Chapter 2 — Not married yet, asked me to have children, I turned around and married the CEO

“Marry me.” He repeated, his tone not allowing for refusal

"This card has no limit. You can spend whatever you want."

“Car, house, jewelry... I can give them all to you.”

“Marry me, all of this is yours.”

I was stunned by this sudden turn. This… what kind of blind date is this? I swallowed hard, trying to stay calm.

“Mr. Luc, we just met for the first time.”

"Not important."

His eyes remained calm like a lake surface without ripples.

“I just need a wife.”

“A person who knows how to obey, lives peacefully, does not cause trouble.”

"I took a look at your profile. It fits my needs very well."

I suddenly felt like a commodity being priced. This feeling… is not pleasant. But at least, it's more realistic than Luu Thuy Lan's fanciful words. At least, what Luc Canh Tham offered... was real money. I looked at the black card in front of me, a crazy thought flashed through my mind. Marrying someone... is not the same as getting married. Marrying Chu Hao means jumping into a fire pit. And marrying Luc Canh Tham... Perhaps it's a shortcut to enter the world of wealth. I almost unconsciously asked a question

“Why me?”

Luc Canh Tham looked at me, his eyes wavering for the first time.

“Because I need a wife to deal with the family.”

“And I… need a husband to cut off the past.”

One sentence. Stabbed straight into the heart. I was silent for a long time, not because I didn't understand, but because I understood every word he had just said so clearly, it was like every piece of the puzzle in my heart had been flipped open, exposed to the light nakedly. What he said was right, marrying Luc Canh Tham was not only a decision, but also the strongest and most cruel blowback for Chu Hao and his mother, a slap that made them unable to raise their heads for the rest of their lives. I can almost imagine their faces when they heard the news, the look of crazy anger but helplessness, the feeling of both gloating and bitterness that made my heart swell with an emotion that is difficult to name. I heard my voice ring out, so calm that I felt strange, as if the person who had just made that decision was no longer the me I used to be. Luc Canh Tham seemed to have predicted this answer. He was not surprised at all, just gently nodded, his eyes still deep as before, not revealing any emotions. He spoke, his tone as if he had just concluded an important contract, without any of the excess emotions of a marriage.

“But I have one condition…”

I unconsciously clenched my hands, my breathing slowed down, countless possibilities flashed through my mind, because with his identity and position, any request I made had a reason to exist. Maybe he will ask me to quit my job, stay at home and be a standard, obedient, peaceful wife, not stepping out of the scope he allows. It's also possible that he will force me to cut off all relationships with the opposite sex, turning my life into a closed circle, revolving only around him and his family. I even thought that he would ask me to give birth to a child, a perfect heir for his family, because he has the appearance of a man born to stand at the top, where blood is always the most important thing. Luc Canh Tham looked at me, his eyes flashed with something very light, hard to grasp, like a faint smile. The light just passed by, so fast that I wasn't sure if I actually saw it or not.

“My condition is…”

He paused for a beat, as if intentionally giving each word more weight, then slowly continued.

"I can be Mrs. Luc and enjoy everything a woman in that position deserves, from material things to status, without lacking anything."

“But in return, you don't get to love me.”

I really froze in that moment, my mind felt like someone had pressed the stop button, completely unable to react. A seemingly simple condition, but carrying a coldly clear boundary, like he was drawing a limit that no one was allowed to cross. Don't love me. I looked at that face, a face that was enough to make any girl easily fall in love with him, the soft light covering every sharp line, making him look like a character that did not belong to this world. Such a condition… is actually frighteningly reasonable. A person like him certainly has no shortage of suitors or complicated relationships. What he needs is just a wife in name, a perfect shield in front of his family and society. As for me, what I need is not love, but an identity strong enough to completely cut off the past, so that no one can touch me again. We are, after all, just two strangers, using marriage to exchange what we need, each with a purpose, no emotional attachments, no interference in each other's world. A kind of cooperation… almost perfect.

“Okay, I agree.”

I answered very quickly, so quickly that I didn't give myself a chance to hesitate, because I knew clearly that if I was even one second late with my decisions, I would no longer have the courage to make them. Love, something I believed in for five years, was broken so easily, so a marriage without love from the beginning was probably a safer choice. Luc Canh Tham looked at me, his eyes flashing with satisfaction, as if my answer had just matched his expectations.

