and she needed to repay the home loan. And so, she couldn't just leave Peng City just like that. Ultimately, she still had to bump into her best friend's husband repetitively and work with him.
Several times, Siran wanted to let her best friend know what happened, but she was afraid that her best friend would not be able to accept such a cruel reality, so ultimately, Siran kept her mouth shut.
"Even though I didn't wrong her, I feel guilty that her husband professed his love for me," Siran thought.
Therefore, she wanted to get married as soon as possible.
As for the ways to teach her best friend's husband a lesson, Siran still had to consider her plan carefully.
Siran arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau a few minutes early and heard someone calling her name from behind.
"Siran?"
She turned her head to see a tall and handsome man standing before her.
Uncertain of his identity, she asked, "Mr. Shang?"
Aaron Shang nodded.
Siran and Aaron got acquainted through Aaron's father, Mateo Shang.
And Siran and Mateo met seven years ago.
At that time, she was heartbroken and went to the no-man's land of Tibet. She bumped into Mateo, who was also lost, and together they were attacked by wild wolves.
They couldn't say for sure who saved whose life, but they fought hard together and became companions in adversity.
However, they lost contact after they were taken to the hospital.
It wasn't until three months ago that they ran into each other again. Mateo unexpectedly learned that Siran had been single all these years, so he introduced his son to her.
That was the story of how Aaron and Siran started chatting on WeChat three months ago.
Even though it had been months, they only exchanged a few words with each other through the app.
Siran never thought that Aaron's appearance would be so breathtaking when she looked at him.
His looks were so outstanding that he would definitely be regarded as a Prince Charming if he were in the entertainment industry.
Moreover, he exuded an extraordinary aura.
But Siran never really had much interest in attractive men, so she was indifferent while looking at him.
At this time, Aaron voiced, "Actually, I don't really approve of this marriage, and I didn't want to get married so early on."
Siran was suddenly at a loss.
She mused, "He doesn't want to get married? Does that mean I have to stay single?"
Siran quickly persuaded Aaron, "Mr. Shang, I heard from Uncle Shang that you own two houses in Peng City while running some businesses with a certain amount of savings in your bank."
"But these are your prenuptial properties. In order to avoid property disputes after marriage, I specially drafted this prenuptial agreement."
"I don't want any of your two houses and savings."
"In addition, my best friend and I have also opened a small company with a relatively stable income. If the turnover for your business is bad, I can help you financially."
"Or, if you have any other requests, feel free to mention them. As long as you don't ask me to do illegal things, I can agree to them. "
Siran handed over the prenuptial agreement, but Aaron did not take it from her.
Aaron looked at her with his deep eyes. His thoughts were unreadable. "Aren't you at a disadvantage if that's how we will do this?"
"I have nothing to lose," Siran answered simply, "Those are your pre-marital properties anyway. I never thought about relying on a man to support my life, nor did I ever think about taking advantage of a man. Besides, both parties have to be equal and can provide help to each other to create a blissful marriage."
Aaron was a little surprised by Siran's independence.
His deep eyes darkened, and there was a hint of undetectable appreciation in his eyes when he looked at Siran.
Aaron had done some investigation before coming over.
Just like what Mateo had told Aaron, it was confirmed that Siran and Mateo's meeting was just a chance encounter, turning into friends who went through hardships together.
Siran definitely didn't know how influential and affluent the Shang Family was, and she definitely had no intention of approaching Mateo with an ulterior motive.
Otherwise, Siran would not have been friends with Mateo for seven years but made no move to gain benefits from the Shang Family.
Aaron realized he had nothing to be concerned about then.
While Siran was still nervous, fearing that Aaron would refuse to marry her, he said decisively,
"I agree to marry you. But there is something we need to clarify beforehand."
"Go ahead," Siran listened attentively.
Aaron phrased it bluntly, "Do you need me to satisfy your sexual needs?"
"W-What?!" Even though Siran heard his words clearly, she was still dumbfounded.
She didn't know how to answer Aaron's straightforward question.
For a moment, the atmosphere was awkward.
Aaron added, "It is said that women are the most sexually active in their thirties. You're 28 years old this year, Ms. Qiao, so you must have the need to satisfy your sexual desires. However, I can't sleep with a woman that I don't have feelings for, so I can't satisfy your sexual needs. Therefore, regarding our marriage, please think carefully before deciding."
Siran suddenly felt less embarrassed.
After all, they were both adults, and he had explained his viewpoint so directly.
She mused, "Does he think that my sexual desires go into overdrive just because I'm 28 years old?"
