Chapter 19: Bit Her Gland p1
Since there were no married people her age around her, Ming Fei had no idea about this new regulation.
In the spacious and bright photo room, it seemed quiet enough to hear Ming Fei’s accelerating heartbeat, as if a rabbit was trapped in her chest, thumping incessantly. In contrast to her evident fluster, Zhu Yiqiao, who had already let go of her hand, was calm and composed, as if detached from the situation.
Time passed quickly and quietly.
A minute later, Sweet reminded them again.
“No movement has been detected from either of you in the past minute. According to the latest regulations and procedures of the Yi Meng Independent State Civil Affairs Bureau, I will repeat the primary question.”
“—Ms. Ming, are you marrying Ms. Zhu of your own free will?”
Ming Fei quickly nodded: “Yes, completely voluntary.”
“—Then, Ms. Zhu, are you marrying Ms. Ming of your own free will?”
Zhu Yiqiao gave the same answer: “Yes.”
Due to the service tenet of the Civil Affairs Bureau, Sweet’s robotic voice was full of emotion, always brimming with joy, as if happy to witness the newlyweds entering the palace of marriage.
“Confirmation complete, this repetition is concluded.”
Sweet continued: “Then, in the next four minutes, please complete at least one photo of one of you kissing the other. If the four-minute time limit is exceeded, the five-minute time limit for the next photo will be halved.”
Hearing this, Ming Fei’s ears turned crimson, like a layer of pink enamel on white porcelain.
In the past twenty-five years, the only intimate acts she had experienced were occasional kisses on Ming Zaozao’s little round face after she was born, or letting Ming Zaozao kiss her face. The foundation of this intimate connection was the blood tie between her and Ming Zaozao.
Other than that, with her blank relationship history, she had never had any intimate contact with anyone.
However, the current situation couldn’t be delayed any longer. If the time limit was exceeded, it would not only waste Zhu Yiqiao’s time, but might also arouse suspicion from the Civil Affairs Bureau staff.
After quickly preparing herself mentally, Ming Fei mustered her courage and decided to take the first step. She turned sideways, forced herself to ignore her burning cheeks, and asked, pretending to be calm,
“…Jiejie, is this okay?”
“—Ming Fei.”
Two voices sounded almost simultaneously. Ming Fei subconsciously answered Zhu Yiqiao first: “Yes, I’m here.”
The distance between them had unknowingly widened after Sweet’s second reminder, now even farther than after the first reminder. Zhu Yiqiao, having removed her black trench coat, was tall and well-proportioned, her deep blue eyes calm.
“Okay,” she said indifferently. “One minute.”
Understanding what Zhu Yiqiao meant, Ming Fei’s face flushed even redder. But Zhu Yiqiao had given her even less time than Sweet, and she didn’t dare delay, so she could only endure her shyness and nervousness as she slowly moved closer to Zhu Yiqiao.
The distance between them gradually closed.
First, their shoulders touched. When they were only inches apart, Ming Fei closed her eyes and placed a light, fleeting kiss on Zhu Yiqiao’s forehead.
Her lips touched the soft, petal-like skin. Even though it was just a light touch, it was enough to make the blush on Ming Fei’s face deepen.
She shyly retreated, her heart still racing, and smelled a faint, cool, and elegant fragrance.
Then, her eyes were suddenly covered by a fair, jade-like hand.
As her vision was blocked, she felt soft, warm lips brush against her right cheek. After the brief touch, her vision cleared again.
Sweet’s cheerful voice rang out again: “Congratulations!”
“—Please confirm if you are satisfied with the photo. If there’s no problem, I’ll upload it to the system~”
Zhu Yiqiao looked at the photo calmly, and after confirming it was correct, glanced at her completely stunned partner beside her.
“Do you need to retake it?” she asked.
Ming Fei immediately shook her head: “No, this is fine.”
The impact of the just-now pseudo-intimacy hadn’t completely subsided, and Ming Fei was too embarrassed to look at Zhu Yiqiao, agreeing with whatever she said. It wasn’t until Sweet confirmed again that the photo was being uploaded to the system that she recovered from the pink mushroom cloud that had exploded in her mind.
…It was just an act.
