Why Is the Wealthy Young Lady O Like That? - Chapter 3

The jacaranda blossom that had fallen onto Xu Siran’s shoulder slipped down because of the way she stood up. She withdrew her gaze and waited for the other party’s answer, her dark, moist almond eyes lowered. When her long lashes fluttered, they were like a mimosa opening and closing.

Ni Jia took in all her restraint and nervousness. Unlike her, she did not introduce herself again. “Have you been waiting long?”

Xu Siran shook her head. Realizing that avoiding the other person’s gaze while speaking was a little impolite, she forced herself to lift her eyes and look at the person standing before her.

She really was… the kind of beauty one would never forget after seeing even once, a breathtaking glimpse. Because the aura around her was cold and imposing, and that pair of silver-rimmed glasses concealed three-tenths of the brilliance in her eyes, she looked even more… as if she kept people a thousand miles away.

“…No. Just a little while,” she answered honestly.

The glass door reflected their figures. They were both wearing white shirts on top. The difference was that Xu Siran had chosen jeans and canvas shoes, looking clean and clear, while Ni Jia, who was six years older than her, wore a skirt and black high heels, looking mature, cold, and reserved.

The jacaranda blossoms stirred with the wind. The image of them standing together was unexpectedly harmonious and beautiful.

Ni Jia withdrew her gaze. “Let’s go in.”

“Okay.”

Her tone was very polite and courteous. When they turned and entered the Civil Affairs Bureau together, her lips were slightly pursed, and there was no smile on her face. Compared with the divorced couple who had just walked out earlier, the two of them looked even more distant standing together.

Today was actually a weekend rest day, but because the current marriage rate was truly too low… in order to make it more convenient for everyone to get their certificates and raise people’s enthusiasm for doing so, the Civil Affairs Bureau also operated on rotating shifts on weekends.

The closer they got to their destination, the messier Xu Siran’s thoughts became, especially when she saw the two huge red banners hanging inside the Civil Affairs Bureau—

May all lovers under heaven finally become spouses—

Happy newlyweds, may you be united for a hundred years!

Once they entered the hall, she discovered that most other government offices were decorated in a very simple and efficient style. But she did not know whether it was because the government encouraged marriage; red, festive items could be seen everywhere in the Civil Affairs Bureau.

Red wedding candies, red double-happiness paper cuttings, red flower-ribbon bundles, and so on. It was practically like accidentally walking into a wedding venue.

When the staff in the hall saw them—no, Xu Siran felt it was when they saw Ni Jia—they seemed a little surprised, but only for an instant before returning to normal.

Following the guidance of the smart robot, they went to the service window in the very center. Xu Siran sat on the right side of the two-person seat. When she took her ID card out of the bag she had brought with her, she heard the depths of her heart ask once again—

Was she really going to get married?

She had already found the rectangular ID card in her bag. Her palm wrapped around it and gripped it tightly, as if she were using all her strength to hold onto something. And so, in those few short seconds, Xu Siran’s mind was waging a war between heaven and man.

A beep sounded.

She came back to herself and took the ID card out of her bag.

Beside her, Ni Jia also took out her identification.

After the staff took their documents and photos, she handed them two declaration forms. This was the registration declaration for applying for marriage. Ni Jia skimmed it once, then picked up the pen and wrote her name in the signature section.

Xu Siran also read it carefully from beginning to end before signing her own name.

After the staff received their declarations, she checked the signatures. Once she confirmed there were no problems, she asked according to the process, “Miss Ni, may I ask whether you are marrying Miss Xu of your own free will?”

Ni Jia answered, “Yes.”

According to regulations, the staff member then asked Xu Siran, “Miss Xu, may I ask whether you are marrying Miss Ni entirely of your own free will?”

No!!! Xu Siran really wanted to say that.

But things went against her wishes. She could only make herself look as if she were acting completely voluntarily, and her answer also matched the standard response.

“Yes.”

After receiving the answer, the staff smiled and nodded. She handed the two forms back to them and brought them onto the platform to read them aloud.

Xu Siran held her copy and glanced at Ni Jia beside her. Ni Jia was also looking at her. Their gazes collided. Since things had already come this far, Xu Siran steeled her heart, held the declaration, and began reading it aloud.

