Chapter 5

Di Di Zhiwei looked at Jiang Jie with admiration and couldn't help but pat his chest. "Cousin, you're something else!"

"No choice! The bid deposit was short by only four or five hundred million."

"You even managed to get proof of a fake pregnancy?!"

"I have connections with the doctor."

"Then get one for me too, so that..."

Jiang Jie shook his head in refusal; he didn't actually approve of his own actions. It was his grandfather who insisted on the scheme that marriage and pregnancy were required to claim the five hundred million inheritance, forcing him to take a risky move.

"Cousin!" Di Di Zhiwei protested discontentedly.

"I need this inheritance for an urgent matter; even after I no longer need it, I will donate it to charity. What about you? Do you have a reason that would make me truly convinced?" Jiang Jie took a sip of wine; when he had free time, he would meet his cousin at a PUB to gather and have a few drinks.

"I'll use it to develop my business!" Di Di Zhiwei said without blushing or losing his breath.

"Di Zhiwei, your business is just eating, drinking, playing, and enjoying life." Jiang Jie didn't hold back his sarcasm.

"That's my fate; what can I do!"

"I can't help you." Jiang Jie still held firm to his bottom line. "And you are not allowed to reveal the inside story. The wedding will be very simple; I will try not to alert the media or too many relatives and friends. Anyway, I only need this inheritance for a while; I don't want things to blow up."

"Can the bride cooperate?"

"She will attend the wedding alone." Bai Bai Ziling had already made this clear to him.

"Just her alone?!"

"Di Zhiwei, this is a fake marriage."

"And she can get three million?"

"She'll earn it in three months."

"She... won't cause you trouble, right?" Di Di Zhiwei was somewhat worried for him. "Maybe when the three months are up, she won't want to divorce; after all, the remaining one and a half million payment is nothing compared to your wealth and you as a person. What if she tries to blackmail you or drag things out endlessly?"

"Bai Bai Ziling is not that kind of person!" Jiang Jie had confidence in her.

"How do you know?"

"Di Zhiwei, if I weren't sure, do you think I would casually propose such a suggestion to someone?" Jiang Jie was full of confidence. "You will meet her; then you'll understand!"

"She must be a peerless beauty." Di Di Zhiwei guessed.

"Indeed beautiful, and not ordinary; she's stunning."

"Then you two can make the fake act real!"

"You know..."

"Cousin, Zi Zi Si Qi is already Cen Shi's wife. No matter how many people's glasses her decision shattered, the fact remains the fact; she lives quite happily, taking care of orphans every day, completely forgetting who you are. Just let yourself go!" Di Di Zhiwei poured him some more wine.

Jiang Jie drained his glass in one gulp. The problem wasn't that he couldn't let go of himself, but that he could never reconcile the fact that Yu Zi Si Qi would give up a dignified CEO like him for a painter who wasn't very rich and had no background, an orphan no less. For many years... he had never been able to understand what exactly women were thinking in their hearts.

"Cousin, where did you find such a good 'candidate'?" Di Di Zhiwei wanted to change the subject. "Next time it's my turn, I'll keep an eye out."

"At the wine reception celebrating the groundbreaking of the Suzhou Science Park."

"I went there! Why didn't I notice..."

"You went too late."

"If I had gone earlier..." Di Di Zhiwei was filled with regret. "Anyway, whenever there's something good, you always snatch it first!"

"Di Zhiwei, I didn't snatch it first; I was just luckier and more proactive, knowing what I should do, unlike you... You've been protected too well since childhood; even though you spend your days loafing around, you feel perfectly at ease. I don't have that kind of fate." Jiang Jie complained.

"Cousin, if you want to insult me, just say it directly!"

"Isn't that the truth?"

"Alright! Even if that is the truth, then during the period when you two fake spouses are married..."

"Nothing will happen." Jiang Jie told him everything, hiding nothing. "Unless she throws herself on me."

"You mean you won't..."

"I'm not a beast."

"But you are still a man, and you said she's beautiful; it's impossible for you not to be tempted at all." Di Di Zhiwei was doubtful. "Cousin, you would never just pick any woman to marry you; this woman must have something unique."

"She does! But if all I wanted was sex, it would be too easy to get; I wouldn't harass her." Jiang Jie felt a casual indifference. "Even if she stood naked in front of me..."

"You would still remain unmoved?"

"I would politely ask her to put her clothes on so she doesn't catch a cold."

