Chapter 112

 

“… the way my genes are passed on should be protected by national law.”

Liang Jiancheng’s gaze was dark and steady, his tone firm, his fingertips resting lightly on the edge of the table.

“My love can be given to Miss Ming without reservation, but the right to use my genetic patent can only be given to my wife.” Boss Liang said again, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his lips.

A faint, elusive smile—clear, yet shameless—appeared on his face.

Ming Xi looked at him. Tonight, she had thought she was winning step by step, only to realize that he had been laying out his strategy all along. It really proved a point: the most formidable hunters often appear as prey. Liang Jiancheng had come to her tonight in the guise of prey—but with the mindset of a hunter.

Was he forcing a marriage proposal? It was so unexpected, impossible to guard against.

And yet, though the situation had been completely reversed, Ming Xi felt no anger—only that he was difficult to deal with. Shameless, forceful, deeply in love—three of the hardest traits to handle, and tonight he possessed all of them.

Yes—tonight, Liang Jiancheng was determined to secure a title. Eight years—long enough to win a war—and yet he still hadn’t rightfully claimed the name of “Miss Ming’s husband.” It was, in his view, almost unbecoming. All these years, he knew exactly what Ming Xi wanted. And she should know what he wanted too.

“So, Mr. Liang… you want to get married, is that it?” Ming Xi finally asked, unable to hold back, voicing the most direct question.

Yes. Compared to contracts offering money for a child or lavish praise, this was what Liang Jiancheng wanted to hear.

Liang Jiancheng leaned back in his chair, his posture relaxed yet resolute. He nodded slightly and said earnestly, “Yes, I want to become husband and wife with Miss Ming. First, I’ll be Miss Ming’s husband, and then the father of Miss Ming’s child.”

Husband first, father second—that logic was sound.

It was just that… for other men, this would come as a proper proposal. Why had it turned into a form of “forcing marriage” with him? Of course, it was not that she cared for the proposal, it was just a little abrupt…

Ming Xi pressed her lips together, revealing a faint, thoughtful smile.

She had already bought the supplements. Their relationship had already come this far. Even if he was pushing her into marriage, she didn’t seem to have any reason to refuse. However, her current concern wasn’t about herself, but about Liang Jiancheng—

Xinghai Technology was about to go public. If his marital status changed, it might complicate his shareholder documentation.

“My filing is still on my desk—it hasn’t been submitted yet,” Liang Jiancheng, having already seen through Ming Xi’s thoughts, proactively brought it up to ensure the cautious and meticulous Miss Ming had no worries.

“In short, all you need to do, Miss Ming, is bring your ID card and household registration booklet and come with me to get our marriage certificate.” Liang Jiancheng made his words increasingly clear.

If the earlier part of the night had been Ming Xi building her case step by step, now it was Liang Jiancheng tightening his net.

“Liang Jiancheng, did you decide tonight’s matter on a whim, or did you think it through carefully?” Ming Xi fixed her gaze on him, eyes bright, asking her final question.

Liang Jiancheng took her hand, leaned closer, and gave his answer: “Miss Ming, I came prepared today.”

Prepared?

Yes! It could even be said that he had planned it for a long time.

As the words fell, Liang Jiancheng took out a black velvet box from his pocket and opened it. Inside was a dazzling diamond ring.

“Ming Xi, Boss Ming, Miss Ming, let me become your legal husband. Give me that one, irreplaceable legal status—that is the sincerity I want. Will you give it to me?”

Love could be light and unburdened, but marriage required staking one’s worth. These past few years, he and Ming Xi had been too busy chasing their ambitions, their drive growing like wild grass, unchecked. But in the end, what would accompany a person for life wasn’t endless desire—but a quiet, steady contentment.

For him, Miss Ming was everything—everything right, everything enough. And he considered himself fortunate to have caught her eye, to be worthy enough, reliable enough. So, let’s not delay any longer. Today, as that private, non-binding contract expired, it would be replaced by a legally recognized relationship.

Throughout, he never once used the word “marry” in the sense of her “marrying into” his family. He understood her completely—she hadn’t worked so hard just to become someone’s wife. What he wanted was never ownership. It was partnership—shared interests, shared storms, shared glory.

He had placed his greatest sincerity on the table.

Would Miss Ming—proud and formidable as she was—be willing to take that bet with him?

After speaking, Liang Jiancheng let go of her hand.