She read very rigidly and seriously, like a student doing morning reading. Ni Jia’s gaze swept over the knuckles of the fingers holding the paper. Then she parted her lips and read the declaration together with her.

Their voices echoed in this little corner.

After they finished, the staff member, as the witness, smiled and took their declarations again, then signed her name in the witness column.

All the procedures had now reached the very end. Only the final step remained. The smart robot appeared again and led them to the photography room.

Because the photo was taken by an intelligent system, there was no one inside the room. They stood in the center of the spacious area, not especially close, with a long distance still left between them.

The accompanying smart robot reminded them aloud, “Dear newlyweds, please move a little closer. Please make sure both of you can appear in the photo.”

Xu Siran understood. After thinking for a second, she moved like a slow little snail, trying hard to stretch out her feelers and slowly test the distance, inching closer bit by bit to make sure they would both appear in the center of the lens.

Ni Jia sensed the person beside her drawing closer. She glanced at the camera, then walked rightward toward Xu Siran, not stopping until the last bit of distance between them had completely disappeared.

They turned toward the camera together. Neither had much expression on her face, so the smart robot reminded them again in a very cute, cartoonish voice, “Dear beautiful newlyweds, please smile at the camera. A smile will make your life even sweeter~”

Whether it would be sweet or not, Xu Siran did not know. She only felt that she must be a little stiff right now, because they were truly standing very close. So close that she could smell the faint woody fragrance on the other person.

And so, when she tried to pull up the corners of her lips… the image was honestly a little eerie.

Even a smiling face appeared on the display screen of Smart Robot No. 6017. “Haha, the newlywed on the right must be very nervous and very happy, right? After all, you’re marrying the person you love most. Today must be the most important and most special day of your life.”

“However, please relax. Your beloved is right beside you, and from this day forward, for the rest of your lives, she will stay by your side.”

That string of words simply turned Xu Siran into an even stiffer stone. So this was what robots that worked at the Civil Affairs Bureau were like? Every word they said was so… sticky and affectionate! Xu Siran thought.

Ni Jia, standing on the left, turned her eyes toward her and asked in a low voice, “Are you very nervous?”

Xu Siran pursed her lips. “…Mm. A little.”

In order to improve the atmosphere, 6017 added appropriately, “Very nervous and very happy!”

Xu Siran began doubting her own choice. Why had she chosen smart robot service when they entered? If it had been another staff member, they probably would not be this enthusiastic about livening up the mood.

She coughed and said, “I’m a little better now. Let’s take the photo.”

“Mm.”

They wasted no more time. After taking the photo, they followed the robot back to the registration desk and received the final processing form from the staff.

After signing this processing form and pressing their fingerprints on it, they would be able to receive their marriage certificates on the spot. From then on, they would be bound together in a legal marital relationship.

Xu Siran looked at this processing form again and again. Her gaze fixed on the final signature section… In merely one or two seconds, her thoughts floated up in a tangled mess. She thought of Hewan Village, thought of her grandmother, thought of all the incompatibility she had felt since returning to the Xu family, so much, too much. She pursed her lips again. This was an unconscious habit whenever she was nervous.

It was not until Ni Jia, beside her, signed neatly, pressed her fingerprint, and handed it in that Xu Siran finally took a deep breath in her heart, picked up the pen, wrote her name stroke by stroke, and pressed her thumbprint beside the signature with red ink paste.

From then on, June 6 became the day their marriage relationship was legally confirmed.

Xu Siran’s heart was raining, but the staff member, utterly unaware, smiled and said, “Wishing you happiness and fulfillment, and a harmonious union for a hundred years.”

The smart robot played electronic fireworks on its display screen and brought over the wedding candies distributed by the Civil Affairs Bureau, handing them to them as it offered its blessing. “Happy newlyweds! May you be united for a hundred years.”

Even when they received their marriage certificates and walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, the scrolling screens on both sides of the building displayed: [Wishing Ms. Ni and Ms. Xu a happy marriage!]

It was simply not happy at all. Xu Siran tucked away the marriage certificate and quietly refuted it in her heart.