"Cousin..." Di Di Zhiwei laughed himself silly. "You've really sparked my curiosity. I mean... if I hit on her, after your three-month transaction expires, can I pursue her?"

"You want to pursue your own cousin's wife?" Jiang Jie was somewhat surprised.

"You two are only fake married!"

"But some close relatives will know she is my wife."

"The fact that you two are fake married will eventually be exposed; then everyone will know what happened." Di Di Zhiwei's jokes grew bolder. "Cousin, I trust your taste; this woman is definitely no ordinary woman!"

"She is very young; she's still a girl."

"That's even better!"

Jiang Jie didn't think it was better at all. Although it was only a fake marriage, Bai Bai Ziling would still be his wife for three months and live in his house for three months. He couldn't bear Di Di Zhiwei talking about possibly pursuing his "ex-wife" right now; the feeling was very strange.

"Di Zhiwei, I'm not going to chat nonsense with you; anyway, only you know about this. Keep your mouth shut!" Jiang Jie commanded.

"I'm not Bai Chi; if I ruined your plans, you probably wouldn't let me go for the rest of your life." Di Di Zhiwei knew this clearly.

"Good that you understand."

"Then the wedding date—"

"This Sunday."

"So soon?!"

"Everyone who needs to be notified has been notified."

"After this Sunday... you'll be a married man!" Di Di Zhiwei wore an expression of disbelief. "Cousin, have you really thought this through? Marriage is a grave, it's... hell!"

"It's just a fake marriage." Jiang Jie wasn't worried at all. "Everything is fake, so no one will enter a grave, and no one will go to hell. Relax!"

Bai Bai Ziling didn't feel she was actually married; when she stood in Jiang Jie's home with her luggage, she considered herself merely here for a vacation, a three-month holiday.

Jiang Jie's home was a standard yuppie-style residence; after all, he was single, so the furniture and decor were primarily in cool tones—simple and generous, clearly consisting of highly functional imported furniture, while the open-plan kitchen was a delightful surprise, making this place more luxurious and comfortable than a five-star hotel.

She hadn't let her family know she was married; she lied to them, saying that since Chang Chang Weiwei was about to have a baby, she was going to keep her company from before the delivery until after the full month of confinement, totaling three months, and her family believed it because they were also familiar with Chang Chang Weiwei, making it quite reasonable with no contradictions.

Bai Bai Ziling looked at Jiang Jie, then thought of his relatives and friends whose faces she couldn't even remember, and only now did she feel the situation was truly absurd—that she and he had become "husband and wife" as if it were a child's game.

Jiang Jie also looked at her; she was wearing a pink dress rented from a wedding photography costume company—elegant, festive, and fresh—and she truly looked good in anything.

And she... was his wife.

"Would you like to see your room first?" he asked.

"Either way is fine."

"Follow me..." He lifted her large luggage, leaving the small carry-on for her to hold herself.

"Your room has a private bathroom, a mini-fridge, a TV, and a computer, so..."

"A five-star 'prison cell'?" Bai Bai Ziling couldn't help but say.

"It's only for three months." He raised an eyebrow.

When Bai Bai Ziling stood in the "prison cell" where she would live for the next three months, she involuntarily displayed a satisfied expression; it was evident that the sheets, bedspread, and quilt were all brand new, and the room was extremely clean and refreshing, even featuring fresh flowers with dewdrops still clinging to them.

"The cleaning lady comes regularly every Tuesday and Friday; she also does the laundry and buys some daily necessities," Jiang Jie said.

"No wonder you don't want to get married," she teased.

"I indeed have no necessity to marry, if it weren't for..."

"I know!" She waved her hand to stop him from continuing, then placed her small carry-on luggage on the bed. "I want to change out of this dress; I've worn it all day, and it's so exhausting!"

"Understood." He smiled, then pulled a check from his suit trouser pocket and placed it on the bed.

Bai Bai Ziling glanced at it.

"One point five million, as we agreed!" Jiang Jie wore an expression of a man who keeps his word. "A cash check."

"Thank you."

"I'll give you your allowance for this month tomorrow."

"There's an allowance too?!" Bai Bai Ziling was very surprised.

"You still need to eat, drink, and buy things; I'll give you fifty thousand a month. Although it's not a lot, I believe it will be enough for you." Jiang Jie did not want to treat his temporary roommate and partner poorly.

"I didn't expect there to be an allowance." She didn't know whether to thank him or feel sad; did he regard her as a parasite?