For a moment, her hand fell empty. In the end, even the forceful, shameless Liang Jiancheng left the choice to her.

Ming Xi had never had the habit of wearing rings; her hands were always bare. He knew that well. Over the years, he had given her many pieces of jewelry—but never a ring. This was the first.

And it was for a proposal.

Meeting his calm gaze, Ming Xi instinctively withdrew her left hand, then nervously clasped her right. After a few seconds, she asked, slightly embarrassed: “…Which hand am I supposed to give you?”

Liang Jiancheng laughed—openly, warmly, wholeheartedly. Without hesitation, he took her left hand, removed the ring from the box, and slowly slid it onto her ring finger—

The size was perfect, a testament to his care. Six months ago, while she slept, he had carefully measured it with a red thread.

A gesture must be returned in kind.

Ming Xi wasn’t as eloquent as he was. So she answered—with action.

“Wait… Liang Jiancheng, I have something for you too.” Ming Xi suddenly blushed, then, putting on a serious expression, took several bottles of male supplements out of her tote bag. Under Liang Jiancheng’s stunned yet composed gaze, she began explaining how to take them.

“This one, three times a day, one pill each time; this one, morning and night; and this—

“The pharmacist said men over thirty should be cautious. Just because the process is fine doesn’t mean the result will be optimal…” Ming Xi spoke, then started laughing.

Struggling to maintain his composure, Liang Jiancheng responded, both embarrassed and amused, “Miss Ming, I don’t need them!”

“Don’t feel any pressure, Mr. Liang—I’ll take mine with you.” Ming Xi turned and pulled out her own bag. “See? I’ve got some too.”

Liang Jiancheng’s gaze swept over the bottles. Fortunately, most of them were vitamins. So, this was what Miss Ming wanted to discuss with him tonight.

“Oh right, you’ll also need to quit smoking and drinking,” Ming Xi added.

“Ming Xi, I haven’t smoked since the first time I kissed you,” Liang Jiancheng said plainly.

The first kiss? When was that? Which year? Ming Xi couldn’t quite remember.

But Liang Jiancheng could—he even named the exact day. Back then, they weren’t together yet; their feelings had crossed the line, though their actions had tried to stay within bounds—until that one night when restraint failed.

Oh… that was the night she had been drunk.

Well… it still counted.

In the quiet of the night, Liang Jiancheng buried his face deep into the crook of her neck and murmured softly, “Wife.”

Ming Xi’s whole body stiffened. The word felt unfamiliar, yet made her heart race. As he repeated it again and again, waves of desire rose and crashed over them.

When they finally reached their peak, the veins on the back of Liang Jiancheng’s hand stood out, his body damp with heat.

Afterward, still lingering in the afterglow, Ming Xi took a while before asking, “Liang Jiancheng… why did you just…”

Tonight, after all the push and pull, he had finally secured the proposal. Of course, he had his own motives. He wanted an answer for those eight years of feelings. As for her desire to have a child, he had originally been quite at ease about it—but that entire bag of supplements had truly defeated him.

“For the best results, men over thirty might need to take supplement for a while,” Liang Jiancheng said with a low laugh.

What the heck… Ming Xi burst out laughing, half her face buried in the pillow.

Liang Jiancheng reached out and cupped the back of her head, their foreheads touching, their breaths mingling.

“Ming Xi, I really love you so much, so very much.” The confession slipped out, sincere and heavy with emotion.

“Me too,” Ming Xi replied.

“Say it again?” Liang Jiancheng propped himself up, cupping Miss Ming’s face in his hands. “Please elaborate, Miss Ming.”

“Liang Jiancheng, I love you too, I love you so much…” Ming Xi repeated several times, then added something specific. “When I thought I was going to die, the only person in my mind was you.”

His eyes warmed. Lowering his head, Liang Jiancheng placed a kiss on her forehead. Waiting until this moment had made everything worth it.

Ming Xi said nothing more, only responded with action—wrapping her arms around his back, holding him openly, intimately, tenderly.

Over the past few years, she had built her business in Haigang with Mingzhou. The ruthless business world had honed her unwavering determination, leading to a habitually competitive spirit. Stumbling along the way, she had cut through the fog of life without losing her direction. She couldn’t deny that Liang Jiancheng had shaped that direction. Not by standing ahead of her, but by standing beside her.

