Chapter 5#

Contract Marriage (5)#

Yu Ke was taken aback, still wearing that spring-like smile. “Sorry, but… who are you?”

The implication was clear: while he himself had been thinking of the other person day and night, that person hadn’t even bothered to remember him. When trading barbs, nothing is more infuriating than not being engaged in a proper comeback battle—losing a fight is one thing, but it’s another when your fist hits cotton, when the other party doesn’t even acknowledge you, doesn’t even know who you are.

The younger man with the sarcastic tone turned red with anger. “Who doesn’t know you have a good memory? We met just a few days ago. Putting on airs like this—is it fun?”

Yu Ke smoothed his collar, making his demeanor even more elegant and refined. “Thanks for the compliment. But my memory’s only good for remembering people. When it comes to dogs, not so much.”

He was always smooth, diplomatic, never offending anyone. But some people were the type that, even if you knelt and begged, would only call you despicable.

Besides, Su Ke had just accused him of sticking his butt out while walking. What a joke. A man who walked with such confident strides would never lose his composure like that.

Anyway, the man in front of him was the sort who would find fault with anything he did. So why bother trying so hard to please him?

After all, he was a pampered young master from a wealthy family, raised being coddled and praised. He was used to dishing out sarcastic insults himself, nowhere near Yu Ke’s level.

But to Yu Ke’s surprise, after stammering “You, you, you” for a while, the man suddenly changed his expression, beaming with joy. “Darling, I’m over here!”

A tall, straight-backed man walked over, holding a bouquet. “Xiao Ke, sorry to keep you waiting.”

Su Ke immediately hooked his arm affectionately around the man’s. “Let me introduce you—my fiancé. We’re getting married in a few days. Yu Ke, my high school classmate. Almost thirty and still single. As his good friend, I’m really worried for him. Honey, don’t you have a lot of friends? Set Yu Ke up with someone—Zhang Qian, for instance. He’s perfect.”

Su Ke’s so-called fiancé glanced at Yu Ke and looked a bit troubled. “Your friend is so good-looking. Zhang Qian… doesn’t seem quite right.”

“What’s not right about it? Yu Ke comes from a fairly ordinary family, after all. Besides, Zhang Qian might be a little ugly, but he can make money. Plenty of boys prettier than Yu Ke are throwing themselves at him. When your family background isn’t great, you naturally look for someone to lift you up. But our Yu Ke is different—he at least studied abroad. He’s a bit older, but he’s gentle and considerate. Under these circumstances, marrying up is totally possible, right?”

At the high school reunion a few days ago, he’d learned that Yu Ke had been single for almost a year and was doing only average. Adults don’t compare grades anymore, do they? They compare partners, careers, kids.

He wasn’t as sharp-tongued as Yu Ke, but he was very skilled at hitting sore spots.

Seeing Yu Ke silent, he covered his mouth and laughed. “Oh, silly me. Old Zhang might not be Yu Ke’s type. He probably wants those pretty young girls.”

That wasn’t just accusing Yu Ke of being greedy for wealth and status—it was implying he might be trying to trick someone into marriage, questioning his very character.

Tsk. Compared to high school, Su Ke had made some progress after all.

Yu Ke had heard much worse. After years of surviving in society, he wouldn’t get riled up over something like this. His smile remained, entirely genuine and unforced. “Oh, it’s you, Su Ke. Now you mention it, I remember. Thank you for the kind thought, but I’m already married.”

Su Ke quickly said, “But at the reunion, you said you weren’t married. How come now you’re saying you are?”

“A few days ago, I wasn’t. Today we got the certificate. Just a few days before you.”

His attitude made Su Ke’s face turn sour again. But then he thought: a man like Yu Ke, an older guy who just arrived in City B, what kind of outstanding husband could he find? Given Yu Ke’s personality, if he had a really good partner, he’d surely show him off at the reunion. Probably worse than Old Zhang—some fat-headed, greasy, divorced old man.

“Yu Ke, don’t take this the wrong way. We’ve known each other so long. To be so sudden and not tell us—what if you run into a scumbag? How about next time we get together, you bring your other half out? We’ll help you take a look.”

Su Ke had no intention of helping him vet anyone. He just wanted to mock Yu Ke’s partner. After all these years, he still held a grudge over Yu Ke always outshining him.

Yu Ke casually put his hands in his pockets, looking completely unruffled. “I appreciate the gesture, Classmate Su, but… you and I really aren’t that close.”

Even if he didn’t have a husband today, he wouldn’t care about Su Ke’s level of snideness. After all these years, Su Ke’s skin was still so thin, his sour words like a kitten scratching—neither painful nor itchy.

