Chapter Thirty-One: Clearly Two Against One

Qin Mengxue felt as if she had been struck by lightning on a clear day. Her mind was utterly blank as she stared numbly at the little red booklet in her hand. She stood there, stiff and unmoving, not knowing what to do.

Xue Tian'ai, seeing that Qin Mengxue was frozen in place, stepped forward as well. He took the red booklet from her hand and flipped through it briefly, then drew in a sharp breath.

His brows knitted tightly together. What kind of trick was this? Wasn't it supposed to be just an engagement? How had a marriage certificate been issued? And three years ago, no less?

Three years ago, Xue Tian'ai had still been in Europe, living life on the edge, with no idea of getting married. He had never heard a word about it.

At that moment, a pleasant ringtone chimed. Xue Tian'ai snapped out of his daze to find that Qin Mengxue's phone was ringing on the coffee table, but its owner remained in a stupor, as if she hadn't heard it at all.

With no other choice, Xue Tian'ai picked up the phone and poked Qin Mengxue to prompt her to answer. Qin Mengxue looked at him with vacant eyes, but gradually came back to herself. Some light returned to her gaze. She picked up the phone, her voice trembling slightly: "Hello?"

"Is that Xiaoxue? It's your old man. Did you get the package?" The voice on the other end belonged to her father, Qin Wanlan.

"I got it. What's with the marriage certificate? I've been married for three years and didn't even know it!" Qin Mengxue nearly shouted, her face stormy.

So it seemed the marriage certificate had been secretly arranged by her family. Qin Mengxue had always known she couldn't escape the engagement, but to have it handled behind her back—and kept hidden for so long—left her furious.

"Ah, well, when you reached the legal age, the family took care of it for you. Surprised?" Qin Wanlan sounded as if he hadn't noticed the anger in her voice at all.

"Surprised? I'm shocked, delighted! Who would have thought my beloved father and revered grandfather sold me off three years ago? That I became someone else's bride back then? How could I not be surprised, not be delighted?" Qin Mengxue felt wronged, her eyes turning red as she replied with bitter sarcasm.

"Since you got the package, you must be at Tian'ai's place, right? How's Tian'ai? Is he back? Are you happy with him?" Qin Wanlan pressed on.

"Of course I'm here. I’m married to him, aren’t I? How could I not be happy? Over the moon," she replied, biting hard on the word "happy."

But in truth, she was far from satisfied with Xue Tian'ai. Though his looks and figure were impeccable, his wasteful habits and those sometimes lecherous glances were hard to stomach.

"Great, great. Now, hand the phone to Tian'ai. Let me have a word with my son-in-law," Qin Wanlan said excitedly, eager to hear Xue Tian'ai's voice.

At this point, Qin Mengxue felt like she wasn't even his real daughter. Her father hadn't even asked how she was doing, but was instead gleefully seeking out his son-in-law. Though she felt wronged and upset, she still handed the phone over, curling up on the sofa, hugging her knees.

Xue Tian'ai took the phone and immediately put on a smile. "Hello, Uncle Qin, this is Xue Tian'ai."

"What did you call me? Try again!" The furious roar from the phone made Xue Tian'ai's eardrums ache.

He froze. If not Uncle Qin, then what? "Qin Un—"

"Call me Dad! Aren't you married to Xiaoxue? Still calling me Uncle Qin—what, are you not satisfied with my daughter?" Qin Wanlan's tone shifted, a hint of dissatisfaction creeping in.

Xue Tian'ai was speechless. His father-in-law's logic was truly something else. But nevertheless, he flattered, "Dad~"

Hearing this, Qin Mengxue's expression grew even more unnatural. She shot Xue Tian'ai a glare and snorted, "Hypocrite."

"My good son-in-law, your mother and I are traveling in West Asia right now. Sorry we weren’t there to greet you," Qin Wanlan said cheerfully.

"It’s nothing, Dad. You and Mom enjoy yourselves. I’m fine over here. But about this marriage—I had no idea at all."

"Ah, well, that was decided by Old Master Xue and Old Master Qin. You two were both too busy back then, and we worried you’d never find the time, so we took a little shortcut and got the marriage certificate for you."

Damn it, Xue Tian'ai cursed inwardly. He never imagined his strict, old-fashioned grandfather would force him into marriage like this.

He felt, once again, that the elders of the Xue family had set him up, sending him straight to his doom. Since childhood, he had been pushed and prodded by the family, denied a normal childhood and friends, filled with endless lessons, sent to train with wolves at an early age, and now his marriage was neatly arranged. It felt as if every step of his life had been mapped out for him, and he was nothing but a tool, following their plan.