“Liang Jiancheng, I don’t think I’m a very good lover. All these years… I never told you that I love you too.”

Liang Jiancheng’s fingers curled slightly as he tenderly stroked her hair. “Miss Ming, I have a good memory—you really never told me that.”

He truly hadn’t known. All he had known was that his feelings for her were a mix of respect, love, and devotion—so intertwined he could no longer tell which was stronger.

The only certainty was that he loved her deeply.

Hearing Miss Ming saying it tonight, he felt a sense of relief, like the sun finally shining after a long period of hardship.

He was truly content now.

Then, Liang Jiancheng suddenly had the urge to call Director Liao and ask—could he arrange for the Civil Affairs Bureau staff to work overtime tomorrow?

Of course…

Ming Xi and Liang Jiancheng ended up registering their marriage on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year—before the first day back at work.

On the morning of the seventh day, just as dawn was breaking, the two went out. As the staff at Haigang Civil Affairs Bureau officially started work early in the morning, they were the first couple to appear at the marriage registration window.

What a well-matched pair—like the heavy snowfall the world had just witnessed, sweeping and magnificent, full of quiet triumph.

When the red marriage certificate was stamped with the official seal, Liang Jiancheng’s smile was as captivating as spring sunshine.

Before registering their marriage at the Civil Affairs Bureau, couples had to take a photo together.

A photo taken on-site.

The man striking, the woman beautiful—the staff couldn’t help but glance at them several times. “Congratulations—you’re the first couple today.”

“Thank you. We had a whirlwind marriage—we’ll make up the wedding candy later,” Liang Jiancheng replied politely with a smile.

After the formalities were completed, Ming Xi received a call from Xinyu. She went outside the steps to answer, seemingly casual yet unable to hide her joy: “Yes, I‘ll be at the company later, Mr. Liang and I are at the Civil Affairs Bureau… Yes, we got married.”

After hanging up, she turned around and saw Liang Jiancheng holding their two marriage certificates—elegant and composed, every bit the newlywed husband.

He strode over and naturally draped an arm around her shoulders. “Come on, I’ll take my wife to work.”

As they passed Jianghui Longmao Department Store, Liang Jiancheng suddenly stopped the car. Ming Xi, still in a hurry to get to a meeting, asked what he was doing.

Liang Jiancheng replied matter-of-factly, “Buying wedding rings.” As a married man, without a beer belly or receding hairline, if he didn’t wear a ring, how would anyone know he was married?

Ming Xi sighed and quickly coaxed, “Later, I’ll buy them for you.”

“Alright. I want a simple, classic band,” he said, then raised his hand and waved his long, elegant fingers in front of her. “You do know my size, right?”

Fine, no more nonsense, let’s go buy them!

He’d rather the car be parked on the side of the road and get a parking ticket.

The diamond ring had been bought by Liang Jiancheng. And the pair of classic wedding bands—those were paid for by Ming Xi.

And so, at the 2008 kickoff meeting, Miss Ming was late for the first time.

As soon as the revolving door to the meeting room opened, Ming Xi stepped in, wearing stacked diamond rings and a wedding ring. Xinyu exclaimed “Wow!” in surprise, followed by a chorus of congratulations and applause. Waves of “Congratulations on your marriage, Miss Ming!” came flooding toward her, full of teasing excitement.

Ming Xi didn’t even have a single piece of candy on her—she could only blush and thank everyone repeatedly.

Compared to Mingzhou, a company filled mostly with female employees and a warm atmosphere, no one at Xinghai Technology—now restructured into a state-owned enterprise—even noticed that Mr. Liang was wearing a wedding ring.

On the seventeenth-floor corridor of Xinghai Technology, Liang Jiancheng’s simple wedding band rested plainly on his ring finger. Raising his left hand, he pushed open Director Liao’s office door with an easy, confident motion. He had come to submit the shareholder information he had delayed for so long.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, this is my personal information file.”

Oh, finally here?

Pulling out the document from a kraft paper envelope, Director Liao flipped through the shareholder file that had been held back for three months. When he saw the bold line—“Marital Status: Married”—he burst into hearty laughter.

Before the Lunar New Year, when Liang Jiancheng had stayed behind in Ning City with Miss Ming during the snow disaster, most of them had already guessed that something good was coming—but no one expected that after the holiday, he would already be married!