"Then consider it found money."

"Jiang Jie, honestly, do you look down on me deep down?" Sitting on the bed, Bai Bai Ziling felt somewhat dejected. "I earned three million with almost no effort, plus an allowance to boot; won't you think I'm a gold-digger?"

"You are helping me."

"But any woman could help you!"

"Not just any woman." Jiang Jie yanked off his tie. "Bai Bai Ziling, I had a choice."

"So... I'm not entirely worthless!" She comforted herself. "We... will go out together sometimes; how should I explain our relationship then?"

"I will do the explaining."

"So I don't need to carry myself as President Jiang's Lady?"

"Do you so desire to be called President's Lady?" Jiang Jie shook his head lightly. "Bai Bai Ziling, you are still young; the fewer people who know you were ever married, the better, whether it's real or fake."

Originally, Bai Bai Ziling had harbored hopes that feelings might develop between them over time, but now it seemed she need not indulge in such fantasies, as Jiang Jie truly just intended to "use" her for three months.

"So everything I do is just a waste of effort!" Bai Bai Ziling sighed with a hint of resignation, seeming to accept her fate.

"I really don't want to be a married man."

"Alright!" Bai Bai Ziling suddenly stood up again; with a face full of exhaustion, she said, "Could you please unzip this dress for me? I simply don't have the strength left to fight with this dress's zipper!" She absolutely did not intend to deliberately flirt with or seduce him; she was genuinely tired.

"A trivial matter." He didn't mind at all.

Thus, Bai Bai Ziling turned her back to him, reached up to gather the hair at the nape of her neck, exposing her smooth neck.

Jiang Jie didn't know how many women he had helped undress before; for him, it should have been as easy as turning over one's hand, but when his fingers touched the zipper and gently pulled it down, suddenly it felt as if an electric current surged through his entire body, making him shudder all over.

Bai Bai Ziling didn't notice his unusual reaction, as she had already concluded that Jiang Jie had no interest in her; all he wanted was his grandfather's inheritance.

"Is it done?" she asked lazily.

"Done..." His voice was somewhat hoarse; her partially exposed back made him feel dry-mouthed. In truth, he had long understood that a completely naked woman isn't captivating; rather, it is the concealed exposure that makes a man's heart itch unbearably, and the line of Bai Bai Ziling's back was extremely sexy.

"See you tomorrow." She turned around.

"Tomorrow?" He momentarily lost focus.

"I want to sleep." She revealed weary eyes.

"You... aren't afraid, are you?" Suddenly, he didn't want to leave this room; after all, today was his wedding night, even if it was only fake. "Some women dare not sleep alone!"

"I'm used to sleeping alone." She thanked him for his kindness.

"If you have nightmares..." He shrugged.

"I will chant 'Amitabha'."

"My room isn't hard to find," he said humorously. "No need to pretend to be brave or strong; this is a strange place for you."

"I can handle it." She assured him.

"Then... goodnight." He walked toward the door.

"Jiang Jie." She called out to him somewhat abruptly. "I hope these three months won't be too unbearable for either of us."

Jiang Jie didn't answer; he simply walked out of the guest room where she was temporarily staying, then gently closed the door behind her.

Xia Zhen, Chang Chang Weiwei, and Sima Sima Xingchen's eyes grew wider and wider, completely dumbfounded; even if Madonna stood naked before them or Takuya Kimura showed himself completely nude, they wouldn't have been this shocked.

"Bai Bai Ziling, you're married?!"

"Who did you marry?"

"Are you crazy?"

Knowing they would surely react with intense outrage, Bai Bai Ziling still calmly played with the Chanel leather bag she had bought yesterday, her five-thousand-yuan allowance already down to less than ten thousand.

"I am not crazy, and I really am married; the man I married is Jiang Jie." Bai Bai Ziling answered three questions at once.

"Jiang Jie?!"

"The president of the Jiang Group?!"

"But you said he never gets married!" Chang Chang Weiwei, fearing the little baby in her belly might be scared out by Bai Bai Ziling and arrive early, took a deep breath before speaking.

"For his grandfather's inheritance..." Bai Bai Ziling could hide it from her family, but she could not lie to her three best friends, especially since she needed Chang Chang Weiwei's cooperation. "If my mother calls and asks you, Chang Weiwei, you must say I am staying at your place."

"You want me to lie?!"

"This isn't some great lie."

"But the prenatal education..."