There was nothing to be shy about, they weren’t really partners.
This kind of intimacy probably wouldn’t happen again. She thought resolutely.
“—Ding, upload successful!”
“—Turn right and go to the Certificate Department to collect your marriage certificate.”
Sweet congratulated them: “Congratulations! Happy wedding, and may you have a long and happy life together~”
Ming Fei, the heat in her cheeks dissipating somewhat, politely thanked the enthusiastic AI.
“Thank you.”
Sweet: “You’re welcome~ Serving you is Sweet’s duty. I wish your married life will be even sweeter than Sweet~”
Ming Fei couldn’t handle such well wishes and could only politely repeat her thanks again. However, just as they were about to leave the photo room, Zhu Yiqiao suddenly stopped.
She made a concise request: “Hand.”
Ming Fei didn’t understand: “Hand, what’s wrong?”
“Hold hands,” Zhu Yiqiao said. “Walking out now, we are legally married.”
Thinking of the terms of the marriage agreement, Ming Fei took the initiative to hold Zhu Yiqiao’s hand. She was very service-minded and understood that these were all within the scope of the agreement. Although somewhat embarrassed, she still held Zhu Yiqiao’s hand all the way to the Certificate Department.
Along the way, the staff on both sides of the service counter kept glancing at them.
Ming Fei pretended not to notice, ignoring everyone’s gazes, and walked side by side with Zhu Yiqiao with a calm expression.
During autumn and winter, her hands and feet were always cold as ice, even when covered up. But Zhu Yiqiao… like Ming Zaozao, whether it was her fingers, palms, back of her hands, or the webbing between her thumb and index finger, they were all warm, like a warm spring, slowly dispelling the chill from Ming Fei until she was completely enveloped.
So much so that in the short distance, Ming Fei’s palms were almost sweating.
Fortunately, after arriving at their destination, Zhu Yiqiao immediately let go of her hand and began to communicate with the staff.
The staff at the Civil Affairs Bureau were like Sweet, with friendly smiles on their faces and cheerful tones of voice.
They were wearing uniform work attire. When the oldest staff member handed them two marriage certificates bearing the official seal of the Independent State of Yi Meng, she also gave them a gift bag from the Bureau.
The gift bag followed the design of the old century. The fabric was bright red, and inside were three wedding candies, three wedding cakes, two gift boxes, and an official greeting card, adding up to a lucky nine.
Ming Fei glanced at her marriage certificate, only taking a look at the photo on the first page before putting the certificate and gift bag into her bag.
“Congratulations again to the two of you on your happy wedding. May you have a long and happy life together.”
Zhu Yiqiao replied with a thank you.
As they turned to leave, she took the initiative to hold Ming Fei’s hand for the first time. She didn’t grip it tightly like Ming Fei had, but held it loosely like a kite string, leaving some leeway, yet never truly letting go.
It wasn’t until they exited the building and entered the parking garage that Zhu Yiqiao released Ming Fei’s hand.
With no one around, Ming Fei subconsciously distanced herself slightly. She didn’t have class today and had reserved the entire day for moving. Now that they had received their certificate, she was planning to return to Hui Fu Garden first.
“Jiejie,” she said, “I want to drive back to Hui Fu Garden first.”
Zhu Yiqiao: “Get in the car.”
She explained, “I drove my own car when I came this morning.”
“I know,” Zhu Yiqiao said slowly. “Set your self-driving car to return automatically, then get in my car. I’ll go back to Hui Fu Garden with you.”
Ming Fei had no reason to refuse: “Okay, wait for me a moment.”
On the hovercar lane of Beiming Avenue, a black hovercar sped along, cutting the ten-minute journey of a self-driving car directly in half. Correspondingly, the price of a hovercar was several times more expensive than a self-driving car.
Ming Fei sat on the right side of the back seat, her face always turned towards the window, her gaze drifting among the changing scenery.
Until Zhu Yiqiao’s voice broke the silence.
“I’ll be leaving the country tonight and will be back in about two weeks.” Zhu Yiqiao looked straight ahead. “The time might be extended, but it won’t be more than three weeks.”
Ming Fei wasn’t surprised.