“Mr. Liang, you’re being stingy—where’s the wedding candy?” Director Liao teased as he signed.

The whirlwind marriage had happened so quickly that they hadn’t even thought about preparing any candy.

Liang Jiancheng stood up and bent down, took the pen and signed his name in the confirmation column at the end of the documents, then handed the pen back to Director Liao. The wedding ring on his hand had a faint glow, understated yet appropriate.

Wearing the unmistakable air of a newlywed man, he smiled and reminded Director Liao, “According to Haigang customs, shouldn’t the wedding candy be prepared by the groom’s parents?”

Yes, that’s right! Director Liao immediately pulled out his phone and joked, “Then I’ll ask Director Gu—will it take eighteen luxury cars to carry all the wedding candy for her son’s marriage?”

Director Liao was over ten years older than Liang Jiancheng and about ten years younger than Director Gu. They had known each other well for years.

After Liang Jiancheng left, still radiating newlywed joy, Director Liao actually made the call, asking Gu Shuangyang for wedding candy.

On the other end, Gu Shuangyang only learned about Liang Jiancheng’s marriage through this call. Unfazed, she listened, then chuckled helplessly, her laughter retaining its usual spirited tone: “Xiao Liao, you’ve known Liang Jiancheng for so long and still can’t tell? My son wasn’t marrying a wife—he was practically married off to that formidable Miss Ming! You want candy? Don’t ask me—go ask Miss Ming!”

Director Liao: …Hahaha! Married off? What a perfectly justified excuse!

Hanging up, he could only sigh—this family was full of powerful figures. No one was going to bother with something as mundane as buying wedding candy!

—

Ming Xi and Liang Jiancheng officially registered their marriage on February 13, 2008—the seventh day of the Lunar New Year. The next day just happened to be February 14, Valentine’s Day.

Originally, Ming Xi—who was never particularly romantic—felt that registering on Valentine’s Day would be more meaningful. Liang Jiancheng objected, giving a practical reason: too many couples would choose that day—no need to join the crowd.

For workaholics like them, there was no need to join the Valentine’s rush.

In truth, he simply feared that delays might bring complications—better sooner than later.

As it turned out, he was right. The next day, while watching the news at home, they saw footage of long lines outside the Haigang Civil Affairs Bureau—so many couples registering that it made the national news.

Ming Xi felt a slight pang of regret. If they had waited, perhaps they would have been on the news too.

Liang Jiancheng said nothing, only smiled faintly.

In 2008, Ming Xi and Liang Jiancheng got married, becoming a legally married couple protected by national law. This was a shared memory for both of them. However, the memories of that year went far beyond just getting their marriage certificate.

Because so many things happened, even though they got their certificate in 2008, Ming Xi and Mr. Liang did not hold a wedding ceremony that year.

In April, before the Wenchuan earthquake had even occurred, Ming Xi received devastating news—

Mr. Hé, vice chairman of the Haigang Foreign Trade Association, had committed suicide by jumping off a building.

Who could have imagined that a man so respected, so well-connected in the industry, would end his life like this? Some said he had been trapped by overseas capital and lost hundreds of millions of dollars. Others said a large number of his orders had been canceled. Many economists were already predicting a bleak year ahead, warning that countless foreign trade businesses would collapse.

When Ming Xi heard the news, she was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window on the 24th floor of the Jiemu Twer. She hadn’t been particularly close to Mr. Hé—but just before the New Year, at the association’s leadership transition, he had invited her to play golf after the holiday…

Spring had not yet fully spread after the snow disaster, and already this had happened. For a moment, it felt as though all the strength had drained from her body. Whether from sympathy within the same industry or the shared sense of vulnerability—like one fallen rabbit warning the others—she suddenly felt suffocated. Leaning against the window, she took out her phone and called Liang Jiancheng.

“Liang Jiancheng… Hé Fengrong from Xinyu Manufacturing… jumped to his death.”

On the other end, Liang Jiancheng fell silent for a long time as well.

…

A week later, Mr. Hé’s memorial service was held at Tingquan Villa on the outskirts of Haigang.

Ming Xi and Liang Jiancheng attended together. When preparing the condolence gift, Liang Jiancheng personally wrote on the back of the envelope:

“With deepest condolences — Ming Xi & Liang Jiancheng”

By convention, names are usually written with the man first and the woman second. But Liang Jiancheng always placed Miss Ming’s name before his own.

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