"Bai Bai Ziling, what are you doing?!" Xia Zhen could hold back no longer. "Explain yourself clearly!"

Bai Bai Ziling could only recount the whole story from start to finish; although it was not very glorious, at least she could be the president's wife for three months.

"So Jiang Jie is paying you three million?!" Sima Sima Xingchen found it hard to believe. "To be his wife for three months?"

"Yes! I have already received one point five million."

"And you have to get pregnant?!" Xia Zhen glared at her in anger.

"It's fake!"

"Divorce after three months?!" Chang Chang Weiwei gently stroked her belly. "Bai Ziling, this will leave a divorce record!"

"What does it matter?" Bai Bai Ziling did not feel the situation was serious at all. "Have you ever thought money could be this easy to earn? I don't have to sleep with him, nor do I have to act as his family's servant; three million for three months, where else can you find such a thing? Look at the Chanel bag I just bought..." She proudly displayed her spoils. "I didn't have to buy a second-hand one; I also have fifty thousand yuan in allowance every month!"

"Bai Ziling..." Sima Sima Xingchen was momentarily stunned; such a thing... seemed to be seen only in novels or movies.

"Sima Xingchen, what is that expression on your face?"

"Don't you think it's inappropriate?" Sima Sima Xingchen sighed.

"Where is it inappropriate?" Bai Bai Ziling was completely at ease.

Chang Chang Weiwei immediately asked, "Aren't you afraid something will go wrong?"

"What could go wrong?"

"Your brain..." Xia Zhen was about to die of anger.

"What are you worrying about?" Bai Bai Ziling was somewhat puzzled. "Jiang Jie is not a pervert; he is perfectly decent. He just happens to need his grandfather's five hundred million inheritance very badly; I don't even need to lock my door when I sleep; maybe he is the one who wants to lock the door. I am very safe! This man has no evil intentions toward me; he just needs a fake wife. Once the three months are up, I move out of his house, and he pays me the remaining one point five million. Isn't this a very simple matter?"

"What if you fall in love with him? What if, when the three months are up, you don't want to leave?" Sima Sima Xingchen said angrily.

"I will not fall in love with him!"

"What if it really happens?" Chang Chang Weiwei was also displeased.

"I will still leave; my skin is not that thick."

"Bai Ziling, you haven't thought this through; you are completely blinded by being the one involved!" Xia Zhen spoke with the tone of someone who had been through it before. "You can speak so freely now, but after three months, do you have the confidence to return to your original life?"

Bai Bai Ziling was somewhat stunned.

"Perhaps you have earned three million, but have you considered you might end up covered in wounds, your heart shattered into a million pieces?" Chang Chang Weiwei said with deep gravity.

Bai Bai Ziling's face fell, her mood somewhat heavy.

"Jiang Jie made it clear he does not want marriage, does not want a wife; he is merely 'using' you for three months. When the time comes, he can wave his sleeves and leave; what about you? Can you walk away without looking back?" Sima Sima Xingchen looked at her gently. "We are afraid you will get hurt!"

"I am not that fragile." Bai Bai Ziling finally spoke.

"Bai Ziling..."

"Why don't you worry about him falling in love with me? He might fall in love with me, right? Maybe I will be the one to leave, and he will hold his head and cry."

Xia Zhen, Chang Chang Weiwei, and Sima Sima Xingchen did not reply. Usually, men's hearts are harder than women's; even if Jiang Jie truly fell in love with Bai Bai Ziling, he would not necessarily sacrifice his freedom for her. Moreover, Jiang Jie was surrounded by beautiful women every day; could Bai Bai Ziling really stand out?

"Do you look down on me so much?" Bai Bai Ziling was somewhat offended and angry. "Only you can marry golden grooms; I, Bai Bai Ziling, just..."

"Bai Ziling, you know that is not what we mean!"

"You are in a fake marriage; Jiang Jie does not love you."

"After three months, you are just Cinderella."

The truth was hurtful, but they preferred to speak harshly beforehand rather than comfort Bai Bai Ziling's wounded heart later.

"Then I will find a way to keep his heart, find a way to make him fall in love with me!" Bai Bai Ziling said in a huff. "I do not believe we, living under the same roof, cannot fall in love."

"Bai Ziling, Jiang Jie is a person..." Xia Zhen had heard some things. "He is a woman-killer; toward women... he is not soft-hearted."

"I will try!" Bai Bai Ziling was determined.