Yet, this time, he found a small sense of comfort, even a hint of satisfaction. After all, Qin Mengxue was an undeniable beauty—what man wouldn’t want a beautiful wife? Though she seemed unwilling to accept him, sometimes even cold, just looking at her was a unique pleasure, lifting his spirits.

"So Dad, you don’t mind that Xiaoxue and I are married like this?" he tried probing.

"Why would I mind? With such a fine son-in-law, I couldn't be happier!" Qin Wanlan sounded genuinely thrilled. "Tian'ai, I won’t keep you. There’s a local show starting here soon. We’ll talk when I get back! Gotta go!"

From the other end, the sounds of a rowdy crowd could be heard before the call was disconnected, leaving only the beeping of a dead line.

At the entrance of a five-star hotel in West Asia, Qin Wanlan put away his phone and looked up at the star-filled sky, sighing softly.

"I suppose Xiaoxue will have a hard time accepting this."

"But what else could we have done?" he said with a wry smile to the woman on his arm. Though her face bore traces of the years, her former elegance still shone through.

She was Lan Yingyan, Qin Wanlan’s wife and Qin Mengxue’s mother. At that moment, a faint worry clouded her features, mixed with resignation.

"Must the burdens of the previous generation really be passed down to the third?"

"The destruction of the Ye family proved the struggle never ended. All we can hope is that Xiaoxue finds real happiness. Tian'ai is an outstanding young man—I believe she’ll come to love him in the end."

"Compared to Tian'ai, Xiaoxue has led a much happier life. But Tian'ai has truly suffered all these years—Old Master Xue has been ruthless."

"Perhaps Tian'ai could bring an end to this struggle," Qin Wanlan said, drawing a deep breath.

A gentle sea breeze drifted by, carrying a hint of leisure and tenderness. Across from their hotel, a traditional local bonfire festival was in full swing. Enthusiastic bikini-clad dancers swayed passionately, igniting the night with excitement. Groups clinked glasses and feasted on skewers, their laughter and joy filling the air. Yet, the hearts of the Qin couple were far from tranquil.

Back at home, Xue Tian'ai put down the phone and looked at Qin Mengxue, curled up at the end of the sofa, her expression sour. He sighed, then picked up the marriage certificate and waved it in front of her. "So, we really are husband and wife now."

Qin Mengxue stared in a daze at the certificate in his hand, her feelings tangled. The doctored couple’s photo was flawless—Xue Tian'ai looked dashing, and she, beautiful. Despite everything, she was now a married woman.

Her heart still could not settle. She even felt a little panicked and uneasy. In China, a marriage certificate meant legal spouses, and that meant they could do all sorts of things to "strengthen their relationship." The thought alone made her cheeks burn.

No, no, if he dared try anything, she’d grab a pair of scissors and make sure he’d never be a man again. At this, a fierce glint flashed across her face.

Xue Tian'ai watched her silent, her expression shifting like a magic trick, and sighed deeply, still unable to guess what she was thinking.

His sigh snapped her out of her thoughts. "What’s that supposed to mean, Xue Tian'ai? Are you unhappy to have married me?"

"Not at all! Marrying such a beautiful wife—I'm blessed for three lifetimes! My ancestors must be smiling in their graves—I'm over the moon!"

"Xue Tian'ai, do you know that when you try to praise someone, your eyes dart everywhere, which means you don’t mean a word of it," she said coldly, her eyes glittering. "So, am I really such a burden to you?"

"Not at all, not at all. I truly believe marrying you—" Xue Tian'ai tried to repeat himself, grinning obsequiously, but was cut off.

"Stop. I don’t want to hear the same lines again!"

"Wow, wife, you’ve learned to make fun of me! I’m so proud!" Xue Tian'ai leaned closer and patted her head.

She tried to swat his hand away, but he was too quick. After several failed attempts—and accidentally hitting herself a few times—she gave up, letting his large hand rest on her head.

"Don’t call me wife!" she pouted.

"But you told me not to repeat myself, and yet you keep repeating yourself. That’s hardly fair!" Xue Tian'ai paused, then added, "How about we vote on whether I can call you wife?"

"How? There’s just the two of us, so it’s bound to be a tie. What’s the point?" She arched a delicate brow, curious.

"But it’s two to one," Xue Tian'ai answered mysteriously.

"You, me—just the two of us. Where does the ‘two to one’ come from?" She pointed at him, then at herself, more confused than ever.

"No, no." He waved a slender finger, mimicking her gesture. "You and I, yes, but you’ve forgotten something important!"

With that, he pointed below his waist, covered by a towel. "You forgot about my little brother!"