Feeling unhappy all of a sudden, Siran stated,
"Mr. Shang, I can't sleep with a man that I don't have feelings for either. You can rest assured that I marry you because I need to solve some trouble I'm facing now, and I need a mate to spend my life with. I don't have any other thoughts on my mind aside from that."
"This saves a lot of trouble." Aaron was delighted with her answer. He said, "Why are you still standing here? Let's head in and register our marriage."
"Wait a minute." Siran stopped him as he stepped forward and put something in Aaron's hand. "You'd better keep the prenuptial agreement. This will save you from more trouble."
Aaron took one look at the agreement and kept it without hesitating.
He was going to divorce her a year later.
There are too many businesses and properties under the Shang Family's name.
Having this prenuptial agreement that she took the initiative to draw up would save him a lot of trouble.
The two of them went to register their marriage after that, with Siran walking beside Aaron.
With a height of five foot four inches, Siran looked petite when compared to Aaron, so she felt awkward walking next to him.
Siran felt more comfortable after she put some distance between them.
It took them less than ten minutes in total to go from meeting each other to taking photos and registering their marriage.
Just like that, Siran was a married woman.
She had only thing in mind now, and that was to let her best friend know that she was married.
Siran carefully and quickly put the marriage certificate into her bag. "Mr. Shang, I have other things to do, so I will leave first. I will contact you via WeChat later."
She had already walked away before finishing her words.
And so, Siran's slender figure disappeared into the busy crowd.
Meanwhile, Aaron stared in the direction where Siran vanished even after she was long gone with a frown on his face.
"Oh, she left just like that. Siran is so different from those socialites that courted passionately in the past. It seems she just wanted to marry me to get the marriage certificate?" He mused.
Aaron was relieved. At least he didn't have to get entangled with Siran.
After getting the marriage certificate, Aaron went home to inform Mateo.
As for Mateo, he had nothing to say about his son and daughter-in-law's attitude of going back to their respective homes just after receiving their certificates.
This was what he had expected.
After all, he was the one who forced two young people who were not in love to get married.
Mateo smiled brightly as he took the marriage certificate from Aaron.
Aaron had not seen Mateo smile like this for a long time.
Since his mother passed away seven years ago, this was the first time Mateo had a sincere smile that came from the bottom of his heart.
And this was all boiled down to him being satisfied with Siran being his daughter-in-law.
"Congratulations. I got married to the daughter-in-law of your choice." Aaron felt that everything was fine as long as Mateo was happy.
Mateo folded the marriage certificate and said, "Aaron, remember what you promised me. You will need to move to Siran's place tonight."
"Don't worry." Aaron stood in front of his father. "Please also remember our one-year agreement. If I don't fall in love with Siran within a year, I have the right to file for a divorce, and you are not allowed to urge me to get married in the future."
Mateo grinned after handing Aaron the marriage certificate.
"Aaron, let's make a bet. Do you believe you will fall in love with Siran within three months?"
"Three months?" Aaron curled his lips into a smile as ridicule appeared on his face. "She is just an ordinary woman. Don't you think that you've thought too highly of her?"
Mateo smiled meaningfully. "We shall wait and see."
Looking at the marriage certificate, Aaron spoke. "It's very troublesome to get a replacement if I lose it. You can give it to me when I get divorced."
Mateo smiled disapprovingly, "One year later? You may thank me then that I found you a good wife who is hard to find anywhere in the world."
Not wanting to dwell on this meaningless topic further, Aaron kept quiet.
Then, he went upstairs.
It was already lunch break by the time Siran returned to the company.
Siran looked around for her best friend, but there was no sight of her.
Instead, she bumped into her best friend's husband, who cornered her in the office.
This was the first time Siran was alone with Musa Chen again after their business trip.
Musa looked at her guiltily, unable to hide his feelings for her.
"Siran, I'm sorry. I was too impulsive that day. But I really like you, and I can't control my feelings."
Not wanting to make the matter a big deal and fearing that someone who hadn't gone to the cafeteria would pass by and overhear their conversation, Siran tampered down her anger.
If not, she would gladly give Musa another beating.
She lowered her voice and asked with amusement, "Musa Chen, what do you like about me?"
Musa replied without thinking, "You are capable, independent, tastefully dressed, and charming. And you are not willing to be mediocre, continuously learning and improving to become better and more capable. Cara is different, though. She doesn't put on makeup or take care of her hair. She has no ambition and is old-fashioned and corny. Cara cannot keep up with the pace of society as she resembles a typical housewife more and more. I have no interest in her at all. Siran, it's been so long since I had sex with Cara. I only have eyes for you now…"
Outside the door, Cara Song heard everything Musa had just said.