Bai Bai Ziling could not cook, but she could order catering from a five-star hotel; she would set the dining table with great atmosphere, like a Western restaurant, with candles, red wine, and music; now only the host was missing, waiting for him to return home and everything would be OK.

To prove to Xia Zhen, Chang Chang Weiwei, and Sima Sima Xingchen that she could make Jiang Jie fall in love with her, she used every trick she had. She had nearly three months; it could not be said there was no chance of success, but if she did not try, there was not even a sliver of a winning opportunity; if she tried... at least there was hope.

But Bai Zhen waited from six until seven, and the dishes had gone cold. Then from seven until eight, she began to feel restless and irritable. When she waited from eight until nine, she had completely lost her appetite, and when the hour hand on the clock pointed to eleven, she could only describe her mood as wanting to cry but having no tears; the more ridiculous thing was—she did not even know how to contact him.

She did not have his company's phone number.

She did not have his mobile phone number.

She had no idea how to find him at all... she could only wait idly.

Looking at the table full of dishes and her careful arrangements, Bai Bai Ziling, who had previously been unable to cry, now had tears dropping one by one; before, she could not understand the feelings of an "abandoned wife," but now she fully understood.

It was almost midnight, nearly twelve o'clock, when Jiang Jie finally dragged his exhausted body through the door. For the shipbuilding contract in the United States, he had held a meeting all night with some executives; everyone was completely drained, but when he saw Bai Bai Ziling...

"You are still not asleep?!" He was very surprised.

Suppressing the urge to roar at him, Bai Bai Ziling merely wiped the tears from her face and then began to clear the table.

"You... haven't eaten yet? What time is it?!" His tone was somewhat reproachful.

If he had carried guilt, or even a tiny bit of intent to coax or comfort her, she would not have been so angry, but now... she suddenly felt like a bomb that had been detonated, and she picked up a plate of food and smashed it fiercely onto the floor.

"Bai Bai Ziling..." he called out softly.

"I don't have to eat, right!" she choked out.

"You... were waiting for me?" he was surprised.

"No! I was waiting for my 'lover'." She forced a smile uglier than crying.

"I didn't know you would..." he felt apologetic.

"You didn't even make a single phone call!" she screamed at him.

"I thought..."

"Putting aside that I'm your fake wife, even if I'm just your roommate, shouldn't you have called to check?" Unafraid of being kicked out, she threw caution to the wind.

"You could call me..."

"I don't have all your phone numbers!" She smashed another dish. "It's ridiculous, but I really didn't know how to find you; I could only wait in vain!"

Jiang Jie took a deep breath.

"You once said that even if we were fake, we should act like the real thing; did you do that?" she accused him.

"I neglected..."

"I... I waited for you for nearly six hours..." She threw the bowls and chopsticks to the floor. "Jiang Jie, even if I am so insignificant, and even if you possess the wealth of the whole world, you have no right to treat me this way; this is mental abuse!"

"I didn't expect you to wait for me to eat." Jiang Jie did not stop her outburst. "No one has ever waited for me to eat."

"Jiang Jie, I am not a dead person! I live in this house too." She shouted at him. "You... are too despicable!"

"I really..."

"Don't worry! I will never be so foolish again." Bai Bai Ziling feigned strength, then began squatting to clean up the mess.

"Leave it for the cleaning lady..."

"Leave me alone!"

"Bai Bai Ziling..." His tone sharpened.

"Anyway, I'm just 'serving time'; I have plenty of time, I'm idle every day, go away!" She bent her head to pick up the shards on the floor, growing sadder with every piece she gathered.

"I apologize." He finally said.

"No need!" she shouted.

"I really apologize."

"I don't care."

"In the future... I will tell you every day whether I'm coming back for dinner." Jiang Jie had never made such a concession, never spoken such words to any woman; he was always self-centered, and even with Yu Zi Si Qi before, he never told her his whereabouts.

Bai Bai Ziling said nothing, but her anger was fading bit by bit; she knew when to stop while ahead. She knew the winner of today's round was her; she had won the first battle.

"I will leave all my contact numbers with you; in the future, whenever you want to find me, you can find me anytime."

"I don't want to find you often; I just want to know if you're coming back for dinner; you... have to eat dinner, right?" She was willing to look at him now.

"I will eat."

"Then..."

"I won't come back every day for dinner, but I will try my best..."

Bai Bai Ziling showed a tiny smile; this was all she wanted!