Chapter 6#
Contract Marriage (6)#
Lu Yifang’s hand slipped on the steering wheel, his expression slightly subtle: “No.”
He didn’t turn to look at Yu Ke, but from the corner of his eye, he could see the young man’s handsome face clearly showing deep disappointment: “But Mr. Lu, providing you with harmonious married life is one of my duties as your wife, isn’t it?”
Lu Yifang continued: “The rules I previously stated do not include this clause, nor will it become part of your job scope.”
“I can work overtime — for free.”
Lu Yifang’s voice deepened: “You’ve overstepped, Mr. Yu. Please maintain a proper work attitude and refrain from asking about matters outside work.”
“Fine, I’ll keep that in mind.” Though Lu Yifang was icy cold, his teasing nearly drove Yu Ke crazy. But just as the fire started kindling in his heart, the other party poured a basin of ice water over him, drenching him thoroughly with his aloofness.
Even drenched to the bone, he still had to struggle a bit. Before getting out of the car, Yu Ke asked again: “You definitely wouldn’t treat Fang Chuan like this, would you. I know I’m just a partner, but out of my personal admiration for you, may I ask — is the reason you don’t want to sleep with me because I’m not good-looking?”
Out of politeness, Lu Yifang carefully appraised the other’s current appearance. Since they were attending a wedding tomorrow with media presence, the photographer and stylist had given Yu Ke heavier makeup, accentuating his facial features to make him look more dazzling.
Based on his own aesthetic judgment, he gave an honest assessment: “Personally speaking, I find your previous look more attractive, but you’re not ugly now either.”
Before the makeup, Yu Ke’s clothing and cosmetics had downplayed the impact of his features, softening his contours and making him appear very pleasant.
Since Lu Yifang’s answer meant it wasn’t about his appearance, Yu Ke glanced at himself in the rearview mirror. This makeup was more grand, more combative, with reddened lips that gave him a somewhat cold, noble allure.
“But earlier at the club, you complimented me on looking better.” He had thought Lu Yifang preferred this type.
Humans were visual creatures; he had originally planned to wear this kind of makeup every day. If Lu Yifang didn’t like it, wouldn’t that be a loss outweighing the gain?
Lu Yifang’s tone was flat: “Your classmates were present then. It was merely the correct choice based on interests.” Just business flattery — Lu Yifang never stinted on praising his partners.
If the other person was good-looking, he’d praise their elegance. If ugly but cultured, he’d praise their vast knowledge. If they had nothing but money, he’d praise their exceptional children.
To be fair, Yu Ke was indeed outstanding in appearance, so his praise wasn’t insincere.
These words were rather unpleasant to hear. If it were anyone else, Yu Ke would have complained the person didn’t know how to talk. But now, with his triple-thick filter on Lu Yifang, he directly interpreted these cold, impersonal words as: I said that because I like you and want to make you happy.
“Since you don’t like it, then tomorrow I’ll stick to my own style? Compared to pleasing those irrelevant people, how you feel matters more to me.” Every word Yu Ke spoke was constantly showing goodwill toward the man before him, yet his tone was natural and equal, not seeming ingratiating or fawning.
“For the wedding, the current look is better.” Lu Yifang offered a brief explanation. He withdrew his hand from the steering wheel and glanced at his watch: “Tomorrow’s wedding is set for 12:15 PM. By then, can you memorize the materials I gave you?”
Yu Ke thought about the thickness of that stack and smiled confidently: “Of course I can. But can I request a coffee tonight? Or maybe a can of Red Bull? I’m confident, but since it’s my first wedding, I want to be two hundred percent prepared.”
Lu Yifang was satisfied with his new spouse’s positive attitude: “Go at your own pace. Now get out — I’ll take you to meet my parents.”
Yu Ke suddenly realized what bringing him here meant. He immediately tensed up, his expression shifting from confident to flustered: “Wait, I haven’t bought anything — wouldn’t that be too rude?”
This was the legendary “meeting the parents.”
Lu Yifang was somewhat surprised; he couldn’t quite understand why Yu Ke had suddenly become so nervous: “I’m just taking you to meet my mother and explain the situation. Let me reiterate: from now until the wedding ends, you only need to do what I ask of you. Don’t mind the irrelevant people. When tomorrow comes, try to speak as little as possible. Leave the rest to me. Understand?”
Sharp tongue was a good attribute, but in some situations, more words only led to more mistakes. Yu Ke currently knew nothing and was cramming at the last minute — he couldn’t expect too much.
Yu Ke nodded to indicate he understood. He actually wanted to continue their earlier topic, but time was tight and this wasn’t a good opportunity for flirtation. Asking more would obviously be annoying.