The list of those involved in the gene theft was about to be made public. In the coming period, various countries would hold meetings about this matter. As the highest authority handling the gene theft case, Zhu Yiqiao would definitely be busy.
If it was three weeks, then Zhu Yiqiao would return just in time for Q University’s centennial celebration. Perhaps they would meet again at the celebration. She thought.
“Okay,” she promised. “I’ll take good care of Zaozao.”
“Mm.”
After their conversation ended, they had already arrived at the north gate of Hui Fu Garden.
Before getting out of the car, Zhu Yiqiao put on a mask, and her long hair, which had been tied up, fell loose. She didn’t tie it up again, letting her black hair cascade down, looking less stern and more relaxed.
Seeing this, Ming Fei hesitated to speak, and finally followed Zhu Yiqiao, taking the elevator upstairs together.
After changing into slippers at the entrance, Ming Fei found Ming Zaozao sleeping soundly on the sofa. Because her clothes were short and she wasn’t covered with a blanket, her round belly was exposed.
Ming Fei quickly walked to the sofa, grabbed a warm yellow blanket, and carefully covered her daughter.
008 displayed a sighing emoji: “Teacher Ming, Baby fell asleep fifteen minutes ago. In these fifteen minutes, I covered Baby with the blanket twenty times, and she kicked it off every time.”
“As soon as Teacher Ming came back, Baby stopped kicking the blanket.”
Ming Fei smiled: “How long did she play this morning?”
“Fifty minutes.”
“Mm.”
After saying that, Ming Fei turned to look at Zhu Yiqiao and saw her sitting on a chair that matched the dining table, relaxed, her chin resting on one hand, her mask removed, her face as beautiful as a painting.
“…Jiejie, I’ll go get the luggage.”
“—No need.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the doorbell rang as expected. Zhu Yiqiao said, “The people who are helping you move are here.”
As an all-purpose home robot, 008 could directly open the security door after receiving instructions. But Ming Fei was used to opening it herself, and this time was no exception. She walked to the entrance and opened the security door, then saw Lan Lubai with a bright smile.
—To be precise, it was Lan Lubai with three white moving robots.
Seeing Ming Fei, Lan Lubai greeted familiarly: “Teacher Xiao Fei, good morning.”
Ming Fei smiled: “Good morning.”
“Are three moving robots enough? If not, I’ll bring two more up.”
“That’s enough,” Ming Fei continued. “There aren’t many things, two robots can carry everything.”
She stepped aside to let Lan Lubai and the moving robots in. After pouring tea for the two important figures, she went back to the toy room to pack the last box of toys for Ming Zaozao.
They really didn’t have much to bring, because she always considered Hui Fu Garden to be her and Ming Zaozao’s home. Moving there was just to comply with the contract for a year.
A year wasn’t actually a long time, sometimes it passed in the blink of an eye.
Although she was very grateful for Zhu Yiqiao’s help, she still hoped in her heart that this year would pass quickly.
Unlike the quietness in the living room and toy room, there was the chattering of Ming Zaozao, who had woken up, in addition to Lan Lubai’s voice. She first chatted with Zhu Yiqiao, whom she hadn’t seen for a week, then chatted with Lan Lubai for a while, and finally ran into the toy room.
As soon as she saw her mother, she smiled sweetly.
“Mommy!”
Ming Fei had just finished packing the last plush toy: “Zaozao, you’re awake.”
“Mm-hmm!” Ming Zaozao put on her strawberry backpack. “Baby is ready.”
“Then let’s make a promise, okay?”
“What is it?”
Ming Fei closed the door of the toy room, then squatted down to look her daughter in the eye, extending her little finger as if to make a pinky promise.
“After we get there, if Zaozao isn’t used to it or isn’t happy, you must tell Mommy.”
Ming Zaozao nodded: “Okay!”
“Pinky promise.”
Ming Zaozao had already learned how to make a pinky promise. She felt that she had grown a little during this time, even though the number on the scale after measuring her height this morning hadn’t changed at all.
“Pinky promise!” She hooked Ming Fei’s little finger. “Liar, liar, pants on fire~”
The pink curtains in the toy room were half-drawn, and sunlight streamed through the gap, falling on Ming Fei, casting a gentle glow on the ends of her hair.
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