The lengthened black luxury car drove toward the city center. Inside the carriage, Xu Siran sat in the right corner, keeping an arm’s distance from Ni Jia. Ever since getting into the car, she had not said a word, her gaze following the scenery outside the window.

Only when a phone ringtone broke the strange silence did Xu Siran notice that the person beside her picked up the call very quickly. Her replies were all things like “Mm,” “Okay,” and “I understand.” Her tone did not reveal joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness.

After the call ended, Ni Jia opened her laptop. The silver-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose reflected a cold gleam. “My flight to Haishi is at eight tonight. I may be relatively busy for the near future. Regarding the wedding, do you have any thoughts?”

!? Xu Siran had no thoughts at all. She was even very shocked, because she had never considered this matter at all. It was probably because she felt that Ni Jia lowering herself to register the marriage with her was already enough, and her family had also never told her they would hold a wedding.

She fell silent for a moment. Her thoughts turned rapidly. After making her decision, she turned to look at Ni Jia and asked in a somewhat careful tone, “…Miss Ni, can we not hold the wedding for now?”

Ni Jia turned her eyes and met her gaze. “Why?”

“Do you know about my background?”

“Mm.”

Xu Siran said with clear logic, “My grandmother passed away two years ago. According to the local customs there, red celebrations cannot be held within three years.”

She was indeed an atheist. She did not believe in birth characters, nor did she consult gods or Buddhas. But her grandmother was the person she cared about most, most, most in this world. According to the customs passed down in that place, holding red celebrations would not only harm oneself, but would also be very bad for the deceased.

Grandma had suffered all her life. She could not… after leaving and becoming a star, still suffer hardships and fall. Xu Siran wanted Grandma to keep shining brightly over her, so there was no way she could ignore these things.

In the silent atmosphere, Xu Siran grew a little nervous. Especially when she thought of how the person before her had always been known for being strict, cold, and unfeeling. And in these three days, both of her mothers and even the elders at home had repeatedly reminded her that she had to go along with Eldest Young Lady Ni in everything, put Eldest Young Lady Ni’s feelings first in all matters, and absolutely could not make Eldest Young Lady Ni dissatisfied or blame her.

But she equally did not want to back down. Otherwise, how could she go back and pay respects to Grandma again?

She thought it over and planned to appeal to both reason and emotion. Just as she was about to add something softly, she heard the person beside her answer, “Yes.”

The car drove across Ganglan Bridge. A butterfly stopped on the bridge’s sign, and a large sheet of sunlight poured in. Xu Siran revealed her first smile since that afternoon.

It was not the kind of courteous, polite smile. Her smiling eyes curved, and two little pear dimples appeared as she said, “Thank you.”

Ni Jia withdrew her gaze from Xu Siran’s face and did not say anything more. Xu Siran also did not know what to say. She was already a little afraid of her to begin with, and seeing that Ni Jia’s gaze had settled on the laptop screen, she did not speak again to disturb her.

A while later, the luxury car arrived at its destination. Xu Siran had not asked where they were going after she got in, and now that they had arrived, she looked out the window and discovered that this area was a wealthy residential district in the city center, where every inch of land was worth gold.

Two little question marks appeared above Xu Siran’s head. When the driver in the front row got out to open the door for her, Ni Jia finally explained, “This is one of my properties. We’ll usually live here.”

She had many properties under her name. This residence had been personally chosen by the old madam at home. The old madam said that if the place was too big and too empty, it would not be suitable for two people to cultivate feelings, so she had chosen a relatively small large flat. Four elevators served one household. It was only eight hundred square meters.

The location here was not bad, and it was fairly close to the university town, so Ni Jia had agreed.

Hearing this, an astonished exclamation mark with its own emotional symbol appeared above Xu Siran’s head. Because just like how she had never thought about the wedding, she actually had never thought they would usually live together either.

According to her good friend Qinghe, many partners in wealthy-family marriage alliances did not really live together much, because they were busy, because they did not have much feeling for each other to begin with, because of all sorts of reasons… Moreover, her family had never mentioned it either. They had even told her not to ask for too much after marriage and so on. She truly had not expected that they would have to… cohabit.

