Chapter One: Don’t Regret This

Luo Yixia held the bright red marriage certificate in her hands, unable to gather her thoughts for a long while. Just yesterday, she was still an innocent, sweet college student; today, she had already become a married woman.

Her mother hovered beside her, urging impatiently, "Alright, stop daydreaming. If you want to post something on your social media, hurry up and take a photo. Once you're done, hand me the marriage certificate—I’ll keep it safe for you."

"What? Mom, what are you doing?" Luo Yixia looked at her mother in confusion.

Her mother pulled her aside and whispered, "I'm doing this for your own good. I just can't understand why Song Chengyi chose you. If I keep the marriage certificate, I won’t have to worry about him regretting it and sneaking off to divorce you behind our backs."

"Mom, am I really your daughter? What kind of mother is this disdainful of her own child? Can’t you at least try to appreciate your daughter’s charm?" Luo Yixia grumbled in protest, rolling her eyes.

Her mother pinched her arm and shot her a sidelong glance. "I almost wish you weren’t my daughter. Look at Chengyi—he’s been outstanding since he was a child. Then look at you—tell me, is there anything about you that makes me proud? The only thing you’ve ever done to please me is to bring home such an excellent son-in-law."

Luo Yixia noticed the satisfaction brimming in her mother's eyes as she gazed at Song Chengyi, who was smiling warmly back at her mother.

The sight sent shivers down Luo Yixia’s spine.

Seeing that Luo Yixia didn’t respond, her mother was far from satisfied and continued to scold her, "Let me tell you, if you ever let Song Chengyi dump you, don’t bother coming home. I’ll just pretend I never had a daughter like you."

Still, Luo Yixia kept her head down in silence, feeling bitter inside. She thought to herself, I wasn’t the one insisting on getting married; Song Chengyi never really liked me. Divorce is only a matter of time.

Song Chengyi, noticing her downcast look and aggrieved expression, walked over with a gentle smile and wrapped an arm around her. "Mom, we still need to go take wedding photos."

Her mother’s demeanor changed instantly, her tone flipping a full one-eighty. "Chengyi, you're going for wedding photos now? Wonderful, wonderful! Go together."

With that, Song Chengyi led Luo Yixia to the car.

Standing to the side, Song’s mother chattered away to Luo’s mother, "These two really have such a wonderful relationship."

Luo’s mother sighed, "Chengyi is so outstanding, and then there’s our Yixia—she gives me such a headache. I’m afraid she’ll cause you trouble in the future."

Song’s mother, on the other hand, seemed genuinely fond of Luo Yixia. "We’re all family now—there’s no such thing as causing trouble."

Sitting beside Song Chengyi in the car, Luo Yixia felt unbearably awkward and fidgeted in discomfort. She stared at the marriage certificate in her hands, still finding it hard to believe.

She muttered under her breath, "Just don’t regret this in the future! I never forced you to get married, you know."

Song Chengyi lowered his head with a gentle smile. "Alright, I won’t regret it."

"Good," she huffed, "as long as you don’t regret it." She looked down at the marriage certificate, unable to stop a smile from curling at her lips.

"Mmm." Song Chengyi affectionately ruffled her hair.

Luo Yixia leaned her head against the car window, thinking resentfully that alcohol truly was nothing good.

Looking back to just a week earlier, Luo Yixia, freshly released from her freshman year for summer break, was finally living the carefree life she’d dreamed of. Who could have imagined that during a class gathering she’d be forced to drink until she was drunk out of her mind?

And as fate would have it, in that once-in-a-century stroke of coincidence, the elusive Song Chengyi actually called her.