“Tomorrow, nine o'clock in the morning, meet at the gate of the Civil Affairs Bureau.”

“Remember to bring your household registration book and ID card.”

After he finished speaking, he returned to his cold, businesslike appearance, as if just a transaction had just been completed. I nodded. He stood up, preparing to leave, each movement still neat, decisive, without any hesitation.

“Wait a minute.”

I called him back, my voice a bit hesitant. He turned his head, raised his eyebrows slightly, signaling me to continue speaking.

“About us getting married… do I need to tell my parents?”

I asked, still feeling a little uneasy, because everything happened so fast, so fast that I hadn't had time to adapt.

"That's my personal matter, I decide for myself."

He replied briefly, neither interfering nor caring. Having finished speaking, he turned and left, his steps long and decisive, without looking back. In my private room, I was alone, with the black card lying quietly on the table, a clear reminder of everything that had just happened. I looked at it for a long time, feeling like I had just entered a strange dream, where everything was absurd but undeniably real. I... just got married like that? Married to a man I only met once, a man so perfect has no weakness, but imposes a cold and cruel condition. I reached out to pick up the card, a cold feeling spread from my fingertips to my heart, pulling me back to reality. This is not a dream. This is my choice. A completely new path, I don't know what lies ahead, but it's full of temptation, like a bet from which I have no way out. When I got home, my mother immediately ran out to greet me, her eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation, like a child waiting to hear an interesting story.

"How's it going? Is the conversation appropriate? Is that young man handsome?"

I looked at my mother, a series of images flashed through my mind, but I didn't know where to start, because if I told the truth, she would probably faint on the spot. Should I say that... I just met her once and tomorrow I'm going to register her marriage? I could only smile wryly and reply lightly.

“It's okay, pretty nice person.”

"So do you two keep in touch? When will we meet again?"

My mother continued to ask, her voice filled with hope.

“That... let's talk later, I'm a bit tired today.”

I found an excuse and quickly fled back to my room, as if just a moment later, all the secrets would be revealed. I opened the cabinet, rummaged deep inside, and took out the household registration book that I hadn't touched in a long time. The two words "not married" were clearly printed on it, making my heart suddenly filled with countless mixed emotions, both familiar and strange. That night, I almost didn't sleep, all my thoughts were mixed together, chaotic but terrifyingly clear. The next morning, I carried two dark circles under my eyes and secretly left the house like someone who did something that no one could know about. I told my mother that the company had urgent work, then quickly got in the car and left. When we arrived at the gate of the Civil Affairs Department, the clock had just struck eight fifty. A black Maybach slowly stopped next to me, its shadow reflecting the morning sunlight, calm and full of spirit. The car door opened and Luc Canh Tham got out. Today he wasn't wearing a vest, but a white shirt paired with black pants, simple but making his aura even more outstanding. Compared to his cold appearance last night, today he carried a bit of elegance and laziness, but that overwhelming aura... still did not decrease. He walked in front of me, his eyes scanning my face once.

“Do you have your household registration book with you?”

He asked, his tone still calm as if he was handling a small matter that was not worth worrying about, his eyes only glanced at me and then stopped somewhere far away.

“I brought it.”

I replied, my hand unconsciously tightening my hand on my bag, as if I was holding onto something more important than a simple household registration book. He spoke concisely, without adding a single extra word, then turned and walked straight towards the gate of the civil affairs department, each step long and sure, as if everything had been predetermined. It all happens so quickly that people don't have time to think, don't have time to hesitate, as if they're caught up in a current that can't turn back. Filling out forms, taking photos, reciting the oath... each step followed another, passing like a fast-forward movie, without even a moment for me to stop. In less than half an hour, two red marriage certificate rolls were in my hands, light but heavy enough to make my heart sink. I looked at the photo inside, where I was and he stood next to each other, like two strangers forced into one frame, still unable to believe that this was real. In the photo, he is still cold, his face expressionless, and I... my smile is stiff, like someone who is acting rather than living. Stepping out of the civil affairs department, the morning sunlight was so bright that it made my eyes squint slightly, as if the world outside was still normal, only my life had just turned in a completely different direction. I'm married. My husband is Luc Canh Tham.

“This is for you.”