But now that things had come this far, she could only hold back her shock and resistance and say, “Okay.”

“I have to go to the company for a meeting now. The house has already been arranged in advance. I’ll have my assistant take you up,” Ni Jia said.

Xu Siran felt that the other party was very busy. Registering the marriage today had probably also been something she had made time for amid countless responsibilities. And so, Xu Siran opened her mouth, wanting to politely refuse and suggest that she could go up by herself.

But thinking of the other party’s reputation for acting swiftly and decisively, for saying one thing and never allowing otherwise, she swallowed the words back and nodded.

“Okay. Thank you.”

Before picking up her bag and getting out of the car, Xu Siran heard the other party say, “Next time we meet, use a different form of address.”

Xu Siran froze abruptly, then instinctively nodded. “Mm, okay. Goodbye.”

This set of responses was polite and courteous, impossible to fault. It was what her Omega mother had taught her recently. Because she was worried Xu Siran was truly too dull and might anger Eldest Young Lady Ni, she had nearly wanted to sign her up for etiquette training. But there was too little time, and everything was too rushed, so she could only tell Xu Siran that whenever she did not know how to answer, she should just go along with the other person’s words.

After watching the car drive away, the assistant dressed in a suit and looking neat and capable introduced herself. “Hello, Miss Xu. I’m President Ni’s assistant. You can just call me Xiao Chen.”

Xu Siran nodded like a chick pecking rice. “Assistant Chen.”

She followed Assistant Chen inside, passing through a refined bamboo-lined lake pavilion and a garden blooming like brocade, then took the private elevator upstairs. Because she had been pondering other matters the whole time, she did not pay attention to the scenery in the complex.

It was only when they reached the flat on the fortieth floor and entered the residence that she came back to herself and looked over the interior decor. She did not know what style this was, but it was quite beautiful. Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, what entered her eyes was the Guanbei River, the largest river in the capital. From this angle, the glittering, beautiful view of the river could be fully taken in at a glance.

The two studies inside both faced Nanhu Wetland Park. One could see vast stretches of green forest, and occasionally, flocks of white birds would sweep past.

There was an aerial terrace, a home theater room, a gym, a cloakroom, an e-sports room, studies, and so on. Apart from that, she counted and found five bedrooms and five bathrooms. To be honest, it really was quite beautiful, luxurious without losing elegance, but…

She still liked the small apartment she rented near school more. That place was warmer and more comfortable.

After arriving at the residence, she let Assistant Chen go back to work. At this moment, in the enormous interior, only she, a robot butler filled with a metallic, high-tech feel, and Auntie Pei, who was cooking in the kitchen, remained.

The robot butler was No. 1585. After taking her around the whole house, a little pink flower rose from the top of its mechanical shell. “Can I call you Siran?”

Xu Siran curved her eyes. “Mm.”

Compared with everything inside the residence, she was more interested in 1585 before her, because the major she studied in university was artificial intelligence engineering. The reason was actually very simple—

At that time, she had still been very young and had not understood anything. When she saw on television that many other cities already had quite a few robot convenience services, she felt curious and asked Grandma whether there were any where they lived.

Grandma had touched her head and told her that there were none there. Only very faraway places had them.

She asked again, how far? As far as Longze County?

Grandma answered that it was even farther. Tiny little her had wowed and said that in the future, she wanted to go to such a faraway place and have a look.

Only after growing older did she learn that those things existed in places with relatively prosperous economies. Their place was too remote and too poor. They did not have these kinds of high-tech products, only mountains surrounding them and kitchen smoke curling up.

And so, at eight or nine years old, she had thought that when she grew up, she would develop lots of amazing robots and have those robots help the grandmothers in the village farm, transplant rice seedlings, herd cows, carry heavy things, chat with them to relieve boredom, and explore outer space together. That way, everyone would not have to be so tired.

That seed took root and sprouted in the depths of her heart. Only when she received C University’s acceptance letter did it grow into a tree that could shelter Grandma from wind and rain.

Unfortunately, Grandma had left before waiting for her good news.