Familiarity breeds affection, familiarity breeds affection. After the wedding, he would definitely make Lu Yifang familiar, and then affectionate.
Lu Yifang had no idea what was going on in this person’s head. He directly brought Yu Ke before Mrs. Lu: “Mom, I’ve already arranged the wedding. This is my marriage partner for tomorrow’s ceremony.”
He stepped aside, revealing Yu Ke who had been hiding behind him: “Yu Ke, let me introduce you — this is my mother.”
Yu Ke immediately put on a super obedient smile: “Mom, I’m Yu Ke. Yu as in Yu the Beauty, Ke as in wood and possible.”
That sweet “Mom” startled Mrs. Lu. She looked at her son, then pulled Lu Yifang aside and whispered: “Tell me, Lu Yifang, you didn’t cheat and get caught by Fang Chuan, did you? Is that why he ran off?”
Lu Yifang explained: “It’s just a temporary one-year marriage. I’m paying him ten million as annual salary, with one million deposit paid already. The remaining nine million will be paid after the year ends.”
Mrs. Lu was a trendy woman and instantly understood — a contract marriage. She never imagined such a melodramatic plot would happen to her son.
But since the fiancé had already run off, her son’s approach was understandable: “Why does this name sound familiar?”
Lu Yifang confirmed his mother’s suspicion: “He’s the first love that made Fang Chuan desperately lovesick back then.”
Mrs. Lu, who had seen many storms, fell silent for a moment, then clicked her jaw back into place. She earnestly advised Lu Yifang: “Son, although the Lu Corporation is important, you’re my only son. Your happiness matters most. There’s no need to put yourself through this.”
They said the Fang and Lu families were well-matched, but actually, the Lu family held a higher position in City B. Otherwise, since both had only sons, why would Fang Chuan marry into the Lu family instead of the other way around?
She only had one son. If he liked men, so be it — she wouldn’t force him to harm any girls.
Honestly, when she had set up Lu Yifang and Fang Chuan, it was partly because she knew Fang Chuan’s background, and partly because Fang Chuan had a soft, warm personality like a little sun. With similar family backgrounds, their spending habits wouldn’t be too different.
Lu Yifang was like his father — cold and lacking human warmth. The two boys complemented each other, which would make for a better life together.
She truly wanted her son to be happy. The alliance and win-win cooperation between the two families was just a bonus.
Lu Yifang looked at Mrs. Lu: “Mom, I’m an adult. I know exactly what I’m doing, and I won’t casually joke about marriage. Since I’ve chosen him, it means he’s the most suitable person to marry at this stage in my opinion. Besides, it’s just one year of marriage — whether I’ve been divorced or not won’t diminish your son’s charm.”
Well, her son was grown up and she couldn’t make decisions for him. Mrs. Lu glanced at the “seductive fox” that her best friend had described: “Fine, I’ll listen to you. Handle it yourself. As for changing the groom, I’ll take care of the Fang family.”
After all, the Fang family was the one in the wrong. Now that the Lu family had provided a solution, the other side should cooperate.
“Thanks, Mom.” Lu Yifang thought for a moment, then added, “And Mom, I love you.”
“Child, we’re family — there’s no need to say thanks.” The sudden sentimentality made Mrs. Lu’s eyes instantly redden.
Her teary appearance, noticed by Yu Ke who had been secretly glancing over, startled the “seductive fox” himself.
Could it be that his earlier enthusiasm had scared Chairman Lu’s own mother to tears?
Lu Yifang exchanged a few more words with Mrs. Lu, then walked over to Yu Ke: “Follow me upstairs.”
Yu Ke whispered: “Auntie, is she…?”
“I’ve already explained it to her. In front of outsiders, you can address her as before — she’ll play along.”
People in their kind of families, no matter how ugly things got internally, always appeared harmonious in public. Since Yu Ke was legally his spouse, changing the address was only natural.
Yu Ke nodded seriously, his expression solemn: “I understand, Hubby!”
Lu Yifang nearly choked on his own saliva. He softened his tone slightly: “We’re at my home — there’s no need to address me that way.”
Dedication was a good thing, but Mr. Yu was clearly overdoing it.
“I’ll remember that, Darling.”
Never mind — changing how they addressed each other helped with getting into character. Lu Yifang gave up correcting him.
“Let’s go upstairs. I’ll give you two hours. Memorize as much as you can — I’ll test you.”
The wedding had been prepared for nearly a month, yet the groom had been replaced at the last minute. There were still many matters he needed to handle.
For instance, how to make Fang Chuan’s mother acknowledge that “seductive fox” she had spoken of as her dry son.