Su Ke nearly choked. “Then does your husband know you’re at a place like this?”

This was an upscale club. He’d only gotten in through his cousin, who came from a better family than his. For a commoner like Yu Ke to be here, it had to be because he was tagging along with someone.

Yu Ke was even more unperturbed. “I’m waiting for my husband.”

Su Ke’s fiancé was starting to get anxious. “Ke Ke, we should go.”

Su Ke glared at him. “Didn’t you hear? City B is so small, you run into all sorts of strays. If we run into Yu Ke’s husband next time, they’ll think we’re rude. And if Yu Ke gets misunderstood by his husband, how hard would that be for him?”

“But you said you’re not… close.” The word “close” was choked back by Su Ke’s glare.

After a moment, Yu Ke received a phone call. His phone had been fully charged during the fuss, and the first thing he did when he turned it on was save Lu Yi’s personal number, changing the contact name to “A Husband.”

He had to commit to the act, after all. He was someone who paid attention to life’s details, and he wanted to make the big money boss, Mr. Lu, feel his warm and considerate sincerity.

After giving some instructions, Lu Yi hung up and exited the small private room. He dialed Yu Ke’s number and asked his newly appointed wife of one day, “Where are you now?”

Yu Ke glanced at Su Ke, who was craning his neck to listen, then put the call on speaker. “I’m outside the Shuiyunjian. I ran into a high school classmate, so we chatted for a bit. Honey, when will you be here? My legs are getting sore from standing.”

He emphasized “outside,” “classmate,” and even called him “honey.” As long as Mr. Lu wasn’t an idiot, he wouldn’t ruin his act.

Lu Yi looked at his phone screen and frowned. He tried to soften his tone, not wanting to sound like he was giving orders to a subordinate. “Got it. Stay right there. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

A voice over the phone always sounds a bit distorted, but the one coming from Yu Ke’s speaker was deep and magnetic.

Men with nice voices are always ugly, Su Ke told himself. Then, after waiting five minutes, he saw a man walk over who was more striking than anyone he’d ever met.

Even though he already had a fiancé, Su Ke couldn’t help holding his breath in front of this man, who exuded raw charisma from head to toe.

The man walked over expressionlessly, stopped beside Yu Ke, and said, “Looking good. Anything else? If not, come home with me.”

Yu Ke naturally linked his arm through Lu Yi’s. “Sure, let’s go back then.”

Su Ke’s mouth felt bitter. He could hardly believe it. “You’re really Yu Ke’s husband?”

“You are?” They already had the certificate, so legally, he was.

Yu Ke jumped in to answer: “A high school classmate. Not very close.”

“We have things to do. We’re leaving.” Su Ke glanced at his own fiancé, then at someone else’s husband, turned, and walked off with a quick, almost fleeing step.

Facing total domination, any further questions would only humiliate himself.

Lu Yi asked Yu Ke, “Happy now?”

He could tell that Mr. Yu had been putting on a show.

Yu Ke smiled sweetly, shaking Lu Yi’s arm like a kindergartner. “Super happy. Love you to death.”

Back in the day, the people he’d dated were all sweet, cute boys. But facing someone like Lu Yi, calling him “honey” came without any pressure.

Too bad it was just a contract marriage. He sighed inwardly.

Lu Yi continued, “Did they bully you just now?”

Three-year-old Yu Ke shook his head. “No. As long as you can’t say I made someone cry, it’s fine.”

He didn’t know what Lu Yi liked, but from what he remembered, Fang Chuan was a bit clumsy and endearing. Thinking about it, he was almost jealous of Fang Chuan—good family background and a great partner.

Lu Yi reached out and ruffled Yu Ke’s hair. “Then keep it that way. Don’t let others push you around. If Mrs. Lu loses face, I lose face too. Understand?”

Fang Chuan and Yu Ke were very different. Fang Chuan had a good family background, so everyone fawned over him and no one picked fights. But Yu Ke was something of a Cinderella boy. Since he’d decided to ask the other party to be his temporary wife, he had to consider every aspect.

“Got it.”

Good. He liked smart people. After getting a clear answer, Lu Yi withdrew his arm, turned, and walked toward the revolving doors of the club.

With 17 hours left until the wedding, Lu Yi parked the car in front of his villa. Yu Ke, sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly spoke up. “Mr. Lu, since I’m going to be your wife, should I also fulfill a wife’s duties?”

Lu Yi felt there was something off about that sentence, but he answered anyway. “Of course.”

Yu Ke asked again, “Then on the wedding night, do we actually sleep together?”