Thinking of these things, Xu Siran’s heart grew heavy. She lifted her eyes to look at 1585 and, reciprocating, asked, “Then can I move a little closer and look at the little flower on your head?”

1585 answered happily, “Of course!”

After receiving permission, Xu Siran moved closer to look at the little flower on its head. It was made of very PBEI imitation material, which was expensive and was currently also the most costly pollution-free and harmless imitation material at the forefront of technology.

“Can I touch it?”

“Mm!” As soon as its voice fell, the little block flower on 1585’s head even changed from a bud shape into blooming petals, symbolizing that its mood had gone from good to extremely good!

Xu Siran curved her lips and gently touched it with her finger. She praised, “This flower is made so realistically.”

1585’s little pink flower even swayed as if blown by the wind. “Do you like this little flower?”

“Mm. It’s very pretty.”

Hearing this, 1585, according to its instructions, automatically sent this record to Ni Jia, who was working remotely. Xu Siran saw the system red light in the center at the very top of its display screen flash. This slight movement would have been very hard to catch if she were not professionally studying this field.

Doubt rose in her heart. Just then, Auntie Pei came out of the kitchen and reminded her that dinner was ready. Xu Siran turned her eyes over and happened to catch sight of the camera placed on the shelf.

Her footsteps paused. In an instant, a powerful sense of strangeness and resistance gripped her once more.

Dinner was very sumptuous. There were fresh king crab and salmon flown in by air, as well as more homestyle dishes such as orange-braised pork belly, salt-and-pepper prawns, typhoon shelter fried shrimp, salted egg yolk chicken wings, and so on.

The dishes Xu Siran ate were basically the more homestyle ones. At the end, after drinking a bowl of winter melon, kelp, and pork rib soup, she prepared to go back… to her rental apartment.

Even if they had to live together, doing it a few days later should be fine, right? she thought.

Seeing that she was preparing to leave, Auntie Pei asked in confusion, “Miss Xu, are you going back to school?”

“Mm, I’m going back…” She wanted to say she was going back there to pack her things before moving over. But when she thought of the cloakroom stuffed full of the latest spring and summer dresses, she changed her words. “My roommate suddenly needs my help with something. I’m going back for a bit.”

Auntie Pei did not say anything more. “All right. Please be careful on your way back and rest early.”

After leaving Shujin Liyuan, Xu Siran returned to her little nest. The first thing she did was put away the marriage certificate in her bag. After washing up and entering the study, she took out the marital property contract.

Actually, it could not really be considered only a property contract. It contained many matters concerning the marriage as well. After reading it through carefully several times, she confirmed that she did not have the right to bring up divorce.

She placed the contract on the desk and pursed her lips into a pout. She was still sad and gloomy.

Thinking of the cameras in Shujin Liyuan, that sense of strangeness and resistance still bound her tightly. She understood… that it was actually very normal to install a few cameras in such a large home.

If it were her, she would probably install a few in different places too.

Reasonably speaking, that was true. But to her… she still felt stifled, irritated, and depressed!

Moreover, while she had been drying her hair just now, she had received a message from her mother saying that the Ni family would probably hold a private dinner next week, and she would likely need to attend as well. There were still nearly seven days until next week. Her mother told her to study the etiquette of upper-class families recently and not embarrass herself at the dinner.

This was already what she was worst at and hated most, so she felt even more stifled, even more irritated, and even more depressed.

She picked up the contract again and studied it carefully, like she was reading a thesis, unwilling to let even a single word slip by. When she reread it for the fifth time and reached Article Five, Clause Six, an idea suddenly flashed through her mind like lightning.

She did not have the right to bring up divorce, but… Eldest Young Lady Ni did!!

If she could make Eldest Young Lady Ni take the initiative to bring up divorce, then there would be a breakthrough in this matter!

Joy rose in her heart, and she immediately sprang up, stars of hope and delight lighting in her eyes.

But the next moment, the phone beneath the desk lamp vibrated. She picked up her phone and looked. It was a notification from the bank. The remitter was a single character: Ni.

[…On 06/06 at 22:13, your account ending in 7618 received a deposit. Income amount: 1,000,000,000 yuan. Balance: 1,000,030,000